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Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources

DesiChap

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Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources Wednesday, March 21, 2007 12:01:51 pm Senior sources in Jamaican police have confirmed to TIMES NOW that Pakistan team coach Bob Woolmer did not die a natural death but was murdered. The murder angle which was first reported by TIMES NOW on Tuesday (March 21), has not been explicitly confirmed by Jamaican police, who have taken a guarded line merely stating that there is a ?bit of suspicion? in the circumstances of Woolmer?s death. In a presser today (March 21), the Deputy Commissioner of the Jamaican Police, Mark Shields, said that the initial post-mortem results confirm that his death was ?under suspicious circumstances? and that it merited a ?full scale investigation?. He also said that apart from the murder angle the police is looking into the motive behind the suspected murder. Woolmer's death has been linked to Pakistan's shock defeat against Ireland. The late Pakistan coach was reported to have been depressed after Pakistan's loss and had reportedly said that it had been ?one of the worst days? of his life. Pak team to stay on Shields also said that each and every member of the Pakistan team was questioned on their whereabouts at the time of Woolmer's death. As of now Pakistan will play their last league game against Zimbabwe; however they will stay back in Jamaica after that till the Jamaican police are satisfied that all questions have been answered. The announcement on the investigation effectively removes the PCB from the whole affair, as Woolmer?s death is now a criminal case with his wife now directly involved with the Jamaica police and in contact with them. ?Strong indications of murder? The police and PCB team in Jamaica today confirmed off the record to TIMES NOW, outside the theatre where the autopsy took place, that there were ?strong indications? that it was murder, prompting authorities to announce that the results had been inconclusive. Reports of the toxicology and histology tests are still awaited. Sources have told TIMES NOW that the PCB is upset over the news of the suspected Woolmer homicide being splashed all over the media, saying it was against Jamaican law to give out this information before Jamaican authorities did. The fact that one of the world?s most renowned cricket coaches was possibly murdered 36 hours after his team exited from the World Cup, would not only be a source of deep embarrassment for the PCB, but also have very serious implications on international cricket. Additionally, the homicide conclusion opens the door to a host of possibilities as - not the least of which is that the alleged player-bookie nexus in Pakistan, which would have been dealt a heavy blow from the team?s exit from the World Cup, had a hand in his death. Match fixing ghost is back Also, following allegations by former PCB chief Sarfaraz Nawaz on Tuesday, sources say the PCB is really worried at this point that the direction of the investigation seems to have changed subtly from just an enquiry into the death of Bob Woolmer and why he died, to include the betting issue. Nawaz yesterday alleged that the bookie mafia was involved in Woolmer?s death and that the Pakistan-West Indies match had been fixed. The match fixing ghost never really left the Pakistan team, and with these grey areas now still evident, the PCB will be under pressure now to take some measures to clean up the team?s tarnished reputation. Meanwhile the ICC will also now have to get their anti-corruption unit officers to work to find out if there was any match fixing or betting angle to this suspected murder. The betting angle also assumes significance in the context of a book that Bob Woolmer was writing in which he may have planned to blow the lid off the player-bookie nexus in Pakistan. ?Suspicious? circumstances Bob Woolmer was found on Sunday night (March 18, India time) in his hotel room unconscious and in a pool of vomit. He was pronounced dead on reaching the hospital. TIMES NOW sports editor Faisal Shariff spoke to the Pakistan team?s assistant manager Asad Mustafa, who commented that the circumstances in which Woolmer was discovered were ?suspicious? from the start ? not only was there vomit found, there were also indications that the coach had suffered from diarrhea, his blood sugar testing machine was found on the floor in the bathroom and there was blood on his cheek and eyes. Woolmer was reported to have abnormal breathing problems because of which he was on prescription drugs. He was also reported to be consuming alcohol for a few days after Pakistan's defeat to Ireland. Woolmer?s widow speaks out Woolmer's widow Jill has denied reports of his ill health. Though her husband did not speak about any issues, she said she knew all was not well although her "tired" husband. Jill said Bob always kept a good health. She quoted, "He never mentioned anything about being under pressure but obviously, seeing his pictures on the television, it was enough to know that he was under pressure by the expression on his face." Jill was also aware her husband had been writing a book on cricket and the manuscript was ready to be dispatched to the publisher. http://www.timesnow.tv/Sections/Sports/Woolmer_murdered_Jamaican_police_sources/articleshow/1785967.cms

