Russian ‘poisoned by soup’ received text threat

A WEALTHY Russian businessman who was allegedly poisoned with sorrel soup received a threatening text message the year before he died, an inquest has heard.

Alexander Perepilichnyy, 44, collapsed and died while running near his £3million home in Weybridge, Surrey, in November 2012. His death was originally attributed to natural causes, but traces of a chemical found in the poisonous plant Gelsemium elegans were later detected in his stomach.

His widow, Tatiana Perepilichnaya, spoke for the first time at the inquest yesterday, and said she did not know who sent the threatening text message.

The text, in June 2011, said: “Alexander you will go to prison really seriously for long. I can do that. If you want to live free and happily you have to pay 300,000 roubles [£6,000].” Giving evidence behind a screen, Mrs Perepilichnaya denied her husband fell out with an “organised crime syndicate” in Russia or that he moved to England because he owed people a lot of money.

The mother of two said the family moved to the UK for their children’s education. She also said that her husband took out multiple life insurance policies as a “necessary element of purchasing a house” in Britain.