A perfume bottle that caused a woman’s death contained enough toxic chemicals to potentially k!ll thousands. Dawn Sturgess encountered a discarded perfume bottle filled with the nerve agent Novichok in Amesbury, southwest England. The chemical was found in a vial marked as Nina Ricci ‘Premier Jour’ perfume, which Sturgess reportedly sprayed on her wrists.
Sturgess and her partner both fell ill, with Sturgess eventually succumbing to the poison, while her partner survived. The 2018 incident is believed to be linked to the Salisbury Poisonings, where former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned four months earlier.
During the inquiry, lead counsel Andrew O’Connor stated that evidence suggests the bottle contained enough poison to k!ll thousands and had been left in a public area, posing a risk to anyone who might find and take it home.
The Salisbury poisonings are suspected to be the work of Russian intelligence, although Russia denies involvement and claims it wouldn’t target Skripal, who was part of a 2010 spy exchange. In a witness statement, Skripal suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin must have approved the attack, stating that Putin personally makes all major decisions.
Skripal also expressed shock over the attack, calling it ‘not honorable’ to harm someone who had been exchanged and pardoned. He stated, “I never thought the Russian regime would try to murder me in Great Britain.”
Though the Novichok attack targeted Skripal, only Sturgess died from the poisoning, though others were affected.
Michael Mansfield, representing Sturgess’ family and partner, queried the inquiry about whether UK authorities could have prevented the attack, adding that the family and the public deserve answers on whether a chemical weapons attack could have been stopped.
Heather Hallett, the coroner who led the 2018 inquest into Sturgess’ death, has called for a public inquiry to deeply examine the circumstances of Sturgess’ death and to consider releasing sensitive information.