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.

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

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

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.

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.

Telegraph : Tensions building between police and spies over Gareth Williams death

Tensions building between police and spies over Gareth Williams death

MI6 fear Scotland Yard is trying to make it a scapegoat for failings in the investigation into the death of the spy found dead in a bag, senior Whitehall sources said yesterday.

By Tom Whitehead and Martin Evans | May 4, 2012

Tensions are growing between the intelligence services and police following criticism by the coroner who investigated the death of Gareth Williams.

Concluding the inquest on Wednesday, Dr Fiona Wilcox said that “on the balance of probabilities” Mr Williams was “unlawfully killed” by a mystery third party.

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

She also said raised that prospect that another spy may have been involved in the death and said it was a "legitimate line of inquiry" for police.

It emerged yesterday that officers were planning to take DNA samples of up to 50 spies as the inquiry in to Mr Williams’ death continues.

A senior Whitehall source said the intelligence services were "frustrated" by the suggestion they had not co-operated fully with the police.

The 31-year-old’s 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 raises concerns that the spy, who was on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, had gone missing.

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 Met Police.

The coroner criticised MI6 and Det Supt Michael Broster, the head of the Met counter-terrorism team that acted as a conduit between the investigating officers and the intelligence services.

However, while MI6 has apologized for the flaws surrounding Mr Williams wellbeing, it has insisted it at no point withheld evidence.

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

Scotland Yard refused to comment on what future inquiries may be made as a result of the review or whether there are any intentions to interview more intelligence officers.

A small number of them were originally spoken to by police but no formal statement was ever made and signed.

Forensic experts are still examining whether there is DNA on a towel found in the kitchen and hope to have a result within weeks.

An iPhone that was reset the day before Mr Williams is believed to have died also continues to be a focus for the police.

There is no evidence of any calls being made to or from it before it was effectively wiped but it was backed up to a laptop on the same day.

Dr Wilcox questioned whether it may have provided clues such as an arrangement to meet someone over the internet.

However, technology experts believe police failed to properly examine the phone because information could have been retrieved.

Telegraph : Police to take DNA samples from MI6 spy's colleagues as coroner says death was probably a crime

Police to take DNA samples from MI6 spy's colleagues as coroner says death was probably a crime

DNA samples from up to 50 colleagues of Gareth Williams, the MI6 spy found dead in padlocked holdall, are being taken by police after a coroner concluded he was probably "unlawfully killed".

By Tom Whitehead and Martin Evans | May 3, 2012

• Police to take DNA samples from up to 50 of spy's colleagues
• Gareth Williams was probably unlawfully killed - coroner
• 'Criminally mediated' - third party locked bag and placed in bath
• Spy probably died of poison or carbon dioxide inside bag
• Clothes did not fit codebreaker and probably bought as gifts
• Little evidence death due to bondage games
• Family calls on Met chief to review the case and SO15 'failings'
• MI6 chief Sawers apologises for delay in raising alarm

Officers suspect a member of the secret services was in the 31-year-old codebreaker's flat when he died and have already taken DNA swabs from 15 of his colleagues.

Investigators said that a green hand towel recovered from a shelf in Mr Wiliiams's kitchen could provide a breakthrough in the unsolved case after human traces were found on it.

The development came as coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox concluded that Mr Williams’s death most likely involved a third party and he was either poisoned or suffocated.

She said the possibility that a member of the intelligence services was involved in the maths prodigy’s death remained a “legitimate line of inquiry” for police.

The head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, apologised to Mr Williams’s family for failing to report him missing for a week.

In a statement, family members said the delay had “exacerbated” their grief. They also criticised the intelligence service for its “failure and reluctance” to make information available.

The Metropolitan Police announced an urgent review of the case after concerns were raised over how some evidence was handled by MI6 and counter-terrorism officers during the two-year investigation.

Martin Hewitt, a deputy assistant commissioner at the Met, said the force was still investigating weak traces of DNA of at least two other people found in the flat in an attempt to identify a suspect.

Tests on whether there is a DNA sample on a towel found in Mr Williams’s kitchen could also be concluded within weeks.

There is also an investigation into whether a telephone that had been reset shortly before Mr Williams died could have held any clues. The coroner wondered whether it may have contained evidence of an arrangement to meet someone.

The naked, decomposing body of Mr Williams, a codebreaker on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ, the signals intelligence agency, was found in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, London, in August 2010.

Despite an intensive police investigation, no one has been arrested and the circumstances surrounding his death have remained a mystery.

At the end of an eight-day inquest, Dr Wilcox concluded that a third party was most likely involved, adding: “The cause of death was unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated. I am therefore satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Gareth was killed unlawfully.”

Recording a narrative verdict at Westminster coroner’s court, she said that Mr Williams was probably alive when he entered the bag and died either from an “unknown poison” or was overcome by carbon dioxide in the tight space.

She criticised the way MI6 and Det Supt Michael Broster, of the Met’s counter-terrorism unit, had handled aspects of the case.

Det Supt Broster acted as a link between the intelligence service and the Met team investigating the death, headed by Det Chief Insp Jackie Sebire.

It emerged this week that nine memory sticks potentially belonging to Mr Williams and a sports bag similar to the one in which he was found were discovered at MI6 but never disclosed to DCI Sebire.

There were also concerns over what precautions were taken to ensure his belongings were secured at work following his death.

An MI6 spokesman added: “We fully cooperated with the police and will continue to do so during the ongoing investigation. We gave all the evidence to the police when they wanted it; at no time did we withhold any evidence.”

Detectives were last night preparing to interview and take DNA samples from staff at MI6's London headquarters and GCHQ in Cheltenham.

Police said they hoped the hand towel found in Mr Williams's flat would yield "very promising" results when it undergoes sensitive DNA testing in the coming weeks.

After the inquest, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said there were several new lines of inquiry.

She said: "It is highly likely that a third party was involved in Gareth's death and I urge anyone who had contact with him to search their conscience and come forward."

Telegraph : The death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams was 'criminally mediated'

The death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams was 'criminally mediated'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams was unlawfully killed by a third party “on the balance of probabilities” a coroner ruled today.

By Tom Whitehead and Martin Evans | May 2, 2012

In a sensational narrative verdict, Dr Fiona Wilcox said a third party was involved in his death and that is was likely to have been “criminally mediated”.

The coroner had earlier ruled that because of the lack of evidence she could not return a formal verdict of unlawful killing.

But in her narrative she concluded that he was most probably killed.

She said: “I am satisfied so that I am sure that a third party placed the bag (which contained Gareth) in to the bath and on the balance of probabilities locked the bag.

“The cause of death was unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated.

“I am therefore satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Gareth was killed unlawfully.”

Mr Williams’ naked, decomposing body was discovered in a sports hold all in the bath at his Pimlico flat in London on August 23, 2010.

Dr Wilcox said it was "highly unlikely" that his mysterious death was connected to bondage activities and that he could have died from the effects of "some unknown poison".

