MARGAO
The South Goa Sessions Court on Friday convicted and held guilty 32-year old accused Vikat Bhagat in the sensational rape and murder of British/Irish woman Danielle Marie Theresa McLaughlin that took place at Canacona in 2017.
Curtains finally came down on the seven-year long trial of the sensational case on Friday noon when Additional South Goa Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi, pronounced her order in the open court room, when the Judge held accused Vikat Bhagat guilty for rape, murder and destruction of evidence. The point of sentence will be pronounced by the Court on Monday.
The Canacona police had charged accused Vikat Bhagat under section 302, 376, 394 and 201 of IPC for murder, rape, robbery and destruction of evidence respectively in the case. While Judge Joshi has held guilty and convicted the accused for rape, murder and destruction of evidence, he has been acquitted for the offence of robbery.
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 Vikat Bhagat, 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 murder of her compressing her neck and robbed her mobile phone and also destroyed the evidence.
The prosecution examined as many as 46 witnesses in support of its case. Trial in the case had commenced in April 2018 when the first witness was examined by the prosecution in support of its case. The intervening Covid-19 pandemic had impacted the trial of the case for a year.
Though there was no direct evidence in the case, the prosecution managed to link the chain of circumstantial evidence against the accused.
Retired Superintending of Police, Sammy Tavares, who was heading the Quepem Police Sub-division as DySP, said the Canacona police headed by then investigation officers, PI Filomena Costa and Rajendra Prabhudesai had prepared a strong case against the accused by stressing on the “last seen” theory. “We had managed to collect evidence that the accused was seen with the victim at Canacona before her rape and murder. The police had managed to complete the chain of circumstantial evident against the accused”, Tavares said.
