Further disruptions as fried rice saga takes another twist
“Show some respect,” her sister-in-law Claire McAreavey requested firmly, turning to those causing a disruption in the public gallery.
The family was again without a real-time translation service as two witnesses gave evidence to the Supreme Court in their native French Creole. They relied instead on post-testimony debriefings.
Language obviously will not be an issue when John McAreavey gives evidence this morning — but by then his nearest and dearest will have far weightier concerns on their minds.
The levity that marked some court exchanges in the early days of the trial has largely given way to a more serious mood, but there is still the odd jarring burst of noise from the public benches.
There were certainly a few stifled laughs yesterday when the long-running fried rice saga took another twist.
Defence lawyer Ravi Rutnah dramatically withdrew from the case last week after police inspector Luciano Gerard claimed, among other things, that he shared his takeaway portion with the barrister when he arrived to represent one of the suspects under arrest. Mr Rutnah, who said the accusation amounted to a slight on his reputation, vowed to return as a defence witness to give his own account.
Those who felt the fast food episode would not be regurgitated until then were proved wrong with new claims of police hospitality, which apparently knows no bounds. Prosecution witness Raj Theekoy, who was originally arrested in the wake of the honeymooner’s murder, was asked by Mr Rutnah’s colleague Sanjeev Teeluckdharry if he had been served food when in custody.
“Yes, fried rice,” the hotel cleaner replied without prompting. I was served Coca-Cola too.” But that was not the beverage the defence lawyers were most interested in.
Earlier Mr Theekoy, his brown and orange shirt blending so well with the thick curtain behind him that he was almost camouflaged, rejected a claim he was seen drinking tea and joking with accused Avinash Treebhoowoon in the Legends staff canteen an hour after Mrs McAreavey was found dead.
This alleged meeting, experienced defence counsel Rama Valayden insisted, did not chime with the actions of a man who claims he witnessed Treebhoowon and Sandip Mooneea exit the crime scene shortly after hearing a woman scream.
Mr Theekoy disputed the lawyer’s account.
“I don’t like tea,” he said.
But this explanation merely prompted a slew of further inquiries about his drinking habits.
Mr Teeluckdharry swiftly identified a statement Mr Theekoy had given to another court a year previously when he spoke of being in the Legends canteen at another juncture when he was “drinking tea”.
“I meant to say juice,” the witness replied, somewhat unconvincingly. He later tried to explain that “going for tea” was a turn of phrase to describe going to the canteen.
But Mr Teeluckdharry was not letting go.
He brought things back to the by-now famous offices of Mr Gerard and the major crime investigation team (MCIT).
Two days after the murder, Mr Teeluckdharry said there was a diary entry made by police that Mr Theekoy had been fed with bread, chicken... and tea.
“He made no complaint,” the lawyer said the log stated.
But the witness did not agree.
“I said I got fried rice,” he replied without a hint of irony.
