Police chat briefly to Novichok poisoning survivor

INVESTIGATORS hunting a mystery vessel containing a deadly nerve agent are hoping to glean vital information from poisoning victim Charlie Rowley.

The 45-year-old may be the only person who can help detectives narrow down their search for “a needle in a haystack”.

Mr Rowley was left seriously ill and his partner, Dawn Sturgess (44), died after they col- lapsed in Amesbury, Wiltshire, on June 30, having been exposed to Novichok.

It is believed that the couple handled a vessel containing the chemical weapon, but police have admitted they have “no idea” what it might look like.

Advice from Public Health England is that the overall risk is low, but chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has warned everyone in the area not to pick up “any foreign object which could contain liquid or gel, in the interests of their own safety”. Mr Rowley regained consciousness on Tuesday, and yesterday Scotland Yard confirmed that officers had been able to speak to him.

The Metropolitan Police said the investigation team had spoken briefly to Mr Rowley and will be looking to speak with him again in the coming days to identify how he and Ms Sturgess came to be contaminated.

“Any contact officers have with Charlie will be done in close consultation with the hospital and his doctors.” Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at Salisbury District Hospital, said that while Mr Rowley is no longer in a critical condition, he remains seriously ill.

She said: “Charlie Rowley has made further progress overnight. He is no longer in a critical condition. His condition is now serious, but stable.”

She added: “Charlie still has some way to go to recover, but the progress we’ve seen so far gives us cause for optimism.” Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said it is likely the latest poisoning is linked to the attempted murders of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March with the same substance.

Mr Basu conceded that the authorities had not been looking for anything containing Novichok until the latest incident. The nerve agent can remain active for 50 years if left undisturbed in a sealed container.