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

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

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

By Nigel West | April 29, 2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily Star : BAG SPY’S GINGER WIG AND LIPSTICK

BAG SPY’S GINGER WIG AND LIPSTICK

Marc Walker | April 25, 2012

A GINGER wig, lipstick and make-up were in bag-death spy Gareth Williams’s flat, an inquest heard yesterday.

A police video also showed £20,000-worth of women’s clothing in the MI6 safe house.

Gareth’s distressed parents Ian and Ellen fled the Coroner’s Court as the clip focused on the padlocked holdall bulging with their son’s body.

Someone else’s DNA was on the zip and lock, the inquest heard.

A newspaper cutting headlined “top five regrets of the dying” was also filmed at the well-kept flat in Pimlico, central London.

Gareth’s pal Sian Jones, 34, said her friend had not been a transvestite. She insisted the women’s clothes, including Stella McCartney and Christian Dior items, were not worn by him.

“I have a lot of gay friends and this is something Gareth was aware of, and I do feel as well that if he was he would have told me,” she said.

Sian, who went to primary school with Gareth, from Anglesey, said they shared “in-depth” chats.

The clothes were likely to have been bought as presents, she said, adding: “He used to buy me a lot of gifts. He bought me a new season top, a Mulberry top, a scarf.” The collection also included 26 pairs of designer shoes in sizes 6 and 6.5, too big for Sian. She said they were probably for his sister Ceri Subbe, 29.

Det Chief Insp Jackie Sebire said all the garb would have “possibly” fitted Gareth, who was on secondment to MI6 from the Government’s GCHQ listening post in Cheltenham, Glos.

She told the Westminster hearing of the DNA samples and said there was no way codebreaker Gareth, 31, had got into the bag himself, adding that a “third party” was responsible.

The officer said she let a counter-terror colleague, who was in contact with MI6, enter the flat, but no-one from the spy agency.

There was no sign of a break-in but a dressing gown and a quilt were on the floor. She said: “I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidiness.”

The spy’s family lawyer Anthony O’Toole asked why the front door was replaced. She said the original door had been taken for testing.

Another person’s blood was in the communal hallway and two shoe prints were detected in the kitchen.

The hearing continues.

marc.walker@dailystar.co.uk

Express : ORANGE WIG AND LIPSTICK FOUND AT FLAT OF SPY IN BAG GARETH WILLIAMS

ORANGE WIG AND LIPSTICK FOUND AT FLAT OF SPY IN BAG GARETH WILLIAMS

By Cyril Dixon | April 25, 2012

A BRIGHT orange wig and items of make-up were in the flat of the MI6 officer found dead in a sports bag, an inquest heard yesterday.

The hearing was also told unidentified DNA had been found on the holdall in which the naked body of Gareth Williams was discovered.

Forensic officers found two spots of DNA on the bag, which had been secured with a padlock.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said it would be “very difficult” for Mr Williams to have locked himself in the holdall, which was found in his bath in August 2010.

She told Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox the bag was zipped up and padlocked, with the keys inside, next to the 31-year-old’s body.

DCI Sebire added that the red North Face holdall was not torn inside and there no marks on Mr Williams’s fingers to suggest he tried to claw his way out.

She said that, had he manoeuvred himself into the bag, there would have been handprints on the bathroom wall – but there were none.

Giving evidence on the second day of the London inquest, she said she was surprised to find his duvet on the floor of the “incredibly tidy” flat.

“My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag,” she added.

The hearing was given a video tour of the flat in Pimlico, central London, where Mr Williams stayed during his three-year secondment to MI6 from GCHQ intelligence base in Cheltenham.

DCI Sebire talked the coroner through the film, which showed his personal effects and clothes dotted about immaculately-clean rooms.

Mr Williams’s parents Ellen and Ian left the court when the coroner warned them the content would be upsetting.

“He was in the foetal position,” the officer said. “His legs were folded up towards his chest, his arms were bent slightly inwards. His face was very calm. His hands were resting on his chest.”

The DNA spots were on the padlock and a toggle of the holdall’s zip, while a spot of someone else’s blood was found in the communal hallway.

On the police video, a bright orange woman’s wig could be seen hung on the back of a chair, while a Jemma Kidd lipstick and matt foundation from Harvey Nichols were left on a sofa.

DCI Sebire said a stocking cap to be worn under the wig was on the living room table, and other expensive women’s hairpieces were found elsewhere in the flat, mostly still in their wrapping.

Women’s clothing worth £20,000 was discovered in the flat, including 26 pairs of women’s shoes – one pair alone cost £1,000.

The footage showed boxes with the fashion footwear still inside, and styles included black patent leather high-heel boots and designs by Stella McCartney and Christian Louboutin.

Most of the shoes were size six or six-and-a-half, which would have fitted Mr Williams’s size six feet, and many were stuffed into North Face holdalls in the spare bedroom.

“These were very high value shoes in pristine condition; they had obviously been looked after,” said DCI Sebire.

She added that a newspaper article detailing five things “we regret when we are on our deathbed”, was cut out and left under a book on the table. The list included the wish to have “courage to express feelings”.

Sian Jones, Mr Williams’s childhood sweetheart from their schooldays in North Wales, denied he was a transvestite, claiming he would have told her. She said the women’s clothes were probably gifts for his sister, Ceri Subbe.

Asked by the coroner if the intelligence officer would have been able to tell her of any interest in transvestism, Ms Jones replied: “Most definitely. We both shared things that were quite in-depth and personal, and I think he would have confided in me, I wouldn’t have judged him.”

The inquest was shown CCTV images of Mr Williams’s final days, after he returned from a working trip to the United States and spent a few days relaxing in London.

He is pictured in the period before his absence was noticed on August 16, 2010, trailing around exclusive west London stores including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. Describing the footage, DCI Sebire and Dr Wilcox agreed he looked relaxed and that nobody appeared to be following him.

The inquest has heard that he asked to leave MI6 after complaining of “friction” at its Vauxhall Cross headquarters. Mrs Subbe said he did not like the culture of “flash car competitions and the rat race” and wanted to return to GCHQ.

Mr Williams had missed a meeting on August 16 and his body was discovered on August 23. The hearing continues.

Sun : Video of bag bulging with body of spy shown at inquest

Video of bag bulging with body of spy shown at inquest

By STAFF REPORTER | April 25, 2012

DISTURBING footage of a red holdall bulging with the curled-up body of MI6 spy Gareth Williams was played at his inquest today.

The video — taken by police officers who discovered the 31-year-old's body at his Pimlico, West London, home on August 23, 2010 — took the court on a walking tour of his immaculately kept flat.

It revealed carefully arranged piles of books, an extensive CD collection, some of the spy’s own paintings, as well as a red woman’s wig, lipstick and make-up.

And it zoomed in on the North Face bag holding the tragic codebreaker, showing impressions from his limbs inside and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

Police images of the death scene also showed a cutting from the Observer newspaper headlined “top five regrets of the dying”.

Mr Williams' sister, Ceri Subbe, watched the footage alone after her devastated parents left the court.

Officers found the spy's decomposing body locked inside the holdall in the bathroom of the flat after a cop on foot patrol received instructions to carry out a “welfare check” on Mr Williams, who had not been seen for around 12 days.

Despite exhaustive tests his cause of death remains a mystery.

There was no sign of a break-in — cash was left in a cupboard and a mobile phone was lying on the living room table.

But Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, the officer in charge of the case, today appeared to rule out the idea Mr Williams got in the bag himself.

She told Westminster Coroner’s Court: “My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag. So my primary focus was looking at the bathroom.”

Specks of mystery DNA were discovered on the bag, the inquest heard.

DCI Sebire said “two minor components of another contributor’s DNA” were found on the zip toggle and padlock.

She also revealed Mr Williams was found in the foetal position, there were no signs of struggle and his body position appeared “calm”.

She added that she would have expected to find fingerprints left by Mr Williams on the bathroom tiles.

She said: “Certainly there were no prints of anybody’s in the lower-tiled wall.

“He was in the foetal position. His legs were folded up towards his chest, his arms were bent slightly inwards.

“In my opinion he was very calm. His face was very calm. His hands were resting on his chest.”

The last evidence he was alive was left on August 16 when he looked at a cycling time trial website.

The inquest had already heard there was £20,000 worth of women’s clothing in the flat, described as “immaculate” and “in pristine condition”.

Ms Sebire described the “high-value” items found in the smaller bedroom, which included 26 shoes and boots, mainly bearing designer labels such as Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Christian Dior and Chloe.

There were also wigs wrapped in net packaging, which “appear to be unused” including one Mr Williams had bought on his recent trip to the US.

Make-up items including nail varnish and eye shadow were “all new” and apparently unused.

Asked by Coroner Fiona Wilcox whether she thought the clothes would have fitted Mr Williams, the detective replied: “Possibly.”

This Is London : Parents of MI6 spy Gareth Williams refuse to watch video of his body in holdall bag

Parents of MI6 spy Gareth Williams refuse to watch video of his body in holdall bag

Paul Cheston | April 24, 2012

The parents of MI6 spy Gareth Williams today refused to watch a police video of their son dead in a bag in his bath.

Ian and Ellen Williams walked out after coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox spoke of the “severe distress they are operating under and the clear grief they are still experiencing”.

The video led from the front door in Alderney Street, Pimlico, to the en-suite bathroom.

The scarlet red North Face holdall lay in the middle of the small bath. It was locked with a Yale padlock securing the zip and two eyelets in a way, which, the court heard, made it particularly hard to lock and release.

Not a trace of blood could be seen and every inch of the bath, basin, lavatory and shower unit gleaned brightly. The inquest at Westminster coroner’s court was told that not one scrap of relevant forensic evidence was found in the flat.

The naked and decomposed body of Mr Williams, 31, was found in August 2010. He had been on secondment from GCHQ to MI6. Later a 3D graphic showed how his body was found in the bag.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire told the court: “In my opinion his face was very calm. He was unclothed and in a foetal position with his legs folded towards his chest and his arms slightly bent lying on his chest. There’s no injuries to his nails, nail beds or fingers.

