He gave his girlfriend what he thought was fancy perfume. It contained deadly poison from Russian spies

He gave his girlfriend what he thought was fancy perfume. It contained deadly poison from Russian spies

EDITOR’S NOTE

He gave his girlfriend what he thought - Watch the premiere of the CNN Films documentary, “The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door,” Sunday at 8pm ET/PT on CNN. Charlie Rowley’s life took a dark turn when he picked up a bottle that looked like a typical perfume. It was a summer afternoon in Amesbury, England, where he discovered a small cardboard box in a charity bin. Inside, a container labeled Nina Ricci caught his eye. Believing it to be a discarded French fragrance, he brought it home to surprise his girlfriend, Dawn Sturgess. For years, Rowley had thrived on uncovering useful items from trash, salvaging TVs and household goods. But on this day in June 2018, he hoped someone had thrown out an engagement ring—a sapphire one, as Sturgess often mentioned wanting.

“She frequently talked about getting me an engagement ring … a sapphire one,” he told CNN in a recent interview.

Unaware of its danger, the bottle held the same nerve agent used by Russian operatives in Salisbury three months prior to poison a double agent. What followed was a sequence of events leading to Sturgess’s death and Rowley’s hospitalization, marking them as unintended casualties of a global spy conflict. “I thought it was a genuine, nice gift, and she was happy to receive it. But it went tragically wrong so fast,” he recalled. Sturgess sprayed the liquid, sniffed it, and applied it to her wrist. Shortly after, she reported feeling unwell, complaining of a headache before losing consciousness. Rowley tried to revive her, describing the moment as “everything going in slow motion.”

By late afternoon, the poison—later confirmed as Novichok—had taken effect on Rowley as well. He sweated heavily, rocked back and forth, and muttered incoherently. Coma-like, he spent weeks in hospital with no memory of the incident. After discharge, a stroke left him requiring further care. The ordeal thrust him into a clash between British and Russian intelligence agencies. “Who knew a spy was living in Salisbury? It was a shock,” Rowley said. “Who would have thought the poison would resurface in a bottle?”

A Life Shaped by Small Pleasures

The couple had dated for about a year after meeting at a facility for unhoused individuals, where Sturgess resided. Rowley had just moved into his new home, preparing it for her to join him. Their days were filled with simple joys, such as treasures Rowley unearthed from charity bins. “It carried a bit of stigma being seen in a bin,” he noted. “But it reaped rewards. I’d always come up with something, whether big or small. Any nice things I found, they went straight to Dawn.”

“I would always dig to the bottom, just in case I’d find that ring,” he reflected.

Free time often involved music and films. Sturgess favored Bob Marley and action movies, though she wasn’t a fan of romantic comedies. “Occasionally, if the fun fair was in town, we’d go along, stroll the stalls, and laugh,” Rowley said. Then came the moment that changed their lives. On June 28, two days after discovering the box, he handed the bottle to Sturgess. It was a Saturday around midday, following a day at Queen Elizabeth Gardens—a riverside park with a view of Salisbury Cathedral, whose spire is Britain’s tallest. She recognized the brand instantly and seemed thrilled.

Rowley remembered the oddity of the nozzle being separate. “I had to remove the cap and attach it myself,” he said. The perfume had an oily texture and no scent. “Very strange—perfume with no smell,” he mused. Eight years later, he still struggles to articulate the events. In the documentary, Rowley shares his story alongside others impacted by the attacks. He often pauses, eyes glistening with tears. “I’ve tried to put it to the back of my mind. I didn’t expect this to happen to me or Dawn,” he told CNN. “And things haven’t been the same since.”