AN Irishman whose girlfriend was drugged, raped and beheaded before her body was found strung upside down from a tree in India has blasted the the country's legal system after her alleged killers were freed on bail.
Dublin man Andrew Jordan, 42, said he was horrified that the two men accused of killing his girlfriend Liga Skromane, 33, in April 2018 failed to show up to court last week after being granted bail by an Indian judge.
The pair, identified only as 'Umesh' and 'Udayan', were freed until a trial date could be set potentially for next year – despite being charged with first-degree murder and rape.
Ms Skromane, who was originally from Latvia but lived in Ireland with Mr Jordan, had been seeking treatment for PTSD with her sister at a wellness retreat in Kerala when she disappeared on March 14 last year.
Liga Skromane was in India to attend a wellness retreat for PTSD when she was killed last year (Image: File)Her headless, decomposing body was found in a mangrove forest just yards from a tourist beach in nearby Thiruvallam more than a month later on April 21.
Mr Jordan – who travelled to India for a court hearing last Thursday – said he was horrified when the two men accused of raping and murdering his girlfriend failed to turn up.
Their absence means further delays to the trial – which could be postponed until 2020 – are likely, while a new hearing has been scheduled for June 12 during which the accused will be read their charge sheets and a date will be set for their trial.
Mr Jordan told Mirror Online: "Why are they out on bail in the first place? If those guys did what they are accused of doing to Liga then they are animals and they should not be allowed to roam the streets.
Ms Skromane was originally from Latvia but lived in Ireland with Mr Jordan (Image: File)"If they are guilty then they are a clear danger to other women".
The Irishman said the slow pace of the South Asian country's justice system had been discouraging despite promises that Ms Skromane's case would be fast-tracked.
He added: "I try not to let it get to me but the delays just prove that it's not really being taken seriously.
"We were told that the police have an airtight case against them so why are they allowed out on bail?
"It's a total farce."
