Metro : Spy Gareth Williams complained of 'friction' at work, sister tells inquest

Spy Gareth Williams complained of 'friction' at work, sister tells inquest

By METRO NEWS REPORTER | April 23, 2012

MI6 spy Gareth Williams, whose decomposing body was found padlocked in a sports holdall in his bath, had complained of 'friction' at work prior to his death, his sister told an inquest today.

Ceri Subbe told coroner Fiona Wilcox that Mr Williams, 31, from Anglesey, north Wales, had become disillusioned at work in London and was due to return to GCHQ in Cheltenham the week before he died.

'He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office,' Ms Subbe said at Westminster Coroner's Court.

'The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with.'

She described Mr Williams as the 'perfect' big brother and could not 'emphasise enough his conscientiousness'.

Mr Williams' body was found in a padlocked North Face holdall in the bath of his top floor flat on Alderney Street in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010.

Earlier Ms Wilcox ruled some evidence would be heard in public but that sensitive information would be withheld, warning of a real risk to national security.

Ms Wilcox has already given four intelligence agents 'public interest' anonymity.

No one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with Mr Williams' death, with the Metropolitan Police drawing a 21-month blank.

But lawyer Vincent Williams said there was a 'real possibility' the inquest could lead to eventual prosecutions.