"I find it more likely than not that Gareth entered the bag alive and then died very soon afterwards either from the toxic effects of carbon dioxide and heat before he was able to make a concerted effort to escape or from the effects of some unknown poison."

She acknowledged that Mr Williams, who was found naked in a padlocked bag, had demonstrated a passing sexual interest in bondage, but she did not believe it had been a factor in his death.

Fundamental questions surrounding the death remain unanswered and his "highly unusual" death may never be explained. she said.

She said there had been “endless speculation but little evidence”.

The coroner, sitting at Westminster Coroner’s Court, said the circumstances of the death “immediately raised the possibility of foul play”.

Summing up, Dr Wilcox said despite a two year police investigation and seven days of evidence “most of the fundamental questions in relation to how Gareth died remain unanswered”.

“It is unlikely this death will ever be satisfactorily explained.”

The body of Mr Williams, 31, was discovered in a sports holdall in the bath at his Pimlico flat in London on August 23, 2010.

Police have never been able to solve the case but are certain a third party was involved.

Pathologists and confined spaces experts have also concluded that the spy was probably alive when he went in to the bag and died shortly after.

Dr Wilcox said IT experts who examined his computer history found he had only visited bondage websites on four separate dates.

She said there was also no evidence that he had researched claustrophilia – where people gain sexual gratification from being in enclosed spaces.

Dr Wilcox said the amount of internet activity regarding bondage formed a "tiny, tiny, tiny" part of his browser history.

Explaining her reasons for ruling out the involvement of bondage in his death she said in order for Mr Williams to have got into the bag in the bath alone and unaided, he would have left foot and fingerprints around the bath.

Dr Wilcox said she believed if Mr Williams had got into the bath alone he would have taken a knife with him as he was a "scrupulous risk assessor".

In addition she said there was no evidence of semen found in the bag during forensic examination.

Dr Wilcox also said she did not believe the large collection of female clothing pointed to the suggestion he was a transvestite.

Dr Wilcox said £20,000 collection of haute couture clothes were too small for Mr Williams to have worn and were also in their original wrapping. She suggested it was more likely that he had bought the clothes, which included 26 pairs of shoes and boots, as presents.

The hearing was told all three lawyers, representing the family, Met Police and MI6, were agreed that there was insufficient evidence to allow a verdict of unlawful killing.

Dr Wilcox agreed and added that an open verdict “would not do justice to the positive findings that I can make”.

At the conclusion of the inquest, the chief of SIS, Sir John Sawers apologised to Mr Williams' family for the mix-up which saw MI6 fail to report his disappearance for a week.

In a statement delivered by MI6 lawyer Andrew O'Connor, Sir John said the service should have acted more swiftly when Mr Williams failed to turn up to work in August 2010.

Mr O'Connor said: "On behalf of the whole organisation, Sir John regrets this deeply and apologises unreservedly."

He said "lessons have been learned, in particular the responsibility of all staff to report unaccounted staff absences".

Sir John paid tribute to the spy, saying in the statement: "Gareth Williams was a man of remarkable talents, talents which he devoted to public service. The work that Gareth undertook during his career both at Cheltenham and London made a real contribution to the security of this country and of its citizens.

"Gareth continues to be mourned by his friends and colleagues."

Mr Williams' family hit out at the failures of MI6 to raise the alarm after the spy went missing, saying their "grief is exacerbated" by it.

In a statement read out by their solicitor after the inquest into his death concluded, they said they were "extremely disappointed" at the secret services' "reluctance and failure" to make relevant information available to the death 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.

The Williams family has waited 21 months to find out how he died and whether someone else was involved. They were moved to tears in court as police, scientists and secret agents all said investigations had drawn a blank.

Jackie Sebire, the lead detective on the case, said Scotland Yard will review lines of inquiry in its investigation in the wake of the inquest.

Added attention could turn on the expert mathematician's colleagues, she indicated.

Police have no suspects in their inquiry but Ms Sebire says she remains convinced Mr Williams' death was suspicious.

Telegraph : Family of Gareth Williams call for police review of case

Family of Gareth Williams call for police review of case

The family of Gareth Williams, the MI6 spy found dead in padlocked bag, have called for Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe to review the case in the light of the failings of the counter-terrorism unit SO15.

By Martin Evans and Tom Whitehead | May 2, 2012

In a statement issued shortly after the coroner in the case Dr Fiona Wilcox had delivered her narrative verdict, Mr Williams’s parents Ian and Ellen and sister Ceri, also criticised MI6 for mistakes they had made during the investigation.

The inquest, which lasted eight days, heard how members of SO15 had failed to seize certain items of potentially crucial evidence and had carried out inadequate searches at Mr Williams’ workplace.

His employer had also failed to alert anyone of his disappearance for a week.

The statement, in both Welsh and English, was read outside Westminster Coroner’s Court by the family solicitor Robyn Williams.

He said: “To lose a son and brother at any time is a tragedy. To lose and son and brother in such circumstances as have been outlined here, only compound the tragedy.

“Our grief is exacerbated by the failures of his employers MI6 to make even the most basic of inquiries as to his well being and welfare.”

The statement went on: “We are also extremely disappointed by the failure and reluctance of MI6 to make available relevant information.

“We would call on the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mr Hogan-Howe to look into and review how the investigation will proceed in the light of the total inadequacies of SO15’s investigation into MI6.”

The family also thanked DCI Jackie Sebire who led the police investigation for the thoroughness with which she approached the case.

The statement concluded: “Gareth was and always will be a special and adored son and brother. We miss him every single day and cannot describe the depth of the sorrow his absence leaves in our lives.

"We love you Gareth and will treasure your memory eternally. To live on in the hearts of those you leave behind is not to die.”

Telegraph : Inquest verdict due in MI6 spy Gareth Williams death riddle

Inquest verdict due in MI6 spy Gareth Williams death riddle

A coroner investigating the holdall death mystery of MI6 spy Gareth Williams will deliver her verdict today.

May 2, 2012

Dr Fiona Wilcox is expected to announce a narrative or open conclusion after hearing seven days of inquest evidence.

Family members of the highflying codebreaker waited 21 months to find out how he ended up locked inside a bag in his bathroom.

But they were moved to tears as police, scientists and secret agents all said investigations had drawn a blank.

Dr Wilcox angrily attacked police and MI6 yesterday for evidence disclosure failures surrounding belongings left at Mr Williams' desk.

Nine computer memory sticks and a black bag were overlooked in the inquiry until the lead detective, Jackie Sebire, was made aware this week.

Ms Sebire said Scotland Yard will review lines of inquiry in its investigation in the wake of the inquest.

Added attention could turn on the expert mathematician's colleagues, she indicated.

Mr Williams, a 31-year-old fitness enthusiast originally from Anglesey, Wales, was found naked, curled up in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, on August 23 2010.

Pathologists said he would have suffocated within three minutes if he was alive when he got inside the 81cm x 48cm red North Face bag.

Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" in solving the death riddle, they say.

Bag experts have said even Harry Houdini would have struggled to lock himself in the bag while Mr Williams' family lawyer has suggested "dark arts" of the secret services were responsible.

But police - who have recovered no evidence of a third party present when he died - have no suspects in their inquiry.

Ms Sebire says she remains convinced Mr Williams' death was suspicious.

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

She said Mr Williams was a "brilliant young man who spent his entire life working for his country and was commended for it".

She added: "My strongest belief is that a third party was involved and I would ask people to search their consciences and come to us to find some resolutions to this case and some peace for his family."

In a bid to get to the bottom of the mystery, Westminster Coroner's Court heard a string of elaborate theories.

Several years before his death, Mr Williams tied himself to his bed and had to be cut free by his landlord and landlady.

It also emerged the bachelor stored £20,000 of women's clothes in his immaculate flat and was fascinated by drag queens.

Mr Williams was unhappy living in London at the time of his death and complained to family of "friction" at the intelligence agency.

He hated the post-work drinking culture and "flash car competitions" and was due to move back to the West Country a week after his naked body was discovered.

Secrecy surrounding his job had proved a stumbling block as Scotland Yard murder detectives were not able to speak to his MI6 colleagues directly.

The issue was raised yesterday as Dr Wilcox told counter-terror detective Michael Broster that he was offering "total non-sequitur" reasons for failing to pass on evidence to his homicide counterparts.

"I suggest that this means you have not been completely impartial in this case," she told him at Westminster Coroner's Court.

The coroner will hear legal submissions this morning before announcing her verdict.

Telegraph : Gareth Williams profile: the codebreaker with a secret double life

Gareth Williams profile: the codebreaker with a secret double life

Gareth Williams was the spy with the very secret double life - but not the one you might expect.

Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | May 2, 2012

When at work in one of the most sensitive secretive organisations, Gareth Williams was a maths genius carrying out "world class" work for the intelligence services.

But at home he had a penchant for womens' clothing, dancing naked in leather boots and visiting bondage websites.

Over the course of an eight day inquest in to his bizarre death an extraordinary picture of this seemingly unassuming, quiet man emerged.

A devoted son and brother, the 31-year-old codebreaker appeared to have a bright future ahead of him until his untimely and very strange demise.

But his death opened a door on a completely alternative lifestyle, no doubt to the shock and surprise of loved ones.

On the outside, to work colleagues he appeared a little introvert and not willing to join in the office camaraderie.

Having been seconded to MI6 in London from GCHQ he had asked, and been granted, an early return to Cheltenham because he disliked the city life because, in his sister Ceri Subbe’s words, he was really a “country boy”.

The job wasn’t what he had expected and he hated the “rat race, flash car competitions and post-work drinking culture”.

A keen cyclist and walker, he wanted to return to the freedom of the outdoors.

One colleague even suggested he wanted to the head back to GCHQ because people there were more on his technical level.

He didn’t appear to make, or want, many friends. His landlady in Cheltenham for 10 years said he never had anyone to the flat.

In London, one friend, Elizabeth Guthrie said she had never visited his home but he was happy to sit at hers watching DVDs rather than go out drinking.

Only too aware of the sensitivities of his job, he was a “scrupulous risk-assessor" and as meticulous as a “Swiss clock”.

He appeared to be a super intelligent prodigy who didn’t find it easy, or wanted, to fit in.

But he had another life, one that could not have contrasted more with his public image.

Police arriving at his flat found £20,000 worth of exclusive designer women's clothing and shoes, including Christian Laboutin, Christian Dior and Chloe.

It would have taken a substantial chunk of his annual salary of just under 40k.

Carol Kirton, who worked at upmarket west London fashion store Dover Street Market recalled how he was “different from other male customers”

She described him as “shy” but "on a mission to buy an item" when he came in.

Most of the clothes were untouched and it remains uncertain why he had them.

It may have been a genuine healthy interest as it also emerged he had completed two six week fashion courses St Martin’s College in London.

Perhaps he was planning for a life after spying and his friends insisted he was not gay or a transvestite.

But the deeper the police delved in to his life the stranger it became.

In 2007, his Cheltenham landlady Jennifer Ellliot discovered him tied to his own bedposts wearing only boxer shorts.

He insisted he was attempting some escapology – at 1.30am - but Mrs Elliot and her husband were convinced it was “sexual”.

Evidence of visits to bondage and fetish websites were also found on his phones and lap tops as well as images of high profile drag queens.

Some searches related to models in various forms of a “hogtie” – a bondage position often performed naked.

There was also a link to an article about a woman who was enclosed in plastic before having the air sucked out with a vacuum.

However, police said the searches only occurred during four separate periods over two years and described it as “sporadic research” rather than an active interest.

But they also found a homemade video showing Mr Williams naked except for black leather boots in which he “wiggles and girates” with his back to the camera was on one of his iPhones.

It remains unclear if Mr Williams spymasters knew any of his alternate lifestyle but one unnamed witness appeared to suggest even if they had it would not necessarily have stopped him being employed.

The senior MI6 manager SIS F said vetting processes focused on “trustworthiness, integrity and reliability” and that people can have “lifestyle choices” that are “perfectly legitimate”.

There was no question over Mr Williams’ talent.

Originally from Holyhead, north Wales, he gained a maths O-level aged 10, graduated from Bangor University at 17 before completing a PhD and post-graduate studies at Manchester and Cambridge Universities.

At GCHQ he was described as a prodigy who did “world class” work and at MI6 he was working alongside undercover operatives.

In 2009 he was part of team that won a national award for technical prowess and after his death he was given a posthumous one for significant achievement in crypt analysis

But he left the world in very unceremonious circumstances, naked in a sports bag in a bath and as the mystery over how he came to meet end continues the enigma that was Gareth Williams may never be unravelled.

Telegraph (Au): Coroner rules out unlawful death for British spy found in sports bag

Coroner rules out unlawful death for British spy found in sports bag

Sky News | NewsCore | May 2, 2012

A CORONER investigating the death of British spy Gareth Williams, who was found dead inside a padlocked sports bag, said today there was insufficient evidence to consider a verdict of unlawful killing.

Fiona Wilcox said a narrative verdict - a short factual statement outlining the facts of the case - was the most appropriate option available to her, as an open verdict "would not do justice" to her findings.

Wilcox, who has spent seven days listening to evidence from 39 witnesses, is due to deliver her conclusion tomorrow (AEST).

Today's evidence included some surprising revelations, including the disclosure that British intelligence agency MI6 had failed to pass over some of Williams' belongings from his office to investigators.

The wide range of witnesses in the inquest began with Williams' sister Ceri Subbe, who described her brother as "a country boy" who expressed frustration with being transferred from Britain's secret monitoring site GCHQ, in southwestern England, to MI6 in London.

Friends of Williams also gave evidence, including his childhood sweetheart Sian Jones, a fashion consultant.

