The PuppetMcMasters are sick of seedy ugly little paedos in their McMedia show and have now set their sights on glamourous millionaires, once more, having been deserted by most of them for some strange reason in September 2007. But I think they have a strange way of enlisting, ahem, support. Meanwhile as one can see, Kate and Gerry continue to dream of the Great Barrier Reef and some fantastic yacht..ah unrequited dreams, how sad. Kate is also wondering whether just the botox really cuts it.. JUSTICE FOR MADDIE XXAugust 16, 2009
Maddie: the failures of the private detectives - IOL Portugal Diário
British press doesn’t forgive the lost lead of Barcelona
The private detectives that were hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to try to find the little girl that disappeared in Praia da Luz in May 2007 are under huge pressure from the British press, that doesn’t forgive them the failures while investigating a lead.
That lead was related to an Australian woman, “a Victoria Beckham look-alike”, that British tourists spotted in agitation at the Marina of the Olympic Port in Barcelona, waiting for a child, three days after Maddie disappeared.
The head of the private investigation, David Edgar, even presented a photofit and revealed that, in Australia, a woman had told the police that she knows the woman that was seen in Barcelona. Nevertheless, the lead led to nothing.
The Mail on Sunday doesn’t forgive the detectives and lists their failures: “They didn’t speak to anyone who works at the restaurant near the spot where the woman was seen. They didn’t speak to the port authorities about the boats’ arrivals and departures. They didn’t speak to anyone who was at the bar where the woman was seen, later, having a drink.”
The list continues, with the British press recalling that, if it wasn’t for the journalists, the investigators wouldn’t have heard about the arrival of a luxury yacht shortly after Madeleine’s disappearance, and that there was no contact with the British diplomats in Spain, or with the authorities in Barcelona.
“We are not above criticism and I take responsibility for any shortcomings”, said David Edgar.
source: IOL Portugal Diário, 16.08.2009
+/-
+/-
by Joana Morais
Read more: http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/#ixzz0Oe3c1CCs
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
So why did Madeleine McCann detectives ask so few questions after major breakthrough?
By Tom Worden, Martin Delgado and Andrew Chapman
Last updated at 1:25 AM on 16th August 2009
Comments (69) Add to My Stories Missing: Madeleine McCann vanished in May 2007
Private detectives leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann faced questions last night after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed apparent shortcomings in chasing a ‘strong lead’.
The detectives failed to make even rudimentary inquiries before announcing a ‘significant’ development in the worldwide search for the six-year-old.
At a Press conference in London, lead investigator David Edgar appealed for help in finding a ‘bit of a Victoria Beckham lookalike’ whom a British tourist saw looking agitated outside a dockside restaurant in Barcelona three days after Madeleine disappeared.
Retired Cheshire Detective Inspector Mr Edgar said it was possible that Madeleine had been smuggled into the Spanish port by yacht from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, where she vanished on May 3, 2007.
The agitated woman, thought to be Australian, made a remark to the tourist which suggested she was waiting for the arrival of a child.
Mr Edgar, 52, told the 50 journalists from several countries: ‘It’s a strong lead. Madeleine could have been in Barcelona by this point. The fact the conversation took place near the marina could be significant.’
As a result of his appeal for information and the issuing of an e-fit image of the woman, the search switched to Australia, where a woman in Sydney made a statement to police claiming to know the identity of the mystery female seen in Barcelona, although this apparently came to nothing.
More...McCanns to sue over leaflet distributed in their OWN VILLAGE blaming them for Madeleine's disappearance
The Mail on Sunday, however, has established that members of Mr Edgar’s team who had visited Barcelona:
Failed to speak to anyone working at the seafood restaurant near where the agitated woman was seen at 2am.
Failed to ask the port authority about movement of boats around the time Madeleine disappeared.
Failed to ask if the mystery woman had been filmed on CCTV.
Knew nothing about the arrival of an Australian luxury yacht just after Madeleine vanished until told by British journalists, who gave them the captain’s mobile phone number.
Failed to interview anyone at a nearby dockside bar where, according to Mr Edgar, the mystery woman was later seen drinking.
Failed to ask British diplomats in Spain for advice before or during the visit.
Also, Spanish police could not confirm that they had been contacted by the British investigators.
Last night Mr Edgar said: ‘We are not above criticism and I take responsibility for any shortcomings. If somebody has not done what they should have done, that’s my job to deal with that.’
Conversation: The bar belonging to Jose Luiz Lopez where the key conversation between a tourist and an Australian woman allegedly took place
He was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann after Portuguese authorities shelved their investigation last year.
According to the Find Madeleine Fund website, ‘the majority of the fund money has been and continues to be spent on investigative work to help to find Madeleine’.
The McCanns, doctors living in Rothley, Leicestershire, originally hired Barcelona-based detective agency Metodo 3 to look for Madeleine in 2007 as they were convinced that Portuguese police had given up the search.
Metodo 3 reportedly charged £50,000-a-month and its director, Francisco Marco, was criticised after making a series of boasts about his team’s ability to find Madeleine.
In December 2007, he caused a sensation by claiming he knew who had kidnapped her and hoped to have her home by Christmas.
Metodo 3’s six-month contract ran out in January 2008, although it has continued to help with the search.
The Mail on Sunday’s inquiry by a Spanish-speaking reporter in Barcelona last week has exposed worrying gaps in the British detectives’ strategy, including failure to question several people who might have vital information.
Appeal: Clarence Mitchell, left, and David Edgar with their e-fit of the 'Victoria Beckham lookalike'
Jose Luis Lopez, owner of the El Rey de la Gamba restaurant where the
mystery woman was seen, said: ‘The private detectives did not make any enquiries at my restaurant.
‘I am almost always here when the restaurant is open and my staff would have informed me if anyone had approached them about such an important matter. You are the first person to ask about this Australian woman.’
The manager of the bar next door, Kennedy’s Irish Sailing Club, where the woman was later seen drinking, said: ‘You are the first person to ask about this Australian woman or the Madeleine case. If someone came into the bar asking questions about Madeleine, I would hear about it very quickly.’
Barcelona port director Joan Guitart said: ‘Nobody has been here asking questions about Madeleine or this Australian woman. This is the first I have heard about any possible link to the port. We would be happy to help the investigation in any way possible.’
Riddle: Was Madeleine taken to Barcelona marina?
A senior port authority worker added: ‘There are several security cameras monitoring the port but we have not been approached about footage from the night in question.
‘The footage is not available, as it was over two years ago that this conversation is said to have taken place. But I would have expected anyone carrying out the investigation to at least have asked about it.’
A source at the British Embassy in Madrid said: ‘The detectives did not inform us or the consulate in Barcelona that they were coming to Spain, nor request any assistance in their investigation.’
Jewellery designer Hannah Tait, 35, from London, who lives on a 34ft yacht yards from El Rey de la Gamba, said: ‘This place is like a small village so news travels very fast.
Nobody has been here asking about Madeleine or the Australian woman.
‘The first I heard was when I read about this on the internet. If someone had been investigating something so important here in the port, I would have heard about it.’
A Barcelona-based private detective with more than 20 years’ experience of missing persons cases said: ‘I cannot understand why the Madeleine detectives would have released this story and e-fit to the public without first making their own investigation in the port.
‘It beggars belief that they did not even speak to the owner of the restaurant or the port authorities.’
Identified: The Mail on Sunday discovered Rhonda Wyllie's yacht Willpower was in the marina at the vital time in 2007
One of the most significant pieces of information about a possible Barcelona connection to Madeleine’s disappearance was uncovered by British journalists.
Later, The Mail on Sunday gained access to port records for the key dates of May 6 and 7, 2007.
They revealed that nine boats arrived in the marina in the 48-hour period, only one of which was unfamiliar to harbour authorities.
It was the £6million Sunseeker powerboat Willpower, owned by the Australian multi-millionairess Rhonda Wyllie.
When the then captain of the boat was eventually found, he said he had not been approached by any British detectives.
Although he has since been contacted by Mr Edgar’s team, the investigators are in the embarrassing position of having to explain why it was left to reporters to discover the boat’s presence in Barcelona and trace its former captain.
There is no suggestion that Mrs Wyllie, widow of property tycoon Bill Wyllie, is connected in any way with Madeleine’s disappearance.
The Barcelona stage of the inquiry was led by Mr Edgar’s assistant, former Merseyside Detective Sergeant Arthur Cowley, and an interpreter.
Mr Cowley, 57, is sole director of Alpha Investigation Group, based in Flintshire, North Wales.
