Brother of murdered teen backpacker 'took fatal overdose after blaming himself for her death'

The older brother of Scarlett Keeling, the teenage backpacker who was raped and murdered in India in 2008, took a fatal overdose after blaming himself for her death, their mother has said.

The story of the 15-year-old who disappeared while on a family holiday in Goa a decade ago shocked the world, but her brother Halloran Richard Keeling never got over it.

Mother-of-nine Fiona MacKeown said he had been unable to get his passport sorted in time to join the trip and had felt directly responsible for not preventing her death.

An inquest heard that the 28-year-old was found dead in temporary accommodation after taking an overdose of morphine, but there was insufficient evidence to conclude that he had intended to take his own life.

Outside the hearing, Mrs MacKeown said he had long had mental health problems and overdosed on several occasions.

She said: “He was very close to Scarlett. He couldn’t have done anything and was not to blame at all, but he didn’t accept that.

“He just felt if he had been there he could have looked after her. He wanted to come on the trip to Goa but couldn’t get a passport in time.

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“He just never got over his sister’s death. He was not stable at the time and blamed himself because of his mental health.

“He thought if he had got his passport sorted out he would’ve been able to look after her. He tried to block it out with overdoses.

“He feels that if he had been there he would have had been able to protect her. He felt hopeless. The whole thing is so distressing. He would overdose on a regular basis at my house.”

In a statement to the inquest in Truro, Cornwall, Ms MacKeown said: “He became depressed at 15.

“He would self-medicate with cannabis. At about 16 or 17 he had to leave as his behaviour got bad.

“I was advised to just chuck him out, basically.”

The inquest heard Halloran had been hospitalised several times for overdosing — not intentionally — on prescription drugs.

Psychiatric nurse Susie Theobald said Halloran had been severely affected by the death of Scarlett.

She said: “He had a significant life event trauma when his sister was sexually assaulted and murdered in 2008.”

She added that Halloran had experienced “physical abuse from his mother’s partners from the age of four”.

Ms MacKeown added outside the inquest: “I am just gutted we never saw him get better.

“I do think he could have and the mental health system failed him.”

Last year, Placido Carvalho, 49, and Samson D’Souza, 37 were acquitted after being charged with killing Scarlett.

Ms MacKeown said: “I don’t have faith in the justice system because they have never done a full investigation.”

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, or see samaritans.org for details.