Madeleine McCann: Alipio Ribeiro’s Thinks, Clarence Mitchell Knows And A Birthday
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY STAR ON SUNDAY: “MADDIE COPS SAYS SORRY – Police ‘too quick’ “to blame parents”
“A top policeman has sensationally admitted that making Gerry and Kate McCann suspects over their daughter Maddie’s disappearance was too ‘hasty’. Alipio Ribeiro, boss of the Portuguese department in charge of the investigation, dropped his bombshell in a radio interview”
Says Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns spokesman: “Now that the national director of the Policia Judiciaria apparently acknowledges that they should never have been made arguidos, it follows there is no case for them to answer.”
SUNDAY EXPRESS: “POLICE ‘TOO HASTY’ OVER MCCANNS”
“As the couple bravely celebrated the third birthday of their twins, Sean and Amelie, one of Portugal’s most senior detectives admitted that making them suspects had been a “hasty” mistake”
Did Mr Alipio Ribeiro say “mistake” in his radio interview?
Says the paper: “The couple, both 39, said the official’s comments were tantamount to an admission that Portuguese detectives had bungled by centring their investigation on them.”
Says Mr Ribeiro to Portugal’s Radio Renascenca, owned by the Catholic Church:
“At this moment in time and speaking with the experience I have of Portugal’s Public Prosecution Service and the constitution of arguidos, I think there perhaps should have been another assessment before the McCanns were made official suspects.
“I don’t have any doubt about that. The national director of the Policia Judiciaria doesn’t give out orders on the constitution of arguidos but there was a certain hastiness”
Says the paper: “Last night Ribeiro was under growing pressure to stand down as national director of their country’s Policia Judiciaria”. Pressure from, whom?
MAIL ON SUNDAY: “”Police chief: We were too quick to make Gerry and Kate ‘arguidos’”
Says the Mail: “Kate and Gerry McCann’s bid to clear their names over the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine has been given a massive boost after the head of Portugal’s police admitted it had been a mistake to rush into making them official suspects”
Mr McCann says: “We need a breakthrough and this looks like it could be one. It is fantastic news. We still have a long way to go but people in Portugal need to understand what has been happening and what we have been going through. We know it will take the police a long time to accept what has been happening is wrong but it is an important step towards that”
Says the McCanns’ lawyer in Portugal, Carlos Pinto de Abreu: “Many people who may have vital information have possibly not come forward as they wrongly suspected the McCanns”
What about that huge reward, and doing the right thing? People may be deterred from coming forward for fear of being named in the media and questioned by Metodo 3, the McCann’s private investigators. But let us not speculate
SUNDAY PEOPLE: “MADDIE U-TURN - EXCLUSIVE Cops admit mistake on twins’ birthday”
“Kate and Gerry McCann threw a birthday bash for their twins yesterday - as a top cop admitted it was WRONG to name them as suspects over missing Maddie”
Well, Policia Judiciaria “boss” Alipio Ribeiro, said the police acted too hasilty. “Ribeiro last night faced calls to resign over the astonishing U-turn” – although from whom, the paper does not bother to say
Say the McCanns: “The support we have had from around the world has been amazing. It’s helped maintain our strength and hope and this has helped the search for our precious Madeleine. We believe there is a very good chance she is still alive. She deserves the love and security of her family. She needs to be back home with her mummy and daddy, brother and sister”
THE GUARDIAN: “Police chief says ‘we were too hasty’ in naming McCanns as suspects”
“In an interview to be aired on Portuguese radio today, Alípio Ribeiro, the national director of the Polícia Judiciária, will concede that police may have acted too soon in making Kate and Gerry McCann formal suspects, known in Portugal as arguidos. His comments were interpreted last night by the McCanns as a tacit admission that the police were wrong to name them as being involved in the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter”
Madeleine McCann: speculation, suspicion and sensation
Posted: 3rd, February 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (889) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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February 3rd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
june / carmen - how come you’re questioning the whereabouts of brandon - i thought M&A had her locked in moderation?
bye for now
——————
Mods and Admin
Hopefully that little problem will have been sorted, otherwise she’ll just have to share Lone’s perch…..
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Classic CM strategy this morning: spin the headlines and trash the Portuguese at the same time. And the newspapers keep taking the bait. It’s a transparently incestuous fellowship.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
467 noseycow
Hi!
sledgehammer said that I had misled you about something - apaprently you were ‘put right’ by him or Mods and Admin earlier on this thread?
Is that true and if so, what was the point in question?
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
“I am however concerned at attempts to cloud the investigation by, amongst other things, alterations in timings ”
and those would be - along with some evidence that this has actually taken place, of course……?
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Does anyone know if its possible for a civil action for negligence on behalf of a child to be brought against the parents by an unrelated legal entity?
