Telegraph : Body in bag spy Gareth Williams 'hated London and wanted to leave MI6’

Body in bag spy Gareth Williams 'hated London and wanted to leave MI6’

The spy found dead in a padlocked holdall hated the “flash car and drinking” culture of MI6 and complained of “friction” at work, his family told an inquest on Monday.

By Martin Evans and Tom Whitehead | April 23, 2012

Gareth Williams, 31, told his sister, Ceri Subbe, he wanted to leave London because he did not like the “rat race” lifestyle and was unhappy working for the security services. He had applied to cut short his three-year secondment to MI6 and return to GCHQ in Cheltenham but felt his superiors were “dragging their feet”, Mrs Subbe told the hearing.

A date for his return was finally fixed for September 2010. His body was discovered in his Pimlico flat a week before he was due to return.

The spy’s parents, Ian and Ellen, were on holiday in Toronto, Canada, celebrating Mrs Williams’s 50th birthday when they learned of their son’s death.

CHARGES STILL POSSIBLE

The long-awaited inquest was opened at Westminster Coroner’s Court on Monday to investigate the “highly controversial” death of Mr Williams.

Dr Fiona Wilcox, the coroner, has promised a “full, fair and fearless” inquiry in which no evidence will be heard behind closed doors. Up to 40 witnesses are due to give evidence at the hearing, including intelligence officers, police, forensic experts and friends.

The family believe that a third party was involved in Mr Williams’s death. Their lawyer has previously suggested experts in the “dark arts of the secret services”.

The naked and decomposing body of the maths prodigy, who was a cipher and codes expert, was discovered in a holdall that had been locked from the outside and placed in the bath at his Pimlico flat in August 2010.

Police attended the flat, which is less than a mile from MI6 headquarters, after being alerted by his family, who were concerned that they had not heard from him for more than a week. The discovery led to worldwide speculation and conspiracy theories over how he died.

Lawyers for Scotland Yard said there was still a “real possibility” that criminal proceedings could be brought in connection with the death.

DESPERATE TO LEAVE LONDON

The first witness to take the stand was Mrs Subbe, who said her brother had grown increasingly frustrated with his city life and wanted to leave.

Mr Williams joined MI6 on a three-year secondment from GCHQ in 2009 but by March the following year his “enthusiasm had begun to fade”, Mrs Subbe said.

In a statement, she told the hearing: “He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office.”

In her oral evidence she added that her brother, a keen cyclist, was a “country boy and the city life did not quite suit him”.

“Also, I think the job was not quite what he had expected,” she said. “There was a lot more red tape than he was comfortable with but more than anything he just wanted to get back to the countryside.”

In an emotional statement, Mrs Subbe told the inquest that her brother had a wide range of hobbies including fell running, cycling, art and fashion.

She said he was happiest when walking in the mountains or riding his bicycle in the countryside.

The hearing was also given a glimpse of the “incredibly close” family life of Mr Williams. Mrs Subbe said her brother returned home once or twice a month and they had a “truly magical time” during her last meeting with him in London. They had champagne in Mayfair before more champagne, cakes and “dainty finger sandwiches” at the Ritz hotel. “In terms of a big brother figure, Gareth was perfect,” she said.

THE £20,000 COLLECTION OF WOMEN’S CLOTHES

Mrs Subbe was unaware of other aspects of her brother’s life, however. He did not tell her that he had completed two six-week fashion courses at St Martin’s College in London or that he had amassed more than £20,000-worth of female clothing at his flat.

Asked if she was surprised, she said: “I am not surprised. He was very generous with gifts.”

Mrs Subbe suggested that he may have simply been collecting the clothing due to his interest in fashion and his desire to buy high-quality items. The hearing was told that the last time Mrs Subbe had spoken to her brother was on Aug 13, when he mentioned that he was planning to visit a comedy club with a friend where a transvestite performer was appearing.

HE PUT SAFETY FIRST

Mrs Subbe described her brother as “the most scrupulous risk-assessor” she had ever known.

She said he would never have let anyone into his flat who had not been security cleared.

He would turn back a few hundred yards from the summit of mountains if there was “the hint of adverse weather conditions”, adding: “Better to be safe than sorry.” She said her brother never told her he was being followed or felt threatened in any way, adding: “I cannot think as to why anybody would want to harm him.”

The inquest heard how Mr Williams failed to turn up for a meeting at work on Aug 16 but the alarm was not raised until Aug 23 — by his family.

After his death, Mrs Subbe described how she had spoken to a colleague about the missed meeting, adding: “He said Gareth was like a Swiss clock — very punctual, very efficient, and it was very unlike him not to attend a meeting.”

DISCOVERY OF THE BODY

Pc John Gallagher found Mr Williams’s body after being asked to make a welfare check at an address in Alderney Street. He was let in by a member of staff from an estate agent that managed the rented property and found a pile of unopened mail, but otherwise the flat was tidy. In the bedroom, the duvet was half on the floor and there was a pile of neatly folded clothes on the bed.

In the living room he noticed a mobile phone on the dining room table alongside two sim cards, with a woman’s wig hanging on a chair. The lights were on despite it being 5pm on a summer evening.

Pc Gallagher told the hearing that when he entered the en suite bathroom he noticed a smell that he associated with dead bodies and saw a red North Face holdall in the bath. “I lifted the bag up around six or seven inches,” he said. “It was quite heavy and that is when I noticed a red fluid seeping out of the bag.”

He called for assistance and a colleague, Det Sgt Paul Colgan, inspected the bag. The detective told the hearing that after making a small incision in the holdall it was obvious that it contained a body.

COUNTER TERRORISM OFFICERS CALLED IN

Det Ch Supt Hamish Campbell, from the Met’s homicide unit, said the Met’s SO15 counter-terrorism unit was called to assist, but its officers would not have had access to the flat without permission from the crime scene manager.

He was not aware of any unauthorised inquiries being carried out by any agencies outside the homicide squad.

In a written statement submitted to the inquest, Vanessa Scott, who worked for the estate agent that managed the flat, said it was owned by a company based in St Hellier and “the Secretary of State” took over the tenancy in September 2003.

It was not clear to which department she was referring but the Foreign Secretary has responsibility for MI6. Jack Straw held the post at that time.

ANONYMITY FOR SPIES

Four intelligence officers will be allowed to give evidence from behind a screen in the coming days after Dr Wilcox granted an application to keep their identity a secret. The request came from MI6 and GCHQ, backed by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, amid concerns over a risk to national security if they were exposed.

The coroner will also allow some aspects of the evidence to remain secret, including any information from foreign intelligence agencies, ongoing operations or details of secret service officers, methods and tactics.

Telegraph : Profile: Gareth Williams, the MI6 spy who led a secret double life

Profile: Gareth Williams, the MI6 spy who led a secret double life

Gareth Williams, the MI6 spy who was found dead in a bag in his bath, was a child prodigy.

By Victoria Ward and Matthew Holehouse | April 23, 2012

He took a maths GCSE at primary school and A-levels at 13, graduating with a first from Bangor University by the age of 17.

He went on to study advanced mathematics at Cambridge, eventually leaving because he felt he had learned all he could.

Williams grew up in Anglesey, north Wales. He was a quiet child from a tight-knit family, whose great passion was cycling.

Friends said that despite his extraordinary mathematical mind, he was "very naive about people". He was a loner, with few social contacts, even among his work colleagues. He struggled to make friends after being catapulted into the company of older people at an early age.

Dylan Parry, 34, from Anglesey, said he was an isolated child. "He never really made friends, either his own age or from those younger than him,” he said.

“He didn't have any of the normal childhood interests or pursuits of teenagers. His only real interest was maths. He was obsessed with his subject. Socially he was very awkward but very nice."

By the time he left Cambridge, Williams’ potential had already been spotted by GCHQ scouts.

In 2001, he took at job as a code expert at the GCHQ "doughnut" building in Cheltenham, working alongside hundreds of mathematicians, cryptologists and analysts going on to develop techniques to speed up data encryption.

For the first time, it is likely Williams felt challenged and comfortable in his surroundings, working with like-minded people in a top-secret environment that suited his personality.

His sparse bedsit was immaculate and devoid of personal belongings and clutter. His former landlady, Jenny Elliot, 71, said that “his life was his work”.

In 2003, Williams spent six months at Menwith Hill, the RAF station in Yorkshire and in 2006 he spent time at Fort Meade in Maryland, home of the United States’ National Security Agency, GCHQ’s partner in global surveillance.

He is also reported to have made a number of visits to Afghanistan.

Last year, he was seconded to the London headquarters of MI6, a sign of his steady progress up the hierarchy at GCHQ.

The 31-year-old was assigned to live at 36 Alderney Street, in Pimlico, central London, an MI6 safe house.

Williams died before he could take up his next post in the Cyber Security Operations Centre at GCHQ.

Three months after his death, police revealed he had been pursuing a double life. Unknown to his family he had been visiting bondage websites and drag clubs and owned a £15,000 collection of women's designer clothing.

He had also attended two six to eight week courses in fashion design for beginners at Central St Martin's College in London during evenings and weekends.

He is also known to have visited Barcode, a gay bar in Vauxhall. However police have been unable to visit any sexual partners of Mr Williams, either male or female.

His family said before the police announcement that they were "very, very angry" at "completely false" rumours about the nature of Mr Williams' private life.

Orange UK News : Pc tells how he found spy's body

Pc tells how he found spy's body

April 23, 2012

A woman's wig hanging on a chair caught the attention of the policeman sent to Gareth Williams's flat to check on the missing spy, the inquest heard.

Pc John Gallagher said it was unusual that he was not overwhelmed by the smell of rotting corpse as he became the first officer to set foot in the MI6 spy's home.

He was on foot patrol at about 5pm on August 23 2010 when he received instructions to carry out a "welfare check" on Mr Williams, who had not been seen for about 12 days.

He went to Flat 4 in 36 Alderney Street in Pimlico, central London, half a mile from MI6's headquarters, and was let into the building's communal hallway by a neighbour.

The officer went upstairs to Mr Williams's top-floor apartment and knocked repeatedly on the door but there was no reply.

Pc Gallagher spoke to his control room, who got lettings agent Vanessa Scott to come to let him into the flat.

The officer went through the rooms checking for any sign of Mr Williams.

In the living room he found a mobile phone and two SIM cards on a table, then spotted something else that caught his eye.

"My attention was drawn to a lady's wig hanging on one of the corners of a chair," he said.

There were some yellow sports holdalls in the bedroom, and the duvet cover was half off the bed, trailing on the floor.

There was also a neatly folded pile of clothing on the bed and a bathrobe on the floor.

He eventually walked into the flat's bathroom, noticing a bulging red North Face holdall in the bath with the zips padlocked together.

Pc Gallagher said he only picked up the "particular smell" of a body when he tried to lift the bag up.

"It is unusual because normally you would expect to smell it earlier," he said.

"I looked at the bag to try to get a picture. I noticed that the side nearest the door had a round bulge.

"I noticed there was a padlock with the two zips joined together.

"At this point I am realising it is something serious and my concern was to not damage anything in a crime scene."

He lifted the bag up "by six or seven inches" when he could see red fluid seeping out.

"Then there was the smell," he said. "Probably as a result of moving the bag."

Pc Gallagher said he called for assistance from officers, saying he did not have the appropriate equipment to look inside the holdall.

Detective Sergeant Paul Colgan was sent to the flat as back-up. After cutting into the bag, he confirmed there was a body inside.

He recalled: "At that point I knew we had some sort of a crime scene, so I ordered everybody out of the flat.

"Once we were out in the street, I called for other units to attend."

Officers from Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command, known as SO15, were sent to the flat that night, the inquest heard.

The Journal : MI6 spy was unhappy with “rat race”, inquest hears

MI6 spy was unhappy with “rat race”, inquest hears

April 23, 2012

THE FIRST DAY of the inquest into the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams has drawn to a close.

Williams’ decomposing body was found in a holdall bag in the bath of his home in central London on 25 August 2010.

Sky News reports this evening that police laywer Vincent Williams told the Coroner, Fiona Wilcox, that “there may be criminal proceedings further down the line”, so disclosure “has to be done with some care”.

Williams worked for Britain’s secret eavesdropping service GCHQ and was attached to the country’s MI6 overseas spy agency.

While detectives have suggested Williams, 31, may have died in a sex game gone wrong, his family has countered that British spy agencies may have been involved in the death.

An inquest being held into his death will investigate whether Williams could possibly have climbed inside the sports bag and locked it from the inside. There were no signs of struggle, and no drugs or poison in Williams’ body, the discovery of which launched a flurry of conspiracy theories.

The coroner leading the inquest agreed to allow four intelligence agents to give evidence anonymously. Coroner Wilcox acknowledged “there will be a real risk of harm” to national security and international relations if the identities of some of those giving evidence at the inquest are exposed.

William’s sister was the first to give evidence to the inquest, saying that her brother was unhappy with the “rat race” in London and had requested to be sent back to GCHQ’s headquarters in Gloucestershire, western England.

“The job was not quite what he expected,” Ceri Subbe said. “He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with.”

Subbe told the inquest Monday that she did not believe her brother would let a potential killer into his flat, saying he was extremely careful.

Policeman John Gallagher told the inquest how he made the grim discovery of William’s body when he went to the man’s apartment to check on the missing spy.

Gallagher said a real estate agent let him into Williams’ flat when his knocks went unanswered. In the apartment, he recalled seeing a mobile phone with two Sim cards on a table and a women’s wig hanging on a chair. Gallagher said when he entered the bathroom, he noticed a bulging North Face sports bag in the tub with the zippers padlocked together.

“At this point I am realizing it is something serious and my concern was to not damage anything in a crime scene,” he recalled, describing how he lifted the bag up and saw red fluid seeping out.

Gallagher said he then called for backup. Experts later consulted by police said Williams could not have locked himself inside the bag.

Police have made no arrests in the case and are still not certain exactly how Williams died. But Scotland Yard raised the possibility that criminal charges could still be filed, telling the inquest that it objected to the release of some material to the media because that could prejudice future criminal proceedings.

