Murder probe Irishmen still in India

TWO Irishmen arrested following the death of a young English backpacker in India last year remain in the country despite being cleared of all charges relating to her death.

However, the father of one of the men, Dubliner Frank James, said yesterday he expects his son to be home soon after being told he is free to leave the country after clearing paperwork. Mr James, an English language teacher originally from Templeogue, was investigated though never charged with any offence.

However, Indian officials told him he had to stay in the country until a decision was made on whether to prosecute Tipperary man Adrian Breathnach.

A court in the northern province of Himachal Pradesh has ruled that Mr Breathnach will not face a charge of destroying evidence. Mr James was officially cleared on the same day, August 2. The pair have to wait for a letter of confirmation from the court.

Anna Bartlett, 25, from Essex, is believed to have died as result of injuries after she fell inside a room she was sharing with Mr Breathnach. The two men, and the Indian owner of the guesthouse where all three were staying, are alleged then to have conspired to dispose of the body. It was found in a river outside the town of Manali, a tourist town known to backpackers for the easy availability of hashish.

It was originally thought Ms Bartlett, who achieved notoriety as a once high-flying student who faced the death penalty in Dubai after she smuggled drugs in to the country, was murdered. Marks on her face suggested she had been struck before the body was dumped. However, an autopsy showed she most likely died after falling.

Mr James spent a number of weeks in jail following the incident last October. His companion was held for a number of months before his release earlier this year. The young woman, the daughter of a retired schoolteacher from Southend, travelled to India after her release from prison in Dubai. A death sentence was commuted to life in prison, then cut to ten years. She was pardoned and served nearly three years.

She was socialising with the Irishmen on the evening before her death and then later went back with Mr Breathnach to his room. He claims to have fallen asleep and when he awoke he found her dead.