However, it is clear that there is one bruise in the central neck, which is only visible once the skin is incised and elevated. This bruise has little mediocolegal significance in isolation. It is likely related to terminal collapse or falling in the hotel room in the period before death.

Dr. Nat Cary - Consultant forensic pathologist, united kingdom

There is of course an obvious competing alternative cause of death present in this case, namely 'ischaemic heart disease'.

Anyone with a heart of this size with coronary artery occlusions and microscopic evidence of scarring in the heart muscle would have been vulnerable to development of a heart rhythm disturbance, including a potentially fatal one. Sometimes, such heart rhythm disturbances, ultimately culminating in sudden death, cause an initial state of acute medical illness where there may bevomiting or falling there may have been some other cause for vomiting, including food poisoning or some toxicological cause. The stress of such vomiting and illness due to some other cause in someone with such severe ischaemic heart disease could well act as a trigger for the development of an ultimately fatal heart rhythm disturbance. Another possibility for the deceased's apparent acute medical difficulties at the scene would be due to complications of alcohol intoxication and/or diabetes that he is reported to suffer from.

The question of any toxicological contribution to his status in the period prior to death, including any possibility of poisoning, should be investigated through toxicological analysis of any samples taken at post-mortem examination. It would also be important, if possible, to investigate the possibility of complications of alcohol intoxication/diabetes, in particular, through the analysis of vitreous humour. However, from the post-mortem report, it does not appear that any such sample was taken.

In my opinion, just as it seems very unlikely that the deceased's cause of death was as stated, 'asphyxia due to manual strangulation', so it seems very unlikely that there was any third-party involvement in the circumstances of death in the hotel room itself.

Professor Lorna J. Martin - professor and head of the division of forensic medicine and toxicology, university of cape town, south africa

I viewed some photographs of the scene, autopsy and a video of the autopsy.

After viewing the photographs and video and discussing the circumstances, I gave my opinion that Mr. Woolmer's death was not due to throttling, but in fact natural causes, probably cardiac related.

It does notappear that the international standard approach to examination of the neck was followed, and it is, thus, very difficult to draw the conclusion of throttling. It is also apparent that the interpretation of certain findings at autopsy is open to different interpretations. x-ray and histological sections of the hyoid bone will help to clarify in this regard. The pathology that was found, i.e. the enlarged heavy heart, the occlusion of the coronary arteries, the pulmonary oedema, all point to a cardiac cause of death. This may be further defined if histological sections are examined.

Further to any more results of any more special investigations, e.g. toxicology and histology, I am of the opinion that Mr. Woolmer's death was due to natural causes.

EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM THE SUNDAY GLEANER: MAY 13, 2007