Irish-British backpacker Danielle McLaughlin was raped before she was murdered and her nude body was left on a beach in Goa, the postmortem report has confirmed. Meanwhile, CCTV footage has emerged from her last few hours alive, where she is seen with the man suspected of raping and killing her.
Also read: Mother, friends of Irish backpacker murdered in Goa, tell of a happy, beautiful girl
The Irish-Indian community has started a Facebook page called Justice for Danielle McLaughlin, calling for speedy action in the case to bring her culprit to justice at the earliest. They have also paid homage to Danielle at the place where the nude body of the tourist — who holds dual Irish-British citizenship — was found.
The postmortem report, according to the police, showed not only had Danielle been beaten badly — as was evident from the bruises all over her body — but also that she had been raped before she was murdered. And the reason for her murder is said to be strangulation, as is evident from the marks around her neck.
CCTV footage has emerged of Vikas Bhagat, the man who is suspected to have raped and killed her. Bhagat, who is in his 20s, has been arrested and has already confessed to having raped and killed Danielle, who had come to Goa to celebrate Holi. Bhagat will now be tried for rape as well as murder, according to authorities.
The Irish-Indian community has meanwhile set up a Facebook page called Justice for Danielle McLaughlin, through which they are calling for speedy justice in the case, as well as the death penalty for Bhagat if he is found guilty.
In India, the death penalty is usually awarded in only the "rarest of rare" cases, which has no standard definition as of now, but is taken to mean that the convict's actions are so heinous as to merit the death penalty.
