Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

An Australian tourist was battered and stabbed to death inside his room at The Gloustershire Hotel on the 'Hip Strip' in Montego Bay between late Thursday night into Friday morning.

Police investigators have refused to comment in detail on the matter surrounding the murder of 27-year-old Brian Johnston, of a Highwood address in Melbourne, Australia.

Sales manager at The Gloustershire, Mrs. Valrie Lawrence, said: "It is a police matter, which is under investigations and we are not able to comment at this time."

Reacting to the incident, Oppo-sition Spokesman on Tourism, Ed Bartlett, noted that Jamaica had maintained an impeccable record in terms of tourist safety, adding that statistics show that crimes against tourist was negligible. "It means, therefore, that these incidents are few and far and should never be construed that tourists are unsafe in Jamaica."

Sad incident

Mr. Bartlett added: "We are not sure of what the circumstances were which led to the death of Mr. Johnston, but whatever it might have been, we are unhappy that it took place in Jamaica.

Yesterday, the Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer for St. James, Corporal Camile Tracey, said Johnston's body was discovered by a room attendant at about 3:10 p.m. on Friday, with stab wounds, lying in a pool of blood, inside his hotel room.

Johnston had checked into the US$112 per night European Plan 95-room Gloustershire Hotel on August 9, but up to press time yesterday, police could not decipher when he was scheduled to depart the country.

Several curious residents gathered outside the hotel on Friday to watch the proceedings, as detectives attached to the Montego Bay CIB combed the hotel for clues and questioned persons on the property. Yesterday, a team of forensic experts was at the hotel carrying out investigations.

ÒEvidence has shown that there was a struggle between the deceased and someone inside his room, as a number of items including a bedside lamp and a vaze were smashed,Ó a Gleaner source commented.

The source said Johnston had stab wounds to the head, chest and neck, with a large wound over one of the eyes. Some parts of his body was black and blue and he had bruises.