Madeleine McCann: Kate McCann’s Bags, Soft British Police And Torture
MADDY WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
THE SUN page 21: “BRIT COPS ‘WILL GO EASY ON McCANNS”
“Police in Portugal fear British cops will go easy on Kate and Gerry McCann if they quiz them about Maddie’s disappearance”
British police could interview the McCanns after Christmas
A Portuguese source says: “British police will ask the questions. It would be different if those involved were directly interrogated by our investigators and were targets of pressure”
Maybe a softer approach would help?
DAILY EXPRESS page 7: “Madeleine: British police should turn screws on parents say the Portuguese”
Is this what the Express wants, to torture the McCanns?
The Portuguese are said to “fear” that during “make-or-break” interviews, British police will “go easy” on the McCanns and the Tapas 7/ Tapas 9/ Sangria 7
Says the Express: “Portuguese law allows suspects and witnesses to be quizzed more confrontationally”
Says McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell: “This is a matter for Leicestershire police but we have seen nothing that has ever given us any cause for concern. There is nothing to suggest that they will not approach this with anything other than utter professionalism and competency”
Have Leicestershire police ever bungled, bodged or fudged a case? Would the tabloid press care to investigate, as they have the Portuguese police?
“Kate’s face shows terrible strain” – There are “heavy bags” under the Kate McCann eyes. She is “tired”. She is “pale”. Says a “member of the congregation” at the