DAILY STAR SUNDAY : ‘SPY IN BAG’ OFFICER IS TAKEN OFF THE CASE

‘SPY IN BAG’ OFFICER IS TAKEN OFF THE CASE

Jonathan Corke | November 11, 2012

THE detective who tried to solve the “spy in the bag” riddle has been replaced – while colleagues who failed to tell her about evidence in the case have escaped a ­disciplinary rap.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire believed a third party was involved in MI6 worker Gareth Williams’ mysterious death two years ago in a central London flat.

But it emerged at the code-breaker’s inquest that evidence had been ­withheld from her for 21 months.

Mr Williams’ body was ­discovered in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in August 2010. Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s counter- terrorism SO15 unit, who liaised with MI6, failed to tell Det Chief Insp Sebire that nine computer memory sticks and a black bag belonging to the 31-year-old had been recovered.

She was only informed of the find at the inquest in May this year.

We can now reveal she was moved off the case after the inquest – and replaced by Det Chief Insp Matt Bonner.

But after our investigation, which the police tried to thwart, we have learned that no Met officer has faced disciplinary proceedings over failings in the probe which emerged at the inquest.

Detective Superintendent Mick Broster of SO15 was slammed by coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox over the way he handled the memory sticks and bag evidence.

The officer said he had been assured by MI6 that the items, which were found in Mr Williams’ work locker, were not relevant to the inquiry.

Sources close to Mr Williams, who was originally from Anglesey, North Wales, fear the case will never be solved and has been badly hampered by police and MI6 failures.

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.

Independent : Scotland Yard boss Horgan-Howe warns MI6 over spy Gareth Williams death probe

Scotland Yard boss Horgan-Howe warns MI6 over spy Gareth Williams death probe

Tom Morgan | May 8, 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, North Wales, was found in the bag in his flat in Pimlico, central London.

PA

This Is London : Mass DNA tests for MI6 agents over death of spy Gareth Williams

Mass DNA tests for MI6 agents over death of spy Gareth Williams

May 8, 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 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.

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, North Wales, was found in the bag in his flat in Pimlico, central London.

Telegraph : Police consider mass DNA screening of secret agents in hunt for spy in bag 'killer'.

Police consider mass DNA screening of secret agents in hunt for spy in bag 'killer'.

MI6 agents could be asked to volunteer DNA as part of a renewed bid to discover how Gareth Williams died, the head of the Metropolitan Police confirmed yesterday.

By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent | May 8, 2012

Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said the force was considering a mass screening programme among the spy’s colleagues at the Secret Intelligence Service.

But he stressed that without an official suspect in the case, they could not compel anyone to take part in a DNA screening programme.

Last week the coroner at Mr Williams’ inquest said the 31-year-old, whose naked, decomposing remains were found in a locked sports holdall, had probably been killed unlawfully by a mystery third party.

Dr Fiona Wilcox also raised the prospect that another spy may have been involved in his death, remarking that it was a “legitimate line of inquiry” for police.

Asked if he expected MI6 personnel to co-operate in the investigation, Mr Hogan-Howe said: “It’s called the law.”

The Met Commissioner also said a new independent forensics review would be launched in order to see if anything had been missed in the initial investigation.

Mr Williams' inquest heard how forensic scientists had found minute traces of DNA inside the apartment, but were unable to match them to a third party.

But the hearing was also told how weeks of investigative work were wasted, trying to find a match for a DNA trace found on the back of Mr Williams’ hand.

It later emerged that sample in fact belonged to one of the forensic scientists working on the case.

The forensics review will be carried out by a private firm, who were not involved in the original investigation.

Last week Dr Wilcox also voiced concern over the way potentially vital information was withheld from the Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire.

Due to the sensitivity of Mr Williams’ work, interviews with SIS agents were conducted by members of the SO15 counter-terrorism unit and then passed to detectives.

But Mr Hogan-Howe said SO15 would now be taken off the case in order to remove the unnecessary “extra-layer” of investigators.

Mr Hogan-Howe said he believed problems that had occurred were the result of “miscommunication”, rather than a “mischief”, but said he expected the SIO to have direct access to all relevant information and witnesses.

The review of the case, which was demanded by Mr Williams’ family, is to be led by Hamish Campbell, head of the Met’s Homicide unit.

DCI Sebire, who was praised for her efforts by the family and the coroner, is likely to pass the case onto a colleague after being promoted.

Financial Times : MI6 screening considered in dead spy case

MI6 screening considered in dead spy case

By Helen Warrell and James Blitz

A Scotland Yard review of all the forensic evidence in the case of dead spy Gareth Williams may involve a DNA screening programme of MI6 employees, the Metropolitan Police commissioner said on Tuesday.

Bernard Hogan-Howe told reporters that from now on, the senior investigating officer would be able to approach MI6 personnel directly, without an anti-terrorism officer working as an intermediary.

Homicide detectives were previously forced to involve counter-terrorism colleagues in an attempt to obtain statements and evidence from MI6 as part of their investigation into Williams’s death.

When asked whether MI6 had agreed to greater access by the police team, the commissioner said: “They don’t have to sign up to it. It’s called the law.”

An inquest into the death of Williams – a talented codebreaker whose body was found zipped inside a locked holdall at his London flat in August 2010 – concluded that he was probably unlawfully killed.

Although the investigation leading up to the inquest did not identify any suspects, forensic teams have still not found a match for DNA found on a green towel in the spy’s kitchen.

The Met commissioner said that a screening programme on MI6 employees was one option under consideration, though he stressed this would be carried out on a “voluntary” basis.

Mr Hogan-Howe said: “Of course it may well be that Gareth Williams’s 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.’’