She, and other witnesses were asked how they could explain the fact that £20,000 ($32,428) of women's clothes and shoes were found in the apartment where Williams' body was discovered.

Jones and Subbe both told the inquest that Williams was a very generous man and that the clothes were likely to be gifts.

His family listened as other uncomfortable details about his private life were discussed. He had visited bondage websites, the court was told, but only on four occasions in two years.

The inquest was also told he had once tied himself to a bed and had to rely on his landlord to free him.

Staff at MI6, who gave evidence anonymously from behind a screen, were pressed on why it took them eight days to report Williams missing.

One MI6 officer, identified only as witness G, said he first thought Williams was stuck on a train, then thought there had been a mix up with leave dates.

The delay in reporting him missing made the task facing pathologists very difficult, and three post-mortem examinations could not establish the cause of death, the court heard.

Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame.

The police officer in charge of the investigation said that she believed the crux of the case surrounded the bag Williams was found in. Police still do not know how he came to be in the bag as it was locked it from the outside.

Telegraph : MI6 kept Gareth William's computer memory sticks from police

MI6 kept Gareth William's computer memory sticks from police

MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks belonging to spy Gareth Williams to the police investigating his death, an inquest heard.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | May 1, 2012

The intelligence service also examined “electronic media” of the maths prodigy without telling the police.

A full inventory of his belongings at work and the presence of a red North Face holdall were also never passed on to officers.

The existence of the memory sticks and MI6 data searches only emerged this morning on what was due to be the final day of evidence.

DCI Jackie Sebire, the Met officer leading the investigation, revealed the first she heard of it was this morning.

She said she would have expected to have been informed in August 2010, when Mr Williams’ body was discovered, and any relevant information passed on.

Westminster Coroner’s Court is investigating the death of Mr Williams, whose naked decomposing body was found in a North Face holdall in a bath at his Pimlico flat in London in August 2010.

The inquest heard on Monday that Mr Williams would have suffocated within three minutes after getting inside his sports holdall.

Poisoning and asphyxiation were the "foremost contenders" in solving the death riddle, pathologists said.

It also emerged scientists found traces of "at least" two unknown people in his upmarket London apartment despite evidence Mr Williams rarely invited people over.

Forensic expert Ros Hammond said there were hopes of a breakthrough "within a matter of weeks" from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen.

"There's hope," she told Westminster Coroner's Court. "The tests are still in progress and there may be some promising results from those tests."

The 31-year-old was probably suffocated or killed by a poison which disappeared in his system during decomposition, pathologist Benjamin Swift said.

Dr Swift said his post-mortem examination was hampered by levels of heat within the bag after radiators were turned on in Mr Williams's top-floor flat in the middle of summer.

Ian Calder, who performed the second post-mortem examination, observed that the build-up of carbon dioxide would have become poisonous to Mr Williams within about two or three minutes, had he been alive when he entered the bag.

"The toxic effect of the carbon dioxide... plays some considerable havoc with the chemistry of the body and so as a result of that the accumulation of carbon dioxide has quite a considerable effect on the wellness of the individual," he said.

A soporific state would have been induced before the spy lost consciousness, which could have prevented him from trying to escape, he said.

Hypercapnia - a high level of carbon dioxide in the blood - would be a "reasoned explanation" of what might have happened to Mr Williams.

Another pathologist, Richard Shepherd, also said it was "more likely (Mr Williams) was alive when he entered the bag than that he was dead".

There was, however, "no suggestion" the spy's body had been manhandled into the holdall and were he to have been forced into it either alive or straight after he died, marks on his body would have been expected, Mr Shepherd said.

Dr Swift said he believed Mr Williams would have died shortly after his last-known movements on August 15 in his top-floor apartment in Pimlico, central London.

The evidence came after bag experts said even Harry Houdini would have struggled to lock himself in the bag.

The hearing continues.

Telegraph : MI6 spy Gareth Williams 'probably died from poisoning or asphyxiation'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams 'probably died from poisoning or asphyxiation'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams is most likely to have died from poisoning, suffocation or strangulation, his inquest heard today.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | April 30, 2012

Pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift said Mr Williams’ body was so badly decomposed it meant his cause of death could not be officially “ascertained”.

But he said “poisoning or asphyxiation” were the “foremost contenders” for his death.

The court heard how he could have been dead within "two to three minutes" of being in bag due to the levels of carbon dioxide that would have quickly built up.

The inquest at Westminster Coroners’ Court is investigating Mr Williams’ death, whose decomposing, naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

It has already heard that some poisons may not show up in a post mortem because of the level of decomposition.

Dr Swift estimated Mr Williams’ body had been in the bag for ten days.

A second pathologist, Dr Ian Calder said death from carbon dioxide poisoning, because of the restricted breathing space within the bag, was a “very likely possibility”.

Dr Richard Shepherd, who carried out a third post mortem, said he was sure Mr Williams suffered an “unnatural death” and that poisoning or suffocation were the most likely causes.

He said he believed he died in the bag.

Evidence of slight bruising and grazing were also found on Mr Williams' arms but the three separate post mortem examinations failed to find any evidence of a “traumatic” death or struggle.

Dr Shepherd said there was no suggestion he had been “manhandled” but could not rule out he might have been coerced to climb in to it himself, possibly even gunpoint.

He said the slight bruising and grazes could have come from being inside the bag.

But even if he was aware of his predicament and attempted to escape, the padlock on the bag would have “sealed” his fate, he said.

The sixth day of the inquest also heard how police followed a potential DNA clue for more than year before it emerged it belonged to a forensic officer who attended the scene.

An error in recording the data for checking on the database meant no match was initially found suggesting a mystery person was at the flat.

Evidence from forensics officers showed spots of blood were found on the carpet near the kitchen, on the edge of the bath and in the communal doorway.

They also recovered “very weak” traces of blood from the bag handles and padlock. The inquest has already heard that police are still investigating those traces.

A forensic officer also apologised to Mr Willliams’ family after his blunder sent the police on a wild goose chase for more than a year.

Officers believed that had recovered an unknown DNA sample from the back of Mr Williams’ hand.

It was not until February this year that it emerged the sample belonged to a forensic officer from the scene but there had been error when uploading it meaning it did not initially throw up a match.

In a written statement, Paul Stafford Allen apologise for the “distressed” it must have caused.

The inquest heard on Friday how Mr Williams must have been “dead or unconscious” when placed in to the sports bag.

Peter Faulding, a former Parachute Regiment reservist and expert in confined rescues, concluded that not even Harry Houdini could have padlocked himself in the holdall in the bath.

His revelations will further fuel theories that the 31-year-old codebreaker may have been killed.

The maths prodigy had been on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ when he died.

The issue of whether Mr Williams could lock himself in the bag is central to the inquiry and has fuelled theories that a third party was involved.

The inquest at Westminster Coroners’ Court is investigating Mr Williams’ death, whose decomposing, naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

Video footage of attempts to recreate climbing in to an 81cm by 48 cm holdall and locking it was shown to the court.

