PANAJI, Feb 17: A Goa court sentenced a 31-year-old local man to life in prison for the rape and murder of Irish-British citizen Danielle McLaughlin in 2017.
On Friday, the court found Vikat Bhagat guilty of sexually assaulting and murdering the 28-year-old tourist, whose remains were discovered in a forested area of Canacona village, South Goa, on March 14, 2017.
District and sessions judge Kshama Joshi, on Monday, imposed a life sentence on Bhagat along with a fine of Rs 25,000 for the rape and murder, and an additional Rs 10,000 for tampering with evidence.
Bhagat will also serve a two-year sentence for the destruction of evidence, with the judge ordering that all sentences run concurrently, as stated by Vikram Varma, the legal representative for the victim’s mother, Andrea Brannigan.
After the verdict was announced on Friday, the victim’s family expressed their gratitude through a public statement read by their spokesperson.
“As Danielle’s family and friends, we are deeply thankful to everyone who participated in our quest for justice; they treated her like their own and fought tirelessly on her behalf,” the statement read.
They expressed their relief that their efforts resulted in Bhagat’s conviction for “taking Danielle away from us.”
Police Inspector Philomena Costa, who led the investigation, emphasized that the thorough nature of the inquiry was key to securing the conviction.
He expressed immense satisfaction with the court’s decision.
According to the chargesheet filed by the Goa police, McLaughlin, from Donegal in Northwest Ireland, was visiting Goa in March 2017 when she met Bhagat. He later murdered her after spending time with her.
She was reportedly struck with a stone, leading to her death.
Her body was found in a pool of blood, unclothed, with head and facial injuries. (PTI)
