Goa Court Acquits Accused in Scarlett Death Case, Mother Shocked

Goa Children’s Court Judge acquitted Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho in the 8-year-long high profile case.

Scarlett Keeling was allegedly raped and left to die in February 2008. (Photo Courtesy: YouTube/PTI/modified by The Quint)

Two local men accused of drugging, sexually abusing and leaving British teenage girl Scarlett Eden Keeling to die on Goa’s popular Anjuna beach in 2008 were today let off by a children’s court here.

Goa Children’s Court Judge Vandana Tendulkar acquitted Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho of all the charges in the eight-year-long high profile case.

Carvalho and Samson had been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, sexual abuse and drugging.

The verdict was announced in a jam packed court hall.

Scarlett’s mother Fiona Mackeown expressed shock at the verdict.

I am shocked. I was not expecting acquittal. I was expecting conviction. I will challenge the order.

Fiona Mackeown, Scarlett Keeling’s Mother

After her daughter’s body was found, Fiona had lived in Anjuna for a couple of weeks trying to piece together the evidence in the case. She flew down to Goa from Davon (UK) to be present in the court for the final verdict.

CBI filed its chargesheet in the case in 2010 after the probe was handed over to the central agency from Goa Police on repeated pleas made by Scarlett’s family.

Goa Police was accused of trying to “hush up” the case. The 15-year-old’s bruised and semi-nude body was found at Anjuna beach on 19 Feburary 2008, following which the police had claimed it as a case of drowning, but later registered it as culpable homicide.

The investigating agency had charged Samson of sexually abusing the girl and leaving her to die on Anjuna coast while Placido was accused of providing narcotics to her on the fateful day.

The prosecution examined 31 witnesses, including the mother of the deceased during the trial.

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam