The parents of an Indian university student who was raped and murdered say they struggle to live with the loss of their peaceful and caring daughter.
Tosha Thakkar, 24, was a sweet and loving woman who wanted to make Australia her home, her parents told the Supreme Court in Sydney.
She was raped and murdered by Daniel Stani-Reginald on March 9, 2011 and her body was discovered stuffed in a suitcase in a canal at Meadowbank in northwest Sydney.
Sunil and Varsabeen Thakkar travelled from India to attend 21-year-old Stani-Reginald's sentence hearing on Monday.
He has pleaded guilty to raping and murdering Ms Thakkar.
In a victim impact statement read out by an interpreter, Mr and Mrs Thakkar described the happiness their daughter brought to her family.
"That man has not only taken away our daughter but he has also killed our life," they said.
"Sometimes we feel maybe we should also not be living."
Ms Thakkar's brother, Dishang Thakkar, said his sister had been like a mother to him.
"No-one else in the world can take her place," he said.
The court heard Stani-Reginald's father had murdered his mother, which had a severe impact on him.
The sentence hearing continues before Justice Derek Price.
No comments:
Post a Comment