Man convicted of murder and rape of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin in Goa

By Cate McCurry (PA)

A man has been found guilty in India of the rape and murder of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin in 2017, her family’s solicitor has said.

Local man Vikat Bhagat was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa on Friday.

Ms McLaughlin, from Buncrana in Co Donegal, was found dead in a secluded spot in Canacona, an area of Goa popular with holidaymakers, in March 2017.

The 28-year-old had travelled to Goa with a female Australian friend, and the pair were staying in a beach hut.

They had been celebrating Holi – a Hindu spring festival – at a nearby village.

Ms McLaughlin’s body was found the next day by a farmer in a field in a remote location.

A post-mortem examination showed the former Liverpool John Moores University student suffered cerebral damage and constriction of the neck, causing her death.

In a statement, her mother and sister said justice has “finally been achieved”.

Her mother Andrea Brannigan and sister Joleen McLaughlin Brannigan said in a statement issued by family solicitor Desmond Doherty: “There was no other suspect or gang involved in Danielle’s death and (Vikat) Bhagat was solely responsible for cruelly ending her beautiful life.

“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.

“We are content now with the judicial confirmation in public of what we already sadly knew. What further legal processes now take place we will observe.

“We are grateful to the court for allowing us, as is our right under the Indian legal system, representation at the trial.

“We wish to thank our lawyer in Goa, Mr Vikram Varma for attending to all that for us.

“We are also grateful to our lawyer back home, Desmond Doherty, who worked closely with Vikram in explaining to us the trial process and events at the trial.

“Without this joint legal representation we had, we would have been lost in the process. This was an eight-year murder trial that has been very tiring. We are glad it is over.”

Ms Brannigan and Ms McLaughlin Brannigan also said the quest for truth and justice is “no easy matter, as we have discovered”.

“In memory of Danielle, we stayed patient and respectful of the Indian legal system with the aid also of the British and Irish consular staff,” they added.

“We are glad to have visited the area where Danielle spent her last days on this earth, painful and difficult as that was.

“We now hope not only that Danielle can rest in peace, but that we as a family can have some peace and comfort knowing that the person who brutally raped and murdered our precious Danielle has been convicted.”

The Irish deputy premier has paid tribute to Ms McLaughlin’s family.

Simon Harris said: “I have been made aware of the guilty verdict issued in the murder trial concerning Danielle McLaughlin, who was killed while travelling in India in 2018.

“I would like to pay tribute to Danielle’s family and, in particular, to her mother Andrea for her determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

“In partnership with the UK, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – through the Embassy in New Delhi, consulate general in Mumbai and consular assistance unit in Dublin – has been consistently engaged on this case to seek progress towards a conclusion to the court case.

“While nothing can ease the pain of their loss, I hope that this verdict represents some closure for the family.

“My thoughts will remain with them as they continue to grieve the loss of their beloved daughter and sister. May Danielle rest in peace.”

Danielle McLaughlin. Vikat Bhagat has been found guilty in India of the rape and murder of the Irish backpacker in 2017