t isn’t easy for anyone to deal with the death of a loved one and particularly hard for a parent to handle the loss of a child. British national Fiona Mackeown is among those who has still not overcome grief, disappointment and loss of her eldest child – Scarlet Keeling Eden.It’s been 10 years since the gruesome incident rocked the state, more so to the mother who along with her eight other children and a male friend had come to Goa to spend a good holiday. She was informed about Scarlet’s death while she along with her remaining family members were in Karnataka. Fiona feels nostalgic remembering her dear daughter, whose semi-clad bruised body was found on the shores of one of the most frequented beaches – Anjuna on February 19, 2008. She regretted heeding to Scarlet’s request to leave her alone in Goa while others headed to the neighbouring state.She exclusively spoke to Herald, from her hometown in Devon, UK about how her life has changed after the incident. “Scarlet was forcibly drowned. It has been a hard ten years filled with waiting and disappointments as far as the case is concerned. I think about Scarlet every day, and so do her brothers and sisters. It’s been hard seeing how this has affected them. I feel like I’ve lost 10 years of my life. My priorities have changed considerably. The most precious thing for any mother are her children. I make more time for family now (after the incident),” she said.While her children have grown up of whom some are financially independent, Fiona has again been unfortunate when one of her sons died little over a year ago, this time too when she was away in Goa to attend the case verdict. “Most of my children have grown up. Three boys have careers in medicine of whom two are chiropractors and one has joined the army’s medical wing. One daughter has two children and trains horses, another girl is doing an apprenticeship with horses and my youngest daughter is at school,” she added recalling how difficult the phase has been for her children as well. As her fight to get her daughter justice continues with the appeal filed in the High Court of Bombay at Goa, through the Central Bureau of Investigation; Fiona continues to do odd jobs to ensure her family is well fed and she is able to carry forward the case till justice is met.She told Herald that she has managed to built her house and buy two second-hand caravans (parked in her property). She had one Caravan years ago. At the same time, she participates in fairs at different places in her country where she sells home-made food. Besides this, she breeds horses and dogs, and works in a local farm as well.
Discussing the case, the upset mother is now losing hope considering the manner in which the matter is progressing. The acquittal of the two locals – Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho by the Children’s Court in September 2016 has shattered her. She is also disappointed with the fact the CBI has failed to pursue the case vigorously.“I don’t believe justice can be done until the top brass in the CBI give the matter the attention it deserves. More so, the justice system in India is notoriously slow. I feel absolutely helpless in front of the Indian criminal justice system,” the grieving mother said. What really shocked Fiona was Michael Mannion also known as Mike Masala, refusal to testify before the court in person during the trial. The CBI prosecution had heavily relied on the deposition of this key witness, who – soon after the incident – had spoken several times about witnessing the horror Scarlet went through before she was found dead. While he thereafter rued being a witness in the case, he cited security reasons for not traveling to India. His withdrawal at the crucial stage of the hearing has prompted Fiona never to forgive him.
“I am not in touch with the witnesses in the case. I will not forgive Michael Mannion for leaving my daughter with Samson the night she was murdered and then, worse, pulling out as a witness. He was an important eye-witness and saw the truth and yet chose not to testify when it mattered most in the trial,” she angrily said.
The mother reiterated she will not return to Goa, unless she is needed for the case in the court. She continues to call Goa unsafe. “I don’t think I could feel safe in Goa now. I have learnt in the last 10 years that a number of British tourists have been murdered in Goa and none of the families have gotten justice. I would like to visit other parts of India though,” she claims.
