Scarlett Keeling murder: Man who raped and killed British schoolgirl on Goa beach convicted 11 years later

Fifteen-year-old found dead in India in 2008

One of two men suspected of raping a British schoolgirl and leaving her to die on a beach in Goa has been convicted.

The Mumbai High Court overturned the acquittal of Samson D’Souza in the attack on 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling.

However, prosecutors said the court upheld the acquittal of another suspect accusing of leaving Keeling to die on the beach after drugging and sexually abusing her.

Keeling had been on holiday with her family in the popular Indian resort town of Anjuna when she attended a Valentine’s Day party in 2008.

Her bruised and partially undressed body was found on a beach the following day.

Police originally said she had drowned after taking drugs, but changed their story after her mother complained.

A second autopsy found she had been raped and murdered.

A trial court acquitted both of the accused in 2016, saying there was not enough evidence to convict them.

The High Court took up the case in 2017 after an appeal by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The court will sentence D’Souza on Friday.

He faces up to life in prison.

Under Indian laws, both the accused and prosecutors can appeal a trial court’s verdict to the High Court and the Supreme Court.