An inquiry into the 2018 death of Dawn Sturgess, who was fatally poisoned by Novichok in Salisbury, has revealed that the perfume bottle containing the nerve agent held enough poison to kill thousands of people.
During the inquiry, Andrew O’Connor KC emphasized the shocking nature of Sturgess's death, highlighting that the Novichok had been deliberately concealed in a perfume bottle, posing a severe risk to anyone who found it. The bottle is believed to have been discarded in a public place, creating a grave danger for unsuspecting victims.
Sturgess's death followed the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia earlier in 2018. They, along with police officer Nick Bailey, were poisoned after members of a Russian military intelligence squad allegedly smeared Novichok on Skripal’s door handle.
While the Skripals and Bailey survived, Sturgess tragically succumbed to the nerve agent after her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, unknowingly gave her the bottle.
Novichok, developed in the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s, is an extremely potent nerve agent. It works by disrupting signals between the brain and muscles, leading to devastating effects like muscle spasms, organ failure, and cardiac arrest. It can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, making it a highly dangerous weapon.
Source:
The Metro
