Sky (Au) : Lawyer claims MI6 involvement in death

Lawyer claims MI6 involvement in death

May 2, 2012

A lawyer representing the family of MI6 spy Gareth Williams whose body was found in a holdall has suggested the secret services may have been involved in his death.

Anthony O'Toole, the Williams' family lawyer, made the accusation in open court during the 31-year-old GCHQ code breaker's inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court.

The allegation came after it emerged MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks to Scotland Yard.

A black North Face holdall - similar to the one which Mr Williams was found dead in at his flat - was eventually passed to police.

The Metropolitan Police team investigating Mr William's death did not have direct access to his office.

Instead, the force's counter-terror SO15 branch, which has specialist security clearance, acted as a conduit between MI6 and the investigation team.

Two officers from the SO15 unit - Superintendent Michael Broster and Detective Constable Colin Hall - searched Mr Williams' MI6 office.

They only took three items - his phone, some notes and a copy of his birth certificate.

Asked why he did not take the memory sticks, Supt Broster said he did not think they were relevant - and admitted MI6 were left to examine them.

Mr O'Toole said: 'So if the person who killed Gareth Williams was a member of SIS (MI6) you would do nothing to investigate because you believed that organisation to be trustworthy?'

Supt Broster insisted MI6 had been fully co-operative.

The officer was also criticised by Coroner Fiona Wilcox, who told him he was offering 'total non-sequitur' reasons for failing to pass on evidence.

'I suggest that this means you have not been completely impartial in this case,' she said.

Mr O'Toole also accused DC Hall of failing to take the probe seriously.

'If this had not involved SIS and it was the Kray twins you were investigating, you would have gone into this in far more detail,' he told the officer.

Members of Mr Williams' family shook their heads as DC Hall revealed his search of Mr Williams' office was called off shortly after the spy was found dead.

Mr Hall said 'there was stuff in there of a sensitive nature' in the bag but, when asked what, he said he could not remember.

Mr O'Toole added: 'That's about as helpful as a London pea souper.'

Earlier, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, the police officer in charge of the investigation, returned to give evidence to the inquest and told the coroner she had no knowledge of the memory sticks, or the bag, until this morning.

'Had I known about their existence, I would have expected them to be disclosed and any relevant information to be sent to my team,' she said.

It is not clear what relevance if any the sticks and the bag have to the investigation into Mr Williams' death, but DCI Sebire said that MI6 should have told her about their existence.

It was also disclosed that MI6 searched some of Mr Williams' 'electronic media' without telling the police.

'What I knew was that Gareth's email accounts had been checked but I did not know that other media had been checked,' DCI Sebire said.

Meanwhile, a forensic scientist has been asked to appear again at the inquest, and a new MI6 witness has been asked to give evidence anonymously.

The inquest is due to conclude on Wednesday, but there is a chance now it could continue for longer.

The painstaking investigation has drawn a 20-month blank for detectives.

On Monday, Ros Hammond, a police forensic scientist, expressed hope that tests on a green towel found in the kitchen of Mr Williams' Pimlico apartment could yield a breakthrough within a matter of weeks.

The inquest also heard from a forensic Scientist and from the pathologists who carried out three separate post-mortems on Mr Williams' body.

They told the court all their examinations had proved to be inconclusive, and spoke of the difficulties they encountered because Mr Williams' body was badly decomposed.

A period of up to 10 days passed between when they believe he died and when his body was first examined.

However Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said that although the cause of death was 'unascertained', he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were 'probably rather than possibly' to blame.

Tests on the Mr Williams body did not reveal signs of any poisons, but the experts said that they could not rule out the possibility that a poison could have disappeared as the body decomposed.

Big Pond News : Lawyer alleges MI6 involvement in death

Lawyer alleges MI6 involvement in death

May 2, 2012

A lawyer representing the family of MI6 spy Gareth Williams whose body was found in a holdall has suggested the secret services may have been involved in his death.

Anthony O'Toole, the Williams' family lawyer, made the accusation in open court during the 31-year-old GCHQ code breaker's inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court.

The allegation came after it emerged MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks to Scotland Yard.

A black North Face holdall - similar to the one which Mr Williams was found dead in at his flat - was eventually passed to police.

The Metropolitan Police team investigating Mr William's death did not have direct access to his office.

Instead, the force's counter-terror SO15 branch, which has specialist security clearance, acted as a conduit between MI6 and the investigation team.

Two officers from the SO15 unit - Superintendent Michael Broster and Detective Constable Colin Hall - searched Mr Williams' MI6 office.

They only took three items - his phone, some notes and a copy of his birth certificate.

Asked why he did not take the memory sticks, Supt Broster said he did not think they were relevant - and admitted MI6 were left to examine them.

Mr O'Toole said: 'So if the person who killed Gareth Williams was a member of SIS (MI6) you would do nothing to investigate because you believed that organisation to be trustworthy?'

Supt Broster insisted MI6 had been fully co-operative.

The officer was also criticised by Coroner Fiona Wilcox, who told him he was offering 'total non-sequitur' reasons for failing to pass on evidence.

'I suggest that this means you have not been completely impartial in this case,' she said.

Mr O'Toole also accused DC Hall of failing to take the probe seriously.

'If this had not involved SIS and it was the Kray twins you were investigating, you would have gone into this in far more detail,' he told the officer.

Members of Mr Williams' family shook their heads as DC Hall revealed his search of Mr Williams' office was called off shortly after the spy was found dead.

Mr Hall said 'there was stuff in there of a sensitive nature' in the bag but, when asked what, he said he could not remember.

Mr O'Toole added: 'That's about as helpful as a London pea souper.'

Earlier, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, the police officer in charge of the investigation, returned to give evidence to the inquest and told the coroner she had no knowledge of the memory sticks, or the bag, until this morning.

'Had I known about their existence, I would have expected them to be disclosed and any relevant information to be sent to my team,' she said.

It is not clear what relevance if any the sticks and the bag have to the investigation into Mr Williams' death, but DCI Sebire said that MI6 should have told her about their existence.

