BRITISH TEEN SCARLET KEELING CASE RESUMED

PANJIM: The cross examination in the sensational British teen Scarlet Keeling case resumed after a gap of two months on Wednesday in the Goa Children’s Court.  With this, the long-pending cross examination of the key prosecution witness Murli Sagar also concluded.

Sagar, prosecution’s 15th witness, worked as a waiter at the Lui Café shack located at Anjuna beach, where Scarlet frequented before her death on February 18, 2008.  The case hearing has now been adjourned to March 11 when British national Michael Mannion (Mike Masala) is likely to be present for recording of his statement.

Michael, 35, a London-based carpenter, had claimed to be an eye-witness in the entire episode before Scarlet’s bruised body was found on Anjuna shore.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special public prosecutor E Khan has replaced PP S R Rivonkar in the case.

Rivonkar, in January had written to the Juvenile Court and CBI stating that he did not want to continue fighting the case. It is learnt that Rivonkar was disturbed as the trial was dragging on for several months.

The public prosecutor had said that he is busy with several other cases and might not be able to give his best to this important case.

Two locals – Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho – are facing charges of drugging, molestation and leaving the British teenager to die on the Anjuna beach. The case was initially investigated by Goa police, which was later handed over to CBI in July 2008.

While the Goa police had charged Samson and Placido under sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 323 (administering drugs) of the Indian Penal Code and Goa Children’s Act 2003, CBI in their chargesheet before the Court in October 2009 mellowed down charges against them.