SOS Madeleine McCann 5/07/08: Kate and Gerry McCann before the High Court in London.

Monday 7th July is the day on which Kate and Gerry McCann's petition is presented before the High Court in London. They are seeking to obtain access to the information held by Leicestershire police, which they say may help their private investigators in the search for their daughter Madeleine.

This article from SOS Madeleine McCann on Saturday 5th July 2008.

Kate et Gerry McCann devant la Cour Suprême de Londres

Lundi, sept juillet, Kate et Gerry McCann, les parents de Madeleine, la petite Britannique donnée comme disparue au Portugal, vont comparaitre devant la section famille de la Cour Suprême de Londres où, selon leur porte-parole, ils veulent demander qu’il soit ordonné à la Police du Leicestershire de leur donner accès aux documents concernant l’enquête à la disparition de leur fille.

Kate and Gerry McCann before the London High Court.

On Monday July 7th, Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of Madeleine, the little British girl understood to have disappeared in Portugal, will appear before the family division of the High Court in London where, according to their spokesperson, they wish to request that the Leicestershire police be ordered to give them access to documents concerning the investigation into their daughter's disappearance.

Le procès, ouvert au public et identifié comme “FD07P01121 McCann”, commence à 10 h 30 devant la Juge Hogg, fille de l'ancien "Lord Chancellor" Lord Hailsham et soeur de l'ancien ministre de l’Agriculture Douglas Hogg.

Selon Clarence Mitchell, l’ancien responsable de l’Unité de Surveillance des Médias auprès du gouvernement britannique, devenu le porte-parole des McCann, le couple prétend avoir accès aux dossiers tenus par la police de Leicestershire afin de poursuivre les recherches de Madeleine. La police britannique arguera du fait que le contenu du dossier concerne les bases d’un cas criminel et que comme tell il devrait être maintenu confidentiel.

The proceedings, which are open to the public and identified as "FD07P01121McCann", start at 10.30am before Judge Hogg, daughter of the former, "Lord Chancellor," Lord Hailsham and sister of the former Minister for Agriculture, Douglas Hogg.

According to Clarence Mitchell, former head of the British government's Media Monitoring Unit, now the McCann's spokesman, the couple are claiming access to the files held by the Leicestershire police in order to continue their search for Madeleine. The British police will argue that the contents of the file constitute the basis of a criminal case and as such must be kept confidential.

Selon un officier de liaison de la police britannique, la révélation anticipée de la présence des McCann devant la Cour Suprême, faite par initiative de Clarence Mitchell, est une manœuvre adoptée par le couple pour atténuer l’impacte auprès de l’opinion publique de l’annonce de la mise sous tutelle de Madeleine, une information que serait de toute manière abordée au cours du procès de lundi.

Le même officier accuse le couple McCann de rechercher à prendre connaissance de l’avancement de l’investigation et des détails connus de la police dans un souci de préparer leur défense et non de relancer les recherches de Madeleine.

According to a British police liaison officer, the early disclosure of the McCanns' appearance before the High Court, on the initiative of Clarence Mitchell, is an action adopted by the couple to lessen the impact on public opinion of the announcement of Madeleine's being made a ward of court, information which, anyway, would be addressed in the course of the proceedings on Monday.

The same officer accuses the McCann couple of seeking to find out the progress of the investigation and the details known to the police only for preparing their defence and not for relaunching the search for Madeleine.

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

5/07/08

Maddie: Investigation continues and gains new momentum (Updated 5/07/08)

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

4/07/08 Updated 5/07/08

Maddie : Enquête continue et gagne nouvel élan

Malgré toutes les informations avancées dans les médias, en particulier au Royaume-Uni, la Police judiciaire (PJ) a nié que l’enquête à la disparition de Madeleine McCann soit abandonnée ou archivée, ce qu’est confirmée par une source de la l’Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) qu’avance l’existence de deux témoignages décisifs qui n’ont pas encore été communiqués aux autorités portugaises.

Plusieurs centaines de témoins ont été interrogés depuis le jour de la disparition de Madeleine, au Portugal par la PJ, mais également au Royaume-Uni où les interrogatoires ont été effectués à plusieurs endroits du pays.

Maddie: the investigation continues and gains new momentum.

In spite of all the information put forward in the media, in the United Kingdom in particular, the PJ have denied that the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance is to be abandoned or archived. This is confirmed by a source from the Association of Chief Police Officer (ACPO) who put forward the existence of two crucial witness statements, which have not yet been communicated to the Portuguese authorities!

