Not a murder ! Now it seems Woolmer drowned himself in whisky

London, Apr 1 (UNI) Barely has the 'strangled by a hotel towel' angle died down, now it seems Pakistan's late coach Bob Woolmer drowned his sorrows in a bottle of whisky that might have resulted in a fall, breaking his neck bone rather than by strangulation.

The revelation has fuelled mounting speculation that Woolmer's death was not murder but a tragic accident.

A witness described how the 58-year-old sat alone in the bar of the Hotel Pegasus in Kingston after Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup and 'drowned his sorrows' with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The claim adds considerable weight to suggestions by forensic experts that a tiny bone in Woolmer's neck could have been broken as a result of a fall rather than by strangulation.

If accidental death is proved, the already tarnished investigation led by former Scotland Yard detective Mark Shields -- who publicly declared he was '100 per cent certain' Woolmer was strangled -- will be further exposed.

As four Scotland Yard detectives prepared to fly out to Jamaica last night to assist in the inquiry, a witness told the tabloid that Woolmer sat alone on the team bus after the match, looking 'extremely vexed'.

At the hotel, he is said to have begun drinking almost immediately -- forsaking his normal solitary glass of wine for the export-strength whisky.

Woolmer's mood darkened further when most of the Pakistan touring party went off for dinner without him to the home of multi-millionaire car dealer Tariq Malik.

Malik said, ''Bob was supposed to come around with everyone for a banquet on Sunday -- but that was obviously cancelled after his death.

''There was an open invitation for him the previous evening but the players told me he stayed back at the hotel drinking Scotch. They said he had drunk up to a bottle and was really drowning his sorrows.'' Malik entertained the team at his palatial home for much of the previous week. He said he also met Woolmer twice at the Pegasus.

Although he was contacted by Jamaican police five days ago, Malik has yet to be visited by an officer for questioning.

UNI