Sunday, August 8, 2010

'There wasn't much blood about': Detective who found weapons expert David Kelly's body raises questions over his death

The police officer who discovered the body of Dr David Kelly has spoken out for the first time – and revealed that there was ‘not much’ blood on or near the Government scientist.

Detective Constable Graham Coe was the first official on the scene after the body of the weapons expert was discovered in woods near his Oxfordshire home seven years ago. He guarded the body alone for 25 minutes.

The retired detective’s comments raise serious questions about whether Lord Hutton adequately investigated the circumstances of the scientist’s death.

And they will inevitably focus attention on Hutton’s finding that Dr Kelly died from blood loss after slitting his left wrist with a blunt pruning knife.

DC Coe, 63, joins a growing list of officials whose evidence about the death of Dr Kelly casts doubts on the verdict of the Hutton Report.

A lifelong police officer – he joined the Thames Valley Police force in 1972 – DC Coe served for 36 years, 28 as a detective, before retiring in 2008. Since retirement, he assists detectives carrying out interviews with suspects at his local station.

An unassuming man, he lives in a well-kept £200,000 cottage in an Oxfordshire hamlet with his wife Margaret, a former nurse.

He said: ‘I certainly didn’t see a lot of blood anywhere. There was some on his left wrist but it wasn’t on his clothes. On the ground, there wasn’t much blood about, if any.’

DC Coe’s version of events is supported by the two experienced paramedics who attended the scene, who also said the lack of blood was puzzling. They have previously said:

‘It is incredibly unlikely he died from the wrist wound we saw.’ He also confirms the much-disputed existence of a ‘third man’ with him and his partner DC Colin Shields that morning – a claim he denied at the Hutton Inquiry.

Critics who believe Dr Kelly was murdered have claimed the so-called ‘third man’ could have been a member of the security services. DC Coe now admits he existed and says he was a trainee officer. But he refuses to name him.

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