Kelly's final phone calls revealed

Dr Kelly: Tired and stressed

Details of the final hours of weapons expert Dr David Kelly's life have emerged at the Hutton inquiry into his death.

Wing Commander John Clark, a colleague of the scientist, told of his conversations with Dr Kelly shortly before he went missing.

He also told the inquiry the weapons expert said he had not expected to face the full glare of the media after coming forward to admit his meetings with a BBC reporter.

Wg Cdr Clark, who shared an office with Dr Kelly at the Ministry of Defence, said the scientist had not been looking forward to his appearances before the Commons foreign affairs committee and the intelligence and security committee.

He basically said he was holding up OK but it had all come to a head and his wife had taken it really very badly Wing Commander John Clark on his last conversation with Dr Kelly Hoon on the defensive

But he said that Dr Kelly was in "good spirits" when he initially spoke to him on 17 July - the day the weapons expert went missing from his Oxfordshire home.

The wing commander was giving evidence after Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon denied that there was a "conspiracy" to make Dr Kelly's name public after he admitted meeting BBC correspondent Andrew Gilligan.

Key points so far from day ten of the inquiry:

• Mr Hoon said he was not involved in the decision to announce that an official had come forward, saying that was made by Cabinet office officials.
• Mr Hoon said he did not believe Dr Kelly had been "poorly treated"
• The defence secretary acknowledged he was aware of the media strategy whereby Dr Kelly's name would be confirmed if it was put to MoD press officers
• Mr Hoon said he was not aware of any unhappiness with the Iraq dossier from members of the Defence Intelligence Services.
• Two officials had expressed concern, but this was a "technical discussion" to ensure language was absolutely precise.

Wg Cdr Clark told the inquiry he had asked Dr Kelly whether he had expected the attention he received after revealing his meetings with Mr Gilligan.

He said Dr Kelly had told him: "Under no circumstances."

Wg Cdr Clark, a specialist in air traffic control who worked with Dr Kelly at the MoD in Whitehall, had accompanied Dr Kelly to the foreign affairs committee hearing on 15 July.

MAIN WITNESSES THIS WEEK TUESDAY 26 AUGUST John Scarlett, chairman of the Cabinet Office Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) WEDNESDAY 27 AUGUST Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary Ann Taylor, Chairman of Intelligence and Security Committee THURSDAY 28 AUGUST Tony Blair, Prime Minister Gavyn Davies, BBC Chairman 'No conspiracy' to name Kelly

He told the inquiry the weapons expert was "tired" after the grilling.

He said: "He was asked by a colleague how he felt and he said that the pressure associated with the hearings was worse than that associated with his Phd.

"I think up until then that had been the most stressful interview he had perhaps had."

He said that when he spoke to Dr Kelly on 17 July he was in good spirits, but said his wife was upset.

Dr Kelly had returned from Cornwall to appear before the two committees, but his wife, suffering from arthritis, had remained in Cornwall.

He said: "He basically said he was holding up OK but it had all come to a head and his wife had taken it really very badly.

"Whether that was in association with the additional pressure of having to get back on the day before under her own steam I do not know. But he did say that his wife had been very upset on the morning of the 17th."

Wg Cdr Clark had been telephoning Dr Kelly on 17 July in relation to two parliamentary questions he had been asked to answer from Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay.

The pair were also working on a response to a letter from the Commons foreign affairs committee asking for a list of journalists Dr Kelly had contact with.

Headache

Wg Cdr Clark said his last conversation with his colleague was just before 1500 BST, when they discussed BBC Newsnight science editor Susan Watts, with whom Dr Kelly had had contact.

He then rang the scientist again at 1520 BST and was told by his wife he had gone for a walk.

He tried to call the scientist every 15 minutes until leaving the MoD at 1650 BST, asking a colleague, James Harrison, to continue trying to get hold of Dr Kelly.

He said he had been surprised that he was unable to contact Dr Kelly, who usually kept his mobile telephone switched on.

Mr Harrison told the inquiry he spoke to Dr Kelly's wife at at about 1750 BST.

He said she had told him that her husband had a headache and had gone for a walk by the river.

She said that he had hoped to go for the walk at 1400 BST, but had been delayed by phone calls.