He declined to discuss the details of his visit to Barcelona.
Asked last night why Mr Cowley and his colleague had not spoken to the port authorities, Mr Edgar said: ‘My instructions were that they couldn’t get through security at the marina at the time. I’ve got to take that at face value. We are a small team. We are dealing with finite resources and will have to manage with that.’
He said Mr Cowley’s company had no connection with the Madeleine investigation. ‘I am employed by the McCann family and I pick my staff,’ he added.
Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday flat while her parents dined with friends in a nearby restaurant.
Last night the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: ‘The private investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance is being conducted entirely professionally and thoroughly under the direction of Dave Edgar.
In the dark: Jose Luiz Lopez, the bar owner who was not spoken to by private detectives
‘Upon receipt of the new witness information, two members of the investigative team travelled to Barcelona to conduct preliminary inquiries during a brief initial visit.
‘This included identifying the exact marina where the witness had been and all relevant locations within it. At that stage, the precise bar involved had not been identified by the witness. Nevertheless, inquiries were conducted at a number of bars, with staff members being interviewed.
‘However, not all of the bars were open during the investigators’ visit. Because of the transient nature of bar work, it was also found that many of the workers who were spoken to were not present at the marina in May 2007.
'Other relevant personnel in the area were also interviewed, although we will not
discuss the detail of who was spoken to for operational reasons.
‘The information, once gathered, including photographs, was brought back to the UK for witness confirmation. Both British and Portuguese police were kept fully informed of the investigators’ visit to Spain.
‘The news conference was then held for the simple reason that public assistance was needed once the e-fit had been drawn up from the witness account. The public appeal does not preclude further enquiries being conducted in Barcelona as appropriate.’
He declined to say how much the private detectives were being paid, adding: ‘We will not discuss contractual matters concerning the investigation costs nor the investigator remuneration.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206842/Why-did-Madeleine-McCann-detectives-ask-questions.html#ixzz0Oe4bh8R8
McCanns to sue over leaflet distributed in their OWN VILLAGE blaming them for Madeleine's disappearance
By Tamara CohenLast updated at 5:30 PM on 15th August 2009
Comments (80)
Add to My Stories
Hate campaign: A leaflet blames Madeleine McCann's parents for her disappearance
The parents of Madeleine McCann were last night said to be devastated by a hate campaign suggesting they were responsible for their daughter’s disappearance.
A leaflet entitled ‘Ten reasons to suggest that Madeleine McCann was not abducted’ was distributed to 10,000 residents of the village where they live and the surrounding area.
A source told MailOnline the couple intend to pursue legal action and may even bring in the police.
It was even sent to residents of the street in Rothley, Leicestershire, where Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors, live with their four-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.
The leaflet was not delivered to the McCanns’ home.
The Madeleine Foundation, which distributed the leaflet, was set up by former lawyer Tony Bennett, 60, who has previously tried and failed to bring a private prosecution against the couple for child neglect.
He and his supporters have produced a 64-page anti-McCann book entitled ‘What really happened to Madeleine McCann? Sixty reasons to suggest that she was not abducted’.
Like the leaflet, it is emblazoned with a picture of the missing girl, who was aged three when she disappeared from her parents’ holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007.
The leaflet says her parents’ version of events on the night she disappeared is a ‘sheer impossibility’. It suggests it is more likely that Madeleine died in the apartment and that they covered up her death.
Enlarge
Devastated: Kate and Gerry McCann are aid to be considering legal action over the Madeleine Foundation leaflet campaign
Residents of Rothley last night expressed outrage at the leaflet, an extract of the book, which calls for the case to be reopened.
One resident, Patricia Ball, said: ‘It sent a shiver down my spine. I did not like it at all, it had a nasty feel about it.
More...
Millionaire mother and daughter 'unable to help' with hunt for Madeleine McCann
‘There is still a candle on the green, so every time you go into the centre of Rothley, you pass the candle and it always reminds you of Madeleine.’
A copy of the original book was sent to the McCanns’ home several months ago, causing them great upset.
A family friend said the couple were were ‘devastated’ by the campaign and may sue for libel.
Their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: ‘We do not wish to dignify the actions of the so-called Madeleine Foundation with any response. We do feel it is important, however, to make the general public aware that the foundation has no connection whatsoever with our family or those helping us find Madeleine or any law enforcement agencies.
‘We strongly believe the actions of this organisation do not have Madeleine’s best interests at heart. If anything, it is hampering our efforts to find Madeleine and achieve justice on her behalf.’
Last year, the McCanns expressed anger at the foundation, which they described as a fee-paying club dedicated to blaming them for Madeleine’s disappearance – members pay £10 to join.
Mr Bennett’s attempt to bring a private prosecution against the couple two years ago was thrown out by Leicester magistrates on the grounds that they had no jurisdiction over the case because she disappeared abroad.
Mr Bennett said at the time: ‘We are a group of people who want to get to the truth of what happened to Madeleine.’
Maddie: the failures of the private detectives - IOL Portugal Diário
British press doesn’t forgive the lost lead of Barcelona
The private detectives that were hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to try to find the little girl that disappeared in Praia da Luz in May 2007 are under huge pressure from the British press, that doesn’t forgive them the failures while investigating a lead.
That lead was related to an Australian woman, “a Victoria Beckham look-alike”, that British tourists spotted in agitation at the Marina of the Olympic Port in Barcelona, waiting for a child, three days after Maddie disappeared.
The head of the private investigation, David Edgar, even presented a photofit and revealed that, in Australia, a woman had told the police that she knows the woman that was seen in Barcelona. Nevertheless, the lead led to nothing.
The Mail on Sunday doesn’t forgive the detectives and lists their failures: “They didn’t speak to anyone who works at the restaurant near the spot where the woman was seen. They didn’t speak to the port authorities about the boats’ arrivals and departures. They didn’t speak to anyone who was at the bar where the woman was seen, later, having a drink.”
The list continues, with the British press recalling that, if it wasn’t for the journalists, the investigators wouldn’t have heard about the arrival of a luxury yacht shortly after Madeleine’s disappearance, and that there was no contact with the British diplomats in Spain, or with the authorities in Barcelona.
“We are not above criticism and I take responsibility for any shortcomings”, said David Edgar.
source: IOL Portugal Diário, 16.08.2009
+/-
+/-
by Joana Morais
Read more: http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/#ixzz0Oe3c1CCs
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
So why did Madeleine McCann detectives ask so few questions after major breakthrough?
By Tom Worden, Martin Delgado and Andrew Chapman
Last updated at 1:25 AM on 16th August 2009
Comments (69) Add to My Stories Missing: Madeleine McCann vanished in May 2007
Private detectives leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann faced questions last night after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed apparent shortcomings in chasing a ‘strong lead’.
The detectives failed to make even rudimentary inquiries before announcing a ‘significant’ development in the worldwide search for the six-year-old.
At a Press conference in London, lead investigator David Edgar appealed for help in finding a ‘bit of a Victoria Beckham lookalike’ whom a British tourist saw looking agitated outside a dockside restaurant in Barcelona three days after Madeleine disappeared.
Retired Cheshire Detective Inspector Mr Edgar said it was possible that Madeleine had been smuggled into the Spanish port by yacht from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, where she vanished on May 3, 2007.
The agitated woman, thought to be Australian, made a remark to the tourist which suggested she was waiting for the arrival of a child.
Mr Edgar, 52, told the 50 journalists from several countries: ‘It’s a strong lead. Madeleine could have been in Barcelona by this point. The fact the conversation took place near the marina could be significant.’
As a result of his appeal for information and the issuing of an e-fit image of the woman, the search switched to Australia, where a woman in Sydney made a statement to police claiming to know the identity of the mystery female seen in Barcelona, although this apparently came to nothing.
More...McCanns to sue over leaflet distributed in their OWN VILLAGE blaming them for Madeleine's disappearance
The Mail on Sunday, however, has established that members of Mr Edgar’s team who had visited Barcelona:
Failed to speak to anyone working at the seafood restaurant near where the agitated woman was seen at 2am.
Failed to ask the port authority about movement of boats around the time Madeleine disappeared.
Failed to ask if the mystery woman had been filmed on CCTV.
Knew nothing about the arrival of an Australian luxury yacht just after Madeleine vanished until told by British journalists, who gave them the captain’s mobile phone number.
Failed to interview anyone at a nearby dockside bar where, according to Mr Edgar, the mystery woman was later seen drinking.
Failed to ask British diplomats in Spain for advice before or during the visit.
