Mother seeks protection as autopsy shows teen was killed

THE mother of murdered British teen Scarlett Keeling said yesterday she would ask a court in the Indian beach resort state of Goa for protection, saying she feared the local drugs mafia.

A new autopsy report released on Saturday suggested the 15-year-old was drowned by attackers who pushed her face into water for five to 10 minutes — a contradiction of the police version of events.

Fiona MacKeown said the findings lent fresh weight to her allegations that links between police officials, politicians and the drugs mafia were continuing to hamper a proper investigation of her daughter’s February 18 murder.

But she and her lawyer fear her accusations against top Goan officials, including a state minister, may put her in harm’s way.

“We’ve been warned by a lot of locals to be careful,” said MacKeown.

“We’ve been stirring up a big hornets nest here,” she said. The case has already led to the suspension of one police officer.

Vikram Varma, her lawyer, confirmed he was preparing to file a request for protection for MacKeown in Goa High Court this week.

Backed by the new findings, MacKeown also plans to ask the court to force local police to hand over the investigation file to federal agents.

“We’re going to apply to the High Court to take over the case. I think it is appalling the way it has been handled,” she said.

Goan police this month arrested Samson D’Souza, 29, a bartender, and alleged drug dealer Placido Carvalho, 29, accusing them of drugging and raping Keeling before leaving her to die.

“My daughter’s face was pushed into sandy water. There wasn’t enough drugs or alcohol to cause unconsciousness,” said MacKeown, who came to Goa from Devon in south-west England in November with seven of her nine children for a six-month stay.

The doctor who prepared Saturday’s report said the stomach analysis showed Keeling had ingested intoxicants, but not enough to cause her to pass out.

Indian police yesterday rejected the forensic report that Scarlett was drowned by her killers.

They repeated their belief that the 15-year-old was raped and left to die by her assailants in shallow water.