JAMAICA: CRICKET - Police investigating Bob Woolmer's death dismiss accusations that they mistreated the Pakistani cricket team

Police investigating the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer have dismissed accusations by cricketer Younis Khan that the team were treated like criminals during questioning. Lead investigator Mark Shields in answering a question by Reuters at a news conference here on Saturday, denied claims of poor treatment by Khan. "Nothing could be further than the truth," Shields said. "We had 100 per cent cooperation from the Pakistan team. They were treated with dignity and respect at a time when their coach had recently died under tragic circumstances. "They were very upset, however we had to do our job and we did it as sensitively as we possible could," Shields, the Jamaican Police deputy commissioner, said. Woolmer, 58, was found lifeless in his Kingston hotel room on March 18. He was later pronounced dead in hospital. Police later revealed that they were treating his death as murder caused by strangulation. Speculation was rife that Woolmer's death was connected to Pakistan's first-round exit from the World Cup. He watched the 1992 champions' elimination from the tournament after losing to debutants Ireland the day before his death. Police are currently analysing the results of toxicology tests on Woolmer, Shields said, but would not give any detail. "We do have some results from toxicology now but that they will require further investigation and analysis and therefore it would be totally inappropriate for me to elaborate any further than that at this time and if I'm asked any questions about it I won't answer those questions. All I can say is we have some results back and that they require further analysis and investigation," he said. A coroner's inquest will be held into Woolmer's death before his body is released to his family in South Africa where he lived. The inquest will start in Kingston on April 23. The seven-week World Cup culminates on April 28 with the final in Barbados.

ITN Source | April 16, 2007

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