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[Beefy]

The radiation expert who discovered the poison that killed Alexander Litvinenko "committed suicide" by stabbing himself repeatedly with two knives months after a trip to Russia, a coroner ruled.

The father-of-two reportedly died from self-inflicted injuries, despite one detective believing he couldn't have stayed conscious long enough to wound himself that much

Matthew Puncher, 46, bled to death at his home after receiving multiple stab wounds across his body from two kitchen knives, an inquest heard.

A pathologist said he could not completely exclude the possibility that someone else had been involved in the death of the father, but came to the conclusion that the injuries were self-inflicted.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/top-scientist-who-discovered-litvinenko-9325403

This source paints things in a slightly different light (mostly the same sources but they put less of a twist on it)


http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/149..._weapons_trip/




Oxford Coroner’s Court yesterday heard how the father-of-two worked for Public Health England in radiation protection dosimetry at Harwell and how his mood ‘completely changed’ after a visit to Russia before Christmas.

The 46-year-old had been given sole responsibility over a contract with the US Federal Government for a programme to measure the amounts of polonium inside Russian workers.

His wife Kathryn, along with work colleagues, revealed he had become obsessed with a mistake he had made in his research.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt, who conducted the post mortem examination on weapons expert Dr David Kelly, said Mr Puncher was found dead at home with stab wounds to his arms, neck and upper abdomen.

Dr Hunt said he could not ‘entirely exclude’ third party involvement but was satisfied they were self-inflicted wounds and gave a cause of death as haemorrhaging due to stab and incised wounds.

The pathologist confirmed it was possible for someone to inflict the number of wounds Mr Puncher did before becoming unconscious.

His wife of 16 years, Kathryn Puncher, said: “He was always an upbeat and sensitive man. He was brilliant with the children as he was so intelligent and enjoyed helping them with their homework.

“After Christmas he changed completely. He just lost interest and I had to prompt him to do things like getting dressed and washing up, things he did without thinking before.

“He used to cook all the meals but he just stopped, he seemed to stop caring about anything.”

DC Rachel Clarke, who investigated the death, said: “It was very unusual, all the information told us he was very depressed and no-one in his family seemed particularly surprised he had taken his own life.

“But his injuries were so extensive, I didn’t know how he could have inflicted them on himself without becoming unconscious so we looked at the wider circumstances.”

But she added there was no evidence of a disturbance or a struggle, and no evidence of anyone else’s blood.

Head of department at Harwell, George Etherington, said Mr Puncher’s concerns his ‘coding error’ would land him prison for breaking a contract with the US Government was ‘irrational’, and a colleague described it as a ‘minor problem’.

Still seems dodgy to me.

 

[Nikodemos]

Ah, yes comrade, another one who committed suicide by falling 6 times with his back on the point of a knife.

How tragic...

 

[DasPenguin]

Reminds me of some old comic book I read as a kid.

Coroner: he killed himself by stabbing himself in the back 20 times.
inspector: but he was murdered!
Coroner: What makes you think that?

Russia doing Russian things.

 

[Nikodemos]

Russia doing Russian things.

To British citizens.

Like that intel agent that was discovered dead inside a duffel bag in his own bathtub.

 

[triplestation]

Stabbing yourself multiple times sounds superhuman to me

 

[Kinyou]

With two knives? Who the hell would commit suicide like that?

 

[theaface]

Of course, if you had a knife and wanted to kill yourself you would repeatedly stab yourself over and over. That's the most logical course of action. /s

 

[jakonovski]

A Russian conspiracy involving a British coroner in Britain and the family supporting the cover story?

 

[MarioHead3]

Are we sure this isn't an Onion article or something?

 

[Mivey]

With two knives? Who the hell would commit suicide like that?

Maybe he was juggling them as a way to relieve stress, when he made a mistake and the knives ended up injuring him. Sounds reasonable.

 

[Orbis]

This source paints things in a slightly different light (mostly the same sources but they put less of a twist on it):

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14...__mood_change__following_Russia_weapons_trip/

Oxford Coroner’s Court yesterday heard how the father-of-two worked for Public Health England in radiation protection dosimetry at Harwell and how his mood ‘completely changed’ after a visit to Russia before Christmas.

The 46-year-old had been given sole responsibility over a contract with the US Federal Government for a programme to measure the amounts of polonium inside Russian workers.

His wife Kathryn, along with work colleagues, revealed he had become obsessed with a mistake he had made in his research.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt, who conducted the post mortem examination on weapons expert Dr David Kelly, said Mr Puncher was found dead at home with stab wounds to his arms, neck and upper abdomen.

Dr Hunt said he could not ‘entirely exclude’ third party involvement but was satisfied they were self-inflicted wounds and gave a cause of death as haemorrhaging due to stab and incised wounds.

The pathologist confirmed it was possible for someone to inflict the number of wounds Mr Puncher did before becoming unconscious.

His wife of 16 years, Kathryn Puncher, said: “He was always an upbeat and sensitive man. He was brilliant with the children as he was so intelligent and enjoyed helping them with their homework.

