Well worth watching. Video clips of the apartment, the path where Jane Tanner said she saw Bundleman and the route to the Oean club and the tapas bar.
Ocean Club Apartment Clips
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
The Ocean Club Apartment clips on YouTube
Well worth watching. Video clips of the apartment, the path where Jane Tanner said she saw Bundleman and the route to the Oean club and the tapas bar.
Ocean Club Apartment Clips
New Video on YouTube: "Madeleine McCann - The McCann Infantile Memory"
Madeleine at christmas 2006A lovely, but very sad new video.
Madeleine McCann - The McCann Infantile Memory
Worth watching.
Eurojust confirms request to re-interview the Tapas group
From the blog written by Paulo Reis, Gazeta Digital, 15the January, 2008
http://gazetadigitalmadeleinecase.blogspot.com/
"A spokesman from Eurojust confirmed to The Press Association that Portuguese authorities made a formal request to the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency to help in the process of questioning again the group of British citizens that was at Ocean Club, with Gerry and Kate McCann, when Madeleine vanished.
A PJ team is scheduled to fly to UK, soon, to follow the questioning by Leicester police, according to Press Association. Eurojust role is to help investigators and prosecutors in European Union for information and assistance in crime cases involving more than one country."
European Judicial Cooperation Unit (EUROJUST)
Gazeta Digital, 14th January 2008.
No evidence of Canary islands connection to the Madeleine case.
"The line of inquiry in Madeleine’s case remains the same and is focused in the group of British citizens that were with the child’s family. There is no indication that the person arrested in the Spanish Islands has been in Portugal”, according to the same source."
Also on 14th January, Paulo Reis asserts that two more people could be named official suspects, arguidos, and that without diplomatic intervention the McCanns would not have been allowed to leave Portugal in September, but would have been arrested and charged.
"If it wasn’t the diplomatic intervention, the McCann wouldn’t be authorized to leave Portugal and would have been charged and arrested on September”, a source from Polícia Judiciária said. With the bureaucratic aspects for a new questioning of the Tapas Group finished, Police admits that two more formal suspects could be named, “if the questioning takes place as we expect."
Paulo Reis quotes a police source as saying that the McCanns publicity campaign was intended to draw attention from Praia da Luz, where, the PJ believe the answer to the disappearance of Madeleine MCann is to be found.
"Clear intention
“The campaign set up in the Media, since the beginning, was planned and had a specific intention: to take the case out from Praia da Luz,” the PJ source said. This intention was already clear months ago, on July last year, when detectives in charge of the investigation told the Portuguese Press that “all clues related to foreign countries have been investigated and dismissed”. At the time, it was also clear to PJ that “the key to solve the case was at Praia da Luz.”
There has been speculation on vaious internet forums about the possible date for the arrival of the PJ in the UK. There has also been speculation that no one is coming, but according to Gazeta Digital and The Peterborough Telegraph, (quoting the Press Association) it has been confirmed that Eurojust has been approached and that the PJ will be arriving on our shores pretty soon!
Peterborough Telegraph
" Portuguese investigators seeking to re-interview friends of Madeleine McCann's parents, from Leicestershire, are in contact with the UK authorities via an intermediary.Portuguese police seeking to re-interview the "Tapas Seven" are reportedly in contact with the British authorities via Eurojust.
They are understood to be poised to fly to the UK to sit in on fresh questioning of the friends by British police.
The seven were on holiday in Praia da Luz in the Algarve with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter vanished last year."
http://gazetadigitalmadeleinecase.blogspot.com/
"A spokesman from Eurojust confirmed to The Press Association that Portuguese authorities made a formal request to the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency to help in the process of questioning again the group of British citizens that was at Ocean Club, with Gerry and Kate McCann, when Madeleine vanished.
A PJ team is scheduled to fly to UK, soon, to follow the questioning by Leicester police, according to Press Association. Eurojust role is to help investigators and prosecutors in European Union for information and assistance in crime cases involving more than one country."
European Judicial Cooperation Unit (EUROJUST)
Gazeta Digital, 14th January 2008.
No evidence of Canary islands connection to the Madeleine case.
"The line of inquiry in Madeleine’s case remains the same and is focused in the group of British citizens that were with the child’s family. There is no indication that the person arrested in the Spanish Islands has been in Portugal”, according to the same source."
Also on 14th January, Paulo Reis asserts that two more people could be named official suspects, arguidos, and that without diplomatic intervention the McCanns would not have been allowed to leave Portugal in September, but would have been arrested and charged.
"If it wasn’t the diplomatic intervention, the McCann wouldn’t be authorized to leave Portugal and would have been charged and arrested on September”, a source from Polícia Judiciária said. With the bureaucratic aspects for a new questioning of the Tapas Group finished, Police admits that two more formal suspects could be named, “if the questioning takes place as we expect."
Paulo Reis quotes a police source as saying that the McCanns publicity campaign was intended to draw attention from Praia da Luz, where, the PJ believe the answer to the disappearance of Madeleine MCann is to be found.
"Clear intention
“The campaign set up in the Media, since the beginning, was planned and had a specific intention: to take the case out from Praia da Luz,” the PJ source said. This intention was already clear months ago, on July last year, when detectives in charge of the investigation told the Portuguese Press that “all clues related to foreign countries have been investigated and dismissed”. At the time, it was also clear to PJ that “the key to solve the case was at Praia da Luz.”
There has been speculation on vaious internet forums about the possible date for the arrival of the PJ in the UK. There has also been speculation that no one is coming, but according to Gazeta Digital and The Peterborough Telegraph, (quoting the Press Association) it has been confirmed that Eurojust has been approached and that the PJ will be arriving on our shores pretty soon!
Peterborough Telegraph
" Portuguese investigators seeking to re-interview friends of Madeleine McCann's parents, from Leicestershire, are in contact with the UK authorities via an intermediary.Portuguese police seeking to re-interview the "Tapas Seven" are reportedly in contact with the British authorities via Eurojust.
They are understood to be poised to fly to the UK to sit in on fresh questioning of the friends by British police.
The seven were on holiday in Praia da Luz in the Algarve with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter vanished last year."
Monday, 14 January 2008
Gerry McCann; here's another funny thing!
Well, Gerry there are lots of funny things about the story of how your daughter came to disappear on Mya 3rd, 2007. I'm not going to ask you about any of those at the moment. I'm just going to concentrate here on your comparison of the ways in which missing children cases are dealt with in the US and in Europe. To quote from the recent entry in your blog.
"Clearly Europe has a lot to learn from the US and there has to be change in practice and legislation about how missing children are investigated. We will continue to campaign to effect change in Europe, in the hope that it will become a safer place for our children."
Leaving aside for the moment your comment about a safer place for our children, if you want to campaign for change in Europe, why not support an organisation that already exists and is campaigning for a Europe-wide approach to the problem? You really didn't need to go jetting off to the US. There is already an organisation which is affiliated to the Washington organisation which you visited.
http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/
"Mission
So, even if you had wanted to go to the hub of the enterprise, Brussels is a bit closer to Portugal than is Washington. Missing Children Europe, as you will read above is the regional representative of the international centre based in Washington.
So, Gerry, since there is already a European campaign for Europe-wide change, why do you think it's necessary for you to set up some kind of separate campaign? Why not just support the existing work?
And, oh dear, Gerry! Making Europe a safer place for our children? So, they do things differently in the US, do they when parents leave their children alone in an unlocked apartment? What do they do? Have some kind of alarm system in every home, hotel room, holiday apartment etc, that lets you know when your children, whom you have left to fend for themselves, are being abducted? Maybe a red light flashes on your mobile phone while you're sitting there at dinner sending text messages?
Well, Gerry, just two bits of advice I'd like to share with you.
1) Children are generally much safer when they are not left alone. So, maybe that should be the basis of your campaign.
2) No need for your European campaign. Just contact Missing Children Europe who, I am sure, will appreciate your support, especially as you are so good at fund-raising and you do appear to have contacts in high places.
Here it is again, Gerry, just in case you missed it!
http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/?q=node
And Gerry, here's some good news for you, a way in which you can help, since you want to campaign for change in Europe. International Missing Children Day, May 25th.
http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/?q=node/31
Why not give some publicity to this organisation on your site, Gerry, just in case your readers don't know that there is already a Europe-based organisation for missing and exploited children, campaigning for that Europe-Wide approach?
"Clearly Europe has a lot to learn from the US and there has to be change in practice and legislation about how missing children are investigated. We will continue to campaign to effect change in Europe, in the hope that it will become a safer place for our children."
Leaving aside for the moment your comment about a safer place for our children, if you want to campaign for change in Europe, why not support an organisation that already exists and is campaigning for a Europe-wide approach to the problem? You really didn't need to go jetting off to the US. There is already an organisation which is affiliated to the Washington organisation which you visited.
http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/
"Mission
Missing Children Europe is the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children. Missing Children Europe has 21 member NGOs from 15 countries of the EU. These 21 NGOs work every day to prevent and fight the sexual exploitation of children and assist parents and investigators confronted with the disappearance of a child.
As a platform regrouping these 21 NGOs, Missing Children Europe has as primary goals to:
- share good practices among the members,
- represent the members towards the European institutions,
- assure a European presence at the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington.
The disappearance and sexual exploitation of children is a global phenomenon, which touches an increasingly worrying but undefined number of children. A European and international approach is essential to tackle the problem efficiently.
See Gerry? A European and international approach. And what about this, Gerry?
"Assure a European presence at ICMEC
Missing Children Europe is the regional representative of the global mouvement of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington."
