A final kiss goodbye

Hundreds of people touched by the senseless killing of Michaela McAreavey lined the streets today as her coffin passed by them en route to the 27-year-old's funeral.
Her heartbroken widower John clearly struggled to contain his emotions at losing his bride, who was murdered in their hotel room as they honeymooned in Mauritius.
He held his head in his hands and at one point, tenderly kissed the casket of his bride of just 12 days as the mourners made their way towards church in bright winter sunshine.

Farewell kiss: John McAreavey kisses the coffin of his wife Michaela as the funeral procession stops outside St Malachy's Primary School on the Omagh Road near her family home

Small comfort: Michaela McAreavey's father Mickey Harte, right, puts an arm on his son-in-law's shoulder as the mourners make their way to the funeral

Lovebirds: John and Michaela McAreavey, pictured at the Giant's Causeway, in Antrim, had been married only 12 days before she was murdered

Michaela was buried in her wedding dress at St Malachy's church outside Ballygawley and the Irish president, Mary McAleese, was among those paying their respects.
Father Mickey Harte, well known on the Irish gaelic football circuit, also cut a distraught figure, though he was able to put out a comforting hand on his son-in-law's shoulder.

It was one of the biggest funerals in Northern Ireland for several years, with political and community representatives from all sides attending.
Fans of the Tyrone team Harte managed  and friends of the young Irish language teacher bowed their heads as the cortege passed along its grim route from the parents' home in sombre silence.
Mickey and Marian were able to count on the support of sons Mark, Michael and Mattie, Tyrone senior gaelic football team members and local club Errigal Ciaran, which Mr Harte used to manage, provided a guard of honour.

On arrival, another guard of honour was provided by Mr McAreavey's local football club, Tullylish in Co. Down, and Mrs McAreavey's form class at St Patrick's Academy in Dungannon.
Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Sean Brady presided over the Mass.
Caledonia was sung by Mary Black during the service and the captain of Tyrone, Brian Dooher, gave the first reading.

Southwinds, an instrumental piece played by first cousins of Mrs McAreavey Cathal, Marisa and Cathy Harte, was played.
Friends and colleagues of Mrs McAreavey and her husband also took part in the Mass.
The High Commissioner of Mauritius to the UK, Abhimanu Kundasamy, was among dignitaries present, as was Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Huge numbers: The funeral cortege of Michaela McAreavey goes past her school in Ballygawley

Tribute: Pages from the mass card from Michaela McAreavey's service in Co Tyrone today

United in grief: Parents Mickey and Marian Harte with son-in-law John McAreavey, right, follow Michaela's coffin

The Church of Ireland was represented by the Bishop of Down and Dromore, Harold Miller, and Bishop of Derry and Raphoe Ken Good.
Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson was represented by Mary Madden and Irish Premier Brian Cowen by Commandant Michael Tracey.

A mother's grief: Marian Harte is driven to her daughter's funeral

Danny Carroll, a mechanic from near Brantry, Co Tyrone, was among many who attended Requiem Mass for the murdered Irish teacher and gaelic games fan.
'She will live long in the memory, she was a very special girl,' he said. 'She had it all in front of her, it is just so, so sad.'
Another who paid her respects was Seana Murphy, 31, a social worker from Cookstown.
'It was a very dignified ceremony, and heart-warming to see what people thought of her. She will never be forgotten.'
Among those in St Malachy's church were John Devine, a teacher at St Patrick's College in Armagh and goalkeeper in the senior Tyrone GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) team, a native of Errigal Ciaran parish where the Mass was held and a contemporary of Mrs McAreavey.
Also present were Aileen O'Hare, teacher in St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon, and a close friend of Mrs McAreavey.
Susan Cullinan, her Irish teacher at Loreto Convent Grammar School in Dungannon and Francie Downey, the groomsman at her wedding, were among those who delivered prayers.
Northern Ireland's first minister, Peter Robinson, said memories of the murdered bride had united the country in grief.

