Newspaper editor convicted of publishing honeymoon murder photos

Editor Imraan Hosany, of The Sunday Times in Mauritius, was convicted Wednesday of outrage to public and religious morality for publishing graphic photos of a woman murdered on her honeymoon.

Michaela McAreavey, a 27-year-old teacher, was murdered while on her honeymoon in Mauritius in January 2011.

The Sun Times published on July 15, 2012 a dozen photos showing the hotel room crime scene, Michaela's body and her injuries.

Hosany was arrested three days later.

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On Wednesday, magistrate Wendy Rangan called the editor's actions "a violation of human dignity" and said they were carried out "with a view to cater to morbid curiosity."

She said the publication of the photos was not justified by public interest, as Hosany had argued in his defense, and was motivated by "sensationalism and profit."

Michaela had been honeymooning with her husband, Gaelic footballer John McAreavey, when she was strangled to death in her room at the Legends Hotel in Mauritius. Her husband found her lying in the bathtub about a half an hour after she failed to return to the restaurant where he was waiting.

The daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, Michaela was buried in her wedding dress less than a month after her wedding.

The photos published in The Sun Times were taken for investigative purposes by a police photographer. Authorities insist they don't know how Hosany got his hands on them.