ONE OF those accused of murdering Michaela Harte allegedly told his father he had “done something wrong” when he visited him in police custody shortly after the Irishwoman was killed, a court in Mauritius heard yesterday.
Deputy police Sgt Mohammed Rashed Bhugaloo told the preliminary inquiry at Mapou district court he heard Avinash Treebhoowoon confess this to his father at the major crime investigation team headquarters on January 13th last.
Mr Treebhoowoon (30) and Sandip Mooneea (41) were first taken in for questioning by the police unit as part of their inquiry into Ms Harte’s murder on the island on January 10th last. They have been charged with the 27-year-old teacher’s murder.
Mr Treebhoowoon signed a formal statement confessing his part in the crime on January 13th. He now claims he only confessed because police tortured him. Mr Mooneea has always maintained his innocence.
Both were employees at Legends Hotel in Grand Gaube where Ms Harte, daughter of Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte, and her husband John McAreavey had been honeymooning.
Sgt Bhugaloo said Mr Treebhoowoon’s father arrived at the Port Louis headquarters at about 5pm that evening and asked to visit his son. He was told he could do so for five minutes. “I heard accused number one [Mr Treebhoowoon] say to his father: ‘Forget your son now. I’ve done something wrong’,” said Sgt Bhugaloo. He recorded the exchange in the police diary book, he added.
Leading investigator, Insp Ranjit Jokhoo, told the court in evidence he also heard the conversation, and asked the sergeant to take a note of it.
When defence counsel Sangeev Teeluckdharry asked whether police took a formal statement from the accused in light of what he had said, Sgt Bhugaloo said he had not because Mr Treebhoowoon had just signed a formal confession prior to the exchange.
Earlier, the preliminary inquiry, which must decide whether there is enough evidence to send the two accused forward for trial, heard a British tourist had found a Legend’s Hotel room master key less than a month after the murder.
To date the electronic room key used to gain entry to room 1025 at Legend’s Hotel, where the murder took place, has been missing.
The tourist was said to have found the key in Grand Baie, a town less than 20km from the hotel. The unnamed person handed it into the local police criminal investigation department on an unspecified date in February.
During a cross-examination of murder investigator Chief Insp Luciano Gerard, Mr Teeluckdharry asked whether he knew a key had been recovered. He said: “No, I am not aware of this”.
Mr Teeluckdharry asked Insp Sunilduth Nuckcheddy, the officer in charge of the crime scene on January 10th prior to the arrival of a crime investigation team, whether room 1023, the room next to where Ms Harte was found, had been searched. He said: “I did not do it”. He also said he did not know who stayed in room 1023.
It was revealed Mr Treebhoowoon had only retained the services of legal representative, Ravi Rutnah, eight minutes after he signed a statement admitting his guilt on January 13th.
In his statement to police read out yesterday, Mr Mooneea denied ever asking hotel security guard Dassen Narayanen to give him the room key used to gain entry to room 1025. Police say Mr Narayanen, who is charged with conspiracy to commit theft, confessed to giving Mr Mooneea the key to gain entry to room 1025. He has since said he was coerced into making the statement by police.