Several hundred witnesses have been interrogated since the day of Madeleine's disappearance, in Portugal by the PJ, but also in the United Kingdom, where the interrogations were carried out at several places in the country.

Selon la même source, au moins deux témoins ont mis directement en cause la responsabilité d’un membre du groupe des neuf britannique – connu comme les “Tapas 9” — dans la disparition de Maddie, mais le contenu de leurs déclarations n’a jamais été transmis aux autorités portugaises.

According to the same source, at least two witnesses have directly called into question the responsibility of a member of the group of nine British people - known as the, "Tapas 9" - in Maddie's disappearance, but the contents of their statements have never been sent to the Portuguese authorities.

“Il existe un circuit bien précis pour faire arriver l’information au Portugal et tout n’a pas fonctionné comme il était prévu, ou comme il serait normal de fonctionner dans un cas de coopération internationale,” affirme ce responsable soulignant que les diverses forces de police qui ont collaboré à l’enquête sur le sol britannique, en particulier dans le Leicertershire, ont été “dépassées” par les agissements de leur hiérarchie, victime à leur tour du rôle joué par le gouvernement.

Pour rappel, l’Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) et la police du Leicestershire, ont collaboré dans l’enquête des autorités portugaises, comme l’a confirmée Patricia Scotland, Ministre d'Etat et Attorney General pour l'Angleterre et le Pays de Galles.

"There is a very clear system for getting information to Portugal and it has not all worked as planned, or as it would normally work in a case of international co-operation," this officer stated, stressing that the various police forces who collaborated in the investigation on British soil, in particular in Leicestershire, were, "overtaken," by the actions of their superiors, victims in their turn to the role played by the government.

As a reminder, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Leicestershire police, have collaborated in the investigations by the Portuguese authorities, as Patricia Scotland, Minister of State and Attorney General for England and Wales has confirmed.

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

To be continued.

Making connections with the past.

I was thinking this morning of how memories are not stored as discrete chunks in our brains, but as endless links and circuits that take us off on other tracks, like looking up a reference on an A-Z, and finding the road continues on page 89, and leads to somewhere quite unexpected.

So, thinking about my fast track to Victoria and back, took me over the page on my mind map to Hereford, where I used to live. This was via speaking French and where I went to college, studied the language and visited a university in Normandy.

The above view of the old bridge reminds me of a friend whose house overlooked the river. It is also reminiscent of my first year in the city, before the new bridge was open, and this old bridge was the only route out of Hereford to the south. Walk south over this bridge and you come to the playing fields, where I spent many happy hours with my children, playing on the swings, splashing in the paddling pool, and learning to swim at the leisure centre.

Hereford's department store, Chadd's, where we used to go after school on Thursdays, and eat huge, sickly meringues, filled with fresh cream, on the way to my daughter's ballet class. My friend E. would whizz up to the school gate in her rattly mini, and three of us, our two daughters and I, would climb in and off we'd zoom for the weekly treats.

The Cider Museum at Bulmer's, Hereford. This was actually at the end of our road, but throughout 11 years that we lived there, we passed the front door and never went in, only exploring it in the week before we left the city. The Bulmer's building at the end of the road was quite tall, and during the cold weather of winter, the snow and ice did not disappear from our road or gardens, until the sun had risen over Bulmer's. In late summer, the smell of cider-making, that heavy, sweet smell, hung in the air, and clung like syrup to clothes, hair and washing on the lines.

I went to college in Hereford, where I studied French. The college subsequently closed and became a college of the Royal National Institute for the Blind. A beautiful old building. I recall a few good gigs there, especially the Curved Air evening, which was brilliant.

I have been back to hereford quite a few times since I left. The centre has become, like many town centres, populated by chain stores, and where the old market used to be there is a shopping mall, with more chain stores. Yet, it seems that the character of the city has not changed so much in itself. It has a veneer of being dragged into the plastic-wrapped 21st Century, but at its heart, it is still a market town, the centre of a thriving rural area and community.

Just to finish off this little trip through these pages of my mind map, an image from a Herefordshire village, that reminds me of how diverse and beautiful the county is. This is Credenhill church. Credenhill is a village, where old buildings like this beautiful church, sit comfortably close to modern semi-detached houses, and the RAF base. I went for a meal at a chip shop there once. Well, actually, it was in the restaurant next to the chippie, where an adjoining door brought the food to the tables. It was very much a surprise meal: a surprise for my birthday, and also a surprise in that the restaurant, owned and run by the owner of the chippie, served gourmet French food and tables had to be booked well in advance and could only be booked if one had been referred by an existing customer! Snobbery? Probably! But the food was exquisite and the experience of finding such a restaurant adjoining a chippie in a row of local shops, on a housing estate, served me well for some time as dinner conversation!

Well, this track did lead me to somewhere quite unexpected! From Victoria, to a French university, to the city of Hereford, to a chippie! Haven't been in a chippie for years, not since the time I came out with the warm bundles and found I had locked the car with the keys inside, but that, of course, leads down lots of other roads, which I don't have the time or inclination to explore today.

Enfants Kidnappés: Madeleine McCann. The case will be classified as homicide.(Updated 3/07/08)

According to Enfants Kidnappés, the Madeleine McCann file is about to be archived, classified as, "homicide."

Procédure classée comme homicide

02 juillet 2008

La procédure sera classée comme homicide !!La procédure sur la disparition de Madeleine McCann sera reprise dans les archives du tribunal de Portimao par décision du Ministère Public. Le procureur titulaire du dossier, Magalhães e Menezes,émarge le dossier (c-à-d qu'il qualifie le dossier ou l'accusation) comme: "HOMICIDE QUALIFIE ET OCCULTATION DE CADAVRE"

Case classified as homicide.

The file will be classified as homicide!! The file on Madeleine McCann's disappearance will be added to the archives of the Portimao court by decision of the Public Minister. The prosecutor holding the file, Magalhães e Menezes, signs off the case (That is, he describes the case or the accusation) as: "CLASSIFIED AS HOMICIDE AND CONCEALMENT OF A BODY"

La PJ a livré son rapport final concernant toutes les recherches faites depuis mai 2007. La presse s'est empressée de dire que le document finale (rappelons qu'il s'agit d'un dossier de plusieurs volumes) ne contenait pas de preuves suffisantes et que l'affaire serait classée. Notons, pour être complet, que de très nombreux journaux basent l'ensemble de leurs articles principalement sur les dépêches d'agence. Ainsi, dans notre article précédent, nous avons fait un article basé UNIQUEMENT sur les dépêches d'agence que nous recevons comme n'importe quel autre média. Les plus observateurs d'entres vous se seront rendu compte que cet article ressemblait comme deux gouttes d'eau à ceux publiés par d'autres médias et pour cause puisqu'il venait des mêmes agences. L'article de base de l'agence de presse ne stipulait pas que l'affaire classée sans suite mais laissait planer le doute. Aussi, en fonction de l'interprétation des uns et des autres, divers journaux en ont conclu que l'affaire était, non seulement close mais également classée sans suite. Or, la réalité est plus subtile que cela.

The PJ have delivered their final report concerning all the research done since May 2007. The press were quick to say that the final document (let's remember that it is a dossier of several volumes) did not contain sufficient evidence and that the case would be closed. We note, for the sake of completeness, that a great many of the newspapers base their whole article mainly on news agencies' despatches. Thus, in our previous article, we had produced an article based SOLELY on the news agencies' despatches which we receive like other media. The most observant amongst you will have noticed that this article was like two drops in the ocean of those published by other media and for the reason that it came from the same agencies. The basic article from the press agency did not stipulate that the case was classed as discontinued but left a hanging doubt. Also, according to the interpretation of most of them, various journalists concluded that the case was, not just closed but also classed as discontinued. But the reality is more subtle than that.

C'est le Ministère Public qui décide !

Au moment d'écrire ces lignes, le Ministère Public (MP) étudie la nécessitée ou non de demander de nouveaux devoirs d'enquête complémentaire. L'archivage du dossier Madeleine McCann, disparue le 03 mai 2007, n'est absolument pas une certitude !!! Au contraire, il est plus que probable que de nouveaux devoirs d'enquête soient demandés à la PJ par le MP. Il n'est pas à exclure que les amis des McCann soient invités à revenir au Portugal. La PJ a envoyé un rapport final contenant toutes les "diligences" et enquêtes faites au long de ces mois et les moyens utilisés. Ce rapport est maintenant entre les mains du MP et fera l'objet "d'une appréciation et d'une pondération soignée" comme a garanti une source proche du procureur générale de la République dans un communiqué envoyé à toutes les rédactions.

It is the Public Minister who decides!

