The 44-year-old died in 2018 having been poisoned by Novichok which was present on a discarded perfume bottle. The inquiry, which is chaired by retired Supreme Court justice Lord Hughes of Ombersley, sits all week in Salisbury.
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00:00Two minutes after the time of the photograph that we are looking at,
00:03Sergei and Yulia Skripal sat down on a bench in the Maltings,
00:08close in fact to where they had fed the ducks earlier whilst walking from the car park.
00:13And if we can have INQ 00581973, photo camera 13, thank you.
00:20One can see in the distance in that photograph in the yellow box,
00:24that is Sergei and Yulia Skripal sitting on the bench.
00:28Shortly after at 3.35 in the afternoon.
00:34They were still there half an hour or so later when passing members of the public,
00:41from whom we shall hear evidence, realised that they were in distress.
00:45An ambulance was called and the Skripals were given first aid.
00:50In addition to evidence from CCTV such as, thank you you can take that down now,
00:56such as we've just been looking at.
00:59Also the statements of passers-by and the evidence of those who provided emergency care.
01:05We will also be able to reduce first-hand evidence about these matters
01:10from Sergei and Yulia Skripal themselves.
01:14We have lengthy transcripts of police interviews that they gave after they had recovered
01:20from the initial effects of the poisoning.
01:23Also witness statements which they produced at the time and further witness statements
01:28that both of them have produced much more recently at your request.
01:34I should make it clear though that neither Sergei nor Yulia Skripal
01:38will be giving live oral evidence to the inquiry.
01:42That is the consequence of a ruling that you gave about three weeks ago,
01:46which has attracted some publicity and also commentary.
01:51Amongst that commentary, sir, was a tweet from the Russian embassy
01:55which asserted that your ruling, and I quote,
01:59demonstrates the British authorities' obstinacy in concealing our citizens.
02:05The full reasons for the decision that you took are set out in your ruling,
02:11which is dated the 23rd of September of this year
02:15and which is to be found published on the inquiry website.