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
458 aardvarko - if you’re around tommorow i’ll put my devils advocate hat on an we’ll go for it
actually there are a few around who are worth debating with - coolandcalm, totje, and some times garthy are worth taking the time to debate with imo
and probably some others but i always was useless with names 
off now - hope you manage to find maddie safe and well tonight
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Has anyone obtained the full transcript of the interview with the head of the PJ so we can clarify its content with the more ‘excitable’ posters?
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
461 Carmen Says:
“Now has anybody seen or heard of Brandon Flours, or was she the real Jeremy Beadle in disguise?
Surely Lone Pigeon would have smelt a rat?”
——————————
I’m sure Lone Pigeon would be ‘Game For a Laugh”.(wood pigeons are game right?)
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
460 clouseau
I just said the same thing, but in amongst a load of waffle!
Nice clarity and of course absolutely correct. There is more evidence of parental negligence than stranger abduction.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
451 Increasingly Increduloous
Clearly there are two primary categories of people who post here.
There is a self defined pro-McCann category - containing those willing to turn a blind eye to the uncontested negligence of the parents, characterised by a refusal to consider anything but the universally accepted as ‘most unlikely’ theory of ’stranger abduction’ …and the rest.
I consider myself in the latter category.
As a member of the ‘open minded’ category I have openly considered the theory of stranger abduction and have yet to be convinced. I am however concerned at attempts to cloud the investigation by, amongst other things, alterations in timings directly generated by team McCann and the refusal of the parents to assist the police in their enquiries, by using legal and international barriers. Their misuse of the media is another area of concern.
Accusations of negligence aimed at the UK population by the media and specifically by Clarence Mitchell are regrettable and may also be the subject of legal action in the future.
It is also of concern that the posters here, except uniquely Garth, refuse to enter into an examination of the events of the 3rd of May and the days prior to that date Preferring instead to either generally attack the open minded posters, placing them into ‘team’ category in order to streamline and generalise attacks. These posters also attempt to use their access to the internet search browsers to pretend to be legal professionals and muddy the debates.
There is a category who are very much in the minority - people who are simply anti-McCann. I can understand these people, I understand the principle of disliking failed parents who do not accept their failure and seek to bring everyone down to their level, especially in view of their profession as medics - who must have reliable judgement.
Of course I can also sympathise with the McCanns, especially Kate, as she has lost her career and may never practice as a GP again - I also fear that she will not succeed in her alleged new career direction in child protection.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
thats always been the problem
there is not one bit of evidence to support an abduction
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Chenier
Think waitrose have an online delivery service, save you going out in the cold, and you could use the time saved in snarling at Orange…
just a thought
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
454 Noseycow - I agree with you.
You wouldn’t THINK that anyone in their right mind would claim to know the twins, and I was absolutely astonished to read that earlier today. So whether or not they are connected to the McCs (and I accept they may not be), they are undoubtedly doing their cause far more harm than good.
I would welcome a sensible, literate, McCann supporter to engage in some constructive debate. It can get a little bland, when there is no credible opposition to the anti- stance. We need the challenge to brighten up the forum!
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
val - piss myself laughing - sorry not very pc is it???
have a good dinner - need to go do the veg myself in a mo..
tomorrow???
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
446 NOSEYCOW
what does PMSL mean ? I think it”s time to beat a hasty retreat for a while, concentrate
on cooking my Roast dinner.
Catch up later if you are still about.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
logic
hows your course going??? 
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
aardvarko - good point - but the most ardent mcc supporters have always played this way, their objective has never been to convince anyone of anything, it has always been to threaten/frighten.
talk of libel and paedophiles and monsters usually does it. 
Thinking about it thats the same game that clarrie plays isn’t it.
Could it be because they know that there are too many questions without reasonable answers, so there is actually little point in debating with a half a brain cell?
i think you give them too much credit implying that some may be close to team mcc, no one in their right mind would come onto this board and suggest that they know the twins (for example) if they were actually involved in this saga in some shape or form. IMO and allegedly of course - sorry clarrie can’t get me for this one
apologies for the excessive use of smilies
but i am lead to believe that it annoys some people! 
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:59 pm
CHENIER
I’m so pleased to hear you’re feeling better and home again. Everyone was asking about you - I’m quite envious of your popularity!
I know how frustrating it is when you can’t get any satisfaction - especially when it’s in regard to an internet connection - I’ve shed many a tear of frustration and shouted many unbefitting words down the phone when it’s happened to me. And it’s especially awful when you’re not feeling 100%.
Go easy on the Glenlivet, too much won’t help you and is weakening. Well, it weakens me, suffice to day, which is why I have no desire to indulge in alcohol!
And don’t go out in the wind! Best wishes.
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
320
jo Says:
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
thank you, I had others for the quotes/articles and another for a Portuguese Penal Code in pdf file, unfortunately my post was edited by Mods and Admin…
Anyway for those who understand Portuguese this one is an excellent site about Portuguese Law:
http://www.verbojuridico.eu/
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:56 pm
“Today was a day to be magnanimous, to acknowledge a small step forward, and to attempt to gain further support with reasoned, sensitive debate. ”
So much the hallmark of the anti-McCann brigade……
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Errrmmm,
Chenier…
“And that the file was reviewed by a magistrate, not the PJ, for the extension of arguido status.
