The family of Danielle McLaughlin, a 28-year-old Co Donegal woman who was murdered in India eight years ago, have welcomed the fact that an inquest into her death is to take place.
Ms McLaughlin was killed in India in March 2017. Her body was brought home with the help of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
After a trial lasting eight years, 31-year-old Vikat Bhagat was found guilty of the rape and murder of Ms McLaughlin at a court in Goa in February. He received a life sentence.
Ms McLaughlin's mother Andrea Brannigan said she is grateful to the Attorney General, who engaged with her solicitor as soon as an application was made that an inquest should be convened "on the grounds that it would be advisable, and in the interests of justice".
In a statement released through her solicitor Desmond Doherty, Ms Brannigan thanked Dr Denis McCauley, the coroner for Donegal, for meeting her and confirming an inquest would be opened.
"I understand and appreciate that the circumstances of Danielle’s case, and the fact that she was killed when abroad makes her case exceptional," she said.
"It is very heartening that the relevant authorities, here in Ireland, showed their compassion and care in agreeing to and supporting the requirement for an inquest to be held in Donegal, Danielle’s home, after the horrific events that ended her beautiful life thousands of miles away."
Ms Brannigan said that her solicitor has begun the process of providing all the legal documentation and contacts that he holds in her daughter’s case to the coroner.
She said this documentation may assist the coroner as he conducts his investigations, which will hopefully lead to a hearing in the months ahead.
Mr Doherty said: "The family are very, very grateful to the authorities here in Ireland for the compassion that they have shown."
There is no death certificate for Danielle, he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland, and this is needed to bring a conclusion to this "very sad case".
Mr Doherty said it was fortunate that a second post-mortem examination was carried out after her body was repatriated to Ireland.
This makes it very helpful for the legal people involved in the case, including the coroner, to conduct an inquest, he added.
Ms McLaughlin had turned 28 the month before her death and had been home in Buncrana for the celebrations.
She had only been in India for two weeks when she was murdered in March 2017. She went there to attend Holi, the Hindu festival of colours.
Ms McLaughlin had previously spent time in India as a volunteer in an orphanage and was planning to learn to teach yoga while travelling.
Bhagat, who Ms McLaughlin knew, was arrested within hours of her body being discovered.
Ms Brannigan previously told RTÉ News the last time she spoke to her daughter was the day she was murdered.
"The day she passed away, she said 'I'm with my friend' and the friend was the person that killed my daughter.
"She named him ... she arrived here on the Sunday, 12th March. On the 13th, she wasn’t very happy with where she stayed.
"She contacted the man who killed her and asked him for help to find somewhere to stay, and the rest, people know."
The case was brought to court on more than 250 occasions with several lengthy delays.
Bhagat was found guilty on 14 February of the rape and murder of Ms McLaughlin.
