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

MI6 staff 'may face DNA screening over spy death'

May 8, 2012

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

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

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

A coroner has concluded that he was probably unlawfully killed.

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

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

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

Mr Hogan-Howe said: "Of course it may well be that Gareth Williams' death has nothing to do with employment. All we need to do is to make sure that all areas of his life were fully explored."

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

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

Memory sticks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Associated Press | May 5, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Wilcox also criticized the police detectives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The police investigation is ongoing.

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

3 News (NZ) : Coroner: Spy Gareth Williams likely slain by mystery killer

Coroner: Spy Gareth Williams likely slain by mystery killer

By Paisley Dodds | May 3, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Wilcox also criticised the police detectives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The police investigating is ongoing.

AP

Scotsman : Gareth Williams inquest: The seven unanswered questions

Gareth Williams inquest: The seven unanswered questions

May 3, 2012

Scotland Yard has vowed to pursue all new evidence which has emerged. But a source close to the inquiry said officers were still “some way off a breakthrough”.

Here is how the inquest has tried but failed to solve the riddle.

Q: Were secret agents specialising in the “dark arts” responsible for Mr Williams’s death in his Pimlico home?

A: Detectives have said from the start that third-party involvement was likely.

The fact there were no fingerprints at all in the flat suggested it had been professionally cleaned up. There were also nine computer memory sticks and a bag withheld by MI6.

Det Supt Michael Broster said: “I am not saying that a member of SIS [MI6] is not involved. I don’t know.”

Q: How was Williams able to get inside a holdall in his bathtub before padlocking himself in?

A: Bag expert Peter Faulding said even world-famous escapologist Harry Houdini would have struggled to squeeze himself in.

Mr Faulding tried and failed to carry out the task more than 300 times. But William MacKay, who made more than 100 attempts with a yoga-practising assistant, said: “I would not like to say that it could not be done.”

Q: Could a third party have been present when he died, despite no trace of DNA or fingerprints?

A: Forensic experts said it was entirely possible that someone could break in and kill Mr Williams without leaving any evidence.

Det Insp Sebire says she remains convinced someone was there. Forensic expert Ros Hammond said there were hopes of a breakthrough “within a matter of weeks” from DNA tests on a towel discovered in his kitchen.

Q: Why was there no sign of a struggle on his body? Could he have been drugged?

A: Poisoning and asphyxiation are the “foremost contenders” in causing Mr Williams’ death, pathologists said. But experts believe there would have been signs of damage to his fingers and hands if he had struggled to get out of the bag within the three minutes it would have taken to suffocate.

The fact that Mr Williams was dead for up to ten days before his post-mortem examination meant many poisons and/or bruise marks could have disappeared.

Q: Why did it take colleagues at MI6 more than a week to realise he was missing?

A: MI6 offered a range of excuses including his recent return from a trip to Las Vegas, delays on the trains and his imminent return to GCHQ.

Colleagues apologised to the family for the potential damage the mistakes did to the police inquiry.

Q: Has information been withheld because it could jeopardise secret security operations?

A: Family lawyer Anthony O’Toole was blocked on several occasions from asking detectives and MI6 about the use of an apparently unvetted estate agent to let Mr Williams’s flat. Relatives suspect the decision may have compromised the safety of the property. In addition, more than ten employees linked to GCHQ and MI6 were allowed to give evidence behind a screen to protect their identities.

Q: Could Mr Williams’s private life have had any significance in his death?

A: He had shown an interest in escapology and self-bondage. He once tied himself to his bed and had to be cut free.

But Det Con Simon Warren said Williams’s interest in bondage footage on his computer was “an isolated [incident] among other data”.

Taranaki Daily News (NZ) : Naked spy in bag 'likely slain by mystery killer'

Naked spy in bag 'likely slain by mystery killer'

Paisley Dodds | May 3, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

Forensic experts found some 20,000 pounds (NZ$39,965) worth of luxury women's clothing, shoes and wigs in his apartment. Police also discovered that he had visited bondage and sadomasochism websites, including some related to claustrophilia — a desire for confinement in enclosed spaces.