And it was granted…”
what extension of Arguido status?
The McCanns status isn’t up for review until April..The extensions were of Murat’s arguido status, and the coverage of judicial secrecy……
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Just in for a minute.
All that has happened today is that it has been reported that a principal investigator in this case has expressed reservations about one aspect of the investigation. He said nothing about the McCanns not being suspects. Comical Clarrie added spin to this to make it seem rather more positive than it was.
Today’s reported developments, while in no way as positive for the McCs as Clarence is spinning, should, however, give the McCanns and their supporters some hope for the future - at least in terms of their own status, even if it makes no difference whatsoever to the fate of Maedleine. Still, as even their strongest supporters acknowledge, clearing their name is more important to the McCanns than their daughter.
The point I would like to make here is about the behaviour of the McCs’ supporters on this board today. Today was a day to be magnanimous, to acknowledge a small step forward, and to attempt to gain further support with reasoned, sensitive debate. There are still several undecided fence-sitters on this board.
But no! The three idiots Inc Inc, Hedgeslammer and Garf have to jump in with both feet, blowing the McCann trumpet as if they had been awarded a Nobel prize!
These three have done almost as much damage to the McCanns support among people on this forum as the McCanns have themselves. Garf occasionally has something worthwhile to contribute, but the other two have nothing whatsoever to add and between them have the intellect of a dead starfish.
It is possible/probable that two of them at least, are in the McCanns’ circle, and are being fed nonsense, and encouraged in their efforts by either Camp McCann or Comical Clarrie. Once again, Clarrie demonstrates poor judgement. If he really wants to spin positive PR for these hideous excuses for parents, he should take moves to get these three posters silenced.
You guys missed a chance to get some people on your side today!
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
442 Clouseau
If I remember rightly, she was that lovely little girl who went missing and all “attempts” to
find her have failed so far. Trouble was, so many self serving people got involved and money
wasted on false “sightings” that the whole operation is just a shambles now.IMO
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
chanteleine - its sunday perhaps they have better things to do???
lets hope lone / brandon are celebrating her birthday - together in front of a warm fire….
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
442 clouseau -
pmsl 
val - well said
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
435
noseycow Says:
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
“chanteleine - i have been threatened 3 times today and my intelligence insulted twice - never laughed quite as much actually - but surely that should count in your stats? ”
******
Noseycow, I try very hard to keep my sense of humor, but so far I have hardly found anything “funny” in Sledgehammer’s posts. And nearly a quarter of the posts today is either from him, to him or about him.
They’re neither satirical posts, nor contributing anything to the discussion and making it time-consuming to read through. I must admit, though, that if his goal is to bore us to death so that we leave one by one, he should be considered to be a master at it …
Speaking of which … where are Brandon, RedRooster, RealRedRooster, RedRoosterJunior, Lone Pigeon, Stevo, to name a few?
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
425
Peter O Says:
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
418 chenier Says: February 3rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
417 Peter O Says: .February 3rd, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Chenier… Welcome back to our weird and wonderful virtual reality!
—————————————————
Thank you; I can assure you that it’s even weirder to be without our wonderful virtual reality.
I see Clarrie has been getting carried away again; presumably he was devoutly hoping that people would overlook the small fact that the extension of the arguido status was granted by a magistrate, not by the PJ.
Interesting the way he is frantic to divert all attention from what happened to Madeleine, and focus it instead on her parents.
I have to say that even if I knew nothing else at all about the case, I would find that deeply worrying.
Just what is he afraid of?
++++++++++++++++
I’m of the opinion that there is a very deliberate strategy to remove Madeleine from the day to day stories. There are few more heinous crimes in most peoples eyes than those in which children are the victims.
If there is the slightest suggestion that the parents, or anyone close to them and with the parents knowledge, are in any way responsible for Madeleine’s fate then I think you’ll find that most people’s knee-jerk reaction would not be favourable to the McCann’s.
The recent strategy of resurrecting the “bogeyman” was just another attempt to shift any aspect of blame from the parents, in my opinion.
I just hope that others who don’t necessarily frequent forums such as these also find Clarence as utterly transparent as I do.
————————————————————-
I certainly agree that Madeleine is wheeled in and wheeled out as needed by the spin of the moment, and the sketch which produced the three Portuguese, plus the dastardly villain apprehended taking his daughter to the Chilean museum, probably didn’t have quite the effect that Clarrie had hoped for.
The most important point is that Clarrie himself is apparently losing control. His ‘press conference’ plus his LSE gig and the ‘lost in translation’ of Alípio Ribeiro is still not enough to get the McCanns on to the front pages.
As I noted to Sledgehammer, this is not good for a man alleged to have the British media sewed up…
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
432 Chatelaine
It”s when Saturn and Stevo get together…… at least Stevo is interesting.
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Val
whos Madeleine?
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
clueless …lol
you got me sussed sledgy