Mauritian newspaper searched by detectives

McAREAVEY VERDICT:MAURITIAN POLICE have searched the office of a newspaper that published photographs of the murdered Michaela McAreavey.

Acting on orders from the police commissioner, detectives yesterday searched the premises of the Sunday Times in Port Louis, the Mauritian capital. No arrests were made and no items were recovered, said a police spokesman.

The newspaper, a small title founded late last year, carried a black-and-white picture of the Co Tyrone teacher, taken after she was murdered, on its front page last weekend. It also published a number of other images showing her injuries and the hotel room where her body was found.

The publication of the photographs drew an angry response from the Government and was described by the McAreavey and Harte families as “reprehensible and repugnant”. Despite the criticism, the newspaper said it stood over its decision to publish. Jimmy Jean Louis, a senior journalist at the paper, said it ran them to remind people of the fact that nobody had been brought to justice for the Irish woman’s murder.

“In these difficult times, our newspaper has acted [with] responsibility . . . I say to the family, we shall only be at peace when the murderers are brought to justice, whoever they might be,” he said.

Asked whether he believed it insensitive to publish the pictures, Mr Jean Louis replied: “It is not the first time that the local press published those kinds of photographs. There are other cases. My answer to you is . . . as a responsible newspaper, we must see to it that the murder of Michaela Harte does not go unpunished.

“We stand over the decision we took and we want justice to be done for Michaela.”

A lawyer representing the McAreavey and Harte families in Mauritius, Dick Ng Sui Wa, called for the arrest of whoever was responsible for the leaking of the crime scene photographs.

He said their publication could hinder any future police inquiry into the killing, as it would give possible suspects a glimpse of the crime scene.

Mr Ng Sui Wa said he was encouraged after a meeting with the director of public prosecutions (DPP) on the issue and was confident the police inquiry into the leak would proceed quickly. He said he did not believe police leaked the photographs.

Two hotel workers, Avinash Treebhoowoon (32) and Sandip Moneea (43), were acquitted last week of the murder of Ms McAreavey, who was strangled at Legends Hotel while on honeymoon with her husband John last year.

Barrister Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, who represented Mr Treebhoowoon, condemned the publication of the pictures “in the strongest possible terms” and called for an inquiry into the matter. “It’s unethical and most improper for any newspaper, be it local or international, to publish these photos,” he said.

Mr Teeluckdharry said a number of people would have had copies of the photographs, including investigating police officers, the police photographic department, jurors and barristers.

The Mauritian DPP has indicated a new inquiry into the McAreavey killing could be opened if there were new leads or information to justify it. But Mr Ng Sui Wa said he did not hold out much hope of this, and noted that the two men acquitted last week could not be tried for a second time.

Tomorrow in Port Louis, lawyers for the two acquitted men are due to hold a press conference to disclose what they claim is new evidence of shortcomings in the police inquiry into the killing.