Telegraph : Woman successfully locks herself in spy holdall

Woman successfully locks herself in spy holdall

A video demonstrating a technique that may have been used by spy Gareth Williams to lock himself into a holdall has been released.

May 9, 2012

Gareth Williams, the spy found dead in a holdall, could have locked himself inside the bag in which he died, an Army veteran has revealed.

The inquest into the MI6 agent's death heard how a number of experts unsuccessfully tried to lock themselves inside a bag up to 300 times.

But Jim Fetherstonhaugh, 49 - a sergeant in the Royal Artillery for 22 years - discovered a simple method by which a holdall can be zipped up and locked from the inside without assistance.

The technique is the reverse of a well-known trick used by airport thieves to steal from locked bags, as long as they are flexible and the sides can be pinched together.

Reporter Claire Hayhurst from South West News Service applied Mr Fetherstonhaugh's technique and was able to lock herself into an identical North Face bag to the one Mr Williams was found in without assistance.

Ms Hayhurst, who is 4ins shorter than the spy, 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.

She 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.

Mr Fetherstonhaugh claims that, Mr Williams' taller height 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 showed them and their jaws drop - it is so obvious, maybe people are thinking too much into it.

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.

Warning: members of the public are warned not to imitate the actions in this video

Scotsman : Gareth Williams death: Plans for DNA screenings as MI6 told to co-operate

Gareth Williams death: Plans for DNA screenings as MI6 told to co-operate

May 9, 2012

MI6 was warned today it is not above the law as Britain’s top police officer revealed proposals for mass DNA screenings in the long-running Gareth Williams investigation.

• Met Police Commissioner angered by communication breakdown
• MI6 under scrutiny after Gareth Williams inquest
• DNA screenings planned on a ‘voluntary basis’

An independent forensics review will form a central part of fresh efforts to solve the 21-month inquiry into how the codebreaker’s body ended up in a holdall, Scotland Yard’s Commissioner said.

Bernard Hogan-Howe has also told detectives to deal directly with the intelligence agency in a break with protocol at the Metropolitan Police.

Homicide detectives were previously forced to involve counter-terror colleagues in a bid to obtain statements and evidence from MI6.

But Mr Hogan-Howe was angered by the “unacceptable” breakdown in communication which saw evidence fail to come to the senior investigating officer until last week at an inquest.

When asked what powers he had to ensure MI6 co-operated, he told reporters: “It’s the law.”

He said mass screening in the case would be carried out on a “voluntary” basis.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: “Of course it may well be that Gareth Williams’ death has nothing to do with employment. All we need to do is to make sure that all areas of his life were fully explored.”

Members of the secret services have come under fresh scrutiny after the coroner at last week’s inquest said she was sure a third party locked Mr Williams inside the red holdall in which his naked body was found in his bathtub.

Giving her verdict, Dr Fiona Wilcox said the 31-year-old was probably killed and it “remained a legitimate line of inquiry” that the secret services may have been involved in the death.

Windsor Star : Mystery killing calls for spy DNA

Mystery killing calls for spy DNA

Star News Services | May 9, 2012

Britain's top police officer says spies will be asked to give DNA samples in a bid to solve the mystery of an agent whose body was found padlocked inside a sports bag in his bathtub.

Last week an inquest concluded that Gareth Williams had probably been killed by another person in a "criminally meditated act."

Coroner Fiona Wilcox was critical of the MI6 spy agency, which failed to pass evidence to investigating police.

Williams, 31, worked for Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping service. He was attached to MI6 when his remains were found in August 2010.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said that detectives would conduct voluntary mass DNA screening of MI6 employees.

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

Daily Mail : Army veteran claims spy-in-bag could easily have locked himself in holdall... and proves it with his 16-year-old daughter

Army veteran claims spy-in-bag could easily have locked himself in holdall... and proves it with his 16-year-old daughter

* Teenager measures 5ft 5ins, just 3ins shorter than MI6 agent Gareth Williams

By Julian Gavaghan | May 9, 2012

Body in the bag spy Gareth Williams could have easily locked himself inside the holdall in which he died, an Army veteran revealed today.