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

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

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

The case has frustrated Scotland Yard detectives who have been investigating the case for 21 months now and say that the secrecy surrounding Williams' job has thwarted their efforts.
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"Obviously a lot of information has come out through the course of this inquest which we have not been party to," lead detective Jackie Sebire said.

But Wilcox also criticised the police detectives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The police investigating is ongoing.

- AP

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.

This Is London : Spy in bag Gareth Williams was killed 'by a third party', coroner rules

Spy in bag Gareth Williams was killed 'by a third party', coroner rules

Paul Cheston | May 2, 2012

The MI6 spy found dead inside a padlocked holdall was killed “by a third party” but the mystery of what happened may never be solved, a coroner ruled this afternoon.

The naked body of codebreaker Gareth Williams, 31, was discovered in a red North Face bag in the bath of his Pimlico flat in August 2010. His family claim he was a victim of the “dark arts” of the secret services. Dr Fiona Wilcox said she believed he was alive when he was put inside the bag and suffocated as a result of a quick-acting poison. “A third party placed the bag in the bath and on the balance of probabilities locked the bag”, she said: adding: “The cause of death was unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated. Therefore I am satisfied ... that Gareth was killed unlawfully.”

Mr Williams’s parents and sister looked on as Dr Wilcox told Westminster coroner’s court there was not enough proof to record an official verdict of unlawful killing. She suggested that he had unwittingly arranged to meet his killer by phone.

In a narrative verdict, the coroner said it was “unlikely” the circumstances “will ever be satisfactorily explained” despite a 21-month police inquiry and a seven-day inquest. Dr Wilcox added: “Most of the fundamental questions in relation to how Gareth died remain unanswered.

She appeared to rule out that Mr Williams died as a result of some kind of “auto-erotic activity”, also denying there was any evidence to suggest claustrophilia — the love of enclosed spaces — was of any interest to him. I find on the balance of probabilities that, if he had got into the bag and locked himself in, he would have taken a knife in with him,” she said. “He was a risk assessor.”

There was no evidence to suggest the spy was a transvestite “or interested in any such thing”, she said. The make-up found in his flat was more likely to reflect his interest in fashion, she argued.

There was some suggestion that his interest in female footwear could have been of a sexual nature, but this was not unusual, Dr Wilcox observed.

“Gareth was naked in a bag when he was found, not cross-dressed, not in high-heeled shoes,” she said.

A cause of death has not been established. Pathologists said he would have suffocated within three minutes if he was alive when he got inside the 32ins by 19ins e bag.

Poisoning and asphyxiation were the “foremost contenders” in solving the death riddle, they said.

Efforts appear to have been made to clean up the death scene. The lack of hand and footprints in the bathroom was “significant”, Dr Wilcox said, telling the court: “In relation to the prints found within the bathroom, in my view what was more significant was what was not found rather than what was found.”

The coroner ruled out Mr Williams’s interest in bondage and drag queens in having any bearing on his death as she questioned leaks about his private life to the press. She said: “I wonder if this was an attempt by some third party to manipulate the evidence.” Lead detective Jackie Sebire told the inquest she remained convinced that Mr Williams’s death was suspicious. Ms Sebire said: “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.”

Dr Wilcox said it remained a “legitimate line of inquiry” that the secret services were involved in Mr Williams’s death and criticised “shortfalls” by MI6 in passing on evidence to Scotland Yard. But she said “there was no evidence to support that he died at the hands of” spies.

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.

NYT : Foul Play Ruled Likely in Case of Spy Found Dead in Bag

Foul Play Ruled Likely in Case of Spy Found Dead in Bag

By JOHN F. BURNS | May 2, 2012

LONDON — Deepening the mystery surrounding the death of a reclusive MI6 agent found doubled up inside a padlocked duffel bag in his London flat, a coroner said on Wednesday that it was unlikely that the case would ever be solved, but that the “balance of probabilities” suggested that he had been unlawfully killed. Scotland Yard reacted immediately by saying it would continue its efforts to hunt down the killer.

After an eight-day inquest that has thrown an uncomfortable spotlight on MI6, Britain’s secret intelligence service, the coroner, Dr. Fiona Wilcox, said the death of Gareth Williams, 31, a Welsh-born mathematician involved in top-secret code-breaking work, appeared to have been “unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated,” — a phrase that legal experts said meant that he was either killed, that someone assisted in a suicide plot or that somebody fled after a sex game went wrong.

Dr. Wilcox said she was “satisfied” that some “third party” had been involved in getting Mr. Williams into the bag, probably while he was alive. This person, she said, probably then locked the bag and carried it to the empty bathtub in the government-owned apartment in the upscale district of Pimlico, where the body was discovered a week after Mr. Williams died.

Dr. Wilcox noted that three pathologists working separately had been unable to determine, because of the body’s decomposition, whether Mr. Williams was poisoned or asphyxiated. She described other evidence as being inconclusive to the point that it was unlikely that the mystery “would ever be satisfactorily explained.”

Still, she said, she was “satisfied that on the balance of probabilities Gareth was killed unlawfully.” The conclusion seemed certain to give fresh currency to conspiracy theories, including some that attribute the death to Russian secret service agents or to militants from Al Qaeda.

The coroner said that it remained a “legitimate line of inquiry” whether MI6 or other secret agencies were involved in the death. She criticized MI6 for what she called its shortfalls in handling the case, including a delay of a week by Mr. Williams’s MI6 manager in reporting that he was missing from work. Pathologists said their work was impeded by the delay, which resulted in such advanced decomposition that they were unable to obtain any decisive forensic clues.

Dr. Wilcox played down suggestions that facets of Mr. Williams’s private life had led to his death, including his interest in bondage Web sites, cross-dressing, transvestite performances and what were described at the hearing as “autoerotic experiences,” specifically a condition known as claustrophilia, involving sexual thrills from being confined in enclosed spaces.

Dr. Wilcox also said she was disinclined to believe that Mr. Williams had committed suicide, a theory encouraged by a newspaper clipping found in his flat that canvassed the most common regrets that people have on their deathbeds. She said he had shown no other signs of depression. As for his purported interest in bondage, she said, she would have expected more than the four visits to bondage sites that were traced on his computers.

As for the $30,000 in high-fashion women’s clothing and shoes found in his flat, and a bright orange woman’s wig, Dr. Wilcox said this was more likely to reflect the interest in fashion he showed by attending a six-week fashion course, and his liking of manga parties, a pastime borrowed from Japan that involves wearing extravagant costumes.

The case has been an awkward experience not only for MI6 but also for an associated agency that was Mr. Williams’s primary employer, the Government Communications Headquarters, Britain’s principal electronic surveillance and code-breaking center. After 10 years working at the unit’s base outside London, Mr. Williams was on a three-year transfer to MI6’s London headquarters, working on the application of new code-breaking technologies, when he died. But it was the MI6 chief, John Sawers, who attended Mr. Williams’s funeral and who delivered an unusual apology for the delay in reporting Mr. Williams missing that was read to the inquest by an MI6 lawyer.

A version of this article appeared in print on May 3, 2012, on page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Foul Play Ruled Likely In Case of Spy Found Dead.

Sky : Spy Death: The Evidence Behind The Theories

Spy Death: The Evidence Behind The Theories

May 2, 2012

Three general theories have been put forward to explain the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, with evidence to support each one.

:: Suicide

The theory that Mr Williams' chose to take his own life is perhaps the most prosaic explanation for his death and the inquest has heard evidence that suggested he was unhappy with his work.

He had passed an exam to become fully operational with MI6 just months before his death but his sister said he disliked office culture and the rat race - and had spoken of friction among colleagues.

One common theme throughout the inquest has been Mr Williams' prodigious intelligence, which saw him secure a first-class mathematics degree at the age of 17 before his eventual fast-tracking through the ranks at GCHQ.

Correlations have often been drawn between depression and the high levels of perfectionism evident in Mr Williams - an impression his intense fitness regime and pristinely tidy flat did little to dispel.

Irrespective of his state of mind, however, no-one has been able to fully explain how he would have been able to lock the bag his body was found in from the outside.

Stephen Gale, his boss at GCHQ's Cheltenham base, said Mr Williams stunned fellow intelligence specialists with his codebreaking talents when he landed his first job at 21.

"He was considered something of a prodigy and it was quite remarkable that he had achieved those levels of qualifications at such a young age," he said.

It could be argued that such outstanding achievement at such an early age could lead to the kind of listlessness later in life that can eventually develop into suicidal thoughts.

But Mr Williams' reputation as a "world-class" codebreaker may also give rise to the more outlandish theory that he took his own life while deliberately leaving an apparently inextricable riddle.

:: Accident

Mr Williams' interest in women's clothing - on which receipts showed he spent around £20,000 during 2008 and 2009 - has been among the most prominently-reported details of the case.

His curiosity with drag queen culture has also been a focus for the media, as has his apparent interest in bondage footage.

The inquest heard that in 2007, Mr Williams' landlord and landlady had to rescue him in the middle of the night after he apparently tied his wrists to the headboard of his bed to see if he could "get free".

Such revelations could contribute to a theory that Mr Williams' death was an accident, even the result of a sex game gone-wrong.

However, close friends say he never mentioned cross-dressing and he is only known to have been to see a drag act once.

Detective Constable Simon Warren also moved to quell speculation around the 31-year-old's private life, saying his interest in bondage footage on his computer was "an isolated (incident) among a sea of other data".

And it is not entirely inconceivable that a third party may have manufactured an image of someone with flamboyant personal habits in order to distract from a more sinister truth.

Indeed, this possibility was acknowledged by the coroner in her summing up, when she questioned whether leaks to the media about Mr Williams' cross dressing were attempts to manipulate evidence.

She pointed out that most of the women's clothes found would have been too small for him and said the lack of female underwear was "inconsistent".

Mr Williams was described as a cautious risk assessor by his sister, which the coroner said did not "square" with the suggestion of an interest in bondage.

:: Murder

Despite having no suspects, the police have said from the outset that they believe a third party was involved in Mr Williams' death.

Found naked, curled up in a padlocked North Face holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, bag experts have said that even renowned escapologist Harry Houdini would have struggled to lock himself in the bag.

One even tried and failed to carry out the task more than 300 times before saying they were "unbelievable scenarios".

Lawyers for his family have suggested "dark arts" of the secret services were responsible.

The recent emergence of the news that MI6 failed to hand over nine computer memory sticks from Mr Williams' office to Scotland Yard has done little to confound such claims.

Conspiracy theories are fuelled by the fact that the force's counter-terror SO15 branch, which has specialist security clearance and acted as a conduit between MI6 and the investigation team, only took three items from Mr Williams' office - his phone, some notes and a copy of his birth certificate.

Detective Superintendent Michael Broster, who was the main liaison from SO15, said: "I have seen no information or evidence that someone is involved. I am not saying that a member of SIS is not involved. I don't know."

Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" in causing Mr Williams' death, pathologists said.

But experts believe there would have been signs of damage to his fingers and hands if he had struggled to get out of the bag within the three minutes it would have taken to suffocate.

The fact that Mr Williams was dead for up to 10 days before his post-mortem examination meant many poisons and/or bruise marks could have disappeared from his body.

Another matter to have attracted suspicion is MI6's failure to report his absence for more than a week after his disappearance.

Forensic experts hope ongoing DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen may still yield a breakthrough.

But given the assumed capabilities of MI6, the fact that no physical evidence has yet been found to establish the involvement of a third party is unlikely to halt speculation that secret service agents were to blame.

USA Today : Coroner: U.K. spy found in sports bag likely killed

Coroner: U.K. spy found in sports bag likely killed

May 2, 2012

LONDON (AP) – A coroner said Wednesday a British spy whose naked body was found inside a locked sports bag was likely killed in a criminal act, but acknowledged the riddle of how he met his mysterious death may never be solved.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox said it was unlikely that the demise of code breaker Gareth Williams, 31, would "ever be satisfactorily explained," despite a 21-month police inquiry, and seven days of expert evidence to an inquest hearing.

Williams 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, in the bag and inside a bathtub.

Wilcox said the spy was likely killed either by suffocation or poisoning in a "criminally meditated act" and acknowledged it was possible that an intelligence agency colleague may have been involved.

It is "likely that Gareth entered the bag alive and then died very soon afterwards," the coroner said as Williams' family listened to her verdict inside Westminster Coroner's Court.

The coroner moved to dispel wild theories that have swirled around the case — insisting there was no evidence of a sexual encounter gone wrong, of suicidal intent, or that Williams' death was linked to a supposed interest in bondage.

She said there was no evidence that the death was tied to work, amid speculation the spy could have been the target of Russian criminal gangs or an al-Qaeda extremist.

Wilcox said it appeared "extremely unlikely" that Williams could have climbed inside the sports bag and locked it himself. Two different specialists attempted to recreate the feat hundreds of times without success.

Given testimony that described Williams as deeply private — shunning his colleagues outside of work — and wary of strangers as a result of his secret work, she said a potential killer must have been a friend, or entered his home uninvited.

Williams was discovered in the fetal position inside the bag, his arms calmly folded across his chest and with two keys to the bag's padlock underneath his buttocks.

Pathologists told the inquest that poisoning or asphyxiation may have killed Williams, but acknowledged they can't be certain because his cadaver badly decomposed as it lay undiscovered for several days.

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

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

MI6 colleagues failed to report Williams as missing for a week, meaning that police and medical experts lost vital chances to gather evidence. Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire also told the inquest that British spy services had failed to pass on evidence in the case until this week: nine computer memory sticks that had been found at Williams' workplace.

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

Police are uncertain exactly how Williams died and have so far made no arrests, though their investigation into the spy's death remains active.

Family lawyer Anthony O'Toole has previously said Williams' relatives suspect "the dark arts of the secret services" may have been behind a cover up of the true circumstances of his death.

Wilcox dismissed claims that a fetish for sadomasochism or transvestitism may have been behind Williams' death. There was no evidence the spy was interested in any such thing, Wilcox concluded. She added that she believed rumors may have been stoked by a "third party to manipulate the evidence," without elaborating.

Wilcox delivered a so-called "narrative verdict" — a lengthy but inconclusive ruling which is available when there isn't clear evidence of natural causes, suicide or enough proof of unlawful killing.

In Britain, a corner's task is to outline the circumstances of how and when a person died — rather than apportion blame, or recommend criminal charges.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette : Most spy death questions unanswered

Most spy death questions unanswered

© Press Association 2011 | May 2, 2012

Coroner Fiona Wilcox said it is "unlikely" the death of Gareth Williams "will ever be satisfactorily explained" as she began her narrative verdict at Westminster Coroner's Court.

Dr Wilcox said "most of the fundamental questions in relation to how Gareth died remain unanswered" after a 21-month police inquiry and a seven day inquest into the death of the MI6 codebreaker.

Mr Williams, a 31-year-old fitness enthusiast originally from Anglesey, North 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 32in (81cm) by 19in (48cm) red North Face bag. Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" in solving the death riddle, they said.

Metro News (Canada) : Coroner: Spy likely slain by mystery killer

Coroner: Spy likely slain by mystery killer

By Paisley Dodds | The Associated Press | May 2, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Wilcox also criticized the police detectives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The police investigating is ongoing.

___

David Stringer contributed to this report.

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.

Metro : MI6 and police ‘held on to evidence after spy Gareth Williams’ death’

MI6 and police ‘held on to evidence after spy Gareth Williams’ death’

By Joel Taylor | May 1, 2012

MI6 and a senior Scotland Yard detective have been criticised for failing to disclose evidence in the death of spy Gareth Williams.

The secret service and Det Supt Michael Broster did not reveal the existence of nine memory sticks and a North Face bag, similar to the one Mr Williams’s body was found in, at his office, an inquest heard.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox told the counter-terror officer, who was unable to rule out secret service involvement in the death, that he had offered ‘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 added.

His assistant, Det Con Colin Hall, said ‘there was stuff of a sensitive nature’ in the bag but, when asked what, he told Westminster coroner’s court he could not remember.

Det Con Hall’s search of the 31-year-old’s workplace in Vauxhall, central London, was called off shortly after the spy was found dead in his Pimlico flat in August 2010.

