Sky's Asia correspondent Alex Crawford gives a personal account of meeting the mother seeking justice over the murder of her daughter Scarlett Keeling in Goa.

OK, Fiona MacKeown was unwise. OK, she was naïve. OK, she may live a very unorthodox lifestyle. But let us remember, please, that she has lost a child in the most horrible of circumstances.

From the reaction of some commentators, she might as well have been running a brothel, sold her daughter into sex slavery and then watched while she was slaughtered. The reaction among some is staggeringly unsympathetic - and a lot of it, I would suggest, is based on prejudice.

Yes, Fiona MacKeown may have had nine children in Britain, where that is viewed as wanton irresponsibility by some. Yes, they may have different fathers, at least four. Yes, she lives with her large family in a group of caravans on a nine-acre site in Devon. Yes, she has tattoos and a lip ring.

But where does that translate into bad, uncaring mother? Perhaps in bourgeois Clapham or in the Home Counties where most of the tabloid female writers are penning their scathing commentaries? And yes, they are mostly female, I am ashamed to say.

My crew - cameraman Jamie Matthews, producer Neville Lazarus and myself - have spent most of the past nine days in Fiona MacKeown's company. Until her children were sent back to Britain, we spent a lot of the time with the six children with her too. Unlike the tabloid newspaper writer who seemed to suggest Ms MacKeown's lack of tears made her want to 'scream at the TV', we have watched while she bent over double with grief, her body heaving with sobs as she showed us pictures of her daughter's battered body.

I have hugged her, unable to offer up any comfort while tears ran down her cheeks. She is cool, she is composed, she is assertive and articulate in front of the cameras, but please don't suggest that she isn't hurting, that she isn't feeling remorse and wishing she could turn back the clock.

We were the only TV channel in town showing any interest in her allegations and Ms MacKeown was desperate to get someone to listen to her, to get someone to believe her. She had forced herself to go back into the mortuary having already been there once to identify Scarlett, and she took photograph after photograph  of her daughter's back, arms, legs, even her genital area to show the extent of the bruising and abrasions.

Now imagine that. Her child is dead. She is lying on a slab with her face cut from ear to ear by the initial pathologists who were told she was an unidentified body (and had to take dental records). It takes a certain steeliness, strength of character, determination, call it what you will, for a mother to do that.

The police were telling reporters that Scarlett's body had no marks, that she had been drunk and her body had been found 'floating in water'. She had drowned and there was no suggestion of foul play. Just another tourist who had soaked up too much of Goa's paradise.

Short of dragging reporters into the morgue and tearing off the sheet covering Scarlett (which at one point she threatened to do), she felt driven to take the photographs to try to prove somehow she was right.

Nearly three weeks after her daughter was found dead on Anjuna beach -  she has a) instigated a second post mortem b) managed to get police to launch a murder inquiry c) prompted an internal police inquiry to find who covered up the crime and d) provoked questions in the Indian Parliament questioning safety in the tourist hotspot.

Now in any other world that would be pretty damn amazing, but instead Fiona MacKeown - a single parent who doesn't conform - is being roasted in parts of the media for somehow being partly to blame for her daughter's death.

There's no doubt she made one heck of a bad decision to leave her behind while the rest of the family travelled to nearby Karnataka. It is one she obviously regrets and no-one would attempt to try to explain that away.

But let's remember Fiona MacKeown had been in the country for nearly three months by this time.

She had befriended the people Scarlett was staying with. They were an upstanding church-going Roman Catholic family and although Scarlett had struck up a friendship with a 25-year-old tourist guide called Julio Lobo, like many Indian families, he continued to live with his older aunts. The two families had met, had shared meals together, and felt they knew each other.      

Fiona MacKeown didn't feel she was leaving her 'alone'. She felt she had found an option which suited both - it gave Scarlett the freedom and independence she desired and her mother peace of mind that she was being looked after by caring and responsible adults, albeit a family she had known for a relatively short period of time.

Scarlett came and joined the rest of her family for two or three days every week and there was phone contact every day, her mother says. She has found out through reading Scarlett's diary that she was having a sexual relationship with Julio and says she knew nothing of that before. But even if she did know, even if she made a mistake by leaving her behind, my goodness she is paying for that error now.

Surely we should have some compassion for a woman whose eldest daughter has been violently killed and who is trying to do the right thing?

One British journalist wrote: "Since Scarlett's brutal killing, Fiona MacKeown has fought for her daughter. Would that she had exercised half that dedication and sense of responsibility while Scarlett was alive and in need of a mother's care."

I am sorry but does that writer know anything about what sort of a mother Fiona MacKeown really is? She may have a lot of children but does that give the journalist the right to suggest she somehow loves any less or cares for them any worse?

Ms MacKeown seems to me to have an independence which is admirable, a strength of mind which is remarkable and a determination which is born out of love for her children. She frankly doesn't give two hoots what people who don't know her think of her.

"They are making judgements and they don't know me or my kids," she says. "Anyone who knows me knows I am a good mother and I love my kids."

She is not, as the writer assumes, a "middle class person who should know better". She lives on a farm feeding her kids with vegetables and fruit they grow themselves. Home for them is a series of caravans with no mains electricity - just a generator - and no heating.

She lives an unconventional life and sends her oldest children to an alternative, liberal charity school in Devon. Yes, she does claim some benefits but she raises money through the farmers' market to help pay for the schooling and she cooks there two days a week to help out. Education and the right sort, is a priority. She has even home-schooled her children and during the long holiday in India, she had arranged for them to do remote learning. Her partner Rob Clarke did not pay for the holiday as one newspaper suggested. The family saved up for about nine months and when they still didn't have enough money, they sold some of their animals to cover the costs.

Yet despite money being an issue, she turned down £10,000 offered by a British tabloid for her exclusive story, believing she needed ALL the media on board to get to the truth. 

Having spent many days with them, the children appeared polite, well-mannered, well-fed and loving. She seemed patient, caring and reasonable with them. They in turn, are not loud, spoilt or mercenary. They sat quietly for hours drawing pictures, playing cards, occasionally watching television (which they don't have in England), while television crews moved around them and reporters took up all their mother's time. There weren't the loud, noisy squabbles that I am constantly having to monitor with my own children. They didn't have the modern-day accessories of iPod, laptop, Playstation or Nintendo which seem to be necessary to appease many children. I never saw her shouting at them to get them all out of the door and on the way to her various appointments. She had a natural authority with them and they respected her and were demonstrably affectionate with her.

"I don't know anyone who is with their kids for 24 hours of the day," said Fiona MacKeown.

She's right. I know plenty of my friends who have teenage children and who often leave their older kids at home while they have a night out. Occasionally there are wild parties and too much alcohol drunk and lots of clearing up to do in the morning and groundings to be handed out. But please, if Scarlett Keeling had been murdered on one such parents-night-out in the UK, would we still be having this holier-than-thou debate?

Let's remember the crime here is rape and murder. Not going on holiday to India, not leaving your fifteen-year-old behind, not having tattoos or an alternative lifestyle.

Comments

[Rosie form Devon 6 May 2008 18:11:17]

I think it is so sick, disgusting and BIAS for the media to... take the side of a rapist over a loving mother!! because thats what they are doing when they question the mothers values for a second and scold her for letting a teenager have freedom. if she was my age and on a gap year in India instead what would they say then? I am planning a gap year travelling and it makes me sick to think of the people who do these sorts of things, but mostly at governments WHO COVER IT UP! justice must be brought to the people who do this otherwise it will continue and get worse. As for the mother beniffiting from the media attention.. the only way she will benefit is if JUSTICE is brought because of it! if she hadnt recieved the intrest of the media would any awareness of the subject been raised properly and judged? no, because to authority some things can be withheld from the public and lied about aswell such as claiming that she died of her own fault which is an isult to her memory!
I went to school with her and she does not deserve this!
RIP scarlet

i also strongly disagree with the people who judged scarlet's mother without even knowing her.. im VERY sure that if we looked at your lives we could find words and twist your actions to form harsh reactions towards you. It is not fair to judge people in this way! stereotyping is wrong and leads to problems such as racism, discrimination and predjudice.

giving support to a grieving mother,
Rosie D

[california 17 Apr 2008 18:32:35]

i am terribley sorry for your daughters rape and murder by the hads of indian sex starved demonds....you have known never to trust an indian man ,,why do you trust one?a headen can bnever be trusted...an indian can never be trusted with a young girl ...i hope you will spread this to everyone you meet ,,you dont know ...my sister was also raped in india ,in a place new delhi ...we decieded to come back with pain and never to return again....never do this mistake again of touring india,,,its sex straved demonds are loose...

