Howard Campbell, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Patrick Murphy at the Woolmer coroner's inquest.- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

THE Coroner's inquest into the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer ended on Wednesday at the Jamaica Conference Centre, with an 11-member jury returning an open verdict.

The jury foreman, who declined to be named, told The Sunday Gleaner that there were too many inconsistencies to definitively say whether the former England player was murdered or died from natural causes.

Woolmer was found by staff in the bathroom of his room at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel on the morning of March 18. He was pronounced dead later that day at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Dr. Ere Seshaiah, the government pathologist, testified that he died from asphyxia caused by manual strangulation associated with cypermethrin poisoning.

Three overseas pathologists, who were consulted by the Government, disagreed. They agreed that Woolmer, a diabetic with an enlarged heart, died from natural causes.

Light moments

Here is a look at some of the characters, and lighter moments of the inquest.

Coroner Patrick Murphy was responsible for many of the inquest's tedious sessions. He recorded testimonies by hand despite the presence of two steno-graphers and repeatedly told witnesses that they were speaking too fast. The son of an Irish father who served in the Jamaican police force, Murphy was a lawyer in Britain before returning home. He has been a Resident Magistrate since 1990.

No one ruffled more feathers than Director of Public Prosecutions

Kent Pantry who provided some of its eventful moments. He had an heated exchange with Dr. Nathaniel Cary during the British pathologist's testimony on the second day and ordered the equipment of a British journalist confiscated, accusing him of recording the inquest. Pantry, who has been DPP since 1998, never missed an opportunity to berate the media about what he believed was inaccurate coverage.

Jermaine Spence was lead attorney for DunnCox, the Kingston law firm that represented the International Cricket Council. Brightest moments came in his aggressive questioning of government pathologist Dr. Ere Seshaiah and Fitzmore Coates, acting chief forensic officer at the Government Forensic Science Laboratory. A graduate of the University of the West Indies and the Norman Manley Law School, Spence worked at the office of the DPP before resigning and moving to DunnCox. He is a director of Jamaicans For Justice.

Mark Shields, the Deputy of Commissioner of Police, led investigations into the Woolmer case. Criticised by some for hogging the media spotlight in the aftermath of Woolmer's death, he testified for six days, the most by any witness and told the court that he was certain, based on evidence, that Woolmer was not murdered. Shields also commented on conditions at the Government Forensic Science Laboratory which he said was not up to international standard.

Government pathologist, Dr. Ere Seshaiah has come out of the inquest with his reputation battered. He performed the post mortem on Woolmer on March 20, and two days later the police announced that his report stated asphyxia caused by manual strangulation as the cause of death, which was challenged by three overseas pathologists. During his testimony, the India-born Seshaiah changed his analysis to asphyxia caused by manual strangulation associated with cypermethrin poisoning. He said he saw traces of the pesticide in a toxicology report on June 21.

Barbs from the Woolmer inquest

"I went to the bathroom, you know that," former Pakistan fitness trainer Murray Stevenson to Tanya Spence from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). She asked what was the first thing he did at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel on the morning of March 18.

Dirk Harrison of the DPP: "DCP Shields, are you aware of Asad Mustafa?"

Coroner Patrick Murphy: "Asad Mustafa? Who is he? Come now, Mr. Harrison, there are plenty of Asad Mustafas in Pakistan."

DCP Mark Shields: "I last spoke to Mr. Abdul Sattar in late October, also his manager Imran Khan."

Coroner Murphy: "Is that the former team captain?"

Shields: "No, your honour. There are plenty of Imran Khans in Pakistan."

"Hold on please, my pen has run out. We are going to have to do an invoice on subsistence for pens," Coroner Patrick Murphy.