However, he criticised an “unacceptable” breakdown in communication over potential evidence, which emerged during the inquest into Williams’s death, which concluded last week.

He said the senior investigating officer (SIO) would in future have complete access to all MI6 material, after it emerged a counter-terrorism officer did not tell the SIO, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, about potential evidence.

Members of MI6 came under fresh scrutiny after the coroner at last week’s inquest said she was sure a third party locked 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 might have been involved in the death.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2012.

Gazette Live : Warning to MI6 over spy death probe

Warning to MI6 over spy death probe

May 8, 2012

Britain's top police officer has 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, originally from Anglesey, North Wales, 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.

BBC : MI6 staff 'may face DNA screening over spy death'

MI6 staff 'may face DNA screening over spy death'

May 8, 2012

MI6 staff may have samples of their DNA checked following the death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams, the head of the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.

Bernard Hogan-Howe also demanded that MI6 give "unrestricted access" to detectives for the first time, as Scotland Yard reinvestigate the case.

The naked body of Mr Williams, 31, from Anglesey, was found locked in a bag in a bath in his London flat in 2010.

A coroner has concluded that he was probably unlawfully killed.

She also said she doubted whether Mr Williams' death would ever be explained, saying that "fundamental questions" remained unanswered.

Mr Hogan-Howe said any screening of staff at MI6 would be voluntary and could involve a few MI6 officers, or many.

A number of DNA samples were taken during the previous investigation.

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."

When asked if MI6 had agreed to grant new levels of access, Mr Hogan-Howe said they didn't have to: "It's called the law."

He criticised an "unacceptable" breakdown in communication over potential evidence, which emerged during the inquest.

Memory sticks

He said the senior investigating officer (SIO) would in future have complete access to all MI6 material, after it emerged a counter-terrorism officer did not tell the SIO, Det Ch Insp Jackie Sebire, about potential evidence.

He has told detectives to deal directly with the intelligence agency, in a break with tradition at the force.

Scotland Yard detectives are normally required to involve counter-terror colleagues at SO15 to obtain statements and evidence from MI6.

Det Con Colin Hall from SO15 searched Mr Williams' MI6 office on 26 August 2010, but did not seize computer memory sticks because he was told they contained material "of a sensitive nature".

A North Face bag similar to the one in which Mr Williams was found, was allegedly withheld by secret-service officers.

Mrs Sebire, who has led the investigation since the body was found, is soon likely to pass on the case to a colleague because she is being promoted.

Speaking last week, she said it was "highly likely" that a third party was involved in Mr Williams's death, and urged anyone who knew him to come forward with any information.

An independent forensics review will form a central part of fresh efforts to solve the 21-month inquiry into Mr Williams's death, the commissioner said.

Forensics firm LGC, which was responsible for a mix-up early in the investigation, would not be in charge of the independent review.

But Mr Hogan-Howe added: "This is not about criticising the forensic system."
Green towel

Mr Williams was not reported missing by his bosses at MI6 until a week after he was last seen, and the post-mortem examination was not carried out until nine days after he died.

A small amount of "unexplained" DNA was found on the zip toggle and padlock of the red holdall, containing his curled-up body.

Forensic experts are still hoping for a breakthrough from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen.

Three pathologists who conducted post-mortem examinations were unable to reach a firm conclusion on how Mr Williams died, because his body had significantly decomposed.

But they said poisoning and asphyxiation are the foremost contenders as the cause of death.

After the inquest, MI6 chief Sir John Sawers apologised "unreservedly" to Mr Williams' family for its "failure to act more swiftly" in reporting his disappearance.

Code-breaker Mr Williams was on secondment to MI6 from the government's listening service GCHQ in Cheltenham when he died.

Daily Star : COPS ‘WILL SOLVE’ SPY IN BAG DEATH

COPS ‘WILL SOLVE’ SPY IN BAG DEATH

May 6, 2012

POLICE have vowed to solve the mystery surrounding the death of the “spy in the bag” amid claims of a Secret Service cover-up.

Detectives are convinced MI6 spies are not telling all they know about Gareth Williams, 31, who was found naked in a padlocked holdall two years ago.

Scotland Yard’s Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire has the backing of Britain’s top cop, Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, to force them to come clean.

They have even threatened to drag in Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is overseer of MI6.

Spooks believe Mr Williams was either killed by a Russian or Chinese spy trying to turn him into a double agent, or that he died during a bizarre sex game that was part of his personal life that failed to show up in vigorous vetting.

A police insider said: “Scotland Yard will not give this up without a fight.”

Daily Mail : Scotland Yard investigates transvestite smear against spy Gareth, but no disciplinary action will be taken

Scotland Yard investigates transvestite smear against spy Gareth, but no disciplinary action will be taken

May 6, 2012

Detectives have investigated allegations that police smeared MI6 spy Gareth Williams – but have ruled out taking disciplinary action against any officer.

Scotland Yard's internal investigation unit examined claims that officers leaked information which led to false media reports that Gareth Williams was a transvestite who was the victim of a sex game that went wrong.

The leaks shifted attention from the spy's work with MI6 and GCHQ, the Government's secret listening station, to his private life.

Last night, the Met confirmed its team had ruled out disciplining any officer over the leaks.

In 2010, Mr Williams's family complained to officers they were learning more about the investigation from newspaper reports rather than from police briefings.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, who is leading the investigation into Mr Williams's death, told his inquest last week that the leaks diverted resources from genuine lines of inquiry.

The spy's body was found on August 23, 2010, locked inside a holdall which was placed in the bath at his home in Pimlico, Central London. The victim had last been seen by his colleagues ten days earlier.

