murder anniversary First and deputy first ministers ask to speak to Mauritius PM 10 years after Michaela McAreavey murder

The first and Deputy first Minister say they want to speak to the Prime Minister of Mauritius 10 years after Michaela McAreavey was found murdered in her hotel room on the island.

Tomorrow marks exactly a decade since 27-year-old Michaela, the daughter of Tyrone GAA manager Mickey Harte, and wife of Tullylish player John McAreavey, was found her murdered in the couple’s honeymoon suite in Grande Gaube by her husband.

In a joint statement, Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill said: "Our thoughts are very much with the Harte and McAreavey families as the 10th anniversary of Michaela's untimely death approaches.

"They have spent the past decade in unrelenting pursuit of truth and justice for Michaela. We support them in that effort and in the time ahead.

“We have written to the Prime Minister of Mauritius urging him to do all he can to bring those responsible for Michaela's death to justice, and we have recently requested a phone call with him at the earliest opportunity to stress the importance of this being acted upon."

Nobody has ever been brought to justice for Michaela's murder. Two hotel workers were put on trial for the murder in 2012, however they were found not guilty by a jury of nine.

A statement released on behalf of the McAreavey and Harte families read: "It is now 10 years since Michaela was murdered by two hotel employees whilst on her honeymoon in Mauritius. Although the men responsible for her murder were acquitted in 2012, we have never doubted their guilt due to the overwhelming evidence that was provided during the trial.

"Over the course of the past 10 years, whilst learning to live with the massive loss of Michaela in our lives, we have also had to endure sheer frustration in the face of multiple barefaced lies from the Mauritian authorities that justice will be served in this case. They have repeatedly provided us with false hope when, in reality, there has been little meaningful progress in this case, if any, since the acquittal in 2012."

The statement added: "Last year, letters requesting an update on this case were sent to the Mauritian government by the offices of The Executive Office of Northern Ireland and the Office of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney in September and November, respectively. No response has yet been received.

"This lack of respect for us as a bereaved family and for our country's diplomatic channels of communication speaks volumes about the Mauritian Government and, despite their public proclamations, their true feelings towards justice being delivered in this case.

"Ten years on, our determination to fight for justice for Michaela remains undiminished. It is the very least she deserves."

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Online Editors