ITV : Spy debate continues

Spy debate continues

May 24, 2012

An expert who tried to lock himself inside a bag, during the inquest into the death of an MI6 spy, has dismissed claims that Gareth Williams could have died alone.

It follows claims today by pathologist Dr Richard Shephard that there was 'credible evidence' which police should investigate that it could be done. Peter Faulding told ITV Wales that the only way he could have locked himself inside would have left DNA evidence on the bath, and none was found.

BBC : 'Credible evidence' MI6 spy died alone, says pathologist

'Credible evidence' MI6 spy died alone, says pathologist

[podcast]

By Philip Kemp | Radio 4's The Report | May 24, 2012

A leading pathologist says the possibility MI6 officer Gareth Williams died alone should be re-examined.

Dr Richard Shepherd told the BBC there is "credible evidence" that bags identical to the one Mr Williams was found in can be locked by someone inside the bag.

Expert witnesses at the inquest into Mr Williams' death failed to do so despite making hundreds of attempts.

However, evidence has since been published claiming it can be done.

Dr Shepherd, who conducted one of the post-mortem examinations of Gareth Williams, has previously worked on other high profile cases including the deaths of Princess Diana and the government scientist David Kelly.

He says the police should now re-examine the possibility Mr Williams died alone as part of their on-going investigations.

Speaking to Radio 4's The Report, he said: "Now that we have credible evidence that it is possible to lock the bag from the inside, whilst it doesn't rule out homicide, clearly the chances of this as a solitary sexual act have to be considered in any future investigation by the Metropolitan Police."

The Metropolitan Police said the circumstances of Gareth Williams' death continue to be the subject of a thorough investigation.

Mr Williams was found dead, locked in a bag located in a bath tub in his London flat in 2010. One key question before the inquest into his death was whether he had locked himself in the bag.

At the pre-inquest hearing, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said the question was central to her inquiries.

Confined space expert Peter Faulding told the inquest that while he could not rule out that it was possible, "even Houdini would have struggled with this one".

A second expert, William MacKay said he and an assistant had also failed despite making more than a hundred attempts.

Their evidence helped the coroner Dr Wilcox earlier this month come to the conclusion that Mr Williams was probably unlawfully killed.

New evidence emerges

However, journalist Claire Hayhurst claims she managed to lock herself in a similar bag after just five attempts under the guidance of a former soldier, Jim Featherstonhaugh, who claims to have figured out a technique.

"The trickiest part was getting the lock together which is the biggest riddle of it. I spent maybe two-and-a-half hours getting in and out, filming it, and most of that time was spent with me outside the bag desperately drinking water and trying to recover," she told the BBC.

"I'm not super-fit but I've been told I've got a similar build to Gareth.

"I'd agree that someone of exactly the same proportions would be a fairer comparison but I do think me doing it shows that it's certainly possible."

Claire Hayhurst stresses she worked under the supervision of safety experts and says any attempt to recreate the experiment would be highly dangerous.

Confined space expert Peter Faulding told The Report he stood by the evidence he gave to the inquest.

"None of my conclusions were wrong - a young girl zipping a bag doesn't discredit this inquiry whatsoever," he said.

"We were fully aware of other methods of being able to lock the bag but she or nobody could achieve it without leaving her DNA on the bath - and that's the key to this," he added.

It has also been pointed out that Claire Hayhurst did not lock the bag in exactly the same way as the holdall found in Gareth Williams' flat.

At the inquest into his death, Dr Fiona Wilcox said she was satisfied that a third party had been involved in moving the bag containing the MI6 officer into the bathroom of his flat.

Telegraph : Police should still be open to possibility spy in bag died alone, says pathologist

Police should still be open to possibility spy in bag died alone, says pathologist

Police should not rule out the possibility that MI6 spy Gareth Williams locked himself in the sports bag he was found dead in, a pathologist involved in the case has said.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | May 24, 2012

Earlier this month, a coroner concluded Mr Williams was probably “unlawfully killed” after his decomposing naked body was discovered in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his Pimlico flat.

Part of the conclusion was based on evidence from confined spaces experts who tried, and failed, more than 400 times to lock themselves in a similar bag.

But shortly after the inquest, journalist Claire Hayhurst showed it was possible in a video.

Dr Richard Shepherd, a pathologist who carried out one of three post mortem examinations on Mr Williams, said that suggest “compelling evidence” that it might have been possible for him to do it as well.

The Metropolitan Police are still investigating the death and Dr Shepherd urged them not to rule out such a scenario.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's The Report programme, the pathologist said: "Now that we have credible evidence that it is possible to lock the bag from the inside, whilst it doesn't rule out homicide, clearly the chances of this as a solitary sexual act have to be considered in any future investigation by the Metropolitan Police."

However, Peter Faulding, one of the experts who tried to lock himself in the bag, said he stood by his evidence to the inquest, when he said even Harry Houdini would have struggled.

Difference also remain between Miss Hayhurst’s attempt and the condition of the bag Mr Williams was found in.

The zip was padlocked in a different way and the inquest was told there was no DNA traces around the bottom of the bath, which experts said would have been there if he had climbed in himself, naked.

