'Toxicology reports encouraging but we're here for a long haul'

Although the toxicology reports are ''encouraging'', resolving Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's murder mystery may still prove to be a long haul, Jamaica police deputy commissioner Mark Shields said.

''There are three possibilities. One is that someone could give themselves up. Two, there could be a massive breakthrough or, three, we are here for the long haul,'' Shields said, adding, ''at the moment we are certainly in category three. We would love to move to one but I think that is unlikely at this stage.'' He also rubbished British media reports claiming that the results of late gizmo-freak coach's toxicology reports reveal that he was first poisoned and then manually strangled to death.

''If he was manually strangled and asphyxiated, why didn't he put up a fight? I've always said there was a possibility he was incapacitated by something else. If I tell you they (the results) have come back and we are conducting further tests, I suggest you draw your own conclusions,'' he said at a press conference in Kingston yesterday.

Meanwhile, having made no apparent progress Woolmer's murder investigation, the four Scotland Yard detectives are all set to return back to London tomorrow, thus leaving dozens of unanswered questions.

According to the Sunday Observer, the Metropolitan police officers have announced yesterday that they were withdrawing from Jamaica as they could not identify any suspect or motive in their ten day stay in the island nation.

The 58-year-old Englishman was found dead in mysterious circumstances in his hotel room in Pegasus on March 18, a day after Pakistan's shocking ouster from the World Cup following their humiliating defeat at the hands of debutant Ireland.

However, the former Scotland Yard detective Shields, who is leading the inquiry, said the Metropolitan police officers had volunteered to return to the Caribbean again if they were required.

After CCTV footage, now samples from the the late coach's toxicology tests would also be sent to London for further examination along with the team of detectives.

''Although we have received the results of toxicology tests from Woolmer's body, we are sending it to London again as we feel further analysis is required,'' Shields told reporters yesterday.

He, however, refused to comment on possible findings of the tests Meanwhile, speculations are rife that Jamaica police was keen to re-interview some members of the Pakistan cricket team over apparent 'ambiguities' in their earlier statements.

UNI XC SSC DH RN1658

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