REMARKS made by President Putin following the Salisbury Poisonings were described as 'extremely offensive' at the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry.
At the final open hearing of evidence on November 28, a chain of emails from within the foreign office with cabinet office recipients was shared.
Starting on October 3, 2018, which is after the suspects were charged in the UK and also after they had appeared on the Russian channel RT being interviewed about the allegations.
The emails are from a foreign office official to another foreign office official sharing a record of something President Putin said.
"As concerns the Skripals, this new spy scandal is being blown out of proportion artificially. I see some of your colleagues are advancing the theory that Mr Skripal is practically a human rights defender. He's just a spy. A traitor to his motherland. There is such a term, traitor to one's motherland.
"He is one of them."
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Putin then said he hopes the Skripal affair ends soon: " I think it will happen some time, I hope [the information surrounding it] will end. The sooner it ends, the better."
Another email sent a few minutes later added that Putin said:
"If we're talking about Skripal being poisoned there, do you want to say we have also poisoned some homeless person?
"I sometimes look at what is happening with this case and I'm just surprised. Some guys come and begin poisoning homeless people there. Nonsense. What, do they work for some kind of cleansing department?
"That Skripal, as I said, is a traitor, he was caught, he was punished, he spent a total of five years in jail and we released him. That was it.
"He left and continued cooperating and he consulted some special services."
READ MORE: Why did the Government blame Russia for Novichok poisonings?
After the emails were read to the inquiry, Mr Allen said: "Mr Putin is always extremely careful with the precise words he says. It's very hard to pin a meaning on it."
He then goes on to speak about the comments referring to "some homeless person".
Mr Allen said: "It's extremely offensive and rather callous comments - I assume that those are meant to be referencing Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley - they are offensive in the extreme, and rather indicative of his rather dismissive attitude to what has happened."
Closing statements for the inquiry will be made on Monday, December 2.
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