- Additional reporting AP

Mirror : The spy who hated his job at MI6: 'Body-in-the-bag' victim didn't like the London "rat race"

The spy who hated his job at MI6: 'Body-in-the-bag' victim didn't like the London "rat race"

Sister explains to inquest that job was not what Williams expected

By Tom Pettifor | April 23, 2012

The plot thickened today in the real-life spy mystery of the top MI6 codebreaker found dead in a holdall.

Amid accusations of dirty tricks in the shadowy world of espionage, the first day of the inquest was told victim Gareth Williams had complained of “friction” with other spooks and was about to quit the job.

His family believe secret service agents may have been involved in his baffling death.

He was so unhappy with his work he had cut short his secondment with MI6 and had been due to leave days after his body was found in the locked bag in his bath, his sister Ceri Subbe told the hearing.

Ms Subbe said he did not feel comfortable with the job, which was “not quite what he expected”.

She said: “He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office.”

The maths whizkid and ace codebreaker, 31, was on secondment to the Secret Intelligence Service from communications surveillance agency GCHQ in Cheltenham, Glos.

Police believe he died in the early hours of August 16, 2010 - a week before an officer discovered the rotting corpse in the spy’s locked apartment in Pimlico, London.

A postmortem and further tests found no trace of drugs, alcohol or poison and the police probe also failed to establish a cause of death.

Two “bag experts“ are due to give evidence to the inquest on whether it would have been possible for him to have padlocked himself inside.

And to add to the mystery, police say a woman’s wig and lady’s clothes were found in the single man’s flat.

Ms Subbe, who was accompanied by her parents, engineer Ian Williams and his wife Ellen, told the hearing her brother was on a three-year secondment in London but “as time went by his enthusiasm began to fade”.

He had already packed his bags and had spent an increasing number of weekends at his parents’ house in Anglesey, North Wales.

But MI6 had “dragged their feet” in approving his request to leave.

Ceri said in her statement: “I think the job was not quite what he had expected. There was a lot more red tape than he was comfortable with.”

She admitted he had not told her that he had completed two courses in fashion design at St Martin’s College in London.

Asked about £20,000 of women’s clothes found in his flat, she said it was “not particularly” surprising, adding that they were “possibly as a gift”.

She said he would not have let anyone into his flat unvetted and he had never told her he was being followed or felt threatened, adding: “I cannot think as to why anybody would want to harm him.”

His family want to know why the alarm was not raised when Mr Williams initially failed to turn up to work by colleagues, who described him as being as reliable as a “Swiss clock”.

By the time a police officer was sent to at the flat and the body was discovered, it was so decomposed that evidence had been lost.

Ms Subbe said he was a private man who was “very selective” in choosing friends, naming three as Sian Jones, her mother and a work colleague whose identity coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox ordered not to be revealed.

In his last conversation with her on August 13, he said he was that night going to see a transvestite comedian with his friend Sian.

His body was discovered 10 days later after Ceri raised the alarm.

PC John Gallagher said he had been on patrol on August 23 when he was told to carry out a “welfare check” on Mr Williams, who had not been seen for many days.

The front door was double-locked and he was let in by a property agent.

In the living room, PC Gallagher found a mobile phone and two SIM cards on a table and a laptop on the floor.

And he told the inquest: “My attention was drawn to a lady’s wig hanging on one of the corners of a chair.”

There were some full yellow sports holdalls in the bedroom – and then in the en-suite bathroom he noticed a bulging red North Face holdall in the bath with the zips padlocked together.

PC Gallagher said he only noticed the “particular smell” of a body when he tried to lift the bag up.

“It is unusual because normally you would expect to smell it earlier,” he said.

“I looked at the bag to try to get a picture. I noticed that the side nearest the door had a round bulge.

“I noticed there was a padlock with the two zips joined together.

“At this point I am realising it is something serious and my concern was to not damage anything in a crime scene.”

He lifted the bag up slightly and could see red fluid seeping out.

“Then there was the smell,” he told the hearing. “Probably as a result of moving the bag.”

Mr Williams’s death immediately prompted top-level discussions between murder and counter terrorism officers and MI6 were kept off the scene, it was said.

But Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, from the Met’s homicide and serious crime command, stressed that MI6 co-operated fully.

Mr Williams’s family have claimed that “agents specialising in the dark arts of the secret service” had possibly cleaned the flat after his death to hide clues.

Det Chief Supt Campbell said: “I don’t think anyone was aware of Gareth and his death until he was found in the bath.”

Four intelligence agents will give evidence at the Westminster inquest from behind a screen to avoid the “real risk” of harm to national security.

Coroner Dr Wilcox today promised she would mount a “full, fair, and fearless inquiry into the evidence of this highly controversial death”.

The inquest continues.

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.

Daily Mail : MI6 spy found dead in a bag 'disliked the office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions' and dreamed of escaping the rat race, sister tells inquest

MI6 spy found dead in a bag 'disliked the office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions' and dreamed of escaping the rat race, sister tells inquest

* Gareth Williams was extremely 'security conscious' and would not have let strangers inside his flat
* He may have been considering leaving the security services to start up his own business
* Detectives say criminal charges are still a possibility, despite no suspects
* Four intelligence agents give evidence behind anonymity screens to avoid 'real risk of harm' to national security and international relations

By Chris Greenwood | April 23, 2012

A spy whose body was discovered in a padlocked bag was desperate to leave his intelligence post and complained about ‘friction’ at MI6 headquarters, his family said yesterday.

They revealed 31-year-old Gareth Williams was a ‘scrupulous risk assessor’ and a meticulous genius who colleagues compared to a Swiss clock.

But he had become disenchanted with a heavy drinking ‘office culture’, the London ‘rat race’ and work politics at the spy agency’s central Thames-side HQ.

He applied to end his secondment early and return to the GCHQ Government listening station in Cheltenham, where he worked as a highly prized code-breaker.

But just one week before he was due to leave, his naked and decomposing body was found in a large sports holdall in the bath of his home, sparking a huge police investigation.

Yesterday, his grieving family attended the first day of a long-awaited inquest into his mysterious death.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox pledged to hold a ‘full and fearless’ inquiry as she heard:

* Mr Williams wanted to escape the ‘rat race’ of the capital and was frustrated that MI6 had been dragging its feet over the move.
* The spy was extremely conscientious and his family said he would never let anyone into his flat apart from them.
* MI6 was accused of failing to raise the alarm when he missed a key meeting one week before his body was found.
* A sergeant described the moment he cut open the red North Face holdall and found the body of Mr Williams curled up inside.
* A constable who discovered the bag and raised the alarm noticed underwear neatly folded on a nearby bed and a woman’s wig hanging on a chair.

The death of Mr Williams in August 2010 triggered a painstaking investigation, worldwide media frenzy and a raft of conspiracy theories.

Revelations about his personal life and claims that no third-party fingerprints or DNA were found in his home fuelled speculation around the circumstances of his death.

His parents, Ian and Ellen Williams, listened as his sister Ceri Subbe told the inquest how he never spoke about his top-secret intelligence work.

Choking with emotion, she outlined the astonishing academic achievements that led him to his highly specialist job and passions for sport, fashion and the arts.

