Alpha to Omega: fiction mirroring actual events.

"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really more commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out this window.....and peep in at the queer things that are going on.....the strange coincidences.....the wonderful chain of events.....leading to the most fantastic results.....it would make all fiction, with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions, most stale and unprofitable."  (Sherlock Holmes - A Case of Identity)

The overlap of fact and fiction in Alpha to Omega, has made me accutely aware of the great detective's words. The number of times in recent months that I have been 'surprised' by a television news report or newspaper articles has amazed even me. Someone recently joked that I should change my middle name to Nostradamus!

If you are up to speed with the MI6 agent inquest, you will know that forensics say he probably wasn't poisoned; adding that because of the condition of the body, it was difficult to be certain. Those of you who have read Alpha to Omega will not be surprised that no poison was found. (I won't spoil it for the rest of you by saying why.) Another expert witness gave evidence today that he tried, unsuccessfully, to zip himself into a similar holdall. After several hundred attempts, he gave up. I am also told (but have not double checked this) that another witness suggested Gareth Williams was probably dead before being put into the bag. As suggested in a previous posting, contrast this with the 'official line' that no third party was involved.

We've also been told that there is no cctv evidence from near his flat to confirm the belief that he was being followed. Why should there be? If he was being tailed by professionals, they are very unlikely to follow him to his own front door. Unless someone believes they are being followed (or suspect they could be) they tend to behave predictably. So, if someone follows his usual route from the station, office or gym, there is a high probability that he is going home. And if the 'follower' knows or suspects that there are cctv cameras in the area, they are going to be particularly careful. Only a deranged stalker would ignore these simple precautions.

Keeping someone under 24 hour surveillance is a different matter - but even then, commonsense and reasonable precautions still apply. Modern technology generally permits remote listening, perhaps with the occasional 'walkthrough' if it was deemed necessary. Even then (as you will know from Alpha to Omega) an experienced 'spook' (which Gareth Williams was not) can give you the slip.

So the possibility that he was being tailed cannot simply be ruled out because of lack of cctv evidence. Nor have I yet heard any convincing argument against his being killed by his own people. In fact, there seem to be reasons to consider this option. Security Services do sometimes 'take out' their own people. I am aware, for example, of a fairly high-ranking Frenchman being killed in a car 'accident'. The reason: he was threatening to derail a Franco-German security collaboration.