Baroness Hallett: Judge to hear Salisbury Novichok inquest

Dawn Sturgess died on 8 July 2018 after being taken ill on 30 June

A retired Court of Appeal judge will preside over the inquest into the death of the only victim of the Salisbury Novichok poisonings.

Dawn Sturgess died in hospital in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.

Baroness Heather Hallett has been appointed to hear her inquest after judges ordered the Wiltshire coroner to reconsider its parameters last July.

Lady Hallett was coroner for the inquests of the 52 victims killed on 7 July 2005 in bombings in London.

Ms Sturgess, 44, was poisoned after inadvertently spraying herself with Novichok contained in a perfume bottle, given to her by her partner Charlie Rowley.

The mother-of-three died after collapsing at Mr Rowley's flat in Amesbury, near Salisbury.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned but both survived

It is thought the target of the poisonings were former MI6 agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, who both survived.

Lawyers for Ms Sturgess' daughter argued successfully that the senior Wiltshire coroner David Ridley acted incorrectly in seeking to limit her inquest's scope.

Mr Ridley had said he would consider the actions of two Russian military officers who set out to kill Mr Skripal.

He had earlier ruled out investigating if other members of the Russian state were also responsible or where the poison had come from.

But Michael Mansfield QC said the use of Novichok put hundreds of members of the British public at risk and killed Ms Sturgess.

"The issue of who was responsible for it is a matter of almost unparalleled public concern," he said.

Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Lewis said although a coroner cannot conclude who was criminally responsible for Ms Sturgess' death, it could still be legally linked back to the Russian state.

A pre-inquest review ahead of Ms Sturgess' inquest is due to be heard by Lady Hallett at the Royal Courts of Justice on 30 March.