Press Coverage: Madeleine, Kate and Gerry McCann
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, Kate McCann and Gerry McCann
THE PORTUGAL NEWS ONLINE: “Business as usual in Praia da Luz”
Tourism is booming at the Ocean Club…
Robin Crosland has been in the Algarve for more than twenty six years. During that time, he has seen Praia da Luz grow exponentially.
He can remember way back when it was media as far as the eye could see…
The Ocean Club, of which he was architect and co-founder, has played a major role in the development of the once quintessential fishermen’s village and remains in the heart of Luz in more ways than one.
Can the name not be changed?
“I came here to help my partners, John Garveigh and David Symington, set up The Ocean Club. I was an architect, not an hotelier, and there was nothing here but fields, orchids, orange groves, olive tress - and a snake and a bull.”
Snakes and bull. That’s the Madeleine McCann story for you…
“The first unit we sold, a two-bedroom apartment with sea view, was put on the market for £11,000. That same apartment today is worth around €280,000”, 20 times its original value.”
Of course, some flats come with a premium. A bit of local history can affect prices…
The Ocean Club resort gained notoriety when it was thrust into the limelight on May 3rd last year, following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The British toddler’s face was broadcast into homes around the world, as was Praia da Luz, and the Ocean Club became a household name caught amidst an unprecedented media frenzy in Portugal.
It was a multi-media brochure, advertising the delights of living in Paedo, sorry, Portugal…
Over the past 16 months reports have sporadically emerged stating that, as a consequence of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, Ocean Club guest figures have plummeted, that people considered Praia da Luz to be an unsafe spot for families and resulted in the temporary tarnishing of the Algarve’s idyllic image.
Well, there are many other places to holiday. Although some hacks prefer Praia to any other resort..
Robin is quick to rubbish all of these reports, as have other leading authorities and tourism officials, denying that having the resort’s name associated with one of the biggest child-related mysteries of modern times had a damaging effect.
Now the media has left town, there are lots of rooms…
“But no one wants that type of publicity, at all”, Robin admits, stating “there were some immediate cancellations, until around October last year, but then things levelled out again”.
So let’s not talk about Madeleine McCann, nor dwell on the missing child. But in case you are tempted to make link between the Ocean Club and the missing toddler, Mr Crossland has prepared a statement:
“It was of course a terrible tragedy and all our hearts went out to the family, the whole village as well as our staff were deeply upset and the out-pouring of grief was enormous…
“We still had another 600 guests to look after who had paid to stay with us and who had nothing to do with this event and wanted to enjoy their holiday”.
600. Have they all been questiosned, or profiled by the media?
He says that, whilst figures were not as good as in 2006, when the Algarve experienced a mini-boom in tourism, this year “The Ocean Club continued to attract families with children of all ages with the exception of April and early May when there were fewer families with pre-school children. But by June, these had also returned to normal and by July and August things were more or less back to normal occupancy figures”.
Anything changed much?
Criticised at the time for its lack of CCTV cameras, as were many resorts last year following the debate for new safety measures, Robin retorts: “Most of the resort is spread throughout the village, the units are accessed via public roads and paths and in Portugal it is illegal to have security video cameras in public places. On private property we don’t need them as we have manned receptions”.
And:
In the meantime, The Ocean Club is planning to make “considerable investments” during this winter, which include upgrading restaurant areas.
Turn the beer goggles the other way up. Pass the binoculars…
Madeleine McCann is missing - still missing…
Online PR: Madeleine McCann Used To Sell Holiday Flats
Madeleine McCann: Buy The Flat And The Villa For The Maddie Experience
Madeleine McCann: Live Like The McCanns As Their Praia Da Luz Apartment Goes On Sale
Posted: 7th, October 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (177) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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October 7th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
jo Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Rasputin
Why haver they been declared official suspects? FOUR mounths later?
WHY?
——————
Now thats a fucking good question!
October 7th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Time for some eats.
Good sleuthing !!!!
October 7th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I was taking about emergency injunctions, not damages, Carter Ruck must have contacts in the US
Till later
October 7th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
wriggle wriggle wriggle wriggle
October 7th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Rasputin
Why haver they been declared official suspects? FOUR mounths later?
WHY?
SOS MAdeleine : report on the conference by Duarte Levy
(Updated) 7/10.
One year after his release from the Judicial Police (PJ) Portuguese, the former coordinator of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Portimão, Gonçalo Amaral, said yesterday in Vigo, Spain, that despite the political pressures, “it is still possible we can do justice to Madeleine.”