And where this organisation is?
"Where we are
Missing Children Europe represents NGOs from 15 EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Romania and the United Kingdom.
The General Secretariat of Missing Children Europe is based in Brussels."So, even if you had wanted to go to the hub of the enterprise, Brussels is a bit closer to Portugal than is Washington. Missing Children Europe, as you will read above is the regional representative of the international centre based in Washington.
So, Gerry, since there is already a European campaign for Europe-wide change, why do you think it's necessary for you to set up some kind of separate campaign? Why not just support the existing work?
And, oh dear, Gerry! Making Europe a safer place for our children? So, they do things differently in the US, do they when parents leave their children alone in an unlocked apartment? What do they do? Have some kind of alarm system in every home, hotel room, holiday apartment etc, that lets you know when your children, whom you have left to fend for themselves, are being abducted? Maybe a red light flashes on your mobile phone while you're sitting there at dinner sending text messages?
Well, Gerry, just two bits of advice I'd like to share with you.
1) Children are generally much safer when they are not left alone. So, maybe that should be the basis of your campaign.
2) No need for your European campaign. Just contact Missing Children Europe who, I am sure, will appreciate your support, especially as you are so good at fund-raising and you do appear to have contacts in high places.
Here it is again, Gerry, just in case you missed it!
http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/?q=node
And Gerry, here's some good news for you, a way in which you can help, since you want to campaign for change in Europe. International Missing Children Day, May 25th.
http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/?q=node/31
Why not give some publicity to this organisation on your site, Gerry, just in case your readers don't know that there is already a Europe-based organisation for missing and exploited children, campaigning for that Europe-Wide approach?
Friday, 11 January 2008
MySpace subpoened over suicide teen
GRIEVING: Tina and Ron Meier sit in daughter Megan's bedroom in a suburb of St. Louis. Megan killed herself last fall.
(Stephanie S. Cordle / St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
L.A. grand jury issues subpoenas in Web suicide case
"In a novel approach, prosecutors are looking at charging a woman who posed as a boy and sent cruel messages to teen with defrauding MySpace.
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has begun issuing subpoenas in the case of a Missouri teenager who hanged herself after being rejected by the person she thought was a 16-year-old boy she met on MySpace, sources told The Times.
The case set off a national furor when it was revealed that the "boyfriend" was really a neighbor who was the mother of one of the girl's former friends.
Local and federal authorities in Missouri looked into the circumstances surrounding 13-year-old Megan Meier's 2006 death in the town of Dardenne Prairie, an upper-middle-class enclave of about 7,400 people, located northwest of St. Louis.
But after months of investigation, no charges were filed against Lori Drew for her alleged role in the hoax. Prosecutors in Missouri said they were unable to find a statute under which to pursue a criminal case.
Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, however, are exploring the possibility of charging Drew with defrauding the MySpace social networking website by allegedly creating the false account, according to the sources, who insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
The sources said prosecutors are looking at federal wire fraud and cyber fraud statutes as they consider the case. Prosecutors believe they have jurisdiction because MySpace is headquartered in Beverly Hills, the sources said.
It's still unclear who created the fictitious account. In a police report, Drew told authorities she, with the aid of a temporary employee, "instigated and monitored" a fake profile prior to Megan's suicide, "for the sole purpose of communicating" with the girl and to see what the girl was saying about Drew's daughter.
The grand jury issued several subpoenas last week, including one to MySpace and others to "witnesses in the case," sources said. One source did not know who else had received subpoenas; the other declined to provide that information.
Thomas P. O'Brien, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, declined to comment. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for O'Brien, also declined to comment.
MySpace officials could not be reached for comment, nor could Drew or her husband, Curt, be reached.
Attorney Jim Briscoe, who represents Lori Drew, said: "We have no knowledge of . . . anything dealing with a grand jury anywhere dealing with this case. . . . The only comment I have is we can't comment on rumors from anonymous sources."
The news came as a shock to Tina and Ron Meier, Megan's parents. Both said they were unaware of the grand jury and had not been contacted by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles.
"If MySpace is considered the victim, fine. I don't care at this point," said Tina Meier, 37. "We've been begging for someone -- anyone -- to pick up this case. If the Drews can be charged -- and even get the chance to be convicted -- it would be a day I could be happy with."
Cyber-bullying has become an increasingly creepy reality, with the anonymity of video games, message boards and other online forums offering an outlet for cruel taunts.
Former federal prosecutor Brian C. Lysaght said such a prosecution would be "not as much of a reach as it might appear at first glance." In recent years, he said, Congress has passed a series of statutes that make criminal conduct involving the Internet federal offenses.
Still, it could be difficult to draw the line between constitutionally protected free speech and conduct that is illegal.
Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the idea of using a fraud charge to tackle the unusual case was "an interesting and novel approach."
"But I doubt it's really going to lead to the type of punishment people really want to see, which is this woman being held responsible for this girl's death," she said.
Levenson, a former federal prosecutor, said that if the grand jury brings an indictment, it could raise 1st Amendment issues and questions about how to fairly enforce such a law on the Internet, where pseudo-identities are common.
"This may be a net that catches a lot of people," she said.
Kurt Opsahl, a senior staff attorney who specializes in privacy and free speech issues for the legal advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the potential of this case to set legal precedent criminalizing online speech is worrying.
"The right to speak freely online is hugely important. Whistle-blowers create pseudonyms," Opsahl said. "So do many people who anonymously report on corporate or government bad practices."
In the neighborhood where the Meiers and the Drews live, protecting the 1st Amendment has not been the main concern.
Teenagers and furious neighbors have protested in front of the Drews' one-story, white house. Virtual vigilantes have posted the Drews' home address, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and photos on websites such as RottenNeighbor.com.
Tina and Ron Meier, high school sweethearts, have struggled to deal with their daughter's death; the couple is getting divorced. Their youngest daughter, Allison, now 11, splits her time between the two.
The mounting tension and heated emotions worried community leaders enough that they are having the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department regularly patrol the suburban neighborhood. Late last year, Dardenne Prairie's Board of Aldermen passed a law that makes cyber harassment a misdemeanor -- with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail or a $500 fine or both for each violation.
A number of area communities have passed similar measures. And Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt pulled together an Internet task force, which put the final touches on a proposal Tuesday that would make it a felony crime for adults who use online technology to harass children.
scott.glover@latimes.com
p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com
Times staff writers Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Ted Rohrlich contributed to this report."
(Los Angeles Times 9th January, 2007)
I was very pleased to read the above article in the Los Angeles Times. Cyber-bullying and grooming for sex have become major problems for young people online. My Space and Bebo have given young people opportunities to create an online presence, to stay in touch with friends and to make new friends, but they have also created opportunities for the bullies and the emotional inadequates perverts sitting by their computers who cannot form meaningful relationships in the real world. These hosting companies need to take responsibility for and more control over the content of their hosted sites. The young person presenting herself on Bebo as, "Sexy*****," may be the vulnerable girl with learning difficulties who always has a teaching assistant with her in the classroom. She may be flattered by the messages she receives from males who sign up as her friends, but does she know who they are? Do parents know who their children are in touch with and possibly being influenced by?
The brilliant computer you have provided for your daughter, may be a wonderful way to help her with her school work. It may also be creating a way into your home and your life, over which you have no control and which could change the lives of your family for ever. So, what do we do? Actually, I don't know! The internet is a wonderful resource, and I do feel that being able to set up a personal web site can help a young person to grow in confidence and self-esteem. The problem is how to avoid/stop the bullies and the perverts who also find the internet a wonderful resource for being able to contact and influence young people under an assumed identity. My Space and Bebo can do something by taking responsibility, voluntarily or perhaps they will need to be forced into it. The prospect of huge financial penalties might be one way of encouraging self-policing for these online hosting companies. I shall be interested to see the results of the Grand Jury subpeonas in the tragic case of 13-year-old Megan Meier.
The case set off a national furor when it was revealed that the "boyfriend" was really a neighbor who was the mother of one of the girl's former friends.
Local and federal authorities in Missouri looked into the circumstances surrounding 13-year-old Megan Meier's 2006 death in the town of Dardenne Prairie, an upper-middle-class enclave of about 7,400 people, located northwest of St. Louis.
But after months of investigation, no charges were filed against Lori Drew for her alleged role in the hoax. Prosecutors in Missouri said they were unable to find a statute under which to pursue a criminal case.
Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, however, are exploring the possibility of charging Drew with defrauding the MySpace social networking website by allegedly creating the false account, according to the sources, who insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
The sources said prosecutors are looking at federal wire fraud and cyber fraud statutes as they consider the case. Prosecutors believe they have jurisdiction because MySpace is headquartered in Beverly Hills, the sources said.
It's still unclear who created the fictitious account. In a police report, Drew told authorities she, with the aid of a temporary employee, "instigated and monitored" a fake profile prior to Megan's suicide, "for the sole purpose of communicating" with the girl and to see what the girl was saying about Drew's daughter.
The grand jury issued several subpoenas last week, including one to MySpace and others to "witnesses in the case," sources said. One source did not know who else had received subpoenas; the other declined to provide that information.
Thomas P. O'Brien, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, declined to comment. Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for O'Brien, also declined to comment.
MySpace officials could not be reached for comment, nor could Drew or her husband, Curt, be reached.
Attorney Jim Briscoe, who represents Lori Drew, said: "We have no knowledge of . . . anything dealing with a grand jury anywhere dealing with this case. . . . The only comment I have is we can't comment on rumors from anonymous sources."
The news came as a shock to Tina and Ron Meier, Megan's parents. Both said they were unaware of the grand jury and had not been contacted by the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles.
