Irish give DNA to Woolmer police

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6574139.stm

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The Irish cricket squad, which includes several Northern Ireland players, has supplied DNA to Jamaican police investigating Bob Woolmer's murder.

The Pakistan coach was found dead in his Kingston hotel on 18 March, the day after his side lost to Ireland in the World Cup.

A post mortem examination revealed the 58-year-old former England batsman had been strangled.

A spokesman for the Irish Cricket Union said the team was happy to co-operate.

"We can confirm that the Ireland squad have supplied statements, fingerprints and DNA samples as part of the ongoing police investigation into the murder of Bob Woolmer," he said.

"These were carried out today at the team hotel in Grenada. The Ireland management and players have co-operated fully with the police, and are happy to assist them in any way we can during the course of their investigation.

The spokesman added that the tests "were carried out with a view to eliminating the Ireland squad from their enquiries".

"We would like to stress that on the evening of the Woolmer murder, no members of the Irish squad were actually in the hotel, as they were attending a celebration St Patrick's Day party in Ocho Rios, some 50 miles away.

"The team didn't return until the late evening of Sunday 18 March," he continued.

Earlier this week detectives investigating the murder said they had received the results of toxicology tests, but were "not going to go public with it right now".

Mr Woolmer's body is in Jamaica pending an inquest set for 23 April.