Gonçalo Amaral, the former head of the investigation in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, was the guest of a conference held yesterday evening by the Spanish newspaper Faro de Vigo as part of the output in Spain Book “Maddie: The truth lies. ”
“The Comisario “as respectfully called by several police officers from the Spanish police who came to hear him about the Maddie case, claims not to understand why the authorities of the country where Madeleine was born have never opened an investigation to what has happened and continue to support the thesis of the abduction.
According to Amaral, the result of work done by his team and several British officers is contained in the report and until they are destroyed there is always the possibility to bring to a succesfull end the investigation: “it would be sufficient that ‘one of the nine friends decides to speak … ”
The former coordinator of the investigation in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann ensures that it is still possible to know the truth, stressing that the investigation,on a legal point of view, is not completed or closed: it is only awaiting better evidence and it is necessary that those who are able of that can forward new elements to the Portuguese authorities.
Duarte Levy (Vigo - Spain)
A suivre….justice
October 7th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
The Dr’s did not seem to fear Carter-Ruck or A Tudor.
They have made their statements.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
yes matt, i’ve noticed, he must be running out of poof.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Yes you are, frantically bird brain, not much fun now.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
wrigglin
October 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
And if things are being said on US based sites, why not hire US lawyers?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I think the concerned parties are quite happy with Carter Ruck, who appear to be rather good at what they do, I am sure the allegations have not gone unnoticed by the office of Adam Tudor.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Ah .
Ad hominem attacks commencing.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
The PP did say that there was no evidence of an abduction.
Here is his quote : From CdM…
“Among the reasons for considering that the couple had no responsibility in the disappearance of their daughter, the MP, (ie PP), points, in order of filing, that
none of them were in the apartment when the child disappeared.
and :
no consistent indications were found indicating the execution of an abduction.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
No wonder the poster base hase dwindled when we have idiots that think there is fun in the predicament of a missing child, a gashead and a bird brain, sad individuals.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
No, I’m not saying there is any credence in it, but is a doctor’s most valuable asset not his reputation?
Take a look at BBC Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Monday October 4, 2004
And if things are being said on US based sites, why not hire US lawyers?
October 7th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
The prosecutor has never said that there is no evidence of abduction. What you are trying to achieve by your pursuit of something that if it was printed here would be libel is beyond me, still they say it takes all sorts, and justice suffers justice for Madeleine McCann.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Raspy is wriggling - such fun!
October 7th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
You assume there is no credence.
I would prefer to read what the Investigators had to say actually.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
The PP also said that the parents were not guilty of involvement in Madeleine’s
disappearance as they were not present when she disappeared.
How he knows this…he does not say…and he has not enlightened us how he
knows when exactly it was that Madeleine “disappeared”.
Yet the PP also said that there was no evidence of any abduction.
Did Madeleine just go “POOF” and disappear into the air ?
October 7th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
You are obviously unable to understand that a direct reference to GM was made in the statement, why am I not surprised.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Abraham Zapruder ………….Because there is no credence in the statements, unless you know different.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
apart from referencing that a conversation took place in with Gerald present.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
The statements by the two Dr’s do not concern any arguido.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Rasputin, one point to bear in mind is that matters are creeping out into the public domain which, to say the least, hint at serious allegations alluded to by one member of the medical profession against another.
All the doctors I know would get their lawyers to jump on such things straight away, and rightly so. How come nothing like that seems to have happened?
October 7th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
In case you are unable to understand plain English, there is no evidence of any involvement in any crime against Madeleine McCann by any of the former arguidos, the AG. The fact that you choose to bolster your non existent theory by casting aspersions and unsubstantiated ones at that, against innocent people on the basis of hearsay and possible libel if repeated in the British press, says more about your propensity for gossip mongering than it does about them
October 7th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
There is a case.
It has been shelved pro-temp.
There is evidence….not sufficient proof for a Court though.
But in any case….that has nothing whatsoever to do with what the LP did or
did not do regarding the two Dr’s statements.
We are still awaiting to hear or read what transpired regarding that.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Yes you are very confused , no evidence no charges no case, and you are extremely naive.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
You seem to be confused.
The AG has made no comment about the two Dr’s statements.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
The official statement was made by the AG, perhaps you think he does not know what is in the files, how very naive.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
We have not seen or heard all of what is in the Files.
I prefer to read the Official Documentation about the matter.
Which should be in the Files.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
You are correct we have no evidence and neither do the Portuguese prosecutors.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Rasputin Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
We have no evidence regarding what the LP thought about them.
Nor do we yet have any information re what investigations they instigated
to prove or disprove the truth or otherwise of the statements.