Madeleine McCann: Amaral Policing, Secrets Out And EastEnders
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
DAILY EXPRESS front page: “MADELEINE: PORTUGUESE POLICE CHIEF IS SACKED AFTER AMAZING OUTBURST.”
Page 9: “Madeleine detective kicked off case after blasting British police” – Chief inspector Goncalo Amaral says: “The British police have only been working on what the McCann couple want them to and what suits them.”
Says Amaral: “The Ocean Club is in Praia da Luz, not in London…It won’t be an email, and an anonymous one at that, which will distract our line of investigation.”
Mr Amaral is making reference to the email sent to the official website of the Prince of Wales last week claming a vengeful nanny had abducted Madeleine.
Pages 30 and 31: “HAIR-RAISING TRUTH ABOUT THE PSYCHIC BARBER – During the day Gordon Smith cuts hair, at night he claims he communes with the spirits. So does he really think he can help the McCanns find Madeleine?”
THE WORLD’S GREATEST NEWSPAPER confirms that former EastEnders actress Michelle Collins is a “BELIEVER”.
DAILY MAIL page 7: “Off the case. Madeleine police chief demoted after amazing rant against McCanns and British detectives”
Say Amaral: “They [the English] have been investigating tip-offs and information created and worked upon by the McCanns”
DAILY STAR front page: “MADDIE: CHIEF COP SACKED.”
Page 10: “INSPECTOR CLUELESS GETS THE BOOT”
Page 11: “If Maddie IS dead she will tell me where he body is” – Says Gordon Smith
DAILY MIRROR front page: “Maddy copper is axed”
Page 7: “OFF THE CASE – Boozy cop is demoted after furious outburst against the McCanns”
THE SUN page 7: “MADDIE COP FIRED FOR McCANNS RANT – storm as bungler says family duped Brit police”
Comments Clarence Mitchell: “I can confirm that Kate and Gerry are aware of this development but we cannot comment”
THE GUARDIAN page 7: “Detective leading hunt for Madeleine sacked after blast at UK police” – Mr Amaral is 47. He has been demoted. He is 48 in the Sun. Such are the facts
Carols Pinto de Abreu, the McCanns’ Portuguese lawyer, says: “The McCanns cannot confess to something they did not do and cannot and should not lie to please the police”
THE INDEPENDENT page 8: “Detective leading Madeleine hunt dropped from case after outburst” – Amaral is being investigated over an alleged attack on the mother of a different missing girl. Read about that here
THE TIMES front page: “Detective in charge of McCann case sacked”
Page 9: “Madeleine detective sacked after outburst”
Alipio Ribeiro, Amaral’s boss, says: “The police should be discreet and keep quiet, but there is always someone who talks” – So much for those secrecy laws
DAILY TELEGRAPH page 15: “Madeleine inquiry chief sacked after attack on British police”
A “family friend” of the McCanns says: “What he [Mr Amaral] is saying is just plain wrong. Leicestershire Police are not doing anything on Kate and Gerry’s behalf. They are simply there for liaison. There is certainly no strategy to distract form the Portuguese investigation”
What investigation?
Posted: 3rd, October 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,208) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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October 3rd, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Won’t any of you read my comments? Post 554
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:10 pm
985. I heard that there’s a new spin on that night - Kate did not leave twins alone after Maddie was taken.
Can’t remember where I read it - read so much. But I believe new spin has revamped that night!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:09 pm
987
Meooowwww!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:07 pm
All I make of the blog is that the guy can’t write
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
983 Wendy Nilsson
Phew - its ok to come back out guys! x
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
917 Maria: “By the way, if the McCanns killed Madeleine, the fact that they left the children for 30-minute periods while eating dinner had absolutely NOTHING to do with her disappearance!”
—————————————
REPLY: This is a good point, but perhaps leads to a different destination from what you might think.
There are real doubts as to whether Madeleine was still alive at, say, 8pm on 3 May, or quite possibly much earlier.
Holding that in mind as a possibiltiy, then, if so, I believe the twins were moved into another apartment earlier that night, partly so that they were unaware of what was going on, and possibly also to allow a ‘clean-up’ operation to get under way.
