No second autopsy: Shields

Coroner receives report and sends summons to potential jurors for inquest

Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields dismissed reports in the British media quoting him that a second autopsy on slain Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer8217;s body was being ordered to pre-empt arguments from defence lawyers in case of an arrest.

8220;I can assure you there is no second autopsy planned,8221; Shields told journalists at the same Pegasus hotel where Woolmer was strangled to death on March 18 soon after Pakistan8217;s shock defeat to Ireland in a World Cup league game. He said any autopsy would be announced only after consulting the Kingston coroner8217;s office.

8220;If there is any question of a second autopsy it would be something that I would discuss with him and then announce,8221; Shields said.

Coroner Patrick Murphy has meanwhile received a comprehensive report from Jamaican Police and summons have been sent to potential jurors for a coroner8217;s inquest in the murder, a local daily reported.

According to Jamaica Gleaner, the documents were forwarded yesterday and besides statements by potential witnesses, it also contained the detail findings of government pathologist Dr Ere Seshiah, who conducted the autopsy on Woolmer8217;s body.

Earlier, reports claimed a second examination was being planned following speculations that pathologist Seshaiah, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, had bungled the first autopsy.

Shields also sounded upbeat on the quality of the video footage obtained from the hotel and is banking on it to provide vital clues. 8220;I looked at a few images myself and I8217;m satisfied that I can easily identify people. There were some people in the footage that I8217;d met in the week after Woolmer8217;s murder and I could easily identify them.8221;

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Despite claims from some quarters that Woolmer8217;s was probably a natural death, Jamaican police remain confident that Woolmer was the victim of a homicide but will not rule out other possibilities until 8220;every shred8221; of evidence is gathered.

8220;It8217;s quite clear from the pathologist8217;s report that we are dealing with a murder case,8221; Shields insisted.

8220;But I8217;ll always keep an open mind because we do not know until we have every shred of evidence. This is not a clear case where we have a body with six bullets or a knife in the back,8221; Shields said. 8220;If it was that clear, then obviously we would have known from day one that Bob Woolmer was murdered.8221;

Shields also added that police were looking into reports that Woolmer argued with an Indian bookmaker in his hotel room, although they have no evidence the claim is true.

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The Deputy Police Commissioner said investigators have taken 50 witness statements and questioned another 50 to 100 people. In all probability, Jamaican police will travel to South Africa to take statements from Woolmer8217;s widow and others, Shields said.

Woolmer8217;s widow urges a faster probe

Kingston: Slain Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer8217;s widow Gill has requested the police investigating into the death to speed up their probe.

8220;I just hope this thing can be done so we can find out who committed this terrible act,8221; Gill was quoted as saying by The Jamaica Observer.

A coroner8217;s inquest ordered into the coach8217;s death means the Woolmer family would not be able to bury him until the inquest is over. 8220;It8217;s been a hard time for us. But it can8217;t be released because that8217;s Jamaican law,8221; she said.

Pak to send senior officers to Jamaica

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Islamabad: Pakistan, which doesn8217;t have diplomatic relations with Jamaica, will send a senior investigator and a diplomat to Jamaica to represent the country in the investigations. 8220;We feel these two officials are required at this stage of the investigations as there is no shred of evidence against Pakistan players,8221; Federal Minister for Sports, Mian Shamim Haider, told reporters here today.

Sinister 8216;link8217; in Woolmer8217;s death

London: Bob Woolmer8217;s mysterious death took a new twist with a media report here linking his murder to Dawood Ibrahim and al-Qaeda. A report in The Sun claimed a Pakistan-based bookie was thrown out of Woolmer8217;s room after an altercation with the coach.

The daily quoted sources claiming that the bookie, who had vanished after Woolmer8217;s death on March 18, is an associate of Dawood Ibrahim, who is wanted over funding Al-Qaeda and also for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

The report quoted intelligence officials, who tour with the Indian cricket team, as saying that the bookie was seen at the World Cup in Jamaica with Dawoods brother Anees Ibrahim.

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Jamaican officials, however, said they were not told by the Pakistani cricketers about any such row between the coach and the bookie. The report, however, claimed that two Pakistani players, in their statement to police, did mention about the furious bust-up.

8220;Bob Woolmer said he had thrown a bookie out of his room. He didnt give a reason,8221; an official said.