It was also disclosed that MI6 searched some of Mr Williams' 'electronic media' without telling the police.

'What I knew was that Gareth's email accounts had been checked but I did not know that other media had been checked,' DCI Sebire said.

Meanwhile, a forensic scientist has been asked to appear again at the inquest, and a new MI6 witness has been asked to give evidence anonymously.

The inquest is due to conclude on Wednesday, but there is a chance now it could continue for longer.

The painstaking investigation has drawn a 20-month blank for detectives.

On Monday, Ros Hammond, a police forensic scientist, expressed hope that tests on a green towel found in the kitchen of Mr Williams' Pimlico apartment could yield a breakthrough within a matter of weeks.

The inquest also heard from a forensic Scientist and from the pathologists who carried out three separate post-mortems on Mr Williams' body.

They told the court all their examinations had proved to be inconclusive, and spoke of the difficulties they encountered because Mr Williams' body was badly decomposed.

A period of up to 10 days passed between when they believe he died and when his body was first examined.

However Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said that although the cause of death was 'unascertained', he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were 'probably rather than possibly' to blame.

Tests on the Mr Williams body did not reveal signs of any poisons, but the experts said that they could not rule out the possibility that a poison could have disappeared as the body decomposed.

Isle of Wight Radio : Coroner To Announce Spy Death Verdict

Coroner To Announce Spy Death Verdict

May 2, 2012

Dr Fiona Wilcox has spent seven days listening to evidence from 39 witnesses.

She has questioned all of those who appeared in person and listened as lawyers for Gareth Williams family, as well as lawyers representing both the Metropolitan Police and MI6 cross examined the witnesses.

Tuesday's evidence included some surprising revelations, including the disclosure that MI6 had failed to pass over some of Mr Williams belongings from his office at MI6.

The officer in charge of the investigation into his death only found out about the existence of some of the items on Tuesday.

"Had I known about their existence, I would have expected them to be disclosed and any relevant information to be sent to my team. I would have expected to have been told," DCI Jackie Sebire told the court.

A senior Metropolitan Police officer also admitted that he had relied on MI6 to decide which of Mr Williams belongings were relevent to the investigation into the death.

Detective Superintendent Michael Broster said that he trusted MI6 to give him all the information he needed.

Responding to that admission, the coroner said: "Shouldn't the investigators be examining the items, not the people providing them?

"I would suggest that you are not being an impartial investigator in this case. An impartial investigator would have seized the items themselves."

The lawyer for Mr Williams family, Anthony O'Toole, put it more directly to Supt Broster.

"If the person who killed Gareth was a member of the Secret Intelligence Service, you did nothing to investigate because you believed that the organisation was trustworthy?"

The wide range of witnesses in this inquest began with Mr Williams sister Ceri Subbe who talked fondly of her brother.

She described him as "a country boy" who had expressed frustration with his secondment from GCHQ in Gloucestershire to MI6 in London.

Friends of Mr Williams also gave evidence. Among them was Sian Jones, a fashion consultant.

"We were childhood sweethearts and I would just say we were very very close." she told the court last week.

She, and other witnesses were asked how they could explain the fact that £20,000 of women's clothes and shoes were found in the flat where Mr Williams body was discovered.

Ms Jones and Ms Subbe both told the inquest that Mr Williams was a very generous man and that the clothes were likely to be gifts. Ms Jones said that he had frequently bought her clothes and handbags.

"He was a truly generous person. It wouldn't surprise me if they were gifts." she said.

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 4 occasions in two years.

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

Mr Williams' professional life was examined in minute detail as well. He was described as a brilliant man, highly intelligent and part of a team whose "Herculean efforts" in cryptology had won departmental awards at GCHQ.

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

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

"In hindsight, knowing what I know now, should I have taken action? Absolutely." witness G said.

Another witness, SIS-F, apologised for Witness G's lack of action.

"SIS are profoundly sorry about what happened. It shouldn't have happened. We recognise the delay [of a week] in finding Gareth's body has made it harder to come to terms with his death." SIS-F said.

The delay in reporting him missing made the pathologists work very hard, the court heard. When Mr Williams' body was eventually discovered it was badly decomposed.

The three post mortem examinations could not establish the cause of death. Three pathologists told the inquest that the decomposition hindered their work.

Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said that although the cause of death was "unascertained", he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame.

The police officer in charge of the investigation said at the start of the inquest that she believed the crux of the case surrounded the bag Mr Williams was found in.

The police still do not know how Mr Williams came to be in that bag. If he was alone, they do not know how he locked it from the outside.

If he was not alone, then who else was there and what motive did they have to kill him?

The police investigation had drawn a succession of blanks.

New evidence heard in this inquest for the first time might help them draw new leads in the coming months.

The police have repeatedly said there is still a chance of the breakthrough they need.

But now it is the turn of coroner Dr Wilcox to deliver her verdict on a case that remains, for now, a mystery.

Sky : Spy Death: Unlawful Killing Verdict Ruled Out

Spy Death: Unlawful Killing Verdict Ruled Out

Mark Stone, Sky reporter | May 2, 2012

A coroner investigating the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams has said there is insufficient evidence to consider a verdict of unlawful killing.

Dr Fiona Wilcox said a narrative verdict was the most appropriate option available to her as an open verdict "would not do justice" to her findings.

Mr Williams' body was found curled up naked in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010.

Dr Wilcox, who has spent seven days listening to evidence from 39 witnesses, is due to deliver her verdict later today over his mysterious death.

A narrative verdict is an option open to a coroner when other verdict options do not fit the case. It is a short factual statement outlining the facts.

It does leave open the option to include any failures by any party relevant to the circumstances of a death.

The lawyer for Mr Williams' family, Anthony O'Toole, believes that in the balance of probability, to use his words, the codebreaker's death was unlawful killing.

However, he accepts there is perhaps insufficient evidence to come categorically to that conclusion.

The very fact that Mr Williams' body was found locked in a bag would lead some to believe that perhaps there was a third party involved.

Indeed, the police have said all along that it is their belief that a third party was involved.

