Novichok victim’s condition ‘stable’

London – A British man, 45, who was exposed to a high dose of the nerve agent novichok is no longer in a critical condition, the hospital treating him said yesterday.

Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at Salisbury District Hospital in southwest England, said in a statement, Charlie Rowley’s condition had improved overnight and was now “serious, but stable”.

“Charlie still has some way to go to recover, but the progress we’ve seen so far gives us cause for optimism.”

Police said in a statement they had spoken to Rowley.

His partner who was also contaminated, Dawn Sturgess, 44, collapsed earlier on June 30 at his house. She died on Sunday.

Sam Hobson, a friend of the couple, said he went to Rowley’s house on Saturday as Sturgess was being taken to hospital and stayed with him for several hours until he, too, began to complain of feeling ill.

“He was sweating loads, dribbling, and you couldn’t speak to him,” Hobson said. “It’s like he was in another world, hallucinating.”

Salisbury is the city where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the same Soviet-made nerve agent four months ago.

Police believe the two handled a contaminated item, although they have not been able to confirm whether it was from the same batch as the one used in the attempted murder of Russian ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. –