Just married ... Michaela and John McAreavey were on their honeymoon on the paradise island. But the trial heard claims that one of the men had been beaten into a confession, while the other was on the phone to his sister at the time the murder took place. No DNA evidence was found linking either men to the victim. A litany of other allegations were levelled over the basic competence of the investigation and the officers who carried it out, with the testimony of successive policemen seized upon by defence lawyers as evidence of a mismanaged, insensitive and unprofessional inquiry. Amid chaotic scenes in the courtroom, Mr Treebhoowoon, a 32-year-old room cleaner, and Mr Moneea, his 43-year-old supervisor, both native Creoles with little formal education, broke down in tears and hugged their families. Outside, their defence lawyers were carried aloft and mobbed by jubilant crowds shouting "justice! justice!". Having served 18 months in prison already, both defendants are likely to seek compensation. The not guilty verdicts, however, brought further heartache for the McAreavey family, who left court with their faces expressionless. They were accompanied by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and were driven away in a government car.

Widower ... John McAreavey outside court during the trial. Credit:AFP Mrs McAreavey's brother Mark Harte, her widower, his sister Claire and father Brendan had sat through weeks of harrowing evidence. In a statement they said: "After waiting 18 months in search of justice for Michaela and following the endurance of seven harrowing weeks of this trial, there are no words, which can describe the sense of devastation and desolation now felt by both families." The two families made no public criticism of police or the local authorities last night, instead saying they would keep their counsel until their return to Ireland, expected to be in the coming days. Not guilty ... Hotel worker Avinash Treebhowoon. Credit:AFP However, the Mauritius police unit that investigated the murder is likely to face severe criticism for the flaws in an inquiry which could mean that Mrs McAreavey's killers will never face justice.

The unit could even be disbanded as a result of the case, which was hamstrung by a lack of forensic evidence and poor detective work from the start. Cleared ... Sandip Mooneea, centre, denied murdering Michaela McAreavey. Credit:AFP After waiting 18 months in search of justice for Michaela... there are no words, which can describe the sense of devastation and desolation now felt by both families. The first person arrested by police following the discovery of Mrs McAreavey's body was her husband, who was put in a cell, strip searched, handcuffed and left alone for five hours. As he wept in the presence of one officer, he was asked: "What are you crying about? You're young - you'll get another wife." Under pressure, police then arrested five members of staff from the hotel. Three days later, Mr Treebhoowoon and Mr Moneea were charged with murder on the basis of a "confession" by the former who said they had strangled Mrs McAreavey "to keep her quiet".

Heartache ... Michaela McAreavey had gone to her hotel room to fetch biscuits. In court Mr Treebhoowoon retracted his confession, saying he only made it after days of police torture in which he was repeatedly slapped, kicked, stripped naked and plunged in a bucket of water until he vomited blood. Mr Moneea insisted that he had been on the telephone to his sister at the time of Mrs McAreavey's murder, a claim that was borne out by mobile phone records. The court also heard how blundering detectives allowed other hotel guests and staff to trample over the crime scene hours after the murder, and their own officers did not wear anti-contamination suits as they worked in the room. They neglected to interview key witnesses, including a German couple who claimed to have seen a man loitering outside the room, and failed to find a shred of forensic evidence to link their suspects to the case.

They never tested Mrs McAreavey's purse for fingerprints, despite having a confession from Mr Treebhoowoon that he had killed her after rifling through it. Four fingerprints that were found at the scene were never identified, and a hotel guest who left by taxi the night Mrs McAreavey died was never traced. During the trial, Mrs McAreavey's family was left visibly distressed as lawyers played up to the crowds in the public gallery. One barrister, Ravi Rutnah, sought laughs from his audience with phrases such as "we will rock and roll those points later" before quitting the case and telling the jury: "I will be back in Arnold Schwarzenegger style." Defence lawyers also produced CCTV footage which, they claimed, showed Mr and Mrs McAreavey arguing in the hotel reception around the time she died. Within 24 hours, the media tracked down a German chef who confirmed that the footage featured him and his girlfriend. He said he had never been spoken to by police investigating the case.

While Mr McAreavey and his companions prepare to fly home, his wife's parents, Mickey and Marian, and three brothers, will be coming to terms with the news at their home in Ballygawley, on the Northern Irish border. Outside court, Mr Treebhoowoon said he was sympathetic to their plight. "I'm so sad about this lady," he said. "But I did not kill this lady." One of the other men initially arrested, Raj Theekoy, a cleaner, escaped a conspiracy to murder charge after he turned state witness, telling the court last month that he had seen the two defendants outside Mrs McAreavey's room. Another, a hotel security guard, escaped the same charge and now faces trial for widespread theft from guest's rooms. The third, another security guard, is suing the police for wrongful arrest. - The Telegraph, London