Live: Inquiry into Novichok poisoning of Dawn Sturgess begins

Novichok opens 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. They were poisoned when members of a Russian military intelligence squad were believed to have smeared the nerve agent on Mr Skripal’s door handle. The Skripals and Ms Sturgess’s boyfriend Charlie Rowley, who had unwittingly given her the bottle containing the killer nerve agent, survived. Three Russian men thought to be involved in the attacks on British soil were issued an international arrest warrant. The Russian constitution does not allow the extradition of its citizens so it is unlikely they will ever stand trial. Two suspects told Russian state media they were only in