“While the bag zips are double stitched there’s no signs of stress or tearing to them. Nor is there any sign of tearing to the netting in the bag.”

The officer said Mr Williams was extremely fit and there would have been clear signs of damage had he put up a struggle.

Forensic scientists are still working on unidentified components of DNA found on the bag in which MI6 spy Gareth Williams died, the inquest heard this afternoon.

DCI Sebire, said: "there is still work to be done."

Microscopic traces were found on the padlock and a toggle attached to the outside of the bag.

She said there was no evidence that the flat had been forensically cleaned and evidence destroyed before the police arrived eight days after Mr Willams was last seen live.

She added: "The heart of the case is whether Gareth locked himself in the bag or whether somebody locked him in.

"I have always been open minded but it has been my opinion from an early stage that a third party was involved in padlocking the bag and the bag being placed in the bath."

On the bottom of the bag beneath his body there was a set of two keys which fitted the Yale padlock. Although the oven door was open in the kitchen there were no signs of a disturbance in the flat.

In the living room a bright orange and yellow woman’s wig hung on a chair, and a lipstick and foundation stick were on a sofa close to a stocking cap for use under a wig.

In the spare bedroom there were 26 pairs of women’s shoes in Mr Williams’s size six to six and a half as well as make-up. Ms Sebire said there was £20,000 of female clothing and much of it had been unworn.

Earlier, the last known movements of Mr Williams were shown as he shopped in Knightsbridge. The court heard there was no evidence he was being followed. The case continues.

AFP : Mystery DNA found on spy body bag

Mystery DNA found on spy body bag

By Judith Evans | April 24, 2012

LONDON — Traces of mysterious DNA were found on the locked holdall containing the naked body of British spy Gareth Williams, the inquest into his unexplained death heard Tuesday.

"Two minor components of another contributor's DNA" were found on the zip toggle and padlock of the bag in which his decomposing body was found in a bath in his London flat, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire told the court.

The police officer said her team had worked from the start on the assumption that a "third party" was involved in the death of Williams, 31, despite their failure so far to find proof of another person's presence when he died.

His family has said they believe someone versed in the "dark arts" tried to cover up the circumstances of his August 2010 death.

"My opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag," Sebire told the court.

Scotland Yard detectives have been stumped as to the cause of death and will show the court a video reconstruction of how Williams might have entered the bag by himself, after speculation he might have done so as part of a sex game.

Williams was said to have been a brilliant codebreaker and was on secondment to Britain's external intelligence agency MI6 from GCHQ, the centre which monitors electronic communications.

His body was found in a foetal position in the bag which was padlocked from the outside, according to graphics shown to court. Beneath him inside the bag were keys that could have opened the lock.

"In my opinion he was very calm. His face was very calm. His hands were resting on his chest," Sebire said.

Sebire said there were no signs of a struggle in the red North Face holdall, adding that Williams "was very muscular, he trained regularly. It is only my opinion, but I would at least expect some tearing to the netting."

Forensic evidence included a spot of someone else's blood in the building's communal hallway, and in the flat a spot of Williams' blood which Sebire said could have dated from around the time he went missing or could be older.

There is "limited" scope for identifying anyone from the DNA but tests continue, she said.

Video filmed by detectives after the body's discovery showed an immaculately kept apartment with a woman's wig, lipstick and makeup visible, plus a cutting from the Observer newspaper headlined "Top five regrets of the dying".

After Williams' death, police found in the flat £20,000 (24,500 euros, $32,200) worth of women's clothes and shoes, many from designer labels, as well as a number of wigs.

A dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor were the only exceptions to the spotless tidiness of the flat, with no signs of a break-in.

CCTV footage before his death showed Williams shopping in top department stores Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges and looking relaxed.

The last clip of him alive dates from August 15, eight days before his body was found, while computer evidence showed him looking at a cycling website the following day.

His sister, Ceri Subbe, told the inquest Monday that Williams had spoken of "friction in the office" and had cut short his MI6 placement.

A lawyer for the family, Anthony O'Toole, said last month they believe someone else was either present when he died or broke into his home afterwards.

"The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services -- or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in the dark arts," he said.

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

UKPA : Mystery DNA at spy's death scene

Mystery DNA at spy's death scene

April 24, 2012

A mysterious DNA discovery at the central London death scene of MI6 spy Gareth Williams was revealed as a detective said she believed there was third party involvement.

Unidentified forensic traces were left on the bag encasing his curled-up body in a bath, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said.

The leading officer in the case came close to ruling out suicide as she said "two minor components of another contributor's DNA" were found on the zip toggle and padlock.

Her evidence came as footage of a red holdall bulging with his body shape was played in public for the first time.

Ms Sebire said her officers had looked at all possibilities. But she told Westminster Coroner's Court: "My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag."

Items on display in footage of Mr Williams' immaculately kept flat included a newspaper cutting headlined "top five regrets of the dying".

The police video took the inquest on a walking tour of his Pimlico home, showing a woman's red wig, lipstick and make-up, in the condition that it was found.

