Three employees of Mauritius’ Legends hotel were charged today over the death of Michaela Harte, the daughter of Tyrone manager Mickey 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 all appeared before Mapuo district court in the north of the Indian Ocean island.
The former two men were provisionally charged with the murder of Ms Harte, who was found strangled in her hotel bedroom, while the latter man was charged with complicity to murder.
An autopsy report confirmed Ms Harte died as a result of neck compression.
Police said the suspects were the last people to have been in contact with the victim before her death on Monday. Computer records from the victim’s hotel room also showed that someone entered the room two minutes before she did.
International and local media waited for three hours for the accused to arrive at the old colonial style courthouse in Port Louis, and when they did all of the men appeared to be extremely distressed at the circumstances they found themselves in.
With tears rolling down their faces the men were marched past their friends, relatives and curious onlookers in handcuffs into the courthouse where they were placed in a holding cell until proceedings began.
In front of a packed courthouse of relatives and media representatives Magistrate Bono Mally was told by the police what charges were being brought against the men. 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 (MCIT) 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 out a towel over my head and beat, chocked 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 to take place.
Speaking outside the court Mr Treebhoowoon’s new wife Reshma, who was visibly upset, told reporters she had managed to talk to her husband since he was arrested by the authorities.
“When we talked he insisted that he was innocent and that he has not committed this awful crime,” she said.