Hotel staff to be questioned over McAreavey

The new police team appointed to investigate the murder of Michaela Mc-Areavey are next week expected to question the manager and former staff of the hotel where she died.

However, it is unclear whether the full witness list will include Sandip Mooneea and Avinash Treebhoowon, the two former Legends Hotel employees who were cleared of her killing two weeks ago.

According to reports in the Mauritian media, the team are to focus on any DNA found on items seized from the murder scene during the first investigation.

They will also try to trace the magnetic key card that gave access to room 1025 of the Legends Hotel where the 27-year-old Tyrone wo-man was killed in Jan 2011.

None of the new team of detectives have been drafted from the island’s Major Crime Investigation Team, which carried out the initial investigation. They are mainly drawn from either the Central Criminal Investigation Department or its drug squad.

It is highly likely that, fter the initial interviews, there will be a request for assistance from either or both the gardaí and the PSNI.

Meanwhile, the Mauritian newspaper editor who collapsed last Thursday just before he was due to appear in court for publishing photographs of Ms McAreavey’s body at the crime scene, was back in court yesterday to face charges of assaulting an Irish photographer.

Sunday Times editor Imran Hosany is accused of assaulting Irish Daily Mail photographer Joseph Dunne on Jul 17.

According to a report in the island’s Independent Daily newspaper, police told the court the photographer had already returned to Ireland and that he had withdrawn the charge against Hosany.

The newspaper quoted Hosany as saying: “Last Tuesday I remained at home the whole day. I admit that there were journalists who were roaming near my house but I did not hit anyone when I went out in the evening.

“I saw a photographer following me and I explained to him that he cannot take my pictures without my permission. However, he continued and while trying to avoid him, I pushed him accidently. But I did not assault him. I also co-operated fully with the police.”