Madeleine McCann: Torture, A Witness, Robert Murat’s Innocence And Richard Branson Investigates
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
SUNDAY MAIL front page: “MADDIE POLICE TORTURE TRIAL.”
As reported by Anorak on June 11 (see Madeleine McCann And Amaral Policing): “Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral has been accused of concealing evidence that the mother of eight-year-old Joana Cipriano, who disappeared in the Algarve three years ago, was tortured by police into confessing she had killed her daughter, whose body was never found.”
Is this the British Press discrediting the Portuguese police? Should they leave our Kate and Gerry alone? (Do the Portuguese police have a PR?)
“Lies, beatings, secret trials: the dark side of police handling Madeleine case” – If the Portuguese police do have a PR, they should get a new one.
“Madeleine: Hair in McCann Renault: ‘It could be anyone’s’” - British forensic experts have concluded the fragments said to be Madeleine’s could belong to any number of people who had come into contact with the silver Renault Scenic.
THE OBSERVER: “Maddy police: we blundered.” Remember Robert Murat?
Says a source said to be from within the Portuguese police force: “British police and crime experts also suggested that Murat fitted the profile to have been behind a kidnapping. But the Lisbon investigators were from the start unsettled about the lack of any motive. Months later, there is nothing to suggest he was involved.”
But, er, Robert Murat remains a suspect.
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: “Hope for McCanns as law on secrecy is eased.”
Plans are afoot to change the rules in Portugal. The “new law means that all suspects and third parties, including the media, will have access to police documents in any investigation - unless the public prosecutor decides that secrecy will benefit the inquiry or protect the rights of the accused.”
And the police can make their views known to the public, too.
And: the McCanns have announced an £80,000 advertising campaign to help find Madeleine.
SUNDAY EXPRESS: “MADELEINE MYSTERY - POLICE TO ACT OUT MADDIE TRAGEDY”.
No longer a criminal case. It is now a tragedy. The Encyclopaedia Britannica says a tragedy is a “branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual.”
Yes, dignified. Who knew?
DAILY STAR ON SUNDAY front page: “MADDIE. The missing journey.”
Where did she go?
SUNDAY TIMES front page: “Branson gives cash to defend McCanns.”
Sir Richard Branson is giving £100,000 to create a “fighting fund” to help the parents of Madeleine McCann to clear their names.
A source close to Branson says: “Sir Richard wants to ensure the McCanns get access to the best legal advice. He has a good instinct on these things.”
The Virgin Sniffer will crack the case. Or will his PR and marketing departments get there first.
But is Branson right? Let’s take a look at the survey…
“According to a YouGov poll for The Sunday Times, only 20% of respondents believe that the McCanns are completely innocent. Nearly half (48%) believe that they could have been responsible for their daughter’s death, even if it was an accident; 32% were unsure. A total of 40% said that the McCanns’ high-profile campaign had made them suspicious, but 50% said that it had not.”
Tasteful stuff. But we need another poll to find out what happened to Madeleine McCann.
Times Columnist India Knight is a McCann junkie. “I want to stop reading, listening, watching, Googling, amateur sleuthing; I nauseate myself with my own prurience. My appetite for commentary – which is all that’s left, in the absence of hard facts – has been sated many times over. But I can’t stop.”
She craves information. But there isn’t any. Unless you listen to sources”…
“Police leaks, gossip and a clash of cultures close in on McCanns” - Yesterday the police spokesman Olegario de Sousa quit “in dismay” at the daily leaks to the press.
Those Portuguese police leaks only add to the speculation and the pain. Thanks goodness for the clarity and sensitivity provided by the Times.
As the Times notes: “Maria do Sameiro Oliveira, a psychologist who does criminal profiling for the police, said she found it strange ‘how they function so much as a unit, always holding hands rigidly’ and pointed out that normally in cases of child disappearances, ‘the mother and father start to diverge, one wants to continue the search, the other not’. She added: “They show little evidence of suffering. They are very formal.”
You should not be influence by Ms Oliveria’s words. When responding to the Times’ survey, make your judgement. Make up your own survey.
