A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of Donegal woman Danielle McLaughlin in Canacona, India, in 2017.
Vikat Bhagat (31) was sentenced this morning after being found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa last Friday.
Ms McLaughlin, who was from Buncrana, had only been in India for two weeks when she was murdered in early 2017.
Her body was discovered by a farmer in a field in a remote location near Canacona, a part of Goa popular with tourists, on 14 March 2017.
She went there to attend Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colours.
The Donegal woman had turned 28 the month before her death and had been home for the celebrations.
Ms McLaughlin had previously spent time in India as a volunteer in an orphanage and was planning to learn to teach yoga while travelling.
Bhagat, who Ms McLaughlin knew, was arrested within hours of her body being discovered.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime on Friday, Ms McLaughlin’s mother said: “I’ve got justice, but it’ll never bring back my daughter.”
Andrea Brannigan said that the last time she spoke to Danielle was the day she was murdered.
“The day she passed away, she said, ‘I’m with my friend’ and the friend was the person that killed my daughter.
“She named him…she arrived here on the Sunday, 12 March. On the 13th, she wasn’t very happy with where she stayed
“She contacted the man who killed her and asked him for help to find somewhere to stay, and the rest, people know.”
Approaching eight years since Ms McLaughlin’s death, the wheels of the Indian justice system turned slowly.
Vikat Bhagat guilty of rape and murder of Danielle McLaughlin
Hearings sometimes lasted only 30 minutes on any given day, and on more than one occasion they were adjourned due to the unavailability of the suspect.
Bhagat was found guilty last Friday.
Danielle McLaughlin is buried in Buncrana. Her body was brought home to Donegal after her death, with the help of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
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