Man found guilty of rape and murder of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin in India

Vikat Bhagat has been found guilty in India of the rape and murder of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin in 2017.

Local man Vikat Bhagat was found guilty at the District and Sessions Court in south Goa on Friday.

Ms McLaughlin, 28, from Buncrana in Co Donegal, was found dead in a secluded spot in Canacona, an area of Goa popular with holidaymakers, in March 2017.

She was in Goa celebrating the Hindu Holi festival — the festival of colours, which symbolises the triumph of good over evil, light over dark — with friends on March 13, 2017.

Her bloodied body was found in a field in southern Goa on March 14.

Ms McLaughlin's mother, Andrea Brannigan, has been fighting for justice for her daughter through the long and traumatic seven years since then.

The eighth year anniversary of her death will follow on March 13.

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.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris paid tribute to Danielle's mother Andrea, for her "determination and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy".

He said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been "consistently engaged" on this case, in working towards a conclusion to this court case, through the Embassy in New Delhi, Consulate General in Mumbai and Consular Assistance Unit in Dublin.

"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,"

- Additional reporting from PA