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: “The McCanns: Unbelievable truth or unimaginable nightmare?”
The human interest angle and a time to look back over week of speculation.
NEWS OF THE WORLD: “MADDIE: THE SECRET WITNESS – TV boss holds vital clue to mystery.”
Jeremy Wilkins is the man whose “bombshell testimony could clear the McCanns”.
And: “Jeremy Wilkins’ evidence blows holes in the police theory that Gerry and Kate killed four-year-old Madeleine.”
Wilkins is said to be the man who spoke to Gerry McCann for up to 15 minutes outside the holiday apartments — “moments after checking on his children for the last time.”
A pal says: “He is entirely convinced of Kate and Gerry’s innocence. He believes they are a decent family caught up in an unimaginable nightmare.”
With Wilkin’s certainly and Richard Branson’s sense of smell, the McCanns may be placed once more above suspicion.
All the Madeleine McCann Faction Here…
Posted: 16th, September 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (655) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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September 16th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Jacqueline….. I’m with you.
I’ve always thought abduction…. instinct and knowledge of how these people work. But only my opinion so don’t all shout at once!!!
September 16th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Yes Annika you are right - she is wearing white - as soon as I saw the veil I thought how wrong I had been to ever doubt her.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:39 am
CourtTV Poll
Sunday 16 Sept 07 10:30
Are they guilty or innocent?
Guilty: 40.2%
Innocent: 30.0%
On the fence: 28.8%
Total: 234 votes 100%
Saturday 15 Sept 07 2:45 PM
Guilty: 40.3%
Innocent: 32.0%
On the fence: 27.7%
Total: 231 votes 100%
11 AM Friday 14 Sept 07
Guilty: 38.4
Innocent: 32.9
On the fence: 28.7%
Total: 216 votes 100%
13 Sept 07
Guilty: 38.7%
Innocent: 33.2
On the fence: 28.1%
Total: 199 votes 100%
11 Sept 07
Guilty: 37.9%
Innocent: 33.8
On the fence: 28.3%
Total: 166 votes 100%
Previous
September 10th, 2007 at 8:02 am
From CourtTV poll
Guilty: 33.6%
Innocent: 37.6%
On the fence: 28.8%
Total: 101 votes 100%
September 16th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Jazzy, that is only your opinion! I am entitled to mine even if it isn’t the same as yours.
Fancy that!!
I love to watch the wine count going up. Bar staff said it was 4 (2 white, 2 red) and its slowly increasing. Now 16. Top score so far…..
September 16th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Madeleine could have had a babysitter.
Does that serve them right?
September 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Was Ylenia mother guilty of having let her daughter go to the swimming pool to get back the shampoo she had forgotten?
Does it serve Ylenia’s mother right that her daughter be given back to her, half eaten by animals?
Does it serves her right that the Spanish police never checked on Urs Hans von Aesch, though he was a convicted criminal in a case of child abduction and had illegal security system with a gun shooting automatically at people opening his door without being invited?
They might have spotted he was downloading child pornography and chatting on paedo- forums!
And about the McCanns: does it serves them right that the Portuguese police wipes out Urs Hans von Aesch of the inquiry, though he had been spotted in Portugal and had a van identical the one parked in front of their apartment the days preceding Madeleine’s abduction?
Madeleine could have been found alive, but now the chances have severely diminished. Does that serve them right?
September 16th, 2007 at 10:34 am
It’s just so shocking and sickening.
All of you Team McCann supporters remember one thing. If it’s true she was abducted (the story hearalded by Drs McCann) then the first people to blame are them. 16 bottles of Vino Verdi were more important than 16 minutes with the kids. When I’ve been on holiday we’ve spent more time with 16 bottles of wine on our balcony with friends than town the local Tapas Bar.
The McCanns are complaining now about the media, but they courted them in the first place and you can’t suddenly invite them to speculate on Murat being a paedo and expect to leave you alone when the going gets tough.
