Scotland Yard called in to review Woolmer probe

KINGSTON: Jamaican police chief Lucius Thomas has sought the advice of Scotland Yard detectives to assist in the investigation into Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's murder.

A senior officer of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) said the commissioner made the request through the ministry of national security.

"We have invited four senior Scotland Yard detectives to come and look at what we have done so far and to see if we are on the right track. We are making the investigations as transparent as possible," the Jamaica Gleaner quoted the officer as saying.

The Scotland Yard detectives will be working closely with Operation Kingfish, as the murder probe has been termed.

Denver Frater, the assistant commissioner of police in charge of crime, said the Scotland Yard officers will be review the investigations and offer support wherever necessary.

"At the moment, we are trying to get additional information and continue what we have been doing," said Frater.

Investigators have collected at least 39 statements so far from people who were on the 12th floor of Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, where Woolmer's body was discovered in a room March 18.

They will be dispatching teams and using diplomatic channels to contact people identified on the footage of the CCTV installed at the hotel. A pillow that was found in the room and which was soaked with blood at both ends is among several pieces of vital evidence investigators are looking at.

Two Pakistani diplomats, First Secretary Zahid Chaudhri and Counsellor Shahid Ahmed, were flown from Washington to Jamaica last week to talk with the investigators.

According to police reports, Woolmer was discovered unconscious in his room sometime at about 10.45 am. (local time). He was pronounced dead at the nearby University Hospital of the West Indies at 12.14 pm.

He was killed less than a day after Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup after they were defeated by minnows Ireland.

Since then, the hotel's doctor and the chambermaid, who discovered the body, have been given strict orders not to divulge any information.