Woolmer's death case to be closed on Tuesday

KINGSTON: Having failed to prove their claims of murder, the Jamaican Police will reportedly close the case on former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's death and announce the same at a press conference on Tuesday.

'Jamaican Gleaner' said that National Security Minister Peter Phillips and Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas would announce the closing of the case at the press conference.

The daily also reported that Indian-born government pathologist Ere Seshiah might land in trouble as the Jamaican Police banked on his post-mortem report and treated Woolmer's death as murder.

Woolmer, a former England batsman, was found unconscious in his room at the Pegasus hotel here on March 18, hours after Pakistan had been knocked out of the World Cup, and was pronounced dead in a hospital.

Seshiah's initial report was inconclusive about the cause of death but later he changed his view and attributed the death to "manual strangulation". He also buttressed his case by citing that a broken bone was found in Woolmer's neck.

Later on, noted British pathologist Nat Cary contradicted the report and said Woolmer had died of heart failure. Woolmer probably broke the bone in his neck when he collapsed, he reasoned.

The  Pakistan cricket team, which was stuck in Jamaica following the death of the coach and were fingerprinted and had to give DNA samples, have been livid.

British newspapers reported that the team has sought an apology from Jamaican Police, while the likes of Imran Khan urging the Pakistan Cricket Board to sue Jamaican Police for tarnishing the players' image.