A former hotel security guard arrested by detectives investigating the murder of Michaela McAreavey has been remanded in custody on a theft charge linked to the honeymooners’ room.
The Mauritius Police Force said Dassen Narayanen, who worked at the Legends Hotel where the Irish teacher was killed in 2011, was brought before a court on Wednesday charged with conspiracy to commit larceny.
A lawyer for Narayanen has described the case against his client as “nonsense” said there was “nothing new” in the questions put to his client.
READ MORE: Michaela McAreavey: Police arrest former security guard at hotel where honeymooner was murdered
After Mrs McAreavey’s killing in 2011, Narayanen was initially charged with conspiracy to murder but that was later reduced to a larceny charge. The larceny charge was struck out in 2013.
Mrs McAreavey, 27, was strangled in her room at the hotel on January 10 2011.
The teacher, who had got married 10 days earlier, was attacked as she returned to her room alone and disturbed a burglary.
No-one has been convicted of murdering the daughter of former Tyrone Gaelic football manager, Mickey Harte.
Two former workers at the luxury resort, Sandip Moneea and Avinash Treebhoowoon, were acquitted of murder after a high-profile trial on the holiday island in summer 2012.
A court document from Wednesday's hearing shows that the charge against Narayanen specifically relates to conspiracy to steal from the room of Michaela McAreavey and her husband John at Legends Hotel.
The document states that Narayanen, 37, is charged with conspiring with another hotel employee to steal a magnetic key card to the room then occupied by the McAreaveys to commit larceny.
Meanwhile, Narayanen’s lawyer, Vikash Teeluckdharry, said his client was taken to court without his knowledge, resulting in him being unable to make a bail application.
“This was a blatant breach of procedure,” he said. Mr Teeluckdharry said he would be making a bail application next week.
Mrs McAreavey’s widower, John, has pursued a long campaign for justice and in 2017 offered a two million Mauritian rupee (€50,000) reward for information leading to a successful conviction.
Last year, a key prosecution witness in the original murder trial, Raj Theekoy, was found dead.
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