Mother denies Scarlett neglect

6:43pm Sunday 12th October 2008

The mother of murdered teenager Scarlett Keeling has denied she was guilty of neglecting her daughter and said she would not answer a court summons to face such allegations.

Fiona MacKeown, who left 15-year-old Scarlett alone in India while the rest of the family went travelling, is being summoned to Goa on Wednesday to answer allegations of neglect.

The 43-year-old has campaigned for justice after Scarlett was found raped and murdered on Anjuna beach on February 19.

She claims the authorities are attempting to cover up the death as an accident and said she fears she will be arrested if she returns to India.

Mrs MacKeown, from Bradworthy, Devon, said she "denies absolutely" any suggestion that she was guilty of neglect in relation to Scarlett and the events surrounding her death.

Her spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "She is not going to court because it is far too short notice to travel that distance and she requires complete assurance from her lawyers that it will be safe for her to return to India without fear of arrest."

Her lawyer Vikram Varma will attend the hearing on her behalf. He said the allegations have "no substance" and that "powerful forces" in Goa wanted to cover up the death.

He said: "They will try to ensure that Fiona does not come to India to give her testimony about Scarlett. They want what happened to Scarlett to be an accident."

Mrs MacKeown went travelling with her six other children leaving Scarlett in Anjuna.

Police said initially that her death was an accidental drowning but, after a sustained campaign by Mrs MacKeown, the results were re-examined and a second post-mortem examination held. The results revealed Scarlett was killed and a murder investigation was launched. The tests also showed that Scarlett was given Ecstasy, cocaine and LSD on the night she died.

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