Last week, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox questioned the motives of those who leaked details about Mr Williams's private life, including his visits to bondage websites. His family say the visits could have been work-related.

Dr Wilcox said Mr Williams was not a transvestite and that his collection of £20,000 of unworn women's clothes were probably gifts for friends.

She also dismissed claims that Mr Williams had entered the sports bag seeking sexual gratification.

The coroner said: 'I wonder what the motive was for the release of this material to the media. I wonder whether this was an attempt by a third party to intimate a sexual motive.'

Scotland Yard's internal investigations unit was asked to look at the leaks after concerns were expressed by Det Chief Insp Sebire.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Concerns were raised that information relating to the investigation had been placed in the public domain.

The force initiated an exercise to assess the concerns. A decision was taken not to proceed further.'

Police wasted time on false leads generated by the leaks. Reports that Mr Williams went to gay bars in the Vauxhall area of London, and visited websites on sadomasochism and claustrophilia – the sexual pleasure of confined spaces – proved to be false.

Det Chief Insp Sebire told the inquest that she had seen at first-hand the
distress the leaks had caused the Williams family, but insisted: 'They did not come from my team.'

A senior police source said that suspicions surrounding the source of the leaks initially centred on counter-terrorism police officers and MI6.

Last night a Whitehall spokesman denied MI6 was responsible for the smears but declined to say whether the Service was also investigating the claims.

A memo released to the inquest revealed that senior officials at GCHQ, where Mr Williams spent most of his career, were concerned about the leaks.

Last night, a GCHQ spokesman declined to comment on the memo or any investigation into the leaks.

MI6 and GCHQ were criticised by the coroner for waiting more than a week before raising the alarm about Mr Williams's absence.

Dr Wilcox also hit out at counter-terrorism officers who liaised with MI6 and GCHQ, and police officers investigating the spy's death.

She said evidence that could have helped the inquiry was only passed to detectives once the inquest was in its second week.

Last week it was revealed that police are planning to take DNA samples from up to 50 spies.

Dr Wilcox said the possibility that another spy was involved in Mr Williams's death was a 'legitimate line of inquiry'.

At the end of the inquest, Mr Williams's family criticised SO15, the Met's counter-terrorism branch, for the 'total inadequacies' of its investigation into MI6.

The family said: 'Our grief is exacerbated by the failure of MI6 to make even the most basic inquiries as to Gareth's whereabouts and welfare.

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

NOLA : Naked spy died at hands of mystery killer, British coroner says

Naked spy died at hands of mystery killer, British coroner says

The Associated Press | May 5, 2012

LONDON -- Even after a coroner's verdict, it remains a mystery: A naked spy found dead in a locked bag, lurid details of a kinky sex life and allegations that someone in Britain's spy agencies may have been involved in his death.

A British coroner ruled Wednesday that another person was likely involved in Gareth Williams' death -- a finding that puts more pressure on police to uncover the cyberwarfare expert's killer and continue to investigate possibilities that include whether he could have died in a sex game gone awry or in a more sinister scenario that involved his counterterrorism work.

In Britain, coroners are asked to investigate unexplained deaths, and their findings can often carry weight as police investigations proceed.

Although Coroner Fiona Wilcox said it was unlikely that the death of Williams, 31, will ever be "satisfactorily explained," she said the spy was likely killed either by suffocation or poisoning in a "criminally meditated act." She also said it was possible that someone from one of Britain's spy agencies was involved.

Williams, described as an introverted math genius, worked for Britain's secret eavesdropping service GCHQ. But he was attached to the MI6 foreign spy agency when his remains were found in the bathtub at his London apartment on Aug. 16, 2010, just a few days after returning from a trip to the United States.

Forensic experts found about 20,000 thousand pounds, or $32,000, worth of luxury women's clothing, shoes and wigs in his apartment. Police also discovered that he had visited bondage and sadomasochism websites, including some related to claustrophilia -- a desire for confinement in enclosed spaces.

William's landlord testified during the coroner's hearing that she once found him handcuffed to his bed. She said he had appeared embarrassed after asking for help.

Still, Wilcox said there was no immediate evidence of a sexual encounter gone wrong, of suicidal intent, or that Williams' death was linked to a supposed interest in bondage. She said, however, that tales about his sex life could have been fueled in an attempt to "manipulate the evidence."

In the past, spy recruits were often cautioned that their sex lives could make them vulnerable to blackmail.

The case has frustrated Scotland Yard detectives who have been investigating the case for 21 months now and say that the secrecy surrounding Williams' job has thwarted their efforts.

"Obviously a lot of information has come out through the course of this inquest which we have not been party to," lead detective Jackie Sebire said.

But Wilcox also criticized the police detectives.

Time and resources were wasted, she said, when forensic teams investigating a DNA sample taken from Williams's hand later turned out to belong to one of the forensic scientists. She also questioned the handling of William's iPhone, which contained deleted images of him naked in a pair of boots.

Detective Superintendent Michael Broster, who was the police liason with MI6, said he had seized it from the spy's workplace and kept it until the next day when he gave it to another officer.

"I find this is either not what occurred ... or it demonstrates disregard for the rules governing continuity of evidence," Wilcox said.

Wilcox also criticized officers who interviewed Williams' colleagues without taking any formal statements.

"I find that this did affect the quality of evidence that was heard before this court," she said.

Still, the coroner said she had seen no evidence to indicate his death was linked to his work.

When the case emerged, some had speculated that he could have been the target of Russian criminal gangs or an al-Qaida extremist. Other media reports had said there had been a break-in at the property where he lived -- a building sometimes used by MI6 to house its agents.

Wilcox said while there wasn't evidence to support a specific verdict of unlawful killing -- which would need a high burden of proof -- it was her opinion that the spy was probably unlawfully killed.

