It makes no sense to suggest that India has a more conservative and less sexually free culture. Traditional culture includes many sexually overt images, and who can forget kama sutra? There is as much or more sexual violence in Indian than in the West. The difference is that the politicians and police won't admit it, and cover it up. Don't pretend that India has the right to some moral high ground. It doesn't. In fact the refusal to admit there is a problem makes it worse. Scarlett was raped and killed by Indians, not Westerners.

John, Auckland, New Zealand

In response to Ravi comment:
Scarlett's case is not the case you are talking about - women covering and not covering themselves. It's not the culture difference that is the reason for what happened to poor Scarlett. She wasn't on the "wrong" beach. Do you suggest if she wore appropriate clothes that night she could have escaped what happened to her?!
What happend is all about crime not culture difference.

Elisa, London, UK

A young girl has lost her life and was brutally murdered.
The state pathologist tried to cover this up as did the police
It is not only in India that this happens, but in many
European countries including England. This is a well known
fact, but it has continued to be ignored by those we
put our trust in and pay for their wages. It is impossible
to prove this and so it goes on, If it were not for the
deterination of Scarletts mother she would have been
another number There are thousands of living victims in
England who have no justice for their loved ones, Had
there been a British postmortem it would merely have been
routine, and as in my own sons case, NO INJURIES
SEEN, and yet as with Scarlett there were many,
Where was this pathologist??
No action has been taken against him and this is a
democratic country. How many more will loose their
lives and the murder covered up??
The British Goverment must take a look at what it happening
in their own territory .

susan sutovic, London, England

Western tourists should understand that India has a culture quite unlike theirs in most respects. This particular case concerns behaviour of, and towards, women. 99 % Indian women cover themselves in non-revealing garments. On beaches most do not wear bathing suits and even enter the water with their sarees or other clothes on! Western women in bikinis shock most Indians; some Indian men think of them as loose and inviting unlike Westerners for whom this is not an unusual sight. In my opinion, just as there are said to be exclusive nudist beaches in Europe and elsewhere in the White world so should there be beaches earmarked for Westerners.

Ravi, Delhi, India

Whether Scarlett's mother was negligent or has criminal past is a side issue. The real issue is that a crime has been committed and guilty should be brought to book.

Sheenu, bhusawal, india

Why is a 15 year old absent from a school to be on holiday for 6 months in her "final" year of schooling .... Social workers will turn blind eye when it suits their political preferences to excuse what would otherwise be unexcusable and punished in other "ordinary" folks' behaviour with their children. As ever the press is reluctant to pursue this blatantly significant angele on the story. Quite apart from the disgraceful abandonment of a minor to be wqith a 25 year old man, which would be grounds for action by social services in all normal circumstances, I hope that the duty of parental supervision and protection from drug etc abuse has been noted and will be investigated properly by the authorities. And the matter of a six month holiday abroad with 5 kids absent from school - any state funding in that then ? Socail services need to be ratjer more active in this.

A Johnson, Birmingham, UK

its like two sides of a coin.......ervything had its bad face and good faces......it depends on what u want...u go to goa to drink with strangers,,have drugs then this is what happens....shady places.......i still dont understand what kind of a mother is she to leave her all alone with someone........what o pity...

vijay, hyderabad, india

i am citizen of india and i feel very sorry for scarlett and her family. i just want to say that politics of india is full of corruption most of ministers are corrupt and greedy. They just want to earn money for themselves but exceptions are alwys there.Not all people in India are bad and selfish.

puneet verma, amritsar, India

My understanding is that a 15 years old parents still have a moral obligation to look after their childrens well being. Forgive me if I sound a little naive ( using this word in a justifiable context), but somewhere within this whole sad event something has broken down. Again, with such an attrocity people seem to be looking for excuses to justify their failings. I consider that the arrested perpetrators should
be dealt with most harshly for taking advantage of a young and obviously intoxicated girl. But I also hope that some good will come of this in that parents realise that the warm arm of responsibility for their young does not work from a distant beach.

Tony, Sleaford, lincolnshire

If you play with fire ,you get burnt,this is something that
the younger generations have yet to learn,due to the
mollycoddling that passed for parenting and teaching
in this pathetic country. Our children are incapable of
getting to school by themselves, let alone dealing with
men from other cultures, who when they see young girls
wandering about drunk or out of their skulls with drugs
somehow get the impression that they are up for it.
I wonder why???

