MARGAO
The South Goa Sessions Court on Monday sentenced Vikat Bhagat to rigorous life imprisonment in the 2017 rape and murder of Irish/British woman Danielle McLaughlin.
Danielle’s mother and relatives, besides officials of the British High Commission were present in court, when the life imprisonment sentence was pronounced by Additional Sessions Judge, Kshama Joshi bringing the curtains down on the seven-year-long trial in the sensational 2017 case.
The Court had last week held Bhagat guilty for the offenses of murder, rape and destruction of evidence.
Pronouncing her order, Judge Joshi sentenced Bhagat to rigorous life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 for the offense of murder. Similar punishment and fine was pronounced by the Judge for the offence of rape. He was also sentenced to two year imprisonment and fine for the offense of destruction of evidence. All the sentences will run concurrently.
When the Judge made no mention on the question of detention period undergone by the convict, the lawyer representing the accused drew attention of the Judge that period of detection should be set off by the court. Judge Joshi, however, said the detention period gets automatically set off against the sentence pronounced by the Court.
Judge Joshi had convicted and held Bhagat guilty for rape, murder and destruction of evidence on February 14.
The rape and murder of the British/Irish national had taken place on the intervening night of March 13-14, 2017. The police had charged that accused, grabbing advantage of his friendship with deceased Danielle, took her in an open isolated field at Adpe-Devabag, Canacona and while committing forceful sexual intercourse/rape, assaulted her with glass bottle on her head and face.
He further committed her murder by compressing her neck and robbed her mobile phone and also destroyed the evidence.