Dr Wilcox has questioned all of those who appeared in person and listened as lawyers for Mr Williams' family, as well as lawyers representing both the Metropolitan Police and MI6 cross-examined the witnesses.

Evidence included some surprising revelations, including the disclosure that MI6 had failed to pass over some of Mr Williams' belongings from his office at MI6.

The officer in charge of the investigation into his death only found out about the existence of some of the items on Tuesday.

"Had I known about their existence, I would have expected them to be disclosed and any relevant information to be sent to my team. I would have expected to have been told," DCI Jackie Sebire told the court.

A senior Metropolitan Police officer also admitted that he had relied on MI6 to decide which of Mr Williams' belongings was relevent to the investigation into the death.

Detective Superintendent Michael Broster said that he trusted MI6 to give him all the information he needed.

Responding to that admission, the coroner said: "Shouldn't the investigators be examining the items, not the people providing them?

"I would suggest that you are not being an impartial investigator in this case. An impartial investigator would have seized the items themselves."

Mr O'Toole put it more directly to Supt Broster.

"If the person who killed Gareth was a member of the Secret Intelligence Service, you did nothing to investigate because you believed that the organisation was trustworthy?"

The wide range of witnesses in this inquest began with Mr Williams' sister Ceri Subbe who talked fondly of her brother.

She described him as "a country boy" who had expressed frustration with his secondment from GCHQ in Gloucestershire to MI6 in London.

Friends of Mr Williams also gave evidence. Among them was Sian Jones, a fashion consultant.

"We were childhood sweethearts and I would just say we were very, very close," she told the court last week.

She, and other witnesses were asked how they could explain the fact that £20,000 of women's clothes and shoes were found in the flat where Mr Williams' body was discovered.

Ms Jones and Ms Subbe both told the inquest that Mr Williams was a very generous man and that the clothes were likely to be gifts. Ms Jones said he had frequently bought her clothes and handbags.

"He was a truly generous person. It wouldn't surprise me if they were gifts," she said.

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.

Mr Williams' professional life was examined in minute detail as well. He was described as a brilliant man, highly intelligent and part of a team whose "Herculean efforts" in cryptology had won departmental awards at GCHQ.

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

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

"In hindsight, knowing what I know now, should I have taken action? Absolutely," witness G said.

Another witness, SIS-F, apologised for Witness G's lack of action.

"SIS are profoundly sorry about what happened. It shouldn't have happened. We recognise the delay (of a week) in finding Gareth's body has made it harder to come to terms with his death," SIS-F said.

The delay in reporting him missing made the pathologists work very hard, the court heard. When Mr Williams' body was eventually discovered it was badly decomposed.

The three post-mortem examinations could not establish the cause of death. Three pathologists told the inquest that the decomposition hindered their work.

Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said that although the cause of death was "unascertained", he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame.

The police officer in charge of the investigation said at the start of the inquest that she believed the crux of the case surrounded the bag Mr Williams was found in.

The police still do not know how Mr Williams came to be in that bag. If he was alone, they do not know how he locked it from the outside.

If he was not alone, then who else was there and what motive did they have for killing him?

The police investigation had drawn a succession of blanks.

New evidence heard in this inquest for the first time might help them draw new leads in the coming months.

The police have repeatedly said there is still a chance of the breakthrough they need.

BBC : MI6 officer Gareth Williams and the 'missing hours' before his death

MI6 officer Gareth Williams and the 'missing hours' before his death

By Danny Shaw | Home affairs correspondent, BBC News | May 2, 2012

Just after 15:00 BST on Sunday 15 August 2010, a young man strolled into Alderney Street in Pimlico clutching two carrier bags.

CCTV shows the slim, wiry figure, in chinos and a red T-shirt, heading towards a block of flats at number 36.

It was the last time Gareth Williams was seen alive.

What happened in the next 19 hours, before the time Gareth was expected at his desk at the headquarters of MI6, holds the key to his death.

But there is little that is known with any certainty about those mysterious, missing hours.

Evidence heard at the inquest suggests that during the evening, Gareth cooked one of the two peppered grill-steaks he had bought from Waitrose that day, and had it for his supper.

There are also indications that at 23:30 BST he backed up data to a laptop from one of his phones, before viewing a cycling website at about 01:00 BST.

However, even these details cannot be confirmed - as it is possible someone else may have been using his phone and computer.

Like much of the case, speculation fills the void of those missing hours. In a way it is entirely in keeping with the strange and secretive life that Gareth Williams led.

'Somewhat naive'

To his friends, colleagues and family Gareth was an exceptionally gifted and hard-working young man whose spare time was spent on outdoor pursuits - rock-climbing, fell-running and cycling.

He also loved art, fashion, good food and shopping - Harvey Nichols and Harrods were just two of the stores he had visited that weekend.

But Gareth did not get close to many people. His former landlady in Cheltenham, Jennifer Elliot, described him as a "private person" who "kept himself to himself" and rarely had visitors.

Cheryl Eastap, who ran a 10-week fashion course at Central St Martin's College, in London, said that Gareth attended without his friends knowing, and that he was a "loner" who was very nervous and kept apologising.

"I considered him to be naive somewhat", she said in a statement read to the inquest, "not worldly or streetwise."

'Scruprulous risk assessor'

It is an interesting description that perhaps should have received closer scrutiny at the hearing than it did.

Did Gareth get himself into a situation in his private life where he was out of his depth? If so, what could it have been?

Although Gareth's sister, Ceri Subbe, said he was the "most scrupulous risk assessor" she had ever known, he had interests that his sister - to whom he was arguably closer than anyone else - did not know about, and which may have posed considerable risks.

One of his interests was in bondage. It may have been no more than curiosity that drew Gareth to view bondage websites, but the evidence is, that on one occasion at least, he took his interests to another level.

In 2007, Jennifer Elliot was woken in the middle of the night by Gareth's cries for help. The Cheltenham landlady and her husband found him in his boxer shorts, lying on his bed, his hands tied to the knobs of the headboard.

"He just said 'I just wanted to see if I could get myself free'," said Mrs Elliot in a statement.

She and her husband thought the escapade was a sexual act rather than an attempt at escapology, and Gareth promised his landlady it would not happen again.

But within two years he was in London, which would have afforded him greater opportunities to experiment if he had wanted.

Nothing has been discovered so far to suggest that Gareth did meet anyone in the capital who shared such interests, let alone invite them back to his flat.

But secrecy was the MI6 officer's trade. If he had wanted to keep something hidden in his private life, he would have surely found a way.

London certainly did provide Gareth Williams with the chance to indulge his love of women's fashion.

It might even be called an obsession. He had accumulated a collection of designer clothes and footwear worth around £20,000.

Identity crisis

Neither his closest friend, Sian Jones, a fashion stylist, nor Elizabeth Guthrie, with whom he was planning to attend a fancy dress ball, knew about the dresses and shoes.

That is perhaps more significant than the collection itself. It is another illustration of Gareth's secretive nature and suggests a hinterland of which no-one else was aware.

What else was hidden away? Gareth surely never intended that a video of him naked but for a pair of boots, bending down and wiggling his hips in front of a camera, would be found by a policeman and referred to in a courtroom. So who was it intended for?

Police investigators have tried to find out.

Almost 18 months ago, they appealed for information to confirm sightings of Gareth Williams at a gay bar in the Vauxhall area.

He had tickets for drag shows in the area and had previously gone to see Jonny Woo - a drag cabaret act - in east London.

But detectives appear to have made little progress tracking down anyone he met or with whom he was romantically involved.

What does appear clear, however, is that Gareth was to some extent struggling with his identity.

The wigs found in his flat, as well as the female clothing and shoes, may well be one sign. Another clue is provided by a newspaper clipping, found under a book on his living room table.

The cutting, from an Observer article, listed the "Top five regrets of the dying". Among them was having the courage to "live a life true to myself", "express my feelings" and "let myself be happier".

Those last unexplained hours of Gareth Williams' life were probably not happy ones. But the details of what went on remain as puzzling as the man himself.

Gareth Williams: What the evidence tells us

INJURIES: Nine days passed between the death of Gareth Williams and his post-mortem examination. His body had become badly decomposed, making the work of pathologists and toxicologists difficult. Dr Benjamin Swift only found small injuries on Mr Williams, which could have been the result of accidents. He noted that poison or asphyxiation were the most likely causes of death. Toxicologists said some substances, such as cyanide, chloroform and anaesthetic agents, would not have been detectible.

THE LOCKED BAG RIDDLE: One key question before the inquest was whether Mr Williams had locked himself in the bag. Expert witness Peter Faulding, shown above, said that he had tried and failed to lock the bag from inside 300 times. "I couldn't say it's impossible, but I think even Houdini would have struggled with this one," he said. William MacKay, another expert witness, said that he and an assistant had failed in more than 100 attempts to lock the bag from inside - but couldn’t rule out that Mr Williams had been able to.

INSIDE THE BAG: Did Mr Williams die inside the bag? Pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said: "The balance of probability is that Gareth was alive when he got in the bag.” He added: "I think there could have been a period of awareness that he needed to get out. The length of time might have been short." But Mr Faulding said he believed that Mr Williams was dead or unconscious before being placed in the bag. He suggested it would have been possible to shut Mr Williams in the holdall as long as rigor mortis had not set in.

WEBSITES AND SMARTPHONES: As part of the inquest, Mr Williams's computers and phones were examined. Detectives said the computers had been used to visit bondage websites. But, the inquest heard, this did not necessarily suggest an ongoing interest in such sites. Mr Williams's phones also had bondage websites in their browser history, while a smartphone found on a table contained no data because its factory settings had been restored.

WOMEN'S CLOTHES: Shoes and women’s designer clothing valued at £20,000 were found in the flat. Detectives also said that about half of the internet use on Mr Williams's computers had been in the area of women's high fashion, including handbags, cosmetics, belts and gloves. Friends and family members said they did not believe the clothes were for Mr Williams, but were probably intended as gifts. Friend Elizabeth Guthrie told the inquest Mr Williams had no interest in cross-dressing and she believed he was "straight".

Perth Now : 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 | From: NewsCore | May 02, 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 (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.

LBC : Spy Death: Unlawful Killing Verdict Ruled Out

Spy Death: Unlawful Killing Verdict Ruled Out

May 1, 2012

A coroner investigating the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams has said there is insufficient evidence to consider a verdict of unlawful killing.

Dr Fiona Wilcox said a narrative verdict was the most appropriate option available to her as an open verdict "would not do justice" to her findings.

Mr Williams' body was found curled up naked in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010.

Dr Wilcox, who has spent seven days listening to evidence from 39 witnesses, is due to deliver her verdict later today over his mysterious death.

A narrative verdict is an option open to a coroner when other verdict options do not fit the case. It is a short factual statement outlining the facts.

It does leave open the option to include any failures by any party relevant to the circumstances of a death.

The lawyer for Mr Williams' family, Anthony O'Toole, believes that in the balance of probability, to use his words, the codebreaker's death was unlawful killing.

However, he accepts there is perhaps insufficient evidence to come categorically to that conclusion.

The very fact that Mr Williams' body was found locked in a bag would lead some to believe that perhaps there was a third party involved.

Indeed, the police have said all along that it is their belief that a third party was involved.

Dr Wilcox has questioned all of those who appeared in person and listened as lawyers for Mr Williams' family, as well as lawyers representing both the Metropolitan Police and MI6 cross-examined the witnesses.

Evidence included some surprising revelations, including the disclosure that MI6 had failed to pass over some of Mr Williams' belongings from his office at MI6.

The officer in charge of the investigation into his death only found out about the existence of some of the items on Tuesday.

"Had I known about their existence, I would have expected them to be disclosed and any relevant information to be sent to my team. I would have expected to have been told," DCI Jackie Sebire told the court.

A senior Metropolitan Police officer also admitted that he had relied on MI6 to decide which of Mr Williams' belongings was relevent to the investigation into the death.

