Two pakistani players have been held for questioning.
Woolmer - MURDER!
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I think its two team officials, not players..
And they haven't been held back, more like stayed back.
Pakistan Captain and one assistant coach
It gets even more shocking by the day.Both have been cleared to fly home
Crazy shit
It's difficult not to speculate at a time like this, so I will
I reckon it was Dwight Yorke.
There. I've said it
It's difficult not to speculate at a time like this, so I will
I reckon it was Dwight Yorke.
There. I've said it
Hehe...
We leave on the 1st April arrive 2nd in Antigua. Think our first game is England v Aussie then Sri Lanka v the Yarpies (need to check second game though). Can't wait to get out of this place again drives you inseane...! Ah there's a crash outside the office again, you know what i mean....!!
I can believe that one, you reckon Dwight choked him.....
Might answer Wibbles question as to if Bob was divorced or not..!my mate is called Ben Woolmer. he shits himself everytime i log on to the caf with that title.
i knew there was something strange about the timing of his death
i knew there was something strange about the timing of his death
ok, so this is me at my naive best but...if the police have the cctv from the hotel hallway why can't they just fast forward to who was the last person in Bob's room before the maid who found him.
why haven't we heard anything yet?
why haven't we heard anything yet?
True, I think they are just waiting until the World Cup is over.
They don't have CCTV footage of his door but they do have lots of footage on that floor. The degree of blindspots on the floor will largely determine the usefulness of the footage in that if they can't see his door AND there is an exit/entrance that can be reached without being filmed then the footage is next to useless.
Isn't it a straight corridor..???
Hey sat with Rob he says hi to you and Rosh...!!!! Yeah he's not mad anymore and back flogging his lights again..
there is a unique keypass for every floor .. so someone from the 1st cant walk into the 2nd floor ..
so either the person was on the same floor as woolmer , or was allowed inside .. (someones gotta know him )
so either the person was on the same floor as woolmer , or was allowed inside .. (someones gotta know him )
Isn't it a straight corridor..???
Hey sat with Rob he says hi to you and Rosh...!!!! Yeah he's not mad anymore and back flogging his lights again..
I don't know. This is just what heard on TV at breakfast. Given the reliability (or lack therof) of Australian TV journalism it is not only probably a straight corredor but the walls were transparent meaning the Murder was caught on camera.
Not mad or just mad in the usual way?
And flogging lights in Dubai is enough to send anyone over the edge. It is bad enough selling loans in Oz.
R and S say hi.
Now they're saying it might not be murder! It's becoming very strange. Got to feel sorry for Bob's family in all of this.
An update
A suspect in the murder of the Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer has been identified from security camera footage in his hotel, amid growing evidence that the former England player was drugged with an ancient poison.
After three weeks with little apparent progress, investigators in Jamaica announced yesterday that there were “significant developments” in the hunt for Mr Woolmer’s killer or killers.
The opening of an inquest into the coach’s death, due to take place on Monday, was postponed after a series of breakthroughs by the team of 30 officers working on the inquiry, including detectives from Scotland Yard.
The Independent has been told that digital enhancement by the Yard of CCTV footage from cameras on the 12th floor of the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, where Mr Woolmer was staying, has identified at least one suspect in the killing. A source close to the investigation said: “The cleaned-up images from London show at least one individual of considerable interest to the inquiry.
“The time of the footage and its location mean that this individual must be considered a suspect. Further work is being done on statements given by individuals to look at any inconsistencies. It is good progress.”
Police declined to comment on the identity of the suspect, understood to be male, or say whether he is a member of the Pakistan team or management. In a statement, the Justice Ministry in Jamaica said the inquest, at which more than 20 witnesses were due to give evidence, had been postponed because of rapid progress in the investigation.
A spokesman said: “The coroner has been advised that there are recent and significant developments concerning the death of Robert Woolmer. The coroner wishes that these new and significant developments be pursued with the utmost urgency, taking into account that the officer in charge has advised that these new developments are critical to the progress and the eventual results of the investigations themselves.”
Mr Woolmer, who was 58, died on 17 March, the night after Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup at the hands of Ireland. The death of Mr Woolmer, who had already decided to resign his role, came amid claims that the former Kent and England player had fallen foul of a match-fixing syndicate he was about to expose.
Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields, the former Yard officer who is leading the Jamaican police investigation, confirmed last week that he expected officers from his team to travel to Pakistan to re-interview members of the Pakistan squad to clear up “ambiguities” in witness statements. It is understood those they want to talk to include Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
There is no suggestion they are to be questioned as suspects.
The lead from the CCTV cameras – which were at either end of the secure floor of the Pegasus Hotel containing Mr Woolmer’s room, number 374 – coincided with renewed suggestions that the coach was given aconite, a powerful poison derived from the plant wolfsbane. The father-of-two, whose embalmed body remains in Kingston awaiting release, was found early on 18 March, lying naked in the bathroom of his hotel room with traces of vomit on the floor. A postmortem examination found he had a broken bone in his neck, suggesting he was strangled. Toxicology tests last week found traces of a poison in Mr Woolmer’s stomach, urine and blood, showing he was incapacitated before being asphyxiated.
The Sun reported yesterday that the poison was aconite and may have been given in a sufficient dose to kill Mr Woolmer outright, and that the neck injury may have been caused by a fall as he collapsed.
Aconite, which is used in herbal medicine across Asia, causes an agonising death as it shuts down internal organs and causes loss of sensation in the limbs. One of the first symptoms is vomiting. It is notoriously difficult to trace after death.
How the inquiry has progressed
17 MARCH, 7.30pm
The last confirmed sighting of Mr Woolmer after Pakistan’s defeat.
18 MARCH, 10.45am
A chambermaid finds the cricket coach lying naked on his bathroom floor.
12.14pm
He is declared dead.
20 MARCH
After an inconclusive post-mortem examination, police confirm they are treating the death as suspicious.
22 MARCH
Gill Woolmer, the coach’s widow, rules out suicide as the cause. Police confirm they are treating the death as murder.
25 MARCH
The Pakistan cricket squad flies home.
3 APRIL
Four Scotland Yard detectives arrive in Jamaica.
9 APRIL
Police confirm plans to reinterview the Pakistan squad.
16 APRIL
Toxicology tests indicate the coach was poisoned.
20 APRIL
The inquest into Mr Woolmer’s death is postponed.
A suspect in the murder of the Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer has been identified from security camera footage in his hotel, amid growing evidence that the former England player was drugged with an ancient poison.
After three weeks with little apparent progress, investigators in Jamaica announced yesterday that there were “significant developments” in the hunt for Mr Woolmer’s killer or killers.
The opening of an inquest into the coach’s death, due to take place on Monday, was postponed after a series of breakthroughs by the team of 30 officers working on the inquiry, including detectives from Scotland Yard.
The Independent has been told that digital enhancement by the Yard of CCTV footage from cameras on the 12th floor of the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, where Mr Woolmer was staying, has identified at least one suspect in the killing. A source close to the investigation said: “The cleaned-up images from London show at least one individual of considerable interest to the inquiry.
“The time of the footage and its location mean that this individual must be considered a suspect. Further work is being done on statements given by individuals to look at any inconsistencies. It is good progress.”
Police declined to comment on the identity of the suspect, understood to be male, or say whether he is a member of the Pakistan team or management. In a statement, the Justice Ministry in Jamaica said the inquest, at which more than 20 witnesses were due to give evidence, had been postponed because of rapid progress in the investigation.
A spokesman said: “The coroner has been advised that there are recent and significant developments concerning the death of Robert Woolmer. The coroner wishes that these new and significant developments be pursued with the utmost urgency, taking into account that the officer in charge has advised that these new developments are critical to the progress and the eventual results of the investigations themselves.”
Mr Woolmer, who was 58, died on 17 March, the night after Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup at the hands of Ireland. The death of Mr Woolmer, who had already decided to resign his role, came amid claims that the former Kent and England player had fallen foul of a match-fixing syndicate he was about to expose.
Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields, the former Yard officer who is leading the Jamaican police investigation, confirmed last week that he expected officers from his team to travel to Pakistan to re-interview members of the Pakistan squad to clear up “ambiguities” in witness statements. It is understood those they want to talk to include Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
There is no suggestion they are to be questioned as suspects.