“After Christmas he changed completely. He just lost interest and I had to prompt him to do things like getting dressed and washing up, things he did without thinking before.

“He used to cook all the meals but he just stopped, he seemed to stop caring about anything.”

DC Rachel Clarke, who investigated the death, said: “It was very unusual, all the information told us he was very depressed and no-one in his family seemed particularly surprised he had taken his own life.

“But his injuries were so extensive, I didn’t know how he could have inflicted them on himself without becoming unconscious so we looked at the wider circumstances.”

But she added there was no evidence of a disturbance or a struggle, and no evidence of anyone else’s blood.

Head of department at Harwell, George Etherington, said Mr Puncher’s concerns his ‘coding error’ would land him prison for breaking a contract with the US Government was ‘irrational’, and a colleague described it as a ‘minor problem’.

So yeah, could've had third party involvement but the guy was not in a good way, was obsessing over a mistake he'd made and was depressed. And the family weren't surprised he'd killed himself. I mean it's a weird way to kill yourself, weird enough that they investigated other possibilities, but depression is a horrible thing and could lead to that.

A sad story either way.

 

[Amalthea]

A pathologist said he could not completely exclude the possibility that someone else had been involved in the death of the father, but came to the conclusion that the injuries were self-inflicted.

"Plz don't kill me KGB!"

 

[shira]

Top policeman on the case

 

[Beefy]

This source paints things in a slightly different light:

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14...__mood_change__following_Russia_weapons_trip/


So yeah, could've had third party involvement but the guy was not in a good way, was obsessing over a mistake he'd made and was depressed. And the family weren't surprised he'd killed himself.

A sad story regardless.

Hmm, not buying the story. Still feels off to me.

 

[Shredderi]

Yeah right. No one fucking suicided by stabbing themselves repeatedly using two different knives. This is one of those obvious things that EVERYONE knows is staged.

 

[Nikodemos]

"Plz don't kill me KGB!"

What did the poet Mayakov say before committing suicide?

Spoiler

"Comrades, don't shoot!"

 

[Log4Girlz]

Y'all Russian to conclusions

 

[Jackpot]

Corrupt as Russia is, the Mirror is no more a good source than the Daily Mail.

 

[B_Spooky13]

In Soviet Russia.. Knifes attack you

 

[maquiladora]

Tragic.

 

[kingkaiser]

So, basically a guy who revealed a Russian conspiracy involving an assassination of a former KGB agent becomes suddenly very depressive after a visit to Russia.

Gee, I wonder what must have happened back there to destroy someone’s mental health completely just after one visit.

We give you one year to clean up the mess you caused or otherwise your family will meet with a very unfortunate "accident". But look at the bride side, we will provide you any help regarding your future "endeavor".

 

[SuperBowser]

There's probably much more to the story/details.

I'm a psychiatrist. Never heard of a case where somebody picked up two knives and repeatedly stabbed themselves to death. Worst I've seen so far is people stabbing themselves a single time (e.g. through a limb or to the heart). You'd have to be unimaginably unwell to stab yourself multiple times.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

KGB (or whatever name it uses today) is currently tracking every poster in this thread.

 

[M3d10n]

Yeah right. No one fucking suicided by stabbing themselves repeatedly using two different knives. This is one of those obvious things that EVERYONE knows is staged.

Even it being so blatant is probably by design: it sends a message.

 

[DeSo]

seems legit

 

[Comfort Jones]

Imagine if he actually did though.

 

[andythinkpad]

The radiation expert who discovered the poison that killed Alexander Litvinenko "committed suicide" by stabbing himself repeatedly with two knives months after a trip to Russia, a coroner ruled.

The father-of-two reportedly died from self-inflicted injuries, despite one detective believing he couldn't have stayed conscious long enough to wound himself that much

Matthew Puncher, 46, bled to death at his home after receiving multiple stab wounds across his body from two kitchen knives, an inquest heard.

A pathologist said he could not completely exclude the possibility that someone else had been involved in the death of the father, but came to the conclusion that the injuries were self-inflicted.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/top-scientist-who-discovered-litvinenko-9325403




Still seems dodgy to me.

I think this detective will stab himself to death soon, with multiple knives.

 

[Imperfected]

With two knives? Who the hell would commit suicide like that?

Dual-wielding is a pretty big investment. You tend to want to get something out of it, even if it isn't particularly practical for the situation.

 

[kmfdmpig]

There's probably much more to the story/details.

I'm a psychiatrist. Never heard of a case where somebody picked up two knives and repeatedly stabbed themselves to death. Worst I've seen so far is people stabbing themselves a single time (e.g. through a limb or to the heart). You'd have to be unimaginably unwell to stab yourself multiple times.

That stood out to me as well, although I don't have any background that would give me the types of insights you have.

Lots of people kill themselves, but that seems like a very unusual way to do it.

 

[Wellscha]

ITT: people who did not commit suicide by stabbing themselves several times using two knives.

 

[The Living Tribunal]

That's not suspicious at all.