Detective Superintendent Michael Broster said that he trusted MI6 to give him all the information he needed.

Responding to that admission, the coroner said: "Shouldn't the investigators be examining the items, not the people providing them?

"I would suggest that you are not being an impartial investigator in this case. An impartial investigator would have seized the items themselves."

Mr O'Toole put it more directly to Supt Broster.

"If the person who killed Gareth was a member of the Secret Intelligence Service, you did nothing to investigate because you believed that the organisation was trustworthy?"

The wide range of witnesses in this inquest began with Mr Williams' sister Ceri Subbe who talked fondly of her brother.

She described him as "a country boy" who had expressed frustration with his secondment from GCHQ in Gloucestershire to MI6 in London.

Friends of Mr Williams also gave evidence. Among them was Sian Jones, a fashion consultant.

"We were childhood sweethearts and I would just say we were very, very close," she told the court last week.

She, and other witnesses were asked how they could explain the fact that £20,000 of women's clothes and shoes were found in the flat where Mr Williams' body was discovered.

Ms Jones and Ms Subbe both told the inquest that Mr Williams was a very generous man and that the clothes were likely to be gifts. Ms Jones said he had frequently bought her clothes and handbags.

"He was a truly generous person. It wouldn't surprise me if they were gifts," she said.

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.

Mr Williams' professional life was examined in minute detail as well. He was described as a brilliant man, highly intelligent and part of a team whose "Herculean efforts" in cryptology had won departmental awards at GCHQ.

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

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

"In hindsight, knowing what I know now, should I have taken action? Absolutely," witness G said.

Another witness, SIS-F, apologised for Witness G's lack of action.

"SIS are profoundly sorry about what happened. It shouldn't have happened. We recognise the delay (of a week) in finding Gareth's body has made it harder to come to terms with his death," SIS-F said.

The delay in reporting him missing made the pathologists work very hard, the court heard. When Mr Williams' body was eventually discovered it was badly decomposed.

The three post-mortem examinations could not establish the cause of death. Three pathologists told the inquest that the decomposition hindered their work.

Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said that although the cause of death was "unascertained", he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame.

The police officer in charge of the investigation said at the start of the inquest that she believed the crux of the case surrounded the bag Mr Williams was found in.

The police still do not know how Mr Williams came to be in that bag. If he was alone, they do not know how he locked it from the outside.

If he was not alone, then who else was there and what motive did they have for killing him?

The police investigation had drawn a succession of blanks.

New evidence heard in this inquest for the first time might help them draw new leads in the coming months.

The police have repeatedly said there is still a chance of the breakthrough they need.

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.

International Business Times : Spy in the Bag Gareth Williams Inquest: MI6 Failed to Pass Memory Sticks and Other Evidence to Police

Spy in the Bag Gareth Williams Inquest: MI6 Failed to Pass Memory Sticks and Other Evidence to Police

Ewan Palmer | May 1, 2012

MI6 did not hand over to police nine computer memory sticks belonging to spy Gareth Williams during the investigation into his death, an inquest has heard.

Officers discovered that MI6 withheld a North Face bag similar to the one Williams was found and the memory sticks.

The intelligence service had examined electronic media belonging to the code-breaker but failed to pass on a full inventory of his possessions at work.

The existence of the memory sticks was only revealed on the final day evidence at the inquest.

The body of Williams, 31, was found locked in a North Face holdhall at his Pimlico flat in London in August 2010.

DCI Jackie Sebire, the police officer leading the investigation, told Westminster's coroner's court that she "would have expected to have been told" about the belongings in 2010.

"What I knew was that Gareth's email accounts had been checked, but I did not know that other media had been checked," said Sebire.

She added that she was not surprised that Williams had memory sticks at his office given his line of work.

It is not clear how relevant they could be to the investigation.

DC Colin Hall, of the counter-terror SO15 branch, was questioned about his search of Williams's MI6 office.

Hall told the court he did not seize the memory sticks from Williams's office because they contained information "of a sensitive nature" and the bag did not hold any information about his death.

"The bag was looked through and searched but nothing was seized. It contained work-related items, it contained personal items," said Hall.

The inquest previously heard how Williams would have suffocated within three minutes of getting inside the sports bag.

Pathologist Benjamin Swift said Williams probably died because of suffocation or an unknown poison which disappeared in his system during decomposition.

Independent : ‘Spy in a bag’ likely to have been killed with poison, inquest told

‘Spy in a bag’ likely to have been killed with poison, inquest told

Asphyxiation is said to be the other most likely explanation for the death of Mr Williams

Kunal Dutta | May 1, 2012

The MI6 officer found dead in a bag may have been poisoned, an inquest heard yesterday.

Poisoning and asphyxiation were the "foremost contenders" for the death, consultant pathologist Benjamin Swift told the inquest. Overcome by carbon dioxide, Gareth Williams would have lost consciousness within two to three minutes if the bag had been sealed.

Yesterday, scientists said they had found traces of "at least" two unknown people who had been in Williams's apartment prior to the death, despite evidence he rarely entertained guests.

The inquest heard that post-mortem examinations were hampered by decomposition of the body caused by heat because the radiators had been left on.

According to the findings, Williams had been dead for 10 days at the time of the post-mortem examination, consistent with the last time he was seen alive on CCTV on 15 August 2010.

His naked body was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his top-floor flat in Pimlico, central London, on 23 August 2010. The Home Office pathologist Richard Shepherd said it was "more likely than not" that Williams was alive when he entered the bag, but it was "an extremely difficult call".

Because of the "floppiness" of a newly dead body, it was not easy to place a body as neatly as Williams was found, 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, the pathologist noted.

Examinations on August 25, 2010 – two days after Mr Williams was found in a holdall in his bathroom – gave cause of death as "unascertained". But under questioning, Dr Swift said poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame. Another pathologist, Richard Shepherd, 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. The hearing continues today.