[Sina, Germany 15 Apr 2008 11:45:33]

To Nickleback, Herefordshire!
How naively you are! Do you still believe in the Santa Claus? You don´t know India, do you? Do you really believe that Scarlett would not have been raped and killed if she had been 18 years old instead of 15 year old? We are not talking about a mother who left her babygirl alone with strangers!!! Scarlett was a grown up girl. Look at the pictures! Her mother wanted to give her trust to her! This is an importan thing to give to you daughter in this age!!! I still thank my mum for giving me this!!!
Goa gives you a feeling of freedom and I always feeled save in Anjuna, but not anymore!!!

[Sina, Germany 15 Apr 2008 11:15:54]

I can not hear this anymore! People are heartless and antiquated! We live in the 2100 century!!! Open your eyes!!! Women are not bad because they grow up there children alone, with out the father/s!!! Or because there children have different fathers!!!
Fiona Mckeown loved Scarlett!!! She is fighting like a lion for justice to her daughter since the day her daughter died and I know she will not stop till justice have been done!
I am a Mother my self, my kids are 18 and 20 years old. I know Anjuna since 10 years, and I also know people who are involved into this case. I WOULD also have trusted them!!!
I always thought Anjuna was a safe place!!! This year we arrived in Anjuna Goa on the 18.02.2008 and now we are back in Germany again. I do not think that I will go to Anjuna again. Rape can happen all over the world! But
normally the police will help the Victims and the Family. In Goa they didn’t!!! Why should I go there again? I can spend my time at better places, where justices are being done to those who needs it and not to the drugdealers!!! How will Goa ever be able to get this "normal tourisms“they are always talking about. The ones with the big money, that is what it is all about MONEY. Even Drug money! It is no problem to have drugs in Goa! If the Police stops you, just pay... and you are out of it! The Police are not able to save the people and a special not the women’s because all that matter to them is money! Go to hell!!!
I wish you, Fiona all the best! You didn’t do anything wrong and that you love your Scarlett you showed us every day in Anjuna!!! I hope you get those Damn pigs who raped and killed your daughter!!!!!
In our hearts Scarlett shall live forever!!! And she shall never be forgotten!!! I also hope that "mother India" will never forget her!!!

Love from a German mother

[Fiona MacKeown from Goa/Devon 26 Mar 2008 12:57:50]

This is Scarlett Keeling's mother Fiona MacKeown. I would just like to say thank you to all the lovely and supportive people who have been good enough to write in with their kind words. I had stopped reading the press because it had all been so negative and personal and nothing to do with my daughter's case. I find the remarks heart-warming and it has restored my faith in humankind that not everyone is so small-minded and judgmental. Thank you all of you.

[Meg Devon 25 Mar 2008 13:30:11]

Alex Crawford. Thank you so much for making people realise how loving and caring fiona really is. Knowing fiona and her family i would like to take a minute to tell all the cruel narrow minded people to realse they should not judge people who they dont have a clue about. Also i would like these people to think about the children who have lost a loving sister the poor parents who have lost a beautiful daughter and the frieds who have lost a star mate.

[Ayse 20 Mar 2008 17:47:08]

Alex,

Thank you for the blog.

Had you not written it, I would not have known half the things that are written.

[Dawn, Devon 17 Mar 2008 21:44:44]

Just wanted to add something that I forgot earlier! People wonder why Fiona was so trusting? Well the area where we live you know that if you forget to lock your doors you'll come home to find the telly still there, unlike the area where I used to live. You just feel safe and everyone is so trustworthy, you forget that not everywhere is like that.

[The Truth, here 16 Mar 2008 23:42:54]

The Truth . . . is that all Britain could be a better place to live if ye all followed Fionas "lifestyle".
The Truth . . . is that this sad, sad ordeal has nothing to do with Fiona or her "mother-hood".
Think Britain ... Think.

[Teresa, Hampshire 16 Mar 2008 13:57:09]

Thank you Alex for a wonderful well written,sensitive and compassionate article. Fiona deserves our sympathy and support, she has lost her beautiful daughter in such appalling circumstances, and yet finds the strength and courage to keep battling on and discover the truth of what really happened to Scarlett. It makes me sick that the media can manipulate and twist facts to suit,-shame on you.Sky,Please keep the spotlight on this story until justice has been done for Scarlett. Fiona my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I too would like to help out with a donation please let me know how I can do this.
RIP Scarlett.

[Nickleback, Herefordshire 16 Mar 2008 11:41:09]

Hello All
First of all, what utter nonsense that people are posting here about leaving a child(ren) with a nannie or au pair that you barely know. If you can afford the luxury of either of these two, the chances are you will see your family in the evening while you slave at your desk etc, to fund this - never mind a foreign country. You are not going away for weeks on end as this woman was. She is obviously either niave, stupid or selfish - or all 3! I want to know how she can afford to take 6 children for 6 months to Goa, and I do not care how she lived, she will still need necessities and why are they not in education. I feel aggrieved that I, as well as any other UK taxpayer is paying for this jolly. God I wish I could do that.
Anyway, who would honestly leave a girl, coming into her own, surrounded by the temptations that she is curouis about? I am sure alcohol and sex is firmly on the agenda as it would be if she were in the UK. Given that IT WAS NOT the UK, then the holiday atmosphere, as well as the temptations, only increaed the wanting.
I am sorry that a young girls life has been lost and I am sure it could have been prevented with a bit more thought and less selfishness. God bless her and R.I.P.

[Joy -Germany 16 Mar 2008 10:22:47]

'Different doesnt mean worse- it simply means different'
Time we all remembered that saying ' There but by the grace of god ,could walk I'
Show me the 15 yr old who hasnt been exposed to a risk factor and I can show you a child who hasnt yet learnt how to enjoy the best of life.
This is a tragic end to a young life and I for one have felt inspired by her Mothers resolve and commone sense approach to seeing justice done..her grieving and parenting and lifestyle choices are private matters which only need to have assumptions drawn about if your are intending to be actively involved on a personal level...this womans steel actually made me feel proud for once of my English roots..nice to know there are still some who are not narrow minded, judgemental or materialistic -also best article Ive seen over this case yet -well done!

[tracey iow 16 Mar 2008 08:54:40]

I have want to know when we stop being friends with our children and become the parents they so desperately need! - whay has happened that a child of 15 is left in the care of a man her mother only knew at most for 3 months! and nobody seems to question this womans motive-why are we trying to justify this womans lack of care for such a young person however head strong!She has abandoned the 'good life'in devon leaving her animals to fend for themselves for this 'alternate' life journey. when will this woman own up and take responsibilty for the death of her daughter' More importantly why are we defending her?

[K. Fiddler 15 Mar 2008 21:35:24]

Yes, some of these views are based on prejudice - some people are assuming that the mother neglected the child with a hippie,trust-everyone-and-it-will be OK attitude, and that this went horribly wrong. Oh, that's what actually happened.

[Brian, Essex 15 Mar 2008 11:33:26]

How many people are slamming Shannon Matthews' mother for letting a NINE year old walk home from school unsupervised, EVERY day. Strangely not that many...

Its all conveniently forgotten back in Britain. But go on holiday and everybody seems to think its oh so different.

50 years ago you would be considered adult and expected to work at 15, but suddenly we're all children until we're 18.

Whether you consider her mother to be responsible or not the fact remains her daughter was drugged, raped and then drowned. That's the reason she is dead. If Fiona's "neglect" is what killed her daughter then there should be piles of bodies at the roadside from similar parents lack of interest in what their children get up to. For many so called children the parenting seems to be left to the emergency services - whether its dragging them out of the gutter *****, stitching them back together in A&E or separating them when they're fighting like dogs in the street. Now thats bad parenting!

Get a grip all you finger pointers. I just hope none of you ever have to find out one of your children is dead because you worked late, nipped to the shops or let them walk home from school. After all its far more likely to happen at home where you spend 99% of your time!

[Paula UK 15 Mar 2008 00:30:48]

Mothers, whatever their class, will never be able to do what every other perfect human on the planet thinks they should do. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

I would very much like to know how the planet got into the disgusting, shameful and sick state that it is currently in.

Instead of belittling Fiona McKeown, why are you people not asking important questions such as WHY are there rapists and murderers? Why are there drug sellers? Why is alcohol being sold to people who are already drunk? Do these people have no moral responsibility? Why has the human race so little respect for life? Why should we keep looking over our shoulders all the time? Is it not the right of every human to live free from fear? WHY can we not do that?
I would like all of you who have made spiteful comments about someone else's lifestyle to put the same amount of energy into changing our world for the better.
Or would that be too much trouble?

