No DNA Evidence, Mauritius Court Hears

A trial into the death of a County Tyrone newly-wed has heard there were no DNA traces from the men accused of her murder found on her body or at the crime scene.

A forensic scientist told the court in Mauritius that the DNA of defendants Avinash Treebhoowoon and Sandip Moneea was absent from swabs taken from Michaela McAreavey's body and from the honeymoon suite where she was found dead.

Susan Woodroffe from Cellmark Forensic Services found no matches for either defendant or for one original suspect, Raj Theekoy.

But she did find DNA from another former suspect, Dassen Naraynen, on a key card for the room Mrs McAreavey (27) was sharing with John, her new husband.

Naraynen, like the two accused and suspect-turned-witness Theekoy, was working at Legends Hotel at the time.

Ms Woodroffe said there was "no specific indication" that any of the four men had "contributed to the results".

Genetic material from a fifth person was found on another sample, which could lead to all four men being ruled out as suspects.

Earlier, the police investigation came into question again as a police officer could not account for two and a half hours that lapsed between police arriving at Legends Hotel and Treebhoowoon making a statement in a local station.

A defence barrister said the journey should only have taken half an hour.

The officer under questioning fell silent, but later said he was questioning the accused during the lost two hours.

Treebhoowoon has claimed he was beaten up by police.

Treebhoowoon (30) and Moneea (42) deny murder.

The trial continues.

(NE/GK)