Panaji: The District and Sessions Court on Friday convicted a 31-year-old man for the rape and murder of Irish-British national Danielle McLaughlin in 2017.
Judge Kshama Joshi of the District and Sessions Court at Margao town in South Goa found local resident Vikat Bhagat, the lone accused, guilty of the twin offences, said Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing Andrea Brannigan, the mother of the deceased.
The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Monday (February 17), he said.
He added that the public prosecutor representing the state has demanded the maximum sentence for the accused.
The case had come up for hearing on Thursday before the Judge for the final verdict, during which she postponed the case to Friday at 2 pm.
The victim was found dead in a forested area of Canacona village in South Goa on March 14, 2017, after which police had chargesheeted a local youth in connection with the crime.
The accused is currently imprisoned at Central Jail, Colvale, in North Goa.
The accused joined the hearing on Thursday through video conferencing.
Andrea Brannigan, the mother of the accused, is in Goa to witness the final verdict.
In a statement released here, the British High Commission said, “Our thoughts are with the family today. We continue to provide support as required.”
After the verdict was pronounced, the family members of the victim issued a media statement, which was read out by their representative.
“We, as Danielle’s family and friends, are so thankful to everyone involved in our fight for justice. They have treated her like their daughter and have tirelessly fought for her,” the statement reads.
The family members said that they are so thankful that their hard work has paid off and that Vikat has been found guilty of taking Danielle from them. “We have lost nearly eight years of our lives fighting for Danielle, and we are so thankful that we can now start grieving her immeasurable loss,” the family said.
The statement mentioned that the victim made the most of her 28 years and lived every day to the fullest.
“She was so kind and was always so happy. She didn’t deserve what he put her through. We are so grateful to have been able to be here for the verdict and to see the Goa that Danielle loved so much,” the family said.
As per the chargesheet filed by Goa police, McLaughlin, 28, who hailed from Donegal in Northwest Ireland, was on a visit to Goa in 2017 when Bhagat, a local she befriended during her stay, allegedly murdered her after spending the evening with her.
The police investigation revealed that Danielle was reportedly struck with a stone, resulting in her death.
The woman’s body was found in a pool of blood without clothes, and there were injuries to her head and face, the chargesheet mentions.
