Goa court acquits both accused in Scarlett Eden death case

Two local men accused of drugging, sexually abusing and leaving British teenage girl Scarlett Eden Keeling to die on Goa's Anjuna beach in 2008 were acquitted by a children's court in Panaji.

Goa Children's Court Judge Vandana Tendulkar acquitted Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho of all the charges in the eight-year-long high profile death case.

Carvalho and Samson had been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, sexual abuse and drugging.

The verdict was announced in a jam packed court hall.

Scarlett's mother Fiona Mackeown expressed shock at the verdict.

"I am shocked. I was not expecting acquittal. I was expecting conviction. I will challenge the order," Fiona told reporters outside the court hall.

After her daughter's body was found, Fiona had lived in Anjuna for a couple of weeks trying to piece together the evidence in the case. She flew down to Goa from Davon (UK) to be present in the court for the final verdict.

The CBI filed its chargesheet in the case in 2010 after the probe was handed over to the central agency from Goa Police on repeated pleas made by the Scarlett's family.

Goa Police was accused of trying to hush up the case. The 15-year-old's bruised and semi-nude body was found at Anjuna beach on Feburary 19 2008, following which the police had claimed it as a case of drowning, but later registered it as culpable homicide.

The case had grabbed international attention as British citizens used to be the largest number of tourists visiting Goa.

The investigating agency had charged Samson of sexually abusing the girl and leaving her to die on Anjuna coast while Placido was accused of providing narcotics to her on the fateful day.

"I am relieved. Justice has finally prevailed," said Samson while talking to reporters after the verdict.

The prosecution examined 31 witnesses, including the mother of the deceased during the trial.