PJ: the interrogations have reinforced the convictions of the inspectors. (Updated)

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

"Pendant que l’inspecteur-chef Paulo Rebelo, coordinateur du Département d’Investigation Criminelle de la Police Judiciaire se trouve à Enderby, au Portugal la police à commencé à exploiter les nouveaux données que la rencontre d’hier avec la police de Leicestershire à pu révéler. Pendant la réunion, qui a duré toute l'après-midi, les deux forces de police ont pu affiner la forme dans laquelle les interrogatoires vont se dérouler. Paulo Rebelo, responsable de l’enquête, est accompagné au Royaume-Uni par les inspecteurs João Carlos et Ricardo Paiva.

While chief Inspector Paulo Rebelo, co-ordinator of the Criminal Investigation Department of the PJ is in Enderby, in Portugal the police have started to exploit the new data that yesterday's meeting with the Leicestershire police was able to reveal. During the meeting which lasted all afternoon, the two police forces were able to finalise the form the interrogations would take. Paulo Rebelo, who is in charge of the investigation, is accompanied in the UK by the inspectors Joao Carlos and Ricardo Paiva.

Tanner incapable de décrire le prétendu kidnappeur

Les interrogatoires n’ont pas permit d’élucider certaines contradictions mais, en contrepartie, ont servi même à renforcer les convictions des enquêteurs et même à mettre en cause la véracité des précédentes déclarations de plusieurs témoins et arguidos. Ils sont devenues plus précis sur certains détails mais "ils ont oublié les plus importants", affirme un officier de la police britannique à Enderby.

Tanner incapable of describing the alleged abductor.

The interrogations have not allowed the clarifying of contradictions, but by way of compensation, have served to reinforce the convictions of the investigators and even to call into question the veracity of previous statements of several witnesses and arguidos. They have become more precise on certain details, but, "they have forgotten the most important," stated a British police officer at Enderby.

"Cible privilégié des interrogatoires, Jane Tanner et son compagnon Russell O’Brien. La première avait affirmé à la police et en public avoir vu un homme emportant un enfant dans ses bras mais ces déclarations n’ont pas cessé de changer au cours des temps. Deux témoins extérieurs au groupe, qui se trouvaient au même endroit, ont nié à la police avoir vu le personnage décrit par Tanner. Un personnage décrit différemment par Tanner à plusieurs reprises."

Favoured target for the interrogations, Jane Tanner and her partner Russell O'Brien. The former had stated to the police and in public that she saw a man carrying a child in his arms, but her statements have continued to change over time. Two witnesses outside the group, who were in the same area, have denied to the police that they saw the person described by Tanner. A person described differently by Tanner on several occasions.

"Cette fois ci, Tanner à été incapable de dire aux enquêteurs quand, comment et où elle avait vu le prétendu kidnappeur, contrariant tout ce qu’elle avait dit précédemment, notamment au programme Panorama transmis sur la télévision britannique. "

This time, Tanner was incapable of telling the investigators when, how and where she had seen the alleged kidnapper, contradicting everything that she had previously said, notably on the Panorama programme transmitted on British television.

"L’interrogatoire de Jane Tanner, avance notre source, à été le plus minutieux de tous, ou les officiers britanniques sont intervenus à plusieurs reprises croisant ses questions avec celle des enquêteurs portugais : "elle est arrivé souriante pour repartir au bord de la crise de nerfs".

Jane Tanner's interrogation, as put forward by our source, was the most thorough of all, where the British officers intervened on several occasions crossing their questions with those of the Portuguese investigators: "she arrived smiling and left on the edge of a nervous breakdown."

"Les interrogatoires ont permis de démontrer que le Dr. O’Brien s’est absenté du Tapas Bar et de la table du diner plus longtemps que ce qu’il avait déclaré à la police, justifiant son emploi du temps disant que sa fille était malade : "le Dr O’Brien affirme qu’il a du changer les draps du lit à cause des vomissements de l’enfant mais cette version est contredite par le personnel de l’Océan Club"

The interrogations showed that Dr O'Brien was absent from the Tapas Bar and from the dinner table for longer than he had stated to the police, justifying how he had used his time saying that his daughter was sick: "Doctor O'Brien stated that he had had to change the bed sheets because of the child's vomiting, but that version is contradicted by the Ocean Club's staff."

"L’interrogatoire du couple à toutefois confirmé que les enfants restaient seules pendant que les parents allaient diner ou sortir, sans aucune sorte de sécurité."

However, the interrogation of the couple, confirmed that the children were alone while the parents went to dinner or went out, without any kind of security.

"Détail intéressant que la police à pu déterminer pendant les interrogatoires, l’homme du portrait-robot révélé à la presse par Clarence Mitchell – le monstre sanguinaire comme un tabloïde britannique l'à décrit – à été pour la première fois indiqué aux témoins d’après un article publié par le Correio da Manhã décrivant, dans les premières semaines de l’enquête, la scène d’un homme rodant le balcon d’un appartement ailleurs qu’à l’Océan Club. L’article du Correio da Manhã spécifiait notamment que la police avait vérifié et écarté cette piste. Selon nôtre source, ce sont les détectives entourant les McCann qui ont ressuscité ce suspect, "l’adaptant au portrait décrit en dernier lieu par Jane Tanner".

(à suivre)

An interesting detail, which the police were able to determine during the interrogations, the man in the sketch revealed by Clarence Mitchell - the bloodthirsty monster as a British tabloid described him - was shown to witnesses for the first time, after an article published by Correio da Manha describing, in the first weeks of the investigation, the scene of a man loitering on the balcony of an apartment at a place away from the Ocean Club. The Correio da Manha article specifically noted that the police had verified and ruled out that lead. According to our source, it is the detectives surrounding the McCanns who have revived this suspect, "adapting him to the portrait described the last time by Jane Tanner."

(To be continued)

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

Fourniret Trial: Monique Olivier would like her husband to speak

10 avril 2008

"Monique Olivier "aimerait bien" que son mari parle* "Monique Olivier, épouse et complice présumée de Michel Fourniret, jugé devant la cour d'assises des Ardennes pour sept homicides aggravés, a déclaré jeudi qu'elle "aimerait bien" que son mari parle pour que les faits soient plus "clairs". "J'aimerais bien qu'il parle. Ca serait plus clair. Pour les familles, ça serait plus humain", a répondu Monique Olivier à Me Didier Seban, un avocat des parties civiles, qui l'interrogeait sur le mutisme de son mari depuis le début du procès. "Il raconte mieux que moi. Il a plus de mémoire que moi. J'aimerais bien qu'il prenne la parole", a-t-elle ajouté au deuxième jour d'audience consacré à l'examen des faits concernant le meurtre de Jeanne-Marie Desramault, une étudiante de 21 ans, disparue à Charleville-Mézières en 1989."

Monique Olivier, "would like very much," for her husband to speak. Monique Olivier, wife and alleged accomplice of Michel Fourniret, who is on trial before the Ardennes Court of Assizes for seven murders, declared on Thursday that she, "would like very much," for her husband to speak so that the facts were, "clearer." "I would like very much for him to speak. Things would be clearer. For the families, that would be more human," Monique Olivier replied to Me Didier Seban, a lawyer for the civil parties, who was questioning her about her husband's mutism since the start of the trial. "He tells it better than I do. He has a better memory than me. I would like very much for him to take the floor," she added on the second of hearings dedicated to examining the facts concerning the murder of Jeanne-Marie Desramault, a student, aged 21, who disappeared in Charleville-Mézièresin 1989.

"Son corps avait été retrouvé en juillet 2004 lors de fouilles au château du Sautou à Donchery (Ardennes), l'ancienne propriété du couple. Dès l'ouverture du procès le 27 mars, Michel Fourniret avait brandi un écriteau: "Sans huis clos, bouche cousue".

Her body had been found in July 2004, during searches at the Chateau du Sautou in Donchery (Ardenns), a former property of the couple. Since the start of the trial on March 27th, Michel Fourniret had brandished a written sign: "Without the proceedings being held in camera, lips sewn."

