| Personally, I'm a little suspicious of an "investigation" that took three days to decide if the gentleman was strangled. For what it's worth, here's the latest: |
BOB Woolmer was probably murdered by someone he knew, a senior Jamaican police officer said yesterday, amid speculation that the Pakistan cricket coach may have been preparing to blow the whistle on match- fixing in a book he was to write. | Yes, yes, the book, the book...but don't discount the radical Islamists and Allan's displeasure. |
Deputy commissioner Mark Shields said there was no sign of forced entry into Mr Woolmer's hotel room and his possessions were undisturbed. He said it was "difficult to believe" that Mr Woolmer's killer or killers were strangers to him. He said: "It's imperative we keep an open mind, but I have to say at this stage it looks as if it may be somebody somehow linked to him, because clearly he let somebody into his hotel room and it may be that he knew who that person was."
The match-fixing connection may have dated back to Mr Woolmer's time in charge of South Africa. He was coach at the time that former captain Hansie Cronje, who died in a plane crash in 2002, accepted money from bookmakers to fix the results of one-day internationals, although there is no suggestion that Mr Woolmer was involved.
Police confirmed yesterday that Mr Woolmer, 58, who was found unconscious on Sunday morning, had been strangled. Mr Shields, who appeared beside the ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, said the Pakistan cricket party and other hotel guests had been interviewed and added that CCTV footage and other electronic records from the hotel were being scoured for clues. Mr Woolmer was found unconscious by staff at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, the day after Pakistan's surprise World Cup elimination by Ireland.
It is understood the coach was found in the bathroom and did not respond to attempts to revive him on the way to hospital. Police have said it is possible that more than one person was involved in the murder, as Mr Woolmer was a big man and it would have taken "significant force" to subdue him. However, there was no sign of a struggle in his hotel room and officers could only confirm he had been murdered after a post-mortem examination.
The Pakistan media spokesman, PJ Mir, said the team had not discussed the possibility that Mr Woolmer might have been murdered, or might be linked to match-fixing. But he revealed the coach had said a proof of his book had gone missing. Mr Mir revealed there was no question of the Pakistan team having been detained or prevented from leaving Jamaica. "We went through questioning by the police, which they have done to all the sides. The question never arose that the Pakistan team might be detained." |
