October 27, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 14, 1428

KINGSTON, Oct 26: Pathologist Ere Sheshiah, who performed the autopsy on Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, told the inquest into Woolmer’s death on Thursday that he believed another person was involved.

In his second day of testimony, the controversial Indian-born Sheshiah said cell phone photos taken by doctor Asher Cooper when he arrived to administer emergency treatment to Woolmer supported that opinion.

“After viewing the cellular phone pictures taken by Dr Cooper, I think definitely that there was a third party (in the room),” Sheshiah said.

Woolmer died on March 18, when he was found unconscious in his Jamaican hotel room the day after his Pakistan side were embarrassed by minnows Ireland in the cricket World Cup.

When authorities announced they were treating his death as murder, it sparked feverish speculation that it was related to corruption in international cricket.

In June, Jamaican police said that further investigation had indicated that Woolmer died of natural causes. That was the finding of three overseas pathologists who reviewed Sheshiah’s findings – Nathaniel Cary of Britain, Michael Pollanen of Canada and Lorna Martin of South Africa.

All three have testified that in their opinions Woolmer died of natural causes, probably related to heart disease, and all three have said Sheshiah’s post mortem procedure was flawed.

Sheshiah hit back on Thursday at the “unusual and unacceptable” review procedure, saying Cary’s opinion is not final and should not be taken into consideration, while Martin gave her findings without seeing the histology and toxicology reports.

He said the position in which Woolmer was found, lying on his back with his head under the toilet bowl, indicated another person in the room.

“In my opinion, it is not possible for the disease to put him in such a position, this definitely speaks to a third party,” he said.

He also addressed the fact that the other pathologists disagreed with his conclusion that the hyoid bone in Woolmer’s neck was broken.

“But even if there is no fracture of the hyoid bone, I stand by my opinion,” said Sheshiah, who is also of the opinion that Woolmer also was weakened by pesticide poisoning.

“Woolmer died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation.”

—AFP