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DesiChap Newbie

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Re: Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21425151-601,00.html Police found marks on Woolmer's throat Jon Pierik and Robert Craddock, St Kitts March 22, 2007 POLICE are investigating whether former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was murdered after an autopsy revealed suspicious marks on his throat. Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious and lying in his hotel bathroom near pools of blood, vomit and faeces on Sunday, less than 24 hours after Pakistan's shock World Cup loss to debutants Ireland. That there was vomit in unusually high places on the walls indicated to police the former English Test batsman may have been involved in a struggle and, if so, may have known his assailant, given there was no evidence the door to his room had been tampered with. Jamaican police will interview all members of Pakistan's World Cup squad as part of the murder investigation. Investigators have also begun to trawl through security tapes from the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica where the team is staying, with claims last night Woolmer was about to reveal the shady world of match-fixing in a new book called Discovering Cricket. Former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz suggested that Woolmer may have been murdered by a betting syndicate. "Has Woolmer carried with him to the grave dark secrets that could have brought ruin upon Pakistan's players?" he said. "Did he pay for being the unwitting receptacle of information that was never to be shared?" Nawaz claimed that at least five bookies from Pakistan had landed in the West Indies when the World Cup began and had been in touch with Pakistani players. Jamaican police have made it clear no one is above suspicion but Pakistani officials insist the team will still head home from the World Cup on Saturday. Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields confirmed a murder investigation was under way. "We have already informed the Woolmer family of these developments," he said. "Having met with the pathologists, our medical personnel and investigators, there is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer, which we are now treating as suspicious." It has been revealed there were two marks on Woolmer's throat. The 58-year-old ordered room service after returning to the hotel on Saturday night. He was found by a maid who called an ambulance, but he was pronounced dead soon after arriving at hospital. The room in which he collapsed remains sealed off by police as investigators search for clues. Hotel staff were last night banned from talking about the incident, which has left players questioning whether the World Cup should continue. "There are many conspiracy theories," Pakistan media manager Perves Mir said. "The police are definitely treating it as suspicious. We cannot believe what has happened." Early reports suggesting Woolmer was a diabetic have been proved false. Woolmer's wife Gill told CNN that her husband had not complained of any chest pain after the match. Suspicions of foul play were raised early yesterday when drug and fingerprint experts were called in after the initial post-mortem failed to determine the cause of death. Investigators called in a toxicologist and a histologist - a scientist who examines body tissue. Pakistan, which cannot make the Super Eight phase, played its final match overnight against Zimbabwe. Team manager Talat Ali denied suggestions his squad would not be allowed to head home on Saturday.

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Gaurav Newbie

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Re: Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources Yep reading that now. The police have not announced it officially but radio Jamaica reporter seems to have got info from his police source. Feel sorry for Bob. Murderer is obviously someone who Bob knew. Would Pak team be allowed to go home?

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Lurker Newbie

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Re: Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources

Woolmer strangulated, says media report 22 Mar 2007 NDTV Correspondent In a fresh twist to the Bob Woolmer case, Radio Jamaica reported on Wednesday that the former Pakistan coach was strangulated. It said strangulation marks were found on Woolmer's neck. The Jamaican police had earliesr said Woolmer's death was being treated as suspicious and further investigations weree being carried out.
http://www.ndtv.com/ndtvcricket/showstory.aspx?id=21669&site=ndtv
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King Newbie

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Re: Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources The cops have denied this report by the Jamaican radio but you never know. The media got hold of the news way earlier than the formal announcement about suspicious death. These days the media do every investigation anyways.

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DesiChap Newbie

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Re: Woolmer murdered: Jamaican police sources Jamaica journo claims Bob was strangled to death CNN-IBN | Posted Mar 22, 2007 at 04:01 | Updated Mar 22, 2007 at 10:07 Text Size: S- / S+ Digg It CommentsRSS Email Print New Delhi/Jamaica: A local radio station in Jamaica Radio Jamaica has claimed that Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was strangled to death. Rohan Pollel, the Radio Jamaica reporter who broke the news, did not disclose the source of the information. But talking to the media, he said police confirmation is expected soon. "Police will tell members of the public and journalists that the cause of (Woolmer's) death is strangulation. I'm unable to say who gave me the information. I've to guard my sources," said Pollel. When asked how reliable his sources were, Pollel said confidently that they were "very reliable." Pollel claims that there were "strangulation-like" marks on Woolmer's neck. Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room on Sunday and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, a day after Pakistan was beaten by Ireland that knocked the former champions out of this year's World Cup. It has been revealed that there was blood and vomit in the room and Woolmer was found by hotel staff on the floor with his mouth wide open. Though his autopsy report was inconclusive, speculation was rife on Wednesday about a possible foul play angle with Jamaican Police saying the death was 'suspicious'. But Pakistan team's spokesperson Pervez Mir said, "There is absolutely no concern whatsoever. These are all mere speculations. Mr. Woolmer just comes back after the match against Ireland to his hotel and the next morning he is found dead. And ofcourse, right now as the investigations are going on, that is all we can say." However, the police scoffed at rumors that there was something "sinister" to Woolmer's death, but the room in which he was found has still not been handed back to the hotel management. The Pakistan team is scheduled to fly out of Jamaica on Saturday and Woolmer's body will be on the same flight to London from where it will be sent to Cape Town in South Africa where the family lives. Pakistan trainer Murray Stevenson will accompany the body. (With Vimal Kumar in Jamaica)

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