'Foam started to come out of my mouth': Alexander Litvinenko's poisoning in his own words

Alexander Litvinenko pictured at a 1998 press conference Credit: Reuters

ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner reports from court.

The inquiry into the death of fugitive Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has heard in his own words how he was poisoned.

Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt, who took the statement from Litvinenko while he was in hospital dying from radioactive polonium-210 poisoning, read sections to the court.

He described meeting with his business colleague Andrei Lugovoy at London's Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square, where it is believed he drank tea contaminated with polonium-210.

Timeline: The days leading up to Alexander Litvinenko's death

Police officers investigate the poisoning at the Millennium Mayfair Hotel in 2006 Credit: PA

Litvinenko, who was 44 when he died, described the tea he drank from a silver teapot. He said it was cold and he didn't like the taste so he only drank three or four mouthfuls.

Watch: Litvinenko's widow recounts his final days

He said that he didn't see Lugovoy drink from the teapot while he was there, but the table was covered with glasses and cups and he believed others had been drinking before he arrived.

Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in hospital as he lay dying from polonium-210 poisoning in 2006

Litvinenko told the police officer that he would prefer to buy his own drink but it cost too much in an expensive hotel like the Millennium.

As soon as he left, Litvinenko said he felt "strange". An interview he gave was read out to the inquiry:

Litvinenko described the evening when he realised he has been poisoned.

He got home from the meeting at the Millennium hotel and felt alright. He had supper with his family and went to bed quite early.

But before midnight he started to vomit and could not stop. He tried a home remedy to rinse his stomach out.

However, he told the police officers, "after that vomiting didn't stop. Foam started to come out of my mouth and bits of stomach with blood started coming out. And I realised that I had been poisoned."

More: Inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko