Panaji: Fiona Mackeown, mother of slain
British teenager Scarlett Eden Keeling, will come to India to
assist the prosecution in her daughter`s murder case after her
sentence was suspended for two years by a United Kingdom
court, her lawyer said today.
"Fiona is ready to come to India and assist the court as
soon as date for her deposition is fixed," her lawyer Vikram
Varma told PTI.
Fiona`s presence for the trial was uncertain after she
was sentenced for eight months imprisonment for alleged
benefit fraud.
The British court has suspended Fiona`s sentence for two
years and has not barred her from visiting India, Varma said.
Goa Children`s court is hearing the murder case of
Scarlett, who was found dead at Anjuna shore on February 18,
2008. Two locals ? Samson D`Souza and Placido Carvalho have
been booked for allegedly drugging, sexually abusing and
leaving the British teenager to die on the beach.
The court, which is now on vacation, is hearing the case
thrice a week. The case proceedings will begin in the first
week of June after the court meets post-vacation.
Varma said Fiona`s testimony is very crucial in this
case. "She was supposed to arrive in India on April 15 but had
to cancel her trip as cyclonic ash had jeopardised the entire
air travel in UK," he added.
PTI
