Man guilty of murder and rape of Irish backpacker after she left her beach hut in India
Eight years after an Irish backpacker was raped and murdered while travelling in India, a man has been found guilty.
28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin, 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.
Today, local man Vikat Bhagat was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa.
The pair 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.
A statement on a Facebook page dedicated to her posted: ‘Because of Vikat she will forever be 28. We will never see her smile or hear her laugh and we appreciate all that they have done for our campaign fighting for this outcome.
‘She was so much more than a daughter, sister and best friend. She lit up every room she entered and touched the lives of all who met her.’
An autopsy found Ms McLaughlin suffered cerebral damage and strangulation, which ultimately caused her death.
In a statement, 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.
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‘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.
What to do if you've been raped
If you have been the victim of rape, either recently or historically, and are looking for help, support is out there.
- If you have recently been raped and you are still at risk, ring 999 and ask for the police. Otherwise, the first step is to go somewhere you are safe.
- If you want to report your rape to the police, ring 999 or the police non-emergency line on 101. An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) will often be on hand to help you through reporting and even after you have made a statement, you can still decide to withdraw from the criminal justice process at any time.
- If you plan on going to the police, if possible, do not wash your clothes or shower, bathe or brush your teeth. If you do get changed, keep the clothes you were wearing in a plastic bag. These steps will help to preserve any DNA evidence your attacker may have left on your body or clothes.
- If you don’t want to contact the police, Rape Crisis suggest talking to someone you trust about what has happened; or you can ring one of the UK’s many rape and sexual assault helplines.
- Anyone aged 16+ can contact Rape Crisis's 24/7 Support Line by calling 0808 500 2222 or starting an online chat.
- If you have been injured, you’re best advised to go to your nearest A&E to seek medical treatment. If you are uninjured, you can go to your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). The NHS has information on where to find your nearest centre here.
- If your rape is historic, you can still access support, including from the police – there is no time limit on reporting and your account can still be used as evidence.
Read more here.
‘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.’
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Killed Women is an organisation and network for the bereaved families of women who were killed by men, and they're campaigning for change.
Killed Women want to change the perception that these deaths and injustices are unavoidable tragedies to be expected and accepted. They're campaigning to:
- Help protect more women from these most extreme forms of violence
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If you are a bereaved relative of a woman who has been killed by a man, you can reach out to Killed Women on info@killedwomen.org. To find out more about the organisation, click here.
The pair said the quest for justice was ‘no easy matter, as we have discovered’, adding: ‘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.
‘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.
‘While nothing can ease the pain of their loss, I hope that this verdict represents some closure for the family,’ Simon Harris said.
‘My thoughts will remain with them as they continue to grieve the loss of their beloved daughter and sister. May Danielle rest in peace.’
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