“The Strange Death of David Kelly” review

“The Strange Death of David Kelly” review

The Strange Death of David Kelly

by Norman Baker
Methuen, 2007

Following Andrew Gilligan’s report on the ‘sexed up’ evidence used in the ‘dodgy’ dossier, the furore in the media, the sacking of Gilligan by the BBC and the leaking of his source’s name, there was both shock and outrage when that source, Dr David Kelly, was found dead in July 2003. This led to the Hutton Inquiry, at which Lord Hutton took it upon himself to announce that Kelly had committed suicide, and that the evidence should not be made public for 70 years.

 Considering that the present Attorney General has asked to review the medical documents relating to Dr Kelly’s death, and that some doctors have asked the High Court for a ruling that would bring about an inquest, it is perhaps time to reacquaint ourselves with the facts. 

Conspiracy theorists aside, many knowledgeable people have doubted the suicide verdict, particularly from the medical point of view. Norman Baker, the MP for Lewes, also had his doubts, and this book is the result of a year’s research. He presents the facts surrounding Dr Kelly’s death clearly and precisely, day by day, raising questions that should have been covered by Hutton. Although the conclusion of the book is a trifle ‘cloak and dagger’, the facts, as laid out Norman Baker, point to a very strange death indeed.