Ordeal of policeman poisoned in spy attack
THE heroic police officer who is seriously ill after a nerve agent attack on a Russian spy was said to be “anxious and concerned” as his chief constable admitted: “He’s not the Nick I know”.
Det Sgt Nick Bailey is being treated in intensive care after he was contaminated when he raced to help save the lives of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. However, one relative said last night the detective has tried to reassure his family from his hospital bed.
Kier Pritchard, Wiltshire Police’s acting chief constable, said after visiting the detective that he was “well and sat up”, but added: “He is not the Nick that I know… he’s very anxious, he’s very concerned.”
A colleague also warned: “Don’t forget this is a nerve agent attack. He’s by no means out of the woods yet.”
Det Sgt Bailey, who joined the force at age 17, is a decorated officer who has previously won an award for his police work. The husband, and father-of-two, was described by his cousin as “a good copper”. Andrew Bailey added: “He’s the most honest person I know. Part of being a policeman is to help people and it sounds like he didn’t hesitate to run to the help of those two poor people.”
Col Skripal, 66, a Russian double agent who was recruited by MI6, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remained critically ill yesterday as the row with the Kremlin – held to be almost certainly responsible – intensified.
Wiltshire Police disclosed that a total of 21 people were treated for possible poisoning in the attempted assassination on Sunday afternoon in a Salisbury shopping centre, but only the Skripals and Det Sgt Bailey remain in hospital.
A police cordon was put up around the grave of Col Skripal’s wife, who is buried in Salisbury. He visited the grave on March 1 with his daughter.
Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, told MPS that “the use of a nerve agent,
on UK soil is a brazen and reckless act”, adding: “This was attempted murder in the most cruel and public way.”
Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, warned that Russia was becoming an “ever-greater threat”.
Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies continued the hunt for the poisoners but believe the Russian intelligence agency, the FSB, was almost certainly behind the “hit”.
Anger towards President Vladimir Putin and Moscow will intensify if Det Sgt Bailey fails to make a full recovery.
However, the detective is said to have tried to reassure his family that he is doing better, according to Dominic Phillips, his brother-in-law.
Mr Phillips, 46, who is married to Det Sgt Bailey’s sister, Lucy, said: “I don’t know how much he remembers but he has been doing better. He has been texting my wife to say ‘I’m OK’.”
After joining the detective’s wife, Sarah, at Salisbury District Hospital, Mr Pritchard said: “I’ve known Nick for many years, he’s a great character, he’s a huge presence in Wiltshire Police – well liked, well loved, a massively dedicated officer.
“Of course he’s very anxious, he’s very concerned. He did his very best on that night,” he added.
Det Sgt Bailey received a certificate of excellence in 2016 for his “tireless” work in building a case against a serial rapist who was active for more than 40 years from the early Seventies to 2014.
He became ill after he tried to resuscitate Ms Skripal as she lay in a “catatonic” state on a public bench. He was initially treated as a precaution and discharged, but his condition deteriorated and he was re-admitted on Tuesday and taken into intensive care.
Last night, Det Sgt Bailey’s cousin, Andrew, 50, told The Daily Telegraph: “It’s his life...he was young when he joined and he’s pretty well decorated so I reckon he must be a good copper. His first instinct would have been to assist them. A policeman is never off duty.”
He described his cousin – a keen athlete, often seen running with his springer spaniel around his village – as a devoted husband and father to his two daughters. “Sarah will have been distraught by what’s happened, so it’s great news that he appears to be pulling through,” he added.
Friend and neighbour Cheryl Trestrail said: “All I can tell you is that he’s a hero, he’s a good guy. He ran towards danger.”
Theresa May, the Prime Minister, who is under pressure to retaliate against the Kremlin, praised Det Sgt Biailey’s bravery and the courage of the emergency services who attended the call to The Maltings shopping centre. She said: “We are all thinking of him, his family, friends and colleagues, and the two other victims.”