At the time of writing these lines, the Public Minister (MP) is studying whether or not there is need for additional work on the investigation. The archiving of the file for Madeleine McCann, who disappeared on May 3rd 2007, is not an absolute certainty!!! On the contrary, it is more than likely that new work on the investigation is requested of the PJ by the Public Minister. It is not to be ruled out that the McCanns' friends are invited to return to Portugal. The PJ have handed overa final report containing all the, "requests," and investigations made throughout these months and the methods used. This report is now in the hands of the Public Minister and will be the object, "of careful thought and evaluation," as was guaranteed by a source close to the Attorney General of the Republic in a press release sent to all editors.

Vers une nouvelle reconstitution ?

Les nouveaux devoirs d'enquête possibles peuvent passer par une nouvelle reconstitution de la nuit de la disparition de Maddie. Ce qui implique que les amis du couple McCann ainsi que les McCann eux mêmes, soient invités pour les uns et notifiés pour les autres à venir au Portugal. Nous n'avons aucune illusion en la matière, nous ne sommes pas utopiste, nous savons que cette reconstitution n'aura pas lieu mais nous sommes curieux de savoir ce que les amis des McCann vont donner comme excuses, cette fois, pour ne pas y participer ?! Le rapport a rappelé les incohérences entre les diverses déclarations des amis du couple concernant les évènements de la nuit de la disparition.

Towards a new reconstruction?

The possible new work on the investigation could take the form of a new reconstruction of the night of Maddie's disappearance. This involves the friends of the McCann couple, as well as the McCanns themselves, some being invited and others being notified to come to Portugal. We have no illusions on the subject, we are not idealists, we know that this reconstruction would not take place but we are curious to know what the McCanns' friends are going to give as excuses, this time, for not participating in it?! The report has pointed out the inconsistencies between the various statements of the couple's friends concerning the events of the night of the disappearance.

Le MP pourrait vouloir enlever tous les doutes. Dans ce même communiqué envoyé aux rédactions, le PGR garanti également que la fin du secret de justice sera pour le 14 août !! Il reste peu de temps avant que le dossier ne soit à la porté de tous. Le rapport qui compte 19 volumes et des milliers de documents n'indique pas si le dossier doit être archivé (classé) ou s'il faut lancer une procédure d'accusation. La raison en est simple: C'est au MP qu'appartient de décider si l'affaire doit être classée ou s'il faut lancer une accusation formelle. La PJ se "limite" à faire une enquête, des recherches, à exécuter de devoirs d'enquêtes sur le terrain et à présenter les éléments rassemblés, sans plus. Les policiers ne sont pas des juges ! Ils présentent des faits, tels quels, à l'état brut et c'est au MP de décider de leurs usages!!!

The Public Minister may wish to raise all doubts. In this same press release sent to the editors, the PGR guarantees also that the end of the secrecy of justice will be August 14th!! There remains very little time before the file will be open to all. The report which runs to 19 volumes and thousands of documents does not indicate whether the case should be archived (discontinued) or if a process of charging should be launched. The reason is simple: It is up to the Public Minister to decided if the case must be discontinued or if a formal charge should be made. The PJ, "limit," themselves to conducting an investigation, to carrying out the work of the investigation on the ground and to presenting the gathered details, no more. The police officers are not the judges! They present the facts, as a rough draft and it is up to the Public Minister to decided on their use!!!

Vers une accusation ?

Les échos selon lesquels le dossier ne contiendrait pas d'éléments suffisants pour mener vers une accusation n'est, de l'aveu même de la source proche de l'enquête ayant lancé cette rumeurs, qu'une "simple intuition et ne garantit pas qu'il n'y aura pas d'accusation". La suite la plus probable de la procédure est que Kate et Gerry soient accusés d'imprudence. Un avis également partagé par divers inspecteurs de la PJ: "Ils ont été dîné en laissant leurs enfants seuls, ce n'est pas une accusation futile, nous savons ce qui est arrivé ensuite!!!" Différentes incertitudes continuent à planer. L'hypothèse de ce qui s'est passé cette nuit là est l'homicide par accident et l'occultation de cadavre par ailleurs émargé par le Procureur comme Homicide qualifié et occultation de cadavre.

Towards a charge?

