Michaela McAreavey video: seven referred to prosecutors

Seven people have been referred to prosecutors following an online video mocking the murder of Michaela McAreavey.

The footage was filmed in an Orange Hall in Belfast and showed several men singing a song about the death of the 27-year-old, who was murdered whilst on her honeymoon in Mauritius in 2011.

One man was arrested and six were interviewed as part of a PSNI probe into the video.

“Our investigation is now complete,” said Detective Chief Inspector Dunny McCubbin.

“We interviewed six men aged 54, 51, 35, 25, 22 and 21 years old who attended voluntarily for interview.

“One man aged 32 year old was arrested in relation to the investigation and subsequently released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

“A file has been submitted to the Public Prosecution Service in relation to the investigation.”

When it surfaced on social media last year, the video prompted widespread condemnation across Northern Ireland and beyond.

Following its surfacing, the Orange Order branded the video “abhorrent” and launched its own investigation.

Having labelled it an “internal manner,” they declined to share details on the outcome of the investigation.

“Disciplinary processes are an internal matter for the institution, and no further comment will be made,” said a spokesperson for the Orange Order.

Following the incident, three men apologised for their involvement and resigned from the Orange Order last June.

Mrs McAreavey – daughter of GAA football manager Mickey Harte – was strangled by a burglar in her hotel room just 10 days after she married her husband John in January 2011.

No one has since been convicted of her murder.