British police to assist in stalled Woolmer murder probe
1 hour, 40 minutes ago
KINGSTON (AFP) - A team of British detectives are expected to arrive in Jamaica next week to assist in the investigation into the murder of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, police said Friday.
Jamaica deputy police commissioner Mark Shields confirmed to AFP that officers from Scotland Yard's Special Crime Directorate had been sought to "review" the progress of the Woolmer probe.
Woolmer's body was found nearly two weeks ago at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston but so far police investigating the mysterious killing have failed to announce any significant breakthroughs.
Shields was quoted in the online edition of Britain's Daily Telegraph on Friday as saying that up to six Scotland Yard officers would study all "major lines of inquiry" and conduct "a forensic review."
"They will be looking to see if there is anything else we can do," Shields was quoted as saying.
"You know when you're involved in any piece of work and you are right up against it, sometimes you can miss the most blindingly obvious."
Shields told AFP the arrival of the detectives was subject to official agreement and would not confirm the number of officers involved.
Woolmer's murder, which came one day after Pakistan was humiliatingly knocked out of the World Cup by Ireland, has rocked cricket and raised the spectre of endemic corruption in the sport.
Speculation has raged that Woolmer's death is linked to shady illegal betting syndicates, although police have so far said there is no evidence that bookmakers were responsible.
Shields said earlier this week police were "nowhere near" being able to identify possible suspects, and warned the murder may take months to solve.
He said the immediate priority was to try and track down everyone visiting or staying at the Pegasus Hotel in the 72 hours before the murder, thought to be around 1,000 people. DNA and fingerprint samples would be sought in order to eliminate as many people as possible.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) meanwhile on Thursday urged Jamaican authorities to speed up the murder investigation "so that the mystery surrounding the unexplained death of Woolmer is resolved as soon as possible".
Unidentified PCB officials earlier this week claimed that Woolmer's death was due to natural causes, saying the post mortem was mishandled.
Shields has said he will continue to treat the case as murder until he is presented with evidence to the contrary.
"It's very clear from the pathologists report that we are dealing with a murder investigation," he said. "The view is, very categorically, that this is a murder investigation. But of course we are keeping an open mind." _________________ kyranŠ
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