Ancient Briton, Northampton,

I have to say I am becoming quite angry with some of the sensationalist journalism and rhetoric I have heard regarding the reasons why people visit anjuna today.

NOT EVERYONE WHO GOES TO ANJUNA GOES THERE TO TAKE DRUGS AND HAVE CASUAL SEX !!!

What happened to Scarlett is a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to her family.

My heart also goes out to the people of Goa who live with the constant injustice and total corruption of state institutions.

Claire, Newcastle upon Tyne,

I am an Indian citizen. I live and work in the capital city of the country New delhi. As a woman living in India, I find 'India my own country highly unsafe for women'. Although I have never been to Goa ever in my life, but it isn't shocking to find that an all alone teenaged girl was raped & killed. People here have narrow mentality and don't possess any moral responsibilty of being a citizen of india. We people say that Women should be respected as goddesses but in reality, women are disrespected, assaulted, eve teased, raped & killed every single day here. Even after having a rich cultural heritage we dont know how to preserve it & respect women of our own country, a foreigner is an exception. Women are the worst victims in this country.

Purnima, New Delhi, Delhi

It is not the mother's fault what so ever! They were very happy and responsible people. Scarlett was a strong and great person and would not, if was possible, let anyone take advantage. She was strong and confident. How do we not no that her drink was spiked? and then causing her to lose control and then raped?? The mother, Fiona is not to blame. The tour guide was suppose to look after her. she stayed with him.

Fran, Devon,

I am so angry about this that I am posting on all available forums.
This mother WAS negligent, and in interview did NOT even seem that upset! I am a tattooed and freethinking sort of person, but I WOULD NOT have left a 15 old in such circumstances. My responsibility to my children is paramount. So what if they were fighting - that is what teenagers are like. I do not believe that this mother was naive - I believe that she wanted to go off and have her fun, and that is what she did.
Sorry, but if you have ever been a 15 year old girl you know what 'fair game' you are seen as by certain types of men - at that age I was propositioned daily. Of course the police are going to try and cover this up - tourist deaths are not important to them - particularly female hippies. I hope for a conviction, but I do not expect anyone to do much time for this poor girls horrific murder.

caroline, London, England

Scarlet was a teenage girl rebelling, she was very unlucky, Goa used have a reputation of being safe. Her mother is not to blame. When you 15 you think you are a woman.

I am a white western woman and lived in Goa for a number of yrs, I was caught by rapid sunsets, alone on dark beaches on this stretch. Once I was molested by a group of 3 young boys, I hit out and ran off. There are many stories like mine and worse, people keep quiet. Anyone who lives there, knows the dark side.

India is going through massive changes, attitudes of many are changing, resentment towards Westerners has escalated, poorer Indians now realise what they are missing ,they will never escape their simple lives.

Drugs and sexual frustration in the culture, obviously mean situations involving young boys can get out of control.

There are increasing race issues , these go along with other legal issues affecting Westerners living there.

Louise, London, UK

Having visited Goa Anjuna is renowned for its drugs etc and certainly not the place to leave a 15year old. At 15 you are still a child and should not be drinking yet alone taking drugs. Indeed women of all ages are warned not to go out alone at night as the only women who do that are considered as prostitutes especially western women.
Sadly the Mother cannot blame the pollice or anyone else. She left the child and has to accept full responsibility. Also how can a Mother be in India for 6months with children of school age. Most Parents would not go on holiday with children outside of the school holidays espcially at such a vital time in their education.
My condolensces to the family.

Howard Beford

howard, bedford, UK

I hope Scarlett's going to introduce positive change in Goa for all & in all spheres, even if she is doing it from heaven at a tender age.

Fiona, please continue fighting...

retinalenvy, Bangalore, India

I would be interested to know whether or not toxicology have even been performed, and if so what the results will reveal. the whole situation seems like a complete shambles. I have trravelled in india a number of times and know only too well how corrupt the goan police are, and how sleazy a disturbing number of the men are.

At the moment most of the 'facts' are merely conjecture and i wonder whether there will ever be anything more substantial to go on, or whether the opportunity to conduct a thorough investigation is already gone.

it is no good blaming her mother, she was nearly sixteen and if I know anything about Small School kids (which i do) she was probably a very strong willed and a rounded individual, who in most situations would have been able to take care of herself.