She said while it appeared unlikely, speculation that British intelligence agencies may have had a role in the death continued to be a "legitimate line of inquiry."

MI6 waited a week to investigate why Williams hadn't shown up for work -- a delay that made it difficult for Williams' family to identify his badly decomposed body.

John Sawers, the head of MI6, said in a statement following the corner's verdict that he apologized "unreservedly" to the Williams family for the spy agency's failure.

During the coroner's hearing, MI6 accepted that Williams disliked the agency's boozy culture of post-work drinking and tedious bureaucracy, and had requested to return to his job at GCHQ.

One MI6 officer claimed that Williams hadn't been reported as missing because colleagues assumed he was preparing for his return to the southern England headquarters of the eavesdropping service.

Wilcox said it appeared unlikely that Williams could have climbed inside the duffel bag and locked it himself. Two different specialists attempted to recreate the feat without success. Williams was discovered in the fetal position inside the bag with two keys to the bag's padlock underneath his buttocks.

Pathologists told the inquest that poisoning or asphyxiation may have killed Williams, but said his cadaver was too badly decomposed to be certain.

Williams' family, who have been left distraught by parts of the inquest, did not speak outside court but offered a statement.

The family, from Wales, described Williams as a "special and adored son and brother" and said they "cannot describe the depth of the sorrow his absence leaves in our lives."

The police investigation is ongoing.

By Paisley Dodds, Associated Press
David Stringer contributed to this report.

Telegraph : Could mystery fingerprints provide clue in dead spy case?

Could mystery fingerprints provide clue in dead spy case?

Police are still to identify up to 20 sets of fingerprints found in the flat of dead MI6 spy Gareth Williams, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | May 5, 2012

Some of the potential prints are little more than marks or “smudges” but officers hope they could still hold the key to the maths prodigy’s death.

Forensic officers are still examining them along with traces of DNA found on a towel in the kitchen.

It came as the head of the Met’s homicide squad said he believed the bizarre death could still be solved despite few clues after a two-year investigation.

Officers are preparing to return to MI6 to interview colleagues of Mr Williams and take DNA as part of a review of the case.

It followed criticism by a coroner this week over aspects of the investigation and the way some evidence was handled.

Mr Williams’ naked decomposing body was discovered in a padlocked sports bag in the bath of his Pimlico home in London in August 2010.

It had been there for a week without anyone raising concerns that the 31-year-old, who was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, had gone missing.

At the end of an eight day inquest on Wednesday, coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said that “on the balance of probabilities” Mr Williams was “unlawfully killed” and likely to have been “criminally mediated” by a mystery third party.

A lawyer for the family has previously suggested someone expert in the “dark arts” of the secret service was linked to the death.

Anthony O’Toole also hinted that foreign forces may have been aware the flat was being used to house MI6 officers and targeted it rather than a specific agenda against Mr Williams.

During the inquest, DCI Jackie Sebire, who is leading the investigation, said more than 300 fingerprints were found around the flat.

The majority of those have been accounted for but police sources revealed around 20 are still unresolved.

Some may prove to be too weak to be of use while others may still turn out to be entirely innocent, such as from a workman.

However, experts are working hard to resolve them in the hope they may throw up a mystery visitor to the flat.

Faint traces of the DNA of at least two other people were found on the bag containing Mr Williams but forensic officers fear they are too weak to ever be of use.

There is more hope surrounding DNA tests on a towel found in the kitchen which are due to be concluded within the next few weeks.

Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell, head of the Met's homicide squad, said of the riddle: “I think it can be resolved and DCI Sebire has my full support.

“We will make every effort to do that, will review the investigation and follow up lines.”

The Daily Telegraph disclosed yesterday that MI6 fear Scotland Yard is trying to make it a scapegoat for failings in the investigation.

Tensions are growing between the intelligence services and police over a possible blame game following criticism by the coroner.

Dr Wilcox criticised the delays in spotting Mr Williams was missing and apparent failures in the handling of potential evidence.

The inquest heard how nine memory sticks that may have belonged to the codebreaker and a bag similar to the one he was found dead in were discovered his office but never handed over to the Met team that investigated his death for almost two years.

A senior Whitehall source said there was concern within the intelligence service that the police were using it as a “scapegoat” to mask their own failings in solving the mystery.

Express : What Does MI6 Have To Say About The Spy In The Bag?

WHAT DOES MI6 HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE SPY IN THE BAG?

By James Gillespie | May 5, 2012

THE bizarre case of Gareth Williams has thrown the spotlight on an intelligence service whose shadowy work leads some critics to ask whether it has become a law to itself.

There is an address in South London where even the police can’t go. Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, the officer leading the investigation into the baffling death of MI6 agent Gareth Williams – the so-called “Spy in the Bag” case – must have wished her powers extended to 85 Vauxhall Cross. But they don’t.

That address is the home of MI6 and although Sebire is a highly-experienced murder detective she doesn’t have security clearance to even enter the building much less question its inhabitants.

Instead her investigation depended on the mediation of Detective Superintendent Michael Broster of SO15, the counter-terrorism branch, which works closely with the intelligence services.

Only in the final stages of the inquest into Williams’s death this week did it emerge that no verbatim notes were taken of interviews with his MI6 colleagues and that a black holdall and nine memory sticks had been found at his desk but not handed over to the investigating officers.

Now 50 MI6 staff are facing DNA tests after the coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox, in a narrative verdict, ruled that it was likely Williams was “unlawfully killed”. Investigators are understood to believe that a colleague either from MI6 or the Government’s secret listening post at GCHQ was in the Pimlico flat when Williams died.

For his family – sister Ceri and parents Ian and Ellen – the inquest has raised as many questions as it has answered. And the most disturbing question of all is: does MI6 think it’s above the law?

The family has accused the intelligence service of withholding vital clues and failing to make “basic inquiries” until a week after Williams disappeared. “We are also extremely disappointed over the reluctance and failure of MI6 to make available relevant information,” they added.

Dr Wilcox echoed those concerns when she said that the forgetfulness of some employees at MI6, where Williams was on secondment from GCHQ, “stretched probability” and she refused to rule out the possibility that someone from the world of intelligence was involved.

From the moment the 31-year-old’s body was discovered in a North Face bag in the bath of his flat the response of MI6 has been puzzling. It took staff seven days even to report Williams – a conscientious time-keeper – missing then they appeared keen for police to be first into the apartment that MI6 has used for many years as temporary accommodation for employees.

The flat’s heating had been turned up high, despite the warmth of August, speeding up the decomposition of the body. The placing of the bag containing Williams into the bath prevented the giveaway leakage of fluids through the floor.

There were suggestions that the flat had been “swept” by someone who was forensically aware, to remove as many clues as possible.

Dr Wilcox said there was no evidence to suggest MI6 was involved in the death but “it is still a legitimate line of inquiry” and she added that “many agencies fell short” in the aftermath.

Sir John Sawers, MI6 chief, has apologised “unreservedly”, saying that lessons had been learned. But have they?

The problem may be that deep within MI6, in its culture and attitudes, lies a belief that the law is for other people.

The very nature of its work (MI6 deals with foreign intelligence, MI5 with domestic) means it is often on the boundaries of legality. The service is already under investigation for its part in sending Libyan dissidents into the hands of Muammar Gaddafi’s secret police.

Conservative MP Andrew Tyne, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on extraordinary rendition, this week called on Foreign Secretary William Hague to investigate whether MI6 officers had briefed journalists over the Libyan case – in breach of the Official Secrets Act.

The 1994 Intelligence Services Act allows MI6 officers to carry out acts abroad that if done in Britain would be in breach of criminal law. It would be hardly surprising if that attitude spreads to their staff at home.

Michael Smith, author of SIX: The Real James Bonds, says: “MI6 would recoil at any suggestion that it sees itself as above the law but the inherent secrecy of organisations like MI6 does tend to make them think that keeping everything they do secret, even the slightest thing, is so important that it transcends everything else.

“We’ve definitely seen that here, which is why the coroner and some police officers are so angry, justifiably so.”

But who are the people who spend their days working in the modernistic building on the banks of the Thames at 85 Vauxhall Cross?

There are about 2,500 people working for MI6 of whom about half are support staff.

The others are divided into two types: Intelligence Branch (IB) officers and General Service officers.

General Service officers asses reports.

It is the IB officers who are the real James Bonds. They train in the "killing houses" of the SAS and SBS at Hereford and Poole and have their own firing range at the MI6 training school at Fort Monckton on the Solent.

Within their shadowy world there are as many tensions and disagreements as in any workplace but these are hidden. In the Williams case a senior MI6 officer identified as F blamed his subordinate G for a "breakdown in communications" but G was not disciplined and no one will ever know who they are.

But Williams was a computer expert on secondment from GCHQ in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. What sort of people work there?

“Geeks,” said one who knows GCHQ staff but did not want to be identified. “They are brilliant in languages, maths or computers but they tend to be the sort of people who don’t mix easily. At university they are always the top ones in their class but they’re loners. A bit awkward.”

That description certainly fits Williams. He was a fitness fanatic who loved competitive cycling but also had a £20,000 collection of women’s clothing in his flat. When it came to the inquest, friends were few and far between.

HOWEVER those who did know him believe the picture painted during the inquiry was misleading. Some have claimed the clothes were gifts for female friends and talk of him visiting claustrophilia websites turned out to be based on four visits in two years. Hardly evidence of a dangerous obsession, as Dr Wilcox pointed out.

Perhaps the truth about what happened to Williams has fallen victim to MI6’s rather ambivalent attitude to the law.

“The secret world lives in a bubble,” says Smith. “It very often seeks to keep secret even things that are freely available on the internet.”

Another intelligence services expert, author Michael Burleigh, says: “After imagining that it could outmanoeuvre Plod, meaning highly-competent detectives, MI6 needs to think about how it lost track of its ‘vital’ employee – for tracking people is what it allegedly does on a global stage.

“It needs also to think about how it can allay the understandable distress of the Williams family while helping DCI Sebire, who has every right to feel short-changed.”

By protecting its right to secrecy every step of the way in the case of Gareth Williams, MI6 may actually be doing nothing more than what it does best: keeping secrets. What it does not appear to have done is to have helped significantly in finding out the truth of what happened in that Pimlico flat.

And MI6 seems to have shown scant regard for the others involved, not least Williams’s sister and his parents.

Because MI6 appears to think of itself as being above the law it hasn’t convinced anyone that it did the right thing.

It has just made itself look guilty.

IOL : Cops turn to ‘spy-in-bag’ iPhone

Cops turn to ‘spy-in-bag’ iPhone

By CHRIS GREENWOOD | May 4, 2012

Scotland Yard was on Thursday preparing to overhaul the inquiry into the death of Gareth Williams as the spotlight fell on an iPhone belonging to the spy.

Police chiefs are considering replacing the officer who led the investigation from the moment the 31-year-old’s naked body was found in a bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire has been temporarily promoted and moved to an East London borough.

Her superiors will re-launch the case within days and could decide that a fresh pair of eyes would help to take advantage of leads thrown up by the explosive inquest into his death.

