Dr Kelly: been 'through the wringer'

Thursday, 21 August 2003 12:00 AM

Sunday Times journalist Nick Rufford told the Hutton Inquiry today that Dr David Kelly had said to him that he had been "through the wringer" days before his death.

Dr Kelly's name was made public in newspapers on July 10th, after the Ministry of Defence decided to confirm he had been the "mole" behind a BBC report on weapons intelligence doctoring.

Mr Rufford said today that a pale and tired-looking Dr Kelly had said that he was "shocked" when his name had come out, as he had been told it would "all be confidential."

He also told the inquiry that Dr Kelly had said the MoD had not advised him to stay with friends or at a hotel to avoid the media besieging his home.

When asked, he said Dr Kelly told him for the record that the Ministry of Defence had been "pretty good about it" and not reprimanded him.

"Then he said, off the record, 'I have been through the wringer'," said Mr Rufford.

The journalist also said he asked Dr Kelly about the Andrew Gilligan's report, to which the scientist replied, "I talked to him about factual stuff, the rest is bulls**t."

The Hutton Inquiry is investigating events leading up to the apparent suicide of respected arms expert Dr Kelly, after he became embroiled in a row between the BBC and the government over defence correspondent Andrew Gilligan's report, in which he claimed that Downing Street "sexed up" a dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Ministry of Defence scientist Dr Kelly is now known to have been the source for Mr Gilligan's story, after the BBC confirmed it days after his death.

Earlier today the inquiry saw an email from Andrew Gilligan to a Liberal Democrat official, which apparently suggested questions for the Foreign Affairs Committee to put to Dr Kelly.

Committee chairman Donald Anderson admitted that Lib Dem MP and committee member David Chidgey confidentially told him before the evidence session with Dr Kelly that he had received some briefing from Mr Gilligan.

Mr Anderson described the briefing as "unprecedented".

Other journalists giving evidence on Thursday are James Blitz from the Financial Times, Richard Norton-Taylor of the Guardian and Tom Baldwin from the Times.

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