But Mrs Subbe said he disliked the office culture at the landmark MI6 headquarters on the south bank of the Thames.

She said: ‘He missed the countryside and longed to ride his bicycle in the open air without smog and the constant fear of being run over by a bendy bus.

‘He disliked the office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office.

‘The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with.’ Mrs Subbe said she last spoke to her brother on August 13, when he said he was looking forward to going to see a transvestite comedian.

She later found out he missed a meeting at MI6 that he was due to chair, but no one investigated why.

On August 23 PC John Gallagher was asked to conduct a ‘welfare check’ on Mr Williams’s flat when he failed to keep in touch and they could not raise him.

The officer described how the property was clean, tidy and unremarkable until he came across the holdall in the en-suite bathroom. PC Gallagher said: ‘I noticed that the side nearest the door had a round bulge.

‘I noticed there was a padlock with the two zips joined together. At this point I am realising it is something serious.’

He called Sergeant Paul Colgan, who used a knife to cut a three-inch hole in the bag, confirming a body was inside and alerting the murder squad.

Sgt Colgan said the heavy-duty bag concealed the smell of the decomposing body but once the hole was made the ‘smell became more than apparent’.

When Mr Williams’s sensitive job was discovered, detectives from the force’s Counter Terrorism Command were informed.

The inquest, in Westminster, heard details of the spy’s life, including how he went to university aged just 16, joining the University of Bangor’s computer science department.

It was also told how the successful cyclist and fell runner followed the arts and fashion and had a £20,000 collection of women’s designer clothing in his wardrobe. Mrs Subbe said her brother was ‘the most scrupulous risk-assessor’ she had ever known. She said he would meticulously check his equipment before rock climbing, cycling and fell running.

She added that her brother never told her he was being followed or felt threatened, saying: ‘I cannot think as to why anybody would want to harm him.’

The inquest, which is expected to last eight days, continues.

Guardian : MI6 spy Gareth Williams complained of friction at work, inquest told

MI6 spy Gareth Williams complained of friction at work, inquest told

Sister says Williams disliked office culture and had been due to return to GCHQ one week after his body was found in holdall

Caroline Davies | April 23, 2012

Gareth Williams, the intelligence worker found dead in a padlocked holdall at his London flat, had requested a transfer from MI6 because he was unhappy and he had been due to move a week after his body was found, an inquest heard.

He had wanted to return to the intelligence agency GCHQ in Cheltenham after complaining of "friction" at work and his dislike of the "rat race", his sister, Ceri Subbe, told the Westminster coroner's court on the opening day of the inquest.

Williams, 31, a cipher and codes expert, was so secretive about his work that his parents and sister did not know the nature of his job. He was on a three-year secondment to MI6 when he was found in the locked bag in his bath on 25 August 2010.

Describing her brother as a cycling enthusiast and someone who was happiest "in the mountains" and engaged in outdoor pursuits, Subbe said: "He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office."

PC John Gallagher was first on the scene at 5pm after Williams's family reported him missing. He said he searched the "extremely tidy" top-floor flat in Pimlico before noticing a red holdall in the bath in a bathroom that was devoid of toiletries.

"I noticed a bulge," he said, describing the bag as having the two zips padlocked together. He lifted the bag six or seven inches. "That's when I noticed some red fluid. It was seeping out of the bag," he said.

Williams's body was found in the bag, naked and decomposing.

Detective chief superintendent Hamish Campbell said he had been made aware later that evening of the nature of Williams's job with MI6, and that this had prompted senior level talks between homicide and counter-terrorism about the chain of the command in the investigation.

It was decided that homicide officers would conduct the investigation, with participation at senior level from the security intelligence services, and Campbell said Scotland Yard had full cooperation.

He added that he was not aware of MI5, MI6 or SO15 carrying out their own independent investigations into the death.

Inside Williams's rented flat, police found a woman's wig hanging on a chair, two sim cards, a mobile phone and a laptop. Designer women's clothing worth £20,000 was also discovered.

The flat was owned by a company called New Rodina, registered in the British Virgin Islands, but the tenancy had been taken over by the secretary of state in 2003, the inquest heard.

Williams had been in the process of packing up in preparation for his transfer.

The coroner, Fiona Wilcox, described Williams's death as highly controversial and said that four intelligence officers giving evidence would be given anonymity in the public interest. There would be "a real risk of harm to national security" and international relations, she said, if some of those giving evidence were identified.

Scotland Yard said it might have problems with allowing some exhibits to be released to the media.

A 21-month investigation into Williams's death has left detectives baffled, but Vincent Williams, a lawyer for the Metropolitan police, said the inquiry was ongoing and, though "not straightforward, it may at some stage result in criminal proceedings".

Asked whether she was surprised that £20,000 worth of women's clothing had been found at the flat, Williams's sister said she was not, as her brother had been generous and it was "possibly a gift".

In a statement, Subbe said: "In terms of a big brother figure, Gareth was perfect."

They were incredibly close as a family, she said, and he would visit his parents often. "It was impossible to do justice to Gareth's impressive character without meeting him."

The inquest heard that Williams had taken his O-levels aged 10 and had begun a degree course at Bangor University aged 16. He loved cycling and fell walking, said Subbe. "His passion was undoubtedly the mountains."

He was a scrupulous risk assessor, she said. He adored music, the theatre, the arts and fashion. He had undertaken two six-week design courses at Central St Martin's College in London.

His sister said he was secretive about his job. "Gareth didn't tell us what specifically he did as a job – of course we knew where he worked, but he didn't speak about it in any great detail," she said.

He was very strict about only allowing people who had been security vetted to visit his flat, she said, and would not have lent his keys to anyone.

Subbe said the family had not heard from Williams, who was originally from Anglesey, for 10 days before his body was found.

Subbe said her brother's job with MI6 had not been "not quite what he expected".

"He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with," she said. In April 2010 he had applied to return to GCHQ earlier than had been planned, but MI6 "dragged their feet", eventually approving that he would return to the Cheltenham listening post on September 1 2010.

She said her brother had failed to turn up for a meeting he was supposed to chair on 16 August.

"He is very conscientious," she said, and MI6 had agreed he was like "a Swiss clock – very punctual, very efficient".

She added that the family wanted to know why the alarm was not raised when he initially failed to turn up at work. She also said her brother had never told her he was being followed, or felt threatened in any way.

"I cannot think as to why anybody would want to harm him," she said.

Williams's family urged the coroner not to release to the media video footage of a reconstruction – made for the purposes of the inquest – to establish if someone could lock themselves into a holdall.

Anthony O'Toole, a lawyer for Subbe and her parents, Ian and Ellen, who were at the inquest, said it would be "upsetting" for the family if the "speculative film were released".

At a pre-inquest hearing, the coroner heard that a battery of post-mortem tests had failed to determine how Williams died and that police had originally decided it would have been impossible for him to lock himself in the bag.

His family believe that by the time the officers arrived at his flat, his body was so decomposed that possible vital evidence was lost.

The hearing continues.

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.

