Hutton inquiry witness list unveiled

Lord Hutton stressed he would not be conducting a trial

A friend of Dr David Kelly has been named as the first witness to give evidence at the inquiry into the events surrounding the weapons expert's death.

Terence Taylor, from the Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington, will be called on Monday, when the inquiry begins hearing from witnesses at the Royal Courts of Justice.

He will be followed by Richard Hatfield, personnel director at the Ministry of Defence and Dr Kelly's line manager.

It is likely Mr Hatfield will be asked to give greater details about exactly what Dr Kelly's job was and the extent of his role in drawing up last September's dossier on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Witnesses to the Hutton inquiry next week: Terence Taylor Richard Hatfield - Personnel director, MoD Julian Miller - Intelligence and security secretariat, Cabinet Office Martin Howard - Deputy chief of defence intelligence, MoD Patrick Lamb - Deputy head counter proliferation department, Foreign Office Andrew Gilligan - BBC Susan Watts - BBC Gavin Hewitt - BBC Richard Sambrook - BBC Brian Wells - Director of counter proliferation and arms control secretariat, MoD John Williams - Press chief, Foreign Office Witness profiles

The witness list was published just two days after Dr Kelly's funeral in Longworth, Oxfordshire, which was attended by Lord Hutton and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Dr Kelly is thought to have committed suicide after speculation - later confirmed by the BBC - that he was the source of stories that raised concerns over the way the government presented its case for war with Iraq.

Other witnesses due to give evidence to the inquiry next week include officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office, Foreign Office and key figures within the BBC, including Andrew Gilligan, the defence correspondent whose story is at the centre of the affair.

Editorial judgement

Mr Gilligan, who will take the stand midway during next week, is likely to be asked about his meeting with Dr Kelly at the Charing Cross Hotel in central London and the notes he took after it.

He is also expected to be quizzed about his 29 May report on BBC Radio 4's Today programme in which he claimed a source, later named as Dr Kelly, had told him that the government's September dossier was "sexed up" against the wishes of the intelligence services.

BBC reporters Susan Watts and Gavin Hewitt are also likely to be asked about their conversations with the scientist and senior BBC managers are expected to be pressed about their editorial control.

At a later stage, the prime minister, the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, the government's director of communications Alastair Campbell, and Dr Kelly's widow, are set to give evidence.

At the opening of the inquiry on 1 August, Lord Hutton said his task was to investigate the circumstances surrounding his Dr Kelly's death, quickly and fairly.

No TV cameras

He also revealed Dr Kelly's body had been found with four electrocardiogram pads on his chest - one of the issues he wished to look at.

Lord Hutton has ruled that the inquiry will not be televised, following an appeal from broadcasters Sky and ITN.

The TV companies argued that the probe needed to be televised to be truly open to the public.

But Dr Kelly's family made the case that the scientist's death had "caused them distress enough" and would turn their private loss into "the nation's entertainment".

The 59-year-old's body was found in woods at Harrowdown Hill, Longworth, on 18 July.

An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned on 21 July at Oxfordshire Coroner's Court.