The sentencing in the state of Goa comes less than a month after a police volunteer was jailed for the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata.

A court in India has sentenced a 31-year-old man to life in prison for the rape and murder of an Irish backpacker in the western resort state of Goa nearly eight years ago.

The body of 28-year-old Danielle McLaughlin was found by a farmer in March 2017 near Goa’s popular Palolem beach.

An autopsy concluded that her death was caused by brain damage and strangulation.

Police subsequently charged local resident Vikat Bhagat with the crime and he was found guilty on Friday.

Family ‘thankful’ for justice

McLaughlin, who was from Buncrana in Ireland, had been celebrating the Indian festival of Holi in the area the night before she was found dead.

Rape victims usually cannot be named under Indian law however, McLaughlin’s family spoke to the media about her case in an effort to raise awareness.

In a statement cited by local media, they said they were “thankful to everyone involved in our fight for justice.”

“They have treated her like their daughter and have tirelessly fought for her.”

India imposed stricter sexual assault laws and set up fast-track special courts following the gang-rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012. The case shocked the country, but more than a decade on, violence against women remains a problem in India.

Last month, a police volunteer was handed a life sentence in the eastern city of Kolkata for the rape and murder of a junior female doctor at the hospital where she worked.