"If MySpace is considered the victim, fine. I don't care at this point," said Tina Meier, 37. "We've been begging for someone -- anyone -- to pick up this case. If the Drews can be charged -- and even get the chance to be convicted -- it would be a day I could be happy with."
Cyber-bullying has become an increasingly creepy reality, with the anonymity of video games, message boards and other online forums offering an outlet for cruel taunts.
Former federal prosecutor Brian C. Lysaght said such a prosecution would be "not as much of a reach as it might appear at first glance." In recent years, he said, Congress has passed a series of statutes that make criminal conduct involving the Internet federal offenses.
Still, it could be difficult to draw the line between constitutionally protected free speech and conduct that is illegal.
Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the idea of using a fraud charge to tackle the unusual case was "an interesting and novel approach."
"But I doubt it's really going to lead to the type of punishment people really want to see, which is this woman being held responsible for this girl's death," she said.
Levenson, a former federal prosecutor, said that if the grand jury brings an indictment, it could raise 1st Amendment issues and questions about how to fairly enforce such a law on the Internet, where pseudo-identities are common.
"This may be a net that catches a lot of people," she said.
Kurt Opsahl, a senior staff attorney who specializes in privacy and free speech issues for the legal advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the potential of this case to set legal precedent criminalizing online speech is worrying.
"The right to speak freely online is hugely important. Whistle-blowers create pseudonyms," Opsahl said. "So do many people who anonymously report on corporate or government bad practices."
In the neighborhood where the Meiers and the Drews live, protecting the 1st Amendment has not been the main concern.
Teenagers and furious neighbors have protested in front of the Drews' one-story, white house. Virtual vigilantes have posted the Drews' home address, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and photos on websites such as RottenNeighbor.com.
Tina and Ron Meier, high school sweethearts, have struggled to deal with their daughter's death; the couple is getting divorced. Their youngest daughter, Allison, now 11, splits her time between the two.
The mounting tension and heated emotions worried community leaders enough that they are having the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department regularly patrol the suburban neighborhood. Late last year, Dardenne Prairie's Board of Aldermen passed a law that makes cyber harassment a misdemeanor -- with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail or a $500 fine or both for each violation.
A number of area communities have passed similar measures. And Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt pulled together an Internet task force, which put the final touches on a proposal Tuesday that would make it a felony crime for adults who use online technology to harass children.
scott.glover@latimes.com
p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com
Times staff writers Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Ted Rohrlich contributed to this report."
(Los Angeles Times 9th January, 2007)
I was very pleased to read the above article in the Los Angeles Times. Cyber-bullying and grooming for sex have become major problems for young people online. My Space and Bebo have given young people opportunities to create an online presence, to stay in touch with friends and to make new friends, but they have also created opportunities for the bullies and the emotional inadequates perverts sitting by their computers who cannot form meaningful relationships in the real world. These hosting companies need to take responsibility for and more control over the content of their hosted sites. The young person presenting herself on Bebo as, "Sexy*****," may be the vulnerable girl with learning difficulties who always has a teaching assistant with her in the classroom. She may be flattered by the messages she receives from males who sign up as her friends, but does she know who they are? Do parents know who their children are in touch with and possibly being influenced by?
The brilliant computer you have provided for your daughter, may be a wonderful way to help her with her school work. It may also be creating a way into your home and your life, over which you have no control and which could change the lives of your family for ever. So, what do we do? Actually, I don't know! The internet is a wonderful resource, and I do feel that being able to set up a personal web site can help a young person to grow in confidence and self-esteem. The problem is how to avoid/stop the bullies and the perverts who also find the internet a wonderful resource for being able to contact and influence young people under an assumed identity. My Space and Bebo can do something by taking responsibility, voluntarily or perhaps they will need to be forced into it. The prospect of huge financial penalties might be one way of encouraging self-policing for these online hosting companies. I shall be interested to see the results of the Grand Jury subpeonas in the tragic case of 13-year-old Megan Meier.
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Vanity Fair: Unanswered Prayers.
Interior of the bedroom at apartment 5A, where Madeleine and the twins slept. Viewing the front page headlines last night on Sky News web site, several of the dailies were leading with Gerry and Kate McCann's regrets about the events of the evening in May 2007 when their daughter Madeleine disappeared. This looked like new news and there was speculation of various online forums that the timing of the expressed regrets had something to do with the imminent visit to the UK of Portuguese police officers to re-interview the seven friends the McCanns went on holiday with. Or maybe, as some suggested, it was an attempt to regain public sympathy and bring the cash rolling in for the depleted Find Madeleine fund.
The UK dailies were, in fact, quoting an article in Vanity Fair magazine about an interview Kate and Gerry gave in October 2007. It is not unusual for magazines like Vanity Fair to have such a long period between interview and publication.
The newspapers that were leading with Gerry's regrets seem to have journalists who have done very selective reading of the Vanity Fair feature.
Vanity Fair
"I wish I hadn’t gone to the tapas bar. I wish I’d stayed in the apartment that night. I wish I’d stayed in the room when I checked on her five minutes longer,” Gerry recalls thinking in the days that followed his child’s disappearance."
Later in the interview, though, it seems that Gerry is not quite so regretful.
"On the couple’s return, there was further pain to contend with. More than 17,000 people had signed a petition suggesting that Leicestershire social services investigate them for leaving their three small children completely alone in the villa.
‘At the time we did it, it was not irresponsible!” Gerry snaps. It is the one subject on which he is quite defensive, arguing first one way, then conceding the opposite: “Of course we feel guilty about not having been there, and that is just something we have to deal with for the rest of our lives. You are not asking anything we don’t think about on a daily basis. We live this 24 hours a day.”
So, Gerry said he wished he had not gone to the tapas bar, but thought it was not irresponsible to do so? I guess there is some kind of logic there. He's not admitting to having been in error, in fact in other interviews Gerry said he had been assured by Social Services that his behaviour had been well within the bounds of, "reasonable parenting." He didn't say he wished he hadn't left the kids alone and he didn't say he wished he had hired a babysitter, just that he wished he hadn't gone to the tapas bar.
Clarence Mitchell was interviewed by Jon Gaunt of The Sun and Talksport, on Wednesday 9th January. Clarence was asked if Kate and Gerry thought it had been wrong to leave the children alone. The answer was that Kate and Gerry were sorry that they were not with her when she was taken and that they had made a mistake on the night. What mistake? Not being there? Well, all we have is that Kate and Gerry were sorry they were not there when Madeleine was taken. Strange! If Madeleine was abducted, surely this would not have happened if they had been there at that moment? And a mistake on the night? What about all the other nights when, by their own admission, Kate and Gerry left the children on their own?
Clarence Mitchell talks to Jon Gaunt
The Vanity Fair article is a very long one and ploughing one's way through, it might be easy to miss at least one contradiction to reports elsewhere. Herein lies one of them; Gerry talking about what was found at the apartment when Kate returned at 10pm to check on the children.
" On one bed the twins lay sleeping. In the next lay only the plush cat toy Madeleine was never without."
The twins were lying together on one of the beds? Surely all other witness statements about the scene say that the twins were in cots?
From the Times Online, quoted on the web site, The McCann Files
"Silvia Batisa, head of administration at the complex, helped to comfort the family and interpret their interviews with the police: "The parents were devastated, in a panic. They wanted more police and dogs immediately. Kate said all the time, 'Please find my daughter’ and ‘Madeleine is beautiful'."
She recalled that the twins were still asleep in their two cots and there was the small, bright pink wool blanket that Madeleine likes to hold when she sleeps. "We walked out quickly so as not to wake up the twins. The parents immediately said, 'She’s been kidnapped'," said Batisa."
Considering that the interview was done in October, 2007, it seems strange to see that there is reference to the window of the apartment having been, "jemmied," when very early on the police and the Mark Warner management both stated that the neither the shutters nor the window had been tampered with.
There is mention of Madleine's distinctive right eye, the coloboma. This quite rare feature would make Madeleine immediately recognisable.
"Although initially reluctant, the McCanns finally informed the media of Madeleine’s unique right eye—a risky revelation. Whoever had taken the child now held a universally recognizable little girl.
"The media were constantly sought out. Reporters followed the McCanns on trips to Washington (where then U.S. attorney general Alberto Gonzales met with the couple); to Morocco—just in case Madeleine had been taken there—where they met with Charki Draiss, director-general of national security; and to Amsterdam, where the McCanns had once lived. If the networks needed fresh footage, they would be told the exact time the McCanns might be walking to church in Praia da Luz."
Kate, having said that she would not leave Portugal witout Madeleine, she and Gerry left within a couple of days of having been made arguidos. Perhaps the lease on their rented villa had run out, but it did seem like a rather hasty exit, and well covered by the media.
"It was time to go home, Gerry decided by September 9. But not alone.When Gerry and Kate were about to go home to Britain, Gerry phoned Sky News and said, ‘We’re going home on EasyJet, be on it!’ ” recalls Esther Addley, who has written incisively about the McCanns for The Guardian."
So, that was the big news, as reported by several of the UK's daily newspapers today, Gerry's regrets or lack of them! Then there was that film...and Clarence telling folks that if they wished to contribute to the fund, they could just, "..put a cheque or anything into an envelope," and address it to the McCanns, Rothley, as many people from around the world were already doing.
There you have it folks! We've had articles about blood found in the McCanns holiday apartment and in the hired car having been identified as Madeleine's and reports that the Portuguese police will be returning soon to the UK to re-interview the seven friends of Kate and Gerry with whom they went on holiday to Praia da Luz.
