An Indian court sentenced a 31-year-old man to life in prison on Monday for the rape and murder of a young Irish woman in the coastal state of Goa, nearly eight years after the crime.
The victim, whose name cannot be disclosed under Indian law, was 28 years old when she visited Goa in March 2017 and befriended Vikat Bhagat, the man convicted in the case.
“Today the court has given the final verdict—life imprisonment for the accused,” said Filomeno Costa, the lead investigator, according to ANI news agency.
According to Vikas Varma, the victim’s lawyer, her body was discovered in a forested area near Palolem Beach, a popular tourist destination.
“She suffered multiple injuries, including wounds on her face,” Varma told Reuters.
Forensic reports confirmed that she was raped, and her face was smashed with a beer bottle in an apparent attempt to hinder identification, he added.
A long battle for justice
The victim’s family had fought for nearly eight years for a conviction.
“Nothing can compensate the loss of a child, but the sentence has eased the family’s grief,” Varma said. “Justice has been done.”
Bhagat’s lawyers requested a lenient sentence, according to media reports. Reuters could not immediately reach them for comment.
India toughened rape laws and introduced fast-track courts after the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman on a Delhi bus, an attack that sparked global outrage.
However, more than a decade later, the judicial system still faces major challenges. A Reuters investigation last year revealed that India slashed its target for special courts handling sexual violence cases—reducing the planned number from 2,600 to just 790 by 2026.
In January, a court sentenced a police volunteer to life in prison for the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a hospital in Kolkata, underscoring the persistent crisis of sexual violence in India.
