Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A woman has been detained in connection with the murder of an Australian tourist who was found stabbed to death at the Gloustershire Hotel in Montego Bay, last Friday.

Police have not yet named the suspect as they are continuing investigations into the matter. However, police sources have informed The Gleaner that the woman was picked up in St. James early yesterday morning by members of the Montego Bay Criminal Investigation Branch.

Brian Johnston, 27, of Highwood in Melbourne, Australia, was found stabbed to death inside his hotel room. It is suspected that he had become friendly with a commercial sex worker earlier and had invited her to his hotel room, where he was killed.

Murder condemned

Since the incident, tourism officials have condemned the murder, while defending the island's reputation of a low incidence of violence against tourists.

Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, said: "We know that the security forces are working feverishly to unravel this particular mystery and we expect a speedy resolution in determining who the culprit(s) are."

The Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer for St. James, Corporal Camile Tracey, said Johnston's body was discovered lying in a pool of blood by a room attendant about 3:10 p.m. last Friday.

He was reportedly clad only in his white underwear.

According to a Gleaner source, "Evidence 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 vase, were smashed."