Officer poisoned with Novichok leaves the force

A police officer poisoned in the Novichok attack in Salisbury yesterday revealed he has quit the force.

Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, whose battle for life was portrayed in a hard- hitting television drama about the incident which targeted Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, was left suffering hallucinations after being deeply affected by the man-made chemical.

He said he battled to return to work three times after being poisoned by the deadly nerve agent in March 2018, but the attack had “taken too much” from him.

He released a statement on Twitter saying: “After 18 years in the police force I’ve had to admit defeat and accept that I can no longer do the job. I wanted to be a police officer since I was a teenager, I couldn’t envisage doing anything else, which is why this makes me so sad.

“Like most police officers, I’ve experienced my fair share of trauma, violence, upset, injury and grief.

“We deal with it, take it on the chin and keep going because that’s our job. But we’re still human and the impact this has shouldn’t be underestimated.

“The events in Salisbury in March 2018 took so much from me and although I’ve tried so hard to make it work, I know that I won’t find peace whilst remaining in that environment.”

Sgt Bailey paid tribute to his colleagues on the Wiltshire force and said: “Policing will remain in my heart.”

The Skripals survived the novichok attack, but it later claimed the life of mum-of-one Dawn Sturgess.