´óÏó´«Ã½

Sarah Turnnidge
´óÏó´«Ã½ News, West of England

This is the third week of the inquiry, which is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Dawn Sturgess to try to establish where responsibility lies and highlight any lessons that could be taken from the event.

Because of this, we're not just hearing evidence about Ms Sturgess - there's also been extensive examination of what happened when Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned three months earlier. This includes lots of information from medical professionals and an anonymous account from a doctor at the secretive Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) in Porton Down, Wiltshire.

This week we've heard a bit more about how Ms Sturgess was treated, both by paramedics and in hospital, and evidence was given from the forensic pathologist who examined her.

We also heard from a Wiltshire Police detective, who apologised for wrongly describing Ms Sturgess as a "well-known drug addict" in an email at the time of the poisoning.

Today is the first time the inquiry will hear anything from anyone with direct experience of being poisoned by Novichok. It was announced in September that the Skripals would not provide evidence.

One of the prime suspects in the Novichok poisoning case has been included in a list of new sanctions being introduced by the UK government against Russia.

Denis Sergeev - who is thought to be the on-the-ground commander for the poisonings - faces restrictions for benefiting from the Ukraine invasion on the grounds of supporting the supply of kit to military.

The Foreign Office says the measures will directly target the supply of goods to Russia's military and constrain vital resources it needs for the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Security David Lammy said the sanctions "further build on the UK's mission to combat Russian malign activity globally".

Sarah Turnnidge
´óÏó´«Ã½ News, West of England

As we've already briefly explained, Nick Bailey is a former policeman of 18 years who - at the time of poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal - worked for Wiltshire Police.

He fell seriously ill after coming into contact with Novichok when he attended the Skripal's home on 30 March.

He announced in October 2020 that he was leaving the force, sharing in a statement had he "had to admit defeat" as he "could no longer do the job" of a police officer due to the impact of the incident.

A settlement with Wiltshire Police was reached in April 2022 after he sued the force for the injuries and financial loss he suffered in relation to the poisoning.

We will be bringing you updates throughout the day from the International Dispute Resolution Centre in central London, where the inquiry has been based for the past two weeks.

Nick Bailey is due to give evidence this morning, with the first session to begin at 10:00 GMT.

The session is a closed hearing which means that, unlike much of the rest of the hearing, the proceedings will not be live streamed and Mr Bailey will not be visible.

As nobody is allowed to take electronic devices into room where he is giving evidence, our reporter Dan O'Brien is reporting from a different room in the same building where journalists are being shown the hearing through a video link with a 10-minute delay.

Sarah Turnnidge
´óÏó´«Ã½ News, West of England

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the public inquiry into the death Dawn Sturgess, who died aged 44 in Amesbury, Wiltshire, after coming into contact with the nerve agent Novichok.

This morning we will be hearing evidence from former police officer Nick Bailey, who was contaminated with the nerve agent while at the home of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal - who also survived the poisoning - in March 2018.

Mr Bailey was the first person to enter the Skripal's home and unknowingly touched a door handle covered with Novichok.

He resigned from Wiltshire Police due to the impact of the incident, saying at the time the aftermath "took so much from me".