Murder Of British Honeymooner in Mauritius
Mauritius hotel valets accused of killing British tourist
Three people including employees of Legends Hotel were on Wednesday accused by the Mauritius police of having killed Michaela Harte, a 27-year-old teacher from Northern Ireland who had come to Mauritius for her honeymoon.
The trio appeared before the court in Mapou district on Wednesday morning.
The young bride who arrived in Mauritius with her husband last week was found strangled in her room on Monday.
This news shocked the tourist island of Mauritius, while carried in the newspaper headlines of Northern Ireland and in the BBC news.
This is the first time that a tourist has been attacked in a Mauritian hotel.
The country's Tourism Minister Nando Botha has been engaged in a campaign to promote Mauritius as the best tourist destination. He spoke on British radio stations to reassure those who were on vacation that their security was guaranteed.
The victim was a daughter of a manager of one of the most famous football clubs in Northern Ireland.
The couple had first had their stop in Dubai after the Dec. 30 wedding held in Ireland. They were expected to stay at Legend Hotel until Jan. 15.
On Monday, the couple spent the afternoon near the swimming pool and then they went to the restaurant. After this, the woman went to get some biscuits from her room. It was around 3:30 p.m..
In about 10 minutes, her husband, John McAreavey, 30, went to look for her, but did not find anyone. He then called at the reception
When the hotel staff came around, they found Harte lying on her back with her face looking on the ground in the bathtab of her room.
The husband was supposed to be interrogated as the first suspect, but he was later released. The investigators then had to think of other reasons as to why this crime was committed. They figured out that probably some theft was going on in the room.
Ten hotel employees were picked up for interrogation and three of them were thought to be the main suspects.
It was discovered that the victim's door number 1025 was opened with different magnetic cards on Jan. 10.
Police sources indicated that the door was opened on the same day at different time intervals before the young bride finally opened with her own card.
The door was first opened at 2:10 p.m. by a spare card. The door was then opened at 2:42 by a card reserved for the hotel supervisor. Two minutes later at 2:44 p.m., the client's card was used to enter the room.
Detectives from the Major Crimes Investigation Division also discovered that the room's secret cash drawers were opened. Investigations are still going on and the police are yet to establish who accessed the room at different time intervals.
Comments
What did you expect from "true Mauritius". It is your own fault for assuming Mauritius was "paradise" or reading good things about it. Your'e an idiot for saying EVERYONE tries to steal from a non resident. I am Mauritian and i never stole in my whole life. Not because you got fooled by some locals means you put everyone in the same basket. But where i PARTLY agree with what you say is the lack of professionalism mostly everywhere not just "everywhere". Can you tell me where you've been "stolen"? And if i see you coming its not the price that goes but my foot up yours... Hate people like you
who just generalise things...
Having lived in Mauritius for a while with the intention of discovering the "true Mauritius" I can with confidence state that Mauritius is indeed a over priced, corrupt, dirty, shit hole and EVERYONE tries to steal from a non resident through what I politely call "Skin Tax", i.e. the price of anything goes up the minute they see you coming, I only shop at supermarkets or big retail chains. and don't get me started on the lack of professionalism EVERYWHERE...
Mauritius should be renamed to Garbage Island
I'm a mauritian citizen and I'm ashamed of what happened. But guess what? This kind of factual event does happen everywhere in the world! TV and newspapers talk about it because Mauritius is a very small island! I don't know what kind of jackass you are Alan, but your reaction is probably what causes anger and criminality. Yet, I have to admit that there is lots of corruption in Mauritius and I agreen this is disgusting. But believe me there is corruption everywhere in the world.
This news is sad for the family, the husband and tourism as well. It is important not to generalize but it does not really want to travel there. Obviously the security could be strengthened to prevent this from happening again.
I have to concur with Alan for his comments. Mauritius is a shit hole and should be boycotted... and the security is not good , it is TOTALLY unsafe for tourists or even residents to wander around at night . Hotels and the police hide the number of aggression so as to minimize the bad publicity.Everything is substandard, foodstuff, petrol, clothing( all clothing despite being taken to very nice and presentable shops are fakes) and the government just makes a token gesture trying to combat this plague. The government likes its people, are fakes , with no sense of duty of discipline and 99% of the population is filthy, sick with no hygiene. Even the supposedly 5 star hotels use all sorts of second grade ingredients to make your food look good even the fish you eat is not fresh it has been chilled and I could go on and on and so long as this country is led by the Indians they are doomed and will never progress ..They are the most arrogant and ignorant and racist I have ever met. The beaches are eroding due to lack of care and filth as well as the coral reef surrounding the island ..I think everything is overpriced and the island over rated as a prime destination...Go to Bali or Belize
Our deepest symphathy to the family,
This is a very sad case for such beautiful people.
I was about 4 years ago on holiday with another 4 friends from switzerland we got rob all of our belonging money passport you name it while we were just about 200 meters away having dinner.
The sad thing in the case of the couple is that even when they catch them go to court they will walk away from it as the hotel ,hotel workers police work together to rob people their corruption there is far too much to get people to justice.
If I have my way i would blow this f------ island off the face of the planet
Wish I have people with me making a group to put this shit country off the touristic face.
Come on there are many other place much more beautiful and safe to go,Mauritius is not one of them
Paradise Mauritius my ass ,hell mauritius
Let's boycote this shit hole
If the hotel corridors were watched by the cameras this murder probably wouldn't have happened as the hotel staff wouldnt be able to go around the hotel rooms so confidently as he will be watched. Such cases happen in many places. Very recently I heard a Russian tourist in Thailand met a local guy on thier room when they came to their room in the night and after the struggle the thief was killed. All of those cases might be minimazed by replacing cctv cameras both notel interiors and to the corridors where tourists go by and outside the building. Gives better control and assures better security. Cctv should be a requirement by the government to the tourist hotels.
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