Novichok victim Dawn Sturgess told her boyfriend she felt âvery, very strangeâ before he found her lying in the bath, âconvulsing and foaming at the mouthâ, an inquiry has heard.
Charlie Rowley told police Ms Sturgess began to feel unwell around 10-15 minutes after spraying the nerve agent on her wrist on June 30 2018.
Mr Rowley said in a witness statement that he had told the 44-year-old âLook what I foundâ when he unwittingly gave her a perfume bottle containing Novichok.
Ms Sturgess later died after being exposed to the chemical weapon from the discarded perfume bottle found in Amesbury, Wiltshire.
It followed the attempted murders of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then-police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March that year.
Describing Ms Sturgessâs reaction after spraying the substance on her wrists, Mr Rowley said in a statement: âI do not know what Dawn thought, but it was after this she said she felt very unwell, but I thought this was because we were hungover.
âDawn began feeling unwell about 10 to 15 minutes after she sprayed the perfume on her wrist.
âShe was sat on the sofa and having a discussion about finishing doing her hair. She wanted to put some hair colour in her hair, sheâd just put blonde in her hair and she wanted to put some blue, blue colouring or something.
âShe said that I might need to help her, but then she said that she felt âvery, very strangeâ and that she had to go and lie in the bath, which I thought was a bit strange.
âAfter a minute I went into the bathroom to see what she was doing and I found her lying in the bath with her clothes on, just lying in the bath, convulsing and foaming at the mouth, and I panicked, I didnât know what to do.
âThoughts were running through my head and I didnât know what to do, I was thinking âWhat do I do? What do I do?â. The only thing I could think was to call 999. I did that and had a complete memory blank.â
Mr Rowley recalled intending to give the perfume bottle to Ms Sturgess as a gift.
His statement, read on Wednesday by counsel to the inquiry Andrew OâConnor, continued: âI was hanging around in the kitchen area and I spotted the package that Iâd picked up a couple of days prior and thought âNowâs a better time than ever to give her a presentâ.
âI showed it to Dawn â I think I took it off the kitchen table to show her, I was hungover.
âI just remember thinking âOh, I remember finding thatâ. I think Dawn was a bit moody with me, sheâs quite subdued and she was talking about doing her hair colour and I showed her the perfume.
âI think I said âLook what I foundâ. Before I gave it to her, I told her that Iâd found the perfume the other day. I wouldâve asked her what she made of it and if she knew if it was any good.â
Mr Rowley said he spilt the nerve agent on his hands as he tried to assemble the perfume bottle.
His statement said: âOnce the plastic was open, Dawn tried to assemble it and failed, so I tried and managed to pour it over my hands. I canât remember if there was anything on the top of the opening of the bottle.
âDawn was trying to push the plug on top to fasten it. I used quite a bit of force, but it spilt.
âI think it spilt near the microwave or near the sofa. Once the top was fastened, Dawn sprayed it once on herself, she sprayed it on her wrist.
âI sniffed it but it didnât smell like perfume, I sniffed my hands but didnât get any on my nose, but it touched my skin.
âIt was just an oily substance. I canât remember what it smelt like. It wasnât a horrible odour, but not like something I had smelt before.
âI thought âThatâs not rightâ. I was quite covered in it, so I had to wash my hands.â
Mr Rowley said that, since coming into contact with Novichok, he has felt âanxiousâ and has had a âlot of peculiar dreamsâ.
He said: âI have very little memory of what happened before I was poisoned. This was, and is, partly because of the Novichok itself.
âI noticed that it affected the thought processes in my head. Since the poisoning, itâs been a lot harder to think and to concentrate.
âI tend to overthink things, I feel anxious often, Iâve had a lot of peculiar dreams.â
Mr OâConnor said Mr Rowleyâs memory is âalso bad because of (his) daily large amounts of alcohol, methadone and/or other drugsâ.
An international arrest warrant was issued for three Russian men thought to have been involved in the attacks on British soil, but because the Russian constitution does not allow the extradition of its citizens it is unlikely they will ever stand trial.
Two suspects gave an interview with Russian state media in which they said they were only in the UK briefly, to visit Salisbury Cathedral.
The inquiry continues.
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