Sky : Lawyer Alleges MI6 Involvement In Spy Death

Lawyer Alleges MI6 Involvement In Spy Death

Mark Stone, Sky News reporter | May 1, 2012

A lawyer representing the family of MI6 spy Gareth Williams whose body was found in a holdall has suggested the secret services may have been involved in his death.

Anthony O'Toole, the Williams' family lawyer, made the accusation in open court during the 31-year-old GCHQ code breaker's inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court.

The allegation came after it emerged MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks to Scotland Yard.

A black North Face holdall - similar to the one which Mr Williams was found dead in at his flat - was eventually passed to police.

The Metropolitan Police team investigating Mr William's death did not have direct access to his office.

Instead, the force's counter-terror SO15 branch, which has specialist security clearance, acted as a conduit between MI6 and the investigation team.

Two officers from the SO15 unit - Superintendent Michael Broster and Detective Constable Colin Hall - searched Mr Williams' MI6 office.

They only took three items - his phone, some notes and a copy of his birth certificate.

Asked why he did not take the memory sticks, Supt Broster said he did not think they were relevant - and admitted MI6 were left to examine them.

Mr O'Toole said: "So if the person who killed Gareth Williams was a member of SIS (MI6) you would do nothing to investigate because you believed that organisation to be trustworthy?"

Supt Broster insisted MI6 had been fully co-operative.

The officer was also criticised by Coroner Fiona Wilcox, who told him he was offering "total non-sequitur" reasons for failing to pass on evidence.

"I suggest that this means you have not been completely impartial in this case," she said.

Mr O'Toole also accused DC Hall of failing to take the probe seriously.

"If this had not involved SIS and it was the Kray twins you were investigating, you would have gone into this in far more detail," he told the officer.

Members of Mr Williams' family shook their heads as DC Hall revealed his search of Mr Williams' office was called off shortly after the spy was found dead.

Mr Hall said "there was stuff in there of a sensitive nature" in the bag but, when asked what, he said he could not remember.

Mr O'Toole added: "That's about as helpful as a London pea souper."

Earlier, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, the police officer in charge of the investigation, returned to give evidence to the inquest and told the coroner she had no knowledge of the memory sticks, or the bag, until this morning.

"Had I known about their existence, I would have expected them to be disclosed and any relevant information to be sent to my team," she said.

It is not clear what relevance if any the sticks and the bag have to the investigation into Mr Williams' death, but DCI Sebire said that MI6 should have told her about their existence.

It was also disclosed that MI6 searched some of Mr Williams' "electronic media" without telling the police.

"What I knew was that Gareth's email accounts had been checked but I did not know that other media had been checked," DCI Sebire said.

Meanwhile, a forensic scientist has been asked to appear again at the inquest, and a new MI6 witness has been asked to give evidence anonymously.

The inquest is due to conclude on Wednesday, but there is a chance now it could continue for longer.

The painstaking investigation has drawn a 20-month blank for detectives.

On Monday, Ros Hammond, a police forensic scientist, expressed hope that tests on a green towel found in the kitchen of Mr Williams' Pimlico apartment could yield a breakthrough within a matter of weeks.

The inquest also heard from a forensic Scientist and from the pathologists who carried out three separate post-mortems on Mr Williams' body.

They told the court all their examinations had proved to be inconclusive, and spoke of the difficulties they encountered because Mr Williams' body was badly decomposed.

A period of up to 10 days passed between when they believe he died and when his body was first examined.

However Benjamin Swift, a Home Office pathologist, said that although the cause of death was "unascertained", he believed that poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame.

Tests on the Mr Williams body did not reveal signs of any poisons, but the experts said that they could not rule out the possibility that a poison could have disappeared as the body decomposed.

CBS : Experts puzzled over U.K. spy's mystery death

Experts puzzled over U.K. spy's mystery death

April 30, 2012

(CBS/AP) LONDON - Poisoning or asphyxiation may have killed a British spy whose naked body was found locked inside a sports bag, but pathologists acknowledged Monday they can't be certain of the exact cause of his mysterious death.

Three specialists who conducted autopsies on the intelligence officer told an inquest hearing that his cadaver badly decomposed as it lay undiscovered for several days, hampering attempts to explain his death.

Gareth Williams, 31, worked for Britain's secret eavesdropping service GCHQ but was attached to the MI6 overseas spy agency when his remains were found in August 2010 at his London apartment inside the bag, and placed in a bathtub.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox has previously been told that MI6 colleagues failed to report Williams as missing for a week, meaning that police and pathologists lost vital chances to gather evidence.

Pathologist Benjamin Swift told the inquest that radiators had been turned on inside Williams' apartment — even though it was the height of Britain's warm summer — increasing the heat levels and accelerating the decomposition of his body.

Asked whether Williams may have been poisoned or suffocated, Swift said the options "were certainly two of the more prominent" explanations for the cryptology expert's death.

"I would never say never but those are the foremost contenders," he told the hearing.

Police have said they are not certain exactly how Williams died and have so far made no arrests, although a senior detective has told the inquest she believes that someone else must have been involved.

Ivestigators staged a re-enactment in the hopes that it would help explain how Williams wound up dead in the bathtub, CBS News' Charlie D'Agata reported.

Officers have indicated Williams' death may have had links to his private life and an apparent interest in sadomasochism — possibly during a sexual encounter gone awry.

His relatives, however, insist his demise must be related to his highly secret work.

Pathologists agreed that it was most likely that Williams had climbed inside the sports bag voluntarily.

Ian Calder, who carried out a second autopsy, said Williams would have rapidly suffered from an accumulation of carbon dioxide, which "plays some considerable havoc with the chemistry of the body."

The spy would have soon been in "a situation of not being aware, of not being able to react to getting himself out of the environment," Calder said.

Pathologist Richard Shepherd, who carried out a third examination, said it was more likely that Williams "was alive when he entered the bag than that he was dead."

He said that it would have been very difficult to place Williams' dead body inside the duffel bag in the position it was found in. He was discovered in the fetal position with his arms folded across his chest.

There were also no signs that the spy had struggled to free himself.

"Were he to be alive and struggling I would anticipate there to have been injuries," Shepherd said.

