Fiona give police the slip as she feared arrest by Goa Police

Fiona give police the slip
Preetu Nair , TNN


Panaji: Anjuna police looking out for Fiona MacKeown, mother of murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling , were caught napping, as Fiona entered the country a fortnight ago, recorded her statement, with the CBI in Mumbai and left. Fiona told TOI from her home in Devon, UK, " “I came to Mumbai to talk to the CBI as they were refused permission by the High Court in Goa to come to the UK to speak to me”.

The CBI was entrusted with the task of probing the rape and murder of 15-year-old Scarlett at Anjuna beach in February 2008, after investigations by the Goa police came under a cloud. Last month, the High court of Bombay at Goa dismissed CBI’s plea to give letter Rogatory to interrogate Fiona and another witness, Briton. The court, however, gave CBI three months extension to investigate the case.

Fiona feared arrest by Goa Police
Preetu Nair, TNN

Panaji:Fiona Mackeown mother of British teenager Scarlett Keeing who was murdered in Anjuna in 2008, came to Mumbai on July 18 from Britain and returned on July 21, after recording her statement with the CBI

“I was worried that the Goa police may try to arrest me or cause me other problems like stopping me from leaving which was why no one was informed about the trip”, she told TOI from her home in Devon, UK.

Fiona , who has accused the Goa police of a cover up last year, faces charges of negligence of her minor daughter under the Goa Children's Act 2003. Anjuna police that is investigating the case has sought permission from the government to go to UK to question Fiona.

Though Fiona wanted to visit Goa, fears that the local police may arrest her kept her away . “I would have loved to come to Goa. I still love Goa and think very warmly of the wonderful people I met there but there is a very dark element to Goa and this alone would have left me feeling very unsafe there”, she said

Fiona said that it is not just the police that she is worried about, but also those involved in Scarlett's murder. "My daughter’s murderers are powerful men, who have stated publicly that I have been harassing them and that their business has been affected by all of this. They definitely had a vested interest in me not speaking to the CBI. After all, they were powerful enough to instigate the cover up”, she alleged.

Happy with the progress of the CBI investigations, Fiona said, “They answered all of my questions and I left feeling very positive about the investigation and about the Indian judicial system”.

She. however, refused to divulge details about her meeting with the CBI stating that the CBI has not yet finished the investigations. “I was asked not to talk about the details of our meeting so as not to jeopardize the case. But I can tell you that I was able to provide them with information that they did not have”, said Fiona, adding “At the moment I am beginning to see a light at the end of a very long tunnel and just look forward to the investigation being over so that I can finally bring Scarlett home and burying her.”

August 3, The Times of India, Goa edition