Telegraph : Spy death: It is possible to lock yourself into a bag, claims soldier

Spy death: It is possible to lock yourself into a bag, claims soldier

By Richard Alleyne | May 9, 2012

A coroner concluded that Gareth Williams, the spy found dead in a bag, was probably unlawfully killed because experts were unable to lock themselves into the holdall – despite trying more than 300 times.

But now an amateur has shown that it can be done in a development which could throw the findings into doubt.

Jim Fetherstonhaugh, 49 – a retired sergeant in the Royal Artillery – discovered a simple method by which a holdall can be zipped up and locked from the inside without assistance.

Intrigued by the mysterious case of the MI6 agent Gareth Williams, he asked his daughter Izzy, 16, to climb inside an identical North Face bag to test his theory.

The teenager, who at 5ft 5 ins was 3 ins shorter than Mr Williams, easily fitted inside the bag in the foetal position before partially closing it.

She drew her legs up to her body and was able to draw the two zip pulls together while leaving a gap for her hands to protrude through and close the padlock.

Miss Fetherstonhaugh then tensed her body and the zip simply sealed itself leaving her successfully shut inside the bag holding the key to the padlock.

But crucially, the procedure is said to be much easier in a bath where the occupant of the bag can push against the sides for assistance.

Sgt Fetherstonhaugh, of Shrewton, Wilts., served around the world as a sergeant with the 33 Regiment, Royal Artillery, for 22 years until he retired five years ago and has been a reservist ever since.

He claims that, despite Mr Williams being taller than his daughter, this would not have made much difference.

He said: "The man on TV tried it 300 times and I was amazed he couldn't do it.

"I've told my friends and show them and their jaws drops – it is so obvious, maybe people are thinking too much into it.

"She is 5ft 5 and he was 5ft 8 but when you're in the foetal position inside that height doesn't make much difference.

"She had a bit of a struggle pulling the bag but she wouldn't have been as strong as him. I could easily see that he would be able to do it.

"She did it on the floor and it would have been much easier for him in the bath because he could put pressure on the sides to manoeuvre himself in.

"Once you show people how you do it, their jaws drop. I wonder if the services do know this method – but they don't want it known."

A similar technique is used to steal from locked holdalls, where the end of the bag can be squeezed together to create "slack" in the zip.

This creates enough room for an opening in the zip without unlocking the padlocks.

Mr Fetherstonhaugh contacted the Met Police via the force's 101 number and he was provided with a serial number but they have yet to respond to him.

A spokesman for the force refused to comment.

The revelation raises questions over the coroner's findings, which concluded Mr Williams' death "unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated".

Mr Williams' former landlords told the inquest how they once found him handcuffed alone to a bed, suggesting he had a fetish for restraint.

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