The lead from the CCTV cameras – which were at either end of the secure floor of the Pegasus Hotel containing Mr Woolmer’s room, number 374 – coincided with renewed suggestions that the coach was given aconite, a powerful poison derived from the plant wolfsbane. The father-of-two, whose embalmed body remains in Kingston awaiting release, was found early on 18 March, lying naked in the bathroom of his hotel room with traces of vomit on the floor. A postmortem examination found he had a broken bone in his neck, suggesting he was strangled. Toxicology tests last week found traces of a poison in Mr Woolmer’s stomach, urine and blood, showing he was incapacitated before being asphyxiated.
The Sun reported yesterday that the poison was aconite and may have been given in a sufficient dose to kill Mr Woolmer outright, and that the neck injury may have been caused by a fall as he collapsed.
Aconite, which is used in herbal medicine across Asia, causes an agonising death as it shuts down internal organs and causes loss of sensation in the limbs. One of the first symptoms is vomiting. It is notoriously difficult to trace after death.
How the inquiry has progressed
17 MARCH, 7.30pm
The last confirmed sighting of Mr Woolmer after Pakistan’s defeat.
18 MARCH, 10.45am
A chambermaid finds the cricket coach lying naked on his bathroom floor.
12.14pm
He is declared dead.
20 MARCH
After an inconclusive post-mortem examination, police confirm they are treating the death as suspicious.
22 MARCH
Gill Woolmer, the coach’s widow, rules out suicide as the cause. Police confirm they are treating the death as murder.
25 MARCH
The Pakistan cricket squad flies home.
3 APRIL
Four Scotland Yard detectives arrive in Jamaica.
9 APRIL
Police confirm plans to reinterview the Pakistan squad.
16 APRIL
Toxicology tests indicate the coach was poisoned.
20 APRIL
The inquest into Mr Woolmer’s death is postponed.
Cricket coach Woolmer 'poisoned'
Woolmer's remains loaded into cargo area in Kingston
Woolmer's remains were flown to South Africa on Sunday
Pakistan's cricket coach Bob Woolmer, who died of strangulation earlier this year, was also poisoned, a BBC investigation has learned.
The BBC's Panorama programme says it now seems certain that the former England player would have been rendered helpless before being strangled.
Woolmer's murder in March during the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies cast a shadow over the tournament.
His remains were flown back to his home in Cape Town in South Africa on Sunday.
The casket, which had been sealed in a large wooden crate, arrived on board a commercial flight to Cape Town's International Airport from Jamaica.
He was found dead in his Kingston hotel on 18 March, the day after his side lost to Ireland in the World Cup.
A post-mortem said he had been strangled to death.
On 20 April the inquest into the death was postponed because the coroner was advised there had been "recent and significant developments".
'Unable to fight back'
Now a Panorama investigation has learned that a toxicology report on Woolmer's body shows that there was a drug in his body that would have incapacitated him.
The final results of the report are due to be given to Jamaican police next week.
Bob Woolmer
Some 30 detectives are investigating Woolmer's death
"Those tests will show there was a drug in his system that would have incapacitated Mr Woolmer," Panorama's Adam Parsons says.
"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 now very likely to offer a significant lead to finding his murderer."
The policeman leading the murder investigation, Mark Shields, told Panorama that it is "difficult and it's rare" for one man to strangle another.
"A lot of force would be need 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.
"But equally the lack of external injuries suggests that there might be some other factors and that's what we're looking into at the moment."
Family spokesman Gareth Pyne-James told the Associated Press news agency that Woolmer's funeral in South Africa would be a private ceremony.
"Arrangements have been made and the family will decide whether it's going to be an interment or cremation," Theo Rix, from a local funeral home, told Reuters news agency.
Woolmer's remains loaded into cargo area in Kingston
Woolmer's remains were flown to South Africa on Sunday
Pakistan's cricket coach Bob Woolmer, who died of strangulation earlier this year, was also poisoned, a BBC investigation has learned.
The BBC's Panorama programme says it now seems certain that the former England player would have been rendered helpless before being strangled.
Woolmer's murder in March during the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies cast a shadow over the tournament.
His remains were flown back to his home in Cape Town in South Africa on Sunday.
The casket, which had been sealed in a large wooden crate, arrived on board a commercial flight to Cape Town's International Airport from Jamaica.
