Man found guilty of 2017 rape and murder of Irish woman at popular tourist resort in India: "Truth has finally been heard"
A court in India on Friday found a 31-year-old man guilty of raping and murdering an Irish woman at a popular tourist resort in 2017.
Vikat Bhagat was found guilty of the crime by Judge Kshama Joshi at the District and Sessions Court in western Goa state. Joshi said she will pronounce sentencing on Monday.
The body of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin was found by a farmer on a beach popular with tourists in the western state of Goa in March 2017. An autopsy showed that cerebral damage and constriction of the neck caused her death.
Usually, rape victims cannot be named under Indian law. In this case, the victim's family spoke to the media to raise awareness of her case. The crime highlighted persistent violence against women in India despite tougher laws against sexual assault imposed after the 2012 death of a young woman who was gang-raped on a bus in New Delhi.
In a statement afterwards, Danielle's mother Andrea Brannigan and her sister Joleen McLaughlin Brannigan said justice "has finally been achieved," the BBC reported.
"There was no other suspect or gang involved in Danielle's death and Bhagat was solely responsible for cruelly ending her beautiful life," they said.
A separate statement posted on behalf of the family on the "Truth For Danielle McLaughlin" Facebook page said her "truth has finally been heard."
"We have lost nearly 8 years of our lives fighting for Danielle and we are so thankful that we now can start grieving her immeasurable loss. She was so much more than a daughter, sister and best friend. She lit up every room she entered and touch the lives of all who met her. She brought so much good into this world and he so quickly took her from this world with his cruelty," the statement said.
Ireland's foreign ministry in a statement on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris paid tribute to McLaughlin's family, in particular to her mother, "for her determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy."
"While nothing can ease the pain of their loss, I hope that this verdict represents some closure for the family. My thoughts will remain with them as they continue to grieve the loss of their beloved daughter and sister. May Danielle rest in peace," the statement said.
Goa is a popular backpacking destination in India. Millions of tourists visit its numerous beach resorts every year.
McLaughlin was a Liverpool John Moores University student who had been staying in a beach hut with an Australian friend before her death, the BBC reported. The pair had been celebrating Holi, a Hindu festival, in a nearby village. She left the village at night and her body was found the next day.
Many cases of crimes against women go unreported in India due to the stigma surrounding sexual violence, as well as a lack of faith in the police. Women's rights activists say the problem is particularly acute in rural areas, where the community sometimes shames victims of sexual assault and families worry about their social standing.
Activists say new sentencing requirements haven't deterred rapes and the number of recorded rape cases has increased. In 2022, police recorded 31,516 reports of rape - a 20% jump from 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
