Madeleine McCann: The Nanny Suspect, Amaral Policing And Jail
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
SUNDAY EXPRESS front page: “MADELEINE MYSTERY. BRING IT ON.”
The Sunday Express is not the Express, which has form some weeks led with the front-page banner “MADELEINE”. The Sundays Express goes its own way.
“McCanns remain defiant as they face 40 questions from UK police this week”
“Kate and Gerry’s fury as new sighting in Morocco by businessman is ignored”
SUNDAY MIRROR front page: “MADDIE HUNT: THE TRUTH.”
The truth… At last…
“DISGRACE.”
A picture of Madeleine McCann (on the right). A picture of Portuguese copper Goncarlo Amaral (left).
“Police have ignored 250 sightings of her” – and have investigated how many?
“Cop leading police probe works four hours a day” – Amaral’s not overworked and fresh.
“He has three-hour boozy lunches with pals” – Amaral holds lengthy meetings to discuss and masticate over the case with team.
“Puffing on a cigarette and knocking back beers, the man leading the world’s biggest missing child inquiry enjoys yet another long, boozy lunch.”
Good to know that the Mirror is not wasting its time and watching him.
STAR ON SUNDAY: “THREATS TO McCANNS.”
“Friends say the couple are ‘extremely concerned’ by the nature of the threats and are considering hiring extra security.
Last night a spokeswoman for the McCanns, both 39, confirmed that they had been sent what she described as ‘negative letters and fear mail’.”
INDEPENDENT: “Maddie ‘kidnapped by maid’, says email.”
“The McCanns’ spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said they were ‘encouraged’ by the development.”
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Kate McCann will risk jail to find Madeleine
Kate McCann has been told by her legal team that she faces jail sentence if she flouts Portuguese law to discuss details of the four-year-old’s disappearance in a high-profile television interview.
She tells a “close friend”: “I will do what I must. What does any of it matter if it helps find Madeleine?”
“It is what Kate thinks will help,” a close friend tells the paper. “What choice does she have? Unless Kate and Gerry ignore the law and speak out, their chances of finding Madeleine will dwindle further. Better to risk prison if it helps find her.
“Will the Portuguese police really prosecute a mother whose sole aim is to find her daughter or at least, God forbid, discover the whereabouts of her body? Kate, most of all, believes risking a jail sentence is nothing compared to finding Madeleine.”
Who needs an interview with Kate with friends like that?
THE OBSERVER: “This limbo that lasts a lifetime,” writes Carol Sarler.
“The McCanns are said to be devastated by dashed hopes; if so, they must get used to it, for there will be more sightings, more dashing and, to add to their misery, more harassment of more innocent families. I know this because, having investigated the disappearance of Ben Needham on Kos in 1991, the unfolding of the McCann case has felt like one long, wretched, groundhog summer.
“Ben, recapped in a nutshell: his grandparents, Eddie and Chris Needham, moved from Sheffield to Kos with their teenage son Stephen, daughter Kerry and her boyfriend and their son, Ben…
“…The singular difference between the Needhams and the McCanns is, crudely, class. Eddie has homemade tattoos on his knuckles, Chris was a grandmother at 38, Kerry and her boyfriend - a man known, as they say, to the police - lived in a council block. Perhaps this explains why, throughout their ordeal, nobody from the British consulate in Athens once got off their butt or went to Kos to help or support; surgeon Gerry McCann, by contrast, mobilised the world.”
“Arabic adverts aid Madeleine hunt”… “Despite the disappointment of last week’s misleading sighting of a blonde girl in the Moroccan town of Zaio, the McCanns believe that their daughter might be somewhere in the country.”
TIMES: No Madeleine news today.
Posted: 30th, September 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,108) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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September 30th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
336
hitler depended on astrology.
most of the despots did.
it’s something people of little personal worth turn to when events thrust them into a position of fame and\or power, as they are convinced that it is fate that has put them there, and that they are fated for gratness.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Last post on the use of dogs.
This is one of the dogs used in the McCann case.
http://www.southyorks.police.uk/kidzone/dogdiary/thisweek.php
“Top Dog
Keela could be described as ‘top dog’ in her field of expertise. The trained Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) dog has skills like no other and it has left forces worldwide hankering after an insight into her special training.
At the tender age of 16 months, the spaniel has already travelled to Ireland, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Surrey and Thames Valley to assist with enquires and has made quite an impression.