Wilcox has said she expects to deliver a verdict in the case this week.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This Is London : MI6 spy was poisoned or suffocated after he was put in bag alive, says pathologist

MI6 spy was poisoned or suffocated after he was put in bag alive, says pathologist

Paul Cheston | April 30, 2012

MI6 spy Gareth Williams was “likely” to have been alive when he was put in the holdall where his body was found, an inquest heard today.

Pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said that it would be “extremely difficult” to place a dead body inside a bag, either immediately after death, because of the floppy nature of the body, or after rigor mortis had set in.

Dr Shepherd said he was “confident” that Mr Williams’s death was unnatural and that the most likely causes were poisoning or suffocation.

But there was also no evidence that he was “manhandled” into the bag, and it could have been that “Gareth placed himself in due to an external threat. But I think to get in that bag so neatly requires some skill at manoeuvring.”

He said: “The handling of a body immediately after death is extremely difficult. I would have thought it would be an extremely difficult process to achieve in such a neat way.”

Asked by coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox: “Do you think Gareth was likely to be alive or dead when he got into the bag?”

He replied: “From a pathologist’s point of view, it is a difficult line to try to draw. I could conceive of situations where he could be placed in the bag, but it would be difficult. I think it is more likely than not he was alive.”

Dr Wilcox said: “It could have been that Gareth voluntarily got in the bag … but there would have been a point at which he needed to get out. It is possible that he could have got into the bag unaided, lost consciousness and then someone else put it in the bath.”

Dr Shepherd replied: “Yes, but the difficulty is the lock. It would be possible for him to get in the bag and do the zips up on his own.” He agreed that increasing unawareness of his surroundings as the air ran out could have led to his death.

Dr Wilcox asked: “Do you think it is more likely that he was prevented from getting out?”

He replied: “Once the lock was placed on it, there was no possibility of him escaping from the bag. So the question is, did he lock the bag or did another?”

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift, who conducted the post-mortem examination on 25 August 2010, said the level of decomposition “would be consistent with 10 days since he was last seen alive”.

Dr Swift said bodies could sometimes show injuries in decomposition which mimic actual injuries, but that “sometimes injuries that have occurred at the end of someone’s life can almost disappear as a result of the decomposition. It is possible to grab someone and move them without causing injury.”

The inquest continues.

Northumberland Gazette : Inquest hears spy suffocation claim

Inquest hears spy suffocation claim

April 30, 2012

MI6 spy Gareth Williams would have suffocated within three minutes after getting inside his sports holdall, an inquest has heard.

Poisoning and asphyxiation are 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."

Ms Hammond said a third party would not necessarily have left any DNA on his red North Face bag and padlock.

But she added: "There's certainly evidence of at least two people other than Mr Williams on the samples tested."

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 mysteriously turned on in Mr Williams's top-floor flat in the middle of summer.

The inquest was adjourned until Tuesday. Coroner Fiona Wilcox is likely to deliver her verdict on Wednesday.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Guardian : Gareth Williams probably died by suffocation or poisoning, inquest told

Gareth Williams probably died by suffocation or poisoning, inquest told

MI6 officer could have lost consciousness within two to three minutes due to buildup of CO2 inside bag, says pathologist

Caroline Davies | April 30, 2012

The MI6 officer Gareth Williams probably suffocated to death in a locked sports holdall or died from an unknown poison, his inquest heard.

The 31-year-old codes and ciphers expert would have been overcome very rapidly by CO2, losing consciousness within two to three minutes, if the bag was sealed while he was alive.

Cause of death could not be ascertained because of the level of decomposition by the time his body was found, which meant certain poisons or volatile agents would not be detected, Dr Benjamin Swift, a consultant forensic pathologist, told the inquest. The "foremost contenders" were asphyxiation by suffocation or poisoning, he said.

The naked body of Williams was found in a padlocked holdall in his bath at his top-floor flat in Pimlico, central London, on 23 August 2010.

The Home Office pathologist Richard Shepherd said it was "more likely than not" that Williams was alive when he entered the bag, but it was "an extremely difficult call". Because of the "floppiness" of a newly dead body, it was not easy to place a body as neatly as Williams was found, he said.

Postmortem examinations revealed no evidence of "restraint, gripping or holding" marks inflicted before death. There was no evidence of strangulation or physical trauma. Williams could have entered the bag voluntarily or been coerced into it under threat, Shepherd agreed.

The independent pathologist Ian Calder, who carried out a second postmortem, said hypercapnia – carbon dioxide poisoning – would have caused a soporific effect with "gradual fading away with no pain and an increasing lack of awareness".

Asked by the coroner, Fiona Wilcox, how long that might have taken, Calder said: "Two to three minutes at best for the level to become toxic."

Small abrasions on the tips of Williams's elbows were discovered. The hearing was told these could be consistent with him moving his arms inside the bag, possibly in an attempt to escape. "Once the lock is placed on it there was no possibility of getting out of that bag," said Shepherd. "The question is: did he place the lock or did another?"

Williams would have had "a period of awareness" of being overcome by CO2, and the grazes could represent an attempt to get out, the inquest heard. "Death will come so fast, leaving little or no chance even in fit young people for there to be a response," said Shepherd. Hypercapnia was a "sign-free death", he added.

The inquest heard that the postmortem examinations were hampered by decomposition caused by heat. Despite it being summer, the radiators in the flat were on. The degree of decomposition suggested Williams had been dead for 10 days at the time of postmortem, consistent with the last time he was seen alive on CCTV on 15 August 2010.

Two hairs were recovered from the back of Williams's right thumb and his right little finger. The coroner said no forensic analysis of them had been submitted to the inquest, and she asked for any details to be disclosed.

DNA from another person was found on Williams's left hand. The inquest was told that details of the DNA were erroneously inputted into a database by LGC, the forensic company analysing samples, an error only discovered a year after Williams's death. The DNA sample was from one of the forensic scientists at the scene. Paul Allen, of LGC, expressed his "very deep regret" to Williams's family for the error.

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.

