Goa man, 31, gets life imprisonment for rape-murder of Irish tourist

The 28-year-old victim's body was found in a forested area in Canacona village of South Goa on March 14, 2017

A Goa court on Monday sentenced a 31-year-old resident Vikas Bhagat to rigorous life imprisonment for the rape and murder of an Irish-British tourist in 2017.

The court had on Friday pronounced the accused, Vikat Bhagat, guilty of raping and murdering the 28-year-old tourist.

The court had on Friday pronounced the accused guilty of raping and murdering the female tourist, whose body was found in a forested area in Canacona village of South Goa on March 14, 2017.

After the verdict on Friday, the victim’s family members also issued a media statement, which was read out by their representative.

“We, as Danielle’s family and friends, are so thankful to everyone involved in our fight for justice, they have treated her like their daughter and have tirelessly fought for her,” it said.

They were thankful that their hard work paid off, and Bhagat was found guilty of “taking Danielle from them”, the family said.

For the unversed, the 28-year-old victim's body was found in a forested area in South Goa in March 2017. Her body was found lying in a pool of blood, without clothes, with injuries to the head and face.

According to the Goa police's chargesheet, the victim, who hailed from Donegal in Northwest Ireland, was on a visit to Goa when the convict Bhagat befriended her.

He murdered her after spending an evening with her, the chargesheet added.

What's the court's verdict?

District and sessions judge Kshama Joshi on Monday sentenced Bhagat to rigorous life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹25,000 for the rape and murder and ₹10,000 for the destruction of evidence.

The convict will also undergo imprisonment of two years for destruction of evidence, with the court ruling that both sentences will run concurrently, said Vikram Varma, the lawyer representing the victim’s mother, Andrea Brannigan.

Police Inspector Philomena Costa, who investigated the case, said it was the meticulous probe that resulted in the conviction.

(With PTI inputs)