Lawyers for Dawn Sturgess’s family have said that the current threat posed by Russia to the United Kingdom makes it even more important to hear as much of the investigation as possible in public without compromising national security. A preliminary hearing on Friday revealed that former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who survived a previous nerve agent attack, had sought to become “key players”, meaning they could be legally represented. It has become clear that the stories of the three Russians accused of carrying out the poisonings – Dennis Sergeyev, Alexander Miskin and Anatoly Tsepiga – will be examined, and a UK lawyer has been accused of examining evidence from their point of view. Cathryn McGahey QC, representing the Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, said that the crisis in Ukraine has contributed to delays in the processing and disclosure of sensitive information. Michael Mansfield QC, for the Sturgess family, said the delay was “huge”, adding: “The initial incident that affected their family was in 2018.” He emphasized that the decision by the government to hold a closed-door meeting was to take appropriate action after Scripal’s attack to protect the people of the United Kingdom. Mansfield said it was particularly important that this information be made public given the threat that the United Kingdom is now facing from Moscow. The public inquiry was officially launched by the UK government this month, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Lord Hughes. At the beginning of the first preliminary hearing, Hughes said that the investigation would deal with “international politics and complex science”, but added: “We must not overlook the fact that at its heart is the death of a woman who had no international life or safety life. She was very popular. “ He said the investigation would be thorough and thorough, adding: “The terms of reference raise issues of the utmost seriousness, including the claim that the Russian state is responsible for Ms Sturgess’s murder. “Recent world events underscore the importance of the conclusions I reach as clear and valid as possible.” Hughes said top-secret information would be heard in closed sessions, but he wanted to hear as much as possible in open court. He expressed concern that it was now unlikely that substantive hearings would begin in February next year, as expected. Sergei Skripal was the target of the initial novichok attack in Salisbury on March 4, 2018. He, Julia, and a police officer, DS Nick Bailey, were poisoned but survived. In June 2018, Sturgess, 44, and her partner, Charlie Rowley, were poisoned in Amesbury, eight miles north of Salisbury, after finding a fake perfume bottle containing novichok. Rowley recovered but Sterges died on July 8 of that year. A further public hearing may take place in the summer.