We've had denials about making a movie, but an admission that the McCanns want to make a film about Madeleine's disappearance. (Listen to the Clarence interview with Jon Gaunt) And now the Vanity Fair feature. Anyone else wondering if maybe there are some attempts to distract from the important news about DNA tests, police visits and the resignation of several directors of the Find Madeleine fund?
Still, as far as the McCanns and the fund are concerned, I guess there is an upside to all this. As Clarrie said, "Every time Gerry and Kate do any media, the money comes in."
Transcript of Kate and Gerry's first interview May 25th
Photographs in and around apartment 5A and forenesic officers at work
The McCann Files
Considering that the interview was done in October, 2007, it seems strange to see that there is reference to the window of the apartment having been, "jemmied," when very early on the police and the Mark Warner management both stated that the neither the shutters nor the window had been tampered with.
There is mention of Madleine's distinctive right eye, the coloboma. This quite rare feature would make Madeleine immediately recognisable.
"Although initially reluctant, the McCanns finally informed the media of Madeleine’s unique right eye—a risky revelation. Whoever had taken the child now held a universally recognizable little girl.
Gerry understood that. But, he says, the iris “is Madeleine’s only true distinctive feature. Certainly we thought it was possible that this could potentially hurt her or”—he grimaces—“her abductor might do something to her eye.… But in terms of marketing, it was a good ploy.”
A good marketing ploy? Good God! You'd think he was selling double-glazing, not risking a child's life! And let's not forget how Kate and Gerry courted publicity, in an attmept they say, to keep Madeleine's profile high in the media."The media were constantly sought out. Reporters followed the McCanns on trips to Washington (where then U.S. attorney general Alberto Gonzales met with the couple); to Morocco—just in case Madeleine had been taken there—where they met with Charki Draiss, director-general of national security; and to Amsterdam, where the McCanns had once lived. If the networks needed fresh footage, they would be told the exact time the McCanns might be walking to church in Praia da Luz."
Kate, having said that she would not leave Portugal witout Madeleine, she and Gerry left within a couple of days of having been made arguidos. Perhaps the lease on their rented villa had run out, but it did seem like a rather hasty exit, and well covered by the media.
"It was time to go home, Gerry decided by September 9. But not alone.When Gerry and Kate were about to go home to Britain, Gerry phoned Sky News and said, ‘We’re going home on EasyJet, be on it!’ ” recalls Esther Addley, who has written incisively about the McCanns for The Guardian."
So, that was the big news, as reported by several of the UK's daily newspapers today, Gerry's regrets or lack of them! Then there was that film...and Clarence telling folks that if they wished to contribute to the fund, they could just, "..put a cheque or anything into an envelope," and address it to the McCanns, Rothley, as many people from around the world were already doing.
There you have it folks! We've had articles about blood found in the McCanns holiday apartment and in the hired car having been identified as Madeleine's and reports that the Portuguese police will be returning soon to the UK to re-interview the seven friends of Kate and Gerry with whom they went on holiday to Praia da Luz.
We've had denials about making a movie, but an admission that the McCanns want to make a film about Madeleine's disappearance. (Listen to the Clarence interview with Jon Gaunt) And now the Vanity Fair feature. Anyone else wondering if maybe there are some attempts to distract from the important news about DNA tests, police visits and the resignation of several directors of the Find Madeleine fund?
Still, as far as the McCanns and the fund are concerned, I guess there is an upside to all this. As Clarrie said, "Every time Gerry and Kate do any media, the money comes in."
Transcript of Kate and Gerry's first interview May 25th
Photographs in and around apartment 5A and forenesic officers at work
The McCann Files
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Madeleine McCann - The Movie (And some other videos!)
Well, here is a man called Randy Lawford, telling us what he thinks about the proposed/categorically denied that we have any plans for...movie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14qqtBrS7Ck
Here's that woman from Rothley in her first video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6e3nGQ3C8M
Again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1y3lvlVH8Q&NR=1
And again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APTUmKY-7Zw
Happy Talk: Gerry and Kate McCann
YouTube
That interview with Philomena McCann, saying that Kate was offered a deal to confess.
YouTube
South Park Style confession.
YouTube
The original appeal video-Mother's Day after church.
YouTube
The real Madeleine Mccann story. Questions that need answers
YouTube
Gerry McCann denies using sedatives. Note the ear scratching, said to be a sign of lying!
YouTube
Spanish Antena3 Interview.
YouTube
Audio: the Anthony Bennett interview with James Whale.
YouTube
Brief Robert Murat interview.
YouTube
Cadaver dogs.
YouTube
I have coded the links which were very long so that the page is not distorted. Will add more videos to the list that I think are interesting and seem to be the most popular ones that often people are asking for links to.
Moita Flores, the Tapas1 and Portuguese TV News
News from Portugal is that on that country's TV channel sic this morning, Moita Flores and a journalist announced that the latest DNA results in the McCann case were already back in Portugal and that the DNA from the hired car was definitely identified as Madeleine's. That was the Renault Scenic hired by the McCanns 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.
Perhaps all this guff about the film or no film is an attempt to divert attention from the news about blood and DNA evidence.
Moita Flores is a former PJ Chief-Inspector and Criminologist, whose opinion is well-respected in Portugal.
As usual, if this hits the UK press it will be 24 hours later! The articles in Sol journal took quite some time to hit the UK press, but that was when our UK journalists were all heaping sympathy on the McCanns and telling us that thousands of people leave their children on their own and how this could have happened to anyone.
The latest rumour on the Tapas1 is that he is on his way back from Lisbon! Let's hope that's true. It only needs one of the Tapas Crew to break ranks and tell a different story...oh dear! We have had quite a few different stories so far!
By the way, now accepting sterling and American dollars in those envelopes! Merci d'avance!
Perhaps all this guff about the film or no film is an attempt to divert attention from the news about blood and DNA evidence.
Moita Flores is a former PJ Chief-Inspector and Criminologist, whose opinion is well-respected in Portugal.
As usual, if this hits the UK press it will be 24 hours later! The articles in Sol journal took quite some time to hit the UK press, but that was when our UK journalists were all heaping sympathy on the McCanns and telling us that thousands of people leave their children on their own and how this could have happened to anyone.
The latest rumour on the Tapas1 is that he is on his way back from Lisbon! Let's hope that's true. It only needs one of the Tapas Crew to break ranks and tell a different story...oh dear! We have had quite a few different stories so far!
By the way, now accepting sterling and American dollars in those envelopes! Merci d'avance!
Please Send Cash In An Envelope!
I have just been reading details on the Daily Mirror forum about what Clarence Mitchell has said on Talksport!
"That is what Mr Mitchell has just said.
I kid you not. He has just been on the radio and encouraged people to bypass the relatave accountability of the fund and just send cash to Kate and Gerry in an envelope like "people all round the world are doing"
I am flabbergasted."
(Posted by, "TiredOfTheBS")
Ok, if it's alright for the McCanns, it's alright for me! Here's why I think I deserve your cash! I was a lone parent as my children grew up, never left them on their own and did all sorts of low-paid jobs while they were at school so that I could be at home when they were. Now, I am back in teaching, but at my age (mind your own business!) I haven't got much chance of a permanent job. So, I work for an agency; no sick pay, no holiday pay and no pension.
I have never regretted being a stay-at-home mother, but I think I deserve to receive cash in envelopes as much as the McCanns do. So, please leave messages and I will give you my Paypal ID or address for those lovely envelopes!
Thanks Clarrie! Oh and by the way, any good money-laundering tips? I really don't want to have to pay tax on my well-gotten gains!
TiredOfTheBS on the DM forum
"That is what Mr Mitchell has just said.
I kid you not. He has just been on the radio and encouraged people to bypass the relatave accountability of the fund and just send cash to Kate and Gerry in an envelope like "people all round the world are doing"
I am flabbergasted."
(Posted by, "TiredOfTheBS")
Ok, if it's alright for the McCanns, it's alright for me! Here's why I think I deserve your cash! I was a lone parent as my children grew up, never left them on their own and did all sorts of low-paid jobs while they were at school so that I could be at home when they were. Now, I am back in teaching, but at my age (mind your own business!) I haven't got much chance of a permanent job. So, I work for an agency; no sick pay, no holiday pay and no pension.
I have never regretted being a stay-at-home mother, but I think I deserve to receive cash in envelopes as much as the McCanns do. So, please leave messages and I will give you my Paypal ID or address for those lovely envelopes!
Thanks Clarrie! Oh and by the way, any good money-laundering tips? I really don't want to have to pay tax on my well-gotten gains!
TiredOfTheBS on the DM forum
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
US Supreme Court Argues Lethal Injection Issue
On the day that the Supreme Court was due to start the debate on the constutionality of death by lethal injection, the Chicago Tribune published a very interesting article.
Chicago Tribune 7/01/08
"|Washington Bureau
Several minutes into his execution in 2006, the Florida inmate's mouth was moving and he was gasping for breath. Twenty minutes later, he was still breathing.
That same year, Ohio inmate Joseph Clark took even longer to die. As he was injected with the drugs to first anesthetize him, then paralyze him and then finally kill him, he raised his head and exclaimed: "It don't work." According to the medical examiner's report, Clark was conscious for almost an hour."
"At issue is the three-drug sequence. The first drug, sodium thiopental, is an anesthetic intended to cause unconsciousness. The second, pancuronium bromide, is a neuromuscular blocking agent that causes paralysis. The third, potassium chloride -- which is found in road salt -- is used to cause cardiac arrest and death.
