‘We’ve got her back now’: novichok victim’s family ready to lay her to rest

The family of Dawn Sturgess, who died in 2018 after being exposed to the nerve agent Novichok, are preparing to lay her to rest following the conclusion of an inquiry into her death. Sturgess was poisoned in Amesbury, Wiltshire, after spraying herself with Novichok stored in a discarded perfume bottle. The inquiry concluded that Vladimir Putin likely authorized the initial Novichok attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, which led to Sturgess's death. The inquiry chair, Lord Hughes, deemed Putin "morally responsible" for Sturgess's death. Sturgess's father expressed relief that his daughter was found blameless but voiced concerns that lessons haven't been learned to prevent similar tragedies. He also criticized the initial police characterization of his daughter and the lack of public health warnings about handling unknown objects.

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