"En trois semaines de procès et en dehors de quelques laconiques "je reconnais les faits", il a néanmoins rompu sa résolution de participation passive au procès à trois reprises. Lundi, il avait pris spontanément la parole pour défendre Monique Olivier mise en difficulté sur son implication dans le meurtre de Fabienne Leroy, une étudiante de 20 ans tuée par balle dans la Marne en 1988. Le même jour, il avait perdu son sang-froid lors de deux vifs échanges avec Me Seban qui avait souligné deux erreurs du principal accusé, qui avait répondu en confondant deux victimes. Depuis, il a systématiquement opposé un silence haineux aux questions de l'avocat. "Monique Olivier commence à se lâcher. Pas sur les faits, mais sur Michel Fourniret (...) L'attitude de son mari peut contribuer à faire lâcher Monique Olivier", a estimé Me Seban à la suspension d'audience de la mi-journée. (AFP)"

In three weeks of the trial and apart from a few laconic, "I acknowledge the facts," he has, nonetheless, broken his resolution of passive participation in the trial on three occasions. On Monday, he spontaneously took the floor to defend Monique Olivier, who was placed in difficulty by her implication in the murder of Fabienne Leroy, a 20 year-old student who was shot in Marne in 1988. On the same day, he had lost his cool during the two lively exchanges with Me Seban, who had stressed two errors for the principal accused, who had responded, confusing two victims. Since then he has systematically opposed the lawyer's questions with a hateful silence. "Monique Olivier started to let herself go. Not about the facts, but about Michel Fourniret (....) Her husband's attitude could contribute to allowing Monique Olivier to open up," Me Seban suggested, at the end of the half-day hearing. (AFP)

http://www.kidnapping.be/fourniret/index.html

The Leicester Mercury. Now you see it, now you don't! Whooosh cluck!

The Leicester Mercury does it again, posts an article about the McCanns, allows comments, finds they are mostly critical and....whoooosh...cluck! Gone!

Saved for posterity, here is today's article and the messages that were whooshed!


POLICE INTERVIEW LEAKS 'ARE SMEAR CAMPAIGN'

And the comments that didn't last very long!

**********Comments to the above article*********

Leave theMcCann's alone. They have done nothing wrong, who doesn't go out and leave their kids when they go out on the lash??

Pinnochio, Edinburgh

Kate McCann is quoted as saying that she and Gerry discussed Madeleine's comment for several minutes. That long, eh? Obviously an important subject! Then today, Clarence Mitchell is quoted as saying that in response, the Tapas Crew decided to increase the frequency of checks on the children, from every half hour the night before to, emmm, every half hour. Clarence also says that the Tapas Crew had their own listening plan instead of that provided by the Mark Warner company. I am sure I read that MW did not provide such a service at the Ocean Club because the apartments were so spread out and also because the McCanns' apartment, in particular, was actually outside the secure area of the complex, overlooking a public path on one side and a public car park on the other.

Muzzy, Warwickshire

What a sad senario. Madeleine told her mother that she was upset and they still left her and the twins the next night.....

chrissie, UK

I wonder what else we don't know about these "perfect parents". If they are not prosecuted for child neglect at lease then there is no justice.

Sherry, Newton

How on earth can the truth be a smear? I just don't get it.

Loz, UK

Smears and leaks have been coming from "Team Mccann" from the start when they lied about the circumstances, so what's new?

Sally, Europe

That's interesting for a newspaper site. You ask us to "have our say" but remove any comments that may be "unhelpful" to the Team McCann PR effort? You're not acting for Madeleine by doing that. The poor child

Mel, East Mids

I find this latest news very distressing indeed. As a mother with two young children I find myself repeating those qouted distressing words. It is heartbreaking. Those parents will have to live with this torture for the rest of their lives. I really don't know where I stand any more on the parents behaviour. Part of me says what they did was despicable and the other part grieves so heavily. A shocking story. M

Margaret, Rothley

********************Comments end********************

Now, this is an interesting quote from Clarence:

"The McCanns said the leak was an attempt to smear them as they launched their bid for a Europe-wide missing child alert system."

I wonder what he means by, "..launched their bid." I ask this because Missing Children Europe has been campaigning for a Europe-wide response to child abduction since 2001, and that organisation is, in fact, the European representative of the one which Gerry visited in the USA.

http://www.missingchildreneurope.eu/

"Faced with the absence in Europe of operational centres working at a professional level on a complementary basis with police and judicial bodies and victim support organisations, Child Focus (Belgium), La Mouette (France) and Aurora (Italy), decided to establish the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children, renamed "Missing Children Europe" in 2007."

"The solemn creation took place in 2001 at the European Parliament in the presence of EP-President Nicole Fontaine and European Commission Vice-President Vittorino. From the start thse two EU-institutions acknowledged the added value of a European wide umbrella organisation representing civil society organisations which work on a national or regional scale against child disappearance and sexual exploitation in all its forms."

"Missing Children Europe is the regional representative of the global movement of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington."

So, Gerry needn't have gone to the US. He could simply have visited the European representative of ICMEC in Brussels.

The McCanns will have no effect on whether this goes through the European Parliament or not....and especially since they have nothing whatsoever to do with its introduction. Missing Children Europe has been working on this for years. The McCanns have only attempted to hijack it.

So, Clarence, to me, the McCanns, "...launched their bid," simply says that the McCanns sought to hijack this project as their own idea, purely for the purposes of publicity.

Jeanne-Marie Desramault: her father seeks justice.

The Fourniret trial.

I am trying to keep up with the transcripts provided by Enfants Kidnappés, because I think it is important that this information is available in English, for the sake of Fourniret's victims and the victims' families. Reading the details each day has mostly left me with a feeling of numbness, of almost total incomprehension about how someone who looks like a human being, sounds like a human being, and no doubt carries out all of the bodily functions of a human being, can be so far removed from any sense of humanity, as Michel Fourniret clearly is. That is, until I read the transcript of the hearing in which the case of Jeanne-Marie Desramault was presented and Jeanne-Marie's father spoke at the bar; that sense of numbness evaporated and today, I cried, for Jeanne-Marie, her father, and all of the other victims of Michel Fourniret.

Here is the transcript from Enfants Kidnappés.

http://www.kidnapping.be/fourniret/index.html

"09 avril 2008

"Le père de Jeanne-Marie demande justice"

"Le père de Jeanne-Marie Desramault, victime présumée de Michel Fourniret jugé en assises aux côtés de son épouse Monique Olivier, a demandé mercredi à la cour que justice soit faite.
"Que la justice les punisse" a déclaré d'une voix faible Henri Desramault, veuf de 87 ans, en faisant référence aux époux Fourniret. Le vieil homme, cheminot à la retraite, amaigri et diminué, s'est exprimé péniblement quelques minutes à la barre sur son fauteuil roulant avant de fondre en larmes. Jeanne-Marie Desramault était une jeune étudiante de 22 ans lorsqu'elle disparut le 18 mars 1989 à Charleville-Mézières. Son corps a été découvert, sur les indications de ce dernier, le 3 juillet 2004 dans le parc du château du Sautou, l'ancienne propriété du couple Fourniret-Olivier."

Jeanne-Marie's father demands justice.

The father of Jeanne-Marie Desramault, alleged victim of Michel Fourniret, on trial at the assizes alongside his wife Monique Olivier, demanded on Wednesday at the court that justice is done.
"That justice punishes them," Henri Desramault, a widower aged 87 years, stated in a quiet voice, making reference to the Fourniret couple. The old man, a retired railway worker, thin and diminished, expressed himself painfully at the bar for a few minutes, in his wheelchair, before dissolving in tears. Jeanne-Marie Desramault was a young student, aged 22, when she disappeared on March 18th 1989 in Charleville-Mézières. Her body was discovered, on the instructions of the accused, on July 3rd 2004, in the grounds of the Chateau du Sautou, former property of the Fourniret-Olivier couple.

"Michel Fourniret avoue un troisième meurtre à son procès"

"Le tueur en série présumé Michel Fourniret est à nouveau sorti de son silence mercredi à la cour d'assises des Ardennes pour avouer un troisième meurtre sur les sept dont il répond, mais il a refusé de répondre aux questions et de parler au père de la victime.

L'affaire concerne Jeanne-Marie Desramault, une jeune fille de 21 ans disparue le 18 mars 1989 et dont le corps a été retrouvé en 2004, après l'arrestation de Michel Fourniret en 2003. C'est le seul des sept dossiers dont il répond où sa femme est co-accusée d'avoir non seulement enlevé mais aussi tué. A la neuvième audience du procès, après la lecture des charges d'enlèvement, séquestration, tentative de viol et meurtre concernant , l'accusé, prié de préciser sa position, a dit : "Vous venez de lire les faits qui me sont reprochés. Je reconnais ces faits".

Michel Fourniret confesses to a third murder at his trial.

The alleged serial killer, Michel Fourniret, once again came out of his silence on Wednesday, at the Ardennes Court of Assizes, to confess to a third murder of the seven for which he is accused, but he refused to respond to questions and to speak to the victim's father.

The case is about Jeanne-Marie Desramault, a young woman, aged 21, who disappeared on March 18th 1989 and whose body was found in 2004, after Michel Fourniret's arrest in 2003. It is the only one of the seven murders to which he has responded, in which his wife is co-accused of having not only abducted but also killed. On the ninth day of the trial, after the reading of the charges of abduction, kidnapping, attempted rape and murder involved, the accused, asked to clarify his position, said: "You have just read the facts with which I am charged. I acknowledge these facts."