Keela’s trusty handler Martin Grime is responsible for all training that she has received, together with the National Search Adviser, Mark Harrison.
At present the Force has two victim recovery dogs, Frankie and Eddie. Martin also handles Eddie and has been working with him since he joined up around four years ago.
Keela is trained to locate minute samples of blood and can assist not only in murder investigation but also with scenes of crime teams to identify and recover evidence more efficiently.
Martin explained the reasons for training a CSI dog: “Although South Yorkshire Police have two victim recovery dogs that can detect blood and human remains we felt the need to separate the two search areas. We wanted to create a more specific working dog that could accurately detect very small samples of human blood.
“We had to change the way the dog is trained to alert its handler about a ‘find’. Normal recovery dogs will bark to signal this. In this case it is not appropriate, as the dog would be trained to sniff out blood that is often too small for the human eye to see. Instead, the dog will locate the contaminated area by pointing its nose at the spot where the blood is situated. This is much more accurate.”
This idea has been put forward to senior crime managers and forensic scientists and the response has been very enthusiastic.
In June 2004 Keela was assigned to Martin. The eight-week-old puppy, bred by West Midlands Police, then became the centre of an experiment evaluated by Mark to see whether a dog could be trained to work as part of the team.
Unlike other dogs in the department Keela never participated in the usual six-week course. Martin trained her bit by bit everyday.
Keela followed a programme training her to ignore decomposing body materials other than human blood. She is also trained to have a ‘passive’ alert- where she freezes with her nose as near to the subject matter as possible without touching, to enable scientists to recover the sample quickly and efficiently.
The springer spaniel has now been fully trained and licensed. She works nationally and is deployed by the National Crime and Operations Faculty (NCOF) to high profile murders, missing persons and abductions. She is deployed within South Yorkshire on the directions of Detective Superintendent Kevin Morton to murders and serious assaults etc.
Martin is continuing to develop Keela but his methods are being kept a closely guarded secret until the experiment has been given approval of the ACPO committee.
Keela can search any area including houses, cars, boats, both indoors and outdoors. On duty she will lead Martin to spots of blood so small that humans can’t see them.
She screens textiles and can pick out clothing with blood on even after it has been washed many times in biological washing powder. Offenders can’t even trick her by trying to clean their weapons, as Keela would still smell blood after attempts have been made to wash away the evidence.
Meredydd Hughes, Chief Constable said: ” Keela’s training gives the force an edge when it comes to forensic investigation, which we should recognise and use more often. Martin has developed this capability through innovation and experience, and we are now considering how best to develop the training further. We know other forces are interested, both here and abroad, and we must see what opportunities we can develop. We know we have an operationally excellent dog section, and our specialist dogs are being developed in a unique way.”
Even in the early stages of her career Keela has been more successful than her trainers hoped. She has had a number of operational finds recovering murder weapons, identifying the blood of a victim in a suspect’s car and screening numerous amounts of clothing belonging to suspects.
Keela has made huge efficiency savings for the force in just eight months of work. Nationally since 1 April 2005 she has made savings of approximately £200,000.
A particular example where Keela has proven her efficiency was during a job in Wiltshire. Martin explained: “As a result of this incident 350 items of clothing had been recovered which all needed testing for evidence. To have the items examined at the forensic lab would have cost £200 for each item.
Keela managed to help in just one day which resulted in eight pieces of clothing being detected with blood stains on them.”
The future definitely looks bright for the fun- loving dog wanted to work with the FBI in America. Luckily she has a full pet passport to enable her to jet off to the States where she will assist with two murder enquires at the beginning of next year.”
September 30th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
333 The Real Stig
Same dog in heat was on sitting on Kate’s clothing, rolling around on Cuddlecat, etc., etc.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
peck 217
Further to my earlier postings about the use of psychics check out The Sunday People.co.uk. This article gives a direct quote from Philomena Mccann and claims that she has made personal contact with TV psychic Colin Fry on behalf of the couple. It is also claimed that G’s brother has phoned the office of psychic Gordon Smith in the spirit of leaving no stone unturned. K is said to be more open to this than G.