The inquest into the MI6 agent’s death heard how a number of experts unsuccessfully tried to lock themselves inside a bag up to 300 times.

But Jim Fetherstonhaugh, 49 - a sergeant in the Royal Artillery for 22 years - discovered a simple method by which a holdall can be zipped up and locked from the inside without assistance.

The technique is the reverse of a well-known trick used by airport thieves to steal from locked bags, as long as they are flexible and the sides can be pinched together.

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

The teenager, who at 5ft 5ins was 3ins shorter than Gareth, 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.

Izzy 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.

Jim, of Shrewton, Wiltshire, 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.

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.

However, one of the reasons why other experts said they couldn't zip themselves in bags was because there wasn't enough room to manoeuvre in a bathtub.

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 today.

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.

To test the method, reporter Claire Hayhurst, who is 5ft 4in tall and of slight build similar to Mr Williams, zipped herself into the bag without assistance.

She repeated the task a number of times on video and was eventually able to do it in less than three minutes.

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.

Warning: members of the public are warned not to imitate the actions in this video

Holyhead and Anglesey Mail : Spy Gareth Williams probably killed unlawfully but death remains a mystery

Spy Gareth Williams probably killed unlawfully but death remains a mystery

by Owen R Hughes, Bangor and Anglesey Mail | May 9, 2012

THE family of a spy “probably killed unlawfully” said their “grief is exacerbated” by MI6’s failure to raise the alarm after he went missing.

In a statement read out by their solicitor after the inquest, the family of Gareth Williams, from Valley, said they were “extremely disappointed” at the secret services’ “reluctance and failure” to make relevant information available to the inquiry.

They also attacked the “total inadequacies” of the inquiry by Metropolitan Police counter-terror branch SO15 into MI6 and called on Scotland Yard’s chief to look into how the investigation would proceed in light of this.

Reading the statement on behalf of the 31 year old’s parents, Ian and Ellen Williams, and sister Ceri Subbe, lawyer Robyn Williams said: “To lose a son and a brother at any time is a tragedy. To lose a son and brother in such circumstances as have been outlined during the course of this inquest only compounds the tragedy.
Click here to find out more!

“Our grief is exacerbated by the failure of his employers at MI6 to take even the most basic inquiries as to his whereabouts and welfare, which any reasonable employer would have taken.

“We are also extremely disappointed at the reluctance and failure of MI6 to make available relevant information.”

They described the brilliant code-breaker as a “special and adored son and brother” who they missed “every single day”.

Gareth’s naked body was found in a padlocked bag in the bath at his flat in London. He was thought to have been there a week.

He had been seconded to work at the M16 headquarters from GCHQ, the government listening station in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

At the inquest into his death last week, coroner Fiona Wilcox said his death may forever remain a mystery despite a 21 month police probe plagued by blunders.

In a narrative verdict, she said: “The cause of his death was unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated. I am therefore satisfied that on the balance of probabilities that Gareth was killed unlawfully.”

Mr Williams, of Valley, Anglesey, was suffocated by carbon dioxide, possibly as an onset of a short-acting poison, the coroner suggested.

MI6 apologised for failures in raising the alarm about his disappearance earlier as Dr Wilcox said several factors hampered inquiries. Breakdowns in communication by her own coroner’s office in ordering a second post-mortem examination, a DNA mix-up by forensics and late submission of evidence by MI6 to police were singled out.

Dr Wilcox also questioned why details of Mr Williams’s private life – that heaped embarrassment on his family – were leaked to the press.

She found it “highly unlikely” that Mr Williams got inside his North Face holdall alone, saying: “If Gareth had been carrying out some kind of peculiar experiment, he wouldn’t care if he left any foot or fingerprints.”

Press TV : UK spy agency not above law in spy death inquiry

UK spy agency not above law in spy death inquiry

May 9, 2012

British spy agency has been warned it is not above the law after the suspected death of one of its agents, which experts say may have been engineered by the British secret services.

