Death sentence to two taxi drivers for killing Australian woman

New Delhi, August 11 : A Delhi Court today awarded death sentence to two taxi drivers for killing 59-year-old Australian tourist Dawn Emilie Griggs after gang raping and robbing her in 2004.

While pronouncing the sentence Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Kumar said, "Jyotish Prasad and Ashish Kumar, for the offence of brutal murder of the Australian tourist, you be hanged till death".

The court further imposed a fine of Rs 3,000 each on the two convicts who were held guilty of gang rape, robbery, destruction of evidence and common intention.

The convicts were also awarded life imprisonment for gang raping the tourist who had come here to join a meditation course.

The court had convicted the two accused on August 2.

Griggs had landed in Delhi from Hong Kong on a Cathay Pacific Flight in the early hours of March 17, 2004 for enrolling for a meditation course with Brahmakumari Aishwarya Vidyalaya in Delhi.

She had taken a pre-paid taxi from IGI airport and was later found murdered.

The police had traced the duo by scrutinising the records of pre-paid taxi booth at the airport.

Prasad was arrested on the date of the incident, while Kumar was apprehended on his disclosure on March 21.

Due to lack of eyewitness, the prosecution had relied upon circumstantial as well as forensic evidence, including the DNA reports of the convicts, to prove its charges against them.

ANI