Doctor describes finding Michaela near bathroom
Dr Ramachandra Su- nassee told a courtroom in the Indian Ocean paradise that he answered an emergency request from the Legends Hotel regarding a “female client” of Irish nationality.
Dr Sunassee, the fifth witness to give evidence since Monday’s start of the preliminary enquiry into the death of Ms Harte, told district magistrate Sheila Bonomally that Ms Harte was “unconscious and she was not breathing on his arrival”.
The doctor examined the body of the Irish tourist and discovered a “scratch mark” on the right hand side of the victim’s neck.
“I thought something was wrong and I told an employee of the hotel that the lady was dead and police should be called,” he said.
He explained that the Ms Harte’s “pupils were fully dilated and fixed”.
During cross-examination by Mr Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, defence counsel representing murder suspect Avinash Treebhoowon, Dr Sunassee said when he arrived in front of room 1025, the hotel manager and another staff member of the hotel were there. “The door of the room was closed when I arrived there and we entered together,” the witness said.
Earlier, the Magistrate condemned the defence’s tactics after Mr Teeluckdharry wanted to know who the persons that were there in room 1025 together with the doctor.
Mrs Bonomally told the defence counsel that Dr Sunassee was called as an expert to only testify for the death of the victim.
“Defence counsel is using that expert (Dr Sunassee) as a fishing expedition to obtain information above his expertise. It is grossly disproportionate to ask such questions and it is a bad experience for the doctor to reply to such questions. Defence counsel is to refrain to indulge in that line of cross-examination,” said Ms Bonomally.
She added that the purpose of a preliminary enquiry is to act as “a judicial filter” and its findings are not conclusive as it is only an enquiry and not a trial.
“The findings of a preliminary enquiry are not binding on the Director of Public Prosecutions,” the magistrate concluded.
With the bulk of yesterday’s court session centred on Dr Sunassee, no other witnesses were called.It is expected today that lead investigators Chief Inspector Luciano Gerard and Inspector Ranjit Jokhoo, will give evidence.
