ITN : MI6 spy 'unhappy' in London before death

MI6 spy 'unhappy' in London before death

April 23, 2012

The family of spy Gareth Williams said he was unhappy in London and complained of "friction" at MI6 before he was found dead in a sports holdall.

His sister Ceri Subbe told the inquest that she did not believe Mr Williams would let a potential killer into his flat. She said: "I cannot emphasise enough his conscientiousness."

She also told the inquest: "The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with. He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race".

MI6 bosses had agreed to let him leave on September 1 2010 - an early end to his three-year secondment in London.

The family of Mr Williams want answers about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. He was found dead in a locked holdall 21 months ago at his top floor flat in Pimlico.

His body was already decomposing when it was found in his bath and several post mortems could not find the cause of death. The police originally said it would have been impossible for him to lock himself into the bag.

Scotland Yard have not been able to find out if he was alone when he died. William's family fear "some agency specialising in the dark arts" will continue to keep them from finding out the truth.

The lawyer representing the family wants the Westminster Coroner's Court to establish why there is no evidence of a third party in the flat. Anthony O'Toole said: "The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency."

Coroner Fiona Wilcox may want to see a practical demonstration of how Mr Williams could have got into the holdall. She said: "At the very heart of this inquiry" is whether he was alive and locked himself in the bag.

The inquest is expected to last five days and will hear from over 30 witnesses. It is expected that they will also hear that Mr Williams may have died after breathing in too much Carbon Monoxide.