One of the main focuses of their inquiry is an iPhone found on a table in Mr Williams’s top-floor flat in Pimlico, central London.

The £500 device, one of four owned by the MI6 officer, had been restored to its factory settings, wiping it clean of almost all data, in the late evening of August 15, 2010, only hours before he died.

Doubt remains, however, about how much data is still on the phone and Mr Williams’s inquest heard that a trace of a bondage website visited in October 2009 was found on it.

The mystery deepened when the mobile phone operator told police it had not been used over the previous three months.

Despite this, investigators believe it may have somehow been used to contact whoever killed Mr Williams.

Simon Steggles, of Disklabs, which specialises in retrieving phone data for police, said it may still be possible to find clues on the iPhone.

He said: “A factory reset puts the iPhone into the same state as it would be when you first purchase it. If access to the user’s computer is available, it may be possible to recover data from a back-up.”

Police are considering whether a short video of Mr Williams dancing while wearing nothing but a pair of women’s boots may have been sent to a third-party via the phone.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox found Mr Williams was probably unlawfully killed, getting into the bag alive but then dying from suffocation or a mystery poison.

She highlighted how police missed potentially vital clues by failing to recover his possessions from his workplace, including nine computer memory sticks.

Up to 50 MI6 and GCHQ officers now face having DNA samples taken and being interviewed by counter terrorism detectives. Dr Wilcox refused to rule out that Mr Williams was killed by someone at the intelligence agency, saying it remains a “legitimate line of inquiry”.

Murder squad detectives strongly suspect a member of the security services was in the victim’s flat on the night he died.

Detectives are also pinning their hopes on the results of forensic analysis of human traces recovered from a green hand towel.

But scientists at LGC Forensics have warned the results of low-copy testing, in which tiny traces of DNA are ‘grown’ until they can be identified, could take a further eight weeks.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said senior officers were giving “careful consideration” to any new “evidential opportunities”.

Daily Mail

Daily Post : Spies face DNA tests in Gareth Williams probe

Spies face DNA tests in Gareth Williams probe

by Owen R Hughes, DPW West | May 4, 2012

POLICE investigating the death of Anglesey codebreaker Gareth Williams will take DNA samples from members of the secret services in a bid to find out how he died.

MI6 came under fire as a coroner said she was sure a third party locked the maths wizard inside the red holdall in which his body was found in his bathtub at his London flat in August 2010.

Dr Fiona Wilcox said he was probably killed and it “remained a legitimate line of inquiry” that the secret services may have been involved in the death.

A source at the Metropolitan police confirmed that the collection of DNA samples was being widened as part of the continuing probe but could not confirm who was being targeted.

Despite the 21 month police investigation and eight day inquest into the death of Mr Williams, 31, of Valley, his family are no closer to knowing how he died.

The inquest exposed serious errors in the probe, which was also initially hampered by the week long delay in the MI6 reporting that Mr Williams had not attended work.

Mr Williams’s relatives attacked failures by secret services and police after the coroner said “many agencies fell short” in their investigation of the death riddle.

It is now hoped that a re-focusing of the investigation and new evidence that emerged at the inquest can help shed more light on the mysterious case.

Family friend Colin Torr, from Valley, said: “It would have been nice for the family to have had some kind of closure but there were no firm conclusions from the inquest.

“There have clearly been errors made in the investigation and with MI6 involved I don’t know if we will ever find the truth.

“The family are held in great respect in the village and people continue to rally around them.”

Mr Williams would have been unlikely to invite a third party who was not a family member into his home, Dr Wilcox observed, adding: “If a third party was present at the time of his death, in my view that third party would have to have been someone he knew or someone who was there without an invitation.”

Criticising the inquiry, she warned it was unlikely the mystery would “ever be satisfactorily explained”.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, who is leading the investigation, said the inquest had raised “several new lines of inquiry and the investigation will now refocus and actively pursue all the evidence heard and all the new lines of inquiry”.

West End Extra : Coroner records 'unnatural death' verdict, but will we ever know what really happened to the spy found in a holdall?

Coroner records 'unnatural death' verdict, but will we ever know what really happened to the spy found in a holdall?

by JOSH LOEB | May 4, 2012

THE building that hosted the inquest into the death of Gareth Williams is located just steps from Sherlock Holmes’s fictional home in Baker Street.

But perhaps even someone of the calibre of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective might lack the ability to unravel what has already become known as “The Alderney Street Mystery”.

An inquest, held inside the annexe of the creaking Marylebone Council House building in Marylebone Road, concluded this week after seven days of evidence and a blizzard of media coverage.

It has almost certainly been the most complex Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox has heard since taking up the post a year ago, and it is hard to imagine a more haunting case.

Mr Williams, 31, a prodigious agent for MI6, was found dead inside a padlocked holdall in a bath in an en suite bathroom at his Pimlico flat on August 23, 2010.

He was naked and was lying on his back curled up in a partial foetal position.

There were no signs of a break-in or struggle at the property.

The flat was eerily tidy and neither Mr Williams’s fingerprints nor his footprints were evident on the bathroom tiles or sides of the bath.

No forensic traces have yet been pinpointed from which any third party can be identified, but experts are still analysing mystery DNA found on the holdall in the hope this could yield a breakthrough.

In her summing up on Wednesday, Dr Wilcox ruled out the possibility that Mr Williams could have zipped himself into the holdall and locked it, still less accomplished this within the even more restricted confines of the bath.

She said: “I am satisfied so that I’m sure that a third party lifted the bag into the bath and, on the balance of probabilities, locked the bag."

"The cause of his [Mr Williams’s] death is unnatural and is likely to be criminally motivated.”

