Police tell court of body on beach

AN INDIAN policeman described to a court yesterday the circumstances in which the body of raped and murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling was found on a beach in Goa.

Head constable Kishore Naik and Pc Atmaram Gawas were on duty when an unidentified caller informed them of the presence of a body on Anjuna beach. Pc Vishant Chopdekar was instructed to visit the scene, the Goa Children's Court in Panaji heard.

The bruised body of 15-year-old Scarlett, from Bideford, Devon, was found on the beach in February 2008 during her holiday to the country with her family. The trial of accused Samson D'Souza, 30, and Placido Carvalho, 42, has faced constant delays, but counsel to the Central Bureau of Investigation, S R Rivonkar, said he expected it to be completed by "the end of the year".

The duo, charged with culpable homicide, sexual assault, outraging modesty and destroying evidence, were arrested a month after Scarlett's death, but are currently on bail. Both D'Souza and Carvalho deny the charges.

Pc Chopdekar, 27, told the court: "We found a body lying on its stomach. The body was naked except for a bra, which was near its neck," Pc Chopdekar said.

The officers are the first of more than 70 witnesses, including Scarlett's mother Fiona MacKeown and her Indian boyfriend Julio Lobo, to be examined during the course of the trial.