GOA rape & murder of Irish National found guilty, sentence on Monday.

ARVIND TENGSE
PANAJI(GOA): A long wait for justice for Andrea Brannigan, the mother of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin, who was raped and murdered in March 2017 at Palolem beach in South Goa came to an end today as South Goa District Session Court today held Vikat Bahagat, a native of Canacona – Goa, guilty for the rape and murder of Irish Back Packer Danielle McLaughlin in March 2017, near Palolem Beach in Canacona Taluka.The case had shaken the state – the woman’s post-mortem had revealed that she died due to brain haemorrhage and constriction of the neck.
Danielle McLaughlin was found lying in a pool of blood without clothes with injuries to her head and face at an isolated stretch near the beach in March 2017. The victim, 28 (than), a dual British-Irish citizen, had come to Goa for holiday in February 2017. A former student of Liverpool John Moores University, she hailed from Buncrana in County Donegal in Ireland and had travelled to India on a British passport. The court convicted Bhagat under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender).
Canacona police arrested the accused Vikat Bhagat and a chargesheet was filed. The Margao District and Sessions Court had framed charges against Vikat Bhagat for raping and murdering Danielle and also for theft and destruction of evidence. Accused Vikat Bhagat pleaded not guilty and the trial began. The case was first investigated by PI Philomena Costa and than by PI Rajendra Parbhudesai. During the trial, the Prosecution had argued that Danielle had come to Canacona to celebrate the Holi festival.
During the trial, Prosecution had claimed the cctv footage and eyewitness testimony from a resort in Palolem, McLaughlin was seen in the company of Vikat Bhagat, a local criminal, whom she befriended in Goa. McLaughlin reportedly told a group of fellow Britons, whom she met at the same resort, that she had befriended Bhagat during a previous trip to Goa, according to eyewitness statements. The police had ruled out the possibility of multiple assailants.
After taking Danielle at an isolated place between Palolem & Agonda beach, Vikat Bhagat tried to force upon the victim. When Danielle rested Vikat Bhagat hit her on her head with a beer bottle, and that raped the badly injured Danielle and than strangulated her to death. Vikat also took the belongings of the Victim which were recovered by police on the instance of the accused Vikat Bhagat. The trial was in-camera, means no person other than the connected persons were allowed to remain present in the court. A post-mortem concluded that McLaughlin died due to brain hemorrhaged, constriction of the neck that she was raped before being murdered. Police charged Bhagat with murder, rape, robbery and destruction of evidence. Danielle was repatriated to Donegal following her death and was remembered at her funeral as someone who ‘made a huge impression on people’s lives’.
In 2021, Bhagat had approached the trial court for bail, citing his six and a half years of incarceration, the delayed trial, which was nowhere near conclusion, and the Covid pandemic. His petition was denied. In 2023, the high court directed the trial court to expedite the hearing, while noting that Bhagat himself was attempting to delay the trial.
The court observed that there were 14 reports of alleged misconduct by Bhagat during his incarceration, including threatening jailors, filing false complaints against them, threatening prosecution witnesses, misbehaving and being non-cooperative, assaulting a constable from the escorting party, refusing to appear for videoconferencing trials, smuggling drugs into prison, and involvement in gang wars within the prison, among others.
Daniells family had travelled to Goa to remain present for the court verdict. On prosecution side Public prosecutors Adv. Sanjay Samat, Adv. Devendra Korgaonkar while Adv. Arun Braz D’Sa defended the side for Vikat Bahagat. Adv. Vikram Verma was present on behalf of the victims family.