Prestwich and Whitefield Guide : Spies given anonymity at inquest

Spies given anonymity at inquest

Press Association | April 23, 2012

Four intelligence agents have been given "public interest" anonymity as the inquest into the "highly controversial" death of an MI6 spy found in a holdall opened.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox said "there will be a real risk of harm" to national security and international relations if some of those giving evidence about Gareth Williams are exposed.

The only confirmed member of GCHQ who can be named is Stephen Gale, Dr Wilcox said.

Evidence began with Dr Wilcox expressing sympathy to family members, who fear "some agency specialising in the dark arts" leaves them with no way of knowing how and why he died.

The naked and decomposing body of Mr Williams, 31, of Anglesey, North Wales, was found in the bath of his home in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010. He was curled up in a large North Face holdall, sealed by a padlock.

Ceri Subbe, Mr Williams's sister, sat with other family members in the wood-panelled courtroom as evidence began.

Ms Wilcox summarised evidence heard in the pre-inquest review, including claims that Mr Williams's death may have been a cover-up by secret services.

She said none of the evidence would be heard behind closed doors despite the "highly controversial" nature of the death, and a screen will protect some of Mr Williams's spy colleagues from being identified to the court.

Scotland Yard has drawn a blank in its attempts to find out how the spy died. A battery of post-mortem tests failed to determine how he died and police originally found it would have been impossible for him to have locked himself inside the bag.

Family lawyer Anthony O'Toole has said the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court must establish why there was no evidence of another person in his London apartment.

AFP : MI6 spy inquest hears of grim discovery

MI6 spy inquest hears of grim discovery

By Judith Evans (AFP) – April 23, 2012

LONDON — A policeman has described how he found the decomposing body of a British spy in a padlocked bag in a bathtub at the intelligence officer's London flat.

The details of the grim discovery were revealed as the inquest resumed into the mysterious death two years ago of Gareth Williams, 31, who was working for Britain's MI6 external intelligence service.

His family believe secret agents versed in the "dark arts" tried to cover up his death, but Scotland Yard detectives have found no evidence that anyone else had been with Williams in his flat at the time of his death.

As the dead man's parents and sister watched in silence in the courtroom on Monday, John Gallagher said he was called to Williams' flat on August 23, 2010, because of concerns over his welfare after he had not been seen for over a week.

He said that in an en suite bathroom he noticed a "particular smell" and a red North Face holdall in the bath.

"I looked at the bag -- I noticed a bulge. I noticed there was a padlock. Two of the zips were joined together," he said.

"I lifted the bag, possibly only six or seven inches -- it was quite heavy. That's when I noticed some red fluid. It was in the bath, like it had been seeping out of the bag."

Police also found a "lady's wig" hanging on a chair and a mobile phone laid out on the dining table of the flat along with two SIM cards, while the lights were on although it was daytime.

They confirmed the naked body in the bag was that of Williams and realised within hours that he was an MI6 agent, resulting in the rapid involvement of counter-terror police.

But the five-day inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court, at which almost 40 witnesses will give evidence, will be shown a video of a practical demonstration of how Williams could have got into the bag and locked it by himself.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox said the demonstration was "at the very heart of this inquiry," given that one suggestion is Williams had got into the bag as part of a sadomasochistic sex ritual.

But it will not be performed live in court "to prevent proceedings becoming ridiculous," she said.

Earlier, Williams' sister described how he had been seconded to MI6 from GCHQ, Britain's electronic "listening post" which monitors communications for intelligence purposes, based in Cheltenham, western England.

Ceri Subbe said her brother had experienced some "friction in the office" and had asked to cut the secondment short -- returning to Cheltenham after one year instead of three. He had also just completed a work trip to the United States.

Although he never discussed details of his work, he had said the MI6 job "was not quite what he expected." He was a "country boy" who had quickly tired of the London "rat race," she told the inquest.

But the family were not concerned about his state of mind at the time of his death, finding him "upbeat" in their final conversation.

Despite media reports that Williams told friends he was being followed, Subbe said her brother had never mentioned such concerns to her.

He was "scrupulous" in assessing risk and let very few people into his flat, she said.

Subbe was unaware that her brother had an extensive wardrobe of female clothing in his flat and speculated it could possibly be "a gift ... or collectibles."

The coroner said the clothing had an approximate value of £20,000 pounds (24,500 euros, $32,200).

Williams, who came from Wales and is thought to have been a mathematics genius, started university at age 16 and went on to earn a doctorate, his sister said.

A lawyer for the Williams family, Anthony O'Toole, said at a pre-inquest review hearing last month that they believe someone else was either present when he died, or broke into his home afterwards to destroy evidence.

"The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services -- or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in the dark arts," he said.

Four intelligence agents are to testify at the inquest, which police said could lead to criminal proceedings, but they will be identified only by letters of the alphabet and speak from behind screens.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

News 24 : UK 'sadomasochistic' spy inquest opens

UK 'sadomasochistic' spy inquest opens

April 23, 2012

London - An inquest resumed on Monday into the mysterious death of a British spy whose naked body was found padlocked in a bag at his home two years ago.

The decomposing remains of Gareth Williams, 31, were discovered in August 2010 in a holdall in the bath at his London home, near the headquarters of Britain's MI6 external intelligence service, where he worked.

His family believe secret agents versed in the "dark arts" tried to cover up his death, but Scotland Yard detectives have found no evidence that anyone else had been with Williams in his flat at the time of his death.

Around 30 witnesses are expected to give evidence in the five-day inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court in London, but four intelligence agents among them were granted anonymity.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox said "there will be a real risk of harm" to national security and international relations if their identities are revealed.

The coroner said a practical demonstration of how Williams could have got into the bag and locked it by himself was "at the very heart of this inquiry", given that one suggestion is that it was part of a sadomasochistic sex ritual.

An expert consulted by police will not be asked to perform the demonstration in the courtroom "to prevent proceedings becoming ridiculous", the coroner said.

Vincent Williams, a lawyer for Scotland Yard, said a video of the demonstration would instead be shown to the court.

Anthony O'Toole, a lawyer for Williams' family, said they were anxious the video was not released to the public "to ensure that this sort of reconstruction does not become bandied around by media outlets".

Williams' sister Ceri Subbe took the stand to tell the inquest her brother was "a country boy" who found it hard to adapt to life in London.

"The job was not quite what he expected," she said, adding: "He encountered a lot more red tape than he was comfortable with".

But she insisted that although he was disillusioned with the "rat race" in London, his family had not been worried about his state of mind at the time of his death. He had been "upbeat" in their last conversation.

Asked about a report in The Sunday Times newspaper that he had told a friend he feared he was being followed just before he died, Subbe said her brother had never mentioned such concerns to her.

She also said she was not aware that he had an extensive wardrobe of female clothing in his flat and speculated it could possibly be "a gift... or collectibles".

The coroner said the clothing had an approximate value of £20 000.

Williams, believed to be a mathematics genius, was just days from completing a one-year secondment at MI6 from his job at GCHQ, Britain's electronic "listening post" which monitors communications for intelligence purposes.

O'Toole said at a pre-inquest review hearing last month that the family believe someone else was either present when he died, or broke into his home afterwards to destroy evidence.

"The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services - or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in the dark arts," he said.