It has often been speculated on this Forum that it is a mystery ‘how the twins slept through all the commotion’. And Kate McCann has been severely criticised for running off to the Tapas bar at 10.00am crying ‘abduction, abduction’, and not taking the twins with her.
But were the twins in the room at all when she hysterically cried: ‘abduction, abduction’ and ran to the Tapas bar to break the news?
Think about it. We know that Kate McCann was first to raise the alarm with her hysterical screaming. We are also told that ‘a neighbour’ took the twins into her apartment. We have *no evidence that I am aware of* that the twins were seen by anyone that night other than the ‘neighbour’ who took the twins in (I discount the alleged checks made by Gerry McCann at 9.05pm and Matthew Oldfield at 9.30pm for reasons I explain below).
And who might this mysterious ‘neighbour’ be? Well, the Tapas 9 were I think staying in Mark Warner apartments 5A, 5C, 5D and 5E which were all next to each other, three together on one floor with the McCanns, and another one the floor above. Surely the ‘neighbour’ was one of the Tapas 9?
And there were recent reports of ‘a woman seen talking to Kate McCann outside the apartment, shortly *before* Kate McCann raised the alarm. Could that have been one of the Tapas 9 women? Jane Tanner, perhaps?
Kate McCann raised the alarm at 10.00pm. But what time did she leave the table? Quite possibly the moment Russell O’Brien arrived (see below). Or even before.
So did the twins ’sleep through all the commotion’?
Did Kate leave the twins in the apartment whilst she rushed to the Tapas bar at 10.00pm?
I don’t think so.
They were probably taken by the Tapas 9 ‘neighbour’ earlier that evening, out of the way of the clean-up operation and the spiriting away of Madeleine’s body.
Which brings us back to the evening timelines.
Let’s look at the main features of them:
1. Gerry and Kate arrive at the Tapas bar between 8.30pm and 8.58pm?
ANSWER: Probably true, but the latest time is to be preferred as that comes from a neutral source (Mark Warners’ waitress).
2. Gerry checked the children at 9.05pm?
ANSWER: A lie. Pure invention. We know he was talking to Jeremy Wilkins from about 9.10pm to 9.25pm. I suggest he was not on his way back from checking the children when he bumped into Jeremy Wilkins at 9.10am, but was there in the alley close to the apartment for some other reason.
3. Matthew Oldfield checked the children at 9.30pm, not being sure if he saw Madeleine, and claiming that the room ‘looked a little lighter than before’?
ANSWER: A complete lie.
4. Gerry McCann returned at 9.25pm and invited the quiz-mistress/aerobics teacher over to their table?
ANSWER: True. The quiz-mistress bit helped him to get confirmation that he was there from 9.25pm onwards, at any rate, and helps him to portray the events of Thursday evening as a normal Tapas 9 holiday evening out.
5. Russell O’Brien reaches the Tapas bar for the first time at 9.55pm that night, having had to attend to his sick child?
ANSWER: The timing is probably right, but his absence was almost certainly not for the reason given. The time of his arrival really begs the question of what he was doing until 9.55pm. Removing Madeleine’s body?
The whole claim of the Tapas 9 ‘cheking the children every half-hour’ (I distinctly recall the first news items on this very clearly, and the claim was made for several days that they were checking the children ‘every 10 minutes’) is thus false.
In all probability, the Tapas 9 knew fine well what had happened earlier that evening - and everything from 8pm (or probably considerably earlier) was just a charade played out to set the scene for an abduction claim.
It would also explain this paragraph from the Portuguese newspaper ‘Sol’, back in June:
QUOTE
Contrary to the GNR elements and the Ocean Club’s staff, who participated in the searches on the night before and assure they did not see Murat around, Gerry McCann and some of his friends guarantee that he was there. And thus he becomes an arguido.
Gerry and Kate’s friends, who are interrogated tightly by the PJ over almost a month, refuse to clarify this contradiction, when asked by Sol.
“We have a pact. This is our matter only. It is nobody else’s business”, says David Payne, another element with the group.