Effective application of the drugs is critical. If the anesthetic doesn't function properly, the next two drugs cause excruciating pain. The neuromuscular paralyzer produces the sensation of suffocation in a conscious person. And an effect of the second agent is that the inmate cannot speak or relay that the anesthetic did not work. Advocates for changing the procedure have pushed for a single drug protocol involving a barbiturate, but no state has adopted it."
Chicago Tribune January 8th
"Court weighs lethal cocktail
Justices' reactions range from derisive to deeply concerned"
"WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court grappled with detailed questions of medical science and the pharmacology of death Monday, all against the backdrop of a larger, more overriding concern -- whether inmates have a constitutional right to an execution that is as painless as possible.
The justices heard a challenge brought by two condemned Kentucky prisoners contesting the state's lethal injection procedure. The inmates contend that the protocol, which involves the sequential use of three drugs to numb, paralyze and kill the prisoner, carries with it an unconstitutional risk of extreme pain.
The claim met with hostility from several members of the court, with Justice Antonin Scalia openly ridiculing it. "This is an execution, not surgery," he griped.
The inmates, Ralph Baze and Thomas Bowling, argue that Kentucky uses poorly trained personnel to administer the drugs, creating an unnecessary risk of harm. The key to the process is effective application of the first drug, sodium thiopental, a barbiturate intended to anesthetize the inmate in advance of the second and third drugs, which can cause excruciating pain otherwise.
The inmates' lawyer, Donald Verrilli, contended that Kentucky, as an alternative, could use a shot of the barbiturate without the other drugs. Death might take longer, he said, but there would be no risk of pain.
But that was where Verrilli ran into trouble. Several justices complained that the science behind Verrilli's statement wasn't borne out in the lower court record.
"There's a risk of harm generally when you're talking about the death penalty," said Justice Stephen Breyer. He said he was bothered by studies that said the single dose wasn't as effective as the three-drug protocol. "I'm left at sea," Breyer said.
Breyer also was concerned about Verrilli's contention that medical personnel needed to be involved in the executions. (The state forbids it by law.) He noted that doctors consider such work a breach of medical ethics and wondered if anti-death penalty forces were trying to halt executions altogether by insisting on a procedure that could not be carried out in a practical way.
Thirty-six states use a procedure similar to Kentucky's, and a de facto moratorium on executions has in been in place nationwide since the court agreed to hear the Kentucky case.
Arguing for the state, lawyer Roy Englert conceded that if sodium thiopental was administered incorrectly, the prisoner would indeed suffer extreme pain. But, he said, the state had training and procedures in place to guard against it. He said that close monitoring of an inmate by medical professionals during the execution wasn't necessary because if the anesthetic didn't work properly, the inmate "would be awake and screaming."
But critics of the three-drug protocol say the second drug, pancuronium bromide, is a muscle-paralyzing agent that prevents inmates from alerting authorities to their pain. And Englert was pushed by Justice John Paul Stevens to explain why the paralyzer was even necessary.
"It does bring about a more dignified death," Englert said, "for the inmate and the witnesses."
"The dignity of the process outweighs the risk of excruciating pain?" Stevens shot back.
Stevens conceded that the lack of evidence in the record about risks in Kentucky's procedure -- the state has executed only one prisoner since it instituted the lethal injection regime -- meant it was unlikely the court would rule against the state. But, Stevens said, "I'm horribly troubled by the fact that this second drug causes a risk of excruciating pain."
That left the justices in a bit of a bind. At the end of the argument, there appeared to be two roads the court could take. The first involves sending the case back to the original trial court in Kentucky for further proceedings on the state's methods, including whether there might be a better pharmacological alternative.
That idea was not palatable to Scalia, who complained that it would cause a "nationwide cessation of executions while the trial court finishes its work."
The second would be for the court to rule in favor of Kentucky, holding that its procedures are constitutional. That, warned Justice David Souter, would invite another challenge from a state with a more extensive history involving flawed executions.
"We want some kind of definitive decision here," Souter said.
----------
joliphant@tribune.com
Chicago Tribune 7/01/08
"|Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - Angel Diaz died. And died. And died.
Several minutes into his execution in 2006, the Florida inmate's mouth was moving and he was gasping for breath. Twenty minutes later, he was still breathing.
That same year, Ohio inmate Joseph Clark took even longer to die. As he was injected with the drugs to first anesthetize him, then paralyze him and then finally kill him, he raised his head and exclaimed: "It don't work." According to the medical examiner's report, Clark was conscious for almost an hour."
"At issue is the three-drug sequence. The first drug, sodium thiopental, is an anesthetic intended to cause unconsciousness. The second, pancuronium bromide, is a neuromuscular blocking agent that causes paralysis. The third, potassium chloride -- which is found in road salt -- is used to cause cardiac arrest and death.
Effective application of the drugs is critical. If the anesthetic doesn't function properly, the next two drugs cause excruciating pain. The neuromuscular paralyzer produces the sensation of suffocation in a conscious person. And an effect of the second agent is that the inmate cannot speak or relay that the anesthetic did not work. Advocates for changing the procedure have pushed for a single drug protocol involving a barbiturate, but no state has adopted it."
Chicago Tribune January 8th
"Court weighs lethal cocktail
Justices' reactions range from derisive to deeply concerned"
"WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court grappled with detailed questions of medical science and the pharmacology of death Monday, all against the backdrop of a larger, more overriding concern -- whether inmates have a constitutional right to an execution that is as painless as possible.
The justices heard a challenge brought by two condemned Kentucky prisoners contesting the state's lethal injection procedure. The inmates contend that the protocol, which involves the sequential use of three drugs to numb, paralyze and kill the prisoner, carries with it an unconstitutional risk of extreme pain.
The claim met with hostility from several members of the court, with Justice Antonin Scalia openly ridiculing it. "This is an execution, not surgery," he griped.
The inmates, Ralph Baze and Thomas Bowling, argue that Kentucky uses poorly trained personnel to administer the drugs, creating an unnecessary risk of harm. The key to the process is effective application of the first drug, sodium thiopental, a barbiturate intended to anesthetize the inmate in advance of the second and third drugs, which can cause excruciating pain otherwise.
The inmates' lawyer, Donald Verrilli, contended that Kentucky, as an alternative, could use a shot of the barbiturate without the other drugs. Death might take longer, he said, but there would be no risk of pain.
But that was where Verrilli ran into trouble. Several justices complained that the science behind Verrilli's statement wasn't borne out in the lower court record.
"There's a risk of harm generally when you're talking about the death penalty," said Justice Stephen Breyer. He said he was bothered by studies that said the single dose wasn't as effective as the three-drug protocol. "I'm left at sea," Breyer said.
Breyer also was concerned about Verrilli's contention that medical personnel needed to be involved in the executions. (The state forbids it by law.) He noted that doctors consider such work a breach of medical ethics and wondered if anti-death penalty forces were trying to halt executions altogether by insisting on a procedure that could not be carried out in a practical way.
Thirty-six states use a procedure similar to Kentucky's, and a de facto moratorium on executions has in been in place nationwide since the court agreed to hear the Kentucky case.
Arguing for the state, lawyer Roy Englert conceded that if sodium thiopental was administered incorrectly, the prisoner would indeed suffer extreme pain. But, he said, the state had training and procedures in place to guard against it. He said that close monitoring of an inmate by medical professionals during the execution wasn't necessary because if the anesthetic didn't work properly, the inmate "would be awake and screaming."
But critics of the three-drug protocol say the second drug, pancuronium bromide, is a muscle-paralyzing agent that prevents inmates from alerting authorities to their pain. And Englert was pushed by Justice John Paul Stevens to explain why the paralyzer was even necessary.
"It does bring about a more dignified death," Englert said, "for the inmate and the witnesses."
"The dignity of the process outweighs the risk of excruciating pain?" Stevens shot back.
Stevens conceded that the lack of evidence in the record about risks in Kentucky's procedure -- the state has executed only one prisoner since it instituted the lethal injection regime -- meant it was unlikely the court would rule against the state. But, Stevens said, "I'm horribly troubled by the fact that this second drug causes a risk of excruciating pain."
That left the justices in a bit of a bind. At the end of the argument, there appeared to be two roads the court could take. The first involves sending the case back to the original trial court in Kentucky for further proceedings on the state's methods, including whether there might be a better pharmacological alternative.
That idea was not palatable to Scalia, who complained that it would cause a "nationwide cessation of executions while the trial court finishes its work."
The second would be for the court to rule in favor of Kentucky, holding that its procedures are constitutional. That, warned Justice David Souter, would invite another challenge from a state with a more extensive history involving flawed executions.
"We want some kind of definitive decision here," Souter said.
----------
joliphant@tribune.com
Stop the Mccanns Movie Deal
OK folks. There is a new petition if you want to make it known that you object to Maddie The Movie! The original has become so infested with filth that another has been set up.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthemovie/
Sky News confirms that talks about a movie deal took place in December and that this will be discussed at the scheduled meeting of directors in Rothley tomorrow, Wednesday 9th January.
Sky News
"Her parents are considering giving permission for IMG to make a movie or documentary.
And what of the sightings? The early sightings in Morocco were apparently judged by the McCanns as the most credible, but rather than head off there first, they flew around Europe in a private jet, "raising awareness." When they did manage to reach Morocco, how much searching did they do? Did they trawl the areas where Madeleine had supposedly been seen, showing photographs and asking people if they had seen Madeleine or to keep a look out? Did they go round the market places, where there might have been people from all over Morocco, handing out posters? No! They had meetings with dignitaries, they complained about the plane sent to transport them and they accepted flowers from small children!