Footage then showed close-up images of the white bathroom suite where Mr Williams's body was found. The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat, with cash left in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table.

Mr Williams's sister, Ceri Subbe, sat in the hearing without her parents, who walked out this morning over delays in evidence. The inquest was adjourned until Wednesday, when friends of Mr Williams will give evidence.

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Guardian : Gareth Williams' inquest hears of mystery DNA at crime scene

Gareth Williams' inquest hears of mystery DNA at crime scene

MI6 officer's body was found padlocked in a sports bag in 2010, but court hears no injuries were found on body

Caroline Davies | April 24, 2012

Mysterious fragments of DNA were found on the padlocked sports bag in which the badly decomposed body of MI6 officer Gareth Williams was found, the inquest into his death has heard.

Detailed forensic examination found "two minor components of another contributor's DNA" on one cord toggle, as well as a small blood stain in the fabric belonging to Williams.

Tests on the padlock revealed weak stains believed to be Williams's blood, as well as "small components of another contributor's DNA". An invisible, weak blood stain on the outside of the bag belonged to the 31-year-old ciphers and codes expert.

The details were revealed as police video of the crime scene, with footage of the red North Face holdall containing the body of Williams, was shown to Westminster coroner's court.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox heard that the samples were the subject of continuing forensic testing.

Williams's sister Ceri Subbe, watched as a police graphic demonstrated how the bag had been padlocked. The bag's two zips were pulled together, the zip toggles taut, and the eyelets from one zip lined up neatly below the eyelet of the other, with the locking bar of a Yale padlock pushed through both and into the locking position.

The body of Williams, a keen cyclist and fell walker, was found on 23 August 2010, eight days after he was last seen shopping in the West End on a CCTV camera. His laptop had been used to access a cycling site in the early hours of 16 August.

A laser-scanned graphic showed his body in the foetal position.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire, chief investigating officer, said his face and body were "very calm", with his arms lying on his chest, no injuries to his nails and fingers, and no "signs of stress or tearing" on the bag's inside netting.

Underneath his right buttock, there was a set of two Yale keys that matched the padlock that lockedon the bag, which would have been "incredibly difficult" to reach, given their position and the restrictions of the bag, the hearing was told.

Sebire said "at the heart of the investigation" was whether Williams, who was of slight but muscular build, could have locked himself inside the bag.

She said: "My thought or opinion was that a third party had been involved in the death, or getting the bag into the bath."

Forensic tests could find no prints on the tiled wall to indicate that Williams had balanced to lower himself into the bag in the bath, or that anyone else had balanced to position the bag. There was no evidence that the bathroom or bag had been bleached or cleaned.

A small spot of Williams's dried blood was found on the carpet near the stairs in the flat. Two shoeprints in the kitchen were too small to establish size or wearer, she said.

"No stone has been unturned. I've tried to do everything I can to understand what happened," said Sebire. She acknowledged there was "limited scope" for further forensic discoveries.

Anthony O'Toole, lawyer for the family, queried why police thought it necessary to fit "a brand new front door and brand new alarm" to the flat, when there was no sign of a break-in. Sebire said the door needed to be forensically examined, but the alarm was because of concerns over the press and other people trying to "talk their way in".

Police found a newspaper cutting from the Observer entitled "the top five regrets of the dying" under a book on the coffee table of the "immaculately tidy" top-floor flat in Pimlico. It was dated 15 August 2010, eight days before Williams's body was discovered. It was about research by nurses into what people regretted most on their deathbeds.

These included not having the "courage to live life true to myself", and the wish that people had "not worked so hard", "stayed in touch with friends" and "let myself be happier", the inquest heard.

Police video of the living room showed a bright orange and yellow woman's wig hanging on a chair, and a wig stocking cap bought in the US, where Williams had just been on a work assignment and holiday.

He was due to move back to Cheltenham the following week, and his bedroom was filled with packed boxes and four yellow holdalls similar to the red one his body was found in. Inside, police found "items of high-value female clothes" in small and medium sizes, as well as 26 pairs of shoes and boots, size 6-6½. It was unclear if they were Williams's size. Just four pairs appeared to have been used. One pair cost £1,000, the hearing was told.

Designer names included Stella McCartney, Chloe and Dior, Sebire said.The clothes were "immaculate, folded, buttoned, with quite a few in tissue paper". "They were very high value, so pristine, and obviously had been looked after well". Receipts found showed that the collection dated from 2008-09. Asked if they could fit Williams, Sebire replied "possibly".

There were wigs in net packaging, which appeared to be unused. Nail varnish, concealer, eye-shadow, Mac foundation and Jemma Kidd lipstick, all new, were found.

In his bedroom, a pair of chinos, some T-shirts and underpants were neatly folded on the bed. But the quilt was crumpled and trailing on the floor which, said Sebire, was at odds with the tidiness of the rest of the flat. "That was something that was not easily explainable," she said.

Traces of Williams's semen were found near the sink in the bathroom, and on his quilt.

Williams arrived back from a trip to the US on 11 August, the inquest heard.