Minutes after we tried to contact Kate, Gerry, in a fury, calls the Sol journalist: “What do you think you are doing? Do you think you’re better than the portuguese police? I’m going to forward your contact to PJ and you will have to explain yourselves”.
UNQUOTE
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Maria, you are the most sensible person on this entire forum. Keep it up!!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:05 pm
981
No to both questions.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:04 pm
I want Justice for Maddie. Gerry needs to stop his blog diary. That would help!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
974 Wendy Nilsson
Eek are you related to Denis Nilsson and have you got anything on the stove right now??????????????
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Maria . 968 . What they did is clearly a crime in my eyes, as I’m sure it is in the eyes of any loving parent worldwide. Whether or not, the laws of various countries see it not being a crime is a shame!
Laws should be made to protect those who cannot protect themselves. A child who is not yet 4 cannot by any means protect herself against ANYTHING! Her own parents should have realised that. (That is to say, if the abduction theory is a true one …. which I don’t believe!).
Yes, if this abduction theory turns out to be the true incident, then I still point all my fingers at her parents. No parent worth their salt would have left these young children to their own “useless” defences.
Her own parents created the opportunity that led to the circumstances. And, in the meantime, all they are worried about is covering their own butts. Everything you hear on the news nowadays, is how they are denying this, proclaiming their innocence and trying to show what fantastic parents they are. In my books, they never qualified for parents in the first place, and that is why they had to use alternative methods!!!!!
All I want is justice for a tiny little girl who couldn’t even spell her own name!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:01 pm
976. Thanks for the laugh!
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:01 pm
973 Maria
Have you tried hormone replacement? Therapy? Are you getting some kind of help? Perhaps you should see your doctor? You clearly do have some serious issues? Blood pressure taken recently?
Perhaps you should watch the Sound of Music for inspiration from your namesake?
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:00 pm
968. Maria.
If Madeleine or one of the twins had injured themselves or been injured or sexually assaulted while left alone then the parents would have been charged under Portuguese law. See this that I posted earlier.
http://books.google.com/books?id=8goedbtjWnwC&pg=PA687&lpg=PA687&dq=portuguese+child+protection+law&source=web&ots=_UW8bwZ_v_&sig=w5uWkv9FYpDVB-UXHeIAWkc9I4g
If you zoom in you will read;
“Art. 1915 Portuguese CC uses a general clause which covers not only mens rea by parents that leads to serious harm to the child (Art. 1915 No 1 1st part Portuguese CC and Art. 192 Portuguese Child Protection Law) but also involuntary harmful behaviour, such as that resulting from inexperience, illness or absence (Art. 1915 No 1 2nd part Portuguese CC and Art. 192 Portuguese Child Protection Law).
So if Madeleine does reappear and she has been injured or harmed then the Portuguese could still prosecute the parents.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:00 pm
OMG you guys are pathetic.. You people need some hobbies..Mccann’s will not be charged as there is no evidence and anything pending from forensics will not prove one darn thing. Here’s some ideas of what you people can do with your time:
-Go for a walk
-Have sex..it’s good for you
-Perhaps many of you Mccann addicts have not showered yet, DO IT
-Perhaps many of you Mccann addicst have not brushed teeth yet, DO IT
-Spend quality time with kids/friends/hubby/
-Workout
-Read a book, not relating to G&K
-The list can go on and on
-Check your A** for any sores from sitting on it all day long.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:59 pm
965 Peter O
I do!
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Gerry and Kate had it all: Lovely children, good looks, a £600 000 house and respected jobs as doctors.
Because Gerry and Kate have so much more than most people, they are expected to pay the price. The public don’t want to “allow” them low morals and sloppy attitudes too.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:58 pm
966 Get real
With my kids?!
Is it only nuns who don’t like kicking people when they’re down, especially that far down??
I don’t think so.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:58 pm
I knew a woman who left her newborn, just days old, alone in a trailer while she went next door for tea. The trailer caught fire and in five minutes was engulfed and her child burned. It was horrible.
She wasn’t charged. But she was absent. And tragedy struck!
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Anorak moderation took too long to publish my questions. Did anyone see 554? Any comments?
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Maria 957 How many kids do you have and how old are they? Do you live in cloud cuckoo land and is someone watching them now whilst you are pre-occupied venting hot air? Have you checked them recently?
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I don’t think it was the wisest choice, but I think what they did was not as horrible as what all the people are making it out to be.
I wouldn’t do it. Not like they did. But I would chat next door with a neighbor, go to the laundry down the hall for five minutes, go to the mailbox and stop to visit a bit, weed the garden, lots of things, that take me away for a short time.
Tragic things do happen when one is absent, even for a minute or two. How many young ones drown as the parents answer the phone or look away?
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:54 pm
950 Roger
Maybe the law should be tightened up. It would be difficult to apply it widely, though.
I am ONLY saying that, at present, what they did would NOT be a crime. I haven’t said whether or not I think it SHOULD be a crime.
They HAVE been punished, I think? NOTHING anyone else could do could come anywhere near what has happened to them already.
Social services usually attempt to modify the behaviour of parents whose parenting is not ideal. I think they are pretty satisfied in this case that behaviour will be modified in this respect. (By the way, if there is any evidence of sedation, they should remove the twins forthwith. That’s why I’m assuming there is no evidence, as yet.)
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm
829 and 869 innocenttillproveninnocent
Here is Gerry McCann’s explanation of why they are not releasing more detailed information about Madeleine to the public:
from his blog
“Day 69 - 11/07/2007
This morning got off to a bad start when we were called, even before the twins were awake, by a reputable press agency saying that a body had been found and asking if it was true. It is very disappointing that this person did not check out the source of this rumour before contacting our representatives. Such calls and rumours are distressing even though we know if it does not come through an official source not to place much emphasis on it.
The Portuguese police interviewed three of our friends again today, to clarify points in their initial statements. As most of you will know, there is a lot of misleading information being published, both in the press and on the internet, about the events leading up to Madeleine’s disappearance and the criminal investigation. We would like to give more information, especially about inaccurate and hurtful reports, but cannot for fear of prejudicing any subsequent court proceedings. The Portuguese police have made it clear to us that all witnesses should not divulge or discuss the information they have provided. Kate and I are, of course not party to all of the information coming into the inquiry for sound operational reasons.
Similarly a lot of people have asked to learn more about Madeleines likes and dislikes. This is information which we have been advised not to distribute publicly because of the risk of it being used in potential extortion attempts. The arrests recently in The Netherlands and Spain show that such information could be used negatively in the wrong hands.”
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/pamela.watson43/pamalam/GERRY‘S%20BLOG%20DIARY.htm
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:52 pm
957 Maria
What time do you have to be back at the convent?
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:50 pm
917 Maria
It’s obviously true that Madeleine would not have disappeared had her parents been with her…..
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Good, I’m glad we agree on that. The rest of your post is a matter of opinion, yours, to which you are entitled to hold. My opinion differs from yours, I can live with that, suggest you do the same.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
959 The Eye. That is NOT negligent. My kids monopolise me when I am on the loo and they are now 11 and 13! All kids need is love and attention. Shame some people are too self absorbed and selfish to share that sentiment.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Don’t you think the parents planned timed visits to check on the children and they had others in the party check too?
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
945.The Eye ,
neither do I and ‘bad guys behind bushes’ wouldn’t come that high on my list of worries….but vomiting and choking, falls, wandering off, nightmares (the childs’ that is) and them simply waking and being frightened would come before considering possibilities of abduction. Common sense and consideration for their children would I hope prevent most parents from emulating the MCs. Oh, I forgot, they even left the apartment doors un-locked…un-belivable
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Madeleine’s parents created the circumstances that led to her disappearance. It is for this plain fact alone that they should not be ALLOWED to become the most pitied parents of an abducted child! There are numerous other parents whose children have been abducted, who were model parents, yet their plights have not reached the public such as this one has (and their children are still missing as well).
The McCann’s have one advantage ….. they had the right connections at the right time ….. and the connections multiplied. It is for this mere fact alone, that they will never be judged in a court of law for letting their daughter down.
My outlook on this case stands (as from 4 months ago), Madeleine WAS NOT abducted!