Seven years on, our grief is still so raw.. we just want this nightmare to end
Family’s torment as Danielle’s murder & rape trial drags on
The amount of setbacks has been traumatising JOLEEN MCLAUGHLIN YESTERDAY
THE family of Danielle Mclaughlin say their grief is still raw on the seventh anniversary of her murder.
Backpacker Danielle, from Buncrana, Co Donegal, was found dead in Goa on March 14, 2017.
The night before, the 28-year-old had attended a Holi party near Canacona beach in the south of the Indian state.
Local man Vikat Bhagat has been in custody since 2017. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, murder, violent robbery and destruction of evidence.
His trial has been going on for more than six-and-a-half years, making it one of the longest murder trials in the world. Speaking on the anniversary of her death yesterday, Danielle’s heartbroken sister Joleen said: “Our grief even seven years on is so raw because we are still fighting for Danielle and constantly being let down in our fight.
“The amount of setbacks we have seen and everything we have heard since her death has been so traumatising.
“All we want now is for this nightmare to end.
“Seven years have passed since we found out we had lost Danielle.
“Seven years today since we ever got to speak to Danielle and seven years today since she trusted her ‘friend’ and it ended up
costing her her life.
Seven years since we discovered the sadistic and cruel things that were done to Danielle and knowing how she suffered will never stop the pain, knowing no one helped her and she died alone and scared in a foreign country.
“Danielle could have been anywhere in the world, it wouldn’t have mattered. If we needed her she would be there.
“She was like a second mother to ‘her girls’ [younger sisters]. She was so proud of her girls that the chances are no matter where she met people they always knew about them.
“The youngest sister Skye will never truly know Danielle and the incredible person she was. She will never feel her influence which is why as now the eldest sister, all I can do is make sure a little bit of Danielle will rub off on her through all our stories and videos.
“Because of that monster all we can do is remember the person she was and think about the person she could have been.”
Danielle’s best friend Louise, who has set up a Gofundme to assist Danielle’s mum Andrea and Joleen to travel to India for the final stages of Bhagat’s trial this summer, said life had not been the same since she was murdered.
She added: “Danielle’s family need to be able to go to India and tell the court exactly how amazing she was, that she isn’t just this name they hear.”
The Gofundme can be found at gofund.me/b8e769be.