Independent : MI6 spy Gareth Williams 'poisoned or suffocated'

MI6 spy Gareth Williams 'poisoned or suffocated'

Tom Morgan, Rosa Silverman | April 30, 2012

MI6 spy Gareth Williams would have suffocated within three minutes after getting inside his sports holdall, an inquest heard today.

Poisoning and asphyxiation are 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."

Ms Hammond said a third party would not necessarily have left any DNA on his red North Face bag and padlock.

But she added: "There's certainly evidence of at least two people other than Mr Williams on the samples tested."

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 mysteriously 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.

The results would include headaches, then confusion and eventually unconsciousness and cardiac arrest, he added.

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

"He would get into a situation of not being aware, of not being able to react to getting himself out of the environment," Dr Calder said.

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

"I think it's a very likely possibility considering we have a healthy person with no damage, as far as we know no drugs, no trauma, no natural disease," he said.

Examinations on August 25 2010 - two days after Mr Williams was found in a holdall in his bathroom - gave cause of death as "unascertained".

But under questioning today, Dr Swift said poisoning or asphyxiation such as suffocation were "probably rather than possibly" to blame.

Dr Swift said the two causes of death "were certainly two of the more prominent" beliefs as he conducted examinations.

When family lawyer Anthony O'Toole asked if there were any other possible causes of death, Dr Swift replied: "I would never say never but those are the foremost contenders."

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 inquest was adjourned until tomorrow. Coroner Fiona Wilcox is likely to deliver her verdict on Wednesday.

PA

Sky : MI6 Spy 'Died From Suffocation Or Poisoning'

MI6 Spy 'Died From Suffocation Or Poisoning'

April 30, 2012

Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" in the sports bag death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, an inquest has heard.

Mr Williams' body was found curled up naked in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010.

Three pathologists who carried out post-mortem examinations on Mr Williams' body are giving evidence at the sixth day of the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court.

The first pathologist to give evidence, Dr Benjamin Swift, could not confirm the cause of Mr Williams' death.

He told the inquiry he did not want to speculate but said asphyxiation and poison were the two "foremost contenders".

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

The evidence from pathologists comes after a bag expert told the inquest even Harry Houdini would have struggled to lock himself in the red North Face holdall.

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

There were no injuries indicating Mr Williams had struggled to get out of the bag, the pathologist added.

He also said there were no signs on Mr Williams' fingertips that suggested he tried to get out the bag.

No tablet deposits were found in his system and there was no bruising consistent with strangulation.

The pathologist told the coroner there was no sign of significant traumatic injury, or sexual assault.

Dr Swift said he believed Mr Williams would have died shortly after his last known movements on August 15.

Dr Shepherd, who performed the third post-mortem examination, said there was "no suggestion" the spy's body had been manhandled into the holdall.

He said were Mr Williams to have been forced into it either alive or straight after he died, marks on his body would have been expected.

Dr Shepherd said: "I think it would have been a very difficult process to achieve, getting a body so neatly into a bag.

"Were he to be alive and struggling I would anticipate there to have been injuries".

Getting a body into a bag straight after death would be impeded by the "floppiness" of the corpse in this period, the court heard.

BBC : MI6 officer 'possibly poisoned or asphyxiated'

BBC : MI6 officer 'possibly poisoned or asphyxiated'

April 30, 2012

MI6 officer Gareth Williams possibly died from poisoning or asphyxiation, a Home Office pathologist has said.

These were the "foremost contenders", Dr Benjamin Swift told the inquest into the death, but he added they were possibilities not probabilities.

Pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said grazes on Mr Williams's arms could have been caused by attempts to get out of the bag in which his body was found.

Mr Williams, 31, from Anglesey, was found dead in his London flat in 2010.

The three pathologists who conducted post-mortem examinations, and who all gave evidence at Westminster Coroner's Court on Monday, had been unable to reach a firm conclusion on how Mr Williams died.

Dr Swift said he had found no trace of poison, which he said could have disappeared in Mr Williams's system during decomposition.

The pathologist found some grazes and bruising on the body, as well as three areas of internal bruising, but said these could have occurred accidentally - and that he did not think these suggested a struggle to get out of the holdall in which the body was found in an empty bath.

Dr Swift found no significant traumatic injury, no offensive or defensive injuries, no injury from sexual assault nor any bruising consistent with strangulation.

'Not manhandled'

Dr Shepherd said he thought it more likely than not that Mr Williams was alive when he got into, or was put in, the sports bag.

He said it would have been difficult to put a newly-dead body into a bag in a bath "so neatly".

"There is nothing to suggest Gareth's body was manhandled into the bag," he added.

But he said he thought the grazing and bruises on Mr Williams's arms were "indicative of the type of injuries which could have been caused by rubbing his elbows on the inside of the bag to try to get out or to manoeuvre the zip".

"The balance of probability is that Gareth was alive when he got in the bag," he said.

"I think there could have been a period of awareness that he needed to get out. The length of time might have been short."

Dr Ian Calder told the inquest that if Mr Williams had entered the bag alive, the build-up of carbon dioxide inside would have become poisonous within two or three minutes, causing him to become confused and sleepy before eventually leading to loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.

"He would get into a situation of not being aware, of not being able to react to getting himself out of the environment," Dr Calder said.

"I think it's a very likely possibility considering we have a healthy person with no damage, as far as we know no drugs, no trauma, no natural disease."

Unidentified people

Forensic scientist Ros Hammond told the inquest there was "certainly evidence" of at least two unidentifed people at the flat in Pimlico, central London.

She told the court there were hopes of a breakthrough "within a matter of weeks" from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in the kitchen.

"The tests are still in progress and there may be some promising results from those tests," she said.

Dr Swift said he believed that Mr Williams died shortly after he was last seen alive on 15 August, because the level of decomposition was consistent with the length of time before his body was found on 23 August.

The pathologist said that it was the extent of the decomposition that had prevented the cause of death being ascertained.

He said the heat inside the bag, and in Mr Williams's flat where the radiators were on in the middle of summer, had increased decomposition.

The inquest was adjourned until Tuesday.