Putin poison hell cop: I’m still broken
A POLICEMAN who almost died in the Salisbury novichok poisonings is still off work after being “broken” by his ordeal two years ago.
Det Sgt Nick Bailey, 40, will make a third and final attempt to return to his job next week after struggling to “pick up the pieces”.
Nick spent 18 days fighting for his life in intensive care after being contaminated during a chemical weapons attack on former MI6 agent Sergei Skripal in March 2018.
He was exposed to a high dose of novichok when he touched the front door handle of the Skripal home.
Speaking after the nightmare was portrayed in BBC One drama The Salisbury Poisonings this week, he admitted suffering “a massive impact psychologically”.
He said the attack, blamed on Russian-backed assassins, had also left its mark on his wife Sarah and daughters Eloise, 16, and Annabel, 12.
Nick said: “It really pulled the rug from under my feet. Sarah has had to see me as a broken man, to watch someone she loves fall to pieces.
“My heart says I’m a policeman. I’ve done it for 18 years and it’s all I’ve wanted since I was a kid. But my head is in a different place.
“Pre-novichok I had direction. Now I don’t – it’s quite scary.”
Nick also defended his wife after she was criticised over her handling of the aftermath of the incident, as portrayed in this week’s three-part TV drama. The couple are played by Rafe Spall and Annabel Scholey.
He said: “Those scenes with Sarah could never truly reflect the extreme emotion and trauma she went through. Cut her some slack.”
The couple decided to sell their dream home to the police and had many treasured belongings destroyed in the wake of the contamination.
Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia almost died but eventually recovered. Mum Dawn Sturgess died and her boyfriend Charlie Rowley fell ill after accidentally touching discarded novichok.