Telegraph : MI6 spy inquest: Gareth Williams was 'dead or unconscious before he went into the bag'

MI6 spy inquest: Gareth Williams was 'dead or unconscious before he went into the bag'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams was "dead or unconscious" when placed in a sports bag because not even Harry Houdini could have locked himself in it, his inquest heard on Friday.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | April 27, 2012

Peter Faulding, a former Parachute Regiment reservist and expert in confined rescues, said he was convinced another person was involved in putting Mr Williams in to a North Face holdall and padlocking it.

He said the idea of him doing it himself was in "unbelievable scenarios" and that even the world's greatest escapologist would have struggled.

His revelations will further fuel theories that the 31-year-old codebreaker may have been killed and dumped in a bag in the bath.

The inquest at Westminster Coroners' Court is investigating Mr Williams' death, whose decomposing, naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

The maths prodigy had been on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ when he died.

The issue of whether Mr Williams could lock himself in the bag is central to the inquiry and has fuelled theories that a third party was involved.

In the fifth and most dramatic day of the hearing, video footage of attempts to recreate climbing in to an 81cm by 48 cm holdall and locking it was shown to the court.

Mr Faulding, who is of similar height and build to Mr Williams, tried to climb in to a bag inside a bath and lock it himself 300 times and failed every time.

He said: "I have never been able to get this case out of my head.

"My conclusion is that he was either placed in the bag unconscious or he was dead before he was put in the bag."

When asked if it was impossible for him to have got in unaided he said: "I can't say it was impossible but I think I even Houdini would struggle with that one."

"My personal belief is that it could not be done."

He added: "I believe he was placed in there. I am satisfied from the evidence that I have seen from no DNA around the bath, the way it was locked, the shower screen placed back and the door closed my belief is that he was placed in there by a third party."

A bag similar to the one in which the body of Mr Williams was found

Mr Faulding, an expert in mine rescue and the man who helped dig out the tunneling protestor Swampy, suggested Mr Williams was then put in the bath 'to reduce body fluid or decomposition'.

He said it would have been "very very easy" for a single person to lift Mr Williams in to the bath and there would have been marks in or around the bath if he had done it himself, which there was not.

The inquest heard that if Mr Willliams had been alive when he went in to the bath, he would have been dead within 30 minutes.

Oxygen levels dropped to 17 per cent and the temperature rose by 10 per cent within five minutes.

Earlier, another expert in "unusual occurrences" and confined places suggested Mr Williams may have been able to do it himself but it was very unlikely.

William MacKay and a colleague tried and failed 100 times although they came "reasonably close" at times.

He tried different scenarios of climbing in and locking it from the inside or first locking it then splitting the zip, climbing in and then trying to re-zip it.

However, Mr MacKay's attempts did not involve a bath.

Asked by coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox if that meant it could not be done, he said: "I would not like to say that.

"There are people who can do amazing things and Mr Williams may well be one of those persons."

On Thursday, the inquest heard how small traces of the date rape drug GHB were found in Mr Williams' body.

Experts were also unable to rule out a series of poisons, including cyanide, anesthetics and chloroform, because the body was so badly decomposed it was not possible to accurately test for them.

Forensic scientist Denise Stanworth said the traces of GHB were "probably" naturally occurring, which is common after death, but admitted she could not rule out it had been taken.

MI6 also apologised for failing to raise the alarm about his disappearance, conceding the error may have hampered police inquiries.

Relatives walked out on the inquest in tears as a senior spy said the secret service was "profoundly sorry" for delays in noticing he was missing for a week.

The hearing continues.