Donegal backpacker Danielle McLoughlin was found dead in Goa in 2017.
Danielle McLaughlin from Buncrana in County Donegal had travelled to India in February of 2017. Just two weeks later, her body was found in a field in Goa, close to where she had been staying in a beach hut. The 28-year-old had been raped before being killed.
After a protracted legal process, Vikat Bhagat (31) was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in Goa, India, today.
In a statement, Danielle's family say justice has finally been achieved.
Family solicitor Desmond Doherty issued a statement on behalf of her mother and sister 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.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris has paid tribute to Danielle's family and says he hopes the verdict represents some closure for them:
