Antonio Mcgowan
In 2018, a counterfeit Nina Ricci perfume bottle containing the deadly nerve agent Novichok was found by Charlie Rowley in a charity shop bin in Amesbury, Wiltshire. Rowley gave the bottle as a gift to his partner Dawn Sturgess, who died after spraying the nerve agent over herself. The nerve agent was initially placed on the front door of former double agent Sergei Skripal, who, along with his daughter Yulia, was found lapsing in and out of consciousness on a park bench in Salisbury town centre.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | Amesbury, Wiltshire |
| Distance from Salisbury | 8 miles |
| Date found | 27 June 2018 |
| Where it was found | Charity shop bin |
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What You'll Learn
The perfume bottle was found in a charity shop bin
The perfume bottle containing the deadly nerve agent Novichok was found in a charity shop bin. The bottle was found by Charlie Rowley, who gave it to his partner, Dawn Sturgess, as a gift. Sturgess died from exposure to the nerve agent, while Rowley survived after falling seriously ill.
Rowley had found the bottle in a sealed box wrapped in cellophane and kept it at his home in Amesbury, Wiltshire, before giving it to Sturgess. He could not remember where he had found the bottle, but he was convinced it was legitimate and had not been used.
The discovery of the bottle led to the investigation of the poisoning of Rowley and Sturgess, which was linked to the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury in March 2018. Experts worked to establish if the Novichok came from the same batch. The flat where Rowley and Sturgess were exposed to the nerve agent was later demolished, as it was believed that nobody would want to live there due to the tragedy associated with it.
The Metropolitan Police appealed for anyone who saw the bottle, nozzle, or box between March 4 and June 27, 2018, to come forward. The investigation focused on how, when, and where Rowley and Sturgess came into possession of the bottle, with searches continuing at various locations to identify other potential sources of contamination.
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It was given to Dawn Sturgess as a gift
The deadly nerve agent Novichok was found in a perfume bottle given to Dawn Sturgess as a gift by her partner, Charlie Rowley. Sturgess died in 2018 after spraying the nerve agent, which was disguised as perfume, over herself. Rowley had presented the sealed box containing the counterfeit perfume bottle to Sturgess at his home in Amesbury, Wiltshire, where the couple fell ill.
Rowley claimed he had found the box wrapped in cellophane and had kept it at his home before giving it to Sturgess. He could not remember where he had found the item but was convinced it was legitimate and safe because it looked unused. Sturgess recognised the perfume, but within 15 minutes of applying it, she had a headache and felt peculiar, later falling ill.
Rowley fell seriously ill but recovered, and counter-terrorism detectives worked on the theory that the poisoning was linked to the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury in March 2018. Analysts at the government's top-secret lab, Porton Down, confirmed the presence of Novichok in the perfume bottle. The Metropolitan Police appealed for anyone who saw the bottle, nozzle, or box between 4 March and 27 June 2018 to come forward.
The flat where Sturgess and Rowley were exposed to Novichok was later demolished, with the housing association deciding to turn it into a garden due to the stigma associated with the tragedy. The Wiltshire Council chief executive officer, Alistair Cunningham, emphasised the need to create a positive future for the community while acknowledging the tragic events that unfolded at the property.
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The nerve agent was sprayed over Sturgess at her partner's flat
The nerve agent that killed Dawn Sturgess was found in a perfume bottle by her partner, Charlie Rowley, who then gave it to her as a gift. Rowley found the perfume bottle in a charity shop bin in Amesbury, Wiltshire, eight miles north of Salisbury. Sturgess sprayed the nerve agent over herself at her partner's flat, where she fell ill.
Rowley had kept the perfume bottle in a sealed box in a cellophane wrapper at his home. He had found the box a few days before he and Sturgess fell ill. The perfume bottle was confirmed to contain Novichok by analysts at the government's top-secret lab, Porton Down.
The Metropolitan Police appealed for anyone who saw the bottle, nozzle, or box between 4 March and 27 June 2018 to come forward. Investigators took almost four months to recover the bottle, which contained the deadly nerve agent. The flat where Rowley and Sturgess were exposed to the nerve agent was later demolished, with the housing association that owned it deciding to turn it into a garden.
The poisoning of Rowley and Sturgess is believed to be linked to the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury in March 2018. Experts are trying to establish if the Novichok came from the same batch.
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The bottle was found by a novichok victim in June
Charlie Rowley, who fell ill alongside his partner, Dawn Sturgess, found the substance disguised as perfume in a sealed box. He had discovered the box, wrapped in cellophane, some days before he and Sturgess were poisoned. He kept it at his home in Amesbury, eight miles north of Salisbury, before giving it to Sturgess as a gift. Rowley could not remember where he had found the item but was convinced it was legitimate and had not been used.
Sturgess died in 2018 after spraying the nerve agent, hidden in a fake perfume bottle, over herself. Rowley survived the poisoning but could not recall where he had found the bottle, telling ITV News that it was not in Salisbury's Queen Elizabeth Gardens, which had been sealed off to the public for weeks.
The flat where Rowley and Sturgess were exposed to the nerve agent was later demolished.
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Police believe the bottle was used to smuggle the nerve agent into the UK
In March 2018, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They had been poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent. It was later discovered that the nerve agent had been applied to Skripal's front door handle.
Months later, in June 2018, Charlie Rowley found a sealed box containing a perfume bottle in a charity shop bin in Amesbury, Wiltshire. Rowley kept the box at his home before giving it to his partner, Dawn Sturgess, as a gift. Sturgess sprayed the substance inside the bottle onto herself, believing it to be perfume. Within 15 minutes, she fell ill and died days later from exposure to Novichok. Rowley also fell ill but survived.
Police believe the counterfeit perfume bottle was used to smuggle the nerve agent into the UK and that it was the same Novichok that had been used in the attack on the Skripals. They suspect that the bottle was discarded by the attackers and later found by Rowley. Investigators are working to determine how, when, and where Rowley and Sturgess came into possession of the bottle.
The flat where Rowley and Sturgess were exposed to the nerve agent has since been demolished, with the housing association deciding to turn the space into a garden.
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Frequently asked questions
The Novichok perfume bottle was found by Charlie Rowley in a charity shop bin in Amesbury, Wiltshire.
Dawn Sturgess was given the perfume bottle as a gift by her partner, Charlie Rowley.
Charlie Rowley claimed to have found the bottle in a sealed box with a cellophane wrapper. However, he could not remember where he found it.
After finding the bottle, Charlie Rowley fell ill alongside his partner, Dawn Sturgess, who died from exposure to the nerve agent. The flat where they were exposed was later demolished.