She said it was probable that Mr Williams had died inside the holdall, adding that it was logical to assume this had been placed in the bath to allow the products of decomposition to drain away.

The door of the bathroom had been shut, preventing the smell from spreading.

Mr Williams worked at MI6’s headquarters in Vauxhall, where he was on a secondment from the GCHQ listening station in Cheltenham.

Described as a scrupulous risk assessor, he only ever let vetted people into his flat.

He was last seen alive on Sunday August 15, 2010, and an analysis of one of his iPhones showed it had been reset to factory settings, essentially wiped clean of data, on that date.

Dr Wilcox speculated that “this may have been the phone by which some third party had made some arrangement to meet with Gareth”.

On August 16 Mr Williams failed to appear for work.

Incredibly, he was not reported missing until August 23.

The heating in his flat was on despite the fact that it was a sweltering August, and this caused the corpse to decompose faster than it otherwise would have done.

On the fourth day of evidence, Anthony O’Toole, the lawyer for the Williams family, said MI6’s delay in raising the alarm over the disappear­ance had produced “horrendous results”.

“Because of the decomposition of the body, any forensic evidence that could have been derived from it has disappeared, so the police investigation has in effect been defeated,” he said.

Dr Wilcox, who recorded a narrative verdict of “unnatural death”, criticised MI6 for this, prompting an apology from the organisation’s chief Sir John Sawers, who promised lessons had been learned.

The court heard that SO15 counter-terrorism command had acted as a conduit between MI6 and DCI Jackie Sebire, the detective leading the case.

But they repeatedly failed to pass potentially vital information on to her.

DCI Sebire said the inquest had raised new lines of inquiry, and she appealed to anyone with any information to come forward, but Dr Wilcox said she believed it was unlikely Mr Williams’s death would ever be satisfactorily explained.

The Williams family have always said they believe “some agency specialising in the dark arts” either had a hand in Mr Williams’s death or cleaned up afterwards.

That impression looks set to remain in the minds of many people, particularly those who have borne witness to this gripping and almost unprecedented window into the cloak-and-dagger world of secret service spooks.

Daily Mail : Does spy-in-a-bag's iPhone hold the key to his death? Detectives believe it may have been used to contact his killer

Does spy-in-a-bag's iPhone hold the key to his death? Detectives believe it may have been used to contact his killer

By Chris Greenwood, Crime Reporter | May 4, 2012

Scotland Yard was last night preparing to overhaul the inquiry into the death of Gareth Williams as the spotlight fell on an iPhone belonging to the spy.

Police chiefs are considering replacing the officer who led the investigation from the moment the 31-year-old’s naked body was found in a bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire has been temporarily promoted and moved to an East London borough.

Her superiors will re-launch the case within days and could decide that a fresh pair of eyes would help to take advantage of leads thrown up by the explosive inquest into his death.

One of the main focuses of their inquiry is an iPhone found on a table in Mr Williams’s top-floor flat in Pimlico, central London.

The £500 device, one of four owned by the MI6 officer, had been restored to its factory settings, wiping it clean of almost all data, in the late evening of August 15, 2010, only hours before he died.

Doubt remains, however, about how much data is still on the phone and Mr Williams’s inquest heard that a trace of a bondage website visited in October 2009 was found on it.

The mystery deepened when the mobile phone operator told police it had not been used over the previous three months.

Despite this, investigators believe it may have somehow been used to contact whoever killed Mr Williams.

Simon Steggles, of Disklabs, which specialises in retrieving phone data for police, said it may still be possible to find clues on the iPhone.

He said: ‘A factory reset puts the iPhone into the same state as it would be when you first purchase it. If access to the user’s computer is available, it may be possible to recover data from a back-up.’

Police are considering whether a short video of Mr Williams dancing while wearing nothing but a pair of women’s boots may have been sent to a third-party via the phone.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox found Mr Williams was probably unlawfully killed, getting into the bag alive but then dying from suffocation or a mystery poison.

She highlighted how police missed potentially vital clues by failing to recover his possessions from his workplace, including nine computer memory sticks.

Up to 50 MI6 and GCHQ officers now face having DNA samples taken and being interviewed by counter terrorism detectives. Dr Wilcox refused to rule out that Mr Williams was killed by someone at the intelligence agency, saying it remains a ‘legitimate line of inquiry’.

Murder squad detectives strongly suspect a member of the security services was in the victim’s flat on the night he died.

Detectives are also pinning their hopes on the results of forensic analysis of human traces recovered from a green hand towel.

But scientists at LGC Forensics have warned that the results of low-copy testing, in which tiny traces of DNA are ‘grown’ until they can be identified, could take a further eight weeks.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said senior officers were giving ‘careful consideration’ to any new ‘evidential opportunities’.

IOL News (Zambia) : Cops turn to ‘spy-in-bag’ iPhone

Cops turn to ‘spy-in-bag’ iPhone

By CHRIS GREENWOOD | May 4, 2012

Scotland Yard was on Thursday preparing to overhaul the inquiry into the death of Gareth Williams as the spotlight fell on an iPhone belonging to the spy.

Police chiefs are considering replacing the officer who led the investigation from the moment the 31-year-old’s naked body was found in a bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire has been temporarily promoted and moved to an East London borough.

Her superiors will re-launch the case within days and could decide that a fresh pair of eyes would help to take advantage of leads thrown up by the explosive inquest into his death.

One of the main focuses of their inquiry is an iPhone found on a table in Mr Williams’s top-floor flat in Pimlico, central London.

The £500 device, one of four owned by the MI6 officer, had been restored to its factory settings, wiping it clean of almost all data, in the late evening of August 15, 2010, only hours before he died.

