Woolmer poisoned before strangulation: report

Former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, found dead in his hotel room during the World Cup, was poisoned before being strangulated to death, says a BBC report.

The results of the toxicology tests, to be officially submitted to the Jamaican Police this week, have revealed that Woolmer was rendered helpless by poison before being strangled to death, according to the BBC report to be aired Monday.

The 58-year-old Englishman was found murdered in his hotel room March 18, a day after Pakistan lost to debutants Ireland in the World Cup. The loss turned out to be costly for Pakistan as they were eliminated after the first round of the tournament.

A post-mortem examination said he had been strangled.

Woolmer's remains were flown back to his home in Cape Town in South Africa Sunday. The casket, sealed in a large wooden crate, arrived on board a commercial flight from Jamaica.

On April 20, the inquest into the death was postponed because the coroner in Jamaica was advised there had been "recent and significant developments".

The BBC investigation learnt that the toxicology tests on Woolmer's body show that there was a drug in his body that would have incapacitated him.

"It now seems certain that as he was being strangled, he'd already been rendered helpless - leaving him unable to fight back. The specific details of that poison are very likely to offer a significant lead to finding his murderer," BBC said.

Mark Shields, deputy commissioner of Jamaican police who heads the probe, told the news broadcaster that it was "difficult and it's rare" for one man to strangle another.

"A lot of force would be needed to do that. Bob Woolmer was a large man and that's why one could argue that it was an extremely strong person or maybe more than one person," he said.

"But the lack of external injuries suggests that there might be some other factors and that's what we're looking into at the moment."

(IANS)

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