CCTV footage showed him shopping at Selfridge's on 1th, and at Harvey Nichols on 12th. He popped into his office on 12th.

On 13 August he went alone to a comedy club in Bethnal Green to watch the transvestite show The Johnny Woo Experience. The next day, CCTV shows him shopping at Fortnum & Mason.

The last CCTV of him is of 15 August, when he is again seen shopping, buying cakes at Harrods, and buying peppered steaks at Waitrose, before returning home shortly after 3pm.

Sian Lloyd Jones, who described herself as "a childhood sweetheart" who had known Williams since primary school, said they were "close friends" but "just friends", and saw each other "every other day" during the year she spent living in London until she returned to north Wales in January 2010.

The fashion stylist was asked by the coroner if she knew whether Williams was a transvestite. "Strongly no, not at all," she replied.

Asked how to explain the clothing, she said Williams was "a very generous person" who had given her a lot of gifts in the past, expensive items such as a Mulberry bag. "It wouldn't surprise me if they [the clothes] were for gifts," she said. He had never bought her footwear, said Jones, who said her shoe size was a 3.

She said she thought Williams would have told her if her was a transvestite, because she had a lot of gay friends, and also because she believed he would have confided in her.

The inquest heard how an inputting error on the taking of forensic samples initially led police to believe that DNA from a third person had been found on Williams's body. It was only discovered in February that it was actually DNA from one of the forensic officers.

Sebire said the mistake had been both financially and emotionally costly. Around 60 people, friends and colleagues, were DNA tested to see if they matched, she said, while Williams's family had been given hope that a third party could be identified.

The hearing continues.

News 24 : Mystery DNA found on UK spy body bag

Mystery DNA found on UK spy body bag

April 24, 2012

London - Traces of mysterious DNA were found on the locked holdall containing the naked body of British spy Gareth Williams, the inquest into his unexplained death heard on Tuesday.

"Two minor components of another contributor's DNA" were found on the zip toggle and padlock of the bag in which his decomposing body was found in a bath in his London flat, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire told the court.

The police officer said her team had worked from the start on the assumption that a "third party" was involved in the death of Williams, 31, despite their failure so far to find proof of another person's presence when he died.

His family has said they believe someone versed in the "dark arts" tried to cover up the circumstances of his August 2010 death.

"My opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag," Sebire told the court.

Scotland Yard detectives have been stumped as to the cause of death and will show the court a video reconstruction of how Williams might have entered the bag by himself, after speculation he might have done so as part of a sex game.

Williams was said to have been a brilliant codebreaker and was on secondment to Britain's external intelligence agency MI6 from GCHQ, the centre which monitors electronic communications.

His body was found in a foetal position in the bag which was padlocked from the outside, according to graphics shown to court. Beneath him inside the bag were keys that could have opened the lock.

"In my opinion he was very calm. His face was very calm. His hands were resting on his chest," Sebire said.

Muscular

Sebire said there were no signs of a struggle in the red North Face holdall, adding that Williams "was very muscular, he trained regularly. It is only my opinion, but I would at least expect some tearing to the netting."

Forensic evidence included a spot of someone else's blood in the building's communal hallway, and in the flat a spot of Williams' blood which Sebire said could have dated from around the time he went missing or could be older.

There is "limited" scope for identifying anyone from the DNA but tests continue, she said.

Video filmed by detectives after the body's discovery showed an immaculately kept apartment with a woman's wig, lipstick and make-up visible, plus a cutting from the Observer newspaper headlined "Top five regrets of the dying".

After Williams' death, police found in the flat £20 000 worth of women's clothes and shoes, many from designer labels, as well as a number of wigs.

A dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor were the only exceptions to the spotless tidiness of the flat, with no signs of a break-in.

CCTV footage before his death showed Williams shopping in top department stores Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges and looking relaxed.

The last clip of him alive dates from August 15, eight days before his body was found, while computer evidence showed him looking at a cycling website the following day.

His sister, Ceri Subbe, told the inquest on Monday that Williams had spoken of "friction in the office" and had cut short his MI6 placement.

A lawyer for the family, Anthony O'Toole, said last month they believe someone else was either present when he died or broke into his home afterwards.

"The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services - or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in the dark arts," he said.

- AFP

Daily Record : 'Mystery DNA' found on bag which contained body of MI6 spy, inquest hears

'Mystery DNA' found on bag which contained body of MI6 spy, inquest hears

April 24, 2012

SPECKS of mystery DNA were discovered on the bag which held the dead body of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, an inquest heard today.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said "two minor components of another contributor's DNA" were found on the zip toggle and padlock.

The evidence was revealed as she appeared to rule out that Mr Williams did not get in the bag himself.

DCI Sebire stated that officers had looked at "all aspects" of possibilities, as footage of the red holdall bulging with his body shape was played for the first time.

She told Westminster Coroner's Court: "My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag. So my primary focus was looking at the bathroom."

A video of the flat where Mr Williams lived took the inquest on a walking tour of his Pimlico home, showing a woman's red wig, lipstick and make-up, in the condition that it was found.

Footage then showed close-up images of the white bathroom suite where the spy's body was found.

The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

Mr Williams was found in the foetal position in the bag, there were no signs of struggle and his body position appeared "calm", Ms Sebire said.

Ms Sebire said she would have expected to find fingerprints left by Mr Williams on the bathroom tiles.

"Certainly there were no prints of anybody's in the lower-tiled wall," she added.

"He was in the foetal position. His legs were folded up towards his chest, his arms were bent slightly inwards."

She added: "In my opinion he was very calm. His face was very calm. His hands were resting on his chest."

Mr Williams had not damaged the bag or sustained injuries to his hands, the detective said.

"He was very muscular, he trained regularly. It is only my opinion but I would at least expect some tearing to the netting."

Ms Sebire, who described how the top-floor flat was hot and stuffy, said her inquiry had explored all possibilities over 21 months.

The officer, who received 200 items of information from the public, added: "It was a very extensive inquiry. We have looked at all aspects of it."

Ms Sebire said she allowed a counter-terrorism officer from SO15 - the only command at Scotland Yard with regular contact with MI6 - into the flat.

But she said she was solely responsible for investigations into the death.

The last computer evidence of him being alive was Mr Williams looking at a cycling time trial website on August 16, the officer added.

Mr Williams's sister, Ceri Subbe, sat in the hearing without her parents as images showed the scene which greeted detectives as they arrived at his flat on August 23 2010.

The flat gave an insight into the codebreaker's mind, showing carefully arranged piles of books and an extensive CD collection.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat, with footage showing Mr Williams had left cash in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table. There was little clutter and mess in the flat except for a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor.

Ms Sebire said: "I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidiness. In my opinion, it was not something that was easily explainable."

Ms Sebire detailed the forensic evidence found there, including blood and semen.

The communal front door was secured by a mortise lock and union lock, and a spot of someone else's blood was found in the communal hallway, the inquest heard.

Inside the flat itself, an "old" and "very small" spot of Mr Williams's blood, which could have been from a cut, was found on the carpet near the stairs, Ms Sebire said.

She accepted that the blood could have dried over the course of a week.

Two shoeprints detected in his kitchen were too "partial" for the size or wearer to be identified, she went on.

In the larger of his two bathrooms, the only "significant finding" was traces of semen staining on the floor by the sink, which tested positive for Mr Williams, the detective said.

Traces of his semen were also found in the main bedroom, including on his quilt, she added.

Ms Sebire also described the "high-value" items found in the flat's smaller bedroom, which included 26 shoes and boots, mainly bearing designer labels such as Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Christian Dior and Chloe; wigs wrapped in net packaging, which "appear to be unused", including one Mr Williams had bought on his recent trip to the US; small and medium-sized female clothing worth an estimated £20,000, all "immaculate" and "in pristine condition" and often in tissue paper; and make-up items including nail varnish and eye shadow that were "all new" and apparently unused.

The only used items appeared to be four pairs of the size 6 and 6.5 shoes, which was Mr Williams's size, Ms Sebire said.

Asked by Coroner Fiona Wilcox whether she thought the clothes would have fitted Mr Williams, the detective replied: "Possibly."

The clothes were found in a North Face holdall and on the bed, she said.

Receipts suggested they had been collected around 2008 and 2009.

Rutland and Stamford Mercury : Mystery DNA at spy's death scene

Mystery DNA at spy's death scene

April 24, 2012

A mysterious DNA discovery at the death scene of MI6 spy Gareth Williams was revealed as a detective said she believed there was third party involvement.

Unidentified forensic traces were left on the bag encasing his curled-up body in a bath, Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said.

The leading officer in the case came close to ruling out suicide as she said "two minor components of another contributor's DNA" were found on the zip toggle and padlock. Her evidence came as footage of a red holdall bulging with his body shape was played in public for the first time.

Ms Sebire said her officers had looked at all possibilities. But she told Westminster Coroner's Court: "My thought or my opinion since I went into the scene is that a third party had been involved in the death or by putting the body in the bag."

Items on display in footage of Mr Williams' immaculately kept flat included a newspaper cutting headlined "top five regrets of the dying".

The police video took the inquest on a walking tour of his Pimlico home, showing a woman's red wig, lipstick and make-up, in the condition that it was found. Footage then showed close-up images of the white bathroom suite where Mr Williams's body was found.

The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside. Mr Williams was found in the foetal position in the bag, there were no signs of struggle and his body position appeared "calm", Ms Sebire said.

The officer said she would have expected to find fingerprints left by Mr Williams on the bathroom tiles. She added: "In my opinion he was very calm. His face was very calm. His hands were resting on his chest."

The flat gave an insight into the codebreaker's mind, showing carefully arranged piles of books and an extensive CD collection. There was no sign of a break-in at the flat, with cash left in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table. There was little clutter except for a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor.

The inquest was adjourned until Wednesday, when friends of Mr Williams will give evidence.

