Family of murdered backpacker Danielle McLaughlin seek Irish inquest

Backpacker Danielle McLaughlin knew that her mother Andrea worried about her when she was away on her travels, so every day she’d text home to Donegal.

Then one day in March 2017 there was no text and Andrea soon learned, from one of Danielle’s friends in Buncrana, that her 28-year-old daughter had been murdered in Goa.

The friend had seen the news on Facebook and it was up to Andrea to go to her local Garda station to seek help.

Last month, Vikat Bhagat, 24 at the time of the killing, was found guilty of the rape and murder of the young Donegal woman. He was handed two life sentences with additional time for concealing evidence.

The case took eight years to conclude (Bhagat has 90 days to lodge an appeal) and was before the court more than 250 times.

Andrea, her second daughter Jolene McLaughlin-Brannigan and Danielle’s best friend, Louise McMenamin, travelled to India for the verdict.

Irish Times reporter Kitty Holland travelled to Buncrana to talk to Andrea about her daughter, the slow-moving Indian legal system, the scenes in court as Bhagat was sentenced and what they hope will happen now.

They still don’t know exactly how Danielle died.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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