Maybe they are’nt so religious after all-maybe they are desparate, or maybe this report is yet another “ridiculous slur”. Look for yourself.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
the mcanns side have admitted to there being private investigators reinterviewing witnesses in portugal.
as this is illegal over there, during an investigation, someone should be prosecuted.
also, the mc cann side have asked, according to the sunday times today, for a copy of the dossier which was sent to the judge.
now i may be wrong here, but i thought they hadn’t been charged.
is there any other case in which the evidence in an investigation is turned over to suspects during the investigation and before a charge?
or is there something we haven’t been told, bearing in mind the frrkatemccann site?
September 30th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
That’s not logical, Judge Dread, if we’re talking about transporting something frozen on a hot day, instead of thawing something in a refrigerator or in a room temperature environment. I would expect something frozen could begin thawing and leak fluids very quickly on a hot day.
As far as what the PJs have said/leaked to the press. Haven’t they said they believe the body was transported in the car (as in theory, not fact), not that they know for sure? And has there actually been any official reports, with detectives’ names attached to present this information?
September 30th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
269 julie
“As far as I am concerned the cadaver dog INDICATES that there is something that needs to be investigated further.”
Woof! there has been a bitch in heat sitting in this car and I want to investigate the matter further.
Someone is now going to tell me Eddie is actually Edwina. Seriously, I am sure they are really good at training these dogs but how do you overcome a dogs innate interest in sex and food - programmed in via millions of years of evolution - with a few hours of training by a human?
September 30th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Back to the election.
Firestar (and maybe others - definitely including me) have posted here about the connection with Gordie and the election. I believe it is a real issue for “New” Labour at the moment but not by design.
Remember, back in early May Gordie was still Chancellor and this episode was brand new. I feel that Gordie would never have imagined that by the time he took over from B. Liar this fiasco would still be rolling towards the buffers.
So, just like their fragrant holinesses probably never thought it would go on and on in the way it has (as suspects that is) I feel that Gordie has the same problem. they are all on a merry-go-round that is spinning faster and faster and they cannot get off…
So if Gordie wants a snap election he needs no significant developments as Firestar (I think) noted. The longer the wait the more likely the PJ lot will dump on all and sundry. The fact that Gorgie has jumped on the anti-Portuguese bandwagon will do him no favours with the PJ. I reckon the PJ will do whatever they can to piss the McCannClan off (i.e. even more than they have already).
And what will Dave “Lord Snooty” Cameron and his pals do? He has an interesting choice to make on this one and if he’s wise he will stay neutral. That way he can exploit Gordie’s election dreams by jumping on any fragrant slip-ups.
So I reckon the election IS an important factor here… So there!
September 30th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
329
replying to tony bennet is a waste of time, he’s a spambot.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Rory (326) was that really necessary?
September 30th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
#34 Tony Bennett
When I first read the news about Madeleine I believed she had been abducted. I continued to think so for a long time. At this point I can’t know without a doubt what happened to Madeleine.
After reading other comments, some suggesting it is time to move on, I considered what aspects of the case created doubt regarding my initial belief.
The mention of the “private investigators” and the farmer girl sighting is one example of what can be read between the lines resulting in an opinion of the bigger picture. My thought is if the McCanns have private investigators then why didn’t they find the family who were supposedly walking fairly close to home to determine if they had Madeleine instead of allowing the picture to make news around the world? Why does the incident come across as another attempt to jerk the public around and for whose benefit?
The refusal to answer the questions put forth by the Portugal police. I can’t help but believe if you have a missing child you can answer all of the questions.
Although the dog study appeared a strong indicator to take notice of more than the original theory, the study did cause me to look more carefully at the behavior of the parents and recognize and question the manipulative tactis of the PR. There is a superficial quality which became more difficult to ignore or write off…
Those are only a few examples of circumstances that caused me to step back and take a look at the case again from beginning to end. There is something wrong with this picture. Hopefully in time exactly what will be clear.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
323 - You really have to look at the whole picture. A frozen body would not have started to decay so there would be none of the alleged bodily fluids, and given the time a frozen turkey take to defrost, not hair would have fallen off either.
That in itself gets rid of the frozen body theory.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
227
the dog handler can give evidence that the dog showed a strong reaction consistent with it having detected the smell of a corpse in the car.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
321 Judge I know exactly what you mean ,nudge nudge wink wink,what a pair of absolute spanners,so much so that they have become quite amusing with their frantic about turns and body swerves,pun intended,I doubt either could find a hole in a barrel of fannies.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
305
I agree, firestar. Unfortunately, because of some people’s misconduct, everyone is suspect. Because I am a woman, if I’m out and about by myself, I have to take extra care when there’s a man in the vicinity and assess his intentions and be prepared to act, because most acts of violence against women are perpetrated by men and are not uncommonplace. I don’t worry so much when a woman approaches me. It’s a sad, but necessary part of life, based on experience and statistics.