Then there was the letter sent to a newspaper in the Netherlands, with a detailed map of where a psychic thought the body might be. Wouldn't any parent in that situation be at least a bit worried, especially as the letter appeared to come from the same person who had given accurate details of where to find a body the year before? No, Gerry was busy fetching friends from the airport!
By the way, there is a rumour circulating that one of the Tapas Crew is in Portugal, making a new statement.
Has the Tapas1 broken ranks and decided to spill the beans? If so, who could it be?
Another excellent forum!
http://the3arguidos.makeforum.org/
This forum is excellent for archives of articles from the Portuguese press and for news items you might not find anywhere else.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthemovie/
Sky News confirms that talks about a movie deal took place in December and that this will be discussed at the scheduled meeting of directors in Rothley tomorrow, Wednesday 9th January.
Sky News
"Her parents are considering giving permission for IMG to make a movie or documentary.
Their spokesman confirmed to Sky News Online that a meeting with the firm took place last month.
But he said Gerry and Kate McCann did not attend and stressed nothing has yet been agreed.
Clarence Mitchell said a film would only be considered if the McCanns believed it would help raise awareness of the case or help fund the private search for Madeleine."
What private search? In an interview soon after Madeleine disappeared, Jane Hill of the BBC told Kate that some of the local people of Praia da Luz had been off work for a week searching the surrounding area for Madeleine and did she, Kate, feel like getting out there with them. Kate's reply was that she was doing other things, making posters and organising publicity.And what of the sightings? The early sightings in Morocco were apparently judged by the McCanns as the most credible, but rather than head off there first, they flew around Europe in a private jet, "raising awareness." When they did manage to reach Morocco, how much searching did they do? Did they trawl the areas where Madeleine had supposedly been seen, showing photographs and asking people if they had seen Madeleine or to keep a look out? Did they go round the market places, where there might have been people from all over Morocco, handing out posters? No! They had meetings with dignitaries, they complained about the plane sent to transport them and they accepted flowers from small children!
Then there was the letter sent to a newspaper in the Netherlands, with a detailed map of where a psychic thought the body might be. Wouldn't any parent in that situation be at least a bit worried, especially as the letter appeared to come from the same person who had given accurate details of where to find a body the year before? No, Gerry was busy fetching friends from the airport!
By the way, there is a rumour circulating that one of the Tapas Crew is in Portugal, making a new statement.
Has the Tapas1 broken ranks and decided to spill the beans? If so, who could it be?
Another excellent forum!
http://the3arguidos.makeforum.org/
This forum is excellent for archives of articles from the Portuguese press and for news items you might not find anywhere else.
Say no to the McCanns' movie about Maddie!
A petition set up by DM forum member.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justiceformaddie/
The fund, the online shoppe and now the movie! The Panorama programme revealed that the McCanns have been keeping a video diary since Madeleine disappeared. There is also Gerry's blog, most of which has been deleted, but which has been archived and saved by a canny individual and can be accessed by clicking on the link on this page under, "Blogs of Interest." Most of the entries in Gerry's blog from day 1 are there.
The blog, the video diary? Set up with the book and the movie in mind?
Daily Mirror forum for more details!
Addendum: carlymichelle's thread, linked to above, seems to have disappeared and the petition has been invaded by the usual crowd who try to crowd out genuine signatories by posting obscene comments. We know who you are, you trolls! Listed by Paulo Reis. The only place this petition has been listed, apart form here, as far as I know, is the DM forum. So, it's got to be the usual suspects!
Daily Mirror Forum: The hunt for Maddy
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justiceformaddie/
The fund, the online shoppe and now the movie! The Panorama programme revealed that the McCanns have been keeping a video diary since Madeleine disappeared. There is also Gerry's blog, most of which has been deleted, but which has been archived and saved by a canny individual and can be accessed by clicking on the link on this page under, "Blogs of Interest." Most of the entries in Gerry's blog from day 1 are there.
The blog, the video diary? Set up with the book and the movie in mind?
Daily Mirror forum for more details!
Addendum: carlymichelle's thread, linked to above, seems to have disappeared and the petition has been invaded by the usual crowd who try to crowd out genuine signatories by posting obscene comments. We know who you are, you trolls! Listed by Paulo Reis. The only place this petition has been listed, apart form here, as far as I know, is the DM forum. So, it's got to be the usual suspects!
Daily Mirror Forum: The hunt for Maddy
McCanns: the movie, the book and directors jumping ship!
Madeleine the movie!" The McCanns are set to turn the story of their daughter into a film.
Kate and Gerry are in negotiations with the world's largest talent and entertainment agency, IMG, in a deal which could be worth millions.
The money would help fund the search for Madeleine amid fears that the £1.2 million raised from public donations will soon run out."
Daily Mail Tuesday 8th JanuaryThe Find Madeleine Fund was set up just a few days after Madeleine disappeared and was denied charity status as its scope was not wide enough. The fund is a business, but I am sure that many people thought they were contributing to a charity. A young girl apparently sold her toys on e-bay and contributed the proceeds, augmented from £80 to £100 by her mother. And what have the McCanns done with the cash? They have paid out £50,000/month to Metodo3, an agency in Spain more used to dealing with corporate fraud than finding missing persons. They have also paid the salaries of their PR people and made two months' payments on their mortgage. A meeting of the fund's directors made the decision that the McCanns' legal fees could be paid out of the fund, but on a guilty verdict if the case went to trial, the money would have to be paid back. How? Fifty pence a week from prison earnings?
"The Board has taken advice from Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP and Christopher McCall QC. The Board has been advised that payment of Gerry and Kate’s legal defence costs would be legally permissible subject to conditions about repayment in the event of a guilty conviction. "
The objects of the fund:
"1.1 The full objects of the Fund are:
1.1.1 To secure the safe return to her family of Madeleine McCann who was abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Thursday 3rd May 2007;
1.1.2 To procure that Madeleine’s abduction is thoroughly investigated and that her abductors, as well as those who played or play any part in assisting them, are identified and brought to justice; and
1.1.3 To provide support, including financial assistance, to Madeleine’s family.
1.2 If the above objects are fulfilled then the objects of the Foundation shall be to pursue such purposes in similar cases arising in the United Kingdom, Portugal or elsewhere."
Part of a statement from the McCanns' legal team:
"What would really help is for the arguido status to be lifted and then a wave of sympathy would lead to more money coming in."
Yes, that's what's needed, another wave of sympathy to swell the coffers! Maybe the, "Best selling items," in the tacky online shoppe are not selling so well!
High quality T shirts and wristbands. Buy a wristband, get a poster free!
It would be easy to miss the information about a planned meeting of the fund's directors in Rothley. I missed it on my first reading of the Daily Mail's article on the movie and the book, but it's there. Resignation of some of the fund's directors is on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting.
"The meeting tomorrow follows the resignation of key board members, including the fund's spokeswoman Esther McVey.
The fund agreed a deal in the autumn to pay the Barcelona-based agency Metodo 3 a retainer of £50,000 a month for six months to find Madeleine. Metodo 3 has come in for criticism over comments made by its boss Francisco Marco, including one that he knew who kidnapped Madeleine and a promise to find her by Christmas.
The fund has also been criticised for paying two months' worth of mortgage payments, amounting to a few thousand pounds, on the McCanns' home while they were in Portugal and unable to work."
The Find Madeleine web site was set up within 4 days of her disappearance and the fund, I believe, was fully operational and receiving cash by May 17th, just 14 days after the event. Uncommon haste I would say! I guess we might find out later why several directors have resigned, including the fund's spokesperson.
In the words of that movie star I used to admire, "I'll be back," later with more news. Used to admire? Tookie Williams, Arnie! Tookie Williams!
Madeleine: rogatory letters to be delivered this week
Correio da Manha 8/01/08
With thanks to Li of the DM forum for translation.
Correio da Manha 8/01/08
The rogatory letters, are the formal requests to the UK authorities for the McCanns and their holiday friends to be re-interviewed. If those requests are granted, members of the Portuguese police will travel to the UK. They will not interview the McCanns and the others, but will be involved in setting the questions. The interviews will be conducted by British police officers.
" Letters should arrive at England this week
Rogatory letters delivered
The rogatory letters where the PJ asks to question again the McCanns and the seven friends that dinned with them the night in which the small Maddie disappeared were sent yesterday early afternoon by the Public Prosecutor of Portimão.
The CM found through a source close to the process that the documents followed through the Eurojust - which provides the link between the various departments of Justice of the Member States of the European Union - and that they will only be in the possession of the British police at the end of this week.
Only from there the PJ can initiate the steps in partnership with the British police. However,this does not mean that the Judiciary will comply with all the requests in the documents.
The delay in sending the rogatory letters - which reached the Public Prosecutor on December 7 - was due as the CM reported in the 12, to the need of examining the documents very closely especially the translation work by the Prosecutor.
NEW ARGUIDA DENIED
Francisco Pagarete , the lawyer who represents the Portuguese-British Robert Murat - one of three defendants in Maddie's case - denies the existence of a fourth suspect likely to be involved in the disappearance of British child, Madeleine McCann. "It is false that I have ever said that there is a fourth defendant in the process. It is also untrue that Michaela Walczuch has been constituted an arguida. Only my client [Murat] and the McCanns are arguidos, "said to the CM, denying statements made yesterday by the newspaper'24 Horas 'and adding that now" there is no news in the process. "
Francisco Pagarete says that he is not aware of an extension in the secrecy of justice. "I do not know if the secret of justice has been prolonged or if it was requested the special complexity of the process. I was not yet notified of anything. In relation to my client, everything remains the same, "he says. Pagarete is confident in the outcome of the investigation, however,he does not reveal what he feels about the outcome for Robert Murat.