"Il refuse normalement de parler, en prétextant le refus du huis clos qu'il souhaite."

"L'émotion a étranglé plusieurs jurés lorsque le père de Jeanne-Marie, Henri, 87 ans, est venu en fauteuil roulant à la barre, soutenu à distance par deux religieuses et les autres familles de victimes, qui lui ont offert des roses blanches avant l'audience. Le témoin a regardé en silence l'accusé, qui a soutenu son regard sans ciller. Tandis qu'étaient projetées sur un écran les photos de sa fille, qui était son seul enfant, Henri Desramault, avant de fondre en larmes, n'a eu que ces mots : "Je demande justice pour Jeanne-Marie".

He normally refuses to speak, blaming the refusal for the proceedings to be held in camera.

The emotion choked several jurors when Jeanne-Marie's father, Henri, aged 87, came to the bar in his wheelchair, supported at a distance by two nuns and the other victims' families, who offered him white roses before the hearing. The witness looked in silence at the accused, who held his gaze without blinking. While photos of his daughter, who was his only child, were being projected onto a screen, Henri Desramault, before dissolving in tears, had only these words: "I demand justice for Jeanne-Marie."

"L'IMAGE DE LA VIERGE MARIE"

"L'avocat de la famille Desramault, Didier Seban, a interpellé l'accusé, lui rappelant une déposition antérieure où il disait avoir vu en Jeanne-Marie "l'image de la Vierge Marie". "C'est parce qu'elle évoquait la Vierge Marie que vous l'avez choisie ? Vous n'avez rien à dire à M. Desramault ? c'est peut-être la dernière fois que vous le verrez", a dit l'avocat. Debout à quelques mètres, visage dur et figé, Michel Fourniret a répondu : "Vous connaissez ma position, permettez moi de vous la rappeler". Et il est resté debout, les yeux dans ceux de l'avocat, sans bouger, durant une vingtaine de secondes. Interrogée, son épouse Monique Olivier a dit reconnaitre les faits, mais son avocat a aussitôt précisé qu'elle niait la co-action dans le meurtre qui est retenue par l'accusation. Jeanne-Marie Desramault a été présentée par un témoin comme "fleur bleue, gentille, douce et naïve aussi". Très croyante, le jeune fille "cherchait à faire connaissance avec les gens qu'elle rencontrait et avait toujours un a priori positif, avait le coeur ouvert", a-t-on expliqué à la barre."

The image of the Virgin Mary.

Didier Seban, lawyer for the Desramault family, called out to the accused, reminding him of a previous statement where he spoke of having seen in Jeanne-Marie, "the image of the Virgin Mary." "it was because she evoked the Virgin Mary that you chose her? You have nothing to say to M. Desramault? This may be the last time you see him," said the lawyer. Standing a few metres away, face hard and motionless, Michel Fourniret responded: "You know my position, allow me to remind you." And he remained standing, eyes meeting those of the lawyer, without moving, for about 20 seconds. When questioned, his wife Monique Olivier said that she acknowledged the facts, but her lawyer also said that she denies the co-action in the murder which is contained in the charge. Jeanne-Marie Desramault was described by a witness as, "a blue flower, kind, gentle and also naive," Very believing, a young woman who, "sought to get to know the people she met and always had a positive attitude, an open heart," was explained at the bar.

"Le déroulement des évènements:"

"Etudiante à Charleville-Mézières, où elle logeait dans une institution religieuse, elle prenait le train tous les samedis pour rentrer chez ses parents à Béthune. Elle a rencontré fortuitement Michel Fourniret lors d'un de ces voyages, a dit Monique Olivier. Le tueur a engagé la conversation et fait mine de partager sa ferveur religieuse. A la gare, Monique Olivier attendait son mari et le trio a fait connaissance. Il a alors été convenu de se revoir. Pour la mettre en confiance, Michel Fourniret a imaginé lui proposer une sortie en Belgique et le couple Fourniret est venu un jour la retrouver à la sortie des cours, avec leur fils Selim, âgé de quelques mois. "Michel Fourniret avait voulu lui faire une surprise", a raconté l'accusée. Après un repas dans une pâtisserie, Jeanne-Marie a été raccompagnée à Charleville. Plus tard, Monique Olivier reconnait avoir appelé au téléphone son institution religieuse en se présentant sous un faux nom, pour relancer la jeune fille. Le 18 mars 1989, Michel Fourniret a provoqué une rencontre à la gare de Charleville et a persuadé Jeanne-Marie de venir chez lui, où il l'a tuée. Il a enterré son corps dans sa propriété de Sautou. Des mois durant, le père de Jeanne-Marie a pris le train qu'elle devait prendre ce jour-là, montrant sa photo à tous les voyageurs. La mère de Jeanne-Marie est morte en 1993. (Reuters)"

The unfolding of events.

Student in Charleville-Mézières, where she was lodging in a religious institution, she took the train every Saturday to return to her parents house in Béthune. She met Michel Fourniret casually during one of these journeys, said Monique Olivier. The killer initiated the conversation and pretended to share her religious fervour. At the station, Monique Olivier was waiting for her husband and the trio were introduced. It was then agreed to meet again. To instil trust in her, Michel Fourniret thought up suggesting to her an outing to Belgium and the Fourniret couple went to find her one day, at the end of classes, with their son Selim, who was a few months old. "Michel Fourniret had wanted to give her a surprise," recounted the accused. (Monique Olivier) After a meal at a patisserie, Jeanne-Marie was accompanied back to Charleville. Later, Monique Olivier admitted having made a telephone call to the religious institution, presenting herself under a false name, to chase up the young woman. On March 18th 1989, Michel Fourniret engineered a meeting at Charleville station and he persuaded Jeanne-Marie to come with him to his house, where he killed her. He buried her body on his property in Sautou. For months, Jeanne-Marie's father took the train that she should have taken that day, showing her photo to all the travellers. Jeanne-Marie's mother died in 1993. (Reuters)

End of transcript.

Jeanne-Marie Desramault was a student, an only child of whom her parents were no doubt very proud. She was kind, gentle and trusting and close to her family, whom she visited every weekend. Michel Fourniret took all that was good and decent about that young woman and defiled her in the most gross way imaginable. Jeanne-Marie's father faced that epitome of evil in the courtroom and the arrogant inhuman scum of a man did not even have the courage to explain why he took Henri's only child. Henri Desramault is a man of courage. Michel Fourniret is a coward, who could only prey on the powerless and trusting.

I know that the Bible says, "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord," but I cannot help but hope that some kind of vengeance is wreaked on Michel Fourniret when he is spending the rest of his life in prison. May he spend his time in fear of coming into contact with ordinary criminals, who are not averse to inflicting their own kind of punishment on rapists and murders of young girls and young women.

PJ: the interrogations have reinforced the convictions of the inspectors.

"Pendant que les McCann sont en Belgique et la PJ au Royaume-Uni"

"Interrogatoires ont renforcé la conviction des inspecteurs : "il y a en a qui ont menti "

Vu comme une dernière tentative pour faire avancer l’enquête à la disparition de Madeleine McCann, l’interrogatoire des sept amis de Kate et Gerry McCann, les Tapas 7, à renforcé la conviction des inspecteurs de la Police Judiciaire et de ses collègues britanniques de que la clé du mystère réside au sein du groupe : "il y a en qui ont menti", à confirmé une source de la police du Leicestershire soulignant que "face à ce que nous avons entendu ces derniers jours, il devient incompréhensible que les parents continuent à leur accorder une total confiance".

(à suivre)

While the McCanns are in Belgium and the PJ in the UK.

Interrogations have reinforced the convictions of the inspectors: there are those who have lied.

See as a last opportunity to make progress with the enquiry into Madeleine McCann's disappearance, the interrogation of the seven friends of Kate and Gerry McCann, the Tapas 7, has reinforced the conviction of the PJ inspectors and their British colleagues that the key to the mystery lies with the group: "there are those who have lied," a source from the Leicestershire police confirmed, stressing that, "faced with what we have heard these last days, it is becoming incomprehensible that the parents continue to place total confidence in them."

(to be continued)

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

Fourniret Trial: Fabienne Leroy - the ordeal for her family.

Jean-Pierre and Colette Leroy, parents of Fabienne.

On Monday April 7th, the family of Fabienne Leroy spoke in court about their daughter, her life and how she had crossed the path of the alleged serial killer, Michel Fourniret and his wife Monique Olivier. In a public place of justice, they faced the monster who had picked out their daughter and savagely taken her life, who now hides his evil behind his silence. Those parents deserve to know why that excuse for a human being killed their daughter, but he maintains his silence; a cowardly and totally self-centred act.

