Scarlett Keeling's mother says she fears for own safety
Sunday, 23 Mar 2008 19:34
Scarlett Keeling's mother fears being targeted after speaking out
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The mother of murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling says she fears repercussions after speaking out over her daughter's death.
Fiona McKeown has gone into hiding and sent her children back to the UK amid concerns that the family could be targeted by Scarlett's killers.
The 15-year-old's body was found on a beach in Goa, India on February 8th. She had been left with her boyfriend's family while her mother and sisters travelled around the neighbouring region for three weeks.
Local police initially claimed the British teen had drowned accidentally only for pressure from Scarlett's mother Ms McKeown to force a second inquest which showed Scarlett had been raped and murdered.
And after a new report from the chief pathologist at Goa Medical College revealed the teenager had been forcibly drowned by having her head held under water for up to ten minutes, her mother had moved to an undisclosed location on the advice of her lawyer, Vikram Varma.
"I moved my children out of the country about two weeks ago because I was worried about their safety," she told the BBC.
"We've been warned by lots of locals and press to watch out for our safety. We don't really have any police support or government support in this situation at the moment."
Mr Varma said the report's findings indicated "what we've been saying all along and what the police have been trying to cover up."
Goan police claim to have ten witnesses, while two local men, Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho, have been held in custody, with D'Souza charged with Scarlett's rape.