The daughter of a woman killed in a Novichok poisoning in Wiltshire has told the inquest into her death of her sadness at not being able to say goodbye to her.
In a statement to the inquiry by Dawn Sturgess' mother, Caroline Sturgess, the girl said: “My mother and I had a bond that will never be forgotten. The day I heard that she had become seriously ill, I was heartbroken.”
The girl, who cannot be named, who was an elementary school student at the time, continued:
“It was very upsetting the day I heard everyone go to say goodbye when she was in intensive care, right after she passed away. One thing I'll never forget is… I couldn't meet her or say goodbye because of my age.”
Retired civil servant Caroline Sturgess paid tribute to Mr Dawn on the second day of the investigation at Salisbury Guildhall.
She said: “Dawn was the eldest of our four girls and a mother of three herself. She would have been a grandmother by now, but she would never get to experience the absolute joy of meeting her first grandchild. And I won't be able to watch my first grandchild grow up.
“She was intelligent, funny, extremely selfless, and a very kind person. She always cared deeply about her family and the many friends that surrounded her. She never criticized anyone. Instead, I tried to make others happy, even when I didn't feel like smiling myself.”
Caroline said Dawn lived in a hostel for the last two years of her life. She said: “Dawn was excited to seize this opportunity to work on her issues and for this to be a fresh start to a new chapter. She will remain in constant contact and has the full support of all of us. Ta.
“Dawn's main priority continued to be the welfare of her children. Her youngest child was always very excited to see her mother and I tried to take her to see her as much as possible. Dawn always greeted her the same way – getting down on her knees so she could run into his arms.”
Caroline Sturgess said the story of Dawn at the time of her poisoning was “extremely distressing for everyone who knew her personally”. She said, “She was not known to be a drug user, as was initially reported and subsequently reported repeatedly.”
She continued: “The last time I spoke to my daughter was the night before the incident. We spoke at length about the excitement she felt at the prospect of finally leaving the hostel. The last part of our conversation that night was , we were talking about taking Dawn's daughter to her place the next day and spending some time with her. She was to call me in the morning to confirm when I would drop her off. It was purely by chance that he sprayed himself with Novichok before arriving.
“While Dawn's death was a tragedy for all of us, the fact that her daughter was not killed as well is a consolation we will remember again and again. There was enough in the perfume bottle to kill thousands of people. Again, we are devastated by her death, but Dawn was the only life lost that day when the potential damage was far greater. The family is comforted by that. We know she agrees.”
Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok on March 4, 2018 in Salisbury, where they had settled after a spy exchange.
On June 30, 2018, Dawn Sturgess (44 years old) and her boyfriend Charlie Rowley… He fell ill at his home in Amesbury, 11 miles north of Salisbury.Novichok was found in a perfume bottle that Laurie had apparently found abandoned in a trash can. The Skripals and Mr. Rowley survived, but Mr. Sturges died on July 8.
The investigation continues.
