The Bombay High Court on Friday sent a Goa beach shack worker to jail for 10 years over the sexual assault and killing of British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008.

The Court ordered the maximum sentence against Samson D'Souza after finding him guilty on Wednesday of culpable homicide, sexual assault on a minor, provision of drugs and destruction of evidence.

The 15-year-old's bruised and half-naked body was found in shallow water on a beach in Goa. Her death and her mother Fiona MacKeown's fight for justice made international headlines, shining a spotlight on the seedy side of the popular resort destination as well as on India's sluggish justice system.

"Ten years is an appropriate punishment for anyone indulging in child abuse of this gravity," Vikram Varma, a lawyer for MacKeown, told AFP.

Special prosecutor Eijaz Khan sought the maximum term and opposed any&nbsp;leniency, arguing that D'Souza should have protected the minor girl.

"Instead they gave her drugs and liquor and finally left her to die on the beach, without informing anyone," said the prosecutor.

Khan also sought compensation for Keeling's mother for the "severe hardship and pain caused to her in a foreign land."

D'Souza, 39, was arrested soon after the killing and acquitted in 2016 along with another man Placido Carvalho when a Goa court ruled there was not enough evidence.&nbsp;

Carvalho's acquittal was upheld by the High Court on Wednesday.

"It's been a long 10 years of waiting for justice. It felt like they had sentenced us instead," MacKeown told AFP from Britain.&nbsp;

"It is an important verdict and I am glad justice has finally been served," the 55-year-old said.&nbsp;

Police initially dismissed Keeling's death as an accidental drowning but opened a murder investigation after MacKeown pushed for a second autopsy which proved she had been drugged and raped.

It showed that Keeling had suffered more than 50 injuries to her body.

The case was taken over by federal police who accused D'Souza and Carvalho of plying Keeling with a cocktail of drink and illegal drugs, including cocaine, before leaving her to die by dumping her unconscious in shallow water where she drowned.

The pair claimed the teenager died accidentally after taking drugs of her own volition.

The Bombay High Court on Friday sent a Goa beach shack worker to jail for 10 years over the sexual assault and killing of British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008.

The Bombay High Court on Friday sent a Goa beach shack worker to jail for 10 years over the sexual assault and killing of British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008. The Court ordered the maximum sentence against Samson D'Souza after finding him guilty on Wednesday of culpable homicide, sexual assault on a minor, provision of drugs and destruction of evidence. The 15-year-old's bruised and half-naked body was found in shallow water on a beach in Goa. Her death and her mother Fiona MacKeown's fight for justice made international headlines, shining a spotlight on the seedy side of the popular resort destination as well as on India's sluggish justice system. "Ten years is an appropriate punishment for anyone indulging in child abuse of this gravity," Vikram Varma, a lawyer for MacKeown, told AFP. Special prosecutor Eijaz Khan sought the maximum term and opposed any leniency, arguing that D'Souza should have protected the minor girl. "Instead they gave her drugs and liquor and finally left her to die on the beach, without informing anyone," said the prosecutor. Khan also sought compensation for Keeling's mother for the "severe hardship and pain caused to her in a foreign land." D'Souza, 39, was arrested soon after the killing and acquitted in 2016 along with another man Placido Carvalho when a Goa court ruled there was not enough evidence. Carvalho's acquittal was upheld by the High Court on Wednesday. "It's been a long 10 years of waiting for justice. It felt like they had sentenced us instead," MacKeown told AFP from Britain. "It is an important verdict and I am glad justice has finally been served," the 55-year-old said. Police initially dismissed Keeling's death as an accidental drowning but opened a murder investigation after MacKeown pushed for a second autopsy which proved she had been drugged and raped. It showed that Keeling had suffered more than 50 injuries to her body. The case was taken over by federal police who accused D'Souza and Carvalho of plying Keeling with a cocktail of drink and illegal drugs, including cocaine, before leaving her to die by dumping her unconscious in shallow water where she drowned. The pair claimed the teenager died accidentally after taking drugs of her own volition.

Bombay High Court jails beach shack worker for 10 years in Scarlett Keeling death case

An Indian court today acquitted two men charged with raping and causing the death of British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008. 
 
Fifteen-year-old Keeling&rsquo;s bruised and semi-nude body was found on the popular Anjuna beach in the north of the small Indian tourist state. 
 
Police had at first dismissed the death as an accidental drowning but reopened the case after Scarlett&#39;s mother Fiona MacKeown insisted on a second autopsy which pointed to the 15-year-old being&nbsp;raped and drugged. 
 
The two men accused of causing her death, Samson D&#39;Souza and Placido Carvalho, have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, using force with intent to outrage a woman&#39;s modesty, and of administering drugs with intent to harm. 
 
They were accused of plying Scarlett with drinks and drugs, including cocaine, and then leaving her in shallow waters where she drowned. 
 
Mrs MacKeown had wanted stronger charges levelled against the two men but the federal agency - Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - which took over the investigation from the Goa Police, said that they did not have the evidence needed to charge the men with the stronger accusations. 
 
Scarlett had been at a beach party before she died. 
 
Mrs MacKeown, along with her other daughters, was at the time on a holiday in the neighbouring state of Karnataka and had left Scarlett behind in the care of a Goan family. That was a decision Mrs MacKeown said she came to &quot;bitterly regret&quot;, and which brought her in for a tremendous amount of censure back in Britain. 
 
The trial began in 2010 but was dogged by numerous delays, including hearings of just one afternoon a month, due to a backlog of cases and a public prosecutor withdrawing from proceedings. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The two men were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and using force with intent to outrage a woman?s modesty

An Indian court today acquitted two men charged with raping and causing the death of British schoolgirl Scarlett Keeling on a Goa beach in 2008. Fifteen-year-old Keeling’s bruised and semi-nude body was found on the popular Anjuna beach in the north of the small Indian tourist state. Police had at first dismissed the death as an accidental drowning but reopened the case after Scarlett's mother Fiona MacKeown insisted on a second autopsy which pointed to the 15-year-old being raped and drugged. The two men accused of causing her death, Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho, have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, using force with intent to outrage a woman's modesty, and of administering drugs with intent to harm. They were accused of plying Scarlett with drinks and drugs, including cocaine, and then leaving her in shallow waters where she drowned. Mrs MacKeown had wanted stronger charges levelled against the two men but the federal agency - Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) - which took over the investigation from the Goa Police, said that they did not have the evidence needed to charge the men with the stronger accusations. Scarlett had been at a beach party before she died. Mrs MacKeown, along with her other daughters, was at the time on a holiday in the neighbouring state of Karnataka and had left Scarlett behind in the care of a Goan family. That was a decision Mrs MacKeown said she came to "bitterly regret", and which brought her in for a tremendous amount of censure back in Britain. The trial began in 2010 but was dogged by numerous delays, including hearings of just one afternoon a month, due to a backlog of cases and a public prosecutor withdrawing from proceedings. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Scarlett Keeling case: Indian court acquits both accused

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Bombay High Court jails beach shack worker for 10 years in Scarlett Keeling death case

Scarlett Keeling case: Indian court acquits both accused