He also 'vaguely recollects there being an odd ammonia-type smell' from bottle'

Charlie 'remembered that Dawn had sprayed the perfume on both her wrists'

Novichok victim Dawn Sturgess died after spraying perfume laced with the nerve agent onto both her wrists, her boyfriend, who was also exposed to the deadly substance, has revealed.

Charlie Rowley, who is in a critical but stable condition in hospital, made the admission to his brother during an emotional phone conversation yesterday evening. The couple collapsed a few hours apart on June 30 at Mr Rowley's flat, in Amesbury, Wiltshire.

They are believed to have stumbled upon the same batch of Novichok used to try to assassinate Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in nearby Salisbury in March.

Charlie, 45, is unable to remember where exactly he and his partner found the perfume bottle but it is understood to be near Salisbury city centre close to the spot the Skripals fell ill.

Dawn Sturgess (left), 44, died last week, and her partner Charlie Rowley (right), 45, is fighting for life in hospital after they found the Russian nerve agent in Amesbury, near Salisbury

Mother of three Dawn, 44, died on July 8 after police admitted that she had been exposed to a far greater dosage than Sergei, 66 and his 33-year-old daughter.

Matthew Rowley, who lives in Warminster, Wiltshire, told MailOnline: 'My brother told me that he remembered that Dawn had sprayed the perfume on both her wrists.

His memory has been affected by this but day by day he's beginning to remember more. Matthew Rowley

'He doesn't recall much of what happened afterwards but that particular detail is stuck in his mind.

'He also mentioned that he vaguely recollects there being an odd ammonia-type smell from the perfume.

'We don't know yet if he had direct contact with the nerve agent like Dawn appears to have done or whether it was after he had touched her.

'At the moment he's still very ill, he's not out of the woods yet.

The Novichok is thought to have been left behind by the would-be assassins who targeted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and Yulia (pictured) in Salisbury four months ago

'I've asked him where he and Dawn picked up the bottle of perfume. Was it in Elizabeth Gardens or somewhere else in Salisbury? But he just cannot remember yet.

'His memory has been affected by this but day by day he's beginning to remember more.'

There has been talk of possibly relocating Charlie to a safe house. Matthew Rowley

Counter terror police found a small bottle they believe contained the Novichok at Charlie's flat in Amesbury, seven miles north of Salisbury, last week.

Officers have cordoned off the section of Salisbury where they believe the couple originally stumbled upon the container.

Matthew, 47, said his younger brother was 'beside himself with grief' at the loss of Dawn.

He said that he raged 'They've killed my girlfriend, they've killed my girlfriend' during their phone call yesterday.

Matthew said: 'Charlie is slowly regaining his strength and he's now conscious and able to speak but only in small sentences.

Police outside Mr Rowley's home in Amesbury, Wiltshire, on July 5 after he and Ms Sturgess picked up a perfume bottle containing the chemical weapon Novichok

'He's been told that Dawn has died and he is very, very angry as you'd expect.

'When I spoke to him yesterday he was shouting 'they've killed my girlfriend, they've killed my girlfriend'.

'I tried to console him and said that he needed to try and keep as strong as possible so he can recover.

'He woke up last Wednesday and at first he could barely lift his head off the pillow but slowly and surely his strength is improving.

'I try and speak to him most days and he's getting the best possible treatment.

'The police are guarding him closely at the moment.

'There has been talk of possibly relocating Charlie to a safe house, like Skripal and his daughter, when he's able to leave hospital but nothing has been decided on yet.'

Dawn Sturgess sprayed her wrists with a perfume bottle that contained the poison, her partner's brother said

According to reports from U.S security officials, police have recovered grainy CCTV images of persons of the possible Kremlin-backed assignation squad who inadvertently killed Dawn.

Counter-terror cops are closing in on identifying the suspects, thought to be from Mr Skripal's former employers, Russia's military intelligence service the GRU - the agency that Mr Skripal served in for about 15 years.

Both he and his daughter, as well as Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, of Wiltshire Police, made miraculous recoveries after being on the brink of death.

All three were treated at Salisbury General Hospital, where Charlie is now being cared for.

A police officer stands guard over a cordoned off rubbish bin after Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley fell ill in Amesbury

The perfume bottle could support the theory that a woman was involved in the initial hit by up to six people against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury on March 4.

British officials are 'closing in on identifying the individuals they believe carried out the operation', according to the New York Times.

The GRU, which stands for the Glavnoye razvedyvatel'noye upravleniye, is said to be behind many contentious Russian acts, including interfering in the US presidential election.

Mr Skripal was a senior officer in the GRU until he was jailed for 13 years for spying for the British in 2006. He was freed in a spy swap in 2010 and settled in the UK.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'The investigation into the Salisbury attack remains ongoing and we're not prepared to discuss any lines of enquiry at this stage.'