He was found dead in his Kingston hotel on 18 March, the day after his side lost to Ireland in the World Cup.
A post-mortem said he had been strangled to death.
On 20 April the inquest into the death was postponed because the coroner was advised there had been "recent and significant developments".
'Unable to fight back'
Now a Panorama investigation has learned that a toxicology report on Woolmer's body shows that there was a drug in his body that would have incapacitated him.
The final results of the report are due to be given to Jamaican police next week.
Bob Woolmer
Some 30 detectives are investigating Woolmer's death
"Those tests will show there was a drug in his system that would have incapacitated Mr Woolmer," Panorama's Adam Parsons says.
"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 now very likely to offer a significant lead to finding his murderer."
The policeman leading the murder investigation, Mark Shields, told Panorama that it is "difficult and it's rare" for one man to strangle another.
"A lot of force would be need 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.
"But equally the lack of external injuries suggests that there might be some other factors and that's what we're looking into at the moment."
Family spokesman Gareth Pyne-James told the Associated Press news agency that Woolmer's funeral in South Africa would be a private ceremony.
"Arrangements have been made and the family will decide whether it's going to be an interment or cremation," Theo Rix, from a local funeral home, told Reuters news agency.
There are now 2 conflicting rumours running around.
1) His murderers will be named in the next few days or
2) He wasn't murdered at all and died of natural causes.
Take your pick
1) His murderers will be named in the next few days or
2) He wasn't murdered at all and died of natural causes.
Take your pick
3) He's not really dead but just in hiding after losing the World Cup
So was he murdered or not????
He was murdered. But the trials are still ongoing
Woolmer 'died of natural causes'
Bob Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room
Police statement
Jamaican police have confirmed that Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer died of natural causes and was not murdered, as they stated earlier.
Mr Woolmer, 58, died after being found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on 18 March, following his team's loss to Ireland in the cricket World Cup.
An initial pathologist's report concluded that he had been strangled.
Every member of the Pakistan team was fingerprinted before returning home, sparking anger among many in Pakistan.
'No poison'
Jamaican Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas told a news conference in Kingston that three expert opinions had concluded that the original pathologist report of death by manual asphyxiation was wrong.
We got [the bone] x-rayed and the fact is that the bone wasn't broken in the first place
Mark Shields,
deputy police commissioner
Bone behind the mystery
Shields interview: Excerpts
Mr Thomas also said that toxicology tests had now been received and that they showed there was no substance to indicate poisoning.
"The police have now closed the investigation into the death of Bob Woolmer," he said.
Mr Thomas launched a strong defence of the police investigation, saying it had been commended by both Scotland Yard and Pakistani police who had helped with the case.
The original pathologist's report had said a specific bone - the hyoid - was fractured.
But deputy police commissioner Mark Shields told the BBC a later x-ray showed the bone was not broken.
"I instructed my team... to go back and actually retrieve it from his body... We got it x-rayed and the fact is that the bone wasn't broken in the first place," he said.
Mr Woolmer's widow, Gill, welcomed the latest news, saying: "My sons and I are relieved to be officially informed that Bob died of natural causes and that no foul play is suspected in his death."
'Terrible days'
Mr Woolmer's death sparked speculation he had been murdered by an angry fan or by an illegal betting syndicate. There was also speculation members of the Pakistan team may have been involved.
"They should have first ruled out natural causes before this whole drama about the murder"
Imran Khan
Mr Thomas said the Jamaica Constabulary Force had found no evidence "of any impropriety by players, match officials nor management".
In response to the findings, the head of anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council said that "bizarre" theories of match-fixing had "unnecessarily tarnished" the game.
Paul Condon said: "To those who suggest that corruption is still widespread... we have one clear message: put up or shut up."
Mr Thomas said his force had carried out its investigation thoroughly and with respect to the Pakistan cricket team.
But Pakistan's former captain Imran Khan said he was shocked there was no apology to the national side.
He said Pakistan's cricket board should sue those responsible for the "humiliation that the Pakistan team went through".
"Bob Woolmer had diabetes, he had blood pressure, an enlarged heart, he had respiratory problems. On top of it, the depression of losing and then he drank a bottle of champagne. They should have first ruled out natural causes before this whole drama about the murder," Imran Khan said.
