Robert Murat Damages, McCanns Cleared And Bungling Cops
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
ROBERT Murat has been awarded damages for being libelled by 11 British publications in the matter of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.
When they were libelled, Kate and Gerry McCann got a front-page “wholehearted apology” from the Daily Star and a “donation”. The Express did similar.
Today the papers treat the matter as follows:
DAILY EXPRESS (Page 5 side column): “Robert Murat, Micahela Walczuch and Sergey Malinka”
Yesterday the Daily Express and other newspapers apologised in court for having wrongly suggested in a number of articles that Mr Murat, Ms Walczuch and Mr Malinka were involved in the abduction of Madeleine McCann and had told lies about their involvement and/or obstruction [in] the police investigation”
DAILY STAR (page 2): “Robert Murat, Micahela Walczuch and Sergey Malinka”
DAILY MAIL (page 6, side column): “Murat wins Madeleine court action.”
“In recognition of the distress caused, we have agreed to pay substantial damages to the claimants, plus their legal costs”.
Legal costs kept low thank to an out-of-court settlement.
DAILY MIRROR (Page 6, side column): “ROBERT MURAT, MICHAELA WALCZUCH & SERGEY MALINKA”
We had wrongly suggested in a number of articles that Mr Murat and Ms Walczuch were involved in the abduction of Madeleine McCann; that Mr Murat and Ms Walczuch had lied to the police and obstructed their investigation; that Mr Murat was a paedophile who used his computer to access depraved sexual material; that Mr Murat and Ms Walczuch might be part of a paedophile ring; and that Mr Malinka had convictions for sex offences and had lied about his acquaintance with Mr Murat.
SKY NEWS: “Murat Accepts £600,000 Damages”
Says Murat:
“The newspapers in this case brought about the total and utter devastation of mine and my family’s life and caused immense distress. I’m pleased they have admitted the falsity of their allegations and I can start to rebuild my life. I can emerge from this action vindicated with the recognition and acknowledgement that what was said against me was wholly untrue.”
Mr Murat, whose action was against 10 newspaper titles for more than 100 articles, has repeatedly denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
Wasn’t Sky challenged as well?
THE SUN (page six, side column): “ROBERT MURAT – MICHAEL WALCZUCH”
“In various articles we wrongly suggested that they were involved in the abduction of Madeleine McCann, that they had lied about their involvement, that they might have been part of a paedophile ring and that Mr Murat had used his computer to access depraved sexual material”
There is no word from Murat in any of the papers.
But compare that to this:
THE SUN (front page): “THE HUNT FOR MADDIE – McCANNS IN CLEAR. Suspect status lifted this Monday”
Says a “source”.
Page11: “McCanns cleared, but after 441 days…IT’S BACK TO SQUARE ONE”
The Sun gets rent-a-copper John O’Connor to say that the McCanns were “VICTIMS OF THE COPS”.
The Portuguese police took Madeleine?
O’Connor says the “response of the Portuguese police was to make them [McCanns] arguidos and conduct a vicious sniping campaign by leaking apocryphal stories to the Portuguese media”.
You know, those stories that were taken up by the British media and passed off as news.
“How completely wrong they were,” says O’Connor.
Tsk! A pox on those “bungling” coppers.
It’s not like a newspaper would get it so wrong and point the finger at an innocent man and woman. As if. (See above).
Posted: 18th, July 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (119) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
July 18th, 2008 at 11:29 am
chenier
Will the fact they may be charged with perjury and neglect make them spill?
I hope so
July 18th, 2008 at 11:28 am
chenier Says
The kind interpretation of this is that 789 were mistaken.
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Not for a moment do I doubt RM’s innocence . In fact, I think I think it’s disgraceful that the newspapers’ apologies to him were not printed prominently as they were to the Mcs.
BUT I do wonder why you find it so much easier to accept what the newspapers accepted and apologised for in his case than what they accepted and apologised for in the Mcs’ case!?!