Mr Faulding, who is of similar height and build to Mr Williams, tried to climb in to a bag inside a bath and lock it himself 300 times and failed every time.

The inquest heard that if Mr Willliams had been alive when he went in to the bath, he would have been dead within 30 minutes.

Oxygen levels dropped to 17 per cent and the temperature rose by 10 per cent within five minutes.

However, another expert in “unusual occurrences” and confined places suggested Mr Williams may have been able to do it himself but it was very unlikely.

William MacKay and a colleague tried and failed 100 times although they came “reasonably close” at times.

He said: “There are people who can do amazing things and Mr Williams may well be one of those persons.”

It also emerged a homemade video showing Mr Williams naked except for black leather boots in which he “wiggles and girates” with his back to the camera was on one of his iPhones.

Evidence of visits to bondage and fetish websites were also found on his phones and lap tops.

Web records also showed he once searched for bondage sites and watched a YouTube video after typing "dress bondage training".

Pages from 2008 showed he may have looked at sites relating to "hogtie", a bondage method of tying the limbs together.

His last internet activity was during the early hours of Monday August 16, a week before his body was discovered, and one of his phone had had its factory settings restored - the equivalent of wiping a hard drive.

The phone was backed up on August 15th but it is not known when it was reset.

The hearing continues.

Telegraph : MI6 spy inquest: 'one of the strangest events I have ever witnessed'

MI6 spy inquest: 'one of the strangest events I have ever witnessed'

At the inquest into the death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams last week, spy writer Nigel West found the reality of British espionage stranger than any fiction

By Nigel West | April 29, 2012

To hear shrieks, and then sobbing, at any inquest is harrowing. Such high emotion seems particularly at odds with the detached image many of us have of the world of spying. Yet on Thursday, during evidence into the death of the intelligence officer Gareth Williams, a female family member dramatically broke down in tears, and the hearing had to be adjourned.

Last week, the public had a rare glimpse into the shadowy world of MI6. At the coroner’s court in Westminster, the focus of attention was Gareth Williams, a 31-year-old GCHQ technician on a three-year secondment to MI6, whose naked body was found in a padlocked holdall at his Pimlico flat in August 2010. At the opening on Monday, the coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox promised she would oversee “a full, fair and fearless inquest into this highly controversial death”, with more than 30 witnesses questioned. And indeed, this was the first time that many of us could learn some of the details of the circumstances surrounding Williams’s bizarre death.

I was one of the spectators in the court. Having spent more than 30 years studying and recording the history of the British intelligence community, I can honestly say it was one of the strangest events I have witnessed. Because of the presence of Williams’s parents and sister, it was agonising and troubling, too.

The family has long been convinced that “dark arts” were involved with his death, and that a third party was present, either at his death or who later destroyed evidence. There have also been blunders. At an interim hearing ahead of last week’s inquest, it was revealed that DNA evidence found on Williams’s body came from a forensic scientist at the scene, a fact it took the forensic team more than a year to realise. And a Mediterranean couple who had visited the flat in the weeks before Williams’s death, and who the police were keen to track down, turned out to be insignificant to the case. These mistakes have only helped fuel the conspiracy theories surrounding Williams’s death.

Since we were dealing with British intelligence, security in the court was paramount. Members of MI6 were referred to by a letter rather than their names. Large blue screens were used to protect their identities (the family was allowed behind the screens, the rest of us were outside). The atmosphere was subdued; a rare moment of levity only when someone’s cell phone went off, and the coroner joked she had done the same herself some weeks before.

Yet if the entire episode were not so tragic, it could have been an exercise in absurdity. Even by the end of the week, the coroner had yet to grasp some of the basics of the espionage world, such as the difference between MI6 “officers” and their “agents”.

So who was Gareth Williams? He was a tech wizard, regarded as a “world-class” expert in his field, who had joined GCHQ at the age of 21 and had then taken a postgraduate course at Cambridge in advanced mathematics. His precise skills – or their application by MI6 – cannot be discussed in public. We do know, however, that in 2007 he applied for a transfer to MI6, only to flunk the aptitude test administered by GCHQ, which suggested he lacked the requisite self-confidence. A year later he re-sat the exam and passed, which resulted in him moving in 2009 into an office – shared with Witness G (a member of MI6 who gave evidence) and three others – in “Legoland”, as MI6’s embarrassingly ostentatious headquarters at Vauxhall Cross are known.

Williams was a geek: private, shy and, reportedly, with a slight stammer. He did not socialise with colleagues, and none are known to have visited his top-floor flat. His sister had said in court on Monday that he “disliked office culture, post-work drinks, flash car competitions and the rat race”. Instead, he enjoyed cycling and running, and was fiercely competitive, but declined to join his fellow officers who shared the same pastimes, and exercised alone.

His private life was just that, and it came as a shock to those who thought they knew him that he had attended a six-week course in fashion design at the Central St Martin’s College, and had accumulated a collection of women’s designer clothes, shoes and boots – valued at £20,000 – lipstick and an orange wig.

Such interests, according to MI6, were of no concern to the organisation, although an audit of his office computer revealed some database searches that did not appear to be connected with his work. Under the terms of a Public Interest Immunity Certificate signed by the Foreign Secretary, we are not allowed to know the precise nature of this unauthorised activity. According to a senior MI6 officer – identified only as F – Williams might have been able to provide a satisfactory explanation for his apparently illicit access.

On Thursday, a particularly upsetting detail of Williams’s death was revealed. The officer known as F had said the secret service was “profoundly sorry” that his absence went unreported for five days after Williams, a meticulous time-keeper, had failed to show up for work. She blamed his line manager – Witness G – for a breakdown in communication, but said G should not face any disciplinary action. This confession greatly distressed Williams’s mother, Ellen, sitting with her family inside the partition screening witnesses from the public area.

Later, it was revealed that when MI6 realised that Williams was missing, F had telephoned the police. In the conversation, taped by the police and played to the court, F said that Williams had been missing for the whole of the previous week and – after a question about his state of mind – she said he had been recalled from a job he had wanted to do, and was uncertain about how he had taken the news. The implication was obvious.

Key to the inquest was whether Williams – whose naked, decomposing body was found inside a padlocked holdall placed in his bath – could have locked himself in the bag. Given his apparent interest in bondage, fetish clothing and claustrophilia – as demonstrated by his web-surfing – could he have fastened the brass padlock himself, the keys to which were found in the bag, under his body? And if so, where did the other unidentified DNA traces, found on the lock and the zipper, come from? Put simply, was Williams alone when he died in the early hours of that summer morning, or, though there was no sign of a break-in, was someone else involved?

On Friday we heard from Peter Faulding, a former Parachute Regiment reservist and an expert in confined spaces, who said he was convinced another person was involved in putting Williams into the holdall and locking it. The court was shown a video of an attempt to climb into and lock a holdall of the same size. Mr Faulding said he had tried it 300 times and had failed every time. “My belief is that he was placed in there by a third party,” he said.

