Janice Farman, was killed in front of her ten-year-old adopted son Gavin in Mauritius
An alleged killer ‘cracked under the pressure of interrogation’ and implicated himself and two accomplices in the murder of a British woman who was smothered in front of her adopted son.
Janice Farman, originally from Clydebank in Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was killed in front of her ten-year-old adopted son Gavin at her home in Albion, a known crime blackspot in Mauritius.
The killing of the 47-year-old last July sparked a manhunt on the Indian Ocean island, leading to the arrest of three men.
Ravish Rao Fakhoo and Kamlesh Mansingh, both 25, and 18-year-old Hanish Soonea are awaiting trial for the crime.
It is claimed they provided details of the attack during extensive interrogations.
Information leaked to the Scottish Daily Mail this week indicates that Fakhoo ‘cracked under the pressure of interrogation’ and implicated all three within a week of the attack.
All denied any involvement but later owned up to crucial details, while not formally pleading guilty to murder.
Ms Farman knew Mansingh so well that he had her bank PIN number. She had also helped him to organise a £6,000 loan, it has emerged.
He said he and the two others wore balaclavas and robbed Ms Farman because they thought she would be a soft target as she was making plans to return to Scotland.
Ms Farman was murdered at her home (pictured) in Albion, a known crime blackspot on the Indian Ocean island
An investigating source said: ‘Fakhoo placed everyone at the scene, making it clear he was just there to help without actually killing anyone.’
Hearing he had been accused by Fakhoo and Soonea, Mansingh admitted being ‘the brains behind the scam’, it is claimed.
Gavin was the only witness to the incident. He called a friend of his mother’s in the town of Vacoas, alerting police once the robbers had fled.
When officers arrived at the scene of the crime, they found Mrs Farman lying on her back, with traces of blood on her mouth.
A post-mortem examination showed she had died from asphyxiation caused by compression of the neck.
It is claimed the trio turned up close to midnight at her home. Mansingh told police in recorded interviews with an examining magistrate: ‘We went to the lady’s house with the intention of stealing, but she recognised one of us.
‘I told my friends we had to kill her so she would not report us. Not knowing what to do after finding that she had died, we decided to fabricate a crime scene that needed running away from.
‘We turned the house upside down, stole some items then took Janice Farman’s car.’
They took cash, jewellery and Gavin’s PlayStation before driving away in Mrs Farman’s Nissan Tiida, later found abandoned at the side of a road.
The killing of the 47-year-old last July sparked a manhunt, leading to the arrest of Ravish Rao Fakhoo and Kamlesh Mansingh, both 25, and 18-year-old Hanish Soonea
Mansingh knew the victim well as they had worked together in the same firm and he often visited her in Albion.
He told investigators: ‘We had developed strong bonds to the point where she had entrusted me with her PIN code to make cash withdrawals.’
Mrs Farman had also helped set up a loan for Mansingh of 300,000 Mauritanian rupees (£6,600).
She was boss of PECS (Mauritius), a private data services company, and so kept in contact with numerous banks and other financial institutions.
Fakhoo told a magistrate in a separate interview while in custody: ‘Kamlesh had it in his head that he had to go to steal from his friend Janice Farman at all costs.
‘We took the precaution of wearing balaclavas so as not to be recognised. I only went into the house to help my accomplices take the booty.’
Sooneea acknowledges taking part in robbery but denies murder.
A spokesman for prosecutors in Port-Louis, the capital, said the trial of the defendants in the Farman case was likely to take place ‘later this year, or in early 2019’.