Husband’s anguish at ‘cowardly’ killing of Scot in Mauritius
‘It is very difficult to deal with’ ‘Tragedy engraved in our memories’
THE husband of a Scottish mother murdered in her own home in Mauritius yesterday told of his devastation over her death.
Janice Farman, 47, was smothered with a pillow by masked thieves who stole her car, cash and jewellery.
Her body was found after her tenyear-old autistic son Gavin witnessed the attack and raised the alarm.
Three men have been arrested and charged with the crime in the coastal town of Albion.
Yesterday, Mrs Farman’s grieving husband, Jean-Baptiste Moutou, who was living apart from her, told a newspaper: ‘Had I been there, it would have never happened. I would have protected her.
‘What has happened is so sad and it’s very difficult to deal with.’
He said he was also distressed at not being able to see his stepson Gavin, who is now in state care.
Mr Moutou was quizzed by police investigating the murder of Mrs Farman, originally from Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, but later released.
He told the Sunday Mail: ‘All I need now is to comfort Janice’s son and hold the funeral. Police haven’t given us permission yet.
‘Janice’s body is still in their custody. The wait is beginning to get a bit long now.’
Mr Moutou revealed that while he and his wife had been living apart, they remained close.
He said: ‘We lived together for seven years. We had a very strong relationship. We met often, spoke on the phone almost every day and we went out together. We were still legally married.
‘Janice and I had lived together in Rivière Noire, on the west coast of Mauritius. For work reasons, I had come to the decision to live on the east coast.
‘We invested together in a construction company and most of our clients are in the east.
‘Janice loved the west coast, and it was practical for her, too, because she worked at [the town of] Quatre-Bornes.
‘We still had a strong relationship despite the situation.’ Mrs Farman was found dead at her home in Albion in the early hours of July 6. She had only recently moved to the area.
Ravish Fakoo, 25, Kamlesh Mansing, 25, and Hanish Soneea, 18, were arrested and last week charged with her murder.
Mr Moutou said: ‘I hope those responsible regret what they’ve done.
‘They’ve behaved like cowards. They could have gone away with the spoils of the robbery without killing her.’
Mrs Farman – who moved to the paradise island in 2004 – adopted Gavin as a baby and her son played a crucial role in tracing the suspects. He told police he recognised the voice of one of the burglars.
Mr Moutou said: ‘He must be in a trauma. This tragedy is now eternally engraved in both our memories. We can’t forget things like that.
‘He’s shown so much courage for a ten-year-old boy. I am so proud of him, and I am sure Janice, from where she is, is pretty proud of him, too.
‘The authorities responsible, the Child Development Unit [CDU], haven’t allowed me to meet him. This is outrageous.
‘They should at least let me meet him. I’ve lived with this kid for seven years. We love each other like father and son.
‘I think he would have trusted me more than any other person representing the authorities.
‘CDU even told me to bring his clothes. I had to leave them at the door of the shelter where they have placed him. I don’t think this is acceptable.
‘My boy needs to be comforted and no one else apart from Janice and me can give him this comfort.’
According to local media in Mauritius, Soneea and Fakoo have both admitted the robbery and have accused Mansing of being the mastermind.
A spokesman for the Mauritius police described the investigation as ‘progressing’.
The President of Mauritius, Bibi Ameenah Firdaus GuribFakim, has spoken of her shock at the murder of Mrs Farman, who has been described by friends as ‘amazing.’
She said: ‘As a mother, my heart goes out to her family and ten-year-old son as nothing will ever replace the kind attention and love only a mother brings.
‘Nothing can ever justify such callous brutality that takes away the lives of innocent people. May she rest in peace.’
A post-mortem examination confirmed that Mrs Farman had died as a result of ‘asphyxia’.