Madeleine McCann: Praia da Luz Calls, Maddy Shunned And Portugal On The Edge
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
DAILY MAIL page 36: “Madeleine: Portuguese detectives trawl thousands of phone records”
Police are looking through phone records of Praia da Luz’a 27,000 residents at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance. They are looking for unusual call patterns. Bugging calls
A local resident of Praia da Luz says the police questioned her, saying: “We are investigating all calls made within Praia da Luz from 9.30pm onwards on May 3″
Says the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell: “Any information could prove vital”
THE SUN page 15: “Maddie cops seize local phone bills”
“They are using a method of triangulation which pinpoints a person’s location via their mobile and are also checking land-line calls”
Can it work? Says the Sun: “Mobile phone evidence exposed holes in the alibi of Soham murderer Ian Huntley”. And that is similar to this case because..?
DAILY MIRROR front page: “MADDY – Blitz to fined phone clues”
Page 10: “COPS CHECK EVERY CALL ON DAY MADDY VANISHED”
Well, not every call. Just calls made in the area of Praia da Luz by those 1,000 persons on a police list
DAILY EXPRESS page 19: “Now Madeleine police seize all phone records”
The papers says the search is in light of talk of a “massive conspiracy”. The Express is belived to be fond of a conspiracy
Says Clarence Mitchell: “Kate and Gerry are encouraged by this police work because it shows the investigation is now active and thorough…Crucially they also hope it may lead to them being reunited with Madeleine”
DAILY STAR: “PARENTS SHY AWAY FROM NAME ‘MADDY’”
Or Madeleine, for that is her name
The name Madeleine is “now lower than at any time in the past five years”. It is now the 80th most popular name. Says a child psychologist called Ruth: “The majority of people who hear the name Madeleine automatically associate it with her”
What the top girl’s name is readers are not told, nor where Kate features. The Telegraph says it is “Grace”, as in Baby Grace
NEW YORK TIMES: “Portugal Polishes Its Image as the ‘West Coast of Europe’”
Portugal wants to reposition itself. Portugal is exciting, shiny, new and historical.
But: “The unsolved case remains a big story for the British tabloids, and there have been reports of declines in tourism from Britain, an important market for Portugal.
“Over all, though, tourism remains strong, Manuel Pinho, Portugal’s minister for the economy and innovation said. ‘This is a tragic case, of course, but it has not affected the numbers,’ he said. ‘It’s a very peaceful country, a very safe country’”
The demonising of Portugal and the case of Madeleine McCann
Posted: 20th, December 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (547) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
December 20th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
typo
‘Middle-aged”
December 20th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
What happened to the blood on the steps?
December 20th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
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151
Ferdinand Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
142 Meejician Says:
“Eyoop - Dianne Webster is not an ‘old lady’!!!”
Sorry, I meant and “elderly” lady. (Or what is the current PC expression for 50+ ?)
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Miuddle-aged. And it’s not PC, just accurate. I’ll not mind being ‘old’ at 80, so I’ve got another 17 years to go…….
December 20th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
145 Thanks Harry - you might break the case wide open!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
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146
Chloe Spain Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
126 Ferdinand
142 Meejician
I believe I read that Dianne Webster was 58. If that’s old, god help us all!
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Exactly! Any other “old ladies” here care to join me for a night out at a pub quiz?
December 20th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
140 Slyfox
My point is this. Why would the defence team think that doctored (sorry, love saying that!)photos were an issue? Well, as you say, it might be some other photos we know nothing about. However, if the McCanns released doctored photos, to try to show Madeleine alive across more days than she was there for, the PJ coud have presented photos where they had removed her as did Stevo, to show that they knew. The defence team could then claim any photos without her in were doctored (i.e.reverse the argument!).
Have a look a thte plaground photo where Gerry is looking at Sean but appers oblivious to Madeleine, who is ‘jumping’(balancing?) in front of him. Now look at her knee…looks peculiar doesnt it? Look at her right foot, is that a right foot?
Now, who is to say that that hasnt been ‘deliberately messed up ‘ to look like it is a forgery? See what I mean?
December 20th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
So if the police have been concentrating on after 3 May.
Will there be any evidence left from before then?
December 20th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
logic - I agree
December 20th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
142 Meejician Says:
“Eyoop - Dianne Webster is not an ‘old lady’!!!”
Sorry, I meant and “elderly” lady. (Or what is the current PC expression for 50+ ?)
December 20th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
#
140
Slyfox Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
If the defence team were referring to the photos Stevo has identified as being miodified then that would be disingenuous because the McCanns could have spoken out when they were released but they didn’t so I think their comment must refer to photos the PJ have that we are unaware of.
