Kingston/London: Police investigating Bob Woolmer’s death have received a tip-off that the coach was poisoned by ‘aconite’, believed to be the “perfect” drug to mask a murder.

According to a British newspaper, an anonymous man, thought to be from Pakistan, phoned police claiming that aconite killed the coach, following which Jamaica’s deputy commissioner of police Mark Shields, who is leading the probe, has ordered new tests on Woolmer’s body to look for traces of the drug.

Aconite causes the victim’s internal organs to seize and slows down their breathing until they finally stop. Death is usually by asphyxiation within 30 minutes and this may explain how the 16-stone Woolmer died without putting up a fight.

“The aconite tip is a major breakthrough and is being taken extremely seriously. The man who called Kingston police station had a South Asian accent and was very specific about aconite and how it was administered,” Shields was quoted as saying by the daily.

“The symptoms Bob suffered before he died are identical to aconite poisoning, which is why it is a major line of inquiry now. It would also explain how such a physically imposing man, 6ft 1in tall, died without putting up a fight. You’d struggle to get two people into his bathroom let alone three, so it could be no-one was there,” he added.

Toxicologists say aconite is the “perfect” drug to mask a murder. It also explains why Jamaican pathologist Dr Ere Sheshaiah found no marks around his neck to suggest he had been strangled.

Toxicologist Prof John Henry of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, said that “Woolmer would have felt nauseous after the drug began to work and would have gone to the bathroom to be sick. He wouldn’t have realised straight away how serious his condition was, so it was doubtful he’d have phoned the reception.

“By the time he realised how ill he was it would be too late... The drug causes a loss of power in the limbs. Aconite works like cyanide... It also causes vomiting and diarrhoea... All the while the victim’s mind remains clear, so it is a cruel death.

“It is the perfect drug to make a murder appear to be a suicide because it leaves no mark on the body. It is difficult to detect in a post-mortem unless it was specifically looked for,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Sunday Telegraph report adds that a blood-stained pillow found in Bob Woolmer’s room in the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, is the latest in a series of murder evidences. The pillow was soaked with blood at both ends, according to a Jamaican newspaper.

Shields has refused to say what items were recovered from Woolmer’s room, saying certain details about the crime scene needed to be kept back to assist investigators.

A Kingston pathologist concluded that the 58-year-old was strangled, but the lack of marks to his neck has led to theories that his killer, or killers, used a towel or item of clothing in the murder.

Another British newspaper, meanwhile, said Woolmer feared harm by bookmakers since the 2000 match-fixing scandal broke.

When a reporter asked him to move to a quieter place like his room for a chat, Woolmer reportedly said: “I feel more comfortable in public places.”

Asked if he was worried about his safety, his replied “You don’t know how those people (bookmakers) will react” and added someone might be upset at the news (about match-fixing) and take it out on him.

The paper also said Woolmer in his last interview had claimed to have rejected a £125,000-bribe to fix an international match in Mumbai in 1996 when he was South Africa’s coach.