- Williams was found dead in August 2010, eight days after he was last seen alive
- He was a codebreaker working for MI6 in London on secondment from GCHQ
Scotland Yard have concluded that the MI6 agent who was found in a holdall with zips padlocked together in his bathtub ‘was likely alone when he died.’
Gareth Williams was 31 when he was found dead, naked and decomposing in his flat in Pimlico, central London in 2010, eight days after he had last been spotted alive. The code breaker and exceptional mathematician had been working for MI6 on secondment from GCHQ.
At the time theories surrounding his death ran wild, from sex games gone wrong to a targeted assassination by a foreign country.
However a forensic review published last week by Scotland Yard, which ordered new lab tests to be carried out on certain items from his flat said that ‘no new DNA’ was found, therefore it was more likely that Williams was alone when he died.
Gareth Williams was 31 when he was found dead, naked and decomposing in his flat in Pimlico, central London in 2010
Williams was found in north face holdall, padlocked together. There were no fingerprints found on the bag, padlock or bath and the key to the padlock was found inside the bag, underneath Williams body
The latest investigation managed to use more modern techniques to test the items and although new DNA was found on a green towel in a kitchen cupboard, it had belonged to Williams not a third party.
Other items that were tested included the holdall, its zip toggle and the padlock and key, but no new discoveries were made.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John of the Metropolitan Polices’ specialist crime command said: ‘In February 2021 a forensic assessment was undertaken which was also peer-reviewed by a forensic manager in respect of all exhibits seized during this investigation.
‘This resulted in a resubmission of exhibits to the forensic laboratory and additional examinations being sought.’
At the time there were no fingerprints found on the bag, padlock or bath and the key to the padlock was found inside the bag, underneath Williams body.
Peter Faulding, a rescue expert, tried more than 300 times to lock himself himself inside a holdall in the way Williams would have to have done – and failed on every occasion. ‘Not even Houdini would have been able to pull it off,’ he wrote.
The Welshman who was something of a prodigy after completing his GCSEs at 10, A-Levels at 13 and then getting a first-class degree from Bangor University in Maths at 17.
He was discovered by Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) while doing a PhD in Mathematics at the University of Manchester, and brought on board as a codebreaker.
A forensic review published last week by Scotland Yard said that ‘no new DNA’ was found, therefore it was more likely that Williams was alone when he died
Mr Williams’s naked body was found inside a holdall – which was padlocked from the outside – in the bath of his flat (above) in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010
He worked at the headquarters there in Gloucestershire, before his secondment to MI6 in London to work as technical support on a highly sensitive operation.
Williams was last seen alive on Sunday 15 August buying cakes in Harrods and peppered grilled steaks in Waitrose. The next day he had been expected to chair a MI6 meeting.
That same evening he had also planned to meet a colleague and was due to attend another meeting on Friday 20 August – but failed to appear.
Despite this, MI6 only investigated his absence more than a week later, on August 23, after a call from his sister.
He was not believed to be in a relationship at the time of his death, however during the investigation six boxes of unworn women’s designer clothing worth £20,000 and a orange wig were found in the apartment.
In 2013, Scotland Yard said he probably died by accident after getting into the bag on his own.
His family have been informed of the latest review findings.
