Janice Kelly to appear before Hutton

The widow of the Iraqi weapons expert Dr David Kelly will today speak before Lord Hutton's judicial inquiry into the apparent suicide of her husband.

Janice Kelly, 58, is expected to describe her husband's state of mind after his name was leaked to the media as the 'source' of a BBC report that someone in Downing Street doctored or 'sexed up' the September intelligence dossier on Iraq's capacity to launch lethal weapons.

Dr Kelly was forced to appear before the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on July 15, where he faced a grilling over his role in the affair.

Two days later he was found dead.

A statement from the Kelly family released after police found his body near his home in Oxfordshire said his life had become 'intolerable' after he was 'outed' as the Ministry of Defence 'mole.'

Dr Kelly's daughter Rachel, and other family members and friends will also give evidence at the Royal Courts of Justice in London today.

Their appearance forms part of the final week of evidence in the first phase of the inquiry.

They have asked that a video link be set up in a separate room in order to avoid further media intrusion.

Meanwhile, The Observer on Sunday published a previously unseen article written by Dr Kelly in which he made the case for 'regime change' in Iraq.

Although Dr Kelly described the threat from Iraq as 'modest', he did back a change of government as the only route to 'conclusively disarm' Iraq.

'Although the current threat presented by Iraq militarily is modest, both in terms of conventional and unconventional weapons, it has never given up its intent to develop and stockpile such weapons for both military and terrorist use.

'Perhaps the real threat from Iraq today comes from covert use of such weapons against troops or by terrorists against civilian targets worldwide.

'The long-term threat, however, remains Iraq's development to military maturity of weapons of mass destruction -- something that only regime change will avert,' The Observer quoted Dr Kelly as writing.

The Sunday Telegraph also said Janice Kelly had told friends she and her husband had had a series of major arguments hours before he died.

On Tuesday, the inquiry will hear from Professor Keith Hawton, director of the University of Oxford Centre for Suicide Research, a psychiatrist appointed by Lord Hutton.

Religious spokesman Barney Leith, UK head of the Baha'i faith, will outline the main tenets of Dr Kelly's faith.

On Wednesday, Richard Allan, a toxicologist, and Nicholas Hunt, a forensic pathologist, will give evidence.

They will be followed by Steven Macdonald, a MoD official, will give evidence on the handling of documents after the inquiry was initiated. It has been alleged that document shredding at the MoD had taken place.

On Thursday the inquiry will hear from Richard Taylor, the special adviser to Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, who will be questioned on why the MoD decided to release the name of Dr Kelly to journalists.

Also expected to appear is Tom Mangold, a journalist and close friend of Dr Kelly.

The inquiry will then adjourn until September 15.

Lord Hutton plans to adjourn again on Thursday September 25 after which time he will write up his report.

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