A MAN has been found guilty of the rape and murder of an Irish woman who was backpacking through India.
Danielle McLaughlin, 28, from Buncrana in Donegal, was found dead in 2017 after being brutally raped in a secluded spot popular with tourists in the western state of Goa – some 8,000km away.
Danielle McLaughlin was found murdered at an Indian beach resortPress Association Images
The tragic Donegal woman sadly passed away in 2017
She had only been in India for two weeks before her body was found in a field near Cacacona by a farmer a few days before St Patricks Day.
A post-mortem examination found brain damage and strangulation as the cause of death.
Vikat Bhagat, who was a friend of Danielle’s during the time she spent in India, was today found guilty of her murder and rape at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa.
The 31-year-old had been arrested by police within hours of Danielle’s body being discovered but the criminal proceedings faced many delays over the years.
The case was brought to court on more than 250 occasions with several lengthy delays and Bhagat was found guilty today – almost eight years since the young woman was killed.
Speaking to The Irish Sun last month Andrea Brannigan, Danielle’s mother, told how no family should have to wait so long for justice.
She said: “I still can’t believe we are in this nightmare after all this time and all we want is justice for my beautiful daughter.
“The whole process has been extremely slow and no family should have to wait this long for justice.”
The heartbroken mum also told how Danielle has “missed out on so much”.
She explained: “I recently became a grandmother and Danielle would have loved being an auntie.
“She has just missed out on so much and so many lives have been affected by such a senseless waste of life.
“My heart also goes out to my other girls who have all missed out on the love of a wonderful young woman.
“No child should ever have to experience the loss of their eldest sibling to such a brutal and disgusting crime.”
She still had so many more experiences to enjoy”.
Danielle’s mum
Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing Danielle’s mum Andrea, yesterday said: “She died a brutal death. We are hopeful that justice would be done.”
Final arguments in the murder trial should have been heard two weeks ago and Andrea had vowed to be in court when the verdict was read out.
However, she was informed last week that the end of the trial had once again been delayed, only to be updated on Sunday that final arguments would proceed today.
PLANS CUT SHORT
At the time of her barbaric murder, Danielle was studying to be a yoga teacher and had travelled to Goa with an Australian female friend where the pair stayed at a beach hut.
They had been celebrating Holi – a Hindu spring festival – at a nearby village.
And Danielle’s mum told us how the young woman had plans to keep on travelling – with Canada next on her bucket list.
Andrea said: “Danielle loved travelling and she still had so many more experiences to enjoy.
“It’s heartbreaking to think that someone could commit such an appalling level of violence on a wonderful human being.”
She added: “I’d also like to thank everyone who has supported us over the last number of years.”
Danielle had only been in India two weeks before she was killedCollect Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
