North Wales Chronicle : Anglesey spy's death "probably an accident" say police

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Anglesey spy's death "probably an accident" say police

Geraint Jones | November 13, 2013

AN ANGLESEY spy whose body was found in a holdall probably died alone in an accident, police have concluded.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt yesterday (November 13) revealed that his team disagreed with a coroner coroner’s conclusion that codebreaker Gareth Williams, aged 31, originally of Valley near Holyhead, was probably killed unlawfully.

He said: "With the conclusion of the investigation, the Metropolitan Police's position is that, on balance, it is a more probable conclusion that there was no other person present when Gareth died.

"But the reality is that for both hypotheses there exist evidential contradictions and gaps in our understanding."

Mr Williams was found in a found in the bag in the bath at his flat in Pimlico, central London, on August 23, 2010.

None of his DNA was found on the lock on the bag and his palm prints were not found on the rim of the bath.

However, Mr Hewitt said there was no evidence that the flat had been "deep-cleaned" to remove forensic evidence and no evidence of a struggle or a break-in.

He added: "I do not believe that I have had the wool pulled over my eyes - I believe that what we are dealing with is a tragic unexplained death."

Mr Williams worked for GCHQ but was on secondment to MI6 when he died.

Police interviewed 27 members of staff from the two agencies as part of their investigation.

They found no evidence in Mr Williams’ personnel and vetting files to suggest his death was in any way related to his work.

Mr Hewitt went on: "He was, without doubt, a private person who was very close to his family and had few other close friends.

“That said, the universal view of colleagues was of a conscientious and decent man with a few well-known hobbies such as his cycling and climbing.

"There is no evidence of any animosity towards Gareth, and it has not been possible to identify anyone with a motive for causing him harm."

Last year coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox found that he was probably killed and it "remained a legitimate line of inquiry" that the secret services may have been involved in the death.

Police said that Dr Wilcox has accepted their findings, but decided that there is insufficient new evidence to justify re-opening the inquest.

Mr Williams's family said in a statement issued through the police: "We are naturally disappointed that it is still not possible to state with certainty how Gareth died and the fact that the circumstances of his death are still unknown adds to our grief.

"We consider that on the basis of the facts known at present the coroner's verdict accurately reflects the circumstances of Gareth's death. "