Man sentenced to life imprisonment for murder

A man who was found guilty of raping and murdering a 28-year-old Irishwoman who was backpacking in India has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Danielle McLaughlin, from County Donegal, was found dead in a field in the western state of Goa in March 2017.

Vikat Bhagat was convicted at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa, India, on Friday.

Prosecutors involved in the case had asked for Bhagat to be sentenced to death.

On Monday, the District and Sessions Court, in South Goa, Margao, sentenced Bhagat to “rigorous” life imprisonment for murder.

He also received a second life term for rape, and three years for destroying evidence. All the sentences will run concurrently.

Speaking to the media, defence counsel for Bhagat, Adv Franco, said his client would be appealing the conviction and sentence.

Vikram Verma, who assisted the prosecution during the trial, said: “It was a difficult task for the prosecution to put together all the circumstantial evidence to convince the court beyond reasonable doubt about this conviction.”

He added that “today their hard work” was recognized.

The investigating officer described it as a “very sensitive case”. Insp Filomina Costa added: “The verdict today is quite satisfactory.”

Rape victims cannot usually be named under Indian law.

Their identities are often hidden in a bid to protect them from being shunned in society.

However, throughout their long campaign for justice, Ms McLaughlin’s family have spoken to the media to raise awareness of her case.

Reacting to sentencing on Monday, Danielle McLaughlin’s family solicitor, Des Doherty, said it had been “a very difficult process over many years” to get to this point.

“For Andrea, [Danielle’s mother] the road to truth and justice has been a very long and very difficult one,” Mr Doherty told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme.

“She has had a lot of help and assistance from both the British and Irish consulate staff, as well as Mr Verma.

Mr Doherty said that despite the length of time the case had taken, Danielle’s mother was thankful she was heavily involved in the legal process.

He said she had “achieved what she set out to achieve” and described the outcome as “a real success”.

“Andrea stayed with the Indian legal process, difficult as it was, and that has now worked in her favour.”

Danielle’s mother and sister travelled to Goa for the conclusion of the case.

Reacting to the conviction, Andrea Brannigan said she was “glad and relieved” that the case was over.

“I lost my eldest daughter, she was stolen from us, she was stolen from her sisters and friends,” she said.

“She was also stolen the opportunity of becoming a mother herself.”

Ms Brannigan said her daughter would always be remembered for her “spirit, kindness and laugh”.

Ms McLaughlin grew up in Buncrana and later attended Liverpool John Moores University.

She travelled to India in February 2017, two weeks before she was murdered.

She was staying in a beach hut with an Australian friend and they went to a nearby village to celebrate Holi, a Hindu festival.

Ms McLaughlin left the village on the night before she was found dead.

Her body was discovered the next day by a local farmer in a field.

A post-mortem examination found that the cause of her death was brain damage and strangulation.

The Newry-based charity, the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, assisted her family to take her remains back to the Republic of Ireland.

She is buried in her hometown of Buncrana.