Also, Spanish police could not confirm that they had been contacted by the British investigators.
Last night Mr Edgar said: ‘We are not above criticism and I take responsibility for any shortcomings. If somebody has not done what they should have done, that’s my job to deal with that.’
Conversation: The bar belonging to Jose Luiz Lopez where the key conversation between a tourist and an Australian woman allegedly took place
He was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann after Portuguese authorities shelved their investigation last year.
According to the Find Madeleine Fund website, ‘the majority of the fund money has been and continues to be spent on investigative work to help to find Madeleine’.
The McCanns, doctors living in Rothley, Leicestershire, originally hired Barcelona-based detective agency Metodo 3 to look for Madeleine in 2007 as they were convinced that Portuguese police had given up the search.
Metodo 3 reportedly charged £50,000-a-month and its director, Francisco Marco, was criticised after making a series of boasts about his team’s ability to find Madeleine.
In December 2007, he caused a sensation by claiming he knew who had kidnapped her and hoped to have her home by Christmas.
Metodo 3’s six-month contract ran out in January 2008, although it has continued to help with the search.
The Mail on Sunday’s inquiry by a Spanish-speaking reporter in Barcelona last week has exposed worrying gaps in the British detectives’ strategy, including failure to question several people who might have vital information.
Appeal: Clarence Mitchell, left, and David Edgar with their e-fit of the 'Victoria Beckham lookalike'
Jose Luis Lopez, owner of the El Rey de la Gamba restaurant where the
mystery woman was seen, said: ‘The private detectives did not make any enquiries at my restaurant.
‘I am almost always here when the restaurant is open and my staff would have informed me if anyone had approached them about such an important matter. You are the first person to ask about this Australian woman.’
The manager of the bar next door, Kennedy’s Irish Sailing Club, where the woman was later seen drinking, said: ‘You are the first person to ask about this Australian woman or the Madeleine case. If someone came into the bar asking questions about Madeleine, I would hear about it very quickly.’
Barcelona port director Joan Guitart said: ‘Nobody has been here asking questions about Madeleine or this Australian woman. This is the first I have heard about any possible link to the port. We would be happy to help the investigation in any way possible.’
Riddle: Was Madeleine taken to Barcelona marina?
A senior port authority worker added: ‘There are several security cameras monitoring the port but we have not been approached about footage from the night in question.
‘The footage is not available, as it was over two years ago that this conversation is said to have taken place. But I would have expected anyone carrying out the investigation to at least have asked about it.’
A source at the British Embassy in Madrid said: ‘The detectives did not inform us or the consulate in Barcelona that they were coming to Spain, nor request any assistance in their investigation.’
Jewellery designer Hannah Tait, 35, from London, who lives on a 34ft yacht yards from El Rey de la Gamba, said: ‘This place is like a small village so news travels very fast.
Nobody has been here asking about Madeleine or the Australian woman.
‘The first I heard was when I read about this on the internet. If someone had been investigating something so important here in the port, I would have heard about it.’
A Barcelona-based private detective with more than 20 years’ experience of missing persons cases said: ‘I cannot understand why the Madeleine detectives would have released this story and e-fit to the public without first making their own investigation in the port.
‘It beggars belief that they did not even speak to the owner of the restaurant or the port authorities.’
Identified: The Mail on Sunday discovered Rhonda Wyllie's yacht Willpower was in the marina at the vital time in 2007
One of the most significant pieces of information about a possible Barcelona connection to Madeleine’s disappearance was uncovered by British journalists.
Later, The Mail on Sunday gained access to port records for the key dates of May 6 and 7, 2007.
They revealed that nine boats arrived in the marina in the 48-hour period, only one of which was unfamiliar to harbour authorities.
It was the £6million Sunseeker powerboat Willpower, owned by the Australian multi-millionairess Rhonda Wyllie.
When the then captain of the boat was eventually found, he said he had not been approached by any British detectives.
Although he has since been contacted by Mr Edgar’s team, the investigators are in the embarrassing position of having to explain why it was left to reporters to discover the boat’s presence in Barcelona and trace its former captain.
There is no suggestion that Mrs Wyllie, widow of property tycoon Bill Wyllie, is connected in any way with Madeleine’s disappearance.
The Barcelona stage of the inquiry was led by Mr Edgar’s assistant, former Merseyside Detective Sergeant Arthur Cowley, and an interpreter.
Mr Cowley, 57, is sole director of Alpha Investigation Group, based in Flintshire, North Wales.
He declined to discuss the details of his visit to Barcelona.
Asked last night why Mr Cowley and his colleague had not spoken to the port authorities, Mr Edgar said: ‘My instructions were that they couldn’t get through security at the marina at the time. I’ve got to take that at face value. We are a small team. We are dealing with finite resources and will have to manage with that.’
He said Mr Cowley’s company had no connection with the Madeleine investigation. ‘I am employed by the McCann family and I pick my staff,’ he added.
Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday flat while her parents dined with friends in a nearby restaurant.
Last night the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: ‘The private investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance is being conducted entirely professionally and thoroughly under the direction of Dave Edgar.
In the dark: Jose Luiz Lopez, the bar owner who was not spoken to by private detectives
‘Upon receipt of the new witness information, two members of the investigative team travelled to Barcelona to conduct preliminary inquiries during a brief initial visit.
‘This included identifying the exact marina where the witness had been and all relevant locations within it. At that stage, the precise bar involved had not been identified by the witness. Nevertheless, inquiries were conducted at a number of bars, with staff members being interviewed.
‘However, not all of the bars were open during the investigators’ visit. Because of the transient nature of bar work, it was also found that many of the workers who were spoken to were not present at the marina in May 2007.
'Other relevant personnel in the area were also interviewed, although we will not
discuss the detail of who was spoken to for operational reasons.
‘The information, once gathered, including photographs, was brought back to the UK for witness confirmation. Both British and Portuguese police were kept fully informed of the investigators’ visit to Spain.
‘The news conference was then held for the simple reason that public assistance was needed once the e-fit had been drawn up from the witness account. The public appeal does not preclude further enquiries being conducted in Barcelona as appropriate.’
He declined to say how much the private detectives were being paid, adding: ‘We will not discuss contractual matters concerning the investigation costs nor the investigator remuneration.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206842/Why-did-Madeleine-McCann-detectives-ask-questions.html#ixzz0Oe4bh8R8
McCanns to sue over leaflet distributed in their OWN VILLAGE blaming them for Madeleine's disappearance
By Tamara CohenLast updated at 5:30 PM on 15th August 2009
Comments (80)
Add to My Stories
Hate campaign: A leaflet blames Madeleine McCann's parents for her disappearance
The parents of Madeleine McCann were last night said to be devastated by a hate campaign suggesting they were responsible for their daughter’s disappearance.
A leaflet entitled ‘Ten reasons to suggest that Madeleine McCann was not abducted’ was distributed to 10,000 residents of the village where they live and the surrounding area.
A source told MailOnline the couple intend to pursue legal action and may even bring in the police.
It was even sent to residents of the street in Rothley, Leicestershire, where Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors, live with their four-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.
The leaflet was not delivered to the McCanns’ home.
The Madeleine Foundation, which distributed the leaflet, was set up by former lawyer Tony Bennett, 60, who has previously tried and failed to bring a private prosecution against the couple for child neglect.
He and his supporters have produced a 64-page anti-McCann book entitled ‘What really happened to Madeleine McCann? Sixty reasons to suggest that she was not abducted’.
Like the leaflet, it is emblazoned with a picture of the missing girl, who was aged three when she disappeared from her parents’ holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007.
The leaflet says her parents’ version of events on the night she disappeared is a ‘sheer impossibility’. It suggests it is more likely that Madeleine died in the apartment and that they covered up her death.
Enlarge
Devastated: Kate and Gerry McCann are aid to be considering legal action over the Madeleine Foundation leaflet campaign
Residents of Rothley last night expressed outrage at the leaflet, an extract of the book, which calls for the case to be reopened.
One resident, Patricia Ball, said: ‘It sent a shiver down my spine. I did not like it at all, it had a nasty feel about it.
More...
Millionaire mother and daughter 'unable to help' with hunt for Madeleine McCann
‘There is still a candle on the green, so every time you go into the centre of Rothley, you pass the candle and it always reminds you of Madeleine.’
A copy of the original book was sent to the McCanns’ home several months ago, causing them great upset.
A family friend said the couple were were ‘devastated’ by the campaign and may sue for libel.