The leaks according to which the file would not contain sufficient evidence to lead to a charge, is only, "simple intuition and does not guarantee that there will be no charges," is the admission of the source close to the enquiry, who put forward that rumour. The most likely follow-up of the procedure is that Kate and Gerry are charged with negligence. An opinion also shared by various PJ inspectors: "They were dining leaving their children alone, that is not a frivolous accusation, we know what happened then!!!" Various uncertainties still hover. The theory that what happened that night was accidental homicide and concealment of a corpse otherwise endorsed by the Prosecutor as manslaughter and concealment of a corpse.

http://www.kidnapping.be/maddie/maddie.html

Updated 3/07/08

Madeleine McCann: end of the investigation. Enfants Kidnappés report 1/07/08

News agencies world-wide are reporting the conclusion of the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance, and mostly the news is that with insufficient evidence to resolve the enquiry, the case will be archived.

http://www.kidnapping.be/maddie/maddie.html

Fin de l'enquête 01 juillet 2008

La police portugaise clôt son enquête.

La police portugaise a conclu son enquête sur la disparition de la petite Britannique Madeleine McCann, il y a 14 mois dans le sud du Portugal, et remis son rapport au Ministère public qui doit décider de poursuivre ou de clore l'investigation, a-t-on appris mardi de source judiciaire. Le rapport final élaboré par la police judiciaire (PJ) a été joint à la procédure de la dénommée ''affaire Maddie", a indiqué un communiqué du cabinet du procureur général de la République. Pour autant, l'enquête sur la mystérieuse disparition le 3 mai 2007 de la petite Maddie, alors âgée de trois ans, d'un complexe touristique du sud du Portugal, n'est pas terminée. "La Police judiciaire continue, à la disposition du Ministère public" jusqu'à ce qu'il décide de clore l'enquête, a rappelé à la presse le directeur national adjoint de la PJ, Pedro Carmo.

End of the investigation July 1st 2008

The Portuguese police are closing their investigation.

The Portuguese police have concluded their investigation into the disappearance of the little British girl Madeleine McCann, 14 months ago in the south of Portugal, and handed their report to the Public Minister who must decide to continue or close the investigation, as we learned on Tuesday from a judicial source. The final report prepared by the PJ has been attached to the so-called, "Maddie case," a press release from the office of the Attorney General of the Republic stated. However, the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of little Maddie, then aged three, on May 3rd 2007, from a holiday resort in the south of Portugal, has not ended. "The PJ continue to be at the disposal of the Public Minister," until he decides to close the enquiry, Pedro Carmo, national deputy director of the PJ reminded the press.

Par ailleurs, le secret de l'instruction, prolongé en mai dernier en raison de la "complexité" de l'affaire, "se maintient jusqu'à la mi-août", a précisé le ministère public, qui doit à présent analyser le rapport d'enquête de la PJ et va procéder à l'analyse et à l'évaluation globale de l'ensemble de la procédure (qui comporte des dizaines de volumes) pour "déterminer si d'autres démarches sont encore requises ou bien si les conditions suffisantes et nécessaires sont réunies pour clore l'enquête". L'annonce du cabinet du procureur intervient après la publication mardi dans la presse d'informations indiquant que les autorités portugaises s'apprêtaient à clore l'enquête et à classer l'affaire, estimant ne pas avoir recueilli de preuves suffisantes pour une mise en accusation formelle.

Also, the secrecy of the investigation, extended in May because of the, "complexity," of the case, "continues until mid-August," was made clear by the public minister, who now must analyse the report of the PJ's investigation and is going to proceed with the analysis and overall evaluation of the whole case (which comprises dozens of volumes) to, "determine if other steps are still required or if necessary and satisfactory conditions have been met to close the enquiry." The announcement from the prosecutor's office intervened on Tuesday after the publication of information in the press, indicating that the Portuguese authorities were ready to close the investigation and to archive the case, suggesting that not enough evidence had been gathered for a formal charge to be made.

Réaction du porte-parole.

Trois personnes sont toujours mises en examen. Outre le Britannique, Robert Murat, les parents de la fillette, Kate et Gerry McCann, soupçonnés d'avoir fait disparaître le corps de l'enfant après une mort accidentelle, ont été mis en examen le 7 septembre dernier. Le couple, qui n'a cessé de clamer son innocence, a organisé une campagne internationale sans précédent pour retrouver la petite Maddie. Depuis la Grande-Bretagne, le porte-parole des époux McCann, Clarence Mitchell, n'a pas tardé à réagir aux informations publiées dans les médias portugais. Il a estimé que la mise en examen du couple devait être levée "immédiatement" s'il était confirmé que la police allait clore l'enquête et a réclamé l'accès au dossier. Les informations contenues dans le dossier "ne peuvent pas rester sur des étagères à prendre la poussière", a-t-il affirmé. Lors d'une série d'interviews en Grande-Bretagne, le porte-parole a aussi suggéré que si l'enquête était officiellement close, les dossiers devaient être transférés aux enquêteurs privés recrutés par les McCann dans l'espoir de retrouver «Maddie». La petite fille avait disparu le 3 mai 2007 quelques jours avant son quatrième anniversaire, alors qu'elle séjournait en famille dans un complexe touristique du sud du Portugal.

