PANAJI: A court in Goa on Monday sentenced a 31-year-old local resident to rigorous life imprisonment for the rape and murder of Irish-British national Danielle McLaughin in 2017.
The court had on Friday pronounced the accused, Vikat Bhagat, guilty of raping and murdering the 28-year-old tourist, whose body was found in a forested area in Canacona village of South Goa on March 14, 2017.
District and sessions judge Kshama Joshi on Monday sentenced Bhagat to rigorous life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 for the rape and murder and Rs 10,000 for the destruction of evidence.
The convict will also undergo imprisonment of two years for destruction of evidence, with the court ruling that both sentences will run concurrently, said Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing the victim's mother, Andrea Brannigan.
Forensic reports found that Ms McLaughlin was raped and her face smashed in with a beer bottle to frustrate efforts to identify her, lawyer Vikas Varma said.
'Nothing can compensate the loss of a child, but the sentence has diluted the grief of the family,' Varma said in a statement.
'It was a long battle of nearly eight years but justice has been done.'
The former Liverpool John Moores University student suffered cerebral damage and constriction of the neck, causing her death, Daily Mail reported.
After the verdict on Friday, the victim's family members also 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," it said.
"They were thankful that their hard work paid off, and Bhagat was found guilty of "taking Danielle from them," the family said.
According to The Guardian, her mother, Andrea Brannigan, and sister, Joleen McLaughlin, said in a statement issued by the family’s solicitor Desmond Doherty: “There was no other suspect or gang involved in Danielle’s death and Bhagat was solely responsible for cruelly ending her beautiful life.
“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.”
Her family said the trial had been very tiring but that they were glad it was over.
Police Inspector Philomena Costa, who investigated the case, said it was the meticulous probe that resulted in the conviction.
He said he was extremely happy with the verdict.
As per the chargesheet filed by the Goa police, McLaughin, who hailed from Donegal in Northwest Ireland, was on a visit to Goa in March 2017 when Bhagat befriended her.
He murdered her after spending an evening with her.
McLaughin was struck with a stone, which resulted in her death, it said.
Her body was found lying in a pool of blood, without clothes, with injuries to the head and face.
(With inputs from PTI.)