I also know that the other tourists and ex-pats out there will try to blame it all on Scarlett and her mother to avoid dealing with the mess that is on their 'idyllic' doorstep.

It's a damn sham

Pip, Exeter, Devon

Just what was the girl doing out alone in the early hours in a strange country, just where was the mother? Is this another case of parents failing their children, she should at 15 still be at school! No place is so safe the vulnerable can be left unsupervised.

JR, B,ham, UK

I agree. The witness sounds dodgy.

JanK, Croydon, England

Goa is a lovely place to visit. I stayed there for three months and never saw or heard of any serious attacks. Everybody was always helpful and looking out for one another.

Like many tourist destinations tourists must always be careful. Indian culture around marriage and women are very different from the British.

The locals and workers must also realise that it is their duty to look after tourists. This should be educated from the top down, working closer with the local tourist board to improve the safety issues we have discussed.

Lets not let one or two horrid individuals spoil one of the few low level unruined beach areas of Asia.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel D

Daniel , Putney, London

I read that the family went there for a six-month break and immediately wondered aboout their schooling during this time. Seems a strange and irresponsible way to behave, even before reading that this girl was left there witha 25 year old boyfriend while the rest of the family went off somewhere else.
I hope this is tabloid misinformation.
Hoever, this young girl was behaving like a very free spirit indeed and had a very sordid end. How sad.

Anne , Swansea,

I know this family very well, we were neighbours for years when i lived in Devon, I had a lot of respect for Fiona and always will have. Fiona is a good mother and has always done her best by her children. Fiona is not and never has been negligent. I believe that Fiona thought her daughter was safe. I have visited Goa with my young children, it is hard to believe what has happened. My heart goes out to my friend Fiona and her siblings. Fiona would have never put her child knowingly at risk.

Amanda, Sofia, Bulgaria

What kind of mum thinks it's a "Christmas treat" to let her 15 year old daughter go out drinking and taking class A drugs till 3am ?

Paul, London,

One aspect of this miserable disaster seems (as reported here) to be yet more world-class under-achievement by our consular services. This bears out my experience -"disappointing" is an insufficient term- of our consular services in France. A tougher description would be 'lazy', 'evasive' and 'arrogant.' The Bangkok consulate gets poor marks too. All of H.M.'s officers are duty-bound to respond 'fairly and reasonably' in dealings with us. That doesn't mean reading the rules & regs fine print to justify yet another "it's not our job." Protection and care of British life, property, dignity, and legitimate business interests is your job, mates. Time for less carrot and more stick, maybe neither entrusted 100% to the FO?

Stephen J Schneider, Bordeaux, France

What the hell is a 15 y old doing alone by night in a foreign country. Being abroad is a risk in itself, but the Brits seems to believe that they are the gods of the earth.
When abroad, I never drink, never mind taking drugs, and I am in my 30s and it is because of the risks involved as being target of dodgy people. Tourist are spotted miles away by the gangsters, and are prime targets simply because they have far more money than brain.
Never mind the negligence of the irresponsible parents.
A 15 y old, taking lsd, extasy, cocaine all at once is the proof that the parents didn't care much about their kids well being. This girl has to be an experienced drug user, and was allowed to do so by her parents as I have seen so often in UK's families where the kids join the parents in their out their heads evenings. There is absolutely no reason to go abroad just to get drunk, take drugs and have sex, but it seems that is what most British tourist do. Don't come back home crying.

lauren, London, Uk

Real Goans are friendly and welcoming. Anjuna and surrounding areas have been spoilt by drug abusers who think it's cool...WRONG! Anyone caught with Drugs should be imprisoned like in Thailand, There's more to Goa and its people but unfortunately a handful of Goans are being drawn into the dark side of drug abuse. Sad to hear about the fate of this poor girl.

J Church, Bristol, UK

What was the "Briton who witnesssed the murder" doing following the teenager like that? If he did that outta suspicion, then why did he not seek anyone's help much earlier? His version of the story is quite unclear and dodgy.

Tresa, Bangalore, India

In this case, these seem to be Goese, judging by their portuguese names. Not that this should be a judgment passed on Goese ot other indians or other homo sapiens, for that matter. I believe rapists to be normally (as in gauss distribution) distributed amongs malekind. Police efficiency and honesty and transaparency, however, is not. What stikes me most here is the attitude of a police (as an institution) to cover-up for their kin. OBVIOUSLY, some people working there should NOT be police officers. They clearly don't have the ethical qualities indispensable to a police officer.. even in India.

