A man who raped and murdered an Irish woman who was travelling in India has been sentenced to life in prison.
Danielle McLaughlin, 28, from Buncrana in County Donegal, was travelling with a female Australian friend when her body was found in a secluded spot in Canacona, an area of Goa popular with holidaymakers.
Vikat Bhagat was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa, India, on Friday, and sentenced to life after prosecutors asked for the death sentence.
Ms McLaughlin and her friend had been staying in a beach hut to celebrate Holi – a Hindu spring festival – at a nearby village. The day after the celebration, a farmer found Ms McLaughlin’s body in a remote field.
In a statement released on Friday after Bhagat was found guilty, her mother and sister said after eight years, justice has ‘finally been achieved’.
Her mother Andrea Brannigan and sister Joleen McLaughlin Brannigan said in a statement: ‘There was no other suspect or gang involved in Danielle’s death and (Vikat) Bhagat was solely responsible for cruelly ending her beautiful life.
Learn more about Killed Women
Killed Women is an organisation and network for the bereaved families of women who were killed by men, and they’re campaigning for change.
Killed Women want to change the perception that these deaths and injustices are unavoidable tragedies to be expected and accepted. They’re campaigning to:
- Help protect more women from these most extreme forms of violence
- Get justice for those who have lost their lives at the hands of men
- Improve the support and rights of the bereaved families left behind, especially for children
If you are a bereaved relative of a woman who has been killed by a man, you can reach out to Killed Women on [email protected]. To find out more about the organisation, click here.
‘We have endured what has been effectively an eight-year murder trial with many delays and problems, right until the end, all taking place thousands of miles away from Danielle’s home in Buncrana, County Donegal.’
Bhagat received another life sentence for rape and a three-year sentence for destroying evidence.
Ms McLaughlin’s family have been vocal throughout their ordeal to bring up her name and experience – which is rare, given most rape victims in India are not named to prevent them from being shunned.
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