THREE EMPLOYEES of the Legends Hotel in Mauritius were charged yesterday over the death of Michaela Harte, who was murdered last Monday on the tropical island.
Room attendant Avinash Treebhoowoon (29) of Plaines des Roches, floor manager Sandip Mooneea (41) of Pettit Raffray and cleaner Raj Theekoy of the Cottages appeared before Mapou district court in the north of the island.
Mr Treebhoowoon and Mr Mooneea were provisionally charged with the murder of Ms Harte, who was found strangled in her hotel bedroom, while Mr Theekoy was charged with complicity to murder. An autopsy report confirmed Ms Harte died as a result of neck compression.
Initially six people were questioned over her killing, which took place while she was on honeymoon with her husband John McAreavey, the former Down footballer.
However, the police have reduced the number of suspects to those charged, the court heard.
International and local media waited for three hours for the accused to arrive at the old colonial-style courthouse. All of the men appeared to be distressed.
With tears rolling down their faces they were marched past their friends, relatives and onlookers in handcuffs into the courthouse, where they were placed in a holding cell until proceedings began.
In front of a packed courthouse which included relatives of the defendants, Magistrate Bono Mally was told by the police what charges were being brought against them. She subsequently remanded them all in custody until February 2nd next when a bail hearing will take place.
Only one of the three men had a legal representative present.
Barrister S Ravi Rutnah asked the magistrate if his client, Avinash Treebhoowoon, could address the court in relation to an alleged assault he had suffered at the hands of the police while he was in custody.
According to Mr Treebhoowoon, he was brought to the office of the major crime investigation team where he was hit around the ears before being beaten with a hose on his feet.
“They undressed me and lay me on a table and with a water hose they beat me on the bottom of my feet. They then put a towel over my head and beat, choked and kicked me,” he claimed.
The barrister called on the court to immediately take his client for a medical examination to ascertain if there were signs of any injuries.
“An atrocious crime has been committed and our country is now being watched by the international community. Our name has been tarnished and if the police start acting like this what will be left of our country,” he said to the court.
The magistrate agreed that Mr Treebhoowoon should be sent for a medical examination and she called for an investigation into the allegations.
Speaking outside the court, Mr Treebhoowoon’s new wife Reshma, who had spoken to her husband, said: “He insisted he was innocent and that he has not committed this awful crime,” she said.