Perfume bottle held enough Novichok to kill thousands, Dawn Sturgess death inquiry hears

A perfume bottle carrying Novichok, the Russian nerve agent that fatally poisoned Dawn Sturgess, contained “enough poison to kill thousands of people”, the inquiry into her death was told on Monday, 14 October.

The British 44-year-old died after being exposed to the chemical weapon which was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.

Ms Sturgess’s death came after the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March that year.

Three Russian men thought to be involved in the attacks on British soil were issued an international arrest warrant.

Two suspects told Russian state media they were only in the UK briefly to visit Salisbury Cathedral.