Novichok could last 50 years, say police
Man conscious but still critical following death of his girlfriend, as police try to identify source of poison
Traces of Novichok could remain for 50 years, Scotland Yard’s head of counter-terror policing said last night. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told a public meeting in Amesbury, Wilts, that it would be impossible to search for deposits of the nerve agent forever. The poisoning victim Charlie Rowley has regained consciousness. Dawn Sturgess, his partner, was killed by the substance, believed to have been used by Russia to try to assassinate the former spy Sergei Skripal in March.
Martin Evans
Victoria Ward
ONE of the two people poisoned by Novichok in Salisbury is now conscious, it emerged yesterday, as the UK’S counter-terror chief admitted the nerve agent could last 50 years.
Charlie Rowley had been in a coma in intensive care ever since being rushed to hospital on Saturday June 30, but the improvement in his condition has raised hopes that he might be able to help police understand how he became ill.
At the weekend his girlfriend, Dawn Sturgess, a mother-of three, died and it was feared that he may also fail to recover from the contamination.
But in a statement Lorna Wilkinson, director of nursing at Salisbury District Hospital, said his condition had now improved.
She said: “He is in a critical but stable condition, and is now conscious. While this is welcome news, clearly we are not out of the woods yet. Charlie is still very unwell and will continue to require specialist, round-the-clock care here at Salisbury District Hospital.”
The fact he is now conscious may offer the police an opportunity to find out how the pair came to be contaminated.
However, Asst Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, revealed at a packed public meeting in Amesbury last night that the deadly Novichok “could last 50 years”.
He admitted it could be in several containers which may never be found, as “it would be impossible to keep going forever”. Mr Basu said officers were working on the theory that Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley came into contact with the nerve agent in liquid form after opening a container.
It is thought they may have picked up a container that had been used in the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal, the former Russian agent, and Yulia, his daughter, in March.
More than 100 counter-terrorism officers are involved in the hunt for a container thought to have been responsible for poisoning Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley.
Earlier, Ms Sturgess’s family said in a statement: “Dawn will always be remembered by us as a gentle soul who was generous to a fault. She would do anything for anybody and those who knew Dawn would know that she would gladly give her last penny to somebody in need. She had the biggest of hearts and she will be dreadfully missed by both her immediate and wider family. Our thoughts and prayers also go out to Charlie and his family and we wish Charlie a speedy recovery.”
Meanwhile parents in Wiltshire have been warned not to allow their children to pick up items from the ground.
In fresh advice, Prof Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, said the warning was particularly important as the school holidays were about to begin. She said: “I want to emphasise to everyone in the Salisbury and Amesbury area that nobody, adult or child, should pick up any foreign object which could contain liquid or gel, in the interests of their own safety. This, in practice, means do not pick up containers, syringes, needles, cosmetics or similar objects, made of materials such as metal, plastic or glass. To be clear: do not pick up anything that you haven’t dropped yourself.”
Earlier there were fears that Novichok could have spread to a third Wiltshire town after a car belonging to a paramedic was seized at an address in Swindon. Military personnel wearing camouflage and gas masks removed the white Audi car from outside the home of Keith Mills, a former RAF man who is believed to been one of the medical team who attended Amesbury.
Wiltshire Police said: “We have arranged the transportation of a car from an address in Swindon this evening in relation to the ongoing incident in Amesbury.”