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The police officer who fell seriously ill after being exposed in Novichok at the home of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal spoke for the first time of the "emotional violence" he suffered as a result.
DS Nick Bailey, gravely ill after raiding Skripal's home the night of the March attack, said that although he recovered physically, the psychological impact had been severe .
Recalling the moment when he learned that he had been poisoned by Novichok, he told BBC Panorama: "Know how the other two [the Skripals] were … I was petrified.
"Physically, I think I bounced back pretty well," he said, but about his emotional well-being, he continued, "It's another type of fish. It took longer. I describe it as emotional violence and a psychological impact. It took longer to manage just because of everything that happened to us. "
In the same program, the police officer in charge of the investigation said that the attack by a nerve agent could have resulted in the death of thousands of innocent people.
Deputy Commissioner Dean Haydon said the detectives had recovered a "significant" amount of novichok in a fake perfume bottle found three months after the Skripals attack. Asked how many people he could have killed, he replied, "It's hard to say. You know, maybe even thousands of people. The false bottle is believed to have been used to pass Novichok to the UK and to spray the neurotoxic agent on the handle of the Skripal gate.
Haydon also described a "moment of attack" when two suspects, identified as members of the Russian military spy agency GRU, were spotted on CCTV footage.
"We had captured more than 11,000 hours of video surveillance – it was a huge task," he told BBC Panorama. "We were sifting through CCTV and we had a kind of" hit time "when we identified the attackers. We were now at home … I do not think that they expect to be captured under CCTV in the same way. "
Haydon stated that he was "completely unwise" to have used Novichok. When asked if a third man might have been involved, he replied, "The people involved are still very much subject to a live investigation."
On Thursday night, police released three more images of the suspects in Salisbury on March 4 as part of the ongoing investigation. This shows them that they arrive at the station, at a gas station near Skripal's home, just before the police think that the Novichok was placed on the door handle, then cross a bridge to get back to the door. station.
Three months after the Skripals became ill, Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess, two residents of Wiltshire, were exposed to Novichok contained in the fake perfume bottle and died. The police also released a bottle model Thursday night and asked for information about where she was before she found her at Rowley's home.
Bailey testified that since the incident, he and his family have not been able to return home. "Not only did we lose the house, we lost all our belongings, including everything the children owned. We lost all that – the cars … we lost everything. And yes, it was very difficult to accept this kind of situation. "
He and two colleagues, dressed in protective suits, searched the house hours after Skripal and his daughter collapsed in downtown Salisbury on 4 March. "I was the first person to enter the house," Bailey said. "We had to make sure that there would be no other victims. The house was in darkness. It just seemed normal. There was nothing uncomfortable. "
But shortly after leaving home, Bailey began to feel bad. "My students were like pin bites. And I was sweaty and very hot. He had gone home, but had been transported to the hospital. "Everything was shaking. I was very unstable on my feet, "he said.
Bailey said that he did not know how he got in touch with the Novichok. "I do not know … if he went through the gloves. I could have adjusted my mask and my goggles while I was at home with that on my hand. It's such a scandalous and dangerous way of doing something that it also annoys me, because it could have affected a number of people. "
Bailey remained conscious throughout her treatment. He said, "It was painful at first … I had a lot of injections. One of the skripals was in the room right next to me. Everything was guarded by the police. "
A scientist from the government's defense, science and technology laboratory in Porton Down, identified only by Professor Tim, described the "astonishing moment" when he became aware that Novichok had been used to attack the Skripals. "I have gone through many emotions, from disbelief to anger," he said. "It's one of the most dangerous substances known. It is quite unique in its ability to poison individuals at very low concentrations. "
• Panorama: Salisbury Nerve Agent Attack – The Inside Story, Thursday at 8pm, BBC One
