Woolmer was murdered, Pakistani players under cloud

Pakistan's World Cup cricketers are to undergo DNA tests after the police announced that their team coach Bob Woolmer was indeed murdered - strangled to death in his hotel room here.

All members of the team, which crashed out of the competition after two successive first round defeats, have already been fingerprinted after Jamaica's Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas disclosed that Woolmer was strangled in his 12th floor room at Pegasus Hotel.

There is widespread speculation that a betting mafia murdered the 58-year-old Woolmer, a former England Test player. The police said one or more people could have committed the crime that has shaken the cricketing world.

Pakistani team's media manager Pervez Mir was quoted as saying on a cricket website that the players would now undergo DNA tests. The players might be asked to postpone their departure for Pakistan.

Jamaica Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields had earlier indicated that it was all right to allow the Pakistan side to leave the Caribbean, since they had no evidence on which to hold them.

"When they return to Pakistan, they have given a commitment to cooperate in any possible way that they can," he said. "Even if they left Jamaica, they would be in contact."

The police interviewed members of the Pakistan squad prior to their departure from Kingston. The police described the questioning as routine. Everyone was spoken to individually.

The confirmation of Woolmer's murder came when Karl Angell, director of communications of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, read out a statement from Thomas at the Pegasus Hotel, where Woolmer was discovered unconscious in his room by housekeeping staff March 18 morning.

"The Jamaican Police are now in possession of the official post mortem report from the government pathologist, who conducted the autopsy on the late Woolmer," he told the Caribbean Media Corp (CMC).

"The pathologist's report states that Woolmer's death was due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. In these circumstances, the matter of Woolmer's death is now being treated by the Jamaica Police as a case of murder."

Woolmer was attended to by medical personnel at the hotel and accompanied him to the University Hospital of the West Indies where he was later pronounced dead.

Woolmer's death came less than 24 hours after Pakistan dramatically lost their second match to Ireland by three wickets at Sabina Park. Pakistan had earlier lost to the West Indies.

At the news conference, Deputy Commissioner Shields indicated that one or more people might have committed the murder.

"Because Bob was a large man, it would have taken some significant force to subdue him and cause strangulation. Of course, we do not know at this stage how many people were in the room... And there was no evidence of a struggle," he said.

"I would, of course, like the killer or killers to turn themselves in, and I hope that this happens. I hope we can appeal to the people responsible to come forward so we can resolve this for the family.

"But this is a very busy hotel which at the time of Bob's murder was fully occupied. There were many members of staff, guests, officials and visitors in the hotel, but I am absolutely positive that there is somebody who has vital information they should give to us."

Shields added that there was no evidence to suggest there was forced entry into Woolmer's room, and nothing appeared to have been removed.

"It was a chambermaid who found the body on Sunday morning," he said. "But a full forensic examination of the body and the room has been conducted.

"The room was undisturbed and, as far as we can tell, his possessions were intact when the body was found.

"We have seized all of the hotel's records in relation to closed-circuit television and electronic records in order to assist us with the investigation."

Shields also said that a decision on whether Woolmer's body will be released for repatriation to his home in Cape Town, South Africa, will be left to the coroner.

"I think we should be able to allow the body to be released, but ultimately it is a decision for the coroner with whom I have a meeting on Friday morning," he said.

Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, put to rest any thoughts of the World Cup being halted.

"This will not be the case, and we are pleased that the Pakistan team played their final match against Zimbabwe, and did so in a very fine way," he said.

"The matches will continue, as they have since Sunday... This is an opportunity and a challenge for the game to be resolute and have a strong finish to the World Cup in good spirit as a tribute to the memory of Bob Woolmer."

Assistant Commissioner of Police Owen Ellington, chairman of Jamaica's security committee for the World Cup, said security at official hotels would be beefed up.

Woolmer's widow Gill, in a statement, said she did not rule out murder.

Speculation is rife - though there is no evidence to that yet - that the betting syndicates could be behind the killing as Woolmer knew a lot about their activities.

A manuscript of his unfinished autobiography that he was working on was found in his room.

(IANS)

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