A dirty game played by management at the luxury hotel where a honeymooner was murdered led to her husband being arrested as a suspect, a senior police chief has told a court in Mauritius.
Giving evidence at the trial of two ex-employees of the Legends Hotel who are accused of strangling Michaela McAreavey, one of the island's top officers criticised security staff for not immediately providing police with records of entries to the room where the newlywed was found.
Yoosoof Soopun said if that information had been available to officers at the outset then John McAreavey would never have been detained in the aftermath of the crime last January.
He was handcuffed and left alone in a police station for hours in the wake of his wife's death.
Former Legends staff members Avinash Treebhoowoon and Sandip Moneea are on trial for murdering the daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football boss Mickey Harte. They deny the charge.
Mr Soopun told the Supreme Court in Port Louis that a reading from the electronic door entry system was not given to police on their arrival at the hotel and only handed over after "persistent requests".
"I just want to state that hotel management, particularly the chief security officer Mr (Mohammad) Imrit, has played a dirty game with the police," he said.
"Having that information earlier to the police, there's no doubt the poor Mr John McAreavey would not have been taken to Piton police station and treated as a suspect by Piton CID.
"It was only on our persistent requests, my lord, that we obtained the reading and came to know that a magnetic card - JMK supervisor two - has been used at 14.42 hours, some two minutes before the lady, the deceased Mrs McAreavey, had accessed the room.
"Then it was clear, my lord, that Mr John McAreavey must be disregarded as a suspect."
The prosecution claim Mr Treebhoowoon (31) and Mr Moneea (42) murdered the 27-year-old teacher when she interrupted them stealing from her room.
Mr Soopun said he was "astonished" to find Mr McAreavey handcuffed in the police station later that night.
"He was crying and completely broken," he added.
He said he immediately gave an order for him to be released.
Mr McAreavey and other family members were not present in court as the police chief levelled the claims against the hotel.
PA