Two Goa workers acquitted in UK girl's murder

Panaji, Sep 23: Two beach shack workers who were accused of sexually assaulting and killing 15-year-old British teenager Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008 were acquitted on Friday.

Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho were acquitted by the Goa Children's Court President Vandana Tendulkar in a one line order.

The order will be made public later."I am shocked," Scarlett's mother Fiona Mackeown told reporters after the verdict.She is expected to make a detailed statement soon.

D'Souza and Carvalho were accused of sexually assaulting Keeling and leaving her to die, with a cocktail of drugs pumped in her adolescent body, at North Goa's popular Anjuna beach.

Keeling's death put the spotlight on the issue of safety of the state's beaches, which attracts nearly four million tourists every year.

IANS