Inquiry set to open into death of woman poisoned by Soviet-developed nerve agent

LONDON -- An inquiry into the 2018 death of a British woman poisoned by a Soviet-developed nerve agent is set to open Monday, offering an opportunity to more closely examine any possible Russian involvement in the case.

Dawn Sturgess and her partner collapsed after they came into contact with a discarded perfume bottle containing the nerve agent Novichok in the southwest England town of Amesbury. She died several days later, but her partner survived.

Their exposure came three months after a former Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter were sickened by Novichok in an attack in the nearby city of Salisbury.

Britain has blamed Russian intelligence, but Moscow has denied any role. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Skripal, a double agent for Britain during his espionage days, a “scumbag” of no interest to the Kremlin because he was exchanged in a spy swap in 2010.

The Skripals will not testify during the inquiry out of fear for their safety.

Heather Hallett, the coroner who held the 2018 inquest into Sturgess’ death, said a public inquiry is needed to conduct a complete look at how the woman died. Unlike inquests, which are routinely held in cases when the cause of death is unknown or if someone dies violently, public inquiries are allowed to consider sensitive intelligence material.