Who was Gareth Williams from C5’s The Spy in the Bag: New Revelations
A BRITISH spy who died under disturbing circumstances is the subject of a new Channel 5 documentary.
Gareth Williams was working for Britain’s intelligence service MI6 when he was found dead at his home. Here’s what we know about him.
Who was Gareth Williams?
Gareth Wyn Williams, a Junior Analyst for GCHQ, was on secondment to the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) when he was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a Pimlico flat on August 23, 2010.
Williams was a prodigy who graduated with a first-class maths degree at 17 and later earned a PhD from the University of Manchester.
He dropped out of a postgraduate course at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, to join GCHQ in 2001.
Employed as a code breaker, the Welsh mathematician was on a three-year secondment to MI6, focusing on foreign espionage.
At the time of his death, the 31-year-old had been renting a room in Prestbury, Gloucestershire, for nearly a decade.
Known for his intense privacy and passion for cycling, Williams was scheduled to return to Cheltenham at the beginning of September 2010 after his annual leave.
What happened to Gareth Williams?
On August 23, 2010, Williams’ naked, decomposing body was discovered in the en-suite bathroom of his Pimlico flat.
His remains were found inside a red sports bag, padlocked from the outside, with the keys placed inside the bag.
This discovery was made during a “welfare check” by police, prompted by concerns from Williams’ colleagues who noted he had been out of contact for several days.
At around 16:48, local police gained entry to his top-floor flat and immediately declared the premises a crime scene upon examining the bag.
Williams’ family later alleged that crucial DNA evidence was tampered with and that fingerprints at the scene were deliberately removed as part of a cover-up.
In 2012, a coroner concluded that the spy was likely “killed unlawfully by another person.”
However, a police investigation contradicted this, suggesting he had “probably died accidentally on his own”.
A forensic review commissioned in 2021 failed to shed new light on the case.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, the senior investigating officer, stated, “No new DNA evidence was found and no further lines of enquiry were identified.”
Scotland Yard’s inquiry found no evidence of Williams’ fingerprints on the padlock or the rim of the bath, which supported the coroner’s assertion of “third-party involvement.”
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt mentioned it was “theoretically possible for Williams to lower himself into the bag without touching the rim of the bath.”
Notably, a key to the padlock was found inside the bag, underneath Williams’ body.
His body was in a state of advanced decomposition after remaining in the bag for a week during August’s heat.
Tests revealed no traces of alcohol, drugs, or poison.
At the time of Williams’ death, police disclosed he owned £15,000 worth of women’s designer clothing, a wig, and make-up.
It was suggested that Williams might have dressed as a woman outside of work, but a forensics expert speculated that he likely worked undercover as a woman.
Three years before his death, Williams’ landlady recalled an incident where she and her husband found him shouting for help with his hands tied to his bedposts.
Williams explained he was “seeing if he could get free.”
They cut him loose, believing the incident was “sexual rather than escapology.”
Despite various theories and investigations, the exact circumstances of Williams’ death remain unresolved.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John noted in his statement that the latest forensic review provided no new leads, and the mystery surrounding Williams’ demise continues to perplex authorities and his family alike.
A number of wild theories emerged after MI6 agent Gareth Williams was discovered by police conducting a well-being check at his flat.
Some claimed he died in a sex game gone wrong, while others believed he was assassinated by Russian spies after uncovering a mole.
How to watch The Spy in the Bag: New Revelations
A new Channel 5 documentary The Spy in the Bag: New Revelations re-analyses the case and has raised a series of questions around the mysterious death.
They include the alleged lack of cooperation from MI6 during the police’s investigation and what was deemed as unusual behaviour from the group – including a sensational claim from a high-ranking figure from the British Secret Service.
Former MI5 intelligence officer Annie Machon tells the documentary: “Everything about this case absolutely stinks of a cover-up.”
She cited them refusing to allow Gareth’s colleagues to be interviewed by police and not disclosing details from nine personal memory sticks found inside their headquarters.
The Spy in the Bag: New Revelations airs 10pm Tuesday on Channel 5.