Bradworthy Mother of Murdered Girl Fears Phone Hacking

THE NORTH Devon mother of a teenager murdered in Goa believes she may be a victim of tabloid phone hacking.

Fiona MacKeown, from Meddon near Bradworthy, fears her phone

was illegally accessed after her 15-year-old daughter, Scarlett Keeling,

was murdered on a beach in India in February 2008.

Ms MacKeown has been talking to Scotland Yard about her fears she was a victim of the practice which led to the demise of the News Of The World.

She said: "I think it is very likely I am on the list.

"I think it is outrageous and extremely distressing.

"At the time I was in such a state and to think somebody could have been listening in on it. If my phone has been hacked then it is just another blow."

Ms MacKeown said she remembered her phone playing up when she returned from India.

She said she could not work out where information in some newspaper reports had come from.

She said: "Police are searching to see if there are any details, but they are currently looking at records for 2006 and so I won't know anytime soon.

"Scotland Yard said they have got other information coming in and so will contact me if they find anything."

Scarlett was drugged, raped and killed while on holiday with her family in 2008.

Indian officials said Scarlett had drowned, but Ms Mac Keown believed and successfully fought to get authorities to admit her daughter was murdered.

Samson D'Souza, 30, and 42-year-old Placido Carvalho, were eventually charged with her murder, rape and destroying evidence at a trial which began in April 2010.

But that came to a halt six months ago.

Ms MacKeown believes both police and government officials have covered up Scarlett's murder.

She is still determined to fight for justice for her daughter, who more than three years after her death has not had a funeral.

It emerged last week that the News Of The World paid investigators to hack into the phones of celebrities, politicians, families of dead servicemen and the 7/7 London bombing victims and that of murdered teenager Milly Dowler.