A court in India found a man, 31, guilty on Friday of murdering and raping an Irish woman in a popular tourist destination in 2017.
Vikat Bhagat has been found guilty by District and Sessions Court Judge Kshama Joshuai in the western Goa State. Joshi has said that she will announce the sentence on Monday.
A farmer found the body of Danielle McLaughlin, 28, on a popular beach in Goa. autopsy revealed that her death was caused by cerebral damage and constriction in the neck.
In India, a victim of rape is not allowed to be identified. The victim’s family made a media appearance to bring attention to her case. The crime revealed that violence is still being perpetrated against women, despite the tougher laws against sexual abuse imposed in India after a young woman was killed in 2012 when she was gang raped in a New Delhi bus.
The BBC reported that Danielle’s mother Andrea Brannigan, and her sister Joleen McCLaughlin Brannigan made a joint statement after the incident saying “justice has finally been served”.
They said that Bhagat alone was responsible for the cruel end of Danielle’s life.
The family posted a separate statement on Facebook’s “Truth for Danielle McLaughlin”, saying that her “truth had finally been heard.”
“We lost almost 8 years of our life fighting for Danielle, and we’re so grateful that we can now start to grieve her incomparable loss. She was more than just a sister, daughter and best friend. She was a light in every room and touched the lives of everyone who encountered her. “She brought so much goodness into this world, and he took her so quickly from this world by his cruelty,” said the statement.
In a statement issued on behalf of Simon Harris, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ireland’s Foreign Ministry paid tribute to McLaughlin and her family, notably her mother. “For her resilience in the face an unimaginable tragedy, her determination, and her will to survive,” it read.
“While this verdict will not ease their pain, I do hope it brings some closure to the family. I will continue to think of them and their family as they grieve for the loss of a beloved daughter and sister. “May Danielle rest peacefully,” said the statement.
Goa is one of the most popular backpacking destinations in India. Every year, millions of tourists flock to its many beach resorts.
The BBC reported that McLaughlin, a student at Liverpool John Moores University, had been in a beach house with an Australian friend just before she died. They had been celebrating Holi in a village nearby. She left the village in the evening and was found on the following day.
In India, many cases of crime against women are not reported due to the stigma associated with sexual violence and the lack of trust in the police. Women’s right activists claim that the problem is especially acute in rural areas where victims of sexual abuse are shamed by the community and their families are worried about their social standing.
According to activists, new sentencing guidelines have not deterred rapes. In fact, the number of reported rape cases is on the rise. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2022 police recorded 31,516 rape reports, a 20 percent increase from 2021.