Transcription from Enfants Kidnappés:

"La brutalité du «pacte» des Fourniret glace les assises*

Des larmes ont coulé lundi lorsque les parents de Fabienne Leroy, assassinée en 1988, ont évoqué le souvenir de leur fille."

The brutality of the Fourniret's, "pact," freezes the Assizes.

Tears flowed on Monday when the parents of Fabienne Leroy, killed in 1988, evoked the memory of their daughter.

Jean-Pierre Leroy : «M. Fourniret demande le huis clos. Mais à la reconstitution, alors qu'il n'y avait pas de public, il ne voulait pas parler, donnant pour excuse qu'il fallait remettre sa maison en état.»

Colette Leroy : «Fabienne est née le 23 avril 1968, sa sœur Valérie est arrivée dix minutes après. En Côte d'Ivoire, les jumeaux sont considérés comme porte-bonheur : il y avait un défilé incessant pour les voir, les caresser. Elles étaient petites, fragiles.»

Jean-Pierre Leroy: "M. Fourniret requests that the proceedings be held in camera. But at the discovery, when there was no public presence, he did not want to speak, giving the excuse that he had to put his house in order. "

Colette Leroy: "Fabienne was born on April 23rd 1968, her sister Valérie arrived ten minutes later. In Ivory Coast, twins are considered to be good luck: there was an endless queue to see them, to hold them. They were little and fragile."

Jean-Pierre Leroy : «Comme Fabienne était la plus robuste, je m'en occupais un peu plus. Nous avions 72 couches en coton à faire sécher : on prenait le fer à repasser pour aller plus vite… Lors de leur premier voyage en avion vers la France, elles ont voyagé tête-bêche dans un porte-bébé.»

Colette Leroy : «Elles parlaient entre elles un charabia que personne ne comprenait, et éclataient de rire. Elles ont marché le même jour. J'ai eu Fabienne dans ma classe. Je la revois, calme, un peu effacée, dans sa robe-uniforme à carreaux bleus et blancs.»

Jean-Pierre Leroy: "Because Fabienne was a little more robust, I spent a little more time with her. We had 72 cotton nappies to get dry: we had to make the iron fly very quickly....during their first airplane trip, they traveled head-to-toe in a carry-cot."

Colette Leroy: "Between themselves they spoke a gibberish that no one understood, and they would burst out laughing. They walked on the same day. I had Fabienne in my class. I see her again, calm a bit lost, in her blue and white checked uniform dress."

Jean-Pierre Leroy : «Nous som­mes rentrés en France en 1977. Fabienne a passé son bac à Laon, puis a entamé des études de biochimie. En fin de première année, elle a trouvé un stage à Châlons-en-Champagne. Nous n'avions pas prévu qu'elle croiserait ce couple maudit.»

Jean-Pierre Leroy: "We returned to France in 1977. Fabienne passed her Bac at Laon, then took up the study of biochemistry. At the end of the first year, she found an internship in Chalons-en-Champagne. We would not have anticipated that she would come across that cursed couple."

Je reconnais les faits!

Jean-Pierre Leroy : «Michel Fourniret a peut-être des qualités d'ouvrier, mais il n'a aucune qualité de cœur. Pour lui, le cœur est une cible qu'il faut atteindre, ou un organe qu'il faut arrêter.»

I acknowledge the facts!

Jean-Pierre Leroy: "Perhaps Michel Fourniret has the qualities of a worker, but he has no quality of the heart. For him, the heart is a target to be reached, or an organ which must be stopped."

Colette Leroy, à Monique Olivier : «Vous étiez enceinte de huit mois. Votre enfant bougeait en vous. Comment avez-vous pu agir ainsi ? J'ai honte pour vous. Vous n'êtes pas digne d'être mère.»

Jean-Pierre Leroy, les yeux levés vers un portrait de Fabienne : «Nous avons cette photo dans notre chambre. Nous la regardons, elle nous regarde. Je l'ai prise à Agadir. C'est moi qui avais mis, dans ses cheveux, une fleur de bougainvilliers.»

Colette Leroy, to Monique Olivier: "You were eight months pregnant. Your baby was moving within you. How could you have done this? I am ashamed for you. You are not worthy to be a mother."

Jean-Pierre Leroy, eyes raised towards a portrait of Fabienne: "We have this photo in our room. We look at her, she looks at us. I took it at Agadir. It was I who had placed a Bougainvillea flower in her hair."

Le 3 août 1988, la jeune fille est abordée, à la sortie d'un supermarché, par un couple en voiture. L'homme, vraisemblablement, lui demande de les guider jusqu'au cabinet d'un médecin pour soigner son épouse, enceinte et proche du terme. Elle est conduite dans une clairière, droguée sans doute, violée, tuée d'un coup de fusil à bout portant. La femme enceinte l'a tenue en joue, au moins pendant que l'homme la ligotait.

Pour la première fois, Michel Fourniret déclare : «Je reconnais les faits.» Dans un procès-verbal, il avait parlé du «gémissement inoubliable» de sa proie agonisante.

On August 3rd, 1988, on her way out of a supermarket, the young woman was approached by a couple in a car. The man, apparently, asked her to direct them to a doctor's surgery for the care of his wife, pregnant and close to term. She was driven to a clearing, no doubt drugged, raped, killed by a gunshot at close range. The pregnant woman held the gun to her cheek, at least while the man tied her up.

For the first time, Michel Fourniret declared: "I acknowledge the facts." For the record, he had spoken of the, "unforgettable whimpering," of his dying prey.

Enfants Kidnappés goes on to describe how Michel Fourniret broke his silence and spoke about Monique Olivier's involvement. He said that she had been physically present when Fabienne was killed, but, "morally absent." Monique Olivier said that he had lied when he said she had been there when Fabienne was shot.

On Tuesday, according to Enfants Kidnappés, during two lively exchanges with Me Didier Seban, lawyer for the civil parties, Fourniret had lost his cool and confused two cases, that of Fabienne and that of the British girl Joanna Parrish, who was found raped and strangled near Auxerre in 1990. Michel Fourniret was placed under investigation, on March 11th, 2008, for the murder of this young British woman.

Enfants Kidnappés: Jane Tanner was the first witness to be heard.

Jane Tanner a été le premier témoin entendu.

"Les amis ainsi que le porte-parole des McCann disent pouvoir expliquer l'origine des vestiges de sang de Maddie trouvés dans la voiture. C'est suite à la déposition et à la description donnée par Jane Tanner que la police s'était dirigée, tout d'abord, vers la piste de l'enlèvement. C'est la découverte des vestiges de sang dans la voiture loué par les parents, trois semaines plus tard, qui conforta les enquêteurs vers la théorie du décès par accident. Rappelons que cette hypothèse avait vu le jour quelques jours, seulement, après la disparition de Madeleine. Elle fut consolidée au mois d'août 2007 lors de la détection de ces vestiges de sang. L'intérêt des McCann à demander que Clarence Mitchell et Justine McGuiness soient auditionnés réside dans le fait, qu'en dehors des parents, ce sont les deux porte-parole qui ont été le plus souvent à bord du véhicule après la disparition de Madeleine."

Jane Tanner was the first witness to be heard.

The McCanns' friends and their spokesperson say they can explain the origin of the traces of Maddie's blood. This follows the statement and description given by Jane Tanner, which had first led the police on the track of an abduction. It is the discovery of traces of blood in the car rented by the parents, three weeks later, which strengthened for the investigators the theory of accidental death. Recall that this theory was born just a few days after Madeleine's disappearance. It was consolidated in the month of August 2007 with the detection of the traces of blood. The interest of the McCanns in requesting that Clarence Mitchell and Justine McGuiness be interviewed, lies in the fact that after the parents, those are the two spokepeople who were most in the vehicle after Madeleine's disappearance.

Après l'Alerte Amber, l'Alerte... McCann ?

C'est demain, jeudi, que le couple McCann, mis en "examen" dans une enquête sur la disparition d'une fillette de 4 ans, se rendra au Parlement Européen à Bruxelles. Les parents débattront avec un groupe d'eurodéputés sur la création d'un système européen d'alerte pour enfants disparus. Cette réunion, qui se veut très médiatique, se tient dans le cadre de la présentation d'une déclaration commune sur la coopération d'urgence en cas d'enlèvement d'enfants. Ensuite une conférence de presse est prévue en présence des parents de Madeleine. Il y a un mois, Marguerite Sousa Uva, présidente de la Commission européenne a alerté Bruxelles sur le "manque de volonté politique" des 27 membres pour créer un système d'alerte efficace en cas de disparition d'enfants. "Malheureusement, les droits des enfants ne sont pas une priorité à l'ordre du jour politique" a souligné Marguerita Sousa Uva. Elle s'est, elle même, très impliquée dans cette cause et a rappelé que le mécanisme d'alerte est défini et appliqué avec efficacité à quatre États membres: Allemagne, France, Grèce et Royaume-Uni. Le système en place permet la circulation rapide des informations sur la disparition d'un enfant, en alertant aéroport, réseaux de transports publics, autorités et organisations non gouvernementales.