Struggling to come to terms with loss: John McAreavey places the coffin in the hearse as it is taken to St Malachy's in Ballymacilroy, County Tyrone, the church where they married on December 30

Sombre silence: Friends and family carry the coffin of Michaela McAreavey, from her family home in Ballygawley

Add caUnited in grief: Mourners, led by husband John and Michaela's father, Mickey Harte, a gaelic football legend, follow the coffinption

The DUP leader addressed representatives at Stormont as the legislature reconvened after its Christmas break and said the tragic death of the 27-year-old had captured public attention.
Mr Robinson said the young teacher had been a valued relative and friend to those who shared her life, but that their warm tributes meant many more people now felt they knew her.
He said: 'This isn't a time to talk about the circumstances of her tragic death, but we do want to see justice done, and we support those in Mauritius who are engaged in that task.
'Any life taken away by murder is a horrific event, all the more so when it is of a young person.
'The loss is even more harrowing and devastating because the victim in this case was a beautiful young woman who was on her honeymoon.
'Michaela was known to a wide circle of family and friends, but this past week I believe we now all feel that we knew her.
'From the stories that we have heard, from seeing her on television, and reading in our newspapers.
'This is one of the rare tragedies that has captured public attention and united the community in grief.'
Ulster Unionist representative Danny Kennedy, who said he knew the McAreavey family, extended his sympathies to the young woman's bereaved relatives and those of her husband John.
'It is difficult to comprehend the trauma and grief that they are feeling today,' he said.
'For such a young life to end in such circumstances seems at times unreal.

Grieving household: Michaela's family home, where her body was lying in wake in her childhood bedroom

'This tragedy has touched many people across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and I would like to pay tribute to the dignified manner in which both the Harte and McAreavey families have conducted themselves in what is an unimaginably difficult time.'
Members of all Northern Ireland's main political parties have extended their sympathies to the bereaved families.

Happier times: Michaela and John with her father Mickey Harte, left, Bishop John McAreavey and the groom's father Brendan McAreavey at their wedding at St Malachy's - the same church her funeral was held at today

Tragic: Michaela at a charity fashion show where she wore a number of different outfits

 

Thieves wanted to swipe just £100 out of purse left on table

Crucial: Fingerprints on the door of the couple's room

The thieves who killed Michaela Harte planned to steal just €100 from her hotel room.

Detective Inspector Ranjit Singh Jokhoo, who is leading the investigation, said the robbers planned to take cash from a purse that had been sitting on a table.
Det Insp. Jokhoo said: ‘There was €250, 3,500 rupees and £50.’ Money sticking out of the wallet had tempted one suspect Treebhoowoon.
‘They intended to take only a small amount, probably less than €100. They were not intending to steal the purse – or even all the money,’ he said.
‘They just wanted to take a little, so that might go unnoticed.’
In a harrowing analysis, the detective inspector described how tears had rolled down the 27-year-old’s cheeks minutes before she died.
Detective Inspector Jokhoo said: ‘According to Avinash’s (Treebhoowoon) confession, she was crying after he pushed her to the ground.
‘When she came into the room, Sandip (Mooneea) was near the bathroom, out of her line of view. Avinash has told us that he [Avinash] was searching the purse.
‘The lady said, “What are you doing?” and stayed shouting at him. She was furious that someone was searching her purse and she confronted him.
‘He says he pushed her. She tried to get up and she was caught by Sandip from behind. She started to cry, the tears were running down her cheeks.’ 

Nightmare in paradise: The couple's room at Legends Hotel in Grand Gaube, Mauritius

Hotel attendant Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, 41-year-old floor supervisor Sandip Mooneea and room attendant Raj Theekoy, 33, have all been charged in relation to her strangulation.

It is hoped that white fingerprints visible on the door of the cordoned off room 1025 where Michaela and John McAreavey had stayed will help bring her killers to justice.
They had tried to make the late teacher’s death look like suicide by placing her in the bath.
Husband John found his wife’s body in the bathtub with the tap still running when he went looking for her.
Police have also revealed that skin tissue found under Michaela’s fingernails will prove crucial in the case against the three men.
Scratches on her neck will also show how Michaela tried to free herself.
The island’s prosecutor will decide if the two men charged with murder will face those charges in court or whether they will face a lesser charge.
If they are found guilty of murder, they face up to 45 years in jail. If convicted of manslaughter, they could spend 18 years in prison.
All three suspects will return to court on Wednesday, when it is expected that they will be formally charged or released. Two of the
men charged in connection with Michaela’s murder have already returned to the scene of the horrific crime. They were brought from their police cells to the hotel on Thursday afternoon after they made admissions of guilt.
They then took part in a reconstruction in the bedroom where the honeymooners stayed – helping investigators piece together the final moments of Michaela’s life.
The murder rate is very low in Mauritius (in 2008, it stood at around two murders per 100,000 people), but local media reports that crime has overall been increasing.
The police commissioner hopes to reduce the number of murders on the island this year by three per cent.

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