 

[StayDead]

Why would he have taken a trip to Russia out of interest?

 

[CrunchyB]

Sounds to me like he (and possibly his family) was threatened while in Russia. That would explain his erratic behaviour.

Worst fake suicide ever.

 

[justsomeguy]

To British citizens.

Like that intel agent that was discovered dead inside a duffel bag in his own bathtub.

also suicide comrade

 

[Sesha]

Sounds like one of the many "accidental" deaths on Blackadder.

 

[Spectone]

It might be that he started with on knife but that wasn't working for him so he tried another knife. Not that he was trying both knives at once.

 

[Dingens]

soo... people on gaf are calling out others repeatedly for believing conspiracy theories, but this one has to be legit because Russia?
seems unnecessarily complicated to set up. If someone wanted to kill him, they could've staged a murder while while he was in Russia. This seems just like another pointless conspiracy.

 

[Spiral Insanity]

soo... people on gaf are calling out others repeatedly for believing conspiracy theories, but this one has to be legit because Russia?
seems unnecessarily complicated to set up. If someone wanted to kill him, they could've staged a murder while while he was in Russia. This seems just like another pointless conspiracy.

What the fuck? And Trump could never become president, right?
Of course he was murdered. Read up on it.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

It reminds me of this Last Week Tonight clip when they talked about Boris Nemtsovs murder.

 

[Orayn]

soo... people on gaf are calling out others repeatedly for believing conspiracy theories, but this one has to be legit because Russia?
seems unnecessarily complicated to set up. If someone wanted to kill him, they could've staged a murder while while he was in Russia. This seems just like another pointless conspiracy.

I think it's because of the direct, recent precedent of them assassinating the guy this guy was investigating. Just a hunch.

 

[Beefy]

soo... people on gaf are calling out others repeatedly for believing conspiracy theories, but this one has to be legit because Russia?
seems unnecessarily complicated to set up. If someone wanted to kill him, they could've staged a murder while while he was in Russia. This seems just like another pointless conspiracy.

People on gaf all have different views. I haven't called out any one on conspiracy theories. I don't believe this was suicide.

 

[Lonewolf_92]

Seems like slicing his wrists or his own throat would have been the easier option for suicide that repeatedly stabbing himself in the "arms, neck and upper abdomen" then bleeding to death if he wanted to kill himself with a knife.

Or hell, take poison. He seems to have a little experience with that.

 

[Magni]

What if he did commit suicide, but tried to make it look like Russians did it?

 

[Totakeke]

If the goal is to send a message, you don't want it to be conspicuous.

 

[Chiaroscuro]

If the goal is to send a message, you don't want it to be conspicuous.

Well, the message should be cleared seem, just make sure no one can prove anything.

 

[Machina]

This sounds like the plot of a bad Tom Clancy film

 

[Slackbladder]

soo... people on gaf are calling out others repeatedly for believing conspiracy theories, but this one has to be legit because Russia?
seems unnecessarily complicated to set up. If someone wanted to kill him, they could've staged a murder while while he was in Russia. This seems just like another pointless conspiracy.

It would've been significantly more suspicious to murder him in Russia, if that was indeed what happened.
The most interesting thing is the coroner on this was the one that did the report on David Kelly, which was also recorded a suicide. There was certainly some who believed otherwise at the time.
Anyway, if Russia hadn't earned itself the reputation it has of murdering dissenting voices and others who get in their way this wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Dingens]

What the fuck? And Trump could never become president, right?
Of course he was murdered. Read up on it.

seems like you already no more than the police, and both cited news articles here. better go and let them know
(or are you working for the KGB and have inside-information?)

also what exactly does trump have to do with any of it?

I think it's because of the direct, recent precedent of them assassinating the guy this guy was investigating. Just a hunch.

I highly doubt that any countries secret service has enough time to spend on holding a grudge and seeking revenge...

People on gaf all have different views. I haven't called out any one on conspiracy theories. I don't believe this was suicide.

I said "people on gaf", not Beefy. Not sure why you think I was talking about you in particular.
People may hold different views, but it's usually the same guys laughing about the stupidity of others, while falling for something similarly dubious. And I think this kind of arrogance can be dangerous.

 

[Beefy]

I said "people on gaf", not Beefy. Not sure why you think I was talking about you in particular.
People may hold different views, but it's usually the same guys laughing about the stupidity of others, while falling for something similarly dubious. And I think this kind of arrogance can be dangerous.

I didn't say you was talking about me.

 

[Spiral Insanity]

seems like you already no more than the police, and both cited news articles here. better go and let them know
(or are you working for the KGB and have inside-information?)

also what exactly does trump have to do with any of it?



I highly doubt that any countries secret service has enough time to spend on holding a grudge and seeking revenge...



I said "people on gaf", not Beefy. Not sure why you think I was talking about you in particular.
People may hold different views, but it's usually the same guys laughing about the stupidity of others, while falling for something similarly dubious. And I think this kind of arrogance can be dangerous.

What the fuck. This is Russia we are talking about. Also, are you being serious?