Goa murder: Danielle McLaughlin’s mother's 8-year wait for justice nears end
Danielle McLaughlin was found lying in a pool of blood without clothes with injuries to her head and face on an isolated stretch near the beach in March 2017
PANAJI: It’s been a long wait for justice for Andrea Brannigan, the mother of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin, who was raped and murdered in 2017 at Palolem beach in South Goa. The wait may soon end as a local Goa court is likely to deliver the final verdict in the case next week.
“I’m scared and nervous. The court decision isn’t mine to make, I just hope she gets justice,” Brannigan told HT, speaking over the phone from Ireland.
McLaughlin was found lying in a pool of blood without clothes with injuries to her head and face on an isolated stretch near the beach in March 2017.
The 28-year-old from Northwest Ireland’s Donegal had come to Goa in 2017 with a friend to celebrate Holi in the coastal village, Canacona, known for its popular beach Palolem. A former student of Liverpool John Moores University, McLaughlin was a dual citizen of Ireland and the United Kingdom. She travelled to India in February that year on a British passport.
According to video footage collected by the police 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.
A post-mortem concluded that McLaughlin died due to brain haemorrhage, constriction of the neck that she was raped before being murdered. Police charged Bhagat with murder, rape, robbery and destruction of evidence.
“The final arguments concluded today (Friday) and the matter is reserved for orders, which is expected on February 13 in the morning,” Vikram Varma, the advocate representing Danielle’s family said.
Verma said he’s hopeful of a positive verdict. “The investigating officer and the public prosecutor have done their best given the circumstances and the decision is ultimately up to the court, which has to examine the matter not only from a judicial point of view but also a technical point of view,” he added.
THE DELAYED TRIAL
For Brannigan (Danielle took her father’s surname), the trial felt never-ending. When the case was moved to the fast-track court, it was expected that the trial for her eldest daughter’s alleged killer, which began in August 2017, would conclude within two to three years—certainly not after eight years.
In 2021, Bhagat 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.
Bhagat pleaded not guilty in the case. According to the police investigating the case at the time, while he had “confessed” to the murder, he did not admit to raping the victim.
“I have tried to stay positive for Danielle that she will get justice. I have great support from family and friends. Danielle was all about family. She loved her little sisters and was so protective of them. She was a great friend, so kind and generous,” Brannigan said.
Danielle’s murder is one among the most high profile crimes against foreigners in Goa after the rape and killing of British teenager Scarlett Keeling as well as the unsolved murder of 22-year-old Finnish tourist Felix Dahl in 2015.