Scotland Yard’s Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said the MI6 officers could have their DNA checked if they are recognized as suspects in the death of the agency’s former code-breaker Gareth Williams whose body was found in a bag in his London flat in 2010.

Hogan-Howe has also demanded that MI6 provides the police “unrestricted access” to its staff for DNA screening in connection with the case, which coroners say was a murder.

His call comes as inquirers in Williams’s case have now pinned their hopes to DNA samples, which they could compare to samples from a towel recovered from his kitchen after 21 months of investigations.

Last week coroner Fiona Wilcox said Williams has been probably murdered adding the secret services’ involvement in his killing “remained a legitimate line of inquiry.”

Hogan-Howe has made it clear that the law gives the inquirers enough power to ensure MI6 cooperates with the investigations.

AMR/GHN/HE

Daily Post : MI6 not above law when it comes to spy Gareth Williams death

MI6 not above law when it comes to spy Gareth Williams death

by Our Correspondent, DPW West | May 9, 2012

BRITAIN’S top police officer warned MI6 it is not above the law, as he revealed proposals for mass DNA screenings in the long-running Gareth Williams investigation.

An independent forensics review will form a central part of fresh efforts to solve the 21-month inquiry into how the codebreaker’s body ended up in a holdall, Scotland Yard’s Commissioner said.

Bernard Hogan-Howe has also told detectives to deal directly with the intelligence agency in a break with tradition at the Metropolitan Police.

Homicide detectives were previously forced to involve counter-terror colleagues in a bid to obtain statements and evidence from MI6.

But Mr Hogan-Howe was angered by the “unacceptable” breakdown in communication which saw evidence fail to come to the senior investigating officer until last week at an inquest.

When asked what powers he had to ensure MI6 co-operated, he told reporters: “It’s the law.”

He said mass screening in the case would be carried out on a “voluntary” basis.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: “Of course it may well be that Gareth Williams’ death has nothing to do with employment.

“All we need to do is to make sure that all areas of his life were fully explored.”

Mr Hogan-Howe said forensics firm LGC, which was responsible for a mix-up early in the investigation, would not be in charge of the review.

But he added: “This is not about criticising the forensic system.”

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, who has led the investigation since the body was found in August 2010, is likely to pass on the case to a colleague because she is being promoted.

Members of the secret services have came under fresh scrutiny after the coroner at last week’s inquest said she was sure a third party locked Mr Williams inside the red holdall in which his naked body was found in his bathtub.

Giving her verdict, Dr Fiona Wilcox said the 31-year-old was probably killed and it “remained a legitimate line of inquiry” that the secret services may have been involved in the death.

But inquiries have yet to yield a culprit, with forensic experts still hoping for a breakthrough from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen.

Mr Williams, a fitness enthusiast originally from Anglesey, was found in the bag in his flat in Pimlico, central London.

NZ Herald : Body in a bag: UK police to take DNA from spies

Body in a bag: UK police to take DNA from spies

By Kim Sengupta | May 9, 2012

Britain's top police officer says spies will be asked to give DNA samples in a bid to solve the mystery of an agent whose body was found padlocked inside a sports bag in his bathtub.

Last week an inquest concluded that Gareth Williams had probably been killed by another person in a "criminally meditated act."

Coroner Fiona Wilcox was critical of the MI6 spy agency, which failed to pass evidence to investigating police.

Williams, 31, worked for Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping service. He was attached to MI6 when his remains were found in August 2010.

Metropolitan Police Commisioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said Tuesday that detectives would conduct voluntary mass DNA screening of MI6 employees.

He said police needed to ensure "all areas of his life were fully explored."

- AP

Independent : MI6 officers could face DNA screening

MI6 officers could face DNA screening

Paul Peachey | May 9, 2012

Scotland Yard has ordered a forensic review and raised the possibility of a mass DNA screening of MI6 officers in a renewed effort to discover how the body of the codebreaker Gareth Williams was found padlocked inside a bag in his bath in 2010.

Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said yesterday that an independent forensic science expert would be brought in to examine the evidence. The private forensics company that is still working on the case had to apologise for a blunder that led investigators down the wrong path for more than a year.

Mr Hogan-Howe also said that the force would change the way it interviewed secret service officials after a senior policeman who acted as a go-between with MI6 failed to pass on key information. Nine memory sticks belonging to Mr Williams, 31, and a bag of the same make in which he was found were handed to police only last week.

Mr Hogan-Howe said it was "unacceptable" that the senior investigating officer (SIO) had not been told about the evidence. "In the future, I expect the SIO to have direct access to all witnesses and evidence without the counter-terrorist squad being in between them."

Mirror : Murder detectives to quiz spies for first time over body-in-a-bag death

Murder detectives to quiz spies for first time over body-in-a-bag death

Met commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said the secret intelligence service would be treated the same as any other organisation

Tom Pettifor | May 9, 2012

MURDER squad detectives are to quiz MI6 staff for the first time about the death of spy Gareth Williams, it was revealed yesterday.

Met commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said the secret intelligence service would be treated the same as any other organisation as his officers reinvestigate the case.

He said: “All we need to do is make sure all areas of his life were fully explored.”

Staff will be screened for DNA on a voluntary basis.

Mr Hogan-Howe added that the Met would have complete access to MI6 material.

He branded it “unacceptable” that officers only learned of memory sticks and a holdall found at Mr Williams’ work at last month’s inquest, two years after his body was discovered.

A coroner ruled that Mr Williams, 31, from Anglesey, who was found locked in a bag in a bath in his London flat in 2010, was probably unlawfully killed.

Daily Mail : You are not above the law Met chief tells MI6 agents as he demands unprecedented access to solve spy-in-the-bag murder

You are not above the law Met chief tells MI6 agents as he demands unprecedented access to solve spy-in-the-bag murder

* Tests on microscopic human traces on a hand towel in the spy’s flat could identify his killer
* Employees at MI6 and GCHQ could face mass voluntary DNA screening within weeks

By Daily Mail Reporter | May 9, 2012

Britain’s top policeman told MI6 last night that no one is above the law as he demanded unprecedented access in a bid to solve the murder of spy Gareth Williams.

Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said there was ‘nothing in law’ to stop police making secret agents give statements and forensic samples.

The Scotland Yard chief said employees at MI6 and GCHQ could face mass voluntary DNA screening within weeks.

Detectives believe tests on microscopic human traces on a hand towel in the spy’s flat could identify his killer.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: ‘There is no difference in law, as you would expect if someone has committed a serious crime, no matter who they are.’

Asked if MI6 will grant full access, he said: ‘They do not have to sign up to it, it is called the law. There is no reason why they need to agree to it.’

No one has been arrested over the murder of Mr Williams, whose naked body was discovered in a padlocked bag in the bath of his central London flat in August 2010.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: ‘There is no difference in law, as you would expect if someone has committed a serious crime, no matter who they are.’

Asked if MI6 will grant full access, he said: ‘They do not have to sign up to it, it is called the law. There is no reason why they need to agree to it.’

No one has been arrested over the murder of Mr Williams, whose naked body was discovered in a padlocked bag in the bath of his central London flat in August 2010.

His family lashed out at MI6 last week after a coroner ruled he was probably unlawfully killed and the case may never be solved.

Fears remain that the solution to the riddle of his death could lie within MI6 or that a secret agent could even be responsible for the murder.

Detectives investigating the mysterious death of the body-in-the-bag spy believe a killer could have slipped back into his flat through a skylight to cover his tracks, it has been claimed.

Many close to the case believe he was assassinated by a spy working for foreign powers because of his work for MI6 and the US National Security Agency.

Speculation over the exact nature of his work has been growing since Foreign Secretary William Hague signed a a document to stop details being released about his job on security grounds.

It has been claimed that MI6 and the government eavesdropping centre GCHQ, to which Williams was attached, have been working on a computer virus designed to disrupt Iran's nuclear programme.

Questions are also being asked as to how MI6 came into possession of a second iPhone belonging to Mr Williams when Police found only one at his flat.