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| August 3, 2010 | Scarlett’s mother fears threat to life from Goa's mafia | | Panaji: The mother of murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling has claimed that her own life was in danger after accusing a politician of involvement in her daughter’s death. Fiona MacKeown, 46, who was giving evidence at Goa Children’s Court, told the court that Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik led a 'drugs nexus' linked to gangs
behind the killing. The body of Scarlett, 15, a resident of Bideford, Devon, was
found on a beach in Anjuna, Goa , in February 2008. “I’ve got no doubt that Scarlett
was murdered by the drug mafia and political nexus,” The Sun quoted Keeling, as
saying. “I’ve been warned that Ravi Naik is the head of the drugs nexus - and
to be careful because he could have me murdered,” she added. She also accused
Naik’s son Roy, Scarlett’s boyfriend Julio Lobo and local man Roy D’Souza of giving
Scarlett heroin, cocaine and ecstasy on the night she died. Samson D’Souza, 30,
and Placido Carvalho, 42, the two accused, have denied their role in the culpable
homicide.
Fiona MacKeown, 46, told the court that her daughter was given drugs by the two men who have been convicted for her rape and murder. She said Scarlett was given cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, and she also identified some of Scarlett's clothing at the hearing. Goa was rife with drugs and top local government officials were involved in the trade, she claimed. MacKeown broke down when she identified a pair of dark blue shorts, white underwear and brown sandals as her daughter's belongings. She found the clothes behind a shack on the beach a day after Scarlett's death. Carvalho's lawyer, Peter D'Souza, questioned the quality of the investigation carried out by India's premier crime-fighting organisation, the Central Bureau of Investigation, pointing out that the investigating officer had not been attending
the trial. He also said there was a discrepancy between the first and second post-mortem
examinations where the issue of Scarlett's rape emerged. Ms MacKeown, who did
not believe that Scarlett had drowned accidentally as the first set of tests had
found, held a second post-mortem examination after a campaign. Peter D'Souza also
told the court that MacKeown was making false statements under oath when she denied
knowing her daughter was sexually active, took drugs and used to get drunk. The
trial is expected to continue for the rest of the year. | |
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