The Spokesman's reaction.

Three people are still under investigation. Other than the British man, Robert Murat, the little girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, suspected of having of having disposed of the child's body after an accidental death, were placed under investigation on September 7th last year. The couple, who have never stopped protesting their innocence, organised an unprecedented international campaign to find little Maddie. From Great Britain, the McCann couple's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, has not been slow to react to information published in the Portuguese media. He suggested that the investigation of the couple should be lifted, "immediately," if it were confirmed that the police were going to close the enquiry and demanded access to the file. The information contained in the file, "cannot sit on shelves gathering dust," he stated. During a series of interviews in Great Britain, the spokesman also suggested that if the investigation were officially closed, the files should be transferred to the private investigators hired by the McCanns in the hope of finding, "Maddie". The little girl had disappeared on May 3rd 2007 a few days before her fourth birthday, while she was on holiday with her family at a toursit complex in the south of Portugal.

Ses parents avaient été déclarés suspects après l'annonce de la découverte de l'ADN de Madeleine dans une voiture louée par ses parents, plus de trois semaines après sa disparition. Mais le chef de la police portugaise, Alipio Ribeiro, a ensuite déclaré que les analyses pratiquées sur ces traces n'étaient pas concluantes. Les McCann ont toujours affirmé qu'ils n'avaient rien à voir avec la disparition de leur fille. Selon la loi portugaise, le satut d'«arguido» (suspect) est un statut intermédiaire qui ne signifie pas une inculpation, mais qui est utilisé quand la police croit avoir des preuves contre quelqu'un. La personne considéré comme «suspecte» dispose d'une «liberté de mouvement totale», à condition d'informer préalablement les autorités judiciaires. De son côté, l'avocat portugais du couple Rogério Alves, a affirmé que l'essentiel pour le couple McCann était que les "recherches de leur fille se poursuivent".

Her parents had been declared suspects after the announcement of the discovery of Madeleine's DNA in a car rented by her parents, more than three weeks after her disappearance. But Portugal's chief of police, Alipio Ribeiro, later stated that the analyses carried out on the samples had not been conclusive. The McCanns have always stated that they had nothing to do witht the disappearance of their daughter. According to Portuguese law, the status of, "arguido," (suspect) is an interim status which does not mean an indictment, but which is used when the police believe they have evidence against someone. The person considered as, "suspect," has, "total freedom of movement," on condition that they inform the judicial authorities in advance. For his part, the couple's Portuguese lawyer, Rogério Alves, stated that the priority for the couple was that the, "search for their daughter continues."

Ni enlèvement, ni décès accidentel.

L'enquête, qui a connu un tournant l'été dernier lorsque les enquêteurs se sont mis à privilégier l'hypothèse de la mort de l'enfant s'appuyant sur des indices prélevés dans l'appartement et le véhicule des McCann, était depuis tombée dans une impasse. Selon la presse mardi, le rapport d'enquête de la police ne permet d'étayer ni la thèse de l'elèvement, défendu par les parents, ni celle de la mort accidentelle. Travaillant sous une forte pression, notamment de la part de la presse britannique, les enquêteurs portugais ont accumulé les revers.

L'ancien chef de l'équipe d'enquêteurs, Gonçalo Amaral, s'était vu retirer, en octobre dernier, l'affaire pour avoir ouvertement critiqué ses collègues britanniques de partialité. M. Amaral a pris sa retraite lundi pour, dit-il, retrouver sa "liberté d'expression" et pouvoir "se défendre" dans un livre qu'il s'apprête publier.

Neither abduction nor accidental death.

The investigation, which reached a turning point last summer when the investigators began to focus on the idea of the child's death based on traces lifted from the apartment and the McCanns' vehicle, has since come to a standstill. According to the press on Tuesday, the police report of the investigation does not support either the abduction theory held by the parents, or that of accidental death. Working under heavy pressure, notably from the British press, the Portuguese investigators have encountered setbacks.

The former head of the investigating team, Gonçalo Amaral, saw himself dismissed from the case in October last year, for openly criticising his British colleagues of bias. M. Amaral took his retirement on Monday to, as he said, regain his, "freedom of expression," and to be able to, "defend himself," in a book which he is getting ready to publish.