After the Amber Alert....the McCann Alert?

It is tomorrow, Thursday, that the McCann couple, under investigation in an enquiry into the disappearance of a four year-old girl, take themselves to the European Parliament in Brussels. The parents will discuss with a group of European representatives, a European alert system for missing children. This meeting, very media-staged, takes place within the framework of a joint declaration on urgent cooperation in cases of child abduction. Afterwards, a press conference is planned with Madeleine's parents. A month ago, Marguerite Sousa Uva, President of the European Commission, alerted Brussels on the, "lack of political will," of the 27 members to create an effective alert system for cases of missing children. "Unfortunately, the rights of children are not a priority on the political agenda," stressed Marguerite Sousa Uva. She, herself, is very involved in this issue and reiterated that an alert system is developed and applied effectively in four member states: Germany, France, Greece and the UK. The system in place allows the rapid circulation of information on a child's disappearance, alerting airports, mass transit systems, authorities and non-governmental organisations.

SOS Maddie: the police would like to bring the McCanns back to Praia da Luz

"La Police veux ramener les McCann à Praia da Luz"

La Police Judiciaire à demandé aux McCann de revenir au Portugal pour y participer à reconstitution de la nuit de la disparition de leur fille Madeleine. Cette demande englobe également plusieurs témoins, parmi eux les sept amis de Gerry et Kate. Malgré avoir clamé précédemment leur intention de retourner au Portugal, le couple à fait savoir, dans une première prise de position, via leur porte-parole, qu’ils ne sont pas prêts à y retourner tant que leur statut d’arguidos soit maintenu

The PJ has asked the McCanns to return to Portugal to participate in a reconstruction of the night of their daughter Madeleine's disappearance. This request also includes several witnesses, amongst them the seven friends of Gerry and Kate. In spite of having previously declared their intention to return to Portugal, the couple has let it be known, via their spokesperson, that in the first instance, they are not ready to return there while their arguido status is maintained.

"L’intention de la Police Judiciaire serait même de ramener à Praia da Luz tous les arguidos et témoins qui étaient présents la nuit de la disparition de Madeleine afin d’éclaircir avec exactitude ce que à pu se passer entre 18H00 et 22H00, les moments clé de l’affaire.

(à suivre)"

The intention of the PJ would be to bring back to Praia da Luz, all the arguidos and witnesses who were present on the night of Madeleine's disappearance, in order to clarify exactly what happened between 18.00 and 22.00, the key moments in the case.

(To be continued)

Prochainement :

• En Espagne, nous avons rencontré l’équipage d’un bateau qui étais sur la cote la nuit de la disparition.
• Des experts européens en communication, marketing et analyse politique ont décortiqué la campagne McCann.

Coming next:

• In Spain we met the crew of a boat which was on the coast the night of the disappearance.
• European experts in communication, marketing and political analysis have analysed the McCann campaign.
  

Comment: the times given here are interesting, since the McCanns are reported as having gone to dinner at 8.30pm, at which time the three children were said to have been asleep in their beds. I think I recall from various published timelines, that 6pm was the time that Kate McCann returned to the apartment with the children and Gerry went to play tennis. Interesting if the PJ are looking at that wider timescale.

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

The McCanns want the PJ to interview 50 people.

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

My translation:

The McCann parents, Kate and Gerry want the Portuguese police to interview more than 50 witnesses in addition to the couple's seven friends, for whom the interviews started today. According to the Portuguese press, the parents legal team has submitted new names to the list of witnesses very recently. This list has gone from 24 to around 60 people during the last two weeks.

Observers close to the Portuguese police find this behaviour strange. Some are asking why this list was not presented sooner. The fact that the PJ are going to re-interview witnesses in the McCann case is not new, they stress, wondering if this is not a ploy to slow down the process, knowing that the investigators are only present for three days and that new requests would have to be acted on, the whole lot being carried over past the date limit.

That famous list includes members of the Ocean Club's staff (NDLR: certain interviews were already planned by the PJ) as well as certain people who were with the parents in the days that followed Madeleine's disappearance.

End of Enfants Kidnappés article......

I quite often check the Google translation of the original French text and could not quite believe my eyes when I saw the Google English version for the last sentence of that article.

Here is the original French:

"Cette fameuse liste inclus des membres du personnel de l'Océan Club (NDLR: certains interrogatoires étaient déjà prévus par la PJ) ainsi que certaines personnes présentent avec les parents dans les jours qui ont suivis la disparition de Madeleine"

And here is the Google translation:

This famous list included staff members of the Ocean Club (Note: some interrogations were provided by PJ), as well as some people with parents in the days that followed the death of Madeline. "

Look carefully at the last few words from Google! Does Googlebot know something the rest of us don't?

Mother's Day, Father's Day, and now Paedo's Day!

I can understand what Mother's Day is about and I can accept the positive aspects of it, if not the commercialism. Mother's Day is a great day to be with one's children and to celebrate them as individuals. That's what it is for me. I also appreciate the flowers and gifts I receive! Father's Day too. My children like to let their father know how much they appreciate him, though I am sure they do that a great many times and in a great many ways, the rest of the year.

I don't understand, "Alice Day," the day on which, according to Enfants Kidnappés, the paedos of this world will have their international celebration of love for young girls. I don't understand how people can wish to parade their sick perversions, because that what paedophilia is. I just do not understand how adult men, and let's face it, most paedos are adult males, can possibly believe that small children can actually choose to have sexual relations with them. This, apparently, is what most of those sick people believe, that children actually have some choice in the matter and choose to have sex with them. So, they want to celebrate their sick fantasies and their sick actions.

"Le 25 avril prochain, les pédophiles du monde entier fêteront l'Alice Day. Il s'agit là d'une journée internationale où les pédophiles fêteront leur préférence pour les petites filles."

(On April 25th, the paedophiles of the whole world will celebrate Alice Day. This is an international day when paedophiles will celebrate their preference for little girls.)

http://www.kidnapping.be/stoppedophilie/index.html

Enfants Kidnappés goes on to say that just as we have an International Women's Day and an International Human Rights Day and an International Day for the rights of children, we now have an international day when paedophiles will celebrate their sexual preference for, let's say it like it is, children. This seems to be such a contradiction to me, to a day like International Day of The Child, when we seek to protect children from people like paedophiles!

What can we do, asks Enfants Kidnappés?

"De nombreuses associations très respectables luttent contre ce fléau, cet océan de boue qui se répand dans nos villes et villages et s'abat sur des innocents: Nos enfants!! Nous n'avons pas la prétention de faire mieux que toutes ces associations - dont certaines, partenaires de la nôtre sont reprises ci-contre - mais nous souhaitons publier, ici, tous ce qui peut aider à lutter contre ces malades, ces dérangés, ces déviants sexuels..."

(Many respectable associations are fighting against this scourge, this ocean of mud which is spreading through our towns and villages and hitting the innocents: our children!! We do not claim to do better than all of these associations - of which some, our partners are listed below - but we want to publish here all we can to help the fight against these sick people, these disturbed people, these sexual deviants.)

Little boys will not be left out by our caring, sharing paedos! "Lover Boy Day," will be celebrated by these sick child abusers, on the Saturday after the summer solstice.

Enfants Kidnappés has decided to support a counter event to be held in Paris at the Trocadéro on April 25th, 10.00 - 18.30. This event is being organised by Stephanie Tacquet, with thanks to partner associations of her project, ""Une Maman contre l'Inconcevable," A Mother against the Inconceivable. Stephanie's web site:

http://rechezstefou.magicrpm.com/

And the, "Lutte Anti-Pédophilie," Anti-Paedophile Struggle Association.

http://lap.asso.free.fr/forum/

My thanks and appreciation go to Enfants Kidnappés for drawing attention to this international day of celebration, which is a shameful insult to all those children who have been abused and to all those children who are still being abused by paedophiles.

Fourniret: the case resumes, day 6

Enfants Kidnappés continues its coverage of the Fourniret trial, which resumed today, with the case of Fabienne Leroy.

English translation of the transcripts from Enfants Kidnappés:

http://www.kidnapping.be/fourniret/index.html


The lifeless body of Fabienne Leroy, aged 20, was found near the Mourmelon (Marne) military camp. She had crossed the path of Michel Fourniret the day before. Abducted from a supermarket car park, the young woman was led into the forest before being raped then killed. If Michel Fourniret acknowledges the facts, he refuses to explain in detail the circumstances of this murder. His wife , Monique Olivier, shows herself to be more talkative, "I regret what happened. I am ashamed."

