A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of Co Donegal backpacker Danielle McLaughlin in 2017. Vikat Bhagat (31) was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa on Friday. Prosecutors had asked that he face the death penalty. “Today the court has given the final verdict, life imprisonment to the accused,” investigating officer Filomeno Costa told the ANI news agency. “Nothing can compensate the loss of a child, but the sentence has diluted the grief of the family,” Vikas Varma, a lawyer for the McLaughlin family, said in a statement. “It was a long battle of nearly eight years but justice has been done.”
A Tragic Loss and a Long-Awaited Verdict
Ms McLaughlin (28), from Buncrana, had travelled to Canacona, an area of Goa popular with holidaymakers, in March 2017 with a female friend from Australia. They had been out celebrating Holi, a Hindu festival, at a nearby village on the day Ms McLaughlin died. Her body was found the next day by a farmer in a remote field. A postmortem found cerebral damage and constriction of the neck had caused the death of the former Liverpool John Moores University student. Bhagat was arrested within hours of the discovery and confessed immediately to the killing, but his trial took eight years to conclude.
Speaking to The Irish Times from Goa following Friday’s court hearing, Ms McLaughlin’s sister, Joleen McLaughlin Brannigan, said she had “no emotions whatsoever” for Bhagat. She said all the family “care about is that justice was served today” given they had lost so many years awaiting a verdict. “The whole process was frustrating. We never knew what was going to happen. It was overwhelming, but we are glad we got to this stage,” she said. When asked if she believed Bhagat should face the death penalty, Ms McLaughlin Brannigan replied: “It’s up to the judge at the end of the day. We are just glad that he was found guilty. We are just glad that he will face the consequences of his actions.”
She praised the British and Irish embassies for their roles in the case. Danielle had travelled to India on a British passport. “Since we have arrived in Goa, they have been with us every step of the way. They were in court with us, they prepared us for the media. They have helped us with any questions we had to ask,” she said of the embassies. Staff from the embassies also accompanied the family to the site in Goa where Danielle was murdered.
Legal Reforms and Ongoing Challenges
India tightened laws on rape and set up fast-track special courts after the brutal 2012 gang-rape of a young woman in a Delhi bus and her murder shocked the country. However, Reuters investigations last year showed India had slashed its targeted number of such courts to 790 by 2026, from 2,600 projected earlier. – Additional reporting: Reuters.
The tragic case of Danielle McLaughlin, a young woman full of life and adventure, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of justice and the long road to closure for families of victims. The legal proceedings, while finally bringing a sense of resolution, also shed light on the challenges within the justice system and the ongoing efforts needed to ensure that similar cases are swiftly and effectively addressed. The support of diplomatic missions in such cases exemplifies the crucial role of international cooperation in delivering justice and support to those affected by heinous crimes. As the McLaughlin family navigates the aftermath of this harrowing ordeal, their resilience and determination stand as a testament to the enduring pursuit of justice in the face of tragedy.