[amanda bromley kent 14 Mar 2008 20:56:29]

I am supprised that so many people think they know someone just from what they watch or read. I would like to think that nowdays people are not judged by what they look like or what they wear. Clearly this is not the case. It is fair to have your own opinions, but that's what they are, only your opinions, so keep them to yourselves.
All the best to the family.

[Nicola, Washington. 14 Mar 2008 20:32:50]

If my mum had any idea of the things I got up to when I was 15 ,chances are I'd be 6ft under!! Now however, I'm 36 and a mum of 4 including 2 teenagers. Im not naive of what teens get up to, I only hope I have taught them to know right from wrong and be good people. I am sure Fiona is of the same mind. But regardless of that, why is she persecuted? She didnt drug, rape and murder her daughter. You can argue the high ground moral superiority till the cows come home but ultimately Fiona's daughter is dead and her other children are without a sister. She is fighting for justice for her daughter and facing alot of mud-slinging from 'perfect' parents. Might as well lock me in irons too, I leave my 16 year old alone while I shop!! Even worse I have sent him away this weekend with a bunch of people I dont know. Namely the British Army. Get off Fiona's back and give her the support that was so willingly given to the McCanns who left babies alone.

I hope I never have to find the strength to view my dead childs' body. Not once..but twice! Kudos Fiona!

[Steve, UK 14 Mar 2008 20:05:02]

This mother needs our support not our criticism.
The Goa authorities need to sort themselves out big time, how can anyone go there and feel like they are being properly protected after this?

[Susan Manning 14 Mar 2008 17:50:09]

Wow, thank you for this well written article. How can people be so heartless? It just amazes me! I've lived in India the good part of 20 years with my family. We are from Australia. My 17 year old daughter was raped and murdered 1 month ago. I can't imagine the treatment this woman is getting when her baby has been murdered. We were a little different, intergrating more into the society and it's customs and culture, but still when my child was killed by this psycopath, the attitude was that our child was somehow not a good character and maybe she bought it on herself. I was so distressed by the misinformation that I was unable to eat for 17days. The press were purposely missled about my childs age and the nature of her relationship with this person. They just wanted to sweep the whole thing away and make it appear that it was just an innocent love affair gone wrong. I don't understand how in 2008 and the biggest democracy in the world these type of attitudes are going on?? We have always loved India and my daughter especially. She was sweet and innocent being stalked and terrorise by a psycopath 11 yrs older than her for 4 years. Means since she was 13! We changed her cell ph no twice, we took her out of the country once, her 2 brothers asked the boy to please respect our family and leave her alone on her behest, all to try to solve the problem. We never had the support of the authorities as we had tasted the results of that action several times and been humiliated publicly by local authorities when another boy had molested her so we knew that was a futile path to take .My life is ruined and my heart is broken forever. A light went out in our family and on top of all that, we are extremely disappointed in the attitudes of those we have always loved in the country we have loved and promoted for so long. I sincerely hope this issue helps bring about some possitive change in the attitude of authorities here. Such a beautiful country with such a wonderful culture should be have a world standard of law and order in this day and age as opposed to this thuggery. The boy who killed my daughter was know to be terrorising others with a weapon which was not registered to him but no action was taken, an innocent life was senslessly wasted..... I've been writing these letters. Noone in India media is printing them. I own a vegetarian restaurant in Australia and we have many Indian patrons who we treat with love and respect, and our law protects them. Millions of Indians world wide are being protected by their adopted countries, why can't we also have that here??? Sorry for so much emotion, but that is my life now days, yours sincerely Susan Maning, heart broken mother of Anna Ananda Lila Salter (17/7/1990 to 5/2/2008)

[patricia London 14 Mar 2008 16:31:10]

I am astonished and a little angry that there have been so many people condemning Fiona so vehmently. Only someone who is a mother can go a little way to imagining what this woman must be going through. I am a mother and I cant honestly say that I would have done what she did, I would have been beside my self had this been my daughter, but this woman wanting justice for her daughter and her mother's instinct gave her the courage to go back into the mortuary to take pictures of her dead daughter. Her persistence paid off, there are now two men being investigated for the murder of her daughter.

finally I would like to say this, the media's attitude to this mother is so different from the parents of Madeleine McCann, those are the parents who left their three year old and her siblings alone, alone mind you and went out to eat in a restaurant which was about a mile away!! I do not recall hearing many if any of the media making negative comments about these parents, but of course this may be because Madeleine's parents are middle class doctors. etc. I for one could not comprehend how they could leave children so young on their own but....

[Anne-Marie 14 Mar 2008 15:50:20]

I am disgusted at the tunnel visioned, self-righteous and gratuitously vicious comments left on this story.

I wonder if some people 'need' to reinforce others apparent misdeeds in their own mind.

Thank you Alex Crawford, this article was poignant and level headed. Ms MacKeown, you have many, many intelligent minds willing you their strength to go on. You are a wonderful mother doing nothing different than the rest of us. Much, much strength to you darling.

[Sue Jaymes, Lambourn, Berkshire 14 Mar 2008 13:51:30]

I am staggered by the brutality of some people's attitudes towards this mother. She left her daughter with a well respected Catholic family she had known for 3 mnths. What about families that leave ALL their children with totally strange nannies or aupairs? No one condemns them. Or a Play scheme or similar kids are left with. We are often hearing horror stories about children shaken to death, or day care centers where kids have horrible accidents. Do we ever blame the parents? of course not. Neither should we towards Fiona. She could have just left her daughter behind with noone! It was only for four days a week as the daughter went to her family the other days. So the daughter was sleeping with the guide. How many of YOU know exactly what your children are doing. What about the kids pregnant at 13 yrs or younger. How many of you let your 9 year olds wear that little bit of make up or short skirts way above the knee? I have every sympathy with this mother. she may live a different lifestyle to some of us but all of her children seem well cared for and looked after.

Above all, she is a mother AND a caring loving mother. She grieves no less than anyone else would. She has had to fight the authorities to get the truth about her daughters death. We can all have opinions about whether she should or should not have left her daughter with a God loving family. My heart and love goes out to her and the rest of her family at their loss. The grief must be indescribable. It is times like this I wonder what sort of hearts other people have when they can be so cruel to someone who obviously loves their kids. We were also blinded by journalists who get some sort of perverted pleasure from always painting the black side of things instead of giving the full truth. At least this journalist IS giving the truth .... giving the side the vultures of the press dont want us to hear.

Some of you want to be ashamed of yourselves with your oh so "perfect" parenting.

[Ricky, Hamilton 14 Mar 2008 13:31:49]

The woman made an error of judgement, it cost her a daughter, is that fair?She went to her daughter in the freakin morgue!!Twice!!Can you immagine anything worse?She had the unbelievable compassion or (guilt some of you morons will say) to take photographs of her eldest childs naked body, just to ensure that, even though she may have done wrong leaving her , she will do right by her in death and demand a full explanation of her daughters horrific death,What would you do?Would you have the strenghth to do that?After witnessing what your child had gone through, or immagined when you seen her injuries, you would be appopleptic with rage.Her lifestyle has nothing to do with this.How can she afford this holiday?Who cares.Her daughter is dead, brutally murdered by creatures who are less than animals.I hope they rot in hell, and the poor family will recover some trust in the human race again.

[ram and India 14 Mar 2008 09:20:49]

this is utter rubbish no amount of justification will deny the fact that the mother of murdered minor girl is to be held equally responsible she is certianly not a good mother and her child has gone wayward taking her as example she has set a bad precedent to her children , hope the uk government takes hold of her other children and give them good education and guidance to adulthood.

I feel sorry for the murdered girl she was just a kid indeed those brutal people who did that are not humans , hope her soul rests in peace amen!

[Dawn, England 14 Mar 2008 09:12:39]

How many of the people condemning this woman have left their own precious children with people they have met less than a week previously? Think day nursery, au pair, nanny, shopping centre creche, holiday camp kids club-how well do you get to know these people in the short time between employing them and leaving your child with them? Scarlet was left with the tour guide AND his aunts who the family had come to know well over 3 months-far longer than most working mothers know the people their children are left with! Before anyone yells that day nursery etc is a very differant situation-tell that to the parents whose children have lost their lives under the care of socially acceptable providers in the past few months! Lets also remember that Scarlets mum has fought single handed to get people to acknowledge the truth of her daughters death-with no "fund", no government support, no threats to sue newspapers! She is not interested in "clearing her name" nor does she care that people see her as negligent rather than "naive". All that matters to her is justice for her child-at whatever cost to herself!

