Telegraph : MI6 kept Gareth William's computer memory sticks from police

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

MI6 kept Gareth William's computer memory sticks from police

MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks belonging to spy Gareth Williams to the police investigating his death, an inquest heard.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | May 1, 2012

The intelligence service also examined “electronic media” of the maths prodigy without telling the police.

A full inventory of his belongings at work and the presence of a red North Face holdall were also never passed on to officers.

The existence of the memory sticks and MI6 data searches only emerged this morning on what was due to be the final day of evidence.

DCI Jackie Sebire, the Met officer leading the investigation, revealed the first she heard of it was this morning.

She said she would have expected to have been informed in August 2010, when Mr Williams’ body was discovered, and any relevant information passed on.

Westminster Coroner’s Court is investigating the death of Mr Williams, whose naked decomposing body was found in a North Face holdall in a bath at his Pimlico flat in London in August 2010.

The inquest heard on Monday that Mr Williams would have suffocated within three minutes after getting inside his sports holdall.

Poisoning and asphyxiation were the "foremost contenders" in solving the death riddle, pathologists said.

It also emerged scientists found traces of "at least" two unknown people in his upmarket London apartment despite evidence Mr Williams rarely invited people over.

Forensic expert Ros Hammond said there were hopes of a breakthrough "within a matter of weeks" from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen.

"There's hope," she told Westminster Coroner's Court. "The tests are still in progress and there may be some promising results from those tests."

The 31-year-old was probably suffocated or killed by a poison which disappeared in his system during decomposition, pathologist Benjamin Swift said.

Dr Swift said his post-mortem examination was hampered by levels of heat within the bag after radiators were turned on in Mr Williams's top-floor flat in the middle of summer.

Ian Calder, who performed the second post-mortem examination, observed that the build-up of carbon dioxide would have become poisonous to Mr Williams within about two or three minutes, had he been alive when he entered the bag.

"The toxic effect of the carbon dioxide... plays some considerable havoc with the chemistry of the body and so as a result of that the accumulation of carbon dioxide has quite a considerable effect on the wellness of the individual," he said.

A soporific state would have been induced before the spy lost consciousness, which could have prevented him from trying to escape, he said.

Hypercapnia - a high level of carbon dioxide in the blood - would be a "reasoned explanation" of what might have happened to Mr Williams.

Another pathologist, Richard Shepherd, also said it was "more likely (Mr Williams) was alive when he entered the bag than that he was dead".

There was, however, "no suggestion" the spy's body had been manhandled into the holdall and were he to have been forced into it either alive or straight after he died, marks on his body would have been expected, Mr Shepherd said.

Dr Swift said he believed Mr Williams would have died shortly after his last-known movements on August 15 in his top-floor apartment in Pimlico, central London.

The evidence came after bag experts said even Harry Houdini would have struggled to lock himself in the bag.

The hearing continues.