- AFP

Independent : Criminal charges a 'real possibility' in investigation into death of ‘unhappy’ spy Gareth Williams

Criminal charges a 'real possibility' in investigation into death of ‘unhappy’ spy Gareth Williams

John Hall | April 23, 2012

The inquest into the death of an 'unhappy' spy, whose body was found locked inside a sports holdall just a week before he was due to leave his job, today heard how police may still bring criminal charges in the ongoing investigation.

Gareth Williams, originally from Holyhead in Wales, had been due to leave London and return to the Government’s Communications Headquarters in Gloucestershire just a week after his naked, decomposing body was found crammed inside the padlocked bag on August 25 2010.

Williams, a 31-year-old codebreaker who begun his university studies while at secondary school, graduating from Bangor University with a first class degree in Mathematics aged 17, had requested to leave London because he hated the “rat race” and the “flash car competitions”, his sister Ceri Subbe told the inquest.

In her statement, Ms Subbe said her brother “disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office.”

She added: “The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with.”

Ms Subbe spoke after Metropolitan Police barrister Vincent Williams said criminal charges over Gareth Williams’ death were still a “real possibility”.

Lawyers for Scotland Yard tried to block the coroner from releasing to the media video footage which could be key to a prosecution.

He warned that a “careful line must be struck between open justice” at the inquest and the ongoing criminal investigation.

Explaining their objection to some material going into the public domain, a lawyer for Scotland Yard said: “It is because there is a live complex ongoing investigation taking place.”

The inquest heard how Williams had failed to turn up for an MI6 meeting on August 16 2010, a matter Ms Subbe raised with one of his colleagues.

Ms Subbe said: ”He is very conscientious. The person I spoke to agreed, and said Gareth was like a Swiss clock - very punctual, very efficient, and it was very unlike him not to attend a meeting.“

Although he was supposed to be on a three-year secondment in London, Williams’ bosses agreed for him leave on September 1 2010.

Ms Subbe accused MI6 of “dragging their feet” in approving his request to return to GCHQ, which was originally made in April 2010.

Asked about £20,000 of women's clothes found in Williams' flat after he died, she said it was ”not particularly“ surprising, adding their presence was ”possibly as a gift“.

Williams' sister said her brother was ”the most scrupulous risk-assessor“ she had ever known.

She said Williams, a keen cyclist, fell runner and mountaineer, and passionate about art, music and fashion, would turn back a few hundred yards from the summit of mountains if there was ”the hint of adverse weather conditions“.”Better to be safe than sorry,“ she added.

Ms Subbe said her brother never told her he was being followed or felt threatened in any way, adding: ”I cannot think as to why anybody would want to harm him.“

She said he was a private, very tidy man who never talked about his work.

UKPA : MI6 spy 'unhappy with London job'

MI6 spy 'unhappy with London job'

April 23, 2012

An MI6 spy found dead in a sports bag had been unhappy living in London and complained about "friction" at the intelligence agency, an inquest has heard.

Gareth Williams, 31, of Anglesey, North Wales, hated the post-work drinking culture and "flash car competitions" at the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), his sister said.

He was due to move back to the West Country a week after his naked body was discovered padlocked inside a holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, on August 23 2010.

The inquest into Mr Williams's mysterious death began with evidence that Scotland Yard murder detectives were not able to speak to his MI6 colleagues directly. Instead specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police's SO15 counter-terrorism command had to carry out the interviews and produce anonymised statements.

Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, from the Met's homicide and serious crime command, said police were not shown any internal inquiry by SIS into what happened to the brilliant codebreaker. But he stressed that MI6 co-operated fully with Scotland Yard, adding that he was not aware of MI5, MI6 or SO15 carrying out their own independent investigations into Mr Williams's death.

The spy's sister, Ceri Subbe, told the inquest her brother was excited when he began what was supposed to be a three-year secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, the Government listening station based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

But he missed the countryside and became disillusioned with the atmosphere at MI6's Vauxhall Cross headquarters in London. "He even spoke of friction in the office," Mrs Subbe said, adding: "The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with."

In April 2010 he applied to return to GCHQ earlier than planned. MI6 "dragged their feet" in approving his request but eventually agreed he could go back to Cheltenham on September 1 2010.

Mr Williams failed to turn up for a meeting at MI6 on August 16 2010, the inquest heard. Mrs Subbe said she discussed her brother's absence with one of his colleagues. She said: "He is very conscientious. The person I spoke to agreed, and said Gareth was like a Swiss clock - very punctual, very efficient, and it was very unlike him not to attend a meeting."

Paying tribute, she said he was "perfect" as a "big brother figure", adding: "It's impossible to do justice to Gareth's impressive character without meeting him." She told the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court she did not believe Mr Williams would let a potential killer in his upmarket London flat, adding: "I cannot emphasise enough his conscientiousness".

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

This Is London : Secret agents will give evidence behind screen at inquest of spy-in-the-bag Gareth Williams

Secret agents will give evidence behind screen at inquest of spy-in-the-bag Gareth Williams

‘No evidence will be taken in closed hearing... all will be presented before this court’ - Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox

Paul Cheston | April 23, 2012

Four secret service witnesses will give evidence anonymously from behind a screen at the inquest into the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, the coroner said today.

Mr Williams, 31, was found padlocked inside a sports bag in the bath at his home in Pimlico in August 2010.

His parents have suggested that the “dark arts” of intelligence agencies could have been involved in the death and a possible cover up.

The inquest into his death, described by coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox as “highly controversial”, opened today. She emphasised that all evidence to the inquest in Westminster will be heard in open court.

But she granted public interest immunity certificates to confer anonymity on three MI6 witnesses known as K, F and G, and on a “corporate witness” known as SIS F.

The first three will give evidence from behind a screen protecting their identity from the court, including from Mr Williams’s family. The corporate witness, however, will be visible to the family.

A further witness, Stephen Gale of GCHQ, will give evidence without a screen or anonymity.

Dr Wilcox said she was taking these steps because of the risk “to national security and therefore the public interest”.

Mr Williams’s parents Ian and Ellen and his sister, Ceri Subbe, were at the hearing today. The inquest, which is expected to last five days, is not being heard by a jury and the coroner alone will record a verdict.

Mr Williams, a maths prodigy worked as a cipher and codes expert for the government listening station GCHQ and had been on secondment with MI6. His naked and decomposing body was found inside a large holdall sealed by a padlock in the bath at his top-floor flat. A series of post-mortem tests failed to discover exactly how he died.

Dr Wilcox told the inquest: “Unlike other courts no one is on trial, least of all the deceased. This inquest, like all others, is an inquiry to answer four important but limited factual questions: who was the person who died, and how, when and where did the death come about? “The question ‘How’ will lead to an examination of a direct sequence of events that led to the cause of death.

“I intend to conduct this inquest as a full, fair and fearless inquiry into the evidence of this highly controversial death. No evidence will be taken in closed hearing and all evidence I deem relevant and all the material I have seen will be presented before this court.”

Family lawyer Anthony O’Toole told an earlier hearing at Westminster coroner’s court that “the impression of the family” was that “an unknown third party [in the flat at the time] was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services, or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in those dark arts”.

The hearing continues.

---

Six key questions

Was there someone else in the room with Gareth Williams?