[tina,London 14 Mar 2008 07:35:38]

We lost our freedom to live...
Criminal and bad people have all the right in this world.
We always have to fear,when we go out,when we take a cab,when we meet somebody,for everythinghs.I been a stubborn young girl,for my mother is been always hard to stop me.she always fear everythinghs.But I am glad that she gave me trust and freedom,and I don't know why you people blame a mother...
Nobody has right to kill or to abuse,no escuse please,if you want live in a cage you can carry on,you will reach your 100 years...We have to learn to fight for justice,a young girl is been killed in a horrible way,I can't image how she felt in that moment,
and nobody could help her...
And if you ever been in India,children are everywere,
no parents around...becouse they are poor,and they survive.
this woman didn't left her daughter alone,but with a family...How many people live their baby with baby sitter?
even if you don't know the person sometimes you don't have choise,so please,why waist time?

[Christine, angola 14 Mar 2008 07:26:25]

Well I am shocked at many of the comments that come from many of the UK. A mothers role as I perceive it is to protect yes but equally to nuture, and develop your child which means yes allowing them personally to explore and develop their independence which has to begin at some stage and frankly fifteen is not young. At fifteen how many of you were babysitting, spending nights away at friends, camping with the guides or scouts. All of which I have done and all of which carry a risk however this is necessary for the personal development. I thinking that many in the uk have been brainwashed into thinking that their way is the right way, stay inside turn the TV on and make sure they are safe! ok by you may be killing the person inside slowly. True courage means that from day one as a parent you have to make those tough calls and make decisions to let them go and you do it with the information that faces you at the time. It is easy to say that this was the wrong decision, taken badly or otherwise however each of us makes these daily and to ensure that you dont kill the spirit of the child you ahve to address their desire for independence. When did the people of the UK determine whta was normal and what was alternative, perhaps they should travel a bit further a field than Spain to see what the real world is like and alternative is only their perception because of the country's develoment and economic strength, lets not lose your minds as well as your individuality. Fiona, you are a strong and good model to your children you have had to face the worst nightmare ever however your love for your daughter shows through ! as the portuguese say FORCA!!!!!! Deus esta contigo

[Anne 14 Mar 2008 05:32:05]

Dear Alex Crawford,
It is great to be high and mighty about what has happened in Goa and Fiona MacKeown but Sky News has much to do with what you are complaining about. They tell you snipits about her lifestyle, and only the seedy side of her life. Commenting that she has 9 children and was out their on a first family holiday and left her with a tour guides family whom they had just gotten to know etc etc. Of course we are going to think she was negligent. Her lifestyle has nothing to do with the comments about her being a negligent Mother, she was!! you can't get away from that. She was the grownup and should have made the decision for her daughter to go with them. So get off your moral high horse Alex and hopefully all these alternative lifestyle people will join the real world.

[Adam London 14 Mar 2008 04:52:43]

Dear All,
Having read Alex’s completely biased personal view (I thought journalists where supposed to provide unbiased accounts of actual events) and sifted through many of your comments, I have to say, I actually agree with the majority of people’s opinions. However harsh my post comments may sound, please note, I do feel very sad for Mrs Mackeown and her grieving family and will try to remain unbiased by my own views of the so-called “alternative lifestyle”.
However there is only ONE question that needs to be answered by all parents. Would you leave your child under these same circumstances? And the only answer I can come up with is “NO, NO and NO!” How on earth a 15yr old child was left in this sort of environment I will never know. Mrs Mackeown, so well travelled, with so much life and parenting experience and having lived in this area for enough time to understand the culture should have known better.
Part of a parent’s job is look out for the dangers their child may not see, on this comment, the question of neglect on Mrs Mackeowns part, is definably “YES!” Should she be punished? “NO” (I think she’s been punished enough). My biggest concern is for the other eight children she cares for, whether or not in the future they will placed in equally compromising positions? Perhaps a responsible adult need’s to have a little chat with Mrs Mackeown (McCann) so she may reassess her priorities in life; at least she still has hers!!!
Now pardon my cynicism and they say lighting never strikes twice, but where do suppose the other children are staying while mum’s off crusading for her murdered daughter, not with the same “friends of the family” I hope? Some say mum should be admired for her steadfast determination to resolve this case, I say let her ease her conscious, R.I.P-Scarlett Keeling, may god have mercy on your soul...

[darren,essex 13 Mar 2008 23:12:17]

How can someone on benefits afford this holiday and why aren't her children at school??

[Dawn, Devon 13 Mar 2008 23:11:49]

Thank goodness for that, finally someone has got across the Fiona that I know!I was so upset when I heard about Scarlett's death but the mud slinging that has followed has been very upsetting aswell to be honest. I can't even begin to imagine how crushed Fiona is right now, she lives for her kids and for one of them to be taken away from her so tragically and suddenly must be unbearable. Fiona is a fantastic mother, she's intellegent, well spoken and strong minded, all qualities that she has instilled in her children. Thank you for giving people an insight into the real Fiona.
Just for the record Paul, from London, are you saying that having 9 children by more than one man makes her a bad mother? I fail to see what relevance that has to the murder of a 15 year old at all.
I hope that Fiona gets justice for Scarlett soon and is able to bring her home and re-unite the family.

[sarah london 13 Mar 2008 22:47:10]

i feel for this lady i really do, if it isn't bad enough that she has lost her beauitful daughter is such an evil way. she also has to pu up with the media pulling her apart, and finding fault in her parenting skills, just becauase she doesn't conform to the norm. give the lady a break and instead of putting her down. pray that you never have to suffer the way she is now. and remember we all make mistakes, errors of judgements. no one is pefect.

sarah, mummy if two

[Viv, Wirral 13 Mar 2008 21:23:05]

I am a mother of three and I find the comments about leaving a child with people the mother had only known for three months as strange. If your children go to another country on a language exchange programme, do you meet the family first? My son has been away with school for three weeks, but I don't peronsally know the teachers or the staff involved with caring for him while he was abroad. I think some perspective is needed here and from this article it would seem that Fiona has a far more balanced approach to life than the rest of us trying to make ends meet by 'conforming'.

[Pauline, Staffs 13 Mar 2008 20:56:55]

No-one is perfect. Perhaps we should ALL remember that. What is the point of being judgmental. Its negative. This lovely lady and her lovely family have to live with this for the rest of their lives and need positive support. This was a dreadful CRIME, not an error in judgement.

[Natalie from Bournemouth 13 Mar 2008 20:35:14]

I remember well being a 15 year old girl (it was only half a lifetime ago!) and recall being regularly allowed to stay with the families of my friends - even when my parents hadn't met them. My parents are brilliant, intelligent and loving people who trusted me and for whom I had, and still have, a very deep respect. It appears that Mrs McKeown has a similar relationship with her children. She deserves our absolute sympathy and I'm sending her my love in the hope that it will, in some tiny way, help her to know that people care deeply about what happened to her beautiful daughter. Let's not forget that bad things happen to good people (and the children of good people) all the time, all over the world, often within yards of their own front door. Thank you Alex Crawford for this compassionate piece.

[Tony, Berkshire 13 Mar 2008 20:28:56]

Spot on Alex. The rest seem to be acting like a pack of dogs. The British people and media should be offering maximum support to help this BRITISH subject obtain the level of justice we would expect from our own law enforcement officers. When are we going to realise that we should look after are own with the same tolerance, understanding and compassion we seem to offer others, whatever their unusual lifestyles or cultures.

[PP UK 13 Mar 2008 20:27:55]

What about Scarlett and Madeleine, their the ones who have suffered? Poor parent decision are killing children.

[orla uae 13 Mar 2008 19:40:20]

MEDIA IS SUCH A STRONG PREJUDICIAL INFLUENCE-
HOWEVER I think SKYNEWS informed me of the essentials:15 year old girl who likes to party and trusting Mum(seemingly normal,healthy relationship)entrusts an adult whom the family are comfortable with to look after her.Do we know the extent of Scarlett's maturity.Aren't all teenagers the best judge of what is best for them??????????????? NOW ALL OF YOU WHO'VE EVER BEEN A TEENAGER
(close your eyes and go back to that place when your parents told you not to go to that disco/party)
Fiona McKeown did as she thought best (I've yet to read in full Alex Crawford's
article on the family history but Fiona appears to me as a very potent mix of mother figure protecting her children.Shame on anyone/institution who questions that for as I'm used to 'blame-policy'(regardless of who's in fact culpable) in this part of the world.
End of blog

I assume Fiona needs financial help.Where can I send details.I can get in touch with Goan colleagues but would like to get the ball rolling. Please contact me as soon as possible.
Orla

[Lyndon, Manchester 13 Mar 2008 19:25:59]

I suppose there are a couple of issues here...