Their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: ‘We do not wish to dignify the actions of the so-called Madeleine Foundation with any response. We do feel it is important, however, to make the general public aware that the foundation has no connection whatsoever with our family or those helping us find Madeleine or any law enforcement agencies.
‘We strongly believe the actions of this organisation do not have Madeleine’s best interests at heart. If anything, it is hampering our efforts to find Madeleine and achieve justice on her behalf.’
Last year, the McCanns expressed anger at the foundation, which they described as a fee-paying club dedicated to blaming them for Madeleine’s disappearance – members pay £10 to join.
Mr Bennett’s attempt to bring a private prosecution against the couple two years ago was thrown out by Leicester magistrates on the grounds that they had no jurisdiction over the case because she disappeared abroad.
Mr Bennett said at the time: ‘We are a group of people who want to get to the truth of what happened to Madeleine.’
58 comments:
Just went to have a look at 3As and it is closed down at the mo!
"Due to unresolved issues the forum is disabled until contact is made with Beowulf"
Weird!
Hi Viv
I wonder what is going on?
I can think of a few people who will be happy bunnies today.
Morning Viv
Cant believe (well I can) the McCann's have been let down in such an apaling way.
Imagine your child is missing and kind hearted people donate money to a fund to find her there is not much left and then you find out for the second time that all the money you have used has been wasted.
They must be devestated that the detectives never detected at all. Who follows such a strong lead (all be it too years too late) and does not even bother to speak to people who may well have been there on that night and a newspaper has to give you the phone number of the ships captain???
I think it is high time the Madeliene Fund was controled by an independant body they can go back through the books find out where the money has been spent and advise poor Kate and Gerry where they have gone so terribly wrong.
Paying directors is not required so many people would do it for free so there is a big saving.
They dont need any fancy lawyers as they will not help Madeleine at all they would obtain free legal and marketing advice from people who want to help find Madeleine and as for the web site I am sure if they get the right people it can be hosted free and updated for nothing.
Clarance is no longer needed (was he ever?) as they are more than capable of speaking for themselves Gerry especialy likes to have his say about the scum who walked in through an open door and walked out through a tiny half opening window with a longer drop the other side.
No I think with the right people behind them the fund will only get bigger and money will come pouring in again to help find Madeleine.
Kate and Gerry can help I do think if Kate answered those 48 questions for the child she say's was taken by a peadophie ring people may not think she is an evil woman for not giving her daughter a chance as one of those questions could be the key for real detectives to bring her home (a bit like not searching for her the first night as it was too dark a 3 year old alone in the dark breaks my heart poor thing would have been terified)...
And perhaps Gerry could blog about his little girl and what she means to him instead of switching her out of their lives and talking about the family they have now jogging and just how hard they are working.
Shame about all the pictures of them on Madeleines 4th Birthday 9 days after they said she was in the pits of hell I dont think anyone who has seen them even if they think the McCann's are 100% innocent must find them distrubing.
Anyhow turn the fund over to people who know how to run things on a shoe string and how to raise funds for free...
Fire the detectives they have done a terrible job and ask the PJ to re open the case starting a petition to ask our police to start investigating not being funny but you must feel very let down that you even had to pay for detectives in the first place.
If my child were missing I would tell the world how no one is helping me until they were shamed into asking for the case to be re started.
Maybe this needs to go back to day one and everyone re questioned again (I think a swoop one morning when no one is expecting it) all 9 of you taken away and questioned at the same time there is no way I would trust my friends if they would not even do a reconstruction.
Dont worry Gerry and Kate people will not forget Madeleine and one day I am sure you will know what happend to her. I know that is all you must want.
Morning DI x
Viv I have lost my Bin (how careless) I wanted to correct my mistake too years too late) of course I ment two years too late!!!
xxx
Hiya Di,
And it is still down, so yes, I can imagine those seriously into dreams and visions, jumping up and down on their broomsticks with delight as they swoop into the coven to see what Rosie is telling them to say next, perhaps having consulted Correia first:-))
It is obviously not a McCann hit though because Tony Bennett is still in action. But there is some heavy weight criticism of the damage he has done to 3 As being voiced on Bren's blog, some demanding to know why she did not stop him!
I have know the site go down before, no doubt it will be back up soon. Maybe it just needs a good spring clean:-))
xx
A fine rhetorical piece Hope xxx
Do not worry about the spelling, it is the content that counts.
Do not worry about the bins either, I can see them all and keep unwanted persons out:-))
But it is strange what the cat dragged in!
Things are fired up and I am not sure what I mean other than saying that:-))
It is such a shame JJP has felt it necessary to walk away as well, great poster who you will recall I quoted on the last thread. However, I walked away too and can entirely understand, the forum got hijacked by a publicity seeker who brings shame upon anyone who genuinely wants to know the truth about what happened to little Maddie. It is right to keep an open mind, whilst at the same time, accepting the police were most certainly not wasting their time thoroughly investigating Kate and Gerry McCann, their friends too, only they can unravel the mystery and that is something they are not prepared to do, no, not even for little Madeleine:
Thursday, 20 August 2009
The3Arguidos Forum - Message from JJP
The current situation with 3As is as follows:
Co-admin, jjp, has resigned from the forum because he was unable to agree with the direction it was taking and for personal health reasons.
Currently, Photon, the other co-admin is on holiday.
Currently, Beowulf is, for personal reasons, able to manage only the technical side of the forum and not the day-to-day issues.
One global moderator has resigned from the forum completely due to the issues and a number of others have asked for their accounts to be de-activated till the problems are resolved. These others will re-consider their positions when the issues are resolved.
No other, available moderator felt able to take on the considerable burden of administration of the forum.
Though no representation has been made with regard to the Bennett/Butler campaign and its potential legal implications for the 3As forum, a number of posters and others (some with verified legal qualifications) have expressed strong feelings that there may be a threat to the forum.
Without any current admin and with a limited moderation team (due to holidays and other personal issues) it was felt that the safety of the forum should be the priority.
The forum remains secure - no data has been removed - it is simply not accessible at the moment due to being disabled.
Hi all
Viv
I did wonder if it was anything to do with the case in America, where Google have had to hand over the details of an anon poster who slagged off a model and 3A's got cold feet.
Didn't Clarry make a comment after he got the DE shut down about the internet being policed sooner than we thought or something like that.
Can anyone remember Clarry's exact words?
Hi Hope
Another heartfelt post well said.
x
Hi Viv
I know jjp was very unhappy about the leaflet drop, although I believe Stevo says it has brought many e-mails from Rothley residents and the majority are very positive, but of course we only have his word for that.
I do hope 3A's does get up and running again. Santa, Eric and others, did some brilliant research on the mobile phone thread, it would be a shame if it had all been for nothing.
Hiya Di
The actions of Bennett and Co were unlawful and I believe the McCanns could request the police take action against him in particular for harassment.
I think there has been a realisation on 3As that his actions could have brought the forum down. Probably the only way forward is to bar Bennett and Co and make it plain they do not support vigilante action. Only the police are lawfully empowered to take action against the McCanns. Of course that will lose them a lot of their posters, perhaps, but I do not see that they have much option.
I hope Rosie takes note that Google were forced to disclose the identity of a blogger and starts to be just a little more careful in what she chooses to write on her google blog which only seems to be in existence to be abusive to others!
Elements of Offences:
Offence of Harassment - Section 2
Archbold: 19-277b
The elements of the section 2 offence are:
Section 1(1)
* a course of conduct;
* which amounts to harassment of another;
* which the defendant knows, or ought to know amounts to harassment of another.
or Section 1(1A) [as inserted by SOCPA 2005, s. 125(2)]
* a course of conduct;
* which involves harassment of two or more persons;
* which the defendant knows or ought to know involves harassment of those persons;
* by which he intends to persuade any person (whether or not one of those mentioned above) -
* i) not to do something that he is entitled or required to do, or
ii) to do something that he is not under any obligation to do.
The defendant ought to know if his course of conduct amounts to harassment if a reasonable person in possession of the same information would think the course of conduct amounted to harassment of the other.
Section 7 (Archbold: 19-277g) defines a course of conduct as involving conduct on at least two occasions.
Harassment is not defined, but includes causing alarm or distress, and conduct is defined as including speech.
Section 7(3)A provides that:
* Conduct by one person shall also be taken to be conduct by another if that other has aided, abetted, counselled or procured the conduct.
* The knowledge and purpose of the person who aids, abets, counsels or procures conduct are what was contemplated or reasonably foreseeable at the time of the aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring and not when the conduct occurs.