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

ITV : Spy death inquest shown footage of death scene

Spy death inquest shown footage of death scene

April 24, 2012 | last updated May 3, 2012

The inquest into the death of an Anglesey MI6 spy has been shown dramatic footage of the red holdall containing his body, after it was discovered.

Video was also shown of the immaculately kept apartment in up-market Pimlico in London, as well as a cutting from the Observer newspaper with the headline “top five regrets of the dying”, which was found in the flat.

Gareth Williams’ body was found on August 23, 2010 after he failed to turn up for a number of appointments.

Mr Williams' sister, Ceri Subbe, sat in the hearing without her parents as images showed the scene which greeted detectives when they arrived.

The video took the inquest on a walking tour of his home - showing a red woman's wig, lipstick and make-up - in the condition that it was found.

Footage showed close-up images of the white bathroom suite where Mr Williams's body was found.

The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside, and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

Detectives found the Observer article detailing regrets of the dying in the living room near a book by Alan Warner and some of Mr Williams's own paintings.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat with footage showing Mr Williams had left cash in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said there was little clutter and mess in the flat except for a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor.

Ms Sebire said: "I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidiness. In my opinion it was not something that was easily explainable."

Daily Record : Footage of dead MI6 spy Gareth Williams' body is shown to inquest after mother walks out

Footage of dead MI6 spy Gareth Williams' body is shown to inquest after mother walks out

April 24, 2012

THE mother of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, who was found dead in his London flat two years ago, has walked out of inquest proceedings today.

Ellen Williams left the courtroom frustrated about legal submissions holding up the hearing into her son's death, her lawyer said.

Mrs Williams was absent as Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire attempted to dash speculation that secret services removed evidence after Mr Williams was found dead in a sports holdall.

She said nobody was allowed in Mr Williams' London apartment without her knowledge after August 23, 2010.

"To the best of my knowledge I am sure that no one else got in," the detective told the hearing at Westminster Coroner's Court.

During the inquest, dramatic footage of a red holdall bulging with the curled-up body of MI6 spy Gareth Williams was played.

Video of the immaculate flat at the centre of the mysterious death was played for the first time after his parents walked out on proceedings.

Police images of the death scene also showed a cutting from the Observer newspaper headlined "top five regrets of the dying".

Forensic scene recordings were played after the detective in charge said she allowed a counter-terror officer into the crime scene.

But SO15 - the only command at Scotland Yard with regular contact with MI6 - was not in charge of the investigation, she said.

Mr Williams's sister, Ceri Subbe, sat in the hearing without her parents as images showed the scene which greeted detectives as they arrived at his flat on August 23, 2010.

The video took the inquest on a walking tour of his Pimlico home - showing a red woman's wig, lipstick and make-up - in the condition that it was found.

Footage showed close-up images of the white bathroom suite where Mr Williams's body was found.

The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside, and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

The flat gave an insight into the codebreaker's mind, showing carefully arranged piles of books and an extensive CD collection.

Detectives found the Observer article detailing regrets of the dying in the living room near a book by Alan Warner and some of Mr Williams's own paintings.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat with footage showing Mr Williams had left cash in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said there was little clutter and mess in the flat except for a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor.

Ms Sebire said: "I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidyness. In my opinion it was not something that was easily explainable."

CCTV images were also shown to the inquest with Detective Sebire and coroner Fiona Wilcox agreeing that at no point in the footage, did anyone seem to be following him.

Image of the spy's final days show him to be relaxed as he shops at various upmarket stores in west London. On August 15, the day he was last seen alive, Mr Williams is seen shopping at Harrods and Waitrose before entering Alderney Street, where he lived at 3.05pm.

Mr Williams was due to move back to the West Country a week after his naked body was discovered padlocked inside a holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, west London, on August 23, 2010.

Metro : Gareth Williams inquest sees 'body bag' as parents walk out

Gareth Williams inquest sees 'body bag' as parents walk out

By METRO NEWS REPORTER | April 24, 2012

A video showing a sports bag bulging with the body of MI6 spy Gareth Williams has been shown at the inquest into his death as his parents walked out following further delays to evidence being disclosed.

The body of Mr Williams, 31, from Anglesey, north Wales, was found in a padlocked red North Face holdall in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010.

Today the inquest overseen by coroner Fiona Wilcox was shown a forensic scene recording of the flat, taken after the discovery of Mr Williams' naked decomposing body.

The video showed a cutting from the Observer newspaper headlined 'top five regrets of the dying'.

As the inquest was taken on a walking tour of his home on Alderney Street a woman's wig, red lipstick and other make-up were all shown.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat, with cash left in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table.

The flat was completely immaculate apart from a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor, Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said.

'I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidiness,' DCI Sebire said.

'In my opinion it was not something that was easily explainable.'

DCI Sebire confirmed that a counterterrorism officer from SO15 - the only command at Scotland Yard in regular contact with MI6 - was admitted to the flat but insisted security services had not interfered in a 21-month investigation that has so far drawn a blank.

A host of expensive clothing and shoes were found in Mr Williams' bedroom, including £20,000 worth of women's clothing that did not appear to have been worn and nail varnish and eye shadow.

When asked by Ms Wilcox whether the clothes would have fitted Mr Williams, DCI Sebire replied 'possibly'.

CCTV images were also shown to the inquest with Mr Williams seen walking around west London in a relaxed manner in the days leading up to his death.

August 15 2010 is the final day his movements are known, when he is seen entering Alderney Street at around 3.05pm.

He was expected to return to work the following day but Ms Wilcox said 'it became apparent he was not around'.

Mr Williams' sister Ceri Subbe was left watching proceedings without her parents after they walked out over further delays to the submission of certain evidence.

DCI Sebire added that, 'to the best of my knowledge', no one had tampered with any evidence in the flat.

UKPA : Spy inquest sees video of flat

Spy inquest sees video of flat

April 24, 2012

Dramatic footage of a red holdall bulging with the curled-up body of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, who was found dead in London, has been played to an inquest.

Video of the immaculately kept flat at the centre of his death riddle was played for the first time after his parents walked out on proceedings.

Police images of the death scene also showed a cutting from the Observer newspaper headlined "top five regrets of the dying".

Forensic scene recordings were played after the detective in charge said she allowed a counter-terror officer into the crime scene.

Mr Williams's sister, Ceri Subbe, sat in the hearing without her parents as images showed the scene which greeted detectives as they arrived at his flat on August 23, 2010.

The video took the inquest on a walking tour of his Pimlico home - showing a red woman's wig, lipstick and make-up - in the condition that it was found.

Footage showed close-up images of the white bathroom suite where Mr Williams's body was found. The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside, and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

Detectives found the Observer article detailing regrets of the dying in the living room near a book by Alan Warner and some of Mr Williams's own paintings.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat with footage showing Mr Williams had left cash in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said there was little clutter and mess in the flat except for a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor. Ms Sebire said: "I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidyness. In my opinion it was not something that was easily explainable."

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

Guardian : MI6 spy inquest shown footage of holdall containing his body

MI6 spy inquest shown footage of holdall containing his body

Police video goes from room to room of Gareth Williams's Pimlico home, in which designer women's clothes were found

Press Association | April 24, 2012

Footage of a red holdall containing the curled-up body of MI6 spy Gareth Williams has been shown at the inquest into his death.

Video of the immaculately kept flat where Williams was found was played for the first time on Tuesday.

Police images also showed a cutting from the Observer headlined "Top five regrets of the dying". Forensic scene recordings were played after the detective in charge said she allowed a counter-terror officer into the crime scene.

But SO15 – the only command at Scotland Yard with regular contact with MI6 – was not in charge of the investigation, she said.

Williams's sister, Ceri Subbe, sat in the hearing as images showed the scene that greeted detectives as they arrived at his flat on 23 August 2010.

The video went from room to room of his Pimlico home – showing a woman's red wig, lipstick and makeup – in the condition that it was found.

Footage showed closeup images of the white bathroom suite where Williams's body was found.

The film zoomed in on the red North Face bag, showing bulges from his limbs inside, and a brass padlock locking two zips together from the outside.

The flat gave an insight into the codebreaker's private life, showing carefully arranged piles of books and an extensive CD collection.

Detectives found the Observer article in the living room near a book by Alan Warner and some of Williams's own paintings.

There was no sign of a break-in at the flat, with footage showing Williams had left cash in a cupboard and a mobile phone on the living room table.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire said there was little clutter in the flat except for a dressing gown and quilt discarded on the bedroom floor.

Sebire said: "I also found it difficult to explain because of his general tidiness. In my opinion it was not something that was easily explainable."

As the court viewed images of Williams's flat, Sebire detailed the forensic evidence found there, including blood and semen.

The communal front door was secured by a mortice lock and union lock, and a spot of someone else's blood was found in the communal hallway, the inquest heard.

Inside the flat itself, an "old" and "very small" spot of Williams's blood, which could have been from a cut, was found on the carpet near the stairs, Sebire said.

She accepted the blood could have dried over the course of a week.

Two shoe prints detected in his kitchen were too "partial" for the size or wearer to be identified, she went on.

In the larger of his two bathrooms, the only "significant finding" was traces of semen staining on the floor by the sink, which was identified as belonging to Williams, the detective said.

Traces of his semen were also found in the main bedroom, including on his quilt, she added.

Sebire also described the "high value" items found in the flat's smaller bedroom, which included 26 shoes and boots, mainly bearing designer labels such as Christian Louboutin, Stella McCartney, Christian Dior and Chloe; wigs wrapped in net packaging, which "appear to be unused", including one Mr Williams had bought on a recent trip to the US; small and medium-sized female clothing worth an estimated £20,000, all "immaculate" and "in pristine condition" and often in tissue paper; and makeup items including nail varnish and eye shadow that were new and apparently unused.

The only used items appeared to be four pairs of the size six and 6.5 shoes, which was Williams's size, Sebire said.

Asked by the coroner, Fiona Wilcox, whether she thought the clothes would have fitted Williams, the detective replied: "Possibly."

The clothes were found in the holdall and on the bed, she said.

Receipts suggested they had been collected around 2008 and 2009.