Madeleine McCann: Suing Amaral, Mark Lawson’s Fact And Fiction, And Bloggers Beware
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
THE GUARDIAN: “The Panama Mystery - Mr and Mrs Canoe’s case fascinates but can’t match crime fiction’s satisfying motives and denouement”
Mark Lawson does so love a good ending to a work of fiction and fact. A super-fiction. Take care you don’t confuse the two.
In his piece Lawson name checks them all: John and Anne Darwin, Radovan Karadzic, Fred and Rose West, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, Ian Huntley, Harold Shipman and…
As the trial was coming to a close, I was at the Harrogate Crime-Writing Festival, and newspapers were reporting the latest developments in the Madeleine McCann case.
Bingo! Where were you?
One of the reasons for the huge popularity of crime fiction is that the genre explores, in a sanitised environment, the fear and prurient fascination we feel when faced with murders and abductions. Real-life criminality and fiction have become a loop, communicating with each other: several of the books discussed at Harrogate featured missing children; in two years, expect a slew of novels about husbands and wives who mysteriously disappear.
Can you tell the difference between fact and fiction? Now read on…
THE SUN: “McCanns to sue cop over book”.
DEVASTATED Kate and Gerry McCann are to launch a legal blitz in Portugal after the publication of a scandalous book about the disappearance of their daughter Maddie.
In The Truth Behind The Lie, ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral details ludicrous allegations about the couple and the pals they dined with when Maddie vanished in Portugal last year.
Who gets sued?
The McCanns plan to take action against Amaral, Portuguese newspapers which reprinted parts of the £10 book and bloggers who discussed it.
Anorak did not discuss the book’s merit. We did not reproduce a single quote from the book. But can bloggers who did be sued effectively? Many are men and women of straw. What can the outcome be? Best for bloggers, perhaps, to avoid the matter? Or get a crack moderation team – like Anorak. But what, then , of freedom of speech?
Says Amaral: “This book is not revenge, it is not persecution. We can discuss the case in court if they want.”
In the context of a libel case, they might well…
DAILY MAIL: “We failed, says Maddie police chief… but he refuses to apologise to her parents”
Says Amaral: “’There will be no apology, I was just doing my job.”
As a writer…?
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Madeleine McCann case: Portuguese police admit failings
The police detective who led the search for Madeleine McCann has admitted that there were some failings in the investigation but refused to accept responsibility for not solving the case…
Several hundred people queued up to collect copies of “Maddie The truth of the Lie” and many congratulated Mr Amaral for his courage to speak out.
BELFAST TELEGRPAH: “McCann case detective’s book to get English translation”
Who will review it if it published in the UK?
THE HERALD: “Sympathy for McCanns must be tempered”
Letters to the editor:
How kind Colette Douglas Home is to Gerry and Kate McCann (Comment, July 22). She uses many column inches pouring scorn on the Portuguese police (perhaps justifiably, I don’t know), showering Gerry and Kate with sympathy (I, too, feel for them), but only makes passing reference to the action that, had it not happened, would have prevented this heartbreaking event from occurring in the first place.
This is clearly their “decision to leave her sleeping while they met friends for dinner”.
- Allistair Matheson, Selkirk.
Colette’s opinion - that Gerry McCann is handsome and Kate McCann beautiful - is irrelevant. The eye of the beholder? Colette states: “And they will always carry the burden of their decision to leave her sleeping while they met friends for dinner.” What kind of parents, in a foreign land, needlessly leave their child, not yet four years old, asleep without a child-minder and out of sound or sight, while they indulge themselves with their friends?
The McCanns deserve all the anguish they brought upon themselves through poor judgment, and not endless public sympathy. Madeleine is the victim. I hope and pray that she is unharmed and is being looked after in loving care, however wrongfully.
- Donald C Irving, Ayr.
And on it goes…
Posted: 25th, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (626) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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July 25th, 2008 at 8:38 am
brandon flours Says:
July 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
They may have much more worrying concerns in the future than such.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Coco
Youth is for misspending,I hope you were outrageous!
Morning everyone
28th?
July 25th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Matt
No neglect charges, it has to be done within 6 months by a family member or someone like a neighbour, doctor, teacher, social worker not a stranger.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:32 am
brandon flours Says:
July 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am
A complete, and very welcome, contrast to the Hallowed Ones.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:31 am
http://gazetadigitalmadeleinecase.blogs … -from.html
brandon flours Says:
July 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am
He refused a large sum of money from a UK paper to show his book
“The former PJ investigator also said that “money isn’t everything, dignity and honour are also very important.”
