Scarlett's organs sent to UK coroner, says mother

Scarlett's organs sent to UK coroner, says mother
Preetu Nair , TNN

PANAJI: Fiona MacKeown, mother of the slain British teenager Scarlett Keeling, said that the Indian authorities have finally released the remaining organs of her daughter and they have been sent to the coroner in the UK. However, Scarlett will not be buried till the investigations in India are over, she added.

Speaking to TOI from her home in Devon, Fiona said, "I haven't received the organs yet, but everything is proceeding in the right direction. The CBI has released the organs. The organs won't come to me but go directly to the UK coroner".

Scarlett was found dead at the Anjuna beach on February 18, 2008. First, the police dismissed it as a case of unnatural death, but later they arrested two people for drugging and raping Scarlett before leaving her to die on the beach, but MacKeown alleged cover-up.

"There is half a uterus and a piece of liver and kidney as far as I know. The UK coroner is very keen to do tests on the uterus and the kidney. I expect the uterus will reveal Scarlett's sexual activities before she died and the kidney should reveal details of drink and drugs that were consumed before she died although tests on hair have already been done to expose this," she said.

Incidentally, MacKeown, while taking Scarlett's body to UK, had said that she would conduct tests in UK. But when the UK coroner revealed that several of her body parts were missing, MacKeown alleged that she was kept in the dark about the missing organs by the forensic doctors and police.

"I had expected them to take bits, samples, but I brought her back and there was a lot missing. Her spleen and her uterus. All that had gone. They told me it was normal procedure, but I tried to tie them down to find out what the exact procedure was, but there isn't one. It seems that they do what they want", she had said.

Though now happy that she has finally got her daughter's organs, she admitted that it would be sometime before she would be able to bury her daughter. "I don't think the coroner will let me bury her until the investigations are over in India. I don't even know when her body will be released to me," she added.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) has approached the high court of Bombay at Goa for a letter of request to interrogate two British citizens in connection with the murder of 15-year-old Scarlett. In a petition filed in the court, the investigating agency has said that a letter rogatory, or a formal request, from the court is essential to question the victim's mother Mackeown and Charles Carter, who had allegedly seen Scarlett sometime before she was found dead on Anjuna beach. A letter rogatory is a formal communication sent by a court to a foreign court seeking the latter's assistance in recording the statements of witnesses residing there.

25 May 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition

New witness in Scarlett case: Fiona

New witness in Scarlett case: Fiona
Preetu Nair, TNN


PANAJI: In a major development, Fiona MacKeown, mother of British teenager Scarlett Keeling, has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that she has a new witness who claims he saw Scarlett on the night she died.

Speaking to TOI from her home in Devon, UK, Fiona refused to give details of the new witness "for I fear for his life", but said, "He is a local and told me that Scarlett was crying on the night she was murdered (on February 18, 2008 at Anjuna beach) and had asked him to take her home. He agreed but was stopped by a group of men he was afraid of."

Fiona further said that the witness contacted her and told her that he "has not been able to forgive himself since Scarlett was found dead, but is very afraid of a group of men".

Claiming to have the witness' name, address and photograph, she however, wants to know from the CBI "whether they can still proceed with the case without my statement". It may be recalled, that the Goa children's court refused the CBI request to issue a Letter Rogatory (LR), letter of request, to record Fiona's statement in the UK. Fiona has said repeatedly that she is scared to come to India to meet the CBI to give her statement, because she would be arrested following a case of negligent parenting being issued against her.

"I want the investigations in India to be over fast or the UK coroner will not release my daughter's body for burial. I desperately want to bury my daughter so we can move forward with our lives," said Fiona.

Meanwhile, even as she has written to the police to assure her that she will not be arrested or detained in India and would be allowed to meet the CBI in Mumbai, Fiona has also replied to the questionnaire sent by the Goa police.

The Goa police had raised questions about Fiona's children, her source of income, purpose of visit to India along with her children.

Her replies have been very brief. To a question on whether Scarlett was consuming drugs or liquor, Fiona has replied: Drugs, no. Drink, she was permitted to have a small drink on special occasions with a meal. She has further stated that she was not aware if Julio and Scarlett were visiting nightclubs, nor did she visit nightclubs with her children. As for whether Julio or Scarlett were in love with each other, Fiona's answer has been in the negative.

She has also termed the relationship
between Julio and Scarlett, "platonic, working and friends". She insists she did not leave Scarlett alone with Julio in Goa. "She was not alone. She was in the care of Julio Lobo, an adult man, who was in the care of his aunts. She wanted the experience of working in Goa," Fiona has said in her reply. She has further said that Scarlett stayed in Goa "on her own wish".

To a question on whether she was aware that Julio was looking after Scarlett's day-to-day expenditure, she said, "No. I used to give her money when she visited us and I understand he was paying her for working."

