Suicide-inquiry fallout 'could gag' scientists

摘要

When the report into the death of UK government scientist David Kelly was published on 28 January, a painful picture emerged of the biowarfare researcher's last days. Kelly, who committed suicide last July after being caught in the crossfire between the government and the BBC, was revealed as an extremely private man who felt unable to discuss the extraordinary stress he was under, even with his family. But for the people who worked with him, Kelly was a valued expert and a vital source of accurate information. In the aftermath of Lord Hutton's report into his death, many fear that such sources will be hard to find as government scientists become less willing to share what they know. "I used to meet Kelly at conferences where there was a relatively free flow of information," says Malcolm Dando, a specialist in international security at the University of Bradford. "It will be to the detriment of my work if that flow ends."