It’s with disgust that I have seen the McCanns turn against the media and ask them to leave them alone and concentrate on Madeleine. They didn’t say that when they were camped outside Ex Mrs Murat’s house in England. That was perfectly ok.
Those that believe they are innocent, just think about this. They are not innocent, they left the kids in an unlocked room whilst going out on the piss. They are equally as guilty.
If my car was stolen because i left the car doors open on a high street, would the insurance company pay out. They’d pay out bugger all, I’d be equally to blame.
I say they should get cuddle cat in for interrogation. She’s the only witness
September 16th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Was she wearing white?
If so, then the whole case is screwed against them.
How could a bride be evil?
September 16th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Jacqueline de Croÿ
Just so I get this right. Your organisation is made up of members of the European press and your objective is to brig to light the activities of organised peadophile rings?
Sorry for the questions - I am not the brightest and I am very intersted in your work.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:32 am
39. “The McCann’s organisation is a company, not a charity.”
Yes please I hope everyone understands this by now.
Jacqueline de Croÿ your organization and your work sound very noble and heart wrenching. Please be aware the Madeleine: Leave No Stone Unturned is not a charity as Chloe has pointed out. Also they have branded Madeleine’s name (see Anorak’s story, ‘Brand McCann: Buying Into Madeleine’). I feel it is important for you to know and understand this strategy of the McCann family/ PR machine considering the work you do.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Sky news online is carrying photos of the McCann’s wedding day.
Now that I have seen these pictures I can say with a high degree of certainty that these two are entirely innocent.
Clearly people who get married and have their picture taken while they are smiling could not possibly overdose their children and cover up the crime.
As Anorak commented yesterday, “case closed”.
I just hope the Portuguese JP have been shown these pictures. It’ll blow their case right out of the water.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:27 am
36 - Yes… we receive fantastic tips, because people trust us more than the police! The problem is that we don’t have the means to handle it all and Belgian police is so corrupted that there is no hope to come from them. Imagine a Belgian policeman even asked me if it was not frustrating to bring so much evidence, and that the police did nothing with it.
We are in good contact with the Canadian police, following the identification of Louise Morin and Casey Bohun. Scotland Yard was also very good. I was told they had been rather pissed off by Belgian authorities who would always find excuses not to forward them the Zandvoort file. The problem would be that they have so much work, that they cannot handle it all.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:26 am
37 says: It would be more productive if we could all assess this case dispassionately on the evidence we can bring to light and the ideas that are contributed here IMHO.
Pray tell. How do you propose we assess this case properly? How do we* really know what facts/evidence/stories are true and which are fabrications/exaggerations/hallucinations?
(*Just in case you weren’t sure: this does include you.)
September 16th, 2007 at 10:25 am
37 you say “I find the personal antagonism against the McCanns is totally unjustified”.
They left at least 2 and maybe 3 children alone in the apartment with an unlocked patio door that could not be seen from where they say.
That is unforgivable in itself.
Then then lied to police, which increases any doubt as to their integrity.
Irrespect of any court case, they are not innocent in respect of events on the night of May 3rd.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:20 am
37 Holme
I understand what you are trying to say, but I am pointing out that your comments may be very easily perceived as both ‘empassioned’ and from an entrenced position.
A bit like intervening between two fighting parties only to make things worse.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:18 am
(31)
1) The problem with Toscano is that he himself is a hoax. He does not work for the newspaper “El Mundo” (I think I recall that they recognised having published one article from him erroneously) and does not appear to have ever worked for the Spanish police. He claimed to have worked on what is known in Spain as the “caso Arnie” (a widely publicised paedophilia case in Seville involving many well-known people). If this were the case, it is unlikely that nobody would have heard of him.
2) The McCann’s organisation is a company, not a charity.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:17 am
32 - http://www.droitfondamental.eu is an Internet body of press focusing on cases in breach of fundamental rights, for where European partner organisations expose their cases. I am at the basis of the initiative, after our website was destroyed for the 12th time. It a big problem, because we never have the time to put everything back on line, which is at the benefit of the networks and the corrupted people. It is now hosted in America, with people who apparently loathes paedophiles and help us very well to keep it.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:15 am
WILL: I’m just trying to get people to stop taking up entrenched positions! The fact is - we don’t know. Nobody knows . But in the UK it’s innocent until proven otherwise and like you I find the personal antagonism against the McCanns is totally unjustified,
It would be more productive if we could all assess this case dispassionately on the evidence we can bring to light and the ideas that are contributed here IMHO.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:13 am
31 Jacqueline de Croÿ,
Thank you for the clarification on the info about Murat.
I hope that if the intense media spotlight on Madeleine & Madeleine alone (as it currently appears to be able of focusing only on this one child) can create any positive it will be that Europe will have a centralized paedo/child trafficking computer network available to all EU authorities.
Although police and detectives visit your site, wouldn’t it be beneficial to have a closer relationship with the police who investigate abuses against children? Since your organization must receive a lot of tips and information which could be very important to the authorities and time of is the essence?
Thank you
September 16th, 2007 at 10:10 am
33 Holme
I am not doubting your sentiment but comments as used in 29 may give others cause to doubt that.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Looks like Phil Hall and the Team McCann PR team have been hard at it over the weekend. If the gruesome twosome are so innocent, why the huge emphasis on media management?
September 16th, 2007 at 10:06 am
WILL - On something? - just on the side of truth and justice, that’s all.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Jacqueline de Croy
Can you please let me know of your connection to http://www.droitfondamental.eu
and what its purpose is please?
September 16th, 2007 at 10:03 am
It is very difficult to know why some people react in a way or another. I have seen parents of victims who showed no sign of emotion when I was telling them terrible things I had discovered. I could not understand, but it turned out they had faced a thousand deaths to protect their children. At that point, one feels rather ashamed to have even wondered why they showed no emotion.
About Antonio Toscano, he says the truth about the network in Seville. Alapetite is in our files, so we can easily recognise the system. If you want to understand why HIS story would be a hoax and non of the other crap that was sworn as solid proof, it is the usual system to drive the public opinion away from the reality. We call that the paedo tom-tom.
What I meant is that every body turned on Murat, publishing hideous photograph of him to make him look as if he had the face of a criminal. Terrible things where said on him. Everybody tried to find something making him look guilty. It was horrible and criminals just do NOT have terrible faces as it is shown in the movies.
I don’t know what the McCann’s do with the fund. I believe they probably feel slightly over passed with what is happening to them. In addition, they are not yet used to run that sort of charities. I just hope they have good people to advise them.
We did not contact the polices. They are normally on our websites. Their might be a hope with Scotland Yard, who always proved to be very good. Now that I see how the Portuguese behave, it is just wishful thinking to imagine they would inquire.
September 16th, 2007 at 10:02 am
29 Holme
Are you on something?
September 16th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Might be a nice idea to start off the day if all those, who over the weeks have criticised accused and condemned the McCanns, ‘fess up and publicly apologise.
Then we can all move on to solve the case
September 16th, 2007 at 9:58 am
12 - I’ve just read the article you posted and it is scandalous.
It is articles such as these that lead to innocent people being subjected to persecution. Murat has not been accused of anything. He is a suspect and there is a major difference in the two.
While any crime against a child is deplorable, articles such as the one on the link you provided do absolutely nothing to help find anyone, or bring the guilty to trial.
September 16th, 2007 at 9:57 am
MODERATION lol - know what you mean!
September 16th, 2007 at 9:49 am
My impression (which I can unfortunately not express in perfect English) is that e.g. most of our Austrian and the German newspapers have still not understood that there is ‘Secrecy of Justice’ in Portugal. So when they adopt news from Portuguese or English papers quoting “a senior police source”, it’s a real police statement for them. A “senior police source” is simply understood to be an official spokesman of the police.
Maybe even a very, very reliable spokesman - because of the “senior”, which (here) implies a dignified person with grey hair and years and years of experience.
September 16th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Morning! But I’m now limiting myself as I fear I am using this as a Work Displacment Activity.
Hence my not commenting on the overnight stuff that I skimmed briefly!!