No pallbearers at funeral of Novichok victim amid fears body is contaminated
SPECIAL health measures have been imposed on the funeral of Novichok victim Dawn Sturgess today to prevent mourners from being exposed to the nerve agent.
Health bosses have insisted that no pallbearers be allowed to carry the coffin through Salisbury Crematorium.
Instead, it will be put into position by officials before mourners arrive.
The measures have been imposed amid concerns that Miss Sturgess’s body still contains dangerous levels of the Russian nerve agent. The mother- of- three’s family will have 15 minutes of ‘quiet time’ when they will be able to sit near her coffin, according to the vicar who will conduct the service.
Miss Sturgess, 44, died in hospital on July 8 after she sprayed the poison on herself thinking it was perfume. Her boyfriend Charlie Rowley told how he gave her the bottle in his flat in Amesbury, Wiltshire, after finding it on the ground in Salisbury.
The bottle contained Novichok and had been thrown away by hitmen after the attempted assassination of former double agent Sergei Skripal, 67, and his daughter Yulia, 33, in Salisbury in March.
The Rev Philip Bromiley said an ‘awful lot of planning’ had gone into the funeral so nobody would be affected by the nerve agent.
‘The funeral directors have been liaising with Public Health England and they have put various precautions in place,’ he said.
‘One of those precautions is that the coffin will be in situ before everybody arrives. The funeral directors are liaising with the powers that be to make sure everything is as safe as possible.’
Mr Rowley, 45, also became sick after some of the poison spilt on to his hands. He regained consciousness almost two weeks after becoming ill.
The Rev Bromiley said he did not know if Mr Rowley would be attending the funeral.
‘We will be praying for Charlie at some stage,’ he said. ‘[Miss Sturgess’s] mum and dad are doing really well but they are obviously in a state of shock. They are being really positive and wanting the best for Dawn. I think there is a great sense of wanting to celebrate Dawn’s life. She was a really lovely, helpful, giving person.’
Mr Rowley, who blames himself for his girlfriend’s death, said he hoped ‘saying goodbye’ will help his recovery. He is still on ‘various medications’ as he recovers.
He said Miss Sturgess sprayed the liquid on to her wrists because she recognised the bottle as a wellknown brand. But within 15 minutes she began to feel unwell and collapsed fully-clothed in the bath in a ‘very ill state’.
Special health measures were also imposed at the funeral of KGB defector Alexander Litvinenko after he was poisoned by the radioactive substance polonium 210.
The former Russian spy, who converted to Islam ten days before his death, was buried in a specially sealed coffin after a service at a London mosque in 2006. Under Islamic guidelines, Mr Litvinenko’s body should have been specially bathed and prayers should have been read over his open coffin. But the risk of contamination was too great.