Gareth Williams murder inquiry reveals intensely private man

A picture of an extremely private man began to emerge today as detectives investigated the murder of an intelligence officer. They were examining the private life of Gareth Williams, 30, a codes expert, as they wait for the results of toxicology tests after an inconclusive post-mortem examination. His decomposing body was found stuffed into a bag in the bath of his flat in Pimlico, central London, three days ago. Williams, a cycling and fitness fanatic who worked at GCHQ , the eavesdropping and security centre, was days from completing a year-long secondment at MI6 . His parents, Ian and Ellen, travelled to London with his sister Ceri today from Anglesey to speak to police and formally identify his body. William Hughes, Mrs Williams's cousin, said the couple had flown back from a holiday in North America after learning of his death. "The last time I saw Gareth was just a few months ago at a family party and he was fine," he said. "He was always a quiet person, he was from a young age." Hughes said he had never known Williams to bring home a partner, describing him as a very, very private person. "I knew he worked at GCHQ and he had been working in London but I didn't know what he did. It wasn't said that we shouldn't talk about it, I simply never asked and he never told me." Keith Thompson, of Holyhead cycling club, said Williams had joined the club at the age of 17. "He wasn't a great conversationalist. I never spoke to him about his job or his private life. Nobody did with Gareth." Investigators suspect he may have known his killer as there was no sign of forced entry at his top-floor flat. Detectives think the key could lie in Williams's private life but sources close to the inquiry said it was not clear how he had died and played down speculation that the murder was linked to his secretive line of work. One source said: "The suggestion there is terrorism or national security links is pretty low down the list of probabilities." Police have begun examining his mobile phone and financial records as well as CCTV cameras from streets and businesses surrounding his home. His body could have lain undiscovered for up to a fortnight as he is believed to have been on leave from work. His flat has been the subject of a fingertip search amid fears that top-secret work material could have gone missing. Further tests could determine whether Williams was asphyxiated, and whether drugs or alcohol were present in his system. The toxicology tests are expected to take weeks. Officers broke down the door of his flat on Monday afternoon when attempts by government officials to locate him through his former landlady failed.