Crime Next Door

Six years after a mum was poisoned by a Russian nerve agent in Wiltshire, will a public inquiry bring answers? In 2018, Dawn Sturgess came into contact with one of the most dangerous substances in the world: Novichok. She thought it was perfume. Four months earlier, a former Russian spy and his daughter had been found slumped on a park bench having been poisoned too. How could this happen and where does responsibility lie? As an inquiry begins into Dawn’s death, this podcast will follow the key moments with analysis, context, and exclusive interviews.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley

Salisbury becomes the scene of a major international incident. Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia are found poisoned on a park bench.Then, an astonishing discovery: he’s a former Russian spy and they've been poisoned with Novichok, one of the deadliest substances in the world. Parts of Salisbury are locked down as police try to find the poison.This episode has been updated to reflect Sergei Skripal’s role as former GRU officer.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

More people fall ill from Novichok poisoning.It’s four months since the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Salisbury is starting to return to normal and then, it happens again.Local mum Dawn Sturgess is given a bottle of perfume that contains the deadly chemical Novichok.Days later, Dawn dies in hospital leaving her family and friends wondering how she was poisoned with a Russian-made chemical weapon.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time of the attack, recalls when she first heard about the Salisbury poisonings.Baroness May describes how it felt to stand in the House of Commons and blame the Russian state for the attack, the moment she heard that a British citizen had been killed and shares her hopes for the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Marie Lennon and Andy Howard reflect on an extraordinary first day at the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry. We hear that there was enough nerve agent hidden in a perfume bottle to kill thousands. Dawn is described as an “innocent victim, caught in the crossfire of an illegal and outrageous assassination attempt.” As the finger is pointed at Putin, Dawn’s family call on the Russian president to give evidence and look them in the eye.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Caroline, Dawn’s mother, speaks publicly for the first time about her daughter and sets the record straight about who Dawn was. The police apologise to her family for the way she was portrayed, plus we hear evidence from the only person who saw what happened to Dawn on the day she was poisoned, her boyfriend Charlie Rowley.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Paramedics and police relive the moments they were called to Charlie Rowley's flat in Amesbury. First Dawn Sturgess is found unresponsive, and then several hours later Charlie falls ill too. The emergency services disagree about what has caused him to be so unwell. The Inquiry investigates whether Dawn could have survived if the initial treatment had been different.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

As the inquiry prepares to move from Salisbury to London, Andy Howard and Marie Lennon review a momentous week of evidence, which saw the emergency services interrogated and the communication between them questioned. Dawn's family ask for President Putin to appear at the inquiry in person to answer questions about her death and the Russian Ambassador to the UK gives his response. Focus turns to the protection given to Sergei Skripal; should he have been living in the UK under his own name without surveillance?This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Andrea Sella, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at University College London, answers the big questions about Novichok. The deadly nerve agent killed Dawn Sturgess and poisoned many more in Salisbury and Amesbury in 2018. What is it, when was it developed, and what does it do to our bodies?This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

An in-depth interview with the Head of Counter Terror Policing at the time of the poisonings, Neil Basu. He relives how dangerous the investigation was for the officers involved, what it took to find the suspects, and 6 years on, how he feels about Dawn Sturgess’ death.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Who is Sergei Skripal? The former Russian spy was poisoned by Novichok in March 2018, but until now very little has been known about him, his life in England, and his mysterious past. His friend and neighbour tells the Inquiry what he was like and how they became close. Plus, the BBC‘s Security Correspondent Gordon Corera describes Sergei’s life as a spy in Russia, and reveals how he ended up in Salisbury.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

When the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed on a bench in Salisbury, it was Sunday shoppers who first stepped in to help. Amazingly, two of them were highly qualified medics. We hear their stories. Also, how the consultants at Salisbury District Hospital realised these were no ordinary patients.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

One of the first police officers to go inside Sergei and Yulia Skripal’s house after they were poisoned with a nerve agent was Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey. He then became critically ill himself, after touching the front door handle. It had been smeared with the deadly chemical. He relives the events of 2018, which would change his life forever.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

When Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley were taken to hospital, the emergency services tried to piece together what had happened to them. We hear how they questioned whether it was a coincidence that they had treated two people for nerve agent poisoning four months earlier or whether the events could be connected. And we find out about Porton Down, the UK government’s secretive laboratory which identified the Novichok and speak to a former military officer who has been inside.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

When Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with a nerve agent, police faced one of the most complex investigations in their history. They had to trace a weapon which they could neither see nor smell, but it could kill thousands. In this episode, we hear how they checked everything from coins to car keys in the hunt to find the source of the poisoning.This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien.Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley.

Two Russian men visit Salisbury just as the former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are poisoned with a nerve agent. They say they simply wanted to see the famous cathedral spire, but that’s not the view of the UK authorities who believe they came to kill. In this episode we learn more about the men, their movements and their real identities. Plus, we learn more about the Russian intelligence agencies from writer and historian Mark Galeotti. This episode was made by Marie Lennon, Andy Howard, Tom Ryan & Dan O’Brien. Executive production by Mary Sanders and Naomi Wordley. Audio credit: JJ Extra, Salisbury Museum, ViaTravelers and British Pathe.

It is almost fifty year since the bodies of Griff and Patti Thomas were found in their remote farmhouse in Llangolman, Pembrokeshire. And yet - exactly what happened to them, and who was responsible, is a question which still hangs over the community. Because there is the official police version of events. And then there is the other version. This series from BBC Wales examines the case in detail. It takes listeners back to 1976, via first hand testimony from the people who refuse to forget what they saw. And it puts the evidence from the case back under the microscope. After nearly half a century, could the community finally get the justice they've been campaigning for?

When a postman makes a grim discovery in the course of his morning rounds, the shockwaves are felt far and wide. This series begins in 1976, with the memories of Nigel Rossiter, the postman who saw things he wished he hadn't seen. He was still learning the ropes, as a postman in the rural Pembrokeshire village of Llangolman. But that December day would change pretty much everything around here. We hear how the events of the next hours, days and weeks, would leave a community first in fear, and then in disbelief, as they learned the identity of the victims, and began to wonder who could be responsible. As the ripples of the crime, and the investigation start to spread - can anyone make sense of what's happened? Are there clues which could make anything clearer? This is the first episode of a six-part series which examines this case, exploring if justice was ever served, and telling the story of a community who won't let the case fade away. Narrated by Bettrys Jones Produced by What's The Story Sounds

By the end 1976, the community in Llangolman was still waiting for answers. Police officers had taken over the village, conducting their investigation into the deaths of Griff and Patti Thomas. Their work included building up a picture of their victims - learning their habits, understanding their relationship as siblings, and asking who was set to benefit from their death. And they scour the crime scene, looking for the clues and evidence which might help them to understand exactly what happened, and who was responsible. But as more information emerges, clarity remains hidden. And there's no stopping the rumour mill which is in overdrive. This episode chronicles those events from early 1977. And it tells the story of the investigation and how it was reported by local media. By the end, there's an alarming new theory which threatens to derail everything the community believed to be true.Narrated by Bettrys Jones Produced by What's The Story Sounds

It's a matter of weeks since the crime scene at Ffynnon Samson was discovered, but the loose ends are already being tied into a neat bow.The police investigation led by DCI Pat Molloy has come to an end, the evidence all gathered and conclusions drawn. His file is passed to a coroner to conduct a formal inquest and close the case.But before that, the men of Llangolman are invited to attend a funeral service for the couple... a service which doesn't allow women to attend. And there's more controversy, as the bodies of Griff and Patty are barred from entering the local chapel.How will the community respond? Can they come to terms with the findings of the police? And will they be able to close the lid on this dark chapter? Or will the rumour mill continue to swirl long after the couple are laid to rest?