The mother of a Donegal woman who was raped and murdered in India has said she hopes the trial of the man accused of the brutal crime is finally concluded before what would have been her daughter’s 36th birthday.
Andrea Brannigan said she wants the trial “over and done with” after an agonizing wait of almost seven years since hearings began against Vikhat Bhagat.
The 31-year-old’s trial over the death of Danielle McLaughlin has become one of the longest in Indian criminal history.
Aspiring yoga teacher Ms McLaughlin, who was from Buncrana, was found dead in a field near a beach in the Canacona area of Goa on March 14, 2017.
The 28-year-old backpacker had been attending a party to celebrate the Hindu Holi colour festival the night before.
Bhagat, now aged 31, was arrested in the days after Ms McLaughlin’s body was found, and was charged with her rape and murder. He is also accused of violent robbery and destruction of evidence, and has denied all charges against him.
His trial began in April 2018, and as a result of a series of adjournments and delays, is still to be concluded.
A High Court ruling in India last year had placed a deadline for proceedings to be completed by July, but this summer her family learned the trial would continue until September.
The High Court ruled out a further extension in September and an order was given for a conclusion by October.
However, hopes were dashed for Danielle’s loved ones when the court granted a further four-month extension, with a new deadline of February 2025.
Ms Brannigan had been planning to travel to India for the verdict in October, before cancelling upon learning of the latest delay.
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She told the Irish News that she hopes to be able to mark her daughter’s birthday without the trial overshadowing the date.
“Next February 4 would have been Danielle’s 36th birthday, and I just want it to be finished by then,” she said.
“I would like to be able to mark that date without this still hanging over us - I need it to be over.”
Andrea had been planning to make the trip to India with Danielle’s younger sisters Joleen and Louise, who the popular young woman “adored”.
Andrea previously told the Irish News that Danielle “was a brilliant sister and friend to them - she was also a brilliant friend to anyone who ever met her. Once you met her, you never forgot her”.
She added this week: “The delay in October was really upsetting, especially as earlier this year we had been preparing for a conclusion by the summer.
“That went out the window, and the frustration just continues. We need this to finally end after all these years.”