No trial return for Michaela widower

Published Friday, 08 June 2012
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John McAreavey will not be recalled to the witness box to give evidence in the trial of two men accused of murdering his wife Michaela in Mauritius.

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The widower revealed he had mixed up dates while giving evidence earlier this week, and the prosecution had been considering whether to officially apply for Mr McAreavey to be recalled.

But lawyers for Legends workers Sandip Moneea and Avinash Treebhoowoon said they would object to the motion.

On Friday, chief prosecutor Mehdi Manrakhan said: "There will be no motion to have him recalled, in view of the stand taken by the defence."

Michaela, the daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football boss Mickey Harte, was found dead in her room while on honeymoon in January last year.

It is alleged that she was murdered by Moneea and Treebhoowoon when she went back to room 1025 to get some biscuits and found the pair stealing.

Mr McAreavey gave evidence on Wednesday, when he said he offered to get biscuits for his 27-year-old wife but she told him not to worry because he had done it for her the night before.

A lawyer representing one of the accused said electronic readings of entries to the room that evening did not tally with his account.

Mr McAreavey's lawyer said his client wanted to inform the court that he had got the date wrong and the incident happened two days before murder in January 2011.

"In fact, it was not on January 9, 2011, it was on the 8th and that's the reason it was not borne out in the room readings," he said.

The judge said the prosecution needed to make an official motion to court in order to have the information included as formal evidence. Mr Manrakhan said he would consider the issue overnight after lawyers for the accused told the judge they would be objecting to any such course of action.

Judge Mr Justice Prithviraj Fecknah said that if he wanted the information to be included as formal evidence, then the prosecution would need to make an official motion to court.

The court also heard about a diary entry made in relation to a conversation between Avinash Treebhoowoon and his father, in which Treebhoowoon said: "Forget your son, I made a mistake," before he burst into tears.

Later, evidence from an officer from the police's Complaints Investigation Bureau showed how, on 25 March last year, a statement was made by Treebhoowoon in relation to allegations of brutality.

Treebhoowoon, who claims the confession he made about the murder was beaten out of him, stopped giving the statement after 20 minutes, saying he would not sign.

A police officer also told the court that fingerprint tests were not carried out on a black purse found on the dresser of the room where the alleged botched burglary happened.

Just before lunch on Friday, court stopped abruptly when there was mobile phone interference with the digital recording system.

The judge ordered that the doors of the court be locked while a search was carried out.

When he returned half an hour later he said that he had no option but to bar mobile phones from courtroom number five and that anyone in possession of a phone, either switched on or off, would be found in contempt.

He threatened any future offenders with a seven-day stint in prison.

Former Legends room attendant Treebhoowoon, 31, from Plaine des Roches, and ex-floor supervisor Moneea, 42, from Petit Raffray, deny the Co Tyrone teacher.

© UTV News
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1 Comments
rach in belfast wrote (348 days ago):
Thoughts and prayers are with the Harte and MCAreevy Family at this awful time xx
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