July 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
randon flours Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
chenier morning
Really? Was anything said about the tappas789 misguided police statements on identyfying him too?
———————–
One of the many things which the newspapers accepted was that he had been at home with his mother on the 3rd May 2007.
The kind interpretation of this is that 789 were mistaken.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:19 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqIbmu0ZO7E&feature=related
Is this better then
July 18th, 2008 at 11:18 am
don’t you like it
?????
July 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Have you been drinking ?
July 18th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Châtelaine
One of the dangers of a mild overdose of sedatives is that you become dozy and dizzy, and are in danger to fall. I think this is the most likely scenario of all that includes the “a little bit more” theory.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Just for you Brandon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD1EgaE8gBE
July 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
chenier morning
Really? Was anything said about the tappas789 misguided police statements on identyfying him too?
July 18th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Morning, BF!
There seemed to be quite a lot of his family in the Courtroom yesterday, and they did, indeed, seem very proud of him…
One thing about the libel settlement worth remembering; if anyone repeats those libels they will be, to use the technical term, screwed.
And repeating a libel which you have already apologised for takes you beyond the thumbscrew stage; the courts could sentence the editors to 2 years watching an episode of ‘I’m a Celebrity Editor- Get Me Out of Here.’
Unless those namby pamby judges over at the European Court of Human Rights interfere…
July 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
brandon flours Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hello
Mr Murat is dignified, admirable and his family should be extremely proud of him.
I hope he can get on with his life in peace.
hello lovely
July 18th, 2008 at 11:03 am
chenier Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
No need to get excited about it; the very obvious point would be that if there were high levels of the drug it would suggest that Madeleine had been given sleeping pills over a lengthy period of time….
****
This is in line with some old forums I recently read. On community.verizon.net TootToot writes on September 13 a lengthy post, giving her opinion of what happened. It’s quite clever and she addresses in extenso the supposed sedation of the children and the possible overdose for MM:
“I think perhaps Madeleine did not respond to the usual dosage and that maybe Kate decided to give her more. She’s a doctor and maybe she felt a little more would be fine and not lethal.
Maybe this would have been true in another child that was not previously given this sedative in the preceding nights. Maybe Madeleine did not completely oxidize the previous dosages from her body? At any rate, whatever they gave her, and I do believe they gave her something, caused a reaction. ”
I it’s O.K. with M&A I can give you the link.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:02 am
chenier Says:
” No need to get excited about it; the very obvious point would be that if there were high levels of the drug it would suggest that Madeleine had been given sleeping pills over a lengthy period of time…. ”
Indeed. But that was not what was claimed in the article.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:02 am
oh don’t you worry chernier - i’ve been eating purple berries for her
July 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am
lone pigeon Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Don’t believe the hype?
you’re not seriously suggesting that the Sun might be, gulp, wrong?
I do feel, however, that your night time patrols might be varied a little, say in the direction of Rebekkkkaaa’s luxurious motor car…
July 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hello
Mr Murat is dignified, admirable and his family should be extremely proud of him.
I hope he can get on with his life in peace.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
doris Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am
the sun says they are having arguido status removed and case closed
The sun also said the Robet Murat was a peado and an Ian Huntley typ character and that he must be the suspect. Don’t believe the hype Doris - listen to this Doruis - I’m sure it’s your cup of tea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASjH7X-jAY4
July 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Ferdinand Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Carmen Says:
” He was adamant that he had seen a copy of the original forensics stating that Maddie’s had ingested a large amount of sleeping pills, evidenced by the hair found in the boot? He stood by his story - but later it is alleged that the FSS were saying that their reports were inconclusive. ”
But that was just crap. You cannot determine an overdose from hair. Common sense should make that clear to everyone. The lethal dose reaches your heart before it reaches the hair, which is on the periphery of your body. Once your heart stops to beat, circulation stops. The hair is no longer supplied with blood, therefore the drug also doesn’t reach the hair anymore and the hair stops to grow anyway.
