Goa court sentences man to life term for rape-murder of Irish-British woman

The court had pronounced the accused, Vikat Bhagat, guilty of raping and murdering the 28-year-old tourist, whose body was found in a forested area in Canacona village of South Goa on March 14, 2017

Panaji: A court in Goa on Monday sentenced a 31-year-old local resident to rigorous life imprisonment for the rape and murder of Irish-British national Danielle McLaughlin in 2017.

The court had on Friday pronounced the accused, Vikat Bhagat, guilty of raping and murdering the 28-year-old tourist, whose body was found in a forested area in Canacona village of South Goa on March 14, 2017.

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District and sessions judge Kshama Joshi on Monday sentenced Bhagat to rigorous life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 for the rape and murder and Rs 10,000 for the destruction of evidence.

The convict will also undergo imprisonment of two years for destruction of evidence, with the court ruling that both sentences will run concurrently, said Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing the victim’s mother, Andrea Brannigan.

After the verdict on Friday, the victim’s family members also issued a media statement, which was read out by their representative. “We, as Danielle’s family and friends, are so thankful to everyone involved in our fight for justice, they have treated her like their daughter and have tirelessly fought for her,” it said.

They were thankful that their hard work paid off, and Bhagat was found guilty of “taking Danielle from them”, the family said. Police Inspector Philomena Costa, who investigated the case, said it was the meticulous probe that resulted in the conviction.

He said he was extremely happy with the verdict. As per the chargesheet filed by the Goa police, McLaughlin, who hailed from Donegal in Northwest Ireland, was on a visit to Goa in March 2017 when Bhagat befriended her.

He murdered her after spending an evening with her. McLaughin was struck with a stone, which resulted in her death, it said. Her body was found lying in a pool of blood, without clothes, with injuries to the head and face.