I acknowledge the facts.

"I acknowledge the facts," stated Michel Fourniret to the president of the Charleville-Mézières Court of Assizes, at the opening of the sixth day of his trial for seven murders , for which he has been named, "The Ardennes Ogre." Fabienne Leroy's body had been found on August 4th 1988, near the Mourmelon (Marne) military camp. The student had been abducted the day before by the Olivier-Fourniret couple from a supermarket car park then led into the forest before being raped and killed.

I am ashamed.

If Michel Fourniret, after a long talk with the president of the court, maintained his refusal to detail the facts, Monique Olivier, freed herself.
"I regret what happened. I am ashamed," she stated, mumbling and trembling in a grey jacket. Fourniret's wife went back over the course of the abduction, admitting to having held a handgun to Fabienne Leroy's cheek in order to make her get out of the vehicle.

I acted out of fear.

In revenge, she denies having assisted in the rape and murder, having been dismissed by her angry husband. "Michel Fourniret asked me to verify Miss Leroy's virginity, but I could not do it," she said, close to tears.
"He then flew into a rage and and asked me to go away because I was useless, a good for nothing." Monique Olivier would then have got back into the vehicle, at a distance from the scene of the crime.
"I am regretful. It is unforgivable," she continued. "But I did not think that he would do that. I acted out of fear."

Eight months pregnant at the time of the events.

A little later she was taken to task by Fabienne Leroy's family, just starting to give evidence at the bar. Valérie Archer, twin sister of the victim, described these acts as, "despicable."
"How could you have done that with a baby in your belly?" exclaimed Valérie Archer, looking at Monique Olivier, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the events.

http://www.kidnapping.be/fourniret/index.html

Enfants Kidnappés 7/04/08: Last chance for the PJ?

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

Last chance for the PJ?

This is perhaps the last chance for the PJ to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and if the parents, Kate and Gerry, as well as the British man, Robert Murat, remain implicated in the case. Without evidence to charge anyone, the Public Ministry could order the permanent archiving of the file without disclosing its contents. But the investigators still hold a few trumps, the possible contradictions in the previous hearings could lead the authorities to not archiving the case.

24 witnesses will be heard.

This morning at 9.30 three PJ investigators took off from Faro airport in the direction of the North of England, where they arrived three hours later. The team, who will stay in the UK for 3 days, is led by Chief Inspector Paulo Rebello, coordinator of the Department for Criminal Research, Portimao. The objective of this relocation, in the context of the rogatory letters sent by the Public Ministry to the British authorities, is to assist with the hearings, undertaken by the local authorities, of no fewer than 24 witnesses in connection with Madeleine's disappearance.

Amongst these 24 witnesses, 7 of them are the parents' friends with whom they were dining on that evening. One if the witness statements which could be considered as important is that of Jane Tanner. It is she who described to the Portuguese authorities, a man with a child in his arms, at the time of Madeleine's disappearance. She swears to having seen him passing in the road while she was heading towards the restaurant to meet the McCanns and the other members of the group. Seven other witnesses are people who were doing seasonal work at the Ocean Club. The 10 remaining witnesses are those named by the McCann couple themselves.

In fact, their status allows them to request that particular witnesses are heard. We note that Clarence Mitchell himself, the McCanns' spokesperson figures amongst these witnesses. Let's not forget that he carried out his duties for around a month after the little girl's disappearance at the request of the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Another witness would be Justine McGuiness, who was the parents' spokesperson until September until Clarence Mitchell took over the position.

Finally, there could still be the hearing of the parents themselves. This hearing could take place depending on the other hearings and their content. However, the Portuguese Public Ministry lets us know that this could be a, "waste of time." Indeed, as arguidos, they can not speak and so not answer any questions.

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

Doily Express Exclusive: The McCanns sue themselves!

Courtesy of "Buildafiredontgetcooked" at The Three Arguidos Forum.

(Click on the image to enlarge!)

Whoosh....cluck! Gone!

On the right is an image of the front page of the Sunday Express, which I have just bought from my local newsagent's. I managed to bag the last copy from the rack at, "Lee's News And Booze," though I think the sell-out may have more to do with the free plants and Alan Titchmarsh book offers than with, "MADDY: 60 FACE QUIZ BY POLICE."

The Maddy story was available in the online edition ot the Sunday Express in the wee hours, or should that be hour after midnight. By 1.02am, a poster on the 3A forum was reporting that the article had gone...whoosh clucked! Still, those intrepid investigators at the 3A have saved the original!

The Three Arguidos Forum See Ines at 9.36pm

"As arguidos, or official suspects, the couple have the right to demand that certain individuals be seen by police if they are believed to hold relevant information. Despite plans for the Portuguese investigators to return home on Friday, British police will mount a full-scale operation in which more than 50 more witnesses will be interviewed. These will include other guests who were staying at the resort, Ocean Club apartments staff and holidaymakers staying nearby."

Later in the morning, another article appeared on the Sunday Express site, "TAPAS SEVEN FACE NEW MADELEINE QUIZ" but a search later found this message, " ARTICLE MISSING The article you are looking for does not exist. It may have been deleted." Whoosh cluck! Another one gone! I didn't read anything in either of those articles, which could be construed as libel and the comments posted by the Express all seemed rather circumspect to me, but hey, when that mighy whoosher gets going, things disappear! (Disclaimer: I am not intending to identify any person as the, "mighty whoosher.)

I see that the article published in The People is still online. KATE AND GERRY MCCANN TO BE CLEARED

That's the headline, and it looks very definite. Reading further, though, we encounter some rather more conditional words, like, "may well be."

"A highly-placed Portuguese legal source told The People last night: "I can confirm a review of the case will be concluded next month. It may well be the case that Kate and Gerry's arguido status is about to be dropped."

I wonder why the People's article didn't get whoosh clucked!

You can still find, "Sunday's National Front Pages," at Sky News

Now, for those who don't know the origin of the, "Whoosh cluck!" expression, here is a short video for your entertainment!

Kate and Gerry's wish to return to Portugal and their proposed visit to the European Parliament

Enfants Kidnappés 4/04/08

Thus far, when translating articles from SOS Madeleine McCann and from Enfants Kidnappés, I have produced the original French alongside my English version. This is resulting in very long posts. I now intend to simply produce my English versions of the originals and provide links for those who would like to compare with the original or who prefer to read in the French language.

There are two sections to the information published by Enfants Kidnappés on April 4th. The first is about the McCanns' wish to return to Portugal, which has been covered in previous posts. On Friday, Enfants Kidnappés commented that a return to Portugal by the McCanns would send a strong signal to the whole world that Madeleine could still be alive and that the search for her should continue. The McCanns will wait to assess the attitude of the PJ towards their friends during the interrogations planned for next week, and then decided whether or not to return to Portugal. Clarence Mitchell is quoted as saying that, ""Ce qui arrivera la semaine prochaine sera déterminant pour mesurer l'attitude de la police à l'égard de Kate et Gerry" "What happens next week will be a deciding factor for assessing the attitude of the police towards Kate and Gerry."

(See photo above right; I often wonder why Gerry always looks like he's doing the military two-step! Shoulders back! Swing those arms! By the right, quick march!)

The second section of the article relates to the proposed visit of the McCanns to the European Parliament next week.

From Enfants Kidnappés:

The McCanns are going to be invited to a conference on abducted children, in the European Parliament on April 8th, in the context of a plan for abduction alerts in the style of the Amber system. This is a media coup, nothing more.
Many parliamentarians have protested against the appearance in the Parliament, rightly or wrongly, it matters little, of suspects in a police enquiry. In the end, the planned meeting will be limited to a meeting with British representatives to the Parliament. Basically an Anglo-British meeting.

The British people Glenys Kinnock, Edward McMillan-Scott, Struan Stevenson and Diana Wallis, are involved in proposing this meeting. The parents' going will have no influence on the declaration about European collaboration in the matter of searching for missing children, a declaration which will be adjourned while the parents are there.

That says it all! Note that if we all want alert projects for, "abduction alert," at European level, on condition of being able to regionalise alerts, we think it is necessary to ask the right people. Apart from the authorities and associations actually involved professionally in cases of abduction, we think it would be wise to ask the parents of abducted children. What does Yeremi Vargas' mother think?

What does Piera Magio, mother of Denise Pipitone suggest? What would be the advice of Juan José Cortès, father of Mari Luz? The Canadian experience of Martin Provencher, father of Cédrika? Wouldn't that be valuable learning? We don't want to launch into polemics here, but it must be recognised that the approach of parents who want to....do it for themselves and not in solidarity with others......is a little....let's say...misplaced.

End of Enfants Kidnappés article.

