Scarlett Keeling: Man convicted of 15-year-old’s 2008 rape and murder in Goa
Written by News on 17/07/2019
A beach shack worker has been convicted for the 2008 rape and murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling in Goa, India.
Samson D’Souza was found guilty of “culpable homicide not amounting to murder” by Bombay’s High Court on Wednesday.
A second man, who was accused of leaving the schoolgirl to die after drugging and sexually abusing her, Placido Carvalho, was acquitted.
Both men were previously acquitted of her rape and murder 2016, but the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed against the verdict.
Fifteen-year-old Scarlett’s bruised and half-naked body was found on the popular Anjuna beach in the north of Goa on 18 February, 11 years ago.
She had been at a Valentine’s Day beach party and a post-mortem examination showed there was ecstasy, cocaine and LSD in her system.
Goa police initially sought to close the case as an accidental drowning, but the case was handed over to the CBI after Scarlett’s mother, Fiona MacKeown, raised doubts about the investigation.
She previously told Sky News the police case was “dragged out so long”, claiming officers had lied about the “whole incident to start with”.
A second post-mortem examination took place which proved the girl had been drugged and raped.
D’Souza and Carvalho, who both worked at the Curlies’ beach shack, were charged with culpable homicide, sexual assault and drugging the teenager.
They were last seen with Scarlett before her death and allegedly plied her with drugs, raped her and left her unconscious on the beach where she subsequently drowned.
Scarlett, from Bideford in Devon, suffered 50 separate injuries in the attack.
D’Souza and Carvalho denied charges of culpable homicide and grievous sexual assault, and in 2016, both men were cleared of all charges by Goa’s Children’s Court.
D’Souza told reporters at the time: “I am happy with the verdict. Justice has prevailed.”
Ms MacKeown said she was “reeling” and planned to fight to overturn the ruling in a higher court.
(c) Sky News 2019: Scarlett Keeling: Man convicted of 15-year-old’s 2008 rape and murder in Goa