The amendment at (a) above makes it clear that a campaign of collective harassment by 2 or more people can amount to a "course of conduct". It also confirms that one person can pursue a course of conduct by committing one act personally and arranging for another person to commit another act.
The amendment at (b) above ensures that the knowledge and purpose of the person who aids, abets, counsels or procures conduct is judged at the time that the conduct was planned and not when it is carried out. This may assist a defendant to offer a defence of reasonableness if, at the time that he commissioned a subsequent act, he was unaware that the first act had caused distress to the complainant. Such a defence would not succeed if the defendant ought to have known that the act would cause distress at the time that the subsequent act was commissioned.
This section extends the definition of "conduct" and "course of conduct" for the purposes of sections 1 to 5 of the Act. It was inserted by section 44 Criminal Justice Act 2001 and came into force on 1 August 2001.
Putting People in Fear of Violence: section 4
Archbold: 19-277e
The elements of the section 4 offence are:
* a course of conduct
* which causes another to fear that violence will be used against him
* which the defendant knows or ought to know will cause another to fear that violence will be used against him.
The defendant ought to know that his course of conduct will cause another to fear that violence will be used against them if a reasonable person in possession of the same information would think that the course of conduct would cause the other so to fear on that occasion.
It could have almost been written to exactly fit the conduct of Tony Bennett and Debbie Butler who I believe seek to evade liability by getting others to do some of the dirty work for them or suggesting well I did not write it, 3As members did.
Clearly people who "ought to know" and no excuse under the Act.
Imagine Gerry saying to the police this man even followed me in to the Select Committee and took up a seat right behind me. He has written letters to the GMC trying to get me and my wife disbarred from practising our profession and malicious complaints to the SSD on the basis of what he read in the Daily Mirror.
Imagine Kate saying I am living in fear of violence in my own home due to the content of those leaflets in my own area. I am fearful of some ugly scene when I take the children to school. He has invaded my rights under the Human Rights Act, e.g. my Article 8 right to respect for my home and family life, my privacy.
On that basis it is not difficult to imagine them being guilty of the more serious offence under s 4of putting the victim in fear of actual violence. Not just from people leafleted in their own area, but from the strange people who support Bennett and Butler, posts from 3 As could be used to demonstrate that. This is a serious situation that Bennett has created and I just do not believe he did not know the nature and quality of his act. If he genuinely did not, there is a place for him..
Ah I see the McCanns being forced to stop trying to get a criminal conviction for libel has been given a great deal of Pink Spin. Shame on you Telegraph!
But there again, is it helpful to report the McCanns just want to focus on Goncalo's cash? Maybe not...
Message for ICTOAN
just read your post on the other thread...
Sorry you had to sell Georgie Boy but at least you got a chance to own him (I am still waiting for my go in one)...
Hope you are well xxx
Some very interesting comments from Ian Heslop about how Max Mosley wants to seriously beef up the right to privacy in UK law, which at present is not exactly sacrosanct. It is suggested that privacy could become the new libel law and of course much easier to win by those who have plenty of cash to splash. He ridicules the French who strenuously protect politicians right to privacy so in the case of Miterrand, mistresses and children being kept at the tax payers expense? Taboo, this could not be reported. I think the Telegraph proved that, leastways when it suits them the affairs of politicians are no sacrosanct!
The implications in relation to the McCann case run through what he says, but of course he studiously avoids mentioning THAT case. Wish chap I guess..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8098000/8098038.stm
or even wise chap:-)) he certainly is!
Is it just me, or do people get the impression there is this joking acceptance among the media that when it comes to the McCann case, serious comment or criticism of them is not allowed, but of course a right good laugh, what they want put in the press, yes, they are game for a laugh.
But they do have serious reasons for that and if and when Kate and Gerry get convicted, we will get some very serious commentary and we will hear no more from Clarence Mitchell. The McCann detectives will go into hiding..maybe Eddie could go stay with Kate's aunty in Canada so she can tell him what a good boy he is for trying his best..will Cowley even hang around long enough to pay the tax on his business he set up to wash all that Maddie cash into?
No, no, I am not suggesting these guys are corrupt, no goodness me, no, they could sue me, blimey would I suggest such a thing, moi?
Hi Viv
well its no surprise the 3As has fallen out with The Foundation over the leaflets. Would it be feasible for the LP to make an announcement, that due to an active investigation, The Foundation is jeopardising bringing the Mccanns to account?
By the way, Mike Gunnill from The Express has replied to Sharon Bradford (bugalugs), denying he confronted Ms Butler's ex and using the phrase "hard cow".
link for the above from Stevo's new forum
http://threearguidos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=36&sid=30aaf9ddd0233788b1b87b6dba6f8dff
Hi all
An interesting article on Anna Raccoon.
Link
Hi All,
A take from Private Eye on the front page of last Sundays Express.
21st August 09 edition of Private Eye
“Richard “Dirty” Desmond’s newspapers have come up with an ingenious wheeze to recoup some of the £550,000 they paid Kate and Gerry Mccann last year, plus £375,000 to the “Tapas Seven”, for many libelious pieces.
Last weekend’s Sunday Express fitted pages one and nine with an expose of Debbie Butler, who has been distributing “highly inflammatory leaflets” suggesting that Madeleine wasn’t abducted. “Kate and Gerry are very upset and angry over these despicable lies,” a source close to the family told the paper, adding that legal action was likely.
The Sunday Express concluded by asking readers: “What do you think? Do these people have the right to peddle such vile claims against the McCanns.”
If enough readers ring the premium-rate numbers to vote yes or no, Dirty Des may yet be able to award himself a bonus, with which he can pay the £1.5 bill he incurred in his recent defeat by Tom Bower. Vote early, vote often!”
Hiya Keesha and welcome!
I think there are people who genuinely want to know the truth about what happened to little Maddie and to see justice for her.
Then there are a bunch of extremists who claim that having read the PJ file they know exactly what happened to little Maddie and have the right to take the law into their own hands and make money out of little Maddie just like Kate and Gerry do.
It is extreme to suggest that the police, the government and the media are all avid supporters of Kate and Gerry McCann. They are no such thing, they just understand the law.
I do not expect LP to make any comment on this case because if they admit they are actively investigating it, that would be to admit this matter has become a UK matter because those who offended against Maddie are here in the UK. In short it would increase the furore around Kate and Gerry and be the very antithesis of justice. The Police have an absolute duty to ensure that everyone in UK is protected from harm by members of the public and of course that includes suspected child abusers and convicted paedophiles. The police also have a duty to not add to public speculation that would damage an ongoing investigation and actually prevent any trial taking place.
Whilst it is not up to me to say how the police would handle this situation, I think, at the very least, these people will be warned they face prosecution if they do not stop directly persecuting the McCann family. That is hardly something they are likely to brag about!
I think Stevo long since lost any credibility, particularly when he suggested on 3 As that Kate's parents etc should be harassed in a similar way.
xx
Wiz/Di
Have to go out will comment later.
xx
Wiz I think Private Eye exemplify just one sad point. Madeleine, the logo, has been reduced to nothing more than a right little earner who people can have a good row about, peddle sickening books about etc. Gerry and Kate set the gold standard for others to follow.
It is sickening, what happened to taste and decency?
Increasingly UK just becomes mini US exhibiting just the same "morality".
Hiya Di and thanks for the link to the clever and witty writer Anna Racoon, I especially liked this bit and am happy to be isolated here and branded and infidel:-)))
And now there are a number of splinter blogs, where they all spit at each other, just as adults do who want to see truth and justice for a little girl called Madeleine McCann..May they hang their heads in shame.
"Thus spake also the Daily Mirror comment threads, and the fabled land of Sky. So did the wandering tribes arrive at their promised land, 3 Arguidos, where the ‘truth’ was said to flow freely, and they were to be free of curmudgeonly moderators breathing fire and damnation and darkening the sky with talk of libel.
Within the promised land, there was no longer resolve to simply discuss or debate the mystery of whither be Our Madeleine, for it was soon resolved that it was their duty to actually solve the mystery, not just talk about it, and they came to see themselves as a force of web sleuths, unhindered by fear of libel, better equipped to know the truth than any police force. And amongst them, and their weird and wonderful theories, came a belief common to all cults eventually, that those who did not agree with them were infidels. So did the land of freely flowing ‘truth’ become the land of freely flowing ‘Our Truth and There Shall Be No Other Word‘."
For the first time since I started Blogging on the DX I could see where the Pros were comming from a few days ago.
Having a go at the parents of a missing child was never something I thought I would do but in this case I was very concerned that a child had been left home alone while her parents were in a bar and allowed to vanish into thin air while the papers painted the parents as saints.