11 Apr 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition

Fiona seeks assurance from cops against arrest

Fiona seeks assurance from cops against arrest
Preetu Nair , TNN

PANAJI: With the Goa Children's Court refusing the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) request to issue a letter rogatory (LR), which is required to record the statement of Fiona Mackeown, mother of British teenager Scarlet Eden Keeling, in her home in UK, she is now contemplating coming to India to meet the CBI. However, she wants an assurance from the Goa police that she would not be arrested on her arrival in India.

"I am trying to find a way to speak to the CBI and have been emailing them but they have not answered yet," said Fiona in an email from her home in Devon, UK. Fully aware that the court's decision comes as a setback to the CBI, which is struggling to record Fiona's statement, which is crucial in investigating the death of Scarlett at Anjuna beach on February 18, 2008, Fiona is willing to take the risk. The central investigating agency had moved the application in the Goa Children's Court seeking permission to issue the letter, which would have roped in the Interpol in London to take Fiona's statement.

"I do think the Goa police could arrest me or take my passport to stop me leaving until they finished investigations and I would need some reassurance that this would not happen before I would fly to Mumbai to talk to the CBI," she said. The Goa police is inquiring into a complaint of neglect and failure to provide her daughter a safe environment, which ultimately led to the alleged rape and murder of the minor.

Fiona's counsel Vikram Varma said, "I will ask her to come to India as she wants to assist the CBI as well as the Goa police in its inquiry. But she needs to be assured in writing that the Goa police will not harass her and she will be able to return back to her country to look after her children."

He added, "It is too often in this country that complainants and witnesses are harassed to a point where they don't pursue the case to the advantage of the accused. I hope we can reverse such a probability in this matter."

Meanwhile, as the case drags on and Fiona's trip to India has been delayed, Scarlett awaits a decent burial, even after a year of her death. Infact, the organs have not even reached UK. "The organs are supposed to be collected by an undertaker from Mumbai. But there will be no burial until the investigations in India are over," she added.

17 Mar 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition

Police send Fiona 2-page questionnaire

Police send Fiona 2-page questionnaire
Preetu Nair, TNN

PANAJI: With British teenager Scarlett Keeling's mother Fiona Mackeown reluctant to come to Goa fearing arrest, the Goa police have sent her a
two-page questionnaire and also requested her to be present for an inquiry into a complaint of neglect and failure to provide her daughter a safe environment, which ultimately led to the alleged rape and murder of the minor.

The Goa police, in a letter to Fiona, have sought to know whether she was "aware that Scarlett used to consume drugs/liquor," whether she was "visiting night clubs along with your children," if she was aware that "Scarlett was in love with Julio Lobo" or "Lobo in love with Scarlett" and that "Julio and Scarlett were visiting nightclubs." Fiona is yet to reply to the questionnaire.

When TOI contacted Fiona through an email in Devon, UK, she said, "I did not know Scarlett was taking drugs and am certain that she was not taking drugs when we were in England. Scarlet told me that she had once tried cannabis but did not like it."

Recently, her former boyfriend Robert Clarke, with whom she had come to Goa along with her children, had claimed that Fiona was warned about Scarlett's drug dealing by one of her older sons.

"Most of his statements to the press were lies. I am starting to have doubts about Rob as a person. He told me shortly after I returned home that he was still in contact with people at Curlies. He also claimed to have seen scratches on Julio's arms and neck the day after Scarlett died. Why didn't he share with me or the police this information," she said.

The police have also asked Fiona about her ex-boyfriend Robert Clark and his profession, as well as Fiona's source of income. Police have also asked Fiona why she left Scarlett alone in Goa and left for Gokarna. They asked, "whether you had asked Scarlett to stay in Goa or she had stayed as per her own wish."

Responding to this, Fiona said that Scarlett didn't really refuse to leave Goa. "She expressed her wish to stay and work with Julio. After many long discussions we compromised and agreed that she could stay as long as she shared some of her time in India with us. Julio was a very good actor and played the part of a responsible caring adult very well."

The police have specifically asked Fiona whether she knew Julio before she came to India and whether she was aware that Julio was looking after the day-to-day expenditure of Scarlett. They have also asked about one teenager called Shanti and whether Shanti had damaged Julio's vehicle as Scarlet was moving with him.

March 14, 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition

Scarlett yet to get decent burial

Scarlett yet to get decent burial
Preetu Nair, TNN

PANAJI: One year after the death of British teenager Scarlett Keeling, she is yet to be given a decent burial as her mother Fiona is yet to
receive her daughter's organs. On February 18, 2008, her semi-naked body was found on the Anjuna beach.