Wales Online : M16 officer Gareth Williams' death 'fits with sexual asphyxiation', says inquest pathologist

M16 officer Gareth Williams' death 'fits with sexual asphyxiation', says inquest pathologist

By Julia McWatt, WalesOnline | May 24, 2012

A PATHOLOGIST in the inquest of MI6 officer Gareth Williams has said the case should be re-examined if claims by two individuals that they could shut themselves inside the sports holdall that Mr Williams’ body was found in turn out to be true.

A 16-year-old girl whose father Jim Fetherstonhaugh – a retired sergeant in the Royal Artillery – developed a method of zipping up the identical North Face bag from the inside, and journalist Claire Hayhurst who used Mr Fetherstonhaugh’s method, both said they were successful in their attempts to shut themselves in the bag.

The naked body of Mr Williams, 31, from Anglesey, was discovered padlocked inside the holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, London, on August 23, 2010.

Dr Richard Shepherd, who gave evidence at the inquest last month, told BBC Radio 4: “I think it brings once again to the fore the possibility that this was a solitary act by Gareth. From my point of view, as I look across the deaths associated with sexual asphyxiation, this is one that fits quite neatly into that group of practice, bizarre though it is.

“Certainly, I think this is a significant bit of evidence, which, if shown to be correct does need to be brought again into consideration."

Experts had told Mr Williams' inquest how they had tried unsuccessfully to lock themselves in the bag up to 300 times.

But Mr Fetherstonhaugh adopted a method by which a holdall can be zipped up and locked from the inside without assistance. It is said to be the reverse of a trick used by airport thieves to steal from locked bags, that are flexible with sides that can be pinched together.

His daughter Izzy, 16, who at 5ft 3ins was 3ins shorter than Mr Williams, fitted inside the bag.

He told swns.com: "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'y 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."

Ms Hayhurst, a reporter for swns.com, who is 5ft 4in tall and of a slight build similar to Mr Williams tested the method, and was eventually able to do it in less than three minutes.

The coroner had concluded Mr Williams' death was "unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated".

Telegraph : MI6 spy Gareth Williams may have locked himself in bag, pathologist suggests

MI6 spy Gareth Williams may have locked himself in bag, pathologist suggests

MI6 spy Gareth Williams may have locked himself in the sports holdall in which he was found dead in his flat, a pathologist who examined his body has suggested.

By Murray Wardrop | May 24, 2012

Dr Richard Shepherd said the theory that the 31-year-old died after locking himself inside the bag should be re-examined after an Army veteran and a journalist appeared to demonstrate it is possible.

The question was central to the inquest into his death. However, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox concluded that on the "balance of probabilities" Mr Williams was unlawfully killed by a mysterious third party after experts claimed even world-famous escapologist Harry Houdini "would have struggled" to squeeze himself into the North Face holdall.

Earlier this month, Jim Fetherstonhaugh, a retired sergeant in the Royal Artillery, and journalist Claire Hayhurst carried out experiments which appeared to show Mr Williams could have acted alone.

Dr Shepherd described their successful attempts to carry out the same feat as “significant” and said he had always believed that Mr Williams’s death may have occurred during a bizarre game.

The pathologist, who carried out a third post mortem examination of the spy’s body, said: “I think it brings once again to the fore the possibility that this was a solitary act by Gareth.

“From my point of view as I look across the deaths associated with sexual asphyxias this is one that fits quite neatly within that group of practice, bizarre though it is.

“Certainly, I think this is a significant bit of evidence, which, if shown to be correct does need to be brought again into consideration.”

Mr Williams, a maths prodigy, was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ when his body was found in August 2010. His badly decomposed remains were nside the bag which was placed in the bath at his flat in Pimlico, west London.

The inquest heard that two experts had tried in vain more than 400 times to lock themselves inside an identical holdall

Peter Faulding, a former Parachute Regiment reservist and expert in confined rescues, said he tried 300 times to lock himself inside the 81cm by 48 cm holdall but failed every time.

He told the inquest: “I can't say it was impossible but I think I even Houdini would struggle with that one. My personal belief is that it could not be done."

William MacKay and a colleague tried and failed 100 times but said he could not rule out that a genius might have managed it.

But Mr Fetherstonhaugh, 49, discovered a method by which a holdall can be zipped up and locked from the inside without assistance.

He got his 16-year-old daughter and a 23-year-old female journalist to test the theory and found both managed to lock themselves inside a bag ths same as that in which Mr Williams's body was found.

However, Mr Faulding today dismissed the claims, telling the BBC: “None of my conclusions are wrong. A young girl zipping a bag doesn’t discredit this inquiry whatsoever.

“We were fully aware of other methods of being able to lock the bag but she or nobody could achieve it without leaving her DNA or trace on the bath and that’s the key to this.”

Mr Fetherstonhaugh's 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.

His daughter Izzy, who at 5ft 5ins was 3ins 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.

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, of Shrewton, Wilts, said of Mr Faulding’s attempts: "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.”

To test his technique Claire Hayhurst, a reporter for South West News, who is 5' 4" 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.