First, it is obvious that Fiona MacKeown is liberal and free-spirited in her approach to life. Sure she has tattoos and a caravan, but the only reason tabloids such as the Daily Mail & Express focus on these aspects of her life is because they know they are traits that their bring-back-hanging readers will find unappealing.

And the tabloid press try to convince us that as a result of her bohemian lifestyle, Fiona is a bad mother for allowing her 15-year-old daughter to, a) Go out with a man 10-years her senior, and b) remain in Goa without her for a few days while she left the city.

Ok, I’m probably what most people would consider middle class & I live in a semi, not in a trailer park. But even I can see the conflicts of conscience that faced Fiona MacKeown. If you believe in the free spirit, then you have to abide by the consequences, even when it comes to your own flesh & blood.

Fiona MacKeown didn’t want her daughter to remain with her boyfriend alone in Goa, nor did she necessarily approve of the relationship. But true to her beliefs, she suppressed her protective maternal instinct in favour of her belief in the freedom of choice she had instilled in Scarlett from an early age.

So Scarlett was under the legal age of consent as prescribed by UK law, and in a relationship with a man in his mid-20s. As a person born & living in Western Europe, of course I wouldn’t condone such an arrangement, but lets not take the moral high ground here. There are cultures in this world where, if a woman is not married off to an older man by he age of 16, it is considered unnatural.

And we would be kidding ourselves if we said that underage relationships aren’t common throughout the UK. Are all parents to be condemned as criminally irresponsible if they choose to turn a blind eye to the mature decisions of their adolescent son or daughter.

No, what we have here is a mother who did what she thought was best for her daughter. So she didn’t conform to the the intangible ideals of middle class Britain, so what? What remains is a mother who allowed her daughter to follow her heart, and in the tragic end, fought for tried to move mountains to bring her justice.

When the authorities in Goa told Fiona MacKeown that Scarlett’s death was accidental, she didn’t accept it. More than that she has fought, and is still fighting tooth and nail for justice for her daughter.

Even when the authorities finally admitted foul play and charged a man with her murder, still she is not content. She challenges the very foundations of the criminal justice system in a country that is rife with corruption, addressing the president with her pleas.

Are these the signs of an irresponsible mother?

[freddy 13 Mar 2008 19:06:48]

do you know it's amazing! all this people that know better.
I wander how would they look
if the media had a look in to they life and parenting skills

[rebecca, manchetser 13 Mar 2008 18:17:04]

what a society we live in! This woman was irresponsible and niave to leave her daughter but to say she is to blame is a disgrace. It is typical british snobbery that is rising its head time and time again. The woman deserves it, she left her child etc. I dont remember everybody being so negative towards the mccans when Maddie went missing, claiming that they were irresponsible, no that was classed as a mistake. is that because they had money?. There was complete sympathy in that case even though they had left 3 toddlers alone, but because this poor lady has numerous children and is of a poorer backgrund she is getting grief and is accused of neglect.

At the end of the day an innocent child has been murdered and fiona has lost her daughter, for this she my sympathy.

[Rachel Abingdon 13 Mar 2008 17:56:42]

How can any of us judge - at the end of the day this poor woman has to live with the decision she made. Being a mother myself I cant imagine what she can be going through

[Cheryl Kilfoil South Africa 13 Mar 2008 17:41:05]

I agree with Alex Crawford it is about the rape and brutal murder of Scarlett not her Mother, please show some compassion.My prayers and thoughts are with Scarletts Mother and family.My you rest in peace Scarlett.A lot of people whom point fingers at others should sweep their own doorsteps.Thank you Alex Crawford the world need more caring people around,Bless You.I have been there,my twin brother went shopping, he was attacked from behind,robbed and brutaly murdered,PART OF ME DIED TO.

[Lillianne Hadley-Coates 13 Mar 2008 17:05:56]

Thank goodness there are genuinely good and decent people like Fiona McKeown and Alex Crawford in this world!

[Anonymous 13 Mar 2008 16:47:36]

When I first heard about the death of 15 year old scarlet MacKeown and the cover up by the goan police I felt great sympathy for her grieving mother and even admired her courage for fighting for justice in an unknown country. But when the true facts surfaced I was quite shocked to learn that a Fiona MacKeown had willing left her 15 year old daughter alone with a tour guide!!

Let’s forget the social class issue, or how many children Fiona MacKeown has with how many different men. The truth is that Fiona MacKeown left her CHILD with a tour guide in Goa for THREE WEEKS while she went to states as far away as Calcutta. (The states of Goa and Calcutta are roughly a two day train journey apart). Why would you do that? Especially in this day and age I myself am a mother and the thought of leaving my child alone with virtual strangers for three weeks…well is completely out of the question.

Scarlet MacKeown sounds like any 15 Year Old excited by the new things she was seeing and experiencing such as underage drinking, taking drugs even having sexual relationships, but this is where the watchful eye of a parent is most needed (And yes I do understand that telling a 15 year old what not to do is virtually impossible) but it seems this poor girl was placed in situations she did not truly understand because at that age who really does.

Also, anyone who has ever been to India would know that the countries political system is truly corrupt. This corruption is highlighted on almost every news outlet in the WHOLE country (they have English language news channels). Fiona Kackeown has to face-up to the facts that her decision to leave her child alone for three weeks contributed to her daughters death.

[Lizzie - Isleworth 13 Mar 2008 15:43:53]

The article is good but very very wrong - people are not judging this lady by her lifestyle but by the complete lack of responsible parenting that a 15 year old needs. Why oh why would you leave your 15 year old with people you had met on a trip!!!! - this very pretty young girl paid the price for her mother's complete lack of parenting skills.

[a teenager, england 13 Mar 2008 15:39:47]

With all the different comments from all these parents, i would like to have my say, as a teenager. Can all of you honestly say you have NEVER left your child alone, even for 5 minutes? In the car, at home, with a firend or neighbour? People say that this mother left her daughter with strangers, but think back to the reports of peoples' partners beating or sexually abusing their children - they must have known, or thought they knew, the person who they lived with, but everyone has a different side. I have respect for ths woman, who had to identify the body of her daughter - something my mother so nearly had to do to me after i got involved with the wrong people, people who i had known for FOUR YEARS.
What reason is there for anyone to bring up the fact that the girl was sexually involved with a "stranger" ? Who you do or don't sleep with is your own choice, and if you look in england, what are the stats for under age sex ? Quite high...
The social background should make no difference to a person, just because the Mcann case has been highly publicised doesnt mean it is more important than one where a poorer family is involved.
My thoughts are with Scarlett's family and i hope that people will start to realise that social standing is not everything, and it is not the mother's fault, but that of the people who smooth over the actual facts of a cruel murder.

[Md. UK 13 Mar 2008 15:07:50]

Scarletts Mother has almost single-handed fought a corrupt police force in searching for justice for the murder of her child, and while she is away some of the press are printing pictures of the inside of a caravan, which is of no consequence and proves nothing, other than it is untidy. Some of her own countries people are tearing her apart. This womans child has been raped and murdered and she is being judged, instead of given our sympathy. At last a compassionate view has been presented, instead of terrible smears, thankyou Alex Crawford.

[Jade Bristol 13 Mar 2008 15:03:31]

In this day and age 15 year olds are a lot older than they are given credit for. the age for leaving children unattended is 14. However Scarlett was not left unattended, she was in a supervised environment.
if you have a child over the age of 13 do you really know where they are when they go out and "play" look for them in the local parks and by corner shops, in groups, drinking, intimidating general public.
And these are the ones from the so called "middle classed stabled families" or "privileged"
from personal experience when your parent has to make do with little and you cant have everything as a child, you grow up with far more respect for your parent, and you better understanding of how life works.

Scarlett may have only been 15, however I am sure she would have been far more responsible than the average 18 year old.
It should not be how old she is, what back ground she had or how many siblings she has that should be in question.
the main question is how could someone do that to anyone. And why was this covered up in the beginning!

Scarlett was 15, a teenager, on a holiday and staying with a family that were responsible...... she was not a toddler left in cot when her parents were not "out having a meal" and she was not 3......
If you believe Scarlett’s mum did not understand her responsibilities then you have lead a very enclosed and narrow minded life……

[Vanessa 13 Mar 2008 14:51:46]

TO the person who remained anonymous who posted @ Posted by: anon 13 Mar 2008 10:50:45.

