Salisbury poisoning officer’s lawyers seeking Wiltshire Police documents
Lawyers representing an ex-policeman who has sued his former force after being poisoned in the Salisbury Novichok attack want police to provide “relevant documents”, a judge has been told.
Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was the first person to enter the home of Sergei Skripal after the Russian double agent and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned in March 2018.
He has taken legal action against Wiltshire Police and made a personal injury claim.
A judge oversaw a preliminary online High Court hearing on Tuesday (June 15). Master David Cook was told that lawyers representing Mr Bailey wanted police to disclose information relating to the incident.
A barrister leading Mr Bailey’s legal team said police had provided some information – including Home Office guidance senior officers were “working to”.
But Dominic Adamson QC said it appeared that there may be “relevant documents” which had not been disclosed. He said a lawyer representing police had made a statement implying that there were other “policies/protocols/codes of practice” which “may be relevant” and should be provided. Mr Adamson said “handwritten notes” created during the police response should also be provided. He said it was “not known” if the proceedings were going to be defended and, “if so, on what basis”.
A further preliminary hearing is expected to be staged in the near future.
Detail of the case emerged earlier this year.
Solicitor Patrick Maguire, who represents Mr Bailey and is based at law firm Horwich Cohen Coghlan, said in May: “It has been a challenging three years for everyone affected by the events of March 2018.”
“Our client experienced a trauma which had a devastating effect on his family and forced him to leave the job he loved after more than 18 years of loyal service. We hope to come to a resolution very soon with Wiltshire Police so that Mr Bailey and his family can continue the process of healing and move forwards with their lives.”
Mr Bailey left Wiltshire Police after 18 years in October last year after making three attempts to go back to work.
He described how he “couldn’t deal with being in a police environment” after efforts to return in September 2018 and in January 2019.
Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia survived the attack but the incident later claimed the life of Dawn Sturgess, 44, after she came into contact with a perfume bottle believed to have been used in the attack and then discarded.
Her partner, Charlie Rowley, was left seriously ill but recovered.
Two Russian nationals have been accused of travelling to the UK to try to murder Mr Skripal with Novichok, smearing the highly toxic substance on the door handle of his home in Salisbury.
