LAWYERS FOR Avinash Treebhoowoon, one of two men accused of murdering Michaela Harte in Mauritius last month, lodged a challenge to the hearing of his upcoming bail application.
Ms Harte, the daughter of Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte, was found strangled in her bedroom on January 10th at the exclusive Legends Hotel in Grand Gaube, a fishing village in the north of the island. She was on honeymoon with her husband John McAreavey when she died.
According to documents lodged at Mapou district court, Mr Treebhoowoon, a room attendant at the hotel in which Ms Harte was staying, has “serious apprehension” he will not get a fair hearing before Magistrate Bono Mally.
“He honestly believes that each time he was brought before the court . . . he was not allowed by Your Honour to make a full complaint about the torture and ill-treatment he has been subjected to” by officers investigating Ms Harte’s murder, the motion reads.
The document submitted by Mr Treebhoowoon’s legal team, Ravi Rutnah and Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, went on to say the magistrate was wrong to continuously interrupt them during proceedings and for refusing to order the disclosure of any evidence the defence might ask for.
“In view of the above [outlined complaints] it appears the applicant’s apprehensions are substantiated and for those reasons already set out Your Honour is most humbly invited to recuse herself from hearing the applicant’s bail motion as justice is not likely to be seen as done,” the motion concludes.
The hearing will proceed tomorrow.
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