On the last day of evidence in the inquest, the Williams family barrister Anthony O’Toole accused the officer of being as ‘helpful as a London pea souper’.

Det Ch Insp Jackie Sebire, the senior officer investigating the death, said she was not told about the missing evidence until Monday. ‘What I knew was that Gareth’s email accounts had been checked but I did not know that other media had been checked,’ she added.

Poisoning and asphyxiation were the ‘foremost contenders’ for the cause of his death, pathologists have said.

BBC : MI6 failed to hand police dead spy Gareth Williams' belongings

MI6 failed to hand police dead spy Gareth Williams' belongings

May 1, 2012

MI6 failed to pass police a lot of Gareth Williams' belongings during the probe into his death, an inquest heard.

Officers discovered on Monday that MI6 withheld computer memory sticks found in his office and a North Face bag similar to the one he was found in.

Secret services also searched his "electronic media" without informing police, a leading detective said.

The body of the 31-year-old code-breaker from Anglesey was found locked in a bag in his London flat in 2010.

Det Ch Insp Jackie Sebire, who is leading the investigation, told Westminster 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," Ms Sebire said.

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

Search 'not completed'

Scotland Yard's Det Const Colin Hall, of the counter-terror SO15 branch, was questioned about his search of Mr Williams' MI6 office on 26 August 2010, saying he did not seize computer memory sticks because he was told they contained material "of a sensitive nature".

Asked why he had failed to seize a black North Face bag discovered under the spy's desk, Mr Hall said: "I was told there was nothing there about Gareth's death."

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

Mr Hall was accused by the barrister for the Williams' family of failing to take the task as seriously as he should have done because the work was linked to the secret services.

But Mr Hall said that his team "had not completed our search" of the Vauxhall HQ because it was called off on the orders of senior detectives.

"I will do what I'm told," said he added.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox ordered Mr Hall to re-examine the missed evidence of the black bag in front of the courtroom.

Det Supt Michael Broster of the counter-terror SO15 branch was recalled later to give further evidence about the search of Mr Williams' office.
'Neglected'

Mr Broster told the inquiry he may have "neglected" to tell exhibit officer Det Const Hall to log details of a seized work phone and that, in hindsight, his team should have examined the memory sticks instead of passing them to MI6.

He also said he had not checked if a set of keys found in Mr Williams' work locker fitted his flat, but accepted they were for the office, as he was told by MI6.

Mr Broster insisted he had taken what he believed was relevant material, and that he had acted impartially.

The inquest into the death of Mr Williams is hearing a final round-up of evidence from the case, following a 21-month police investigation. A verdict is expected on Wednesday.

His body was found naked in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London.

Three pathologists who conducted post-mortem examinations gave evidence at Westminster Coroner's Court, have been unable to reach a firm conclusion on how Mr Williams died.

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

The inquest will hear again from the forensic scientist Ros Hammond, as well as a new witness from MI6 known as Witness D.

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.

UKPA : MI6 accused over spy case evidence

MI6 accused over spy case evidence

May 1, 2012

MI6 was accused of failing to disclose evidence during the 21-month police inquiry into the death riddle of spy Gareth Williams whose body was found in a central London flat.

A detective faced claims he offered information as "helpful as London pea souper" after it emerged secret services held on to nine computer memory sticks and a black bag.

As a coroner ordered police to bring the missed evidence into the inquest of Mr Williams' death, family barrister Anthony O'Toole told police they had not taken the incident seriously enough.

The North Face bag - similar to the one which Mr Williams was found dead in at his flat - was discovered by officers under the spy's desk at MI6's HQ.

But the lead detective on the case was only told about it on Monday after officers were stopped from seizing it in August 2010.

MI6 also examined computer equipment belonging to Mr Williams without telling police, the inquest heard.

Family members of Mr Williams shook their heads as Detective Constable Colin Hall, of the force's counter-terror SO15 branch, said his search of the agent's Vauxhall HQ 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 London pea souper."

The 31-year-old fitness enthusiast was found naked, curled up in a padlocked holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico on August 23 2010, with pathologists saying poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" in solving the death riddle.

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