Danielle McLaughlin: Goa murder victim repatriated

The 28-year-old travelled to India in February

The body of an Irish woman who was raped and murdered in India has been flown home to the Republic of Ireland.

Danielle McLaughlin, from Buncrana, County Donegal, was found dead in a field close to tourist resorts in the western state of Goa last Tuesday.

A post-mortem concluded that brain damage and constriction of the neck caused the 28-year-old's death in Canacona.

But a second post-mortem is to take place in Dublin later.

The family had requested the second inspection for more information about how she died, Colin Bell, from the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, told the BBC.

Danielle McLaughlin had travelled to India in February on a British passport.

Miss McLaughlin's body left India on Thursday morning and is expected to arrive at Dublin airport later

The former Liverpool John Moores University student had been staying in a beach hut in Goa with an Australian female friend.

The pair had been celebrating Holi, a Hindu spring festival, in a nearby village.

She left the village late at night and her body was found the next day, unclothed, with injuries to her head and face, police said.

The 24-year-old accused, whose name has been reported as Vikat Bhagat, appeared in court last week charged with murder, and will also face rape charges.

An officer involved with the investigation told the BBC police believed they had caught the "main culprit", and that he had confessed to the killing.