The other question, then, is whether Williams’s death was linked to his job. A police investigation concluded that he had died from unknown causes, but most likely asphyxiation and dehydration. Detective Superintendent Michael Broster of Counter-Terrorism Command – who has spent 31 years in the police and acted as the liaison between MI6 and the detectives – opined that there was nothing to link the death to Williams’s professional occupation, and no sign of a cover-up. Mind you, there was not much need for any covering up: for motives unknown, Williams had been quite successful in deleting the internet browsing history of his laptops, and completely reset one of his mobile phones, thereby emptying its memory.

According to MI6, in May 2009 Williams had filled a GCHQ slot at Vauxhall Cross, but had recently been granted a transfer back to Cheltenham. He had found his work boring, constrained by too much administration. Instead, he longed to resume his technical research and live in the countryside. Although he had undergone five training courses, and had passed an operational deployment course in February 2010 with flying colours, he had been determined to return to Gloucestershire. Once his request had been approved, he appeared much more relaxed.

The conspiracy theories – that Williams was living in an MI6 safe-house and had been engaged in dangerous missions overseas; or had been categorised as a high-security risk, or should have been – have all been scotched. His flat was rented by GCHQ, and he had never been sent on any foreign operations. He only ever met two MI6 agents, defined with bureaucratic accuracy by MI6 as “covert human intelligence sources”, and the operations he participated in had been undertaken in England.

In short, he was a loner who failed to fit in at Legoland. As for his private life, MI6 is now very broadminded about individual lifestyles, and anything legal is considered acceptable. Kinky sex is fine; the days when the wretched former MI6 Chief Maurice Oldfield had felt obliged to lie for decades on his enhanced vetting questionnaire about his homosexuality are long gone.

Still, the delay in reporting him AWOL is reminiscent of MI6’s past culture, when officers were encouraged to show initiative, be self-starters, think laterally and exercise some independence. Now the organisation is wholly risk-averse, awash with lawyers, and resembles a particularly staid branch of the Department of Work and Pensions.

Although in theory G should have followed the protocol and started to suspect a problem when Williams failed to show up for a meeting scheduled for Monday, August 16 – the very day he died – there is a straightforward explanation. MI6 personnel are often called at short notice to work on a particular, compartmentalised project or operation, and not everyone is likely to be indoctrinated into some of these activities. Raising the alarm because a team member has slipped away for a secret assignation is de rigueur. It is equally probable that a line-manager would be reluctant to acknowledge that he or she had been left out of the loop.

Another problem for today’s MI6 is its dependency on personnel seconded from other organisations where there is not a clearly defined chain of command and responsibility. As Williams was due to leave London permanently, the assumption was that he was already preparing for his move.

Significantly, his apparent lack of office friendships may be part of the reason why he was not missed by any of his colleagues. Although an earlier intervention would have allowed the forensic scientists to be more precise about what had happened, his life could not have been saved by battering down his door on that Monday afternoon.

Nigel West is the pen name of Rupert Allason, a military historian and author specialising in intelligence and security issues. His new book, Historical Dictionary of Chinese Intelligence, will be published in July.

Telegraph : MI6 spy Gareth Williams could have locked himself in bag, inquest hears

MI6 spy Gareth Williams could have locked himself in bag, inquest hears

MI6 spy Gareth Williams may have been able to get into a holdall and lock it from the inside, an inquest heard.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | April 27, 2012

Despite experts failing to complete the bizarre task more than 100 times, a specialist said it could not rule out that someone with training could achieve it.

William MacKay, an expert in “unusual occurrences” and confined spaces, said some people can do “amazing things and Mr Williams may be one of those”.

In the fifth and most dramatic day of the inquest of Mr Williams, video footage of attempts to recreate climbing in to a holdall and lock it was shown to the hearing.

The inquest at Westminster Coroners’ Court is investigating Mr Williams’ death, whose decomposing, naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

The issue of whether Mr Williams could lock himself in the bag is central to the inquiry and has fuelled theories that a third party was involved.

Mr MacKay said none of his or his colleagues attempts worked but they came “reasonably close” at times.

Asked if it was possible, he said: “Without a lot of training probably not.”

Asked again by coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox if that meant it could not be done, he said: “I would not like to say that.

“There are people who can do amazing things and Mr Williams may well be one of those persons.”

On Thursday, the inquest heard how small traces of the date rape drug GHB were found in Mr Williams’ body.

Experts were also unable to rule out a series of poisons, including cyanide, anesthetics and chloroform, because the body was so badly decomposed it was not possible to accurately test for them.

Forensic scientist Denise Stanworth said the traces of GHB were “probably” naturally occurring, which is common after death, but admitted she could not rule out it had been taken.

She added that "we cannot rule out volatile agents" as she was asked how reliable toxicology can be nine days after death.

Ms Stanworth also said it was impossible to say if there was any sign of the legal high poppers, acknowledging that the drug "could have caused loss of consciousness or death".

MI6 also apologised for failing to raise the alarm about his disappearance, conceding the error may have hampered police inquiries.

Relatives walked out on the inquest in tears as a senior spy said the secret service was "profoundly sorry" for delays in noticing he was missing for a week.

The family's lawyer accused MI6 of showing "total disregard for Gareth's whereabouts and safety" before he was found dead in his London home on August 23, 2010.

Speaking from behind a screen, Mr Williams' boss offered a full apology for MI6's slow response to Mr Williams's disappearance in August 2010.

The woman - named only as SIS F - said: "We are profoundly sorry about what happened.

"It shouldn't have happened and we recognise that the delay in finding Gareth's body has made it even harder for the family to come to terms with his dreadful death and we are truly sorry for that.

"I also appreciate the delay had some impact on the police investigation."

SIS F blamed Mr Williams' line manager for the "breakdown in communication" but said disciplinary action was not taken.

When officers finally entered Mr Williams's flat in Pimlico, central London, they discovered among his possessions some £20,000 of high-end women's clothing and shoes.

Examination of his home computer showed he had also visited websites about claustrophilia - the love of enclosure - and bondage and sadomasochism, the inquest has heard.

Mr O'Toole told the witness of speculation "that revelations about Gareth's private life might have rendered him unsuitable for SIS work".

SIS F replied that it was a "sensitive area" of questioning as it related to vetting issues but indicated his lifestyle and sexual preferences would not in themselves have posed a problem.

"I can't respond directly to the questions over Gareth because that goes to what knowledge we did or didn't have of him," she said.

"There's no set template as to what (an employee's) lifestyle should be. Individuals have lifestyles and sexual choices which are perfectly legitimate.

"Our concern in the vetting process is to identify whether anything in the individual's background, lifestyle, creates a risk for him."

The hearing continues.

Telegraph : MI6 spy inquest: Gareth Williams was 'dead or unconscious before he went into the bag'

MI6 spy inquest: Gareth Williams was 'dead or unconscious before he went into the bag'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams was "dead or unconscious" when placed in a sports bag because not even Harry Houdini could have locked himself in it, his inquest heard on Friday.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | April 27, 2012

Peter Faulding, a former Parachute Regiment reservist and expert in confined rescues, said he was convinced another person was involved in putting Mr Williams in to a North Face holdall and padlocking it.

He said the idea of him doing it himself was in "unbelievable scenarios" and that even the world's greatest escapologist would have struggled.

His revelations will further fuel theories that the 31-year-old codebreaker may have been killed and dumped in a bag in the bath.

The inquest at Westminster Coroners' Court is investigating Mr Williams' death, whose decomposing, naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

The maths prodigy had been on secondment to MI6 from GCHQ when he died.

The issue of whether Mr Williams could lock himself in the bag is central to the inquiry and has fuelled theories that a third party was involved.

In the fifth and most dramatic day of the hearing, video footage of attempts to recreate climbing in to an 81cm by 48 cm holdall and locking it was shown to the court.

Mr Faulding, who is of similar height and build to Mr Williams, tried to climb in to a bag inside a bath and lock it himself 300 times and failed every time.

He said: "I have never been able to get this case out of my head.

"My conclusion is that he was either placed in the bag unconscious or he was dead before he was put in the bag."

When asked if it was impossible for him to have got in unaided he said: "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."

He added: "I believe he was placed in there. I am satisfied from the evidence that I have seen from no DNA around the bath, the way it was locked, the shower screen placed back and the door closed my belief is that he was placed in there by a third party."

A bag similar to the one in which the body of Mr Williams was found

Mr Faulding, an expert in mine rescue and the man who helped dig out the tunneling protestor Swampy, suggested Mr Williams was then put in the bath 'to reduce body fluid or decomposition'.

He said it would have been "very very easy" for a single person to lift Mr Williams in to the bath and there would have been marks in or around the bath if he had done it himself, which there was not.

The inquest heard that if Mr Willliams had been alive when he went in to the bath, he would have been dead within 30 minutes.

Oxygen levels dropped to 17 per cent and the temperature rose by 10 per cent within five minutes.

Earlier, another expert in "unusual occurrences" and confined places suggested Mr Williams may have been able to do it himself but it was very unlikely.

William MacKay and a colleague tried and failed 100 times although they came "reasonably close" at times.

He tried different scenarios of climbing in and locking it from the inside or first locking it then splitting the zip, climbing in and then trying to re-zip it.

However, Mr MacKay's attempts did not involve a bath.

Asked by coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox if that meant it could not be done, he said: "I would not like to say that.

"There are people who can do amazing things and Mr Williams may well be one of those persons."

On Thursday, the inquest heard how small traces of the date rape drug GHB were found in Mr Williams' body.

Experts were also unable to rule out a series of poisons, including cyanide, anesthetics and chloroform, because the body was so badly decomposed it was not possible to accurately test for them.

Forensic scientist Denise Stanworth said the traces of GHB were "probably" naturally occurring, which is common after death, but admitted she could not rule out it had been taken.

MI6 also apologised for failing to raise the alarm about his disappearance, conceding the error may have hampered police inquiries.

Relatives walked out on the inquest in tears as a senior spy said the secret service was "profoundly sorry" for delays in noticing he was missing for a week.

The hearing continues.

Telegraph : Gareth Williams' relatives break down as inquest hears MI6 did not notice codebreaker missing

Gareth Williams' relatives break down as inquest hears MI6 did not notice codebreaker missing

The family of MI6 spy Gareth Williams were left horrified on Thursday as they heard no-one was disciplined over a litany of failures by the security services to notice the codebreaker was missing.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | April 26, 2012

The inquest in to Mr Williams’ death had to be halted as one member of his family shrieked and broke down as further details over the debacle which left the spy undiscovered for a week were disclosed.

A senior MI6 officer said the service was “profoundly sorry” and that the delays had made it harder for the family to “come to terms with his dreadful death”.

The scenes came on another dramatic day of evidence at the inquest in to Mr Williams’ death, whose decomposing, naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

It emerged Mr Williams had conducted unauthorised searches of secret MI6 files which could have put him at risk from “hostile and malign” forces.

But his apparent penchant for womens’ clothing and sadomasochism websites may not have prevented him becoming a spy, it was suggested.

The family of Mr Williams have found the evidence increasingly hard to listen to in the first four days of the hearing as it became apparent that his absence failed to spark any concern.

The spy, normally a meticulous time keeper, failed to show up for work at MI6 for a week before his body was discovered and should have attended two pre-arranged meetings during that time.

But despite his sensitive job, his absence barely raised a flicker and led to only cursory attempts to raise him on the phone.

Even when his secret service bosses finally decided he was missing on Monday August 23rd it still took another four hours before they reported it to the police.

Helen Yelland, from GCHQ where Mr Williams had been due to return, said there was “confusion” over who was responsible for his whereabouts.

A senior manager at MI6, who can only be identified as SIS F, told the hearing from behind a screen: “We are profoundly sorry about what happened.

"It shouldn't have happened and we recognise that the delay in finding Gareth's body has made it even harder for the family to come to terms with his dreadful death and we are truly sorry for that.

"I also appreciate the delay had some impact on the police investigation."

Despite blaming Mr Williams' line manager for the "breakdown in communication", the officer revealed that no one had been disciplined over the incident.

A female member of the family, who were also sat behind the screen, reacted with shock over the news and the hearing had to be briefly adjourned.

A member of the family was also heard hyperventilating on Wednesday after hearing of the lack of effort to find Mr Williams.

Anthony O’Toole, the lawyer for the family, accused the agencies of a "total disregard for Gareth's whereabouts and safety".

He blamed the delay for preventing the family from saying goodbye to Mr Williams while his body was in an "acceptable form" and for making it more or less impossible for detectives to establish how he died.

SIS F also revealed Mr Williams had carried out a number of searches of the secret service database without permission but did not explain what they were.

She admitted such “activities” could “theoretically” have put him at greater risk of pressure from other forces.

She said if they knew of his activities but not MI6 then: “a third party with hostile or malign intent could theoretically use that knowledge to put some pressure on Gareth”.

However, she insisted there was no evidence such a breach in security has occurred.

She also dismissed family concerns that “dark arts” had been involved in his death or after, insisting no security officers had been to the flat.

She said Mr Williams at GCHQ, before being seconded to MI6, had been “world class” and that he had been “operational” at MI6 and had worked at times alongside two undercover agents.

The inquest also heard how Mr Williams apparent penchant for womens’ clothing and sadomasochism websites may not have prevented him becoming a spy.

SIS F said vetting processes focused on “trustworthiness, integrity and reliability” in handling “sensitive information.

She said people can have “lifestyle choices” that are “perfectly legitimate” but that the service would want to know about them in case their background puts them at risk.

The inquest has already heard Mr Williams had £20,000 worth of womens’clothing in his flat and had visited websites about claustrophilia - the love of enclosure - and bondage and sadomasochism.