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The photos they’re complaing about are, I think, of a footprint on the boot of the Scenic (and maybe elsewhere). It’s a size 6 trainer footprint. A little small to belong to Plod.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
111 brandon flours
This scenario certainly sounds much more likely than the outlandish theories that were proposed yesterday and the day before - eg going to Portugal to carry out do-it-yourself ophthalmic surgery in their holiday flat, surviving for weeks in a coma, and a mercy killing due to Madeleine having retinoblastoma and Kate loving her so much she couldn’t bear to see her pain.
I thought I was going balmy - had to switch off.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
quote: (from waiter)
�It had been a normal night. Then it became madness.
�I went into the kitchen for a few minutes and when I came out I saw the McCanns’ table was totally empty except for the older woman. She looked scared.
�Then I heard shouting and terrible screaming from the apartments and my colleague told me a child had gone missing.
Why did Granny stay at the table looking scared?
December 20th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
maybe murat was THERE!!!! DUM DUM DUM!!!!!!!!!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
126 Ferdinand
142 Meejician
I believe I read that Dianne Webster was 58. If that’s old, god help us all!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
When I am in PDL in late Jan I will ask around at Chaplins and report back - this is an interesting angle.
will take particular interest in whether they take credit cards and in their CCTV arrangements.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
138 OK, whatever, your point is accepted (by me)!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
123
clouseau Says:
“…they dined in Sagres on the first night which is 25km away …as reported by a waiter there…the mccanns denied this”
This is not too far from that ‘disused barn’, is it?….
December 20th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
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126
Ferdinand Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Because granny stayed with the children that night? A night club is not an old lady’s business.
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Eyoop - Dianne Webster is not an ‘old lady’!!!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
135 It has them written all over it. Quiz night - was there a Quiz night in Tapas? If there was, hardly anyone could have been in it!
Anyway, I too ‘like’ this as it fits. Too far away, kids waking and crying, terrible accident. A few days to think it over, only three days of photos with Madeleine in them…
Yep, fits like a glove. Much more comfortable than Cartoon man, dont you think? Plenty of time to decide where to stash the body. So did they have access to the Church a little earlier than we have been told? It opens things up significantly doesnt it.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Afternoon for a min.
Chaplans is right next to the church see following
http://s215.photobucket.com/albums/cc130/ellibean99/?action=view¤t=church.flv
Ian
If the defence team were referring to the photos Stevo has identified as being miodified then that would be disingenuous because the McCanns could have spoken out when they were released but they didn’t so I think their comment must refer to photos the PJ have that we are unaware of.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Ian
LOL
no its when he helped the man with the heart atack
on the day he had his wallet “abducted”
December 20th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
133
Ian Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
130 I always thought that she would probably have neded up babysitting, but this was the last night.
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It wasn’t the last night. The last night would have been Friday.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
The front entrance to Apt 5A looked out onto Rua Dr Agostinho da Silva. If you look at either of the maps I linked to (the one with the church and the one with Chaplins), even if the other corner of the apartment looked onto the long road leading down to Chaplins, it’s still one heck of a distance!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
132 What was this about?
Automatically and modestly helped to find his own daughter? Strongly and kindly?
The modest yet loud joker who showed off his tennis strokes?
He sounds like he might have a slightly fragmented personality!
December 20th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
CHAPLINS
Was discussed on another forum in September. The consensus was that the group ate first in the Tapas bar, and then went on to Chaplins for drinks and Quiz. The Chaplins connection has never been verified, but there was mention of it in the Portuguese press as one of the Chaplins’ waiters had reported this. However, on the last round-up in the Portuguese press, this has since been denied.
Dunno. I quite liked the Chaplins angle.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I am sure she had a beau in tow hence the tappas10
December 20th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
130 I always thought that she would probably have neded up babysitting, but this was the last night.
Anyway, she might have been there for another reason, is she unmarried perchance?
December 20th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
But his sister said Mr McCann had been typically modest about the help he provided.
She said: “Gerry spends his life looking after other people so in a situation like that, you just go into your natural modus operandi and help.
“It’s what you’re trained to do, it’s who you are. He didn’t make a big deal out of it because it’s the kind of thing that he does all the time at work.”
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There were 4 doctors there, maybe this mindset was used for the plan
December 20th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
127 Well, there is no substantive evidence to support any abduction theory, you are correct.
In fact the only witness has corrupted her evidence and is now unreliable (might have been anyway as not independent - though the CPS isnt involved here!).
As to the bus, I wonder if theyd just pile in, i.e. no ID needed. Hence possibly no record at all.
December 20th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Why else take your mum on holiday apart from to look after the kids - so why was she with them in Tapas?