Coroner's inquest begins in Woolmer murder mystery: report

Kingston, Mar 29 (UNI) Coroner Patrick Murphy has begun the inquest of late Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's body after he received a report from the Jamaican police, which includes statements collected from potential witnesses in the murder investigation, according to local media reports.

The police documents, which Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields said were forwarded yesterday, also reportedly contain the detailed findings of government pathologist Dr Ere Sheshiah, who conducted the post-mortem on Woolmer two days after he was found unconscious in his hotel room on March 18.

A coroner's inquest was ordered by Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas last Friday.

The Gleaner said with the police report in hand Mr. Murphy has sent out summonses to potential jurors.

Another report of the newspaper said police have also consulted the office of Director of Public Prosecutions to help solve the murder mystery.

''We have apprised the Director of Public Prosecutions Kent Pantry, and he, as far as I am aware, is very satisfied with the progress of the investigation,' Shields was quoted as saying by The Gleaner.

''He has a role in terms of presenting the evidence to the coroner's inquest and that is why he has been consulted,'' Shields added.

Under Jamaican laws, a coroner's inquest is held to ascertain if anyone is criminally responsible for a sudden death. Until the inquest is held, Woolmer's body will remain within the jurisdiction of the coroner which means it will remain in Jamaica indefinitely before being expatriated to Woolmer's home in Cape Town, South Africa.

The police also reportedly took the female housekeeper, who stumbled upon Woolmer's body, back to the crime scene under heavy police guard to dig for more information.

Her name has so far not been released fearing that media interviews of her would further hamper the investigation.

UNI