No evidence of a David Kelly cover-up, claims law chief

Suicide finding: David Kelly’s body was found with the left wrist cut
12 April 2012

There is "not a shred of evidence" of a cover-up over the death of weapons expert David Kelly, the Attorney General said today.

Dominic Grieve said "hunches" or theories about foul play were not enough to justify a fresh inquest into the 2003 tragedy.

"I have no reason to think, and not a shred of evidence to suggest, that there has been a cover-up," he told ITV News outside his home today.

"I know that some people have put some theories forward but if you're going to put a theory forward like that you need some evidence. And at the moment I haven't seen any evidence."

Mr Grieve stressed that he was not ruling out a fresh inquest into the apparent suicide and said he would look at any new evidence received by his office.

Dr Kelly, a Ministry of Defence scientist, was found dead in woods near his Oxfordshire home in July 2003 soon after being identified as the source of a BBC report alleging that Tony Blair's aides "sexed up" a dossier on Iraqi weapons.

The Hutton Inquiry concluded he took his own life by severing an artery in his wrist after taking painkillers.

However, a group of doctors have cast doubt on the evidence and are calling for a proper inquest.

No final decision has been taken but a key moment will be when Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke decides soon whether to release a number of documents from an archive that Lord Hutton used but locked away from the public gaze for 70 years.

The Attorney General added: "The issue is, can the public be provided with reassurance about the findings of the Hutton Inquiry and what is the best way of doing that, and is it necessary to do anything further? That depends on the evidence."

The minister said that as a newly elected government, the Coalition had nothing to hide and no motive to cover anything up.

"But equally it's right to say that hunches, theories are not enough —there has to be evidence."

Former Conservative Party leader Lord Howard, senior Liberal Democrat Norman Baker and former Labour defence minister Peter Kilfoyle have all called for a new inquest.

Critics of the Hutton report claim that Dr Kelly's wounds were not enough to make him bleed to death and say there should have been more blood and fingerprints at the scene.

Dr Kelly's family has not joined the calls for an inquest, however, and ministers say that their wishes should be taken into account.

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