I was touched by what I read and admire your courage to leave your husband!!! You are an example to any other woman in the same situation!!

[Asia 13 Mar 2008 14:46:54]

I feel sorry for the mother; it is easy for us to condemn her but one only has to understand southern indian culture to realise that the affable, warm personalities would have made the mother more trusting of these people. But in reality alot of these indian men's perception of western women is that they are promiscous & become easy targets. Okay, so if the mother was wrong to leave her, we do not need to constantly remind her. Let us at least give her support to do the one thing she can only do and that is get justice for Scarlett.

[Viv Dublin 13 Mar 2008 14:23:56]

Well done, Alex Crawford for tackling headon the mindless prejudice that is so often the knee-jerk response to anything outside the narrow confines of the mother 'mould'. You could easily have catered to common tastes by capitalising on the nine children and the tattoos. You chose instead to understand Fiona as a human being and to express compassion for the nightmare she has faced so bravely. I am glad for her that you are the reporter covering the case. You have behaved in a fine way and you absolutely deserve the respect people like me feel for your integrity.

[Bhakti London 13 Mar 2008 14:10:40]

My sympathy goes out to mrs MacKeown, whethter you have 2 children or 9 you love them dearly. She is a courages woman and I hope she finds justice, no one has to die in the way her daughter did. She died in a very popular holiday resort, Indian government should take note of what has taken place and that it does not happen again any other child, to set an example to other sick people who are roaming around other areas of resorts in Goa. My heart goes out to you Mrs Mackewon I hope the killers are found and punished.

Bhakti

[Sam, Burnley 13 Mar 2008 13:43:15]

I agree with everything that was said in this piece and find it inappropriate for commentators to be trying to lay blame with Scarlett's mother. Scarlett was 15 years old, by no means a child and whilst admittedly not an adult, every family must try to find a balance between keeping their teenagers on a tight lead and allowing them the independence they crave. What has happened is tragic and the lesson learned should be to come together when tradegy strikes.

[Jade Bristol 13 Mar 2008 13:30:57]

In this day and age 15 year olds are a lot older than they are given credit for. the age for leaving children unattended is 14. However Scarlett was not left unattended, she was in a supervised environment.
if you have a child over the age of 13 do you really know where they are when they go out and "play" look for them in the local parks and by corner shops, in groups, drinking, intimidating general public.
And these are the ones from the so called "middle classed stabled families" or "privileged"
from personal experience when your parent has to make do with little and you cant have everything as a child, you grow up with far more respect for your parent, and you better understanding of how life works.

Scarlett may have only been 15, however I am sure she would have been far more responsible than the average 18 year old.
It should not be how old she is, what back ground she had or how many siblings she has that should be in question.
the main question is how could someone do that to anyone. And why was this covered up in the beginning!

Scarlett was 15, a teenager, on a holiday and staying with a family that were responsible...... she was not a toddler left in cot when her parents were not "out having a meal" and she was not 3......
If you believe Scarlett’s mum did not understand her responsibilities then you have lead a very enclosed and narrow minded life……

[Elize from Cape Town 13 Mar 2008 13:25:07]

HOw come the authorities are thinking of prosecuting the mother for negligence? If the authorities wants to do that why arent they prosecuting the McCanns, or is it because the mother of the 15 year old does not have the some social standing or money? There is a very big difference in leaving a 15 year old person and leaving a little girl like Maddie alone. A 15 year should know how to act responsibily. A toddler needs her parents to look out for her.

[Sarah C, London 13 Mar 2008 13:10:16]

A very thought provoking piece, thankyou Alex. Allison Pearson in The Mail yesterday was slagging this poor woman off for leaving the daughter. Ironic, considering that Pearson has been one of the McCann's biggest supporters. How she can blame one parent for being irresponsible, yet also laud the McCanns for leaving toddlers alone unsupervised is unbelievably hypocritical. For the record, I don't think there is any point blaming the McCanns or Scarlett's Mum - it detracts from the main issue which is that terrible crimes were done against their children.

I hope the men who raped and killed Scarlett Keeling are found, imprisoned for a very long time and left to rot.

[Marlene, Pendle 13 Mar 2008 13:10:05]

The poor girl was only 15 and still a child and she should not have been left behind without her mother. I disagree with this journalist, the facts are clear, she was (allegedly) a victim of neglect. It is ridiculous to try to justify the mother's gross irresponsiblility now.

[Simon from Leicester 13 Mar 2008 12:37:38]

Madeleine McCann, Shannon Matthews, Scarlett Keeling. Three children from three totally different backgrounds. The parents have committed no crime and are suffering the ultimate grief of losing a daughter. I cannot but imagine their utter misery and they deserve my sympathy and that of everyone.
Nothing can be done to comfort the McCanns, Karen Matthews or Fiona Mackeown but for the rest of us surely there is a lesson to be learnt. In all three cases the parents made a decision which, however remote, made their children vulnerable to danger. Whether through lack of judgment, naievity or temporary thoughtlessness these people have paid the ultimate price. As several commentators have said, this is a dangerous world. Surely it is up to all parents to make the right decisions for their children's welfare. These three cases may help this to happen.

[Carol, Kent 13 Mar 2008 12:22:23]

Who's judging on social class? I certainly couldn't afford a 6month holiday in Goa and I work full time, I'm sorry the poor child has been murdered, but people will comment on the social issues when they are a contributing factor in her murder, if the family didn't have an 'alternative' lifestyle would a 15 year old be left in a strange country with strangers, be allowed to take drugs and drink, would she have been allowed out, leaving a strange club at 4am drunk and incapable? no I don't think so, and whether the mother is in pain or not is irrelevant, If she had been available to make sure she was home long before 4am, as most parents would, Scarlett would still be alive.
By the way, have her benefits been stopped while she is out of the country, unavailable for work?

[Monica, Dublin 13 Mar 2008 12:22:03]

I think that is a beautiful piece, well written by someone with compassion and understanding. How many of us mothers have never done something we regret. How many of us would not love to be able to turn the clock back just once. There are no definitive instructions for being a parent, there are no rights and wrongs, there is only love. People are different, react differently in various situations, and what is right for you and your children might be totally wrong for me and my children. You do the best you can at the time and hope that it's the right thing. Very often we only find out that it's the wrong thing when something bad happens. A lot has been written here by cynical, judgemental, bitter, twisted people. Thank God I am not one of them. My sympathies to Fiona McKeown and her children.

[Jess, North East 13 Mar 2008 11:56:28]

Presumably people who have posted here saying how irresponsible Ms. Mackeown was to leave her 15 year old daughter with friends have never left their children with a childminder. Or a babysitter. Or in a kids club on holiday. Or with anyone else they’ve only known for 3 months. It’s impossible to go through life not trusting anyone, and it’s distrust and paranoia which is going to destroy society; if it’s not suicide bombers, it’s paedophiles, if it’s not paedophiles, it’s violent crime, if it’s not violent crime, it’s teenage lads wearing jumpers with hoods. Obviously there are dangers in the world, but you can’t wrap a 15 year old in cotton wool no matter how conventionally you live you life. It’s time to put things in perspective - seeing the countries and cultures of the world will give any child a far better education and up bringing than letting them sit in front of the TV or computer, or hang about in the streets with their mates. I've travelled the world and learnt more doing that than I ever did as a 15 year old in school, and I relied many, many times on the kindness of strangers. Ok, there are some terrible, evil people in the world, but they’re the ones who deserve punishment and criticism, not a loving mother who’s going through hell.

[Mark Bristol UK 13 Mar 2008 11:49:32]

Thank you Alex for all your words above. I'm so glad someone who has met Fiona and the kids can comment honestly and accurately without the prejudices of the British media, i can't believe how horrible people are being about this case, i've almost lost faith in the world but you've restored a little in your report, i just hope people read it and forma better judgement but from some of the comments above i doubt it, were is the compassion? thanks again

[Christina, Dundee 13 Mar 2008 11:44:33]

A beautifully written articulate article. As the mother of two teenage children, I, for one know it is not always possible to make them do your bidding!Fiona, as a responsible mother, spent more time getting to know the family she left her 'nearly' grown up daughter with, than most middle class women would dream of spending with nannies and childminders,forged with the important task of looking after their babies and small children. Lets not forget, there has been nothing to suggest that the family looking after her had anything to do with this happy, highspirited girl's death. We should all look closer to home and address our own failings as parents- this woman has tried to offer her children a bountiful, expressive lifestyle steeped in culture, and self sufficiency- she could not have foreseen how the evil of others could prey on the very trusting, community spirited nature she herself instilled in her babies.