Police say it would have been impossible to get into the locked bag alone. Mr Williams’s body had no signs of defence injuries from a struggle.

Why did it take so long to raise the alarm?

Mr Williams was last seen on August 15, 2010 and police believe he died in the early hours of the following day. But he was not reported missing by anyone until his sister rang police seven days later.

Were the black arts of the spooks involved?

Mr Williams’s family suspect members of an intelligence service were involved in what they see as a possible murder and cover-up.

Was Mr Williams being followed?

His friend Elizabeth Guthrie is said to have told police he had told her he feared he was under surveillance. But he did not reveal by whom.

Was Mr Williams’s work behind his death?

He had just returned from holiday in the United States but neither MI6 nor GCHQ have wanted to make public what the codebreaker was involved in at the time of his death.

Did a sex game go wrong?

Mr Williams had visited a number of bondage websites. There was no trace of alcohol or recreational drugs in his body. But if he was interested in auto-eroticism why was it not picked up when he was vetted?

CBC : Inquest into mysterious U.K. spy death begins

Inquest into mysterious U.K. spy death begins

Gareth Williams found dead inside padlocked sports bag in his London home

The Associated Press | April 23, 2012

A British codebreaker had complained of friction at the country's overseas spy agency before his naked and decomposing body was found inside a padlocked sports bag, his family told an inquest Monday.

Gareth Williams worked for Britain's secret eavesdropping service GCHQ and was attached to the country's MI6 overseas spy agency when he was found in the bathtub of his central London home in August 2010. While detectives have suggested Williams, 31, may have died in a sex game gone wrong, his family has suggested that British spy agencies were involved in the death.

Williams' sister Ceri Subbe told an inquest into his death that her brother was unhappy with the "rat race" in London and had requested to be sent back to GCHQ's headquarters in Gloucestershire, western England

"The job was not quite what he expected," Subbe said. "He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with."

The inquest's central focus will investigate whether Williams could possibly have climbed inside the sports bag and locked it from the inside.

There were no signs of struggle, and no drugs or poison in Williams' body, the discovery of which launched a media frenzy and flurry of conspiracy theories.

Experts consulted by police said Williams could not have locked himself inside the bag.

No arrests

Police have made no arrests in the case and are still not certain exactly how Williams died. But Scotland Yard raised the possibility that criminal charges could still arise, telling the inquest Monday that it objected to the release of some material to the media because that could prejudice future criminal proceedings.

Subbe told the inquest Monday that she did not believe her brother would let a potential killer in his flat, saying he was extremely conscientious.

Her testimony came after the coroner leading the inquest agreed to allow four intelligence agents to give evidence anonymously.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox acknowledged "there will be a real risk of harm" to national security and international relations if the identities of some of those giving evidence at the inquest are exposed.

In Britain, inquests must be held when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or from unknown causes. However, the coroner's task is to determine the cause of death, rather than to identify any suspect.

© The Associated Press, 2012

Telegraph : MI6 spy inquest will hear anonymous evidence from security agents

MI6 spy inquest will hear anonymous evidence from security agents

Security agents giving evidence at the inquest of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, who was found dead inside a padlocked bag, can do so anonymously and from behind screens, the Coroner ruled today.

By Martin Evans and Tom Whitehead, Crime Correspondent and Security Editor | April 23, 2012

At the opening of the hearing into what she described as Mr Williams’ “highly controversial death”, Dr Fiona Wilcox said there would be no secrecy at the inquest.

But she said there would be a “real risk of harm to national security” if witnesses from the security services were required to give evidence without the protection of anonymity.

Four witnesses, identified only as K, F, G and SIS F will all give evidence from behind a screen.

Mr Williams’ sister Ceri Subbe will also give evidence at the inquest about her brother’s upbringing, character and background.

His parents Ian and Ellen were present at the hearing, which is taking place at Westminster Coroner’s Court in central London.

The inquest will attempt to establish the cause and circumstances of Mr Williams’ mysterious death in August 2010.

His naked and decomposing remains were discovered in a holdall which had been locked from the outside and placed in the bath at his Pimlico flat.

Almost 40 witnesses will give evidence during the hearing, which is expected to last five days.

Mr Williams was a mathematics prodigy who graduated from Bangor University at the age of 17 before going on to complete a PhD and post-graduate studies at Manchester and Cambridge Universities.

A keen cyclist, he joined GCHQ – the government’s listening station - in 2001, where he was employed as a cipher and code breaker. In 2009 he was seconded to MI6, the secret intelligence service, where he qualified for “operational deployment” in the field.

Shortly before his death he returned from a fly drive holiday on the west coast of the United States and the last confirmed sighting of his was on August 15 2010 when a CCTV camera captured him shopping at the Harrods department store.

However despite failing to turn up for work, it was not until more than a week later on August 23 when he was reported missing by the human resources department at GCHQ.

Officers from Scotland Yard attended his top floor flat in Alderney Street, Pimlico, where they discovered his badly decomposed body in the holdall.

Mr Williams’ family believe he may have been murdered because of his work for the security services.

At a pre-inquest review, held last month, Mr O’Toole said: “The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services, or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in those dark arts.”

MSN : Spy 'unhappy with job in London'

Spy 'unhappy with job in London'

April 23, 2012

Spy Gareth Williams was unhappy in London and complained of "friction" at MI6 before he was found dead in a sports holdall, his family have said.

Cycling enthusiast Mr Williams was due to return to the West Country a week after he was found dead because he hated the "rat race" and the "flash car competitions", sister Ceri Subbe said.

She told the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court into his death she did not believe Mr Williams would let a potential killer in his upmarket London flat, adding: "I cannot emphasise enough his conscientiousness."

MI6 were "dragging their feet" in approving his request in April 2010 to return to GCHQ's Gloucestershire HQ, she added.

Her statement added: "He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office."

Explaining her comment, Ms Subbe added: "The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with."

She added: "It's impossible to do justice to Gareth's impressive character without meeting him."

Ms Subbe told how she "had a truly magical time" during her last meeting with Mr Williams for "dainty finger sandwiches" at the Ritz hotel. As a family we were incredibly close," her statement said.

Mr Williams was supposed to be on a three-year secondment in London but "as time went by his enthusiasm began to fade", Ms Subbe said. Bosses had agreed to let him leave on September 1 2010 - just a week after his body was discovered.

The naked and decomposing body of Mr Williams, 31, was found in the bath of his home in Pimlico, west London, on August 23 2010. The discovery sparked a painstaking investigation, worldwide media frenzy and several outlandish conspiracy theories.

Toronto Star : U.K. spy found dead had complained of friction at work, family says

U.K. spy found dead had complained of friction at work, family says

Cassandra Vinograd | Associated Press | April 23, 2012

LONDON—A British codebreaker had complained of friction at the country’s overseas spy agency before his naked and decomposing body was found inside a padlocked sports bag, his family told an inquest Monday.

Gareth Williams worked for Britain’s secret eavesdropping service GCHQ and was attached to the country’s MI6 overseas spy agency when his body was found in the bag in the bathtub of his central London home Aug. 25, 2010. While detectives have suggested Williams, 31, may have died in a sex game gone wrong, his family has countered that British spy agencies may have been involved in the death.

