A police officer who was poisoned as a result of the Salisbury attack has said he felt like his “life was being taken away slowly” as he battled the nerve agent
Nick Bailey originally went to the incident because he was a "bit bored" at the police station independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
Nick Bailey originally went to the incident because he was a "bit bored" at the police station independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-n…
Speaking at a summit in London, he described how his day had started “very normally” when he overheard radio chatter about two people found slumped on a bench.
“At this stage we didn’t know what had happened, it could have been alcohol or drug related, or a medical emergency”
“At this stage we didn’t know what had happened, it could have been alcohol or drug related, or a medical emergency”
He told how one of Sergei Skripal’s neighbours had a narrow escape, after police stopped her from entering his house hours after the attack.
Officers obtained his name and address from his wallet on 4 March 2018, and wanted to check whether anyone else needed medical attention
Officers obtained his name and address from his wallet on 4 March 2018, and wanted to check whether anyone else needed medical attention
Mr Bailey said that investigators asked a neighbour, who had a door key because she sometimes fed the cat, to open up the house with a police escort
But when they were about to go in, a DC googled Sergei Skripal's name and they realised he was a former Russian double agent
But when they were about to go in, a DC googled Sergei Skripal's name and they realised he was a former Russian double agent
"We called the officer who was about to go into the house with the neighbour and said ‘just don’t do it, something’s not right about this at all’,” Mr Bailey said
"I think about what could have happened to her if that chain of events had happened literally two minutes later"
"I think about what could have happened to her if that chain of events had happened literally two minutes later"
Police still didn't know the incident was a poisoning, or involved nerve agents, but took precautions by wearing forensic suits, gloves, masks and goggles when they entered the house
Mr Bailey opened the door and unknowingly got his glove "saturated" with novichok
Mr Bailey opened the door and unknowingly got his glove "saturated" with novichok
Mr Bailey still didn't know about the novichok as his symptoms set in, including pinprick pupils, sweating and later hallucinations, impaired vision and vomiting
He was sent away from hospital with mild symptoms, then taken into ICU a day later, where he remained for 2.5 weeks
He was sent away from hospital with mild symptoms, then taken into ICU a day later, where he remained for 2.5 weeks
He was targeted by conspiracy theorists, including some who accused him of being the person who poisoned Sergei Skripal
"People couldn’t accept that I was just a normal copper doing my job and it just happened...in the absence of facts they could accept, they made up their own.”
"People couldn’t accept that I was just a normal copper doing my job and it just happened...in the absence of facts they could accept, they made up their own.”
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