First witnesses announced in Hutton Inquiry

Friday, 8 August 2003 12:00 AM

A list of the first witnesses to give evidence to Lord Hutton's enquiry into the death of government scientists Dr David Kelly has been released.

The first witness to appear before the inquiry panel is Terence Taylor, from the Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington, who was a friend of Dr Kelly's.

He will be followed by Richard Hatfield, personnel director at the Ministry of Defence and Dr Kelly's line manager.

Mr Hatfield will be quizzed on Dr Kelly's role within the MoD and his involvement in drawing up last September's dossier on Iraq's banned weapons.

The inquiry is taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice. Lord Hutton announced last week that the trial would not be televised, though a separate room has been provided where journalists can listen to the proceedings.

Dr Kelly, 59, apparently committed suicide after becoming embroiled in a row between the government and the BBC over allegations that intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was doctored in the run-up to war.

The full list of witnesses due to appear before the inquiry when it starts next week is as follows: Terence Taylor; Richard Hatfield - Ministry of Defence; Julian Miller - Cabinet Office; Marin Howard - Ministry of Defence; Patrick Lamb - Foreign Office; Andrew Gilligan - BBC; Susan Watts - BBC; Gavin Hewitt - BBC; Richard Sambrook - BBC; Brian Wells - Ministry of Defence; John Williams - Ministry of Defence.

There will be considerable interest in the appearance of the BBC's defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan, whose report on a conversation he had with Dr Kelly sparked the controversy.

Dr Kelly went to the Ministry of Defence after the report was aired and admitted to speaking to Mr Gilligan. He and the reporter were grilled in the days before his death by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

Dr Kelly denied stating that the dossier had been "sexed up" or that the claim that Iraq had the capability to deploy WMD in 45-minutes had been added.

Mr Gilligan is likely to be asked about the details of his meeting with Dr Kelly at the Charing Cross Hotel in central London and about his report.

The Prime Minister, the defence secretary Geoff Hoon, the government's director of communications Alastair Campbell, and Dr Kelly's widow, are all expected to appear before the inquiry.

Dr Kelly was buried on Wednesday in Longworth, Oxfordshire. The private service was attended by Lord Hutton and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Lord Hutton has stressed that he is not conducting a trial.

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