Baffling celeb murder mystery that inspired Death in Paradise & sparked fears of a hitman plot, poisoning & corruption

IT was a sporting whodunnit that stunned the world.

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s nationalist cricket team manager and 1 of the astir respected figures successful the sport, was recovered dormant successful his Jamaican edifice country - conscionable hours aft his team’s humiliating exit from the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

What followed was 1 of the astir bizarre investigations successful sporting history.

First, it was ruled a heart attack. Then, a bombshell twist - constabulary declared it was murder, claiming Woolmer had been strangled.

In the pursuing weeks and months, DNA samples were taken from the full Pakistan squad, match-fixing theories exploded, and the cricket satellite was thrown into chaos.

Theories surrounding the 'killers' included Islamist extremists, furious sports fans and betting cartels who had mislaid a fortune.

The baffling circumstances surrounding Woolmer’s decease person inspired the deed BBC transgression play Death successful Paradise.

The bid is acceptable to instrumentality contiguous with erstwhile EastEnders prima Don Gilet playing DI Mervin Wilson.

But astir 2 decades later, questions inactive linger.

Final moments

March 17, 2007, should person been conscionable different time successful cricket history. Instead, it became the commencement of 1 of its darkest chapters.

Bob, a erstwhile England cricketer turned renowned coach, was starring Pakistan done the World Cup successful the West Indies.

That day, his squad suffered a humiliating decision to Ireland - who were 8-1 outsiders - successful 1 of the biggest upsets successful World Cup history. Pakistan was eliminated, sparking outrage from fans backmost home.

Woolmer, 58, was asked astatine a property league if helium would resign from his station and told journalists helium would "sleep connected it."

He past retreated to his country astatine the Pegasus Hotel successful Kingston, Jamaica, with CCTV footage showing him returning unsocial astatine 8:30 PM.

He sent a mates of emails, reportedly wrote a fewer pages of his autobiography and made a little telephone call.

By the pursuing morning, helium was dead.

At astir 10:45 AM connected March 18, a maid knocked connected Bob's doorway successful country 374 but erstwhile she got nary response, she utilized her cardinal and stepped inside.

The country was grim. Woolmer’s assemblage laic sprawled connected the bath floor. Vomit was recovered adjacent and his look was discoloured, suggesting helium had been dormant for respective hours.

The edifice unit instantly called for aesculapian assistance and Bob was rushed to the hospital, but doctors declared him dormant soon aft arrival.

As the shocking quality reverberated done the sporting world, immoderate assumed that helium had killed himself arsenic a effect of the thrashing his broadside received successful the match.

A waitress who took nutrient up to his country aboriginal told constabulary that helium seemed distraught. She said: "His eyes were red, similar idiosyncratic who had been crying."

But his decease was initially ruled arsenic a bosom attack. In the days that followed, the cricket satellite was struck with grief arsenic dozens of tributes poured successful for the iconic figure.

But past the probe into Bob's decease took a sinister turn.

Murder bombshell

Three days aft Bob's decease connected March 21, Jamaica’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields dropped a bombshell.

A post-mortem study suggested Bob had not died of earthy cause, but had alternatively been murdered.

Pathologist Dr Ere Seshaiah's study concluded that the hyoid bony successful Woolmer’s cervix was broken, a definite motion that helium had been strangled.

“The pathologist study states that Mr Woolmer’s decease was owed to asphyxia arsenic a effect of manual strangulation,” helium told stunned reporters.

Shields had spent 3 decades astatine Scotland Yard and was adjacent progressive successful investigating the £5million crippled to kidnap Victoria Beckham successful 2002.

After going to Jamaica to pb the probe into 4 civilians killed by Jamaican police, helium decided to stay successful the Caribbean nation.

Now helium was tasked with solving the enigma of Woolmer's death.

With each the uncertainty of the case, Shields rapidly established that Bob had not killed himself.

He had sent an expressive email to his woman Gill complaining astir the match. Although helium expressed disappointment, it was determined that helium did not dependable depressed.

The lawsuit instantly turned into an planetary execution probe. Police sealed Bob’s room, combed done CCTV footage, and ordered forensic examinations.

One of the astir peculiar aspects of the lawsuit was that determination were nary signs of a conflict oregon immoderate aboriginal moved retired of place.

When the post-mortem study recovered traces of a sleeping pill successful Bob’s system, questions were raised arsenic to whether helium had been poisoned. Tests recovered that helium had traces of insecticides successful his system.

Some suspected that a slayer had slipped thing into his portion earlier helium was strangled. Others speculated that helium had been forced to instrumentality it.

Yet, forensic tests were inconclusive, leaving country for much theories.

As rumours ran rife, the full Pakistan squad was questioned and their DNA samples were taken. Some players reportedly felt similar suspects, alternatively than witnesses.

At 1 point, constabulary suggested that aggregate radical indispensable person been progressive successful Bob's alleged sidesplitting - and determination were plentifulness of imaginable suspects.

With Pakistan’s humiliating exit from the tournament, match-fixing theories erupted.

One of the astir wide believed theories was that Bob was murdered due to the fact that helium was astir to stroke the lid disconnected a monolithic match-fixing scandal.

The erstwhile manager had already spoken retired astir corruption successful cricket and immoderate believed helium had important accusation that would implicate almighty figures successful the sport’s underbelly.

But that was not the lone mentation that was floated around.

Pakistan’s World Cup nonaccomplishment had sent shockwaves done their cricket-obsessed country.

In the streets of Pakistan hundreds of cricket fans gathered to explicit their choler and vexation astatine the humiliating mode the squad had crashed retired of the World Cup.

People adjacent burned effigies of the manager and yelled: "Death to Woolmer".

Some wondered if a rogue instrumentality - furious implicit the decision - had attacked Bob successful his edifice room. Others suspected tensions wrong the squad, though nary grounds ever emerged.

Religious extremists were besides among the suspects. The Pakistani cricket squad consisted mostly of Muslims, and Bob had openly criticised them arsenic being much acrophobic with "praying than playing" which whitethorn person enraged fundamentalists.

On March 24, arsenic the Pakistan team were astir to committee a level home, skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, adjunct manager Mushtaq Ahmed and squad manager Talat Al were pulled speech for questioning implicit alleged 'ambiguities' successful their statements.

At the aforesaid clip DPC Shields held a property league wherever helium suggested Talat had utilized a mendacious sanction astatine the Pegasus edifice aft Woolmer's decease and the Mushtaq had unexplained cuts to his face.

Sensational U-Turn

But conscionable arsenic it seemed a execution lawsuit was unfolding, authorities abruptly backtracked.

On June 12, 2007, Jamaican constabulary made different shocking announcement - Bob Woolmer had not been murdered aft all.

The caller authoritative origin of decease was listed arsenic earthy causes.

A sheet of planetary pathologists had re-examined Bob's assemblage and recovered that his enlarged bosom and diabetes had apt caused his abrupt collapse.

Bob's information meant that helium was susceptible to coughing fits aft eating affluent foods and it was determined that the lasagne helium had ordered from country work contributed to his death.

Investigators besides believed that the information that Bob's assemblage was recovered slumped with his backmost to the bath doorway meant helium was unsocial erstwhile helium died.

The insecticide recovered successful his strategy was ruled arsenic coming from a tin of alert spray utilized during his post-mortem examination.

The execution probe was abruptly dropped.

Bob's widow, Gill Woolmer, accepted the caller findings. "We realise that this probe has been problematical fixed the circumstances and the media spotlight", she said successful a statement.

"We anticipation this substance volition present beryllium closed and that our household volition beryllium near to grieve successful peace."

But immoderate experts weren’t convinced.

Professor Lorna Martin, 1 of South Africa’s starring pathologists, publically criticised the investigation, suggesting that important grounds had been missed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields - who had led the probe - defended the police’s determination to initially dainty the lawsuit arsenic murder.

Later successful 2007, an inquest was held successful Jamaica. After proceeding weeks of evidence, the assemblage reached an unfastened verdict, meaning they couldn’t find however Bob had died.

Nearly 2 decades later, Bob Woolmer’s decease remains 1 of cricket’s astir perplexing mysteries.

Was it genuinely earthy causes? Or did almighty forces screen up a murder?

Shields present works arsenic a information consultant, offering proposal to tourists visiting Jamaica astir however to support themselves harmless from criminals.

Death In Paradise

The bizarre circumstances of Bob’s decease inspired TV writer Robert Thorogood to make a amusement inspired by the case.

The BBC detective series, acceptable connected the fictional land of Saint Marie, follows a British researcher solving baffling execution cases successful a tropical paradise.

Since its debut, Death successful Paradise has go 1 of the BBC’s astir palmy and enduring series.

The amusement was primitively led by Ben Miller arsenic Detective Inspector Richard Poole, a stuffy, no-nonsense British detective struggling to accommodate to land life.

However, successful a shocking twist, Poole was murdered astatine the commencement of play three.

He was replaced by Kris Marshall arsenic DI Humphrey Goodman, followed by Ardal O’Hanlon arsenic DI Jack Mooney, and Ralf Little arsenic DI Neville Parker.