Poison victim dies in hospital

BRITISH police have launched a murder inquiry after a woman died following exposure to the nerve agent Novichok in southwest England, four months after the same type of chemical was used against a former Russian spy in an attack blamed on Moscow.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “appalled and shocked” by the death of Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, and offered her condolences to the family.

“Police and security officials are working urgently to establish the facts of this incident, which is now being investigated as a murder,” she said.

Ms Sturgess and a man named locally as Charlie Rowley, 45, fell ill over a week ago in Amesbury, near the town of Salisbury where former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were attacked with Novichok in March and have since recovered.

Novichok is a militarygrade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Britain and its allies accused Russia of trying to kill the Skripals, prompting angry denials and sparking an international diplomatic crisis.

Police said they would be led by the evidence but confirmed a link between the Amesbury case and the Salisbury attack was a main line of inquiry.

The British couple were believed to have become exposed to Novichok by handling a “contaminated item”, with speculation that it could have been the container used to administer the nerve agent to the Skripals.

But, police and public health officials insist the risk to the wider public remains low.

A police officer was tested for possible exposure to the deadly nerve agent over the weekend but was given the all-clear.

THIS HAS … ONLY SERVED TO STRENGTHEN OUR RESOLVE TO IDENTIFY AND BRING TO JUSTICE THE PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS AN OUTRAGEOUS, RECKLESS AND BARBARIC ACT ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF NEIL BASU

Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of Britain’s counter-terror police, said Ms Sturgess’ death was “shocking and tragic news”.

“This terrible news has only served to strengthen our resolve to identify and bring to justice the person or persons responsible for what I can only describe as an outrageous, reckless and barbaric act,” he said.

He added that the other victim “remains critically ill in hospital and our thoughts are with him and his family as well”.