The Novichok attack in Salisbury, south-west England, in March 2018, was an unprecedented event that sent shockwaves globally. This audacious assassination attempt targeted former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, both of whom miraculously recovered. Tragically, an innocent British citizen, Dawn Sturgess, died months later after inadvertently coming into contact with the discarded nerve agent. An extensive inquiry, chaired by Lord Hughes, was subsequently launched, holding public hearings in Salisbury and London, to meticulously investigate the attack on the Skripals, the response of public bodies and emergency services, and the devastating circumstances leading to Sturgess's death.

The initial attack on 4 March 2018 saw Sergei Skripal, who had settled in a suburban cul-de-sac in Salisbury following a spy exchange, and his daughter Yulia, fall seriously ill after being poisoned by Novichok. UK police believe two Russian agents, operating under the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, applied the nerve agent to the front-door handle of the Skripals’ home between noon and 12:15 pm. Both victims touched the contaminated handle as they left for lunch, leading to their severe illness. The UK government firmly believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized this assassination attempt, with one theory suggesting Skripal harbored secret information regarding Putin’s "criminal embezzlement" of profits from metals production, or that he continued assisting Western security agencies despite his supposed retirement from espionage.

Months later, on 30 June 2018, the tragedy escalated when Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, and her boyfriend Charlie Rowley, fell ill at his home in Amesbury, seven miles north of Salisbury. Sturgess, who sadly died on 8 July, had sprayed herself with what she believed was perfume from a bottle Rowley had found. It soon became clear they had been poisoned with Novichok. Rowley survived but has suffered ill health since. The inquiry heard that Sturgess was caught "in the crossfire of an illegal and outrageous international assassination attempt," having sprayed herself with Novichok believing the disguised perfume bottle to be genuine. Rowley reported finding the bottle in a bin, though police suspect he likely came upon it much earlier, possibly around the time of the initial Skripal attack in March, and moved home with it, carrying the deadly substance for over three months.

Lord Hughes' inquiry concluded that Vladimir Putin was "morally responsible" for Dawn Sturgess's death, stating unequivocally that the assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal "must have been authorised at the highest level, by President Putin." The inquiry found "overwhelming evidence" that the Novichok was brought to Salisbury by intelligence officers from Russia’s GRU (military intelligence agency), specifically identifying Alexander Petrov, Ruslan Boshirov, and Sergey Fedotov (all aliases) as members of the operational team. Hughes described the deployment of a highly toxic nerve agent in a busy city as an "astonishingly reckless act" and condemned the agents for leaving the Novichok-filled "Nina Ricci" perfume bottle, made in Russia, to be discovered. This act dramatically magnified the risk to innocent people, creating a "clear causative link" between the agents' actions and Sturgess's death.

The inquiry also delved into the extreme danger posed by the Novichok. Government scientists testified that a "minuscule" amount, as small as a sixth of a grain of salt, could have been fatal, and the substance was of very high purity, capable of killing thousands. Following the poisonings, 87 individuals presented themselves at A&E with contamination fears, and three police officers, including DS Nick Bailey, were contaminated. Emergency services were forced to scrap 24 vehicles due to potential contact with the poison.

Concerns were raised by Sturgess's family regarding the protection provided to Sergei Skripal and the public. They argued that Skripal, a "clear and obvious" target for Putin, received insufficient protection, despite evidence suggesting he refused basic security measures like CCTV. After the initial Skripal attack, no public warnings were issued about picking up suspicious containers. Dame Sally Davies, former chief medical officer, claimed she advised such warnings, but no official record exists. A warning was only issued after Sturgess was poisoned in June. Lord Hughes found failings in Skripal’s "management as an exchanged prisoner," citing insufficient regular written assessments, though he deemed the assessment of low assassination risk not unreasonable. He concluded that only a complete new identity could have avoided the attack on Skripal.

The response of emergency services was acknowledged as mixed. While there were numerous instances of great bravery from paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, Wiltshire police apologized for wrongly categorizing Sturgess as a user of illegal drugs, unlike her boyfriend Rowley. Interestingly, a paramedic accidentally administering atropine, a drug for organophosphate poisoning, to Sergei Skripal after knocking over a drugs bag, may have saved his life. Ultimately, Sturgess's condition was deemed "unsurvivable from a very early stage" due to a severe brain injury resulting from her heart stopping for an extended period.

The Russian embassy in the UK maintained there were many "unanswered questions" surrounding the poisoning, citing alleged inconsistencies such as Skripal's car being seen on 4 March and his and Yulia’s mobiles being off for four hours, and the lack of CCTV around the Skripal house. UK police, however, dismissed these claims as "hundreds, if not thousands, of red herrings." The inquiry, which cost £8.3 million and included closed-door hearings for sensitive information, upheld the narrative of Russian state responsibility, cementing the Novichok attack as a stark reminder of international espionage and its tragic consequences for innocent lives.