Man tells of finding his bride’s body

A WIDOWER broke down in court yestserday as he described the moment he found his new bride strangled in their hotel room in Mauritius.

John McAreavey also revealed that police handcuffed him and left him alone for more than five hours in the wake of his wife Michaela’s murder, with one officer telling him: “What are you crying about? You’re young, you’ll get another wife.”

The accountant, from Co Down, Northern Ireland, said his life ended when his “wonderful, wonderful” wife died on their honeymoon.

Giving evidence at the trial of the two hotel workers accused of murdering the 27-year-old teacher, Mr McAreavey said he fell to his knees and prayed after trying desperately to revive her.

“Michaela was cold,” he said, his voice halting. “And her lips were blue and I kept on just saying ‘Michaela, Michaela, wake up, come on, come on’.

“Then I could see this mark on her neck. I didn’t know what was going on. I was grabbing her and trying to press on her chest and trying to attempt CPR. I don’t even know CPR.

“I was just holding her in my arms, telling her to come on, just to wake up.”

Mr McAreavey is appearing as a prosecution witness in the case at the Supreme Court in the island’s capital, Port Louis.

Mrs McAreavey, the daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football boss Mickey Harte, was found strangled in her room at the Legends Hotel last January, just two weeks after her wedding in Northern Ireland.

The prosecution claims that hotel employees Sandip Moneea and Avinash Treebhoowoon murdered her when she returned to the room and caught them stealing.

Mr McAreavey flew back to Mauritius ahead of the start of the trial last month, but was not able to be present at proceedings until he was called as a witness.

His sister Claire, father Brendan and brother-in-law Mark Harte watched his testimony from the public gallery.