POISONED BY NOVICHOK ‘ON TRIP TO PARK’
»»Police say tests show pair »»They ‘found bag near were exposed to nerve agent scene of bid to kill spy’
A COUPLE have been poisoned by the same Novichok nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack on the Skripals, police confirmed.
Officers hunted traces of the deadly substance, as mum-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, fought for life in hospital with partner Charlie Rowley, 45.
Pal Sam Hobson helped officers retrace their steps yesterday and said: “Police took me round every single place we visited, they wanted to see if they could have missed somewhere.”
One possible line of inquiry is that the couple found the poison stashed in a bag in a park but had no idea what it was before taking it away.
The pair fell ill at Charlie’s home in Amesbury on Saturday, just 24 hours after they had enjoyed a day out in Salisbury, where Dawn lives.
The Wiltshire city had been given the all-clear following the massive cleansing operation after the Skripals were poisoned four months ago.
But Sam, who called an ambulance as he saw Charlie “turn into a zombie”, added: “We went round every single spot so they could build a picture of whether they had touched something they shouldn’t have.”
Dawn and
Charlie had visited
Queen Elizabeth gardens, where they went to enjoy a drink with friends.
It is believed to be one of several sites in Salisbury and Amesbury, including a Baptist Church and a pharmacy, closed off last night.
Last night, Met police Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, Neil Basu, said: “We can confirm the man and woman have been exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, which has been identified as the same nerve agent that contaminated both Yulia and Sergei Skripal.”
Dawn lives in sheltered housing a short walk from the bench where the Skripals were found unconscious.
Sam said the couple had also visited Boots – to buy red, white and blue hair dye to support England – a phone shop and a store to buy alcohol.
They bought food from Poundland and visited Barnado’s charity shop to buy a blanket for the park.
Describing what happened next day when Sam went to visit the couple in Amesbury, Sam said: “Dawn was being taken out in stretcher, Charlie said she was foaming at the mouth.
“Then he just turned into a zombie, rocking his head against the wall and sweating and hallucinating.
“I was so shocked to see it, it was not like he’d taken anything. I can only think they have been poisoned.”
Yesterday Dawn’s family said she had nothing to do with espionage.
Theresa May’s spokesman said: “This is an incident which understandably is being treated with the utmost seriousness.”