Michaela Harte murder accused makes police statement

Sandip Moneea, 41, Raj Theekoy, 33, and Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, have been charged over the killing

A lawyer for one of three men accused of the murder of Michaela McAreavey in Mauritius has said his client has made a statement to police.

Raj Theekoy, accused of conspiracy to murder, is said to have implicated two other men charged with murder.

Mrs McAreavey, 27, daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football boss Mickey Harte, was found dead in her hotel room on Monday.

Her body is expected to be flown back to Northern Ireland from Mauritius on Friday.

BBC NI reporter Mervyn Jess said that until now the probe had been focused on CCTV and hotel room key cards.

The two men accused of murder are 29-year-old Avinash Treebhoowoon and 41-year-old Sandip Moneea.

All three men have been remanded in police custody for a week and will return to court next Wednesday, when they are expected either to be formally charged or released.

'She is my life'

On Wednesday evening, a police chief in Mauritius told the Press Association that skin tissue found under the fingernails of Mrs McAreavey could prove crucial to the police case against the three men charged over her killing.

It is understood that Mrs McAreavey's family hope to repatriate her body by the weekend with a funeral early next week.

Mrs McAreavey's husband, John, whom she married on 30 December, has described her as "his rock".

Michaela Harte married John McAreavey on 30 December

He said their hopes, dreams and future were gone and he had been left heartbroken and totally devastated.

"I love my wife, very, very much and my world revolved around her.

"I can't describe in words how lost I feel as Michaela is not just the light of my life - she is my life," Mr McAreavey said.

It is expected that the funeral Mass for Michaela McAreavey will take place at the church where she was married - St Malachy's in Ballymacilroy, County Tyrone.