The same parents came out with excuse after excuse as to why they did what they did and to me it was very obvious aftet the ranting and finger pointing of Aunt Phil that all was not as we were being told it was.
The Pro's anger and put downs confirmed that these were not normal people there for debate but people who had to shut me up as quickly as they could. By trying to make me loose my cool and getting banned or intimidating me and stopping me posting.
It has shocked me the amount of information that has turned out to be true such as Kate refusing to answer questions and all the happy photo ops...
But on the 3As reading the hate filled bile against the parents of the 18 month old child who fell from a balcony in Sardinia I could see why people may think I am an evil bitch to post about Madeleine.
Comments such as they should burn the parents alive, bet they were not in the apartment, why did the mother jump over and not the father made me see the hate and the we are perfect parents rubbish that people have accused me of.
I dont hate the McCann's I would not want to have them as neighbours or have anything to do with them but then I dont choose to spend time with people who dump their children every chance they get or leave them alone at night to go to a bar. I also cant respect people who have spun their daughter out of the picture and replaced her pain with their own and made themselves victims.
As for the parents in Sardinia as far as I can see the Mother did as any mother would tried to get help for her child. I dont think a day will ever go by when they dont think there was something they should have done diffrently and will live witht he pain of loosing a child for ever.
The McCann's 9 days later were having the time of their lives I dont know what they found so funny but myself who never knew Madeleine thought it was a very sad day if she had been abducted as she was frightend away from her family.
Hate has never been in this for me I just belive children deserve love and attention
Courtesy of Joana Morais is the sad story (below) about little Sofia Yasmin. I can’t help but comment that it is no wonder the Mc’s et al would not return to Portugal for a reconstruction.
If the case below is anything to go by they would all have been arrested!
“The story of Sofía Yasmín Herrera, 3 years old and 8 months, is similar to the one of Madeleine McCann of almost four years old who disappeared in Portugal in 2007. Sofia was with her parents and mysteriously disappeared on the 28th of September 2008 from a camping site in the touristic town of Rio Grande, Argentina. The similarities with the 'Maddie Case' and with the controversial 'McCanns', grew on the other side of the world. The contradictions of Sofia's parents statements arouse suspicions since the first day. In cases like this, usually the close circle around the victim has and should be always investigated.
Sofia Herrera’s father was detained as ordered by the judge because he contradicted himself during the reconstruction of his daughter’s disappearance. In addition at the magistrate’s request, the camping’s caretaker where the girl was last seen was also detained. The reconstruction started last Wednesday and ended yesterday. Today, the judge will hear the detainee’s statements.
Nearly a year after the disappearance of the child, Sofia Herrera, the Justice of Tierra del Fuego[lit. Land of Fire] arrested the father of the child. The caretaker of the camping John Godall, the place where the girl was last seen, was also placed in a police cell waiting a forthcoming statement questioning.
The arrests came after the reconstruction of the disappearance, which began Wednesday and ended yesterday. “It was the second reconstruction, with all the players who were there at the last moments the girl was seen; because, during the various statements, several differences were detected between the stories. Thanks to this new diligence we could detect some serious incongruences in some of the things that were said relative to the time and space, which caused a shift in the case”, confirmed a prosecution source who intervenes on the case to Pagina/12.
At the moment Fabian Herrera is accused of "hindering the investigation" and the caretaker Alberto Urrutia, for the alleged "abduction" of the child.
Sofia was last seen on September 28, 2008. During the investigation, psychiatric experts, the Supreme Court of Justice, Buenos Aires police, federal police and even a forensic team of Cordoba [ Argentina’s Cordoba ] intervened in the case. Last night, after eleven months without Sofia, the judge Eduardo López ordered the arrest de Herrera, while, at the request of the plaintiff’s attorney (Francisco Ibarra) the same was done with Urrutia. Although the crimes against them are different, both men were arrested after the second reconstruction of the events.”
hiya Wiz, you just beat me to to it with that one from Jo's site.
Seemingly the little girl was abducted, she is very pretty and her father was involved. They were at a camp site where it would be so easy to cry stranger abduction...
Maybe this is a facsimile crime?
One thing is for sure, there is no hope for the safety and innocence of this little girl or Maddie, even if they are still alive, they maybe have a fate worse than death.
and just who is this highly reputable person who keeps writing illogical prose with varying numbers of "reasons" that Maddie was not abducted? Charging people for the privilege of reading the rubbish, too?
Maybe it is very important for Team McCann to fudge the issue of just what did happen to Madeleine. I have always believed Gerry McCann actively encouraged the suggestion that Maddie died in the apartment. He allowed the stories in the Daily Express to run for almost a year and then pounced with a half a million libel award, just before the 12 months time limit ran out. He refused to allow the PCC to quietly intervene and stop all this comment they killed Madeleine. ARe those the actions of a man who cares that these stories are being written or one who wants to encourage them to detract from what really happened and to make a fortune in the process?
He even got his fat sister to tell lies to the world's media, Kate was offered a deal to confess, "they will feel sorry for you".
The reputable Pt lawyer was forced to issue a retraction of that fanciful story the following day and David Hughes also pointed out that Gerry was just as much a suspect as Kate. Maybe he is much more of a suspect and the police were saving the best until last?
Commented on Jo's :
On August 21, viv said...
This is a case where the police view is the child was abducted and the father is involved in that.
The PJ/Brit Police have always been clear only the TAPAS 9 can unravel what happened to Madeleine and they have refused to c-operate for very obvious reasons. Pt had no legal authority to force the TAPAS 7 to take part, by their refusal to do so, they also let Kate and Gerry off the hook.
But one thing is for certain, what happened to Madeleine is terribly serious, British Police do have jurisdiction to deal with British offenders and they will.
If the McCanns were clear they had got away with it, they would just proceed to make their books and films and cash in, rather than continue their defence circus, which only has the effect to demonstrate just how worried they are.
There is only one thing they can fear, the police!
Do not lose face in justice, the TAPAS crew have demonstrated their guilt and sooner or later they will have to explain in a court, where they belong.
On August 21, Anonymous said...
FRAUD OR ABUSE OF TRUST?
During a more relaxed moment at one of these meetings, I come out with an ill-judged comment. Inopportune or undiplomatic, but this is my reasoning: thinking about the kinds of crime that may have been committed if the McCanns were involved in their daughter's disappearance, something occurs to me. If they were involved in one way or another, then a crime of fraud or abuse of trust is a possibility concerning the fund that was set up to finance the search for Madeleine. Donations have reached nearly 3 million Euros.
If such a crime exists, Portugal would not have jurisdiction to investigate and try it. The fund being legally registered in England, it would be our English colleagues who would deal with the case. Our English colleagues then realise a hard reality: the strong possibility that they would have a crime to investigate in their own country, with the McCAnn couple as the main suspects: a prospect that does not seem to appeal to them. I notice a sudden pallor in the faces of those British people present.
From Amarals book...With thanks to Anna for translation.
On August 21, viv said...
Whether the McCanns (notably Gerry) was involved in the abduction of Madeleine, as I believe more likely, or whether they were involved in the death and disposal of her little body, British Police have jurisdiction.
It is also true to say that only British police have jurisdiction into what is quite obviously a fraud as Goncalo Amaral has pointed out. You cannot take part of a case to court and ignore the other half and so it has never been a realistic prospect that Portugal could prosecute them. IMO the fraud was partly the motive for the crime.
If Maddie had been abducted by a stranger in Pt, then British Police would have no jurisdiction in this matter. The reason there is an ongoing investigation is because they do have jurisdiction because it was her British parents and others who offended against Maddie, aside from the fraud which is part of the facts of the offence.
So, if British Police start to talk about how they are actively investigating this case, they tell the whole world Kate and Gerry are their suspects. They start all the media circus off again and they seriously prejudice any chance of giving these two a fair trial. Where our CPS rule that a fair trial is impossible, there is no trial, they get away with it.
So those who want a bit more comment from the British Police are those like our reasons writer, who want them to get away with it, or just face a prosecution for what they did not do, neglect their kids. The neglect was cold and deliberate IMO and part of a much more serious offence.
Read more: http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2009/08/argentinean-mccanns-sofia-herreras.html#ixzz0Oq82ZMDb
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
Hope, again a very intuitive comment, to give us the real reason for neglecting their kids, indeed bragging about it on TV, would be to give the game away, and they are hardly like to do that!
"The same parents came out with excuse after excuse as to why they did what they did and to me it was very obvious aftet the ranting and finger pointing of Aunt Phil that all was not as we were being told it was."
