After 31 days and 52 witnesses giving dramatic and intriguing testimony, the Coroner’s inquest into the death of former Pakistan cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, ended yesterday where it began – no closer to a verdict.

The 11-member jury returned with a unanimous open verdict, saying essentially that after considering all the evidence presented, it could not be sure beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone was criminally responsible for the sudden death, or whether the subject of the inquest died of natural causes.

The Jamaican police which came in for harsh criticisms from the jury, will now have to decide whether to reopen their probe into Woolmer’s demise or stick with their decision to close the file on his untimely death in room 374 on the 12th floor of the upscale Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston.

The foreman of the jury, who wished to remain unidentified, explained the factors that influenced their decisions. Among them was the shoddy way in which the police handled the investigations, the foreman said.

“The police investigations made it tougher. There were too many ‘what ifs’ and there were certain leads which were not followed up to the maximum,” the foreman told reporters after the verdict had been announced.

“We had to put the sequence of events together. I would have preferred to hear more from DSP Pinnock than Mr Shields (Deputy Commissioner in charge of Crime).”

The jurors also said they were confused by the conflicting evidence presented as it related to the presence of cypermethrin in Woolmer’s system at the time of his death.

Local and Barbadian forensic experts testified that the insecticide was present in samples taken from Woolmer’s remains but British-based toxicologist, John Slaughter, refuted those claims during his time on the witness stand.

The conflicting testimonies of the four pathologists who appeared at the inquest, also had a bearing on the jurors’ decision.

“How it was presented to us wasn’t comfortable enough to sway a decision,” a juror said. “The overseas pathologists were in an unfair situation because they were not given all the evidence.”

One juror also came down hard on the techniques used by local pathologist, Dr Ere Seshaiah.

“We knew he (Woolmer) was sick, but if there are international standards and techniques, can a doctor just change them? Is there no one that he consults? That too was a factor,” a juror told the Observer.

Seshaiah, after performing the only autopsy done on Woolmer’s body, reported that the coach died of manual strangulation due to asphyxiation but later altered his findings to include poisoning after it was revealed that cypermethrin was present in the coach’s system.

Three overseas-based pathologists, Dr Michael Pollenan of Ontario, Canada; Professor Lorna Martin of Cape Town, South Africa, and Dr Nathaniel Cary of the United Kingdom, all decried Seshaiah’s findings and criticised the methods he used in dissecting Woolmer’s body.

The inquest ran for 31 days and saw 52 witnesses appearing and seven witness statements from Pakistan nationals who did not appear at the inquest.

The inquest has cost taxpayers upwards of $10 million for rental of two conference rooms, accommodation for jurors lunch, cost of meals for the jurors, the magistrate and his staff, accommodation and airfare for overseas witnesses, audio visual equipment and juror fees.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Kent Pantry, assisted by deputy prosecutors, Dirk Harrisson and Tanya Spence marshalled the evidence on behalf of the Jamaican Government, while attorneys Jermaine Spence and Kedian Francis represented the International Cricket Council.

Coroner for the Corporate Area, Resident Magistrate Patrick Murphy, presided over the inquest.

After the verdict was handed down, Murphy ruled that the members of the jury would be exempt from jury duty for the next decade, saying they had selflessly carried out their civil duties in serving at the inquest.

“I think it is appropriate for me to rule that you all will be exempt from jury duty for the next 10 years,” RM Murphy said.

Woolmer, who was born in Nagpur, India, was found dead in his hotel room on March 18, just hours after his team’s unceremonious exit from the Cricket World Cup at the hands of minnows Ireland.

His body was repatriated to his family in South Africa, where it was cremated.