An inquest being held into his death will investigate whether Williams could possibly have climbed inside the sports bag and locked it from the inside. There were no signs of struggle, and no drugs or poison in Williams’ body, the discovery of which launched a flurry of conspiracy theories.

Women’s dresses and shoes worth around 20,000 pounds ($32,000 Canadian) were also found at the flat, creating another mystery in an already complex case. They had never been worn.

The coroner leading the inquest agreed Monday to allow four intelligence agents to give evidence anonymously.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox acknowledged “there will be a real risk of harm” to national security and international relations if the identities of some of those giving evidence at the inquest are exposed.

Williams’ sister was the first to give evidence to the inquest, saying that her brother was unhappy with the “rat race” in London and had requested to be sent back to GCHQ’s headquarters in Gloucestershire, western England.

“The job was not quite what he expected,” Ceri Subbe said. “He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with.”

Subbe told the inquest Monday that she did not believe her brother would let a potential killer into his flat, saying he was extremely careful.

A lawyer for the dead man’s family said last month that “a member of some agency specializing in the dark arts of the secret services” might be responsible for his murder, fuelling speculation that he was killed by foreign spies and that MI6 might have covered it up.

At the time of his death, Williams was on a three-year secondment to MI6, which deals with foreign espionage matters and is headquartered at a large, modern, imposing building on the banks of the River Thames which often features in James Bond films.

But Subbe said her brother had wanted to return to his old post as a code breaker at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the state eavesdropping service which is based in a striking doughnut-shaped modernist building in Cheltenham, western England.

He had wanted to escape London for the countryside and return to a quieter pace of life, she said.

“His enthusiasm had begun to fade,” she said. “I think the job wasn’t quite what he had expected.”

A keen cyclist and hill runner, who gained a university first-class degree in mathematics at the age of just 17, Williams was single and intensely private.

She told the inquest that, in April 2010, Williams had sought to end his secondment to MI6. He had been due to return to Cheltenham just days after his body was found.

His body was not discovered until his family reported him missing, up to 12 days after he was last seen, raising questions about his employer’s apparent lack of concern.

Policeman John Gallagher told the inquest how he made the grim discovery of Williams’ body when he went to the man’s apartment to check on the missing spy.

Toxicology tests found no traces of alcohol, drugs or poison in his body.

Experts later consulted by police said Williams could not have locked himself inside the bag.

Police have made no arrests in the case and are still not certain exactly how Williams died. But Scotland Yard raised the possibility that criminal charges could still be filed, telling the inquest Monday that it objected to the release of some material to the media because that could prejudice future criminal proceedings.

The inquest is due to hear from 37 witnesses, including four unnamed members of the intelligence services.

In Britain, inquests must be held when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or from unknown causes. However, the coroner’s task is to determine the cause of death, rather than to identify any suspect.

With files from Reuters

BBC : MI6 spy Gareth Williams was 'scrupulous risk assessor'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams was 'scrupulous risk assessor'

April 23, 2012

An MI6 officer found dead in his flat had been a "scrupulous risk-assessor" and only let "vetted" people into his home, his sister has told an inquest.

The body of Gareth Williams, 31, originally from Anglesey, was found padlocked in a bag in a bath in his Pimlico flat in August 2010.

Ceri Subbe said only family had keys to her brother's flat and that he would not have let in a potential killer.

The inquest is expected to examine whether anyone else was involved.

Ms Subbe said her brother had never told her he had been followed or felt threatened.

"I cannot think as to why anybody would want to harm him," she told the inquest.

In a statement read to the court, Ms Subbe said MI6 had been "dragging their feet" over her brother's request to return to government communications surveillance agency GCHQ's headquarters in Gloucestershire.

The mathematics prodigy had worked as a cipher and codes expert for GCHQ since 2001.

He had been working for MI6 in London on what had been meant to be a three-year secondment, but "as time went by his enthusiasm began to fade", Ms Subbe said.

"He disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race. He even spoke of friction in the office," the statement said.

Giving evidence at Westminster Coroner's Court, Ms Subbe added: "The job was not quite what he expected. He encountered more red tape than he was comfortable with."

Mr Williams had asked to return to GCHQ in April 2010 and MI6 had agreed he could leave on 1 September 2010.

The inquest was told that he failed to show up to a meeting that day and Ms Subbe had spoken to one of his colleagues.

"He is very conscientious. The person I spoke to agreed, and said Gareth was like a Swiss clock - very punctual, very efficient, and it was very unlike him not to attend a meeting," she said.

Ms Subbe told the inquest he had seemed upbeat the last time she spoke to him.

She said it was "not particularly" surprising that £20,000 of women's clothes had been found in her brother's flat and that they could possibly have been intended as gifts.

The police officer who discovered the bag in the bath, PC John Gallagher, told the inquest he was let into the locked flat by a letting agent after reports that Mr Williams was missing.

He said that, once inside, his attention was drawn to a woman's wig hanging on the corner of a chair.

When he got to the bathroom, there was a bathrobe on the floor outside the closed door, he added.

When he opened it, he noticed the bag in the bath but only became aware of the "particular smell" of a body when he tried to lift it.

"I noticed that the side nearest the door had a round bulge," he said.

"I noticed there was a padlock with the two zips joined together.

"At this point I am realising it is something serious and my concern was to not damage anything in a crime scene."

He said he could only see red fluid seeping out after he lifted the bag up "by six or seven inches".

He called for back-up and Det Sgt Paul Colgan arrived who cut open the holdall to reveal the body inside.

The inquest has been adjourned until Tuesday.

Opening proceedings earlier, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said evidence into Mr Williams's death would be heard in public but that some sensitive information would be withheld because of a "real risk of harm" to national security.

Summaries or "gists" of any withheld evidence would be revealed in court and there would be "a full, fair and fearless inquest into this highly controversial death", she said.

The inquest will hear from Mr Williams's colleagues from MI6 and the GCHQ, toxicology experts and bag experts.

Most of the 37 witnesses will give evidence in person, but some officers will be able to testify anonymously and behind screens.

Broadcasters and newspaper have applied for photographs, video and documents referred to in open court to be supplied to the media.

But a lawyer for the Met Police, Vincent Williams, said there was a "live complex ongoing investigation" into the death and charges were still a "real possibility".

Dr Wilcox suggested that the lawyers agree a compromise outside court.

A lawyer for Mr Williams's family said they opposed the release of video footage showing an attempted reconstruction of how he may have climbed into the bath.

'Dark arts'

A post-mortem examination and further toxicology tests - which found no trace of drugs, alcohol or poison - and the police investigation have all failed to establish a cause of death.

Police originally found it would have been impossible for Mr Williams to have locked himself inside the holdall his naked body was found in.

But they have been unable to establish whether he died at the hands of a third party.

Dr Wilcox told a pre-inquest hearing in March that whether the code-breaker was able to lock himself in the bag would be "at the very heart" of the inquest.

Lawyer Anthony O'Toole told the pre-inquest hearing that Mr Williams's family believed a third party was present at his death or later destroyed evidence.

"The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services - or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in the dark arts," he said.