'Gilligan photo' mystery solved

Gilligan: Never been to Moscow

The Hutton inquiry has heard that the mystery man pictured in Moscow with Dr David Kelly in 1993 was not Andrew Gilligan.

Police suspected the man was Mr Gilligan, defence correspondent for BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Police constable Jonathan Martyn Sawyer mentioned the existence of the photograph during evidence to the Hutton inquiry on Tuesday.

He was one of the officers who carried out a search of Dr Kelly's home the day he was found dead on 18 July.

Dr Kelly apparently committed suicide eight days after being publicly named as the suspected source for Mr Gilligan's report claiming the government had "sexed up" the intelligence case against Iraq.

Pc Sawyer said he took the photograph from Dr Kelly's study during the search.

Andrew Gilligan has never been to Moscow, in 1993 he was at university BBC spokeswoman

He said: "It was seized because at the time it showed Dr Kelly and another person standing outside the parliament building in Moscow.

"It was after the coup in Moscow and the parliament building showed a certain amount of damage."

He said the photograph was dated 11 August 1993 and two of the policemen conducting the search thought the second man might be Andrew Gilligan.

Pc Sawyer said: "They (the officers) both agreed that the second person in the photograph showed a very striking resemblance to Andrew Gilligan."

He said the photograph would be brought to the inquiry on Wednesday so it could be decided if it was the BBC reporter, as other officers had not thought it looked like him.

He said: "It was retained as an exhibit to be produced before any inquiry.

"As to the identity of the second person in the photograph, that is a matter for the inquiry to make its mind up."

'Receding hair and glasses'

A BBC spokeswoman said: "Andrew Gilligan has never been to Moscow, in 1993 he was at university."

The inquiry was shown the photograph on Wednesday when Assistant chief constable of Thames Valley Police Michael Page revealed Mr Gilligan was not the man pictured.

"The photo was checked by the inquiry team which discounted it being Gilligan."

Counsel to the inquiry James Dingemans QC prompted laughter among journalists as he referred to the figure having "receding hair and glasses".

The photo flashed briefly on the evidence screens and pictured Dr Kelly and another man standing with the Moscow parliament in the background.

Mr Page said: "The officer acted with the best of intentions... He felt it resembled Mr Gilligan."