The mother of the murdered British teenager Scarlett Keeling has gone into hiding amid fears for her safety.

Scarlett's semi naked body was found on 19 February on Goa's Anjuna beach, where she had been on holiday. She had been raped and then killed.

Her mother, Fiona MacKeown, 43, has now moved to a secret address and is under armed guard in Goa after claiming her life was in danger.

Mrs MacKeown said: “I'm keeping a low profile. I've been warned by the locals to get out. It's very easy for people to get at you around here. We've heard that some people aren't very happy with us. The beach is deserted, half of the shacks have been closed. A lot of people are losing business.”

She also fears her accusations against top local officials, including a state minister, have made her vulnerable to attack.

"It is quite likely that if someone thinks they are above the law enough to kill my daughter and get the police to pass it off as an accident, then they would think they are above the law enough to kill me as well," said Mrs MacKeown.

Local police initially said Scarlett's death was an accidental drowning. But a murder investigation was launched after a second post-mortem examination - carried out following pressure from Mrs MacKeown - showed she had been attacked.

She is now pressing for the case to be taken out of the hands of local police and handed to federal agents to investigate. Mrs MacKeown, who lives near Bideford, North Devon, said that she would be ready to return home as soon as the Central Bureau of Investigation was appointed to probe her daughter's death.

The article Scarlett's mother under armed guard in Goa originally appeared on 999 Today