Dawn Sturgess' mother set to speak at inquiry into daughter's death

The devastated mother of a woman who died after being poisoned in Amesbury in 2018 is to give evidence to a public inquiry this morning (Tuesday 15th October).

Hearings into the circumstances of the death of Dawn Sturgess after she was exposed to the military-grade chemical weapon, Novichok, are being held at Salisbury Guildhall this week.

Dawn's mother, Caroline, will be giving evidence about her daughter on Tuesday morning after the 44-year-old's passing six years ago after she mistakenly applied the chemical weapon to her skin.

It had been hidden in a perfume bottle and followed the March 2018 poisonings of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in an attempted murder.

The Sturgess family's legal counsel revealed that they weren't able to hold the burial for the mum-of-three that they wanted.

There were concerns at the time that Dawn's body could still be a contaminant, with the family told 'not to touch the coffin' and that her remains must be cremated.

Adam Straw KC, counsel on behalf of Ms Sturgess's family, said: "Because of the Novichok, the family were not allowed to bury Dawn's body as they wished, and were told not to touch the coffin - she had to be cremated."

On Saturday June 30 2018, Ms Sturgess's partner, Charlie Rowley, gave her a bottle of what appeared to be Nina Ricci Premier Jour perfume that he had recently found, the inquiry heard.

She sprayed the bottle on herself without realising it contained a "a deadly military grade nerve agent - a specific type of highly pure Novichok."

"Within a short time afterwards, she said she felt peculiar - went into the bathroom, where Charlie found her lying in the bath fully clothed, had pinpoint pupils, was convulsing and drooling at the mouth," Mr Straw said.

She was taken unconscious to Salisbury District Hospital and her family visited her while she was in a coma and on life support, the inquiry heard.

It was told Ms Sturgess never regained consciousness - on July 4 blood tests confirmed she had been poisoned by Novichok and on July 8 she was taken off life support.

The inquiry, which is in it's second day, will also hear evidence from Wiltshire Police Deputy Chief Constable, Paul Mills, after he led the Force's response to both poisonings in 2018.

The hearing's aim to answer several questions regarding Ms Sturgess' death, including exactly how the bottle of perfume, laced with enough toxic chemicals to 'kill thousands', ended up in Dawn's hands.

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