Doubt remains, however, about how much data is still on the phone and Mr Williams’s inquest heard that a trace of a bondage website visited in October 2009 was found on it.

The mystery deepened when the mobile phone operator told police it had not been used over the previous three months.

Despite this, investigators believe it may have somehow been used to contact whoever killed Mr Williams.

Simon Steggles, of Disklabs, which specialises in retrieving phone data for police, said it may still be possible to find clues on the iPhone.

He said: “A factory reset puts the iPhone into the same state as it would be when you first purchase it. If access to the user’s computer is available, it may be possible to recover data from a back-up.”

Police are considering whether a short video of Mr Williams dancing while wearing nothing but a pair of women’s boots may have been sent to a third-party via the phone.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox found Mr Williams was probably unlawfully killed, getting into the bag alive but then dying from suffocation or a mystery poison.

She highlighted how police missed potentially vital clues by failing to recover his possessions from his workplace, including nine computer memory sticks.

Up to 50 MI6 and GCHQ officers now face having DNA samples taken and being interviewed by counter terrorism detectives. Dr Wilcox refused to rule out that Mr Williams was killed by someone at the intelligence agency, saying it remains a “legitimate line of inquiry”.

Murder squad detectives strongly suspect a member of the security services was in the victim’s flat on the night he died.

Detectives are also pinning their hopes on the results of forensic analysis of human traces recovered from a green hand towel.

But scientists at LGC Forensics have warned the results of low-copy testing, in which tiny traces of DNA are ‘grown’ until they can be identified, could take a further eight weeks.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said senior officers were giving “careful consideration” to any new “evidential opportunities”. -

Daily Mail

Independent : DNA on towel may point to spy's killer

DNA on towel may point to spy's killer

Paul Peachey | May 4, 2012

DNA test results on a towel found in the flat of the spy Gareth Williams are not expected for weeks as Scotland Yard continues to follow-up new lines of inquiry into his death.

Police suspect a member of MI6 or GCHQ was in his flat the day he died and will reportedly take DNA samples from up to 50 of his colleagues to try to discover if anyone else was involved.

The coroner this week said that she was sure another person locked Mr Williams, 31, inside the red holdall in which his naked body was found in the bath. Mr Williams, who was security-conscious, was unlikely to let a stranger into his home, the inquest was told.

Experts from LGC, the private laboratory that secured a breakthrough in the case of Stephen Lawrence, are continuing to test a green towel found in the kitchen in the hope that it will yield evidence of another person in his flat. Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, who is leading the investigation, said the inquest had raised "several new lines of inquiry and the investigation will now refocus and actively pursue all the evidence heard".

Wales Online : Spy Gareth Williams' inquest verdict prompts 'independent investigation call

Spy Gareth Williams' inquest verdict prompts 'independent investigation call

By David Williamson, WalesOnline | May 4, 2012

EVENTS surrounding the death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams and the actions of the Secret Intelligence Service must be independently investigated to protect national security and ensure justice is done, Welsh politicians have claimed.

The coroner’s verdict this week that the 31-year-old codebreaker from Anglesey was “on the balance of probabilities” unlawfully killed has heightened concerns about his death and the investigation following the discovery of his body in a bag in the bath of his London flat.

Former foreign minister and Pontypridd MP Kim Howells said there was now a “very good case” for the Intelligence and Security Committee – of which he is a former chairman – to examine the relationships between the difference agencies involved in the case.

Mr Howells said it was clear there had been “very serious breakdowns in communication” and he wants to know why Mr Williams’ absence from work was not reported earlier.

The coroner said the explanation for the delay began to “stretch bounds of credibility”.

Mr Howell said: “I think we need to be clear about who was responsible and why his absence was not reported... There has been quite clearly a problem of line management here.

“That’s not good enough. It caused the family tremendous grief; it set back the investigation quite seriously.”

Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd demanded an inquiry headed by a high court judge.

It was reported that police strongly suspect a member of MI6 or GCHQ was in his flat the day Mr Williams died and will take DNA samples from up to 50 of his colleagues.

The coroner said on Wednesday that while there was no evidence MI6 was responsible for his death “it is still a legitimate line of inquiry”.

Mr Llwyd described these as “very, very strong words”.

The MP called for greater scrutiny of MI6 and said that the present system of oversight by the Intelligence and Security Committee may no longer be sufficient.

He said: “I’m sure they have the best interests of parliament, the people and government at heart but I think we should be opening it up a little bit more now.”

Deborah Coles, of the campaigning group Inquest, told WalesOnline: “This case demonstrates once again how crucial the inquest process is in holding the state to account and how vital it is that this process is open and transparent. All the more reason why the proposals for inquests to be held behind closed doors, contained in the Government’s Justice and Security green paper, should never be implemented.”

The coroner noted that inquiries had been hampered by breakdowns in communication by her own office, a DNA mix-up by forensics and the late submission of evidence by MI6 to police.

A solicitor representing the relatives of Mr Williams read out a statement saying they were “extremely disappointed” at “total inadequacies” in the probe into the death of their son and brother, who was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ at the time.

The 21-month investigation has yet to yield a culprit but forensic experts are hoping for a breakthrough from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, who is leading the police investigation, said the inquest had raised “several new lines of inquiry and the investigation will now refocus and actively pursue all the evidence heard and all the new lines of inquiry”.

Former Labour MP Mr Howells said all employers had a “duty of care” to their staff and he would have expected Mr Williams’ managers to be “doubly careful” because of the intelligence-related skills he possessed.

He described the official explanations as “pretty feeble”.

Plaid’s Mr Llwyd said: “I’m afraid it’s not good enough. It insults the family and I think it insults the intelligence of the public.”