It emerged on Wednesday that he was also once discovered tied to his own bed wearing only boxer shorts.

Telegraph : Date rape drug found in the body of spy Gareth Williams

Date rape drug found in the body of spy Gareth Williams

Traces of the date rape drug GHB were found in the body of Gareth Williams, the MI6 spy, an inquest heard on Thursday, as experts said they were unable to rule out poisoning as the cause of death.

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | April 26, 2012

Small amounts of the Class C drug, which has sedative effects, were found in post mortem tests.

Denise Stanworth, a toxicologist, told the inquest that the traces had probably occurred naturally, which is common shortly after death, but it was possible that Mr Williams had taken the drug.

A panel of forensics experts which reviewed the post mortem findings was unable to rule out the use of certain poisons, such as cyanide and chloroform, because the body was so decomposed, the inquest heard.

Miss Stanworth said it was unlikely that Mr Williams had been given some “old fashioned poison” but she could not rule out other “volatile agents”.

The inquest at Westminster Coroners’ Court has heard how Mr Williams’s naked body was in a padlocked holdall in his London flat for more than a week before it was discovered in August 2010.

While there were no obvious signs of poisoning, the level of decomposition made it impossible to test for certain substances, the hearing was told.

A number of drugs and poisons were ruled out, but abuse of amyl and alkyl nitrites, such as poppers, and “lots of substances that could have caused poisoning and death” could not be detected nine days after death, the inquest heard.

When asked if the toxicology findings were reliable, Miss Stanworth said: “In terms of many of the drugs, many of the analyses of the drugs, it was reliable. In terms of the more volatile substances, in terms of certain unstable substances, [it was] not that reliable.”

The inquest also heard it was impossible to tell whether Mr Williams was alive or dead when he got into the bag.

At one stage, the inquest had to be halted after a member of Mr Williams’s family broke down when an MI6 manager disclosed that no one had been disciplined over the errors that led to the codebreaker’s body lying undiscovered for so long.

The spy, a meticulous time-keeper, failed to show up for work for a week and should have attended two pre-arranged meetings during that time.

But despite the sensitive nature of his job, his absence led to only cursory attempts to raise him on the phone.

Even when his secret service bosses finally decided he was missing on August 23, it took another four hours before they contacted the police.

A senior manager at MI6, identified only as SIS F, told the hearing from behind a screen: “We are profoundly sorry about what happened. It shouldn’t have happened and we recognise that the delay in finding Gareth’s body has made it even harder for the family to come to terms with his dreadful death and we are truly sorry for that.”

Despite blaming Mr Williams’s line manager for the “breakdown in communication”, SIS F said no one had been disciplined over the incident.

A female member of the family, who was also sat behind the screen, reacted with shock to the disclosure and the hearing was briefly adjourned.

Anthony O’Toole, the lawyer for the family, accused the security agencies of a “total disregard for Gareth’s whereabouts and safety”.

He blamed the delay for denying the family the chance to say goodbye to Mr Williams while his body was in an “acceptable form” and for making it more or less impossible for detectives to establish how he died.

SIS F also disclosed that Mr Williams had carried out several searches of the secret service database without permission. She did not explain what the searches involved, but admitted that if a “hostile or malign” third party knew of his activities, it could “theoretically use that knowledge to put some pressure on Gareth”. However, she said there was no evidence that a breach in security had occurred.

She dismissed family concerns that “dark arts” had been involved in his death, saying that no security officers had been to the flat.

The inquest continues.

Telegraph : Interest in women's clothing and sadomasochism would not have prevented Gareth Williams joining MI6, inquest hears

Interest in women's clothing and sadomasochism would not have prevented Gareth Williams joining MI6, inquest hears

Gareth Williams' apparent penchant for womens’ clothing and sadomasochism websites may not have prevented him becoming a spy, a senior MI6 officer has suggested.

By Tom Whitehead, Security editor | April 26, 2012

The woman officer, who can only be identified as SIS F, said vetting processes focused on “trustworthiness, integrity and reliability” in handling “sensitive information".

She said people can have “lifestyle choices” that are “perfectly legitimate” but that the service would want to know about them in case their background puts them at risk.

The insight in to secret service vetting came during the inquest in to Mr Williams, whose naked, decomposing body was discovered in a locked holdall in his bath in a flat in Pimlico in August 2010.

The inquest has already heard Mr Williams had £20,000 worth of womens’ clothing in his flat and had visited websites about claustrophilia - the love of enclosure - and bondage and sadomasochism.

It emerged yesterday that he was also once discovered tied to his own bed wearing only boxer shorts.

Speaking from behind a large screen, the MI6 agent said she could not comment specifically on Mr Williams but added: “There is no template for what that individual should be or what their lifestyle should be.

“Individuals have lifestyle and sexual choices or preferences that are perfectly legitimate.

“Our concern in the vetting process is to identify whether anything in an individual's background lifestyle creates a risk to him.”

Asked if Mr Williams would have been required to reveal he had bought the womens’ clothes, she said: “No.”

The inquest also heard that Mr Williams had conducted unauthorised searches on the MI6 database that could have put him at risk to “hostile and malign” parties.

The officer did not say what the searches were but accepted such activities could “theoretically” put him at risk if a third party had known but MI6 did not.

However, she said there was no evidence of that and insisted reviews had shown no link between Mr Williams’ work and his death.

The agent added that MI6 was “profoundly sorry” for the delays in realising that Mr Williams was missing.

The spy was missing for a week before the agency raised the alarm and police found his decomposing body.

A member of Mr Williams’ family became distressed after hearing that his line manager, who should have noticed earlier, has not been disciplined.

On Wednesday, the inquest heard how Mr Williams was once found having tied himself to his bed.

The codebreaker had to call for help in the middle of the night after managing to tie himself so tight his bindings were cutting in to his wrists while living in Cheltenham in 2007.

The embarrassed spy had to be released by his landlady and landlord, who were left shocked after discovering him bound and wearing just his boxer shorts.

He insisted he was just “messing around” and trying to see if he could release himself but Jennifer and Brian Ellliot believed it had a sexual motive.

A member of staff who worked at the upmarket west London fashion store Dover Street Market recalled him coming in regularly and buying women's items he said were for his girlfriend.

But Elizabeth Guthrie, a friend of Mr Williams, insisted he was not gay and may have bought the clothes as “support” for his female friends.

Ms Guthrie also revealed he had sometimes gone by another name and used different phones.

Earlier in the inquest, Superintendent Michael Broster, from the Met’s SO15 – the counter-terrorism unit – could not guarantee that Mr Williams’ work computers had not been tampered with after his death.

He told how he acted as a "conduit" between the Met's murder squad, who were investigating the death, and GCHQ and MI6.

He revealed his GCHQ computer was not handed over until six days after his body was discovered and the MI6 one four days later.

Supt Broster insisted there was nothing to suggest a link between his work and his death but under cross-examination by Anthony O'Toole, representing the family, he admitted he could not “say absolutely definitely”.