Panaji (GOA): Goa court has permitted the application by British-Irish national Danielle Mclaughlin’s mother Andrea Brannigan to intervene in the trial of her daughter’s murder case reported in March last year in the coastal state.

The corpse of 28 year old Irish tourist with British passport was found at Canacona in North Goa on March 14, 2017 following which the police had chargesheeted local man Vikat Bhagat of rape, murder, theft and destruction of evidence.

The trial has began before District Judge Sayonara Teles Lad at Margao in South Goa.

Senior counsel Vikram Varma had moved the application on behalf of the mother before the court seeking leave for intervention under section 301 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which was allowed yesterday.

The 46-year-old mother of the deceased in her application has said that she is an “aggrieved and an interested party in the said case.”

Varma has said that Brannigan is  within her rights to be informed of the proceedings in the matter as well as to assist the Prosecution and file Written Arguments on closure of evidence.

The application also states that “as the Applicant Intervenor is presently in Ireland and unable to present herself in person before the Court, she has lawfully appointed and empowered a local lady Sapna Naik to act on her behalf.”

The 700-odd pages chargesheet which was filed before the court stated that the accused had befriended the victim while she was holidaying in Goa. On the day of the incident, the accused tried to force himself on the woman at an isolated place between the Canacona and Agonda beach.

Police investigations had revealed that as the deceased resisted his attempt, the accused hit her on the head with a beer bottle and raped her before strangulating her to death.

Further, the accused smashed face of the victim with a stone to destroy the evidence, police have said in their chargesheet which has examined 68 different witnesses. 

 

Team TNV