The spy in the bag WAS murdered, the author of a new book claims: A veteran investigator has tried to lock himself in a holdall more than 300 times but couldn’t – and says he’s sure Gareth Williams was killed and then than sexual deviant was slandered
- Gareth Williams was found dead in a padlocked holdall in a bathtub at his home in 2010
- Theories about his death range from a sex game gone wrong to a Russian hit song
- Now, in a new book, a veteran investigator says he’s certain the spy was killed
- Click here to read an exclusive excerpt from Peter Faulding’s book on The Mail+
IT IS the real-life spy mystery that has spawned a slew of theories, from a sex game gone wrong to a Russian assassination attempt – how did Gareth Williams, the ‘spy in a poke’, meet his untimely end?
Now a new book by a investigator who is an expert in unusual deaths claims to have the answer.
In an exclusive excerpt from The Mail+ today, Peter Faulding says he is convinced the agent was murdered.
His book What Lies Beneath: My Life as a Forensic Search and Rescue Expert covers the case that became a global sensation in 2010. To get to the bottom of the mystery, he tried more than 300 times to lock himself in a holdall, as Mr. Williams should have done – and failed every time. “Not even Houdini could have done it,” he writes.
Gareth Williams was 31 when he was found dead. He was seconded to MI6 from GCHQ
Forensic teams removed the body of Gareth Williams from his south London home in 2010
Peter Faulding tries to lock himself in a holdall. He failed 300 times
Mr Williams worked for GCHQ and was seconded to MI6 when he was found dead in a holdall with the zips locked in the bathroom of his London flat. There were no fingerprints or battle marks, and the front door was locked from the outside.
Women’s clothing was found in the apartment, and in the months that followed, more evidence pointed to a kinky sex game gone tragically wrong. But Mr Faulding writes: ‘To be honest it seemed incredible to me. I know people are into self-suffocation and bondage, but the technicalities of what was being proposed seemed impossible.
“I presented my thoughts to the investigative team. In my opinion, Gareth was already dead when he was pocketed.’
He adds: “It looked to me like someone was trying to soil him.”
An inquest found Mr Williams’ death to be “unnatural and likely criminally mediated”. However, a subsequent re-inquiry by the Metropolitan Police concluded that William’s death was “likely an accident”.
Mr Faulding is convinced Mr Williams was viciously accused of being a sexual deviant – and that the truth about his death is very different. Now, read why in an exclusive excerpt from his book, only on The Mail+.
What Lies Beneath: My Life As A Forensic Search and Rescue Expert by Peter Faulding will be published by Macmillan on 2nd February for £18.99. Copyright 2023 Peter Faulding. To order a copy visit www.mailshop.co.uk or call 020 3176 2937.