SHIELD'S

Mark Beckford, Gleaner Writer

The police High Command yesterday said investigators are now closer to solving the murder of former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer.

At the same time, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched its own probe into whether match fixing was involved in Mr. Woolmer's killing with the chief of its anti-corruption unit, Jeff Rees, being summoned to join the investigations.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Mark Shields says closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the 17-storey Jamaica Pegasus and in particular, the 12th floor, where Mr. Woolmer was staying, will be vital in possibly identifying his murderer.

"We're closer in the sense that we have more information than we had the other day, but I still think we have some way to go until we get some vital pieces of evidence which we might already have in our possession," he told The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre.

Crime-scene visit

The murder of the former England batsman has gripped the cricketing world since the police revealed on Friday that Mr. Woolmer died from asphyxiation due to manual strangulation.

The police, two nights ago, began poring over hours of CCTV footage which is being held in a secure location. "It is now a question of painstakingly going through all that we have to ensure that we make the maximum benefit of what we've got," said DCP Shields.

He also revealed that two Pakistani diplomats - Zahid Chaudhri and Shahid Ahmed - who arrived in the island from Washington on Saturday, visited the crime scene yesterday morning.

"We are continuing to interview potential witnesses throughout the hotel on the day Bob Woolmer was murdered. In addition to that we have been consulting with the two Pakistani diplomats," DCP Shields said.

Mr. Chaudhri was tight-lipped about his visit to the crime scene, but he said his government would not be seeking to send police investigators to Jamaica.

A coroner's inquest is expected to be held soon. However, DCP Shields says the inquest would not begin until additional information is obtained from the investigations.