I used to work in a preschool teaching toddlers and babies for a couple of years. In the back of my mind, I some times would worry about a scenario happening where a child from my class could be abused or molested by a family member or friend and then, to place blame elsewhere, the finger could be pointed at the caregiver as the responsible party. The babies/toddlers wouldn’t be able to clarify matters. Thankfully, all the children in my classes appeared well-cared for by their parents and there were never any signs of abuse.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
302 - If I smell gas yes I act on it. Did the dog handler smell the scent of death or was it the dog?
So the dog became excited and the handler searched the car but found nothing that the DNA lab can positively attibute to a dead body being in the car. Where is your problem. No evidence, no case, its as simple as that.
303 - Police are saying the body was moved in the car. Saying there needn’t have been a body, just something that a body could have been wrapped in, changes the issue at hand. Even so, the fact that no forensic evidence was found still comes back to the same thing. Speculation, which is not evidence of anything.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
301.
But does the “expert” comment on the state of a corpse that had been frozen and then moved, perhaps thawing out while in the boot of a car? Surely if the Sky programme is to be balanced we should hear about that theory too?
September 30th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
297 read post 50,puts a very different slant on a confession being beaten from an innocent woman.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Stevo said….. In fact, Kate argues this herself because she says she was in contact with 6 dead bodies in the prior weeks.
This has been denied, it wasn’t what she said………….. why are only the negative rumours perpetuated??
Judge Dread. I know exactly what you mean and I agree. Cadaver dogs ASSSIT an investigation/search. They are not investigators in themselves.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=183&threadid=31234
“Anyone read about the man who had agreed to stay off work to look after his daughter while wife went away for the weekend… got called into work, left the five year old with food, looked indoors watching t.v? She climbed out of the window to play in the rain, luckily she’s safe and he (bus driver) faces possible custodial sentence, lost his marriage, life with his daughter and possibly his job.”
A case of double standards?
But then again, silly me, it’s different for the McCanns because they DIDN’T lock the doors, they most likely SEDATED their children so they couldn’t watch tv, and they are DOCTORS not bus drivers!
His daughter was thankfully safe… but he’s another parent who thought it’d be ok to leave his child alone, maybe if the McCanns and authorities used Maddies plight to reinforce the message that leaving children is unacceptable, he’d still have his, wife, family, home, job, freedom.”
September 30th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
but don’t tell cambridge university
September 30th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
311 - firestar
Thanks, I’ll have a look for it online.
September 30th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
i heard someone say you can’t stream sky news from abroad.
if you have this problem,
set this as a proxy server in your internet options
then tick the use configuration script box.
http://www.cam.ac.uk/proxyconfig.pac
it’ll give you an english ip address.
September 30th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
What’s with the “landmark” days thing and Madeleine anyway? Where’s the significance in 100 days or 150 days? Who gives a toss about that? What happened to 1 month, 2 months etc?
Are we going to have announcements at 200 days? 250 days? Where did the multiple of 50 start to figure?
In 100 years perhaps the Catholic Church will have come up with their “Madeleine Calendar” to replace the Julian Calendar.
September 30th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
233 mods and admin
“We have no quarrel with the Portuguese.”
Shouldn’t that be ‘had’ as in past tense?
September 30th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
According to this article (linked below), the term ‘cadaver dog’ means the dog can detect any rotting flesh, but the correct term applied to a dog that is trained to detect human remains is ‘human remains specialist.’
It doesn’t mean that the dogs used to detect the ‘death smell’ at the McCanns’ apartments, rental car, and on their belongings were not HRSes, just because the term cadaver dog was used.
I thought this article was very interesting. It discusses how the dogs are trained and, once trained, how they work in the field on actual cases.
HUNTING BODIES http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/k9/5.html
September 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
its called ‘madelline, the truth’
or the movie, i forget.
September 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
308 - Stig
If you were driving it I wouldn’t be surprised. But then you’d have an explanation for it being an accident wouldn’t you?
September 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
stevo
its on the internet as well i think.
September 30th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
just a thought
but couldn’t the car have killed something or someone while it had the spare wheel fitted at some time or other, and got bits of rotting meat stuck in the tread or something?