And this morning, Saturday, perusing the Daily Mirror's news pages, I find, "Kate and Gerry McCann in Europe kid safety campaign." Way to go, Clarrie! Good media coverage here! I'm having a wee look at what the Mirror has to say!

"Kate and Gerry McCann fly to Brussels to launch a child safety scheme next week while Portuguese police quiz their Tapas Seven friends in Britain."

Goodness! That's interesting timing, but coincidence, of course! The European Parliament probably doesn't time it's meetings to suit the McCanns, though the McCanns' meeting will be with a few British representatives and they will not be taking part in the debate, which, anyway, is going to be adjourned, according to Enfants Kidnappés.

"The couple will be present on Thursday when a draft declaration goes before the European Parliament, calling for a European-wide missing child alert system.

Kate, 40, and Gerry, 39, believe that if it had been in place it could have saved daughter Madeleine, four, who vanished from Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3."

Saved their daughter? Saved her from what? An abduction? I may have missed something, but I haven't actually seen any real evidence that an abduction took place.

"The couple, official suspects in the Madeleine case, will also appear in a global televised press conference."

Saying what? We were in the building? No! The usual guff I expect...bla bla...Amber Alert...bla bla...wider agenda...sick bags at the ready folks!

"Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: "Next to finding Madeleine, the introduction of a system which might save another child is the matter closest to their hearts.

"They never want another family to go through what they have gone through."

Clarence H. Mitchell on a raft! (I had a good Scottish Christian upbringing! No blaspheming!) They don't want other parents to go through what they went through! Kate and Gerry, I would have thought that from what you have been through, the learning experience is....don't leave your kids on their own! Or is the message here...make sure you keep the number for the alert system handy, then you can leave the kids and toddle off for drinkies with impunity? Please note! It is eseential that you leave the premises unlocked in case of fire!

Daily Mirror 5/04/08

On one of the BBC's Today message boards, there was a poster with an ID, which I find very appropriate in the context of the above news.

Don'tGimmeThat!

Fourniret proposes to give written replies to questions

http://www.kidnapping.be/fourniret/index.html

"Fourniret propose de coucher par écrit ses réponses aux questions des familles des victimes.*


"La cour d'assises des Ardennes a achevé, ce jeudi, l'examen des circonstances dans lesquelles Isabelle Laville, 17 ans, a été enlevée, violée puis tuée par Michel Fourniret, avec la complicité active de Monique Olivier -c'est ce que soutient l'accusation, forte des aveux circonstanciés du couple recueillis pendant l'instruction. Au terme d'une semaine de débats particulièrement pénibles, marqués, mercredi, par les déclarations bouleversantes des parents d'Isabelle, la pression s'accentue sur les deux accusés."

Fourniret proposes to set down in writing his answers to the victims' families' questions.

This Thursday, the Ardennes Court of Assizes completed the examination of the circumstances in which Isabelle Laville, aged 17, was abducted, raped, then killed by Michel Fourniret, with the active complicity of Monique Olivier - this is what supports the charge, the couple's solid, detailed confessions gathered during the investigation. At the end of a week of particularly difficult debates, marked on Wednesday by the deeply moving statements of Isabelle's parents, the pressure on the two accused is accentuated.

"Monique Olivier a choisi de jouer la carte de la participation. Elle surjoue le rôle de simplette tremblotante qu'elle s'est elle-même assigné. Elle feint de ne pas bien comprendre les questions qui lui sont posées, mais garde la mémoire précise de ses réponses, ce qui lui permet souvent de rétorquer sèchement, aux parties civiles ou au ministère public, un « Ce n'est pas ce que j'ai dit » qu'elle voudrait sans appel. On l'a également vue se rasseoir en coupant, exaspérée, son micro, après s'être plainte d'être seule sur la sellette et suggéré qu'on interroge aussi son mari."

Monique Olivier has chosen to play the participation card. She overacts the role of the simple-minded trembler which she has assigned to herself. She pretends not to understand the questions which are put to her, but retains a precise memory of her answers, which often allows her to retort dryly, to the civil parties or to the public minister, "That is not what I said," as she would like, without shouting. She has also been seen to sit down again, exasperated, cutting off her microphone, after having complained of being alone on the stand and suggesting that her husband was interrogated too.

"Fermement défendue, en particulier par Me Richard Delgenes, Monique Olivier s'est lancée dans un numéro d'équilibriste, avançant sur la ligne floue de ses déclarations. Comme elle finit rarement ses phrases et qu'elle diminue peu à peu le volume sonore de sa parole, le président Latapie, mercredi, en était réduit à faire les questions et les réponses. Ce qui arrange bien l'intéressée, laquelle attend qu'on lui souffle le récit des actes qu'elle a commis avec M. Fourniret. Au final, dans ses déclarations aux assises, il y a 70% de président et 30% de Monique Olivier."

Strongly defended, by Me Richard Delgenes in particular, Moniwue Olivier threw herself into a balancing act, treading the hazy line of her statements. As she rarely finished her phrases and little by little lowered the loud volume of her words, the president was reduced to posing the questions and giving the answers. In the end, in her statements to the Assizes, there is 70% of the president and 30% of Monique Olivier.

"Les procès-verbaux n'en apparaissent que plus accablants à son égard. Il ressort de ces innombrables feuillets paraphés par l'accusée, qu'elle savait qu'Isabelle serait violée puis assassinée ; qu'elle l'a enlevée, seule, avant que Michel Fourniret ne les rejoigne ; qu'elle a administré à la proie du couple un ou plusieurs comprimés de Rohypnol, puissant somnifère destiné, selon un expert toxicologue, à instaurer une « soumission chimique » ; qu'elle a « redonné de la vigueur » à son compagnon au moment où il peinait à passer à l'acte ; qu'elle l'a accompagné pour dissimuler le corps de l'adolescente dans un puits profond de plus de trente mètres, d'où il ne sera exhumé qu'en 2006."

The verbal processes only appear more damning, in his opinion. He resorts to the innumerable pages signed by the accused, that she knew that Isabelle was raped then murdered; that she abducted her, alone, before Michel Fourniret joined them; that she administered to the couple's prey, one or several tablets of Rohypnol, a strong soporific intended, according to a toxicology expert, to induce a, "chemical submission." that she, "renewed the strength," of her companiom when he was having difficulty carrying out the act; that she accompanied him to get rid of the teenager's body in a well more than thirty metres deep, where it was only exhumed in 2006.

"Michel Fourniret, lui, lutte de toutes ses forces pour ne pas répondre aux questions qui lui sont posées, soumettant sa participation aux débats à l'instauration du huis clos. Mais il lui est bien difficile de se contenter d'un second rôle et de se voir éclipser par une comparse certes bredouillante, mais, dans une certaine mesure, loquace.

Jean-Pierre Laville, le père d'Isabelle, l'a d'ailleurs remerciée d'avoir répondu aux questions."

Michel Fourniret struggles with all his strength not to answer the questions put to him, restricting his participation to debates about the introduction of the proceedings being held in camera. But it is difficult for him to be happy with a secondary role and to see himself eclipsed by a walk-on player, certainly mumbling, but to a certain extent talkative.

Jean-Pierre Laville, Isabelle's father, thanked her for answering the questions.

"Me Didier Seban, partie civile, tente une fois encore, ce jeudi, de fléchir l'Ardennais, qui rétorque : « Comme vous le savez, j'ai pris la décision de ne pas répondre dans le cadre d'un procès public. J'ai informé mes conseils de la possibilité de mettre par écrit mes observations pour que les familles aient ces informations. Je me propose donc de répondre en différé, par écrit, à votre question »."

Me Didier Seban, for the civil parties, tried one more time, this Thursday, to weaken the Ardennes man, who retorted, "As you know, I have taken the decision not to respond to questions in the context of a public trial. I have informed my advisors of the possibility of putting my observations into writing so that the families have the information. I thus propose to give deferred answers, in writing, to your question."

"Dans le cadre d'une procédure orale et contradictoire, le recours aux écrits confidentiels est, naturellement, hors de propos. La famille Laville, par la voix de Me Alain Behr, rejette fermement cette entourloupe. Puis, l'avocat, se met à aiguillonner l'accusé : « On a l'impression que vous avez peur du débat, que vous vous sentez plus faible que Monique Olivier, peut-être parce qu'elle est, d'après les psychologues, plus intelligente que vous. Pourquoi ce sentiment d'infériorité ? » Michel Fourniret, pas si sot : « Je rends honneur (sic) à votre art consommé de l'asticotage, Me Behr. Si j'étais avocat, j'envierais vos qualités »."

In the context of an oral and adversarial procedure, the recourse to confidential writings is, naturally, irrelevant. The Laville family, through the voice of Me Alain Behr, firmly rejects this nasty trick. Then the lawyer starts to goad the accused: "I have the impression that you are afraid of debate, that you feel yourself to be more feeble than Monique Olivier, perhaps because she is, according to the psychologists, more intelligent than you. Why this feeling of inferiority?" Michel Fourniret, not so follish: "I honour your consummate art of bugging, Me Behr. If I were a lawyer, I would be envy your qaulities.