———————————————–
No need to get excited about it; the very obvious point would be that if there were high levels of the drug it would suggest that Madeleine had been given sleeping pills over a lengthy period of time….
July 18th, 2008 at 10:51 am
ohhhhhhh a six inch on the six inch - ouch!
July 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am
the sun says they are having arguido status removed and case closed
July 18th, 2008 at 10:48 am
lone pigeon Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am
mornign chernier
have you taken the wig off yet or are you sleeping in it?
—————————–
morning, o winged one!
The wig is a bit of a sore point; I ‘borrowed’ it, and it got trampled in the melee when some morons with cameras tried to get into my cab, apparently under the impression that I was Sergey Malinka’s grandmother in heavy disguise.
I’m pleased to say that the stiletto heels soon disabused them of that notion…
July 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
About the visit of the 3 British authorities yesterday to Portimão, requesting some secrets, (Correio da Manhã, paper edition, today) we have to wait for Joana Morais’ and McCannfiles’ translation.
What is behind the McCanns and this whole story?
July 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
hannasus Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Carmen,
Someone questioned whether the forensic reports could embarrass the UK government.
You responded with “does the pope wear white”
mine was merely a continuation along the lines of obvious.
Humour I think it is called.
—————————–
Actually, I responded with ‘does the pope wear white’; these eggheads are all very well but they are playing havoc with keeping our posts straight…
July 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am
mornign chernier
have you taken the wig off yet or are you sleeping in it?
July 18th, 2008 at 10:38 am
________
Ferdinand Says:
July 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Scarlett Says:
” And is this the famous blue tennis bag? ”
It’s the boot, not a bag.
_________
Thanks, Ferdinand, obviously the first translation was a bit wonky. Is it possible to say which car the article is talking about, bearing in mind the Scenic wasn’t hired until later in May 07?
July 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I’m not sure how the FSS could prevent one of its customers using the information it has paid for as it sees fit.
The FSS is a commercial organisation; it operates in the market.
But certainly I agree that the McCanns have a somewhat eccentric approach to Freedom of Information…
July 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
The apology in the sun was a patheticly small coloumn but then again they always are. No headline just a small coloumn of even smaller font. Also, with the front page glaring the clearence of the Mctangs it made even more of a pathetic apology to RM. The sun is assuming lots of things and slagging off the Portugese invetsigation using, what looks in my opinion, an old washed up lush of ‘flying squad’ expert. It then goes on to slag off the investigation and get behind the McCanns sorrow saying what will they do now the cops will stop looking etc etc. You really couldn’t make it up. Without wanting to sound horrible to Maddie I hope they do stop looking because it’s going to be the only lesson the Mccanns will learn. If you fail to coopertae with the police don’t expect them to help anymore. Why should they. Why dont’ the Mccanns come out and say how excellent the Police have been and just how wrong the sun is but oh no they continue with their self promoting nonsense and blame everyone bar themselves. Well welcome to the real world at last where the sun don’t always shine out your sorry arses…
July 18th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Carmen Says:
” He was adamant that he had seen a copy of the original forensics stating that Maddie’s had ingested a large amount of sleeping pills, evidenced by the hair found in the boot? He stood by his story - but later it is alleged that the FSS were saying that their reports were inconclusive. ”
But that was just crap. You cannot determine an overdose from hair. Common sense should make that clear to everyone. The lethal dose reaches your heart before it reaches the hair, which is on the periphery of your body. Once your heart stops to beat, circulation stops. The hair is no longer supplied with blood, therefore the drug also doesn’t reach the hair anymore and the hair stops to grow anyway.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Carmen,
Someone questioned whether the forensic reports could embarrass the UK government.
You responded with “does the pope wear white”
mine was merely a continuation along the lines of obvious.
Humour I think it is called.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Sorry mods about double post.
Came up on my screen error so i reposted.