[Karen - Dublin 13 Mar 2008 11:42:12]

John from London - you are a pig, an absolute ignorant pig. I quote 'the girl was 60% to blame' and 'no wonder the other goans thought that her daughter was fair game egged on by the girl's persona' I'm sorry but explain that. Egged on by her, she is to blame? So a 15 year old girl who experimented with drink & drugs deserve's to, no pardon me, is 'fair game' to be raped and killed? And as an after thought (to be honest I can barely get my thoughts together I am so outraged at what I have read) what difference does it make if Fiona had a million children all by different fathers and whether or not she is on welfare/benefits, what relevance or bearing does that have on the fact that her beautiful daughter has been taken from her at only 15 years of age, brutally raped and murdered. Who should be on trial in your eyes? A (dead) curious and experimental 15 year old girl, a grieving mother, a corrupt policing system/government or rapists and killers?

[jane 13 Mar 2008 11:40:54]

i have been reading this story for the last week!! in 1 paperit said she left her daughter with a family friend a couple of days later it said she was left with her boyfriend's family, now its saying she was left with a tour guide!!! just WHO did she leave her 15 year old daughter with.. i have 2 children and i ONLY leave them with CLOSE FAMILY.

[John Coventry 13 Mar 2008 11:25:23]

Great article and well said to everyone for agreeing that Alex Crawford is not the criminal here but the victim, even if she doesn't act like one (again, fair play to her for showing that strength to her other children)Ok so she has nine children(So what?) That may be a side effect of not having a TV! But surely she actually has better idea of parenting than most. My children have travelled but not for as long a period as that of the Crawford family and anyone who has travelled will tell you what a great eye opener it is. Those children will learn so much. She compromised with teenage daughter, allowing her the freedom that all teenagers crave. She did no wrong and should be supported, not villified by those in ivory towers, those who should probably spend more time talking with their own children instead of throwing them the Playstation. I have nothing but sympathy for this family and especially this admirable woman. From a parent!

[Alex, London 13 Mar 2008 11:14:32]

Sorry but aren't journalists supposed to remain neutral when reporting the news?

This piece goes on a complete tangent and misrepresents what a lot of people are saying. The issue is not about her having an alternative lifestyle, tattoos, or children by different fathers. The issue is why she left a 15 year old with this family, in your own words to give "the freedom and independence she desired". 15 year olds are too young to be given that level of freedom, and that freedom allowed the circumstances leading to her tragic murder to originate.

Those who don't see an element of negligence need to consider whether they would do the same with their own children. I suspect many of you will say one thing and do quite another.

[john london 13 Mar 2008 10:58:42]

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family. However, since I do not have the complete facts to make a sound judgement on what went wrong, I would like to express my disbelief at the stupidity of the mother who left a 15 year old girl on her own in a strange country, while she galavanted around. But let us not be too cruel on the mother, as the girl was 60% to blame for taking drink and drugs and then having sexual relations with strangers. Some of the blame can be laid at the type of home life that the family enjoyed, i.e. swanning around and having a good time on most probably social benefits. I also gleam from this report that the woman has 9 children, are all these children from the same father or several. Also I learn that the woman has a goan boyfriend, I ask you, no wonder the other goans thought that her daughter was fair game egged on by the girl's persona

[AM, Scotland 13 Mar 2008 10:56:04]

Thank you for this lovely insight. I so agree with you and am glad someone took time to talk to this lovely mother, who loves her children and is now in unthinkable pain.
Many of the same journalist who are crucifying here were supporting the McCanns when they left Maddy alone, a choice, they will also live with for the rest of their lives.
I am sure many of us could claim we would never make choices like that. But this is not the point and it does not make someone a better parent than the other!
These are both grieving mothers, no matter how many kids they have and how affluent they are!
Thinking of you, Fiona and Kate!

[anon 13 Mar 2008 10:50:45]

i totally agree! having lived and married to a man for 20 years suffering in silence his mental and physical beatings,for the sake of the children we came across as a "perfectly happy" family! my god how i love my children and stayed in that shamless marriage for the sake of being a family! last year i finally made the decision to leave my so called "husband" and now whats happening? i'm the evil one i've destroyed the familly the kids are messed up because of me etc...because for 20 years i said nothing people will not beleive my story thinking falsely i'm trying to get my own back! so listen up all you do gooders don't judge ever!! you don't know what goes on behind closed doors you don't know the pain and suffering of people who are thrown into the spotlight as scarletts mum is being thrown into now so just shut up and try to concentrate on your own lives which i'm sure is not as perfect as you make it out to be and leave others alone!

[Karen - Dublin 13 Mar 2008 10:39:28]

My heart is broken for this poor lady. Her teenage daughter has been raped and murdered. Why? Because the world is full of sick people. I was raped and beaten as a teenager, it wasn't my mother's fault, and she was and still is married to my dad, who fathered my sibings. So why is this Fiona's fault? Because whether she has 1 or 8 other children, because whether they do or do not all have the same father, bad things happen, there are evil people in the world. I wonder would the ignorant people who are so quick to judge be able to a) instigate a second post mortem b) manage to get police to launch a murder inquiry c) prompte an internal police inquiry to find who covered up the crime and d) provoke questions in the Indian Parliament questioning safety in the tourist hotspot. All this after having to identity and photograph her daughter's body which is covered in cuts, bruises and abrasions. This lady is an inspiration, her strength, courage and determination are outstanding and I think she deserves nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for each and everyone of us. My thoughts and prayers and with her and her family.

[Wiltshire 13 Mar 2008 10:32:28]

People might have different lifestyle, but the fundamental issues of parents and children remains the same. As parent we need to protect our children from danger as much as we can. Sometimes we can see the danger sometimes we can't... I can imagine loosing a child is an "inferno experience".
However I am confused with this lady. Now she doesn't seem to trust the country where she left her 15 year old under somebody else care who wasnt' that closed -she knew there was drinking and drugs around; didn't she think her daughter might have been use and abuse being on her own so young?
I believe she was negligence perhaps accidentally negligence, it is for the justice to establish but she has already paid a big price. And above everything and anything the murder must be found to do justice to this girl.

[Steve, Huddersfield 13 Mar 2008 10:15:39]

I have to say when i first heard of this tragedy i was like many people who were very critical of scarletts mother, but having followed this for the past few days it would be hard not to admire how strong she has been at a time when many people would have gone away and hid behind a spokesmen.
I still dont think she should have left scarlett but i can understand how after 3 months you can trust people.

As for Joanna Stourbridge's comments how can you really compare these 3 different events, there is a big difference between going missing after leaving school and the apparent maddie abduction and what happened to scarlett, in each case you may be able to say what if the mothers had done this or that but there is one thing in having an error of judgment and another been compleatly irresponsible, these are 3 different events but i can bet that each mother will be living with the what ifs for a very long time indeed.

[Laura, London 13 Mar 2008 10:14:16]

What a good piece. That woman needs support not criticism. To those 'good parents' criticizing her.. shame on you. And yes, people can trust other people, if she felt right leaving her daughter behind with a decent family I see no harm on that. Sadly there are so many pervs around; lets critisize them not her. Thanks Alex, thanks for such a fair article, thanks for spending time with her and her family and showing the reality.

[pimms, menorca 13 Mar 2008 10:12:34]

all my thoughts and sympathy goes out to someone i believe was giving her children a wonderful opportunity to see another culture and life style, it ended in the most awful tragedy bit i do not think she (the mother)has any blame at all,most mothers do the best they can for their children as i believe she was doing, how on earth was she to know what would happen she was just thinking as i would that she was leaving her daughter in good hands and that she was going to have a wonderful time. All the family are in my thoughts all the time. May god bless them all at this terrible time.

[Michelle, Oxford 13 Mar 2008 10:11:42]

Alex - thank you for your excellent article - very well written and extremely insightful and sensitive.

I now feel I understand this poor family's situation much better, and I must admit my opinion has changed to one of much greater sympathy.

Sky News - please give this article the prominence it deserves and allow it to better inform more readers.

[Vanessa , South Africa 13 Mar 2008 10:10:51]

Thank you Alex Crawford for this intellegent, and honest article. I am a mother of two young children, and am amazed at the judgmental, critical and hostile attitude, the press and general public have to other parents who have suffered misfortune. By adapting a holier- than- thou attitude, will not protect you, or your children against disaster. My deepest sympathies to Fiona and her family.

