It was “pure chance” Dawn Sturgess sprayed herself with novichok before meeting up with her daughter, an inquiry has been told.
Caroline Sturgess said Dawn had plans to meet her daughter before she discovered the perfume bottle containing novichok and said it was a “solace” to her family Dawn’s daughter was not killed in the incident.
Dawn, 44, died after unwittingly applying the nerve agent to her skin in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.
It came after the attempted murders of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then-police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in Salisbury in March that year.
All three survived – as did Ms Sturgess’s boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, who had unknowingly given her the bottle containing the nerve agent.
In a statement to the inquiry investigating Ms Stugess’s death, her mother said she was an “intelligent, funny, extremely selfless and very kind person”.
“I last spoke to my daughter on the evening before the incident,” she said.
Novichok inquiry live: Mother of woman killed in deadly perfume bottle poisoning giving evidence
Sergei and Yulia Skripal: Ex-Russian spy and daughter won’t appear at Salisbury poisonings inquiry over safety fears
The Salisbury poisonings five years on
“We spoke at length about the excitement she felt at the prospect of finally leaving the hostel and living independently once more.
“The final part of our conversation that night was discussing taking Dawn’s daughter to her the following day to spend time together: she was to ring me in the morning with a confirmed time for me to drop her off.
“It was pure chance that Dawn had sprayed herself with the novichok before her daughter arrived.
“Dawn’s death was a tragedy to us all, but the fact that her daughter was not killed as well is a solace that we often revisit.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
