Ex-partner of Scarlett's mother found dead

The former partner of Fiona MacKeown, mother of Scarlett Keeling, the teenager murdered in Goa, has been discovered dead at his home.

Adam Foster, 39, father of two of 15-year-old Scarlett's siblings, was found at his flat in Torquay, Devon, on Monday, police confirmed.

Mr Foster, understood to have battled alcohol problems, had been in a relationship with Ms MacKeown, 44, whose daughter's half-naked body was recovered from the beach in Goa in February 2008.

He appeared before magistrates last year, where he was given a conditional discharge for being drunk and disorderly.

After the case, he told the Herald Express newspaper: "This thing with Scarlett is just the tip of the iceberg. I was like it for years before this."

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Foster's "unexplained, sudden death", Devon and Cornwall police said.

Ms MacKeown, who was due to fly to India to give evidence at Scarlett's murder trial, said she would not comment on the death, having only learned the news on Wednesday.

In an earlier interview, Ms MacKeown revealed she had two children by Mr Foster - Trinity Willow, eight, and Aurora Lupe, seven.

She and Mr Foster were together for four years, she said, adding that Scarlett did come to think of him as a father.

Her daughter, from Bideford, Devon, was on a six-month holiday to India with her family when her semi-naked body was found on the beach in north Goa.

Post-mortem examinations revealed the teenager, who was intoxicated with drugs and alcohol at the time of her death, was attacked and raped and may have drowned.

Ms MacKeown fought a long campaign for a full investigation into her daughter's death after police initially suggested she had drowned accidentally.

Samson D'Souza, 30, and Placido Carvalho, 42, are charged with culpable homicide, sexual assault, outraging modesty and destroying evidence.