Aunty Phil is a thoroughly nasty piece of work!
ROFL
Tony Bennett "acts" for Debbie Butler in her formal complaint to the PCC about the Daily Express, here is one of his expert submissions on her behalf. I know, before you say it, if you have fallen on such hard times you need him to "act" for you, you might as well get the pills out..
3. The 'Sunday Express' deliberately chose the worst photograph they could take of her to portray her as 'a hard cow', which she was not. That was manifestly unfair
Ho, hum, she was not a hard cow, but she is now then, eh, Tone, or is she just your Patsy?
All of Tony's expert submissions can be read on Bren's blog, and I am glad to see she retains her sense of humour:
http://brencardi-madeleinemccann.blogspot.com/2009/08/sunday-express-faces-pcc-investigation.html
PS Shall we have a poll to see whether people feel this "action" will be as successful as all the rest of his actions? Or do people feel that the result of the poll is just, ahem, obvious? xx
Do you think the PCC will put the suggestion the hapless Debbie, is Tony's little Patsy in more neutral and intellectual terms when reaching their esteemed ruling on this serious and highly litigious matter? :-))
Hi Viv
I believe the aim of MF is to distribute the 10 reasons leaflet thoughout the country.
If the McCanns were charged in the future, surely it would be impossible to get a fair trial by jury, as everyone would have been privy to the leaflet. Just a thought.
Hiya Di
I fear the MF campaign may be every bit as insidious as that.
As you know I have suspected Tony Bennett from the very outset, given his campaign was to just get the McCanns prosecuted for child neglect. In short a let off.
I think his campaigns just dovetail too well with Team McCann.
If he did manage to leaflet everyone in this country it is not difficult to imagine the McCanns lawyers arguing there is not a jury member in this country who would not be biased against them.
But somehow I think the police will be curtailing the nefarious activities of Tony Bennett.
Hi Di,
I don't think the leaflets would make a jot of difference( we are long past that now) re a fair trial if it ever came to that which I doubt. The McCann saga has such a high profile that the whole world knows about it and most of it put into the media by the McCanns PR, to perhaps have a get out clause if things took a turn for the worse?
I am not a bit surprised that the 3A site has collapsed. More surprising that it lasted so long. It turned in on itself and fact and fiction were blurred. It was hijacked and exploited.
I do not believe that the LP are conducting any investigation as there has been some official interference way back and all and sundry were told to back off. No phone records access to the PJ, no financial details etc and all the rest of the stuff that makes the mind boggle. I for one minute cannot see where the LP could investigate when there is no forensic evidence of worth, no body, no confession. I do not doubt that there is a cover up of some sort but as to why or who is a mystery.
Both the cockroach and the bird could get along very well without us, although the cockroach would miss us most.
Be patient! ;)
B!
Joe, this is the latest message on the 3 As from Beowulf. Now whether he is calling Tony Bennett a cockroach or Gerry McCann I am not quite sure:-)))
I think there are issues for LP to investigate that probably do not occur to many.
We heard there was to be a meeting September 08 of senior officers to decide how to approach the case given the closing down of the Portuguese investigation. The only thing we have been told since that time is there is an ongoing investigation. The only possible way the investigation in UK could be closed down is if Maddie genuinely was abducted by a stranger in Portugal because then it would not within the jurisdiction of UK Police.
So you have Team McCann and Tony Bennett telling us the government are on their side and there is no UK investigation. In their dreams!
Wake up and smell the coffee Joe!
Interesting post from Ironside on Jo's blog.
We can see that not all statements and evidence have been revealed. So maybe Mrs Fenn did hear a child cry that evening, maybe before they got drugged or when being drugged, or...
Ironside wrote:
We now know that Mrs Fenns statement is true...except for this ..did Mrs.Fenn hear a child crying the night maddy disappeared?
xxxxxxx
Thursday August 23,2007
By Martin Evans in Praia de Luz Have your say(4)
THE agonising moment when Madeleine McCann’s parents realised she was missing was revealed last night by a fresh witness.
Detectives were told Kate McCann cried hysterically after discovering that her daughter had vanished.
She sobbed “We’ve let her down, we’ve let her down” as she and her husband Gerry frantically searched for the little girl. The extraordinary details of the panic and confusion were given by a neighbour of the McCanns at the apartment block in Praia da Luz from where four-year-old Madeleine went missing 112 days ago.
Expatriate Pamela Fenn, 81, who lives in the flat above where the McCanns were staying, was re-interviewed by detectives on Monday after it emerged that she might have fresh clues.
Widow Mrs Fenn told police that two nights before Madeleine went missing she heard a little girl in the apartment crying for over an hour.
She said the toddler, who is believed to have been Madeleine, was crying “Daddy, daddy” constantly between 10.30 and 11.45pm.
The crying had stopped when the parents returned to the apartment.
On the night Madeleine disappeared, Mrs Fenn also heard a child crying, but it was when Kate returned from a nearby restaurant to check on her daughter that she was first aware something was wrong.
A source close to Mrs Fenn said: “She often sits on the balcony at night and heard a commotion downstairs.
“She heard the woman who she now knows to be Kate crying ‘We have let her down, we have let her down’.”
The source added: “She did not understand what was meant by this, but she asked if they wanted her to call the police. She was told it had already been done.”
IRONSIDE
Read more: http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2009/08/argentinean-mccanns-sofia-herreras.html#ixzz0OrDY41NI
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
Viv,
I have to disagree. IMO the case has been exhausted and the LP like any funded organization will have more pressing cases to pursue. Effectively the Madeline case is a cold case now. Can one really believe that the McCanns would continue to raise the ire of the Police in PT and UK if they were being investigated? I doubt it. They know that they are in the clear, and the case would all be a distant bad memory for most of the public by now but for McCann PR keeping the case alive to make money. As I said earlier there is no body or forensics, just a wall of silence, circumstantial evidence, lies and deep suspicions and nothing to go to court with. I cannot see the LP wasting time on such case which is no more or less important than any other case in their work load. I am only sorry that the case was never officially solved despite what I or others believe happened.
I have no trouble smelling the coffee but I am a realist s well. there is not always justice despite what people might believe.
The coffee is great.
Do you understand what stalking means Jack, hanging around bothering people when they told you, you are not wanted.
Sick behaviour!
Joe,
I get the impression the McCanns are spending "their" money hand over fist sending dumb detectives to Germany and Spain on a fool's errand.
There were two funds, the defence fighting fund and the find maddie fund. The defence fighting fund was the one they spend, defending themselves, the find maddie fund is where they accumulate, suing people and conning the public into handing their cash over. And something tells me the balance sheet is not balanced.
Of course they planned to really clean up with Maddie the Movie, but the Police, those British Police are watching every little move they make.
Just wait and see Jack.
Which investigation is it the PJ are talking about here, that the McCanns on a daily basis try to frustrate, Joe? The one that a) does not exist because of course the police are on their side (Tony Bennett and Team McCann) or the one that is now a "cold case" and not being pursued (you)
Or maybe Clarence is right, the British Police keep the McCanns updated of developments in the investigation:-))) In a way I suspect that they do..as and when it suits them..
Why have you suddenly come back here, to try and tell us black is white?
I do not buy any of this rubbish put out in the media by Bennett or his friend Clarence Mitchell. They are just a couple of old fossils if you ask me who think they are pretty smart.
The Madeleine Case
Madeleine McCann, who had three years, disappeared on May 3, 2007, while on vacation with her parents and siblings in Praia de Luz, Portugal. The case was investigated by the British and Portuguese police, and remains unresolved. The Investigators from Portugal consider to today the girl's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann (doctors), as suspects.
A member of the Portuguese Judiciary Police said that the parents "continue a strategy of disseminating new information almost daily through the media," which "aims to harm the investigation and take it in the wrong paths."
The parents, meanwhile, hold a public campaign and hired detectives to find the girl. A couple of weeks ago, at a press conference they presented the sketch of a a woman who they consider suspicious.
Read more: http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/#ixzz0OrxgYgCb
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Little bit of infiltration and action going on, on an old thread here, where it would seem Tony Combover (Siana Silvers, it is his girly side coming out) is saying now come on Viv, you used to agree with me, sod off Tony, I never did:-)))
Forgive the flippancy that comes across me at this late hourxx
http://justiceformaddie.blogspot.com/2007/12/kate-and-gerry-mccann-are-liars.html
Good Morning All,
An interesting legal precedent set and reported in today’s Sun article below.