"L'avocat général prend le relais. Car mine de rien, Michel Fourniret s'enivre vite de sa propre parole : peut-être le temps est-il venu de l'attirer sur le terrain du dossier. Francis Nachbar pointe, pour commencer, une « erreur grossière » de chronologie dans un procès-verbal, destinée, selon lui, à épargner Monique Olivier en la présentant comme une « spectatrice passive et impuissante ». Mais sur ce point, l'accusé botte en touche : « Je n'ai pas le privilège des erreurs grossières. Je connais un procureur assez redondant en la matière »."

The Attorney General takes over. For no reason, Michel Fourniret quickly becomes drunk on his own words: perhaps the time has come to draw him into the terrain of the case. Francis Nachbar points out, to start with, a, "gross error," in chronology in the verbal process, intended to, according to him, to spare Monique Olivier, by presenting her as a, "passive and powerless spectator." But on this point, the accused kicks into touch: "I don't have the privilege of gross errors. I know of a prosecutor rather redundant in the matter."

"Le magistrat relève à peine l'impertinence et enchaîne : « Lorsque vous avez porté le corps inanimé d'Isabelle, avez-vous ressenti une sensation physique ? » -l'accusé l'avait admis face aux policiers.

Michel Fourniret : « Disons que je ne répondrai pas dans le cadre du procès d'aujourd'hui. Mais, dans un sens général, il s'agit là d'une interprétation. L'érection est un phénomène qui a lieu dans des circonstances particulières, une réaction physiologique par rapport à un stimulus psychologique. Il peut y avoir d'autres stimuli. On peut ressentir une émotion face à une personne vulnérable »."

The magistrate recovers from the impertinence and goes on: "When you carried Isabelle's lifeless body, did you feel a physical sensation?" The accused had admitted this to the police officers.

Michel Fourniret: "Let's say that I will not reply in the context of the trial today. But, in a general sense, that is an interpretation. The erection is a phenomenon which takes place in particular circumstances, a physiological reaction brought about by a psychological stimulus. There may be other stimuli. We can feel an emotion facing a vulnerable person."

"L'avocat général : « Avez-vous eu une érection en transportant la jeune fille ? » L'accusé : « J'aimerais pouvoir vous répondre oui ou non. On pourrait y revenir plus en détail dans le cadre d'un huis clos... Mais non : c'est grotesque de supposer une telle chose ».

Et voilà : sans s'en rendre compte, Michel Fourniret a, pour la première fois, répondu à une question. Peu importe qu'il ait menti : il en a le droit."

The Attorney General: "Have you had an erection carrying the young girl?" The accused: "I would love to be able to answer you yes or no. We could come back to this in more detail in the context of preceedings in camera....But no: it is grotesque to suppose such a thing."

And there: without realising it, Michel Fourniret has, for the first time, responded to a question. No matter that he lied: he has the right.

"Multiplication des déclarations provocatrices*

"Je me propose de répondre en différé aux questions que vous me posez", a-t-il déclaré à l'adresse de Me Didier Seban, un avocat des parties civiles qui l'interrogeait sur l'enlèvement, le viol et le meurtre d'Isabelle Laville en 1987, le premier des sept homicides qui lui sont reprochés.

"Il a peur de se tromper, de dire des choses qu'il n'a jamais dites", a estimé Me Seban devant des journalistes."

Multiplication of provocative statements.

"I propose to answer in writing to questions which you put to me," he declared when addressed by Me Didier Seban, a lawyer for the civil groups, who was questioning him about the abduction, the rape and the murder of Isabelle Laville in 1987, the first of seven murders for which he is charged.

"He is afraid of making mistakes, of saying things which he has never told." Me Seban guessed at in front of the journalists.

"Dans l'après-midi, la famille d'Isabelle Laville a fait savoir par son avocat qu'elle refusait la proposition.

"Pour nous il n'est pas question d'avoir des petits mots qui ne passeraient pas par le président (de la cour) et qui ne seraient pas connus, c'est-à-dire lus dans ce tribunal" a aussi déclaré Jean-Pierre Laville, le père d'Isabelle, à la sortie de l'audience.

Mercredi, M. Laville avait vivement interpellé l'accusé en l'exhortant d'avoir le "courage" de parler. Celui-ci n'avait accepté de répondre que pour réitérer son exigence de huis clos."

In the afternoon, Isabelle Laville's family made known through their lawyer that they refused the proposition.

"For us, it is not a question of having quiet words which will not go past the president (of the court) and which will not be known, that is to say, read in the courtroom," stated Jean-Pierre Laville, Isabelle's father, at the end of the hearing.
On Wednesday, M Laville had strongly questioned the accused, while urging him to have the, "courage," to speak. The other had only agreed to respond to reiterate his demand for the proceedings to be held in camera.

"Jeudi, il a encore multiplié les déclarations provocatrices pour justifier son mutisme.

"Je détiens peut-être une forme de réponse, mais vague, pas assez précise et cohérente pour vous la présenter", a-t-il lancé au président Gilles Latapie qui lui demandait les raisons qui le poussaient à se décrire dans certains de ces courriers comme un "monstre".

Désemparé devant son obstination, M. Latapie a finalement rendu les armes: "Eteignez le micro pour ne pas faire de dépenses inutiles".

On Thursday he increased again his provocative statements to justify his silence.

"Perhaps I have some kind of response, but vague, not not precise and coherent enough to present it to you," he launched at president Gilles Latapie who was asking him the reasons which had pushed him to describe himself in certain of his letters as a, "monster."

Lost in the face of his obstinacy, M Latapie fianlly gave up: "Turn off the micrphone to save unnecessary expenses.

"Dès l'ouverture du procès le 27 mars, Michel Fourniret avait brandi un écriteau "Sans huis clos, bouche cousue".

De son côté, Monique Olivier, accusée d'être la coauteur de l'enlèvement et du viol d'Isabelle Laville, a continué de participer aux débats tout en restant évasive et contradictoire, comme lors de son interrogatoire sur l'administration de médicaments à la victime présumée.

"Je ne sais plus si c'est moi qui ait donné (les médicaments). J'en ai donné plusieurs sans doute (...) C'est possible que cela ne soit pas moi", a-t-elle marmonné.

Deux experts en toxicologie ont confirmé à la barre la présence dans le corps d'Isabelle, qui n'avait été retrouvé qu'en 2006 au fond d'un puits, de "Rohypnol", un puissant sédatif provoquant une baisse importante de la vigilance."

From the start of the trial on March 27th, Michel Fourniret had brandished a written sign, "Proceedings not in camera, mouth sealed."

For her part, Monique Olivier, accused of being the co-perpetrator of the abduction and rape of isabelle Laville, has contimued to participate in the debates, while remaining evasive and contradictory, as in her interrogations on the administration of medication to the alleged victim.

"I do not know any more it it is me who had given (the medication) I gave lots of it, without doubt (....) It is possible that it was not me," she mumbled.

Two toxicology experts confirmed in the witness box to the presence in Isabelle's body, which had only been found in 2006, at the foot of a well, of, "Rohypnol," a powerful sedative provoking a significant lowering of awareness.

"Par ailleurs, le parquet général de Reims a annoncé le retrait de l'accréditation de l'hebdomadaire Paris-Match au procès à la suite de la publication d'une photo montrant le tueur en série présumé dans le box des accusés.

Francis Nachbar, l'avocat général au procès des époux Fourniret, également procureur à Charleville-Mézières, a promis l'ouverture d'une enquête.

Michel Fourniret, qui ne veut pas "s'exhiber devant un théâtre", avait refusé à l'ouverture du procès de s'exposer aux prises de vue des photographes et cameramen, à l'inverse de Monique Olivier.

Le procès doit reprendre lundi à 10H00 avec l'examen pour deux jours du meurtre de Fabienne Leroy, tuée d'une balle en pleine poitrine en août 1988 dans la Marne."

Elsewhere, the prosecutor general of Reims announced the withdrawal of accreditation from the weekly Paris-Match to the trial following the publication of a photo showing the alleged serial killer in the dock.

Francis Nachbar, the Attorney General to the trial of the Fourniret couple, also prosecutor at Charleville-Mézières, promised to open an investigation.

Michel Fourniret, who does not want to, "exhibit himself in a theatre," had refused, at the opening of the trial, to expose himself to the the photographers and cameramen, the opposite of Monique Olivier.

The trial will resume on Monday at 10.00 with the examination for two days of the murder of Fabienne Leroy, killed by a bullet to the chest in August 1988 in la Marne.