The Portuguese law with regard to secrecy within the judicial process of investigation was changed last year and means that eight months after a person has been named arguido (formal suspect) the information held by the police must be made available or an application made to extend the period of secrecy. Robert Murat was named arguido on May 14th 2007. It has been reported that an application has been made to extend the period because of the complexity of the case. January 14th marks the eight month time limit.
With thanks to Li of the DM forum for translation.
Correio da Manha 8/01/08
The rogatory letters, are the formal requests to the UK authorities for the McCanns and their holiday friends to be re-interviewed. If those requests are granted, members of the Portuguese police will travel to the UK. They will not interview the McCanns and the others, but will be involved in setting the questions. The interviews will be conducted by British police officers.
" Letters should arrive at England this week
Rogatory letters delivered
The rogatory letters where the PJ asks to question again the McCanns and the seven friends that dinned with them the night in which the small Maddie disappeared were sent yesterday early afternoon by the Public Prosecutor of Portimão.
The CM found through a source close to the process that the documents followed through the Eurojust - which provides the link between the various departments of Justice of the Member States of the European Union - and that they will only be in the possession of the British police at the end of this week.
Only from there the PJ can initiate the steps in partnership with the British police. However,this does not mean that the Judiciary will comply with all the requests in the documents.
The delay in sending the rogatory letters - which reached the Public Prosecutor on December 7 - was due as the CM reported in the 12, to the need of examining the documents very closely especially the translation work by the Prosecutor.
NEW ARGUIDA DENIED
Francisco Pagarete , the lawyer who represents the Portuguese-British Robert Murat - one of three defendants in Maddie's case - denies the existence of a fourth suspect likely to be involved in the disappearance of British child, Madeleine McCann. "It is false that I have ever said that there is a fourth defendant in the process. It is also untrue that Michaela Walczuch has been constituted an arguida. Only my client [Murat] and the McCanns are arguidos, "said to the CM, denying statements made yesterday by the newspaper'24 Horas 'and adding that now" there is no news in the process. "
Francisco Pagarete says that he is not aware of an extension in the secrecy of justice. "I do not know if the secret of justice has been prolonged or if it was requested the special complexity of the process. I was not yet notified of anything. In relation to my client, everything remains the same, "he says. Pagarete is confident in the outcome of the investigation, however,he does not reveal what he feels about the outcome for Robert Murat.
The Portuguese law with regard to secrecy within the judicial process of investigation was changed last year and means that eight months after a person has been named arguido (formal suspect) the information held by the police must be made available or an application made to extend the period of secrecy. Robert Murat was named arguido on May 14th 2007. It has been reported that an application has been made to extend the period because of the complexity of the case. January 14th marks the eight month time limit.
Monday, 7 January 2008
Madeleine police deny Robert Murat's girlfriend is a suspect
This Is London 7/01/08: 11.22am
This Is London
"A claim that the lover of Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat had herself been made a suspect in the case was denied today.
"Mr Pagarete, who has spoken on behalf of Ms Walczuch, told 24 Horas: "In the eyes of public opinion, they both became arguidos in a crime they did not commit. Neither of them is free of suspicion, with all the material and psychological damage that a dramatic situation like this implies. Somebody will have to pay for this."
This Is London
"A claim that the lover of Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat had herself been made a suspect in the case was denied today.
Tabloid 24 Horas reported that Michaela Walczuch was named an arguida - or official suspect - in November and that her alibi is still being investigated by Portuguese detectives.
But today Portuguese police officials denied the story and Mr Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete said only his client was an official suspect in the case.""Mr Pagarete, who has spoken on behalf of Ms Walczuch, told 24 Horas: "In the eyes of public opinion, they both became arguidos in a crime they did not commit. Neither of them is free of suspicion, with all the material and psychological damage that a dramatic situation like this implies. Somebody will have to pay for this."
Mr Pagarete added that Mr Murat will sue the Portuguese and British authorities. Madeleine was three years old when she vanished."
I hear that Mr Max Clifford is waiting in the wings to aid Robert Murat once Murat's arguido status is lifted!
Madeleine McCann: Correio da Manhã 7/1/2008
First thing each morning I go to the Daily Mirror forum's web page, with a mixture of hope and dread, to read the latest news on the Madeleine McCann case. Why the DM forum? Because there are Portuguese people posting there who translate the news being reported in the Portuguese press, which is often not available until much later in the UK press, if at all.
This morning, courtesy of a poster called Li, we have details of an news item in Correio da Manha.
For those who read Portuguese, here is a link to the original.
Correio da Manha 7th January 2008
For the rest of us, here is the translation, with thanks to Li.
"Exclusive Correio da Manhã
2008-01-7
Maddie's case
Blood in the flat and in the car confirmed
The final result of the tests that arrived recently from England do not leave any doubts to the researcher of the Criminal Police. The blood found in the McCanns car is from Madeline as well as the vestiges detected in the house rented by the British and from where the three years old child disappeared without a trace. "
" The front cover of the newspaper says:
Confirmed blood in the flat and in the car
Final results of the British laboratory
The risk of confusion between the genetic profiles of the twins and Maddie was eliminated."
I say that I read the news with a mixture of hope and dread because somehow I still retain a vestige of hope that Madeleine is alive somewhere and will found and she will go home. At the same time, I dread that she is dead and will never be found and laid to rest and also dread that she will be found and what is revealed will be details of a death which shocks to the core of what I want to believe about parents.
Also on the DM forum this morning, lullaby reports that the information about the results from FSS has been given out on Portuguese TV news. (RTP) If this is true, then it would seem to be valid confirmation of the news reported by Correio da Manha.
DM forum poster, mrsseagull, has provided a translation of an article in, "24horas."
24 horas
According to this article, Michaela Walczuch, described as ex-girlfriend of Robert Murat, was given arguida (formal suspect) status in November, 2007. This seems to be in contradiction to information published by the UK Daily Star and other newspapers in November.
Daily Star 22/11/07
Writing about Metodo3, the agency hired by the McCanns;
" THE £2,000-a-day private eyes hired by Madeleine McCann’s parents to find her were dismissed by police last night as “irrelevant small fry’’.
They claimed the evidence gathered so far by Spanish-based private detective agency Metodo 3 “lacked credibility’’.
The police detectives scoffed at the private eyes’ claim they “know who the kidnappers are’’ and were “very, very close’’ to catching them.
And they insisted Robert Murat’s German girlfriend – who the investigators allege is linked to Madeleine’s disappearance – was not a suspect in the case."
"Michaela dismissed the private eyes’ allegations as “ridiculous’’ and plans to sue them. Murat, an ex-pat Brit estate agent, remains a suspect, but his mum insists he was with her the night Madeleine vanished. Police have so far found no evidence to link him to the youngster’s disappearance. "An interesting detail from the 24 horas article, as translated by Li.
" The employees deny
The employees of the Tapas Bar, according to what 24 Horas discovered, guaranteed to the inspectors of the PJ that Jane Tanner was always in the restaurant and that only O'Brien and Gerry McCann and his wife Kate were absent during dinner. O'Brien has never entered in the flat where Maddie slept with the twins as this is stated in the deposition that he gave to the authorities. Jane Tanner only left the restaurant when Kate appeared screaming: They've taken her."
We are being told here that Jane Tanner never left the restaurant, so that she could not have seen Eggman, Bundleman, the man carrying a child in Madeleine's pyjamas. If Jane Tanner had been wandering around in PDL and observing a, "swarthy," man carrying a child, from her statement about where she was when she saw him, she must have been close to where Gerry McCann and Jez Wilkins were having a conversation, but neither of the men saw Bundleman or Jane.
Our very own Daily Star has picked up today on the remarkable similarity between Robert Murat and David Payne.
Daily Star 7/01/08
" WITNESSES who say they saw suspect Robert Murat outside Madeleine McCann’s apartment on the night she vanished may have named the wrong man.
I will end here by mentioning a second article translated by Li from 24 horas. This article reports that Michaela Walczuch,
"..........was heard as witness and became a suspect in Maddie's case
Murat's girlfriend is also an arguida
Michaela Walczuch is suspected of being allegedly involved in the child's disappearance. Her alibi is being investigated by the authorities "
Whether Michaela Walczuch has arguida status or not, the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann seems to be nearing a resolution and conclusion. As many of the posters on the DM forum say; justice for Madeleine.
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Smokey The Rabbit Died Last Night
Now, you may wonder why I am telling you about Smokey the rabbit. He was seven years old or thereabouts and that's apparently a good life for a rabbit. Smokey was a well-loved rabbit and he was looked after with great care. Smokey belonged to a teenager called Jack, but I am told that he received most attention from Jack's sister Sammie.The passing of Smokey the rabbit marks another milestone for the parents of Jack and Sammie. Sammie is Sammie Osborn, who left her family home in April 2007, aged just 15 years and has not returned. She is now 16 and is living in Bristol with the man she met on the internet.
While you've been gone, Sammie, your brother has become a young man. He has probably grown a few more inches in height and a few more bits of fluff on his chin, but to look at him you'd still see that brother you knew and lived with for the whole of his life until April 2007. You would recognise Jack anywhere, I am sure, because he won't have changed outwardly beyond all recognition. Inwardly, though, Sammie, your brother has done years of maturing emotionally since that day you left the home he now shares on his own with your parents. Jack has faced the kind of challenges that most young men of his age don't experience and those challenges have produced a mature young man of your kid brother.
