Goan murder police quiz Scarlett's mother

Published on Saturday 15 March 2008 18:46

THE mother of a teenage girl raped and murdered in Goa was questioned by police yesterday but the issue of neglect was not raised, her lawyer said.

Fiona MacKeown, 43, answered a summons served by police under the Goa Children's Act.

MacKeown, from north Devon, has questioned the police handling of the inquiry since her 15-year-old daughter Scarlett Keeling was found raped and murdered in Anjuna resort on February 19.

Officers initially claimed the teenager had drowned but MacKeown, 43, insisted there had been a cover-up and her daughter had been murdered.

She attended a special juvenile police unit yesterday after being served with a summons under a section of the Goa Children's Act, which requires adults to provide a safe environment for a child.

Her lawyer Vikram Varma said MacKeown had given the police details of her family and how they came to be in Goa, but said "they did not question her about negligence".

Varma added that the Inspector General of Police, Kishan Kumar, said the police had "no intention" of questioning her about negligence.

He said the police told her that they wanted her to assist in the investigation of her daughter's death.

MacKeown may have a further meeting with the police in a day or two, said Varma.

She has admitted being trusting and naive in leaving Scarlett with a Goan boyfriend and his family while she and other children went travelling in the area, but denied being negligent.

Placido Carvalho, aged between 30 and 35, is in police custody. He has appeared in court on suspicion of drugging the girl and assisting in her murder by that act, and was remanded in police custody for 14 days.

The first man they arrested, Samson D'Souza, 28, was remanded in custody for 14 days on suspicion of rape. MacKeown said that in recent days she felt the police were trying to intimidate and harass her, having sent two policemen to her door to deliver the summons "when a phone call would do".

MacKeown said the serving of the summons was "scaremongering," adding: "I think I am getting very close to proving how corrupt they are."

She said she would continue to make herself available to the police, but hoped to make arrangements to fly back to the UK with Scarlett's body in the next week or so.