Boy fell ill after Salisbury Novichok victim handed him tainted bread to feed ducks

An inquiry has heard how a young boy fell ill after Salisbury poisoning victim handed him some bread to feed ducks.

The youngster was with two others at the time and all three got sick after Mr Skripal handed him some bread in Salisbury city centre on 4 March 2018, according to evidence heard at the .

Public health authorities tracked down the boy and his two pals after Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed shortly after talking with them, the pair were found to have been poisoned with the deadly nerve agent.

The three friends said they had felt unwell for a day or two afterwards but tests found no traces of Novichok in their systems.

The inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died of Novichok poisoning after she handled a perfume bottle containing the Russian nerve toxin in July 2018, has been hearing evidence in London this week.

CCTV shows the Skripals driving into Salisbury city centre on March 4, they were then pictured handing the boy some bread to feed the ducks at a pond and more footage shows them enjoying a drink together at The Mill pub, before going for a meal at Zizzi.

They began to feel unwell while at the restaurant and they were discovered collapsed on a park bench. A nurse who rushed to their aid told the inquiry, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Lord Hughes of Ombersley, that Russian claims she was partially responsible for the poisonings were “malicious” reports.

“I had no prior knowledge of the individuals on the bench - I had never seen them before in my life, nor did I know who they were," the woman, who was former chief nurse for the British Army, said.

"In fact, having seen the couple on the bench, my initial instinct had in fact been not to get involved as it looked to me as if they were under the influence of drugs. It was only the chiding of my daughter that made me think I ought to go to their aid.

"It goes without saying that I had no idea a nerve agent, nor any other poison, had been the cause of the couple's presentation.

"Given my training, had I known that a nerve agent had been used, I would not have exposed myself to any potential risk of personal harm. I had no equipment, medicine, nor PPE with me."

The inquiry continues.