Scarlett murder trial begins today

Panaji, March 19: The trial in the death of a British teenager whose body was found on a beach in Goa will begin Friday. The proceedings were adjourned on Wednesday after the prosecution asked for more time, according to the lawyer for her family said.

The bruised and partially clothed body of Scarlett Keeling, 15, was found in 2008 on a beach in Goa, a tiny state with a coastline crowded with tourist resorts.

Police initially said Keeling drowned because she was drunk, but pressure from her family forced a second autopsy that indicated she was likely murdered and may also have been raped.

Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho, who were allegedly seen drinking at a bar with Keeling the night she died, were arrested and face charges of culpable homicide, sexual assault and destroying evidence. They face between seven and 21 years in prison, if convicted.

They are currently out on bail. D’Souza, 28, and Carvalho, 36, appeared briefly in a court in Goa’s capital of Panaji on Wednesday before the trial was adjourned to allow the government’s prosecuting lawyer more time to prepare their case, said Vikram Verma, the lawyer for Keeling’s family, who comes from Bideford, England.

Goa, a former Portuguese colony and a popular backpacking destination, is also known for its drug-infused beach parties. Keeling had been on vacation in India with her mother, her mother’s boyfriend, and her six siblings.

Her family was traveling elsewhere in India when she died. India’s criminal justice system is chronically overburdened, and cases often drag on for years before verdicts are reached.

—–PTI