Update

Public hearings are taking place at the Guildhall in Salisbury from Monday 14 until Friday 18 October 2024.

A timetable for week 1 has been published and is available here: DSI Hearing Timetable Week 1.

The hearings will be livestreamed, subject to a ten-minute delay, to the Inquiry’s YouTube channel: Dawn Sturgess Inquiry – YouTube. Video recordings of the hearings will also be published on the YouTube channel.

Hearings will resume at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London on 28 October 2024.

A forward look at the timetable for all hearing weeks is available here: DSI Public Hearings Timetable Forward Look.

Further information is included in a Media Operational Note.

Background

On 18 November 2021 the Home Secretary announced the Government’s decision to establish an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 to investigate the death of Dawn Sturgess.

Dawn Sturgess was pronounced dead at Salisbury District Hospital on 8 July 2018. The post mortem indicated the cause of her death was Novichok poisoning.

The Inquiry was formally established on 17 March 2022.

The Inquiry has been set up to take the place of the Inquest, (conducted by the Coroner, Rt Hon Baroness Hallett DBE), in order to allow all relevant evidence to be heard.

The Inquiry is chaired by The Rt Hon Lord Hughes of Ombersley (About).

Terms of Reference

1. Subject to paragraph 2 below, the Chair is to conduct an investigation into the death of Dawn Sturgess in order to:

(a) Ascertain, in accordance with section 5(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 who the deceased was; how; when and where she came by her death; and the particulars (if any) required by the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 to be registered concerning the death;

(b) Identify, so far as consistent with section 2 of the Inquiries Act 2005, where responsibility for the death lies; and

(c) Make such recommendations as may seem appropriate.

2. That investigation is to take into account the investigations which have already been conducted by the Coroner (Baroness Hallett).