Novichok assassins could have killed thousands of people

Mum died after KGB thugs dumped spray

- Paul Jeeves

THOUSANDS of Britons could have perished in a botched KGB assassination attempt ordered by Vladimir Putin, an inquiry heard.

Mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after spraying herself with a perfume bottle containing deadly nerve agent Novichok.

It had been discarded by Russian agents dispatched to kill double agent Sergei Skripal months earlier.

Yesterday the hearing was told the bottle contained enough poison to kill thousands as the agents tracked down Mr Skripal to his home in Salisbury, Wiltshire in March 2018.

The retired spy, 73, and daughter Yulia, 39, along with police officer Nick Bailey were all hospitalised but survived the assassination attempt that saw poison sprayed on the door handle of the Skripals' home.

Outrageous

But Ms Sturgess died months later after her partner Charlie Rowley found the perfume bottle abandoned in Amesbury and gave it to her.