Fifth man charged over Michaela murder

A FIFTH man arrested in connection with the murder of Michaela Harte in Mauritius appeared in court charged with conspiracy yesterday.

Seenarain Mungoo, 39, a security officer at the Legends Hotel, was remanded back into police custody.

Michaela, the 27-year- old daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, was found strangled in her honeymoon hotel room in Grand Gaube. On Wednesday two men already charged with murder and another charged with conspiracy to murder appeared in court again.

A fourth man, Dassen Narayanen, 26, who also works for hotel security, was charged with aiding to commit a crime.

All four were remanded in custody until next Wednesday.

Mungoo, from Petit Raffray, is being held on a charge of aiding and abetting a crime.

The three men who had previously appeared in court were Sandip Moneea, 41, and Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, who are charged with murder, and 33-year-old Raj Theekoy, charged with conspiracy to murder.

Only Treebhoowoon has confessed to the killing, according to Mauritian police.

It is believed Michaela was attacked when she interrupted a robbery in the hotel room she shared with her new husband of just 12 days, Down Gaelic footballer John McAreavey.

He found her body in the bath.

On Monday, around 3,000 people, including President Mary McAleese, attended Michaela’s funeral to pay their respects.

The Irish language teacher was buried in her wedding dress at St Malachy’s church outside Ballygawley, Co Tyrone.

When detectives have completed their inquiry, they will hand over any evidence to the director of public prosecutions, who will decide which charges the suspects should stand trial for and then refer the case to a magistrate before it proceeds to a higher court, police said.

This process is likely to take considerable time.