FOI Request to Thames Valley Police re "communications blackout(s)" on 18th July 2003

Below I paste a Freedom of Information request sent to Thames Valley Police earlier today.

This is a Freedom of Information request.

Press reports indicate that a "communications blackout" was imposed at Harrowdown Hill on 18th July 2003. This information (if accurate) was not, so far as I'm aware, disclosed to the Hutton Inquiry.

By "communications blackout" I mean any request or requirement by Thames Valley Police (or other agency) that radio or other communications equipment of any type, e.g. that in the ambulance of Vanessa Hunt and Dave Bartlett, should not be used.

1. On 18th July 2003 which individuals, after logging out of the outer cordon were asked not to leave the area or otherwise prevented by Thames Valley Police (or other agency) from leaving the area of Harrowdown Hill and/or Longworth Village?

2. Was a "communications blackout" imposed at or close to Harrowdown Hill at any time on 18th July 2003?

3. If so, at what time did the "communications blackout" start? (If there was more than one "communications blackout", I ask for such information for each blackout period.)

4. At what time did the "communications blackout" finish? (If there was more than one "communications blackout", I ask for such information for each blackout period.)

5. Was the imposition of the "communications blackout" related to the presence in the vicinity of Harrowdown Hill related to the secret helicopter flight from around 10.25 to 11.00?

6. What was the purpose of each period of "communications blackout"?

7. On whose authority was the "communications blackout" imposed?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI Request to Thames Valley Police re exhibits taken by SOCOs on 18th July 2003

Below I paste the text of a Freedom of Information request sent earlier today to Thames Valley Police.

This is a Freedom of Information request.

1. How many exhibits were taken by Scenes of Crimes Officers at the scene at Harrowdown Hill on 18th July 2003? To assist in defining the scope of this question I do not seek information in this FOI request regarding the exhibits taken by Dr. Nicholas Hunt which were assigned an "NCH" prefix and which were listed in the postmortem report produced on 25th July 2003 by Dr. Hunt.

2. For each exhibit in the scope of question 1., other than those assigned an "NCH" prefix, I ask for the exhibit number, the nature of the exhibit, the date on which it was examined (if relevant), the results of forensic and/or other examination.

3. Was the information requested in question 2. made available to the Hutton Inquiry in written evidence? If so, on what date was it made available to the Hutton Inquiry?

4. At what time on 18th July 2003 was the scene video taken?

5. At what time on 18th July 2003 was the blue scene tent erected within the woodland at Harrowdown Hill?

6. On whose authority was the blue scene tent erected prior to the arrival of the forensic biologist(s)?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI Request to Thames Valley Police re Judith Miller and the "dark actors"

Earlier today I sent the following Freedom of Information request to Thames Valley Police:

This is a Freedom of Information request.

1. Did Thames Valley Police interview Judith Miller in connection with the suspicious death of Dr. David Kelly?

2. Did Thames Valley Police ask Ms. Miller if she knew who the "dark actors" were?

3. If Question 2 was asked, what information did Judith Miller provide in response to that question?

4. Did Thames Valley Police ask Judith Miller to provide a witness statement for the Hutton Inquiry? If so, what was her response?

5. Did David Kelly telephone Judith Miller on Thursday 17th July 2003?

6. Did telephone records show any calls from Dr. David Kelly to Judith Miller in the period 22nd May 2003 to 17th July 2003?

7. Did email records show any emails from Dr. David Kelly to Judith Miller (or from Judith Miller to Dr. Kelly) in the period 22nd May 2003 to 17th July 2003 (other than those placed in evidence at the Hutton Inquiry)?

8. Did Thames Valley Police take any steps to establish the accuracy or otherwise of reports in the Sunday Mail of 20th July 2003 that the "dark actors" were "UK intelligence agencies"? If so, what steps did Thames Valley Police take?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

FOI request to Thames Valley Police re the knife found at Harrowdown Hill

Earlier today I asked the following questions of Thames Valley Police in a Freedom of Information request:

This is a Freedom of Information request.

1. Was the knife found at Harrowdown Hill shown to any member of the Kelly family? (I am aware that a photograph or photocopy was shown. I wish to know if any family member was shown the knife itself.)

2. Were there any features of the knife which allowed its positive identification as having belonged to Dr. David Kelly? If any such features were present, please list them.

3. What forensic tests were carried out to determine whether or not the knife was capable of producing the wounds in Dr. Kelly's left wrist?

4. Did the knife show evidence of having been sharpened?

5. Was the sharpness of the straight part of the edge sufficient to incise human skin?

6. Was the sharpness of the curved part of the edge sufficient to incise human skin?

7. Was a forensic expert consulted regarding whether the knife could have caused the wounds in Dr. Kelly's left wrist?

8. If so, who was the forensic expert?

9. Did the forensic expert provide a written report to Thames Valley Police? Or to the Hutton Inquiry?

10. What was the make and model of the knife found? Was the handle made of wood or metal?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt

How to make Freedom of Information requests relating to the death of Dr. David Kelly

I thought it might be helpful for readers of this blog if I were to post information about how requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can be made to various bodies in connection with the death of Dr. David Kelly.

Here I list contact information for some relevant bodies:

• Thames Valley Police - by email. This is probably the most appropriate organisation to which to address questions about the Police investigation into the death of David Kelly. Further information is located at Freedom of Information requests.


• Cabinet office - by email. This is probably the most appropriate organisation to which to address questions about any actions across the UK Government at or subsequent to the death of David Kelly. Further information is available at Freedom of information (FOI).


• Ministry of Justice - by email. This is probably to the most appropriate organisation to which to address questions about the actions of the Department of Constitutional Affairs and the then Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer.


• National Archives - by email. This is probably the most appropriate organisation to which to address questions about the documents from the Hutton Inquiry, which now (largely or entirely) are stored by the National Archives.

Hutton Inquiry - The witness statement of Dr. Brian Jones

In this post I'm posting a link to the witness statement to the Hutton Inquiry of Dr. Brian Jones, formerly of the Defence Intelligence Staff.

It is online here.

I think it is currently the only Hutton Inquiry witness statement in the public domain.

I hope, in time, to encourage other witnesses to the Hutton Inquiry to put their witness statements in the public domain as Dr. Jones has done.

Openness about the evidence is the way to establish the truth about what happened to David Kelly.

FOI Request re documents recovered from the Kelly home

Earlier today I sent the following Freedom of Information request to Thames Valley Police.

Currently, Thames Valley Police are being wholly obstructive re FOI requests which relate to the death of Dr. David Kelly. I view that obstructiveness on the part of Thames Valley Police as being perversion of the course of justice, a process which I believe Thames Valley Police to have been involved in since 2003.

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

I wish to ask:

1. How many documents were removed from David Kelly's home on 18th July 2003?

2. Was the search authorised? If so, by whom?

3. How many documents were removed from David Kelly's home on 19th July 2003?

4. Of the documents removed on 18th July 2003 how many were classified?

5. Of the documents removed on 19th July 2003 how many were classified?

6. Did the inventory of documents removed include a Restricted document which referred to a possible honour for David Kelly?

7. Did any public sector organisation (other than Thames Valley Police) have staff present at the Kelly home during the searches referred to above? If so, which organisation(s) had staff present?

Thank you

(Dr) Andrew Watt