Hoon visits Dr Kelly's widow

Wednesday, 23 July 2003 12:00 AM

Defence secretary Geoff Hoon visited the home of Iraq weapons expert Dr David Kelly today.

Mr Hoon arrived at Dr Kelly's family home in Southmoor, Oxfordshire in a chauffeur-driven car this afternoon.

He arrived at the house at about 1400 BST to see Dr Kelly's widow Mrs Janice Kelly and was ushered inside by a male police officer and a female aide.

The 59-year-old government scientist's body was discovered in woodland near his home on Friday.

He apparently committed suicide after becoming embroiled in a row between the government and the BBC over allegations of doctoring intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

The BBC has since admitted Dr Kelly was the main source for a story that accused the government of "sexing up" a dossier on Iraqi weapons.

Mr Hoon's visit follows the BBC's announcement that it had a taped interview of Dr Kelly expressing concern about the way Iraq weapons intelligence was presented by the Government.

The recording of a conversation between Dr Kelly and Newsnight science editor Susan Watts is likely to be submitted as evidence to the judicial inquiry into the weapons expert's death led by Lord Hutton.

Mr Hoon was the subject of a number of articles in the national press yesterday as the minister who authorised Dr Kelly's name to be leaked to the media.

The scientist admitted to the Ministry of Defence that he believed he was the BBC's main source for a report by journalist Andrew Gilligan over Iraq weapons claims.

The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee questioned him in the days leading up to his death.

Ministry of Defence officials said the allegations that the defence secretary had sanctioned the leak were misleading.

The Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday "emphatically" denied that he had authorised Dr Kelly's name be made public.

Tags: