Danielle's mother hopes Irish PM will take up case

CANACONA: Taking the opportunity of the visit of the Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) to Goa, Andrea Brannighan mother of Danielle Mclaughlin, the alleged rape and murder victim, speaking to Herald said she had met the Irish Prime Minister earlier and she expects the Indian-origin Taoiseach to raise the issue of the slow pace of trial with the Goa Chief Minister.

Brannighan, speaking to Herald over the phone from her home town, said she has already met Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, earlier and made him aware of the slow pace of the trial and other issues.

Varadkar is on a private visit to India and after visiting his home town Varad in Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra, is in Goa to usher in the New Year. He will leave for his country on Wednesday afternoon. 

“I just want the leader of Ireland to contact the authorities in Goa by phone on the slow pace of the trial,” Brannighan said.

“It will be three years in March, whereas other cases that happened the same year in Goa are now over,” she lamented. 

“I also want to clarify that no tourist has ever got justice in Goa, except Scarlett, and that took 11 years, but the rest haven’t even got answers to what happened. Locals are getting answers and justice quicker, and it’s my biggest fear that I will have to wait years for justice,” Brannighan said.  

“On the backdrop of the slow pace of trial I’m urging the Taoiseach to reach out to authorities in Goa,” she added.

McLaughlin’s body was found on the morning of March 14, 2017 by a farmer at an isolated place in Canacona. Post mortem examinations done in Goa and at Ireland had revealed evidence of sexual assault and “compression of the neck”. 

Danielle, had dual citizenship Irish and UK and she was travelling as a backpacker on the British passport that year. A local youth, Vikat Bhagat, who police said was the victim’s friend is facing trial since then.