The founder of the lie detector firm used by the Jeremy Kyle Show once 'cleared' the Russian assassin accused by British authorities of killing Alexander Litvinenko.
Bruce Burgess was paid £5,000 to fly to Moscow and administer a polygraph test to Andrey Lugovoi in 2012, six years after Litvinenko died from polonium poisoning.
Following the test, Burgess claimed Lugovoi 'was telling the truth', with Russian state media claiming it emphatically 'cleared' Lugovoi of any involvement in the murder.
Despite Burgess's claim that 'no deception was detected', the former KGB bodyguard received a score of -2 when asked the question: 'Have you ever handled polonium?'
British police found traces of the deadly substance in all three London hotels where Lugovoi stayed in the days before his meeting with Litvinenko.
Bruce Burgess (shown right) was paid £5,000 to fly to Moscow and administer a polygraph test to Andrey Lugovoi in 2012 (pictured), six years after Litvinenko died from polonium poisoning
Bruce Burgess (pictured) is regarded as among the most prominent exponents of such exams as the founder of UK Lie Tests, a firm which provides work for several high-profile TV shows.
During an inquiry into the death, chairman Sir Robert Owen outright rejected the test's findings, as he questioned Burgess's 'professionalism and objectivity'.
He also noted Burgess' conviction for perverting the course of justice in 2008, after he claimed a Slovakian was driving his Jaguar when it was caught speeding.
Burgess, now aged 75, was given a two-year suspended jail sentence, causing a solicitor to label him a 'proven liar' during the Litvinenko inquiry in 2015.
Following the accusation from Ben Emmerson QC, Burgess shocked the hearing by firing back: 'We are all liars. We all lie about one thing or another.'
Emmerson, who was acting on behalf of Litvinenko's widow Marina, then described Burgess as someone 'who would take any work he could get'.
The court heard how Burgess was paid £5,000 plus expenses by Russian state TV to conduct a polygraph test on Lugovoi, who was the prime suspect in the killing.
British police found traces of the deadly substance in all three London hotels where Lugovoi stayed in the days before his meeting with Alexander Litvinenko (pictured)
He was regarded as among the most prominent exponents of such exams as the founder of UK Lie Tests, a firm which provides work for several high-profile TV shows.
The public inquiry heard
