Man jailed for life for rape and murder of Irish backpacker

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.

‘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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