But Inzamam-ul-Haq, captain during the World Cup, said that although the days after Mr Woolmer's death were "the most terrible of our lives", legal action now would serve no purpose.
The Pakistan Cricket Board made no mention of legal action in its statement, saying only that it felt "great satisfaction over the fact that the truth has finally come out".
The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Kingston says this is an embarrassing U-turn for the Jamaican police.
He says the news conference was an attempt to shift the blame for the errors in the case onto the report of the original pathologist, Dr Ere Sheshiah.
Bob Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room
Police statement
Jamaican police have confirmed that Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer died of natural causes and was not murdered, as they stated earlier.
Mr Woolmer, 58, died after being found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on 18 March, following his team's loss to Ireland in the cricket World Cup.
An initial pathologist's report concluded that he had been strangled.
Every member of the Pakistan team was fingerprinted before returning home, sparking anger among many in Pakistan.
'No poison'
Jamaican Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas told a news conference in Kingston that three expert opinions had concluded that the original pathologist report of death by manual asphyxiation was wrong.
We got [the bone] x-rayed and the fact is that the bone wasn't broken in the first place
Mark Shields,
deputy police commissioner
Bone behind the mystery
Shields interview: Excerpts
Mr Thomas also said that toxicology tests had now been received and that they showed there was no substance to indicate poisoning.
"The police have now closed the investigation into the death of Bob Woolmer," he said.
Mr Thomas launched a strong defence of the police investigation, saying it had been commended by both Scotland Yard and Pakistani police who had helped with the case.
The original pathologist's report had said a specific bone - the hyoid - was fractured.
But deputy police commissioner Mark Shields told the BBC a later x-ray showed the bone was not broken.
"I instructed my team... to go back and actually retrieve it from his body... We got it x-rayed and the fact is that the bone wasn't broken in the first place," he said.
Mr Woolmer's widow, Gill, welcomed the latest news, saying: "My sons and I are relieved to be officially informed that Bob died of natural causes and that no foul play is suspected in his death."
'Terrible days'
Mr Woolmer's death sparked speculation he had been murdered by an angry fan or by an illegal betting syndicate. There was also speculation members of the Pakistan team may have been involved.
"They should have first ruled out natural causes before this whole drama about the murder"
Imran Khan
Mr Thomas said the Jamaica Constabulary Force had found no evidence "of any impropriety by players, match officials nor management".
In response to the findings, the head of anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council said that "bizarre" theories of match-fixing had "unnecessarily tarnished" the game.
Paul Condon said: "To those who suggest that corruption is still widespread... we have one clear message: put up or shut up."
Mr Thomas said his force had carried out its investigation thoroughly and with respect to the Pakistan cricket team.
But Pakistan's former captain Imran Khan said he was shocked there was no apology to the national side.
He said Pakistan's cricket board should sue those responsible for the "humiliation that the Pakistan team went through".
"Bob Woolmer had diabetes, he had blood pressure, an enlarged heart, he had respiratory problems. On top of it, the depression of losing and then he drank a bottle of champagne. They should have first ruled out natural causes before this whole drama about the murder," Imran Khan said.
But Inzamam-ul-Haq, captain during the World Cup, said that although the days after Mr Woolmer's death were "the most terrible of our lives", legal action now would serve no purpose.
The Pakistan Cricket Board made no mention of legal action in its statement, saying only that it felt "great satisfaction over the fact that the truth has finally come out".
The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Kingston says this is an embarrassing U-turn for the Jamaican police.
He says the news conference was an attempt to shift the blame for the errors in the case onto the report of the original pathologist, Dr Ere Sheshiah.
I would say the deputy Chief of police Mark Shield should take all the flak along with the guy in charge of the post mortem. He spent more time giving interviews to the media than it seems investigating.
He made people point accusing fingers at the wrong suspects. The Pakistan team were an easy target. Respect to them for dignity showed during those trying times.
The moron (Chief of police) made a mockery of the whole world cup...
He made people point accusing fingers at the wrong suspects. The Pakistan team were an easy target. Respect to them for dignity showed during those trying times.
The moron (Chief of police) made a mockery of the whole world cup...
I agree, Sults. And moron seems apt.