A judge in India is finally set to deliver a verdict on two men charged with the rape and death of British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling more than seven years ago.
The verdict, which is due on Friday, will come after years of delays including a change of prosecutor in what Keeling’s mother, Fiona MacKeown has described as a “nightmare” scenario.
She also accused police of deliberately delaying the case in the hope she would “give up”.
Scarlett’s bruised and half-naked body was found on popular Anjuna beach in the north of Goa in February 2008.
The 15-year-old had been at a Valentine’s Day beach party while the rest of her family had gone travelling.
A post-mortem examination showed there was ecstasy, cocaine and LSD in the teenager’s body.
Following a police investigation two local men, Samson D’Souza and Placido Carvalho, were charged with causing her death.
It is alleged they plied her with drugs, raped her and left her unconscious on the beach where she subsequently drowned.
Both deny charges of culpable homicide and grievous sexual assault.
Scarlett, from Bideford in north Devon, suffered 50 separate injuries in the attack, Goa’s Children’s Court has previously heard.
MacKeown, has travelled to India for the verdict.
She told Sky News: “It’s a parent’s worst nightmare, it’s bad enough to lose a child to murder without it being dragged out for so long, have the police lie about the whole incident to start with and they tried to rubbish me and Scarlett.
“It’s been horrible, I would not wish it on anyone.
“I think it’s been delaying tactics - I think they hoped I would get tired and get fed up of waiting or I would not come back. They were wrong.”