Now, I am not telling you this to make you feel guilty. I am telling you because people's lives don't stand still. Your image of your home and your family may be frozen at April 2007, but things change and people grow and move on, especially young people. Your friends have taken their mock GCSEs and I'm sure they're going to be very busy now getting their coursework out of the way and revising for the real exams. They will all leave school in June and move on, mostly I imagine into further education, studying for their A levels and hoping to go to university. I have read some of the letters your friends sent to you and I can tell you there is still a gap where you once were. But Sammie, that gap will gradually be filled as your friends' lives change, as they meet new people in Sixth Form College and move on to other things. The experiences you should be sharing with them, they will share without you. You will not be forgotten by your friends, but the Sammie they knew will have gone forever, changed by time and circumstance as they are changed.
And now to Smokey. Another change since you were last at home. Your frozen image of your home may include a snapshot of Smokey in his hutch. Alas, Smokey died last night and I am sorry to tell you that Silky has also gone. The hutches are as empty as your bedroom. Another gap and another little bit of grief for those who love you.
I hope you are well and happy, Sammie, because if you ever decide to return to your family, I hope that you go back as a happy and more mature person who has benefited from all the experiences you have been through and that the changes in you are positive changes that you are really happy with. Nine months is a long time in a young person's life and you must have changed a great deal in that time, emotionally and physically. Sammie, please don't let the gaps grow too wide between you and your family and your friends. We only have one family, one mother, one father and you have one brother. There isn't another, ever. Please don't let them go, Sammie. Hold onto them. Please don't be in the position where you look back in a few years time and wish that the changes in your life had been changes you shared in the heart of your family.
For now, Sammie, I wish you well. Take care and whatever you do, be safe.
Kate And Gerry McCann: Is the Party Over?
Once again it's thanks to the brilliant posters on the Daily Mirror forum for bringing items and articles to our attention, particularly from those blogs with information which seems to escape the notice of the UK press.
Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis, writing in Gazeta Digital 3.01.08
Gazeta Digital
"Police has new evidence against Madeleine's parents
Investigation about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from a quiet resort at Praia da Luz had “important developments” in the last weeks, after a Portuguese police team met with Leicestershire police and representatives from Forensic Science Service, the British laboratory where samples collected at the crime scene are being analysed.
It seems that a great deal of work was done and a great deal of information exchanged, which we did not get to read about in the UK press. If it was there, I missed it!
"On a preliminary report about the case, recently sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office, Polícia Judiciária (PJ) states that the parents remain the main suspects. Among other pieces of new evidence, there is a specific phone call and several messages, send from Ocean Resort, that are classified by investigators as “highly incriminating” Gerry and Kate McCann.
I believe the messages being referred to may be fourteen text messages which Gerry was reported to have sent on the evening of May 3rd, in the time between leaving the apartment for the tapas bar and Madeleine's being reported missing by Kate at 10pm. The phone call may be a mobile phone call, made some time later (June 12th?) between Gerry McCann and Russell O'Brien, when Gerry reported that the two were only 4km apart and triangulation placed then at 25km apart. The fairly accurate positioning of where this call was made from may have been what led the PJ to a disused barn and a towel which had traces of blood along the hem, which showed a, "moderate comparison," to Madeleine's DNA.
"The same evidence also gave indications about how the body of Madeleine McCann could have been taken from the apartment and disposed of. Today, it was confirmed by a source from the Public Prosecutor's Office that a request to extend the time limit for the case will be filed, with the Criminal Court, before January 14, eight months after the first formal suspect was named."
"The Tapas Group, the friends who had dinner with the McCann on May 3rd, will be questioned again soon, as a formal request to the British Home Office is ready. Police wants to clarify, first, contradictory statements about the night of May 3rd, and PJ detectives would like to interrogate Gerry and Kate before the end of January – something that will depend from the time Home Office and British police will take to proceed with the questionings.
"Among many details that are confuse or contradictory, Police sources refer the fact that witnesses confirm they saw Gerry McCann and Russell O'Brien going inside apartment 5A to check the three children sleeping there. The McCann spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, is already preparing public opinion for a new interrogation of Madeleine's parents and yesterday told British Media that Kate and Gerry would be pleased to clarify “misunderstandings” related with their previous statements."
So, according to this report there are witnesses who say they saw Gerry and Russell going into the apartment to check on the children. This is a significant departure from earlier reports which stated that Russell O'Brien was absent from the dinner table because he was with his child who was vomiting. There is no mention in official timelines reported to have been given by the Tapas 9 that O'Brien entered the apartment, with or without Gerry. And Kate and Gerry will now be pleased to, "clarify misunderstandings."? Misunderstandings? Euphemism for outright porkie pies?
"New detectives hired
Hogan International, a company specialized in asset investigations, is reviewing Madeleine's case, working in coordination with Metodo 3, the Spanish detectives company that announced recently they knew who kidnapped Madeleine and promised to find her before Christmas. Sources close to the McCann supporters say that the six-month contract with Metodo 3, which ends around March, will not be renewed and Hogan International will replace them, in the private investigation set up by the McCann, following advise from Control Risk Group.
The McCann legal team has asked private investigators to concentrate in specific details of the investigation related with Police evidence of Madeleine's death and his body disposal, instead of following leads about sightings or other information related with a possible abductor.
Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis"
So, is the party over for the McScams and the Tapas Crew? Today's Mail On Sunday is reporting that the PJ has enough evidence to prosecute the McCanns and just need to re-interview the McCanns and their holiday mates, to clear up inconsistencies.
All British paedophiles associated with the Algarve have been eliminated, hundreds of holiday-makers have been interviewed, the witnesses who apparently saw Robert Murat near the apartment, are not being taken as credible and what does that leave? No evidence of an abduction. Windows and shutters not tampered with. Incredibly small window of opportunity for an abductor and no trace of an abductor in the apartment. So, as in most cases of children going missing, possibly killed, it comes back to the parents. Looks like theirs is the only trail not eliminated. Maybe the party is, then, well and truly over. If so, and the PJ has enough incriminating evidence to charge the McCanns with Madeleine's disappearance, I hope that we will find out what happened to that small child and that her body may be found and laid to rest.
Rest in peace little Madeleine. We will not rest until justice is done for you and those responsible are brought to answer for their crimes.
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Robert Murat and David Payne
Photograph posted on the Daily Mirror forum by Sweetex.(See also photograph in margin, posted by Lippmann on the Daily Mirror forum.)
Well, those canny folks on the Daily Mirror forum have done it again! They've been doing it for months now, practically since Madeleine McCann disappeared. Doing what you might ask. Well, first of all there were questions about three children being left on their own in an unlocked apartment. This very quickly led to suspicions being voiced about shutters that were, "jemmied," and then found to be intact. Who checked on the children and when? Could the apartment really be seen from the tapas bar? How far is the tapas bar from the apartment? A few truly investigative types went as far as using aerial photos and measuring the distance and one or two, who had holidays planned, walked the route in Praia da Luz and produced videos of the trek.
Jane Tanner's repetitive updating of her description of a possible abductor was well and tuly scrutinised and gave rise to, "Eggman," "Bundleman," and finally the clearly described (from the back) man carrying a child in pyjamas just like the ones Madeleine was said to have been wearing when she disappeared.
I think LogicMan's theory was the first clearly delineated one. Kind soul that he seems to be, almost desperate for Madeleine to be found alive and well, LogicMan gave birth to the, "hoax theory," wherein Madeleine's disappearance had been planned, she was being well cared for and would return.
We've had, "think the unthinkable." Was Madeleine being sexually abused? Could she have been saying things where she shouldn't have been, in the creche for instance, that might have been seen as disclosure to a Child Protection trained person? Would this be cause enough for murder to save careers and reputations? This theory has been the most incendiary for the pro-McCann posters on the forum, some of whom become irate just at the suggestion that in some photos Madeleine is wearing make-up.
The accidental death theory. Did Kate or Gerry, in a fit of temper, lash out, causing fatal injuries? The sedation gone wrong theory. Was Madeleine over-sedated? Did she have an unusual reaction to a sedative? The woke and wandered, had an accident, was lifted by an opportunist paedophile, lay dead somewhere for so long that the McCanns would have been charged with neglect, leading to serious harm.
Today, they have done it again, those brilliant people! Remember all those people who bear witness that they saw Robert Murat in the vicinity of the McCanns' apartment, soon after Madeleine was discovered gone? Three members of the Tapas Crew, and six others, including the two sisters whose stories have been well publicised in the world's press. (It has been pointed out by, amongst others, Martin Brunt of Sky News, that no local person who knew Robert Murat saw him near the apartment.) So, what's new? Well, there have been suggestions in the past weeks, months maybe, that David Payne, one of the Tapas 9, bears an uncanny resemblance to Robert Murat. Today we have visual evidence of the similarity between the two men.
Daily Mirror Forum
Thread started by Sweetex: "Amazing, murat and payne...."
In the dark, how easy would it be to tell which of those two men was seen? One of the sisters insisted that she had seen Robert Murat wearing a stripey top and when seen later in the same day, he had changed his clothes, because he wasn't then wearing the stripey top. She saw David Payne earlier?
Well folks, it's getting really interesting over there at the Daily Mirror forum and I hope the Portuguese police are keeping tabs on what is being said there. Have they investigated The Author's very well documented and discussed theory on the, "Forged last photo."? Go look for yourself! Fascinating.
Well done Daily Mirror forum posters! It's a pity that there have been no investigative journalists in the UK press who have been willing to put so much time and effort into researching the unanswered questions surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
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