‘I don’t know why they come & harass me’
Ex hotel worker insists cops ‘have no right to suspect me’ New documentary bids to throw light on Mauritius murder
ONE of two men cleared of murdering Michaela Mcareavey has spoken about the unsolved case insisting: “I don’t know why they come and harass me.”
Former hotel worker Sandip Moneea features in a new BBC documentary about the killing of the Tyrone teacher while on honeymoon in Mauritius in 2011.
In Murder in Paradise he reacts on camera when it is put to him that some police still regard him as a suspect in the case.
In the documentary Mr Moneea replied: “I don’t know why they come and harass me. They don’t have the right.”
Michaela, the 27-year-old daughter of former Tyrone GAA manager Mickey Harte, was found strangled in a bath, 12 days after her marriage to John Mcareavey.
TRIAL
Hotel workers Sandip Moneea and Avinash Treebhoowoon were found not guilty of her murder after a sevenweek trial in 2012.
Asked directly if he had anything to do with the murder Mr Moneea replied: “No, no. Honestly I have nothing to do [with it].
“I’m sad. I’m very sad. A young person, a young couple come in my country, in my hotel where I work and she is dead.” Asked what he thinks happened to her, he told the documentary team: “It’s difficult for me to say something because really I was not there.”
Journalists Darragh Macintyre and Allison Morris conducted a series of interviews in examining what happened during the trial in 2012 for the three-part TV series. Michaela’s family have vowed to pursue justice for the 27-yearold, travelling to Mauritius in 2017 to offer a reward of 2million Mauritian rupees for information.
They held talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin in recent weeks.
I can 100% assure you no police brutality was used HERMAN JANGI EX MAURITIUS POLICE CHIEF
TOURISM
Her brother, Mark Harte, told the documentary: “To my last day, this campaign will be pursued in search of justice for Michaela in whatever form that comes.” Former Mauritian prime minister Navin Ramgoolam denied putting pressure on police to secure a conviction in order to protect the island’s tourism industry.
He said: “It’s all rubbish. I can’t give instructions to the commissioner of police.”
Avinash Treebhoowoon made a confession while in custody but later insisted it was a result of being beaten by police.
A former deputy commissioner of police in Mauritius, Heman Jangi, told the documentary: “There may be some cases where police have used torture or something like that.
“But in this particular case, I can assure you 100 per cent no police brutality had been used.”
Murder In Paradise is on BBC One Monday April 10 at 10.30pm.