Goan who raped and killed Irish backpacker in 2017 sentenced to life in prison

The victim, a 28-year-old dual British-Irish citizen, had come to Goa on holiday with a friend in February 2017. A former student of Liverpool John Moores University, she was from Buncrana in County Donegal in Ireland and had travelled to India on a British passport. Her body was found lying in a pool of blood without clothes and with injuries on her head and face in a field near Palolem beach in South Goa’s Canacona on March 14, 2017.

The night before, she had attended a Holi party near the beach. The post-mortem had revealed that she died due to brain haemorrhage and constriction of the neck.

Goa Police then arrested Bhagat, a local whom the victim had befriended during an earlier trip to Goa. Bhagat had previously faced theft, assault and robbery cases.

In an order, Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi said, “The accused is ordered to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay fine of Rs 25,000 each for the offences punishable under section 302 and 376 IPC and imprisonment for a period of 3 years for the offence punishable under section 201 IPC and a fine of Rs 10,000 in default to undergo imprisonment for one year. The sentence of imprisonment for life shall run concurrently.”

Vikram Varma, the advocate representing the victim’s family, said, “To my understanding, the family (of the victim) is relieved that there is a closure…that justice has been done. It was a long trial.”

As the sentence was pronounced in court, the victim’s family hugged each other.

The victim’s mother told The Indian Express, “I am relieved. I am glad it’s over.” On Friday, when the accused was held guilty, she had said “justice has been done” and that the family can now “finally grieve”.

“We are very emotional after the verdict, but so glad her voice was heard. It will never bring her back but we are glad he was found guilty. We are so thankful to the public prosecutors, lawyers, investigating officers for all they have done fighting for her,” she said after Friday’s verdict.

Last week, the family visited the site where the woman was killed to “find some closure”.

According to the police probe, the accused, taking advantage of his friendship with the victim, took her to an open isolated field and sexually assaulted her between 10 pm and 7 am on the intervening night of March 13 and March 14 before hitting her with a glass bottle and strangling her.