Courtroom packed as couple in CCTV identified as Germans

Crowds gathered early yesterday outside the Supreme Court in Mauritius intent on seeing for themselves what the much rumoured CCTV footage from Legends Hotel portrayed.

John McAreavey was already inside with his relatives, spared the ordeal of navigating his way through the throngs.

The court was designed to accommodate half the 200-odd people that managed to squeeze inside. They had all come to see one thing: A grainy three-minute security camera clip that pictured a couple at the reception of the Legends Hotel seemingly embroiled in a row on the day Michaela McAreavey was murdered.

With some in Mauritius already having conveyed as a fact the man and woman were the McAreaveys, the intense public interest was not surprising.

But inside a rather different story unfolded. A projector had been erected in front of jurors, covering from their view the dock and adjoining witness box.

When judge Prithviraj Fecknah arrived, about an hour late, he prompted the defendants to stand. “The accused parties will be able to come out of the dock and be seated in the court so they can see what’s being viewed,” he said.

Surrounded by guards, Avinash Treebhoowon and Sandip Mooneea slowly walked out into the main body of the court and took a position in front of the legal benches.

The judge then ordered the lights to be turned out.

The anticipation that the footage was about to start led to the first one or two standing up to get a better view. It created a domino effect, as those whose eye line had been interrupted adjusted their own position.

Mr McAreavey and his sister Claire also got to their feet and walked round to the side of the bench the family have occupied since day one of the trial. Their father Brendan and Michaela’s brother Mark remained seated.

The first clip was not the one that had created all the talk.

It was from the day before the honeymooner’s murder and showed a couple, understood to be the McAreaveys, at the hotel spa. The woman was talking with a staff member, while the man hovered around beside her.

Police witness Yoosoof Soopun said he could not be sure the couple were the McAreaveys.

Mr McAreavey appeared in little doubt. Moments into the clip he turned and quickly left the court. His sister followed.

They returned at the close of the seven-minute footage.

Eventually it came time to play the images it seemed all of Mauritius wanted to see.

The clip started playing at 15.00 on the security camera clock, but it took almost three minutes for the couple to enter from the left.

Some jurors leant forward, fixed on the screen, others sat back, no less focused. The reaction of the family was perhaps telling. Mark shook his head in apparent incredulity.

Mr McAreavey briefly whispered in his ear before sharing another hushed word with his father. He had the hint of a wry smile on his face.

The body language was subtle, but it seemed to scream out exactly what they thought about who was, and more importantly, who wasn’t in the footage.

Mr Soopun was not in the slightest bit convinced it was John and Michaela. “I am satisfied the couple found in that photo we have just seen are not the McAreavey couple,” he said.

But more was to come. “The couple have been identified and I am going to give you a name.”

Few inside were expecting German holidaymakers Harald Hoyer and Savarese Graziella to be read out.

The issue did not reach a resolution, with Judge Fecknah telling the court the identity of the mystery couple was still to be confirmed with definitive evidence. More footage will be broadcast next week.