A MAN HAS been found guilty of the rape and murder of a Donegal woman in India this morning, almost eight years after he was charged. 

Local man, 31-year-old Vikat Bhagat, was found guilty of raping and murdering Danielle McLaughlin on 14 March 2017. 

Danielle McLaughlin, from Buncrana in Co Donegal, was found dead in a secluded spot in Canacona, an area of Goa popular with holidaymakers, in March 2017.

The judgement was delivered at the Margao District and Sessions Court in Goa today. A verdict had been expected yesterday but was postponed. 

The victim had travelled to Goa with an Australian female friend and the pair were staying in a beach hut.

They had been celebrating Holi – a Hindu spring festival – at a nearby village.

Local media reported at the time that the former Liverpool John Moores University student was discovered unclothed and that she had marks on her head and face.

Danielle was the eldest of five daughters.

In a statement, the mother and a sister of Danielle McLaughlin said justice has “finally been achieved”.

Family solicitor Desmond Doherty issued a statement on behalf of Ms McLaughlin’s mother Andrea Brannigan and sister Joleen McLaughlin Brannigan, which said: “There was no other suspect or gang involved in Danielle’s death and (Vikat) 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 in Buncrana, County Donegal.

“We are content now with the judicial confirmation in public of what we
already sadly knew. What further legal processes now take place we will observe.

“We are grateful to the court for allowing us, as is our right under the Indian legal system, representation at the trial.

“We wish to thank our lawyer in Goa, Mr Vikram Varma for attending to
all that for us.

“We are also grateful to our lawyer back home, Desmond Doherty, who worked closely with Vikram in explaining to us the trial process and events at the trial.

“Without this joint legal representation we had, we would have been lost in the process. This was an eight-year murder trial that has been very tiring. We are glad it is over.”

They also said the quest for truth and justice is “no easy matter, as we have discovered”.

“In memory of Danielle, we stayed patient and respectful of the Indian legal system with the aid also of the British and Irish consular staff,” they said in the statement following the conviction of a man for killing the Irish backpacker.

“We are glad to have visited the area where Danielle spent her last days on this earth, painful and difficult as that was.

“We now hope not only that Danielle can rest in peace, but that we as a family can have some peace and comfort knowing that the person who brutally raped and murdered our precious Danielle has been convicted.”

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affair Simon Harris has paid tribute to Danielle’s family, “and in particular, to her mother Andrea for her determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy”.

Harris said that his department, in partnership with the UK, “has been consistently engaged on this case”.

“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.” 

With reporting from Press Association