Fiona was planning to come to India in the first week of February to collect her daughter's organs and also give her statement to the CBI. "I don't have Scarlett's organs yet, although an undertaker is processing the paperwork and preparing to collect them on my behalf," she told TOI.

Explaining why she changed her plans, she said, "I won't be coming to Goa now as I cannot risk being detained by the Goa police as my other children need me too much, especially now. The present investigations are proof of how long investigations can take in Goa. If I am detained while investigations took place it could be a long time and could be harmful to my children's future."

"But in Scarlett's remembrance, we are going to plant one hundred trees (brightly coloured willows) in the morning with the children and Scarlett's friends and then we are all going to the beach for the day," the mother said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Scarlett was not just living a hedonistic life of drugs and rave parties in Goa in the weeks before her death, she also had no plans to return home to Devon for like years,' it has emerged.

In an email to her childhood friend in Devon on February 3, 2008, she wrote that she had met Julio, who worked in Finland. Julio had promised to take her to Finland with him and work there for six months and then come back to Goa, she said in the letter.

In another letter, she stated that she would be going to Belgium, Portugal, Peru and Thailand. "And it all sounds so good but then i wouldnt c (see) u guys 4 like years an that suks but i wld b makin mony man i dunno what to do man its tearin me apart," she had written. All these emails are in possession of her mother Fiona Mackeown and she has handed the same over to the CBI.


17 Feb 2009, The Times of India, Goa edition

Fiona to visit Goa to take Scarlett’s organs

SCARLETT MURDER CASE
Fiona to visit Goa to take Scarlett’s organs
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Panaji: British teenager Scarlett Keeling’s mother Fiona Mackeown will be coming to Goa to collect her daughter’s organs.
Speaking to TOI over the phone from her home in Devon, UK, Fiona said “I will be coming back in February to collect my daughter’s organs. I hope to be in India for the anniversary of Scarlett’s death.”
Scarlett’s body had been found on February 19, 2008 at Anjuna beach, and a case of rape and murder was registered. Fiona had taken her daughter’s body to the UK for a third autopsy after two forensic autopsies at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim. The autopsy at the coroner’s court in Devon had revealed that Scarlett’s kidneys, stomach and uterus were missing. Doctors at GMC’s forensic department had stated that the organs had been preserved for tests.
While Scarlett’s liver and pieces of her lungs were deposited in a sealed envelope by the Goa police with the children’s court, half of the uterus and slides containing tissues were collected from the Goa Medical College and Hospital by the CBI for examination. Some of the organs utilized by the Forensic Science Laboratory, Mumbai, for chemical analysis were preserved for a period of three weeks and thereafter destroyed as per the existing protocol, it being “hazardous” to preserve them.
Fiona, who was initially skeptical of returning to India as a case of negligence was filed against her before the Women and Child department, now aspires to return home with her daughter’s organs to give a decent burial to Scarlett. “The coroner won’t release Scarlett’s body until the investigations are over in India,” she said.
Meanwhile, the CBI is yet to meet Fiona to record her statement. “I haven’t spoken to the CBI yet in person but they have agreed via email to meet them in the second week of January,” she said.

January 12,2009, The Times of India, Goa edition

‘I’m waiting to give Scarlett a decent burial’

SEEKING JUSTICE
‘I’m waiting to give Scarlett a decent burial’
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: Almost eight months after British teenager Scarlett Keeling was found dead on the Anjuna beach, her mother says that she is still waiting to give a decent burial to her daughter. Though sad that her daughter’s body is still lying in a morgue in the UK, she stated that she doesn’t feel guilty about the delay.
“The British coroner has informed us that he can’t release Scarlett’s body until the toxicology tests are performed and they get the results. These tests are taking a long time as many organs were missing from Scarlett’s body,” said Fiona, speaking to TOI from her home in Devon, UK.
She said that she doesn’t feel guilty about not being able to bury Scarlett. “At the moment it is not in my hands. But
I do feel sad that people who loved her haven’t been able to say goodbye to her,” said Fiona.
The semi-naked body of Scarlett, 15, from Devon, was found on February 19 after she had been raped and murdered. After two forensic autopsies in Goa Medical College and hospital, Bambolim, Fiona had taken Scarlett’s body to the UK for a third autopsy, where the doctor of the coroner’s court in Devon, UK, revealed that Scarlett’s kidneys, stomach and uterus were missing. The forensic doctors at GMC had stated that the organs were preserved for tests.
“The coroner has written to the Goa government asking for information about the organs. Even I have written to the CBI requesting them to return Scarlett’s organs so that we can give her a decent burial. I believe that the organs would eventually be returned,” she said.
Incidentally, though Fiona has all the necessary permissions to come to India and help the CBI in its investigations, she is not eager to arrive in Goa. She has been postponing her trips as a case has been filed against her for being a negligent mother by a Utt Goenkara spokesperson.

October 6, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition