Updated on Thursday, March 13, 2008, 00:00 IST

London, March 13: An older brother of murdered British teen Scarlette Keeling, has admitted to drugs being used and sold in their caravan home.

Hal Keeling, however, denied their mum Fiona MacKeown was the dealer or knew that it was going on. He insisted the man responsible was a friend of his mum.

Hal, 19, who admits to having a drug problem, said: "There's no way mum dealt drugs - she doesn't touch them."

Fifteen-year-old Scarlette was raped and murdered on a beach in Goa.

Unmarried mum Fiona, 43, who has nine children - is under fire for leaving her in the "care" of a local man while she went away, reports The Sun.

But Hal, who lives in the family's collection of caravans in Bideford, Devon, said Fiona had left Scarlette because he had been knocked down in the UK and his mum wanted to ring him.

As he recovered in hospital with serious leg injuries, he said: "We are all trying to pull together as a family because of all that's happened."

Bureau Report