A former police detective who was poisoned by Novichok has given evidence at the Dawn Sturgess Public Inquiry.
Detective sergeant Nick Bailey was the first person to enter the home of Sergei Skripal after the Russian double agent and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned in March 2018, leading to him becoming seriously unwell.
Following the incident, Mr Bailey left Wiltshire Police after 18 years following three attempts to go back to work. He ended up suing the police force and it was confirmed in 2022 that he had reached a settlement.
Mr Bailey held back tears as he gave evidence to the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry on November 7 about how the incident had affected him mentally and physically.
Questioning him on his recollection of events was counsel to the inquiry Francesca Whitelaw KC.
She said: “It is fair to say the poisoning had a very significant mental and physical impact on you.”
READ MORE: Consultant describes moment Yulia Skripal woke up in ICU
Mr Bailey appeared to well up as he nodded in response to Ms Whitelaw.
At the beginning of his evidence, Mr Bailey said: “My recollection of the events of March 2018 is hazy at best.
“I spent a lot of time dealing with it when it happened and dealing with the aftermath of it, processing it, and I got to a point where the only way for me to kind of move on from it was to stop thinking about it and to close it off.
“So it’s been some time since I have actually had to then go back to those events – so yes, my memory of the incident isn’t the best.”
Mr Bailey frequently referred to his witness statement throughout his evidence and recalled a colleague calling the control room to say “a Russian spy has been poisoned”.
He told the inquiry: “It is not something that I had heard before and it’s not something I had thought I would ever hear again.
“It was a bizarre incident. I remember thinking ‘I will never hear that phrase on a Wiltshire Police radio again’.”
READ MORE: INQUIRY: There was 'no possibility' of Ms Sturgess surviving
Mr Bailey was then asked to recall entering Mr Skripal’s address, detailing everything he touched in the house.
He also spoke of how his symptoms worsened overnight after being poisoned, with him feeling “incredibly hot” and sweating.
He said: “Overnight, I would describe it as getting a lot worse.
“I went down at around five in the morning because I was freaking out a little and my vision was impaired. Once I turned the lights on, everything was crystal clear and it was juddered as opposed to being a smooth motion of looking around.
“It was almost in frames – it was quite scary.”
The inquiry chairman Lord Hughes concluded Mr Bailey’s evidence by saying: “I am very conscious you have had to relive a very nasty experience but it was necessary and thank you for doing it.”
The inquiry continues in London until December 2.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel