Goa Police 'may Have Wrong Man'

The mother of a British 15-year-old raped and murdered in the Indian seaside state of Goa yesterday called on the country's top investigative officers to take over the case after claims of a police cover-up.

Her plea came as a 28-year-old man appeared in court over the rape and murder of Scarlett Keeling, whose semi-naked body was found on the beach in the resort of Anjuna. Witnesses have told police that they saw Samson D'Souza in a "compromising position" with the teenager in the early hours of February 18.

Goa police inspector Kisham Kumar said yesterday that he was satisfied D'Souza was involved, but no formal charge had yet been brought against him. He said: "This man was seen with the girl near where her body was found. It was clear he was raping her. We have sufficient evidence to show this man was having sex with the girl in the early hours of February 18."

D'Souza was remanded in custody for 14 days following a short court appearance and his possible connection to the teenager's murder is still being investigated.

Scarlett's mother, Fiona MacKeown, said yesterday she wanted the case taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's investigation agency.

"I am not confident that they have got the right person. I think that they are just making a public show," she told the BBC.

Police originally claimed that Scarlett had drowned but after protests from her mother, a second postmortem examination showed she had been attacked.