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Dr Kelly denied he was
the main source for Andrew Gilligan's
story |
2003: Missing Iraq expert - body
found |
England have
A body believed to be that of government scientist Dr David Kelly has
been found in woodland not far from his Oxfordshire home.
The discovery was made at 0920 BST by a member of the police team
called into search for Dr Kelly after his family reported him missing last
night.
Dr Kelly has been at the centre of a row between the British Government
and the BBC about the use of intelligence reports in the run up to the war
against Iraq.
The row centred on a report by journalist Andrew Gilligan during the
Today programme on BBC Radio Four in which he said the government had
"sexed-up" its dossier on Iraq to boost public support for the war.
Intense scrutiny
He accused the government of inserting a claim into the dossier that Saddam Hussein was capable of
deploying weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes
On Tuesday Dr Kelly - an expert in arms control who had worked as a
weapons inspector in Iraq between 1991 and 1998 - told the Foreign Affairs
select committee he had spoken to Mr Gilligan but denied he was the main
source for the story.
Dr Kelly left his home in Southmoor, Abingdon, at about 1500 BST on
Thursday to go for a walk. His family reported him missing at 2345 BST the
same day.
The government has announced an inquiry will be held, headed by law
lord Lord Hutton, to investigate the circumstances surrounding Dr Kelly's
death.
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was on a flight to Tokyo on the first
leg of a Far East tour when he was told the body had been found.
He was said to be "very distressed" for the Kelly family.
Dr Kelly has been under intense media scrutiny since the Ministry of
Defence said he had come forward to say he had had a meeting with Mr
Gilligan.
The MoD said Dr Kelly had at no time been threatened with dismissal or
suspension for speaking to Mr Gilligan.
A spokesman said it had been made clear to Dr Kelly that he had broken
civil service rules by having unauthorised contact with a journalist, but
"that was the end of it".
Downing Street said Dr Kelly had been warned his name was likely to
become public because he was one of only a small number of people who
could have been the source.
Dr Kelly and his wife, Janice, have three daughters, Sian, 32, and
twins Rachel and Ellen, 30.