July 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am
jo Says:
July 25th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Am sure they have already made some straw effigies at 5 Orchard House, and
in the various astroturfing offices. And are currently sticking pins and needles
into same.
After all, according to a fan…we are Witch burners….and to burn a Witch, one
has to exist in the first place.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Cm are saying met3 are attempted murderers now, allegedly.
http://www.correiomanha.pt/Noticia.aspx …
July 25th, 2008 at 8:22 am
My, my, my……
“”"DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Madeleine McCann case: Portuguese police admit failings
The police detective who led the search for Madeleine McCann has admitted that there were some failings in the investigation but refused to accept responsibility for not solving the case…”"”
Dear D Telegraph…as Mr Amaral was “removed” from the case in Oct 2007,
and the investigation continued until mid-July 2008…and then put “on hold”
pro temp…..there is absolutely nothing for Mr Amaral apologise about.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Yes do an adult inflatable one with a real moustache !!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Allegedly, they also had no credit cards or atm cards either, as well as deleting their phone logs
- my interpretation after reading the book In My Opinion.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Coco
Make an Amaral dolly today before anything else and send it to rothley
They”ll love it
July 25th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Brandon!
They are suing Amaral!
Que bueeeeeeeeeeno!!!!
What fun!
Ah! THIS is becoming interesting
Coco
How did the therapy go?Dd you polish your crystal ball?
Dear me…it stinks of dead sardines all of a sudden
July 25th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I am in therapy all day today but may join you this evening if I don’t recover too many memories about my childhood and mis-spent youth.
My counsellor wants us to talk about when my parents used to go out to dinner-dances leaving me all alone with the Bogey-Men who lived under my bed. My Parents told me that if I got out of bed the Bogey-Men would snatch at my ankles and drag me down to the pits of Hell.
So big day!
I have got a new set of dollies to take with me. But I’m taking Pope Benedictine Dolly and Amaral Dolly as well.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:15 am
‘Find the body and prove we did it’
Was true……….there is evidence!
Now who was it who asked for it daily?????
July 25th, 2008 at 8:14 am
brandon flours Says:
July 25th, 2008 at 8:12 am
As always….frantic searching through the undergrowths around PDL.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Hello everyone !!!!
Whats their next move ????
July 25th, 2008 at 8:12 am
agw Says:
July 25th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I wonder which country any Libel Suit, if ever, will be heard ?
Portugual seems to have the reverse procedure re Libel to the UK.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Well if the ‘proud of the pj’ excerpts are anything to go by, what a read!!!!
And after finding out the other reading materials of the mc canns, I’d say Gerry would love it!
He loves reading police books………..or just the ones not available to the public
July 25th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Hi Guys!
Morning Jo! Sorry that I was in therapy yesterday whilst all around were losing their heads and having a pop at you.
I saw some disgraceful comments on here.
‘Tis as if the World is to be brain-washed into believing that the M case is over.
Whoever you people really are - you should be thoroughly ashamed to have forgotten that in the midst of protecting the parents in this case, a little girl went unprotected.
The parents would not be facing such public condemnation if they had not repeatedly fucked off out and left their children.
This case must be kept alive - and the newspapers will not do it for us anymore!
I do hope that the posters who keep telling us that there is ‘no evidence’ understand that there is evidence - a lot of evidence - just not enough to stand up to the rigours of brilliant lawyers.
I am sad and disappointed that technicalities and points of law have prevented this case coming to trial.
The Portuguese will not give up on this case - according to my crystal ball.
I got caught shop-lifting a tin of sardines and a cheese and onion pie yesterday! - Does anybody know a really good clinical negligence lawyer who specialises in fraud and motoring offences? Oh - and extradition, libel and murder - just in case!
I need to be prepared! Coz you never know what could enfold.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Agw
ole,ole,ole,ole!
GLORIOUS days ahead
Hi Brandon
Hi Matt
July 25th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Hello! Bloggers
July 25th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Good morning all !!!
July 25th, 2008 at 8:07 am
♫♫♫ When they say goodbye yi yi !!!!♫♫♫
July 25th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Why would a policeman’s book be “scandalous”?
We should be told. Eventually we will be.
The McCann’s are quite right; sue for libel and get everything out into open court.
Get the policeman to prove his allegations.
I would be checking my legal advice very carefully.
Once things get into a court…everything is is fair game and reportable.
That’ll be the way. That’ll be the day.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:03 am
1st