[ann-marie Italy 13 Mar 2008 09:50:57]

Why are people still going on about her mum leaving a fifteen year old? Whether her mum was there or not would you chaperone a fifteen year old on a date? to the shops? etc? This could have happened at any time surely? For those who have teenangers do you know where there they are every minute of the day? This is not the issue-support and justice is for the loss of her daughter.

[Lee, South Africa 13 Mar 2008 09:42:25]

An excellent read. Thank you. I was very disappointed at the judgemental views of some of the members of the press towards Mrs MacKeown.

I don't believe she made an error in judgment either. She had spent a considerable amount of time with the family who were responsible for looking after Scarlett. She knew them well enough to know that her daughter would be taken care of.

This terrible incident could have happened while the child was in her mother's care as well. Teenagers are prone to pushing the boundaries of their independence. That's a fact! On the other hand, low-life criminals will act whenever and where ever.

People seem to have a need to blame some one or something to make themselves feel better, and will do so at the expense of others. It takes only a little amount of logic and critical reasoning to understand that Scarlett's death is as a result of a crime committed by degenerates - and has nothing to do with the actions of her mother.

I wish Mrs MacKeown and her beautiful family all the best. I would also like to say well done to Mrs MacKeown for what she has accomplished in Goa. She has been courageous and determined in getting to the truth in the face of lies, manipulation and corruption. Well done to her.

[Mags. Kent 13 Mar 2008 09:39:18]

Alex Crawford,

I commend you for your honest account of what you have seen with your own eyes behind the scenes.

I would draw your attention to the truly vicious article, written by Tom Rawstorne, in today's Daily Mail.

I am truly appalled by it.

[margaret Glasgow 13 Mar 2008 09:32:58]

i am so truly sorry to hear about the trauma this poor woman has had to go through. How many of us have done things and looked back and realised that it might not have been a good idea .Please people have some compassion for this family stand side by side with them while they fight for justice or would you rather she had let the police say it was an accident

[Henry, France 13 Mar 2008 09:18:46]

Very, very well said. It's a shame that bigoted people still will not understand.

[ruth, essex 13 Mar 2008 08:59:52]

Poor lady - I feel for her dreadfully and all I can say is that those with narrow minds, who are quick to condemn her for her alternative and honest lifestyle, should be condemned. Who amongst us has never made a mistake? This is all this lady has done. I'm glad her other children are not subjected to the British TV at home to see our media circus, obsessed by kicking people when they are down

[Annette, London 13 Mar 2008 08:58:19]

Having seen a picture in the metro of the Caravan that Mrs MacKeown lived in today, and the following on a few pages of the beating and murder of a teenage girl from dressing as a Goth - it really makes one wonder if the media are invoking a riot on one hand by pointing out people that do not conform with the rest of us - then printing stories about people who are beaten and killed for being different - which side of the fence do they sit on? Why was the picture of the caravan printed, what relevance did this bear on the fact that this woman has lost her daughter in the most terrible of ways.

[Louise Brown 13 Mar 2008 08:55:35]

i totally agree with you Alex. Where do people get off commenting about someone because they don't have the same life ideas as themselves. Not everyone shuold want 2.4 children in a semi. Fiona seems to have brought her children up to respect others. Not that others respect her right now.
What is the problem with leaving a 15yr old over night or 2.
Who had the same view it was wrong when Madaline McCann went missing.She was 3. that was different apparently!!

[Marilyn, Switzerland 13 Mar 2008 08:53:28]

Well said, Alex Crawford.
The vitriol against Mrs. MacKeown is yet another example of "blaming the victim" mentality. The police in this incident should be investigated for trying to cover up a murder & why. Mrs. MacKeown is a brave lady to take on this on alone - but she needs more help.
Please keep the spotlight on this story until there is genuine justice for Scarlett.

[Sia- Uk 13 Mar 2008 08:51:24]

Yet another country in news coz of British media, don't forget so many dies in this country too...

[ellie 13 Mar 2008 08:47:56]

at last, thank you, compassion for a strong lady who didnt do anything wrong. some of the criticisms against scarlett's mother have made me physically sick. such a necessary article. her family and community life sound infinitely better than the education and family life the large majority of teens receive. she deserves respect, compassion, and support.
thankyou sky journalists.

[najmah essex 13 Mar 2008 08:44:18]

finaly the voice of reason i cant understad why folks are judgeing this lady a crime has happend and her daugter was raped and killed. why should it matter to us how many children she has or by who and she does not claim lots of benifits she has a farm or do u see what u want to see its the truth that matters lets stop throwing stones.

[eorann dublin 13 Mar 2008 08:37:44]

Compassionate piece,well written. So what if she has 56 dierent chidren with 56 different fathere ,does this make her any less of a mother. Her dear daughter was beautiful. NO one mentions ulrika jonnsson and the different fathers of her children.

[john 13 Mar 2008 08:12:35]

Oh thats right she led an alternative lifestyle, thats ok then, sorry but I wouldnt let my own 14 year old daughter stay with a near stranger in another country full stop.
A terrible tragedy, but so avoidable.

[Michael Fernandes, Abu Dhabi, UAE 13 Mar 2008 06:43:41]

Sorry, but I fully agree with Allison Pearson's views.
Perhahps you are getting a little biased/emotional after having been with Fiona for so long.
My advise to you, stop showing her on TV, as you are diverting the focus and sympathy that otherwise needs to be directed towards solving the death of an innocent young life.
I have seen a lot of so-called hippies in Goa, but Fiona surely looks worse than many of them.
How did Scarlett come to deal with all those drug dealers ??
Perhaps through her Mum's dealings ???
Fiona's connection with the Drug Nexus needs to be probed too, for sure.
Unfortunately the Police goofed up the case initially, and are perhaps scared to conduct any probe/interogation of Fiona, luckily for her.
For God's sake, while you are in Goa try and visit some more Beach-Houses occupied by foregigners and see for yourself.
You will find people freely sniffing drugs at home and in the presence of children as young as toddlers...........a culture that is totally new to Goa.
That Scarlett was always high on drugs was confirmed by the British Witness, also.
And you say that Allison Pearson is wrong in partly blaming Fiona.
But you know it better........in many european countries and in USA for sure, Fiona would be the first to be arrested on charges of negligeince of a minor.

[Jackie, Dubai 13 Mar 2008 02:59:01]

Well Done!!
I'm sick and tired of the way people are judged in the UK. If you aren't white, middle class and living a 'quiet, life, it seems you are deserving of anything bad that happens to you.
The way this family and Shannon Matthews', has been portrayed is disgusting.
Both mother's have more than 2.4 children AND by more than 1 guy AND live in a different way than the 'excepted' norm. SO WHAT!! Isn't the UK supposed to be a tolerant society?? It appears not. The way these families have been judged and found guilty is sickening.

[chris, Swaziland 13 Mar 2008 02:07:10]

It is good that Fiona MacKeown has a defender in Alex Crawford. She has suffered the ultimate loss - the death of a child - and in the most terrible circumstances. She is to be admired for carrying out, and succeeding in, her crusade for getting justice. Instead of being so critical of Fiona we should bear this in mind, while reflecting on the perils of allowing "free-spiritedness" to prevail over parental control at such a young age. Our world is dangerous enough as it is. In the final analysis, however, this woman should have our sympathy and not irrational criticism. And to judge her further for a lack of emotion on TV reflects a lack of understanding of how people differ in the way they handle grief.

[Christine , Hants. 13 Mar 2008 01:59:57]

Thank you for an excellently observed piece of writing. You clearly took the time and trouble and did some REAL journalism, something that is so sadly lacking in the lazy copy-typing hacks that have progressively and insidiously polluted the media in the last few years.

Witness the sheer hypocrisy of these same hacks who laud the McCanns, ignoring the fact that they are two middle-aged doctors who left their 3 year old daughter to babysit her 2 year old siblings in a dark and lonely apartment in an unfamiiar environment. Night after miserable night they left their 3 little ones alone while they wined and dined a considerable distance away, out of earshot and out of sight.

How dare these same hacks heap bile on Ms McKeown!!! From what you have written, I have no reason to distrust your assessment of the very diferent level of care highlighted by these tw cases.

I trust and hope that Ms McKeown gets the answers she desperately seeks and I have a great deal of admiration for her steadfastness and tenacity in seeking justice for her daughter Scarlett.

And why has this mother not had the Ambassador and diplomatic staff there to help her? And has no-one been sent from the PM's office to help her with the media? I though that it was 'standard practice' when any British tourist was in trouble ab