Rui Duarte, Lisbon, Portugal

Not knowing all the facts, I know is that my fifteen year old daughter or son would not be on their own in a bar in Goa or in fact anywhere indulging in drink and drugs with strangers. Us parents have to have a certain amount of control of our young and fifteen is very definitely young.

E. Witcomb, London., U.K.

Indian and British officials will brush this under the carpet. Can't harm the bottom line, you know.

Carl Rogers, Atlanta, USA

It is not the fault of the police. It is the responsibility of the parents or the mother. People in the UK should realise you cannot visit a foreign country expecting it it be like some sort of a peaceful English village. The real world is quite different. Would the mother let her daughter of 15 go out in London on her own at 5am in the morning. Where was she while all this was happening, she should have been preventing MEN from talking and taking advantage and offering drugs to this child.

Tim, Woking, Surrey

This parent should not be charged with child neglect because like the McCanns she is going to serve the worst possible life sentance without remission. I hope other parents will take better care of their own children.

D Mills, Croydon, Surrey

Why did the 'eyewitness' not help her?

Chantel, Wales,

I feel sorry for Scarlett.... As an observer many teens accompany their parents to get high on the beaches of GOA...

Millions of people enjoy their vacations in GOA and the rest of India love to come to GOA to relax.

Many get high in drugs...not just foreingers but the many Indians as well. I invite the Govt. of India, Kamat Government to do a thorough investigation and bring to justice if RAPE or Sexual Activities involved with this teenager.... who did not belong at that time to be at the bar and go high on cocaine....

GOAN PEOPLE love foreigners and tourists... BUT GOA has become a den of thiefs and criminals from outside GOA who do drug business on our beaches!

goenkar, gnvl, usa

This British "witness" sounds a bit dodgy and his story does too.

Jeff Hemlin, VANCOUVER, Canada

Re 15-year-old Scarlett's tragic end in Goa: the British consular office should be ashamed of itself for refusing help or protection to the unidentified eyewitness to the alleged rape and murder of a minor child in Anjuna beach bar. And shame too on the police in Goa and the Home Office in New Delhi which has a responsibility for safeguarding the interests and safety of all foreign visitors/tourists in India.

Vernon Ram, Hong Kong, SAR China

Briton ‘witnessed sex attack on Scarlett Keeling’ - why on earth did he not stop it?

Rob, Brum, UK

What on earth is a 15 year old doing all on her own high on drugs in a strange place ? It all sounds like a recipe for disaster.

AS, North of the Border, UK

No one deserves to be raped anfd murdered. However when you are indulging in amateur
pharmacology you must bear a modicum of responsibility for placing yourself in a dangerous position.

Bruce L. Northwood, Washington, D.C., USA

In response to THIS ARTICLE:

"From The Times July 18, 2007

Man 'assaulted three schoolgirls while they slept at youth hostel'"

... I posted this response on July 18, 2007:

" ENOUGH! IT'S TIME FOR ACTION!

An awful tragedy!

Where were the adults? Who was in charge?
Who was responsible for protecting those children?

It is time for strict laws regarding custody, care, protection and chaperoning to protect British
children traveling abroad.

There have been far too many cases reported of British children - young girls - traveling abroad without adequate, or any, adult care and protection...and of resulting tragedies!

Where are the parents ? ? ? Surely they must value their young daughters???

It's time for a change!

Garth Rex, Glendale Heights, USA"

IT'S NOW PAST TIME FOR A CHANGE!!!

It's past time to value, respect and protect British children traveling abroad. Some MP, some parent..some caring person..please, please take up this cause!

Garth Rex, Glendale Heights, USA/IL

I am shocked to learn that a 15 year old girl spent all night alone in a bar and her mother did not seem to know about it. In a place like India, even Indian parenst do not let their teenage daughters out unaccompanied during the day time how can our British mother be so careless!

nishi, London, England

Murder is bad for tourism in Goa so it was covered up.

In Jersey systemic child abuse would have been bad for the Island's Government, it was covered up.

I have worked for a charity and discovered fraud, this seems to get covered up in many charities as it was in the one that I worked for because its bad publicity.

The recurring theme in all these situations is that organisations are often so desperate to maintain the status quo that justice is never carried out.

Graham, St Albans, uk