The husband of murdered honeymoon bride Michaela McAreavey was forced to
confront "his worst nightmare" after finding her unconscious in
the bathtub of their Mauritius hotel room, a court heard.
Prosecutors who on Wednesday opened the case against the two hotel employees
accused of murder told how John McAreavey tried frantically to revive the
body of his 27-year-old wife.
It also emerged that Mrs McAreavey screamed as she was allegedly murdered in
the room at the island's luxury Legends Hotel by cleaner Avinash
Treebhoowoon, 30, and floor supervisor Sandip Mooneea, 41.
Mrs McAreavey, the daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte,
had been enjoying tea with her husband of 12 days in a poolside restaurant.
She went to fetch some biscuits, Mehdi Manrakhan, chief prosecutor, explained,
but "this was the last time John saw his beautiful wife Michaela alive".
"Reaching room 1025, since he did not have his magnetic key card with
him, he had to knock on the door," Mr Manrakhan told the jury.
"Seeing that there was no answer he decided to go to the hotel reception
to ask for help. A bell boy accompanied him back to room 1025 to allow him
to enter the room.
"Members of the jury, as soon as John entered room 1025 his worst
nightmare began. In the bathroom, he saw Michaela lying lifeless in the
bathtub. He laid her on the floor and went to cry for help."
"The bell boy who had accompanied John was still in the vicinity of room
1025 and they both went back to room 1025 where John tried to revive
Michaela.
"Members of the jury, it was too late."
Police believe that Mrs McAreavey disturbed burglars who were in her room and
strangled her in an attempted cover-up.
Mr Manrakhan told the jury that star witness, Raj Theekoy, a hotel cleaner,
had seen Treebhoowoon's trolley outside room 1025 shortly before the murder
on January 10 last year.
On seeing the door of the room firmly shut, he went to investigate, the
prosecutor said. "When he got closer, he heard a woman cry: "ah ah
ah!" as if she was in pain," he added.
"Mr Theekoy got scared when he heard that woman's voice crying and he
went to hide near room 1021, which is close to room 1025.
"He would see both accused coming out of room 1025. In fact, Mr
Treebhoowoon's face appeared wet and he was wiping it with his hand."
Mr Manrakhan said Mr Theekoy confronted the pair about what happened but was
allegedly warned by the second defendant, Mooneea: "Be quiet! If you
open your mouth I'll get you involved in this."
The two defendants would later sign statements admitting their roles in the
murder but subsequently claimed that the confessions were beaten out of them
by police.
Mr McAreavey, a professional footballer, and Mrs McAreavey, a former beauty
queen from Ballygawley, Co Tyrone, left
Ireland on New Year's Eve, 2010, the
night after their wedding.
The couple spent a week in Dubai before flying on
to the Legends hotel situated on a beach on the north coast of Mauritius.
"The couple choose our paradise island for their honeymoon but it quickly
resulted in John losing his beloved wife," Mr Manrakhan said.
The trial continues.
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