A Mauritius hotel worker has told a murder trial of the moment he heard Michaela McAreavey scream out in pain as her life was taken from her.

Key witness Rak Theekoy has told the Port Louis court, currently trying two men of honeymoon bride Michaela’s murder, how she screamed in her room at the Legends Hotel on the island.

Theekoy said on oath that he saw Sandip Moneea (42) and Avinash Treebhoowoon (31) – the two men accused of the murder - coming from the direction of Michaela’s room shortly afterwards.

He said in court on Monday morning: “I started hearing a woman screaming three times, aghh. She was screaming in pain.”

When asked by State prosecutor Mehdi Manrakhan if he was sure, Theekoy said yes and imitated the cry to a silent court.

He told the judge that he was scared and initially thought a husband and wife were having a fight before he saw the two defendants emerge from the direction of the room.

The two accused deny strangling Michaela, daughter of Tyrone football boss Mickey Harte, in the hotel last year.

Theekoy also said he and the two defendants were among employees who went to the scene of the crime after the body was discovered.

He added: “I went to room 1025, the door was open, I saw the dead body of the lady.

“Her husband John was in a distressed state: He was crying and said, please save my wife.”

Now the key state witness in the case, Theekoy was originally arrested as a suspect in the case and subsequently charged with conspiracy to murder.

The charge has since been dropped and he has been granted immunity from prosecution.

Theekoy also claims that a short time before the murder, he was cleaning another room when the two defendants walked in.

He has told the court that Treebhoowoon told Moneea that a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign was still hanging outside Michaela’s room. The room attendant told police that Mr Moneea then called the room to see if there was an answer.