Cyber bully posted evil death threats
By ANDREW PARKER
Published: 22.08.09 – The Sun
VILE Keeley Houghton was yesterday jailed for internet bullying following a string of website taunts against a teenager - which included a threat to "murder the bitch".
She became the first person in Britain to be caged over such attacks after a merciless campaign against victim Emily Moore.
Houghton - now 18 - wrote in her home page profile on the social networking website Facebook: "Keeley is going to murder the bitch. She is an actress. What a f***ing liberty. Emily F***head Moore."
She was lambasted for her cruelty by District Judge Bruce Morgan, who told her: "Since Emily Moore was 14 you have waged compelling threats and violent abuse towards her.
"Bullies are, by their nature, cowards - in school and society. The evil, odious effects of being bullied stay with you for life.
"On this day you did an act of gratuitous nastiness to satisfy your own twisted nature."
Houghton began her campaign when she and Emily were both 14 and at the same school.
But her spiteful attacks - verbal and physical - took a sinister turn after she joined Facebook.
After cowardly Houghton was tracked down and questioned about the internet death threat she tried to weasel her way out of trouble, Worcester magistrates' court heard.
She told cops she typed the words while drunk late at night and had no memory of it.
But when detectives examined internet records they found she wrote the comments at 4pm on July 12 this year and kept them on her Facebook page for 24 hours.
Cocky Houghton arrived at court laughing and chatting with about a dozen male and female supporters.
But there were gasps and tears from the gaggle when she was sentenced.
Unemployed Houghton sobbed as she was taken away to spend three months in a young offenders' institution after admitting harassment.
She was also put under a restraining order banning her from contacting Emily, 18, in any way - including via the internet - for five years.
The court had heard that two days before writing the Facebook threat Houghton approached Emily as she was drinking with her boyfriend in The Vault Inn, in Malvern, Worcs, and put her arm around her.
Prosecutor Sara Stock said: "Later, when Emily was sitting on her own, the defendant came over and sat next to her and asked, 'Can I have a huggle?' Emily told the defendant to leave her alone otherwise she would call the police.
"Keeley then told her, 'I'll give you something to ring the police about'."
Houghton, of Malvern, was found guilty of assaulting Emily in 2005 as she walked home from school. The thug was expelled.
Two years later she was convicted of causing criminal damage after kicking Emily's front door.
a.parker@the-sun.co.uk
Thanks for that Wiz and I hope Rosie takes note, that it is not appropriate to threaten and abuse people on the internet.
Her running commentary about me and more recently Tony Bennett etc is clearly unlawful bullying. She may well say but Tony Bennett is harassing the McCanns. Two wrongs never did make a right and what gives her the right to set herself up as some kind of unofficial bully for the McCanns, she has repeatedly insisted she is nothing to do with them, so maybe she ought to stop it and get a life of her own.
Hi all
There are two good August posts on blacksmith's site. Long but worth a read.
"http://madeleinemccannaffair.blogspot.com/"> link
I am a stranger to you although I regularly visit your site as I like to read a cross section of opinions relating to the Madeleine Mccann case.
Lately I am somewhat perplexed by your staunch opposition to Tony Bennett, even before the latest leaflet drop around Rothley. I have read that Mr. Bennett has a rather dubious past but as far a I can ascertain in this case he is actually doing everything in his power to have the case re-opened. His modus operandi is not very much different from that of the various blog and websites dedicated to the case. The only difference being that he is actually taking a hands-on approach rather than just talking. In this respect I can't see that he is taking the law into his own hands but only trying to urge the appropriate authorities to re-open the case.
It is a universally accepted fact that the Mccanns are guilty of neglect if nothing else so how can his recent actions further jeopardise the security of their remaining children. They would appear to be already in danger by being left with their parents.
Please believe that I am not criticising you, nor trying to judge between right and wrong, I merely ask on what basis you form your opinion of Tony Bennett and the Madeleine Foundation.
Your response would be much appreciared.
Bluesy
Viv said,
Which investigation is it the PJ are talking about here, that the McCanns on a daily basis try to frustrate, Joe? The one that a) does not exist because of course the police are on their side (Tony Bennett and Team McCann) or the one that is now a "cold case" and not being pursued (you)
Or maybe Clarence is right, the British Police keep the McCanns updated of developments in the investigation:-))) In a way I suspect that they do..as and when it suits them..
Why have you suddenly come back here, to try and tell us black is white?
====================================
If I might respond to your last comment first. I posted a few weeks ago if you care to check. I presume I will be banned after this. I am not black and white re my comments but I have not been proved wrong either to date. I am prepared to have others disagree with me and accept different opinions but as far as I recollect I have always been skeptical re this case being solved. Since most will agree the case was blocked/hijacked whatever at the very beginning and since, so logic dictates that the case will go nowhere.
With regard to the McCanns and TB, its money, fame, infamy or pure attention seeking, and the former want the world via the media to believe that an abductor was responsible and make a good sum in the process. I will not post here again if other opinions like mine are not welcome.
As you say Bluesy you are already aware of my staunch opposition to the activities of Tony Bennett and his small band of hard core activists who criticise both the police and the government in this matter.
Their activities are unlawful and given there is already an ongoing investigation by British Police that is no justification for his behaviour.
Mr Bennett, a man who only managed to stay a solicitor for a few years due to his theft etc from his employers, has even saw fit to defy the opinion of the Portuguese Attorney General in this case and wrote to the British Attorney General trying to explain the law to her. He is a ridiculous character.
Quite whether he wanted to just get Kate and Gerry prosecuted purely for negligence to promote the abduction theory or whether it was to promote himself I am not quite sure, but if you wish to join his small band do not let me stop you.
But one thing I can tell you for sure, his illegal activities and extreme prejudices will not be supported or promoted on this blog.
With regard to the McCanns and TB, its money, fame, infamy or pure attention seeking, and the former want the world via the media to believe that an abductor was responsible and make a good sum in the process.
Very well said Joe and I think it particularly right that you put them in exactly the same bracket, even down to the paypal button!
xx
I was chatting to my parents tonight about the Maddie case.
Mom said that at her club, immediately it happened her (elderly) friends were not saying oh what a shame Madeleine has been abducted, they were saying something is just not right about those two.
My step father said the whole thing stinks, their behaviour is highly abnormal constanly appearing in the media, that is clearly to defend themselves. He agreed with me it is obviously not possible to be certain about what happened to Madeleine, but it easy to be certain they were involved. He went on to say, no way would any normal couple of doctors just keep leaving their kids on their own.
We then went on to have a discussion about how the most normal thing in the world for parents of tiny children is to just want to see them happy on holiday, playing with them on the beach etc. That it would have been normal and kind to allow the twins to have an afternoon nap just like all the other children so they could be up in the evening with mum and dad.
Mum also commented she is sure the children were drugged and like me, can remember how impossible it is to put a 4 year down for bed at precisely 7.15 when they are on holiday!
I do not happen to believe that the average member of the British Public needs to be reminded about Kate and Gerry McCann and the case against them, they remind us, month in month out, year in year out.
There have been a number of attempts in the last few days by strangers to the blog to try and initiate a discussion about Tony Bennett.
Can I just remind people this blog is about Justice for Maddie and the twins, not Tony Bennett.
He has nothing to do with justice and he is not a major topic of conversation on here.
Viv,
Thank you for your response. You appear to have adopted a somewhat hostile attitude towards my comments, although I tried to make it clear that I am not in anyway criticising you or your website. You have at least satisfied my curiosite about the Madeleine Foundation.
Indeed, I have absolutely no intention of joining forces with Tony Bennett nor ever did have. I hope I am not so gullible as to believe everything I read! It was actually only your site that aroused my curiosity due to your frequent reference to the individual and his entourage.
I am sorry if I ruffled your feathers but if you prefer your posters to be regular members and wish to discourage fresh blood, perhaps you would make that clear on your website.
Bluesy
I think your tone continues to be pretty unpleasant.
Any pleasant person is free to post on here and I do not need advice from you as to what I should put on my own webpage which would not represent the reality in any event.
I am pleased that you are not so gullible as to join forces with and become another little Tony Bennett clone.
What is your problem?
I had absolutely no intention of appearing unpleasant nor dictating what appears on your site but I think your reply confirms my opinion that you do not desire any imput from strangers. Perhaps my way of expressing myself is not in your usual intimate style but I am not here to grovel amongst strangers. It's no wonder your clique is so confined.
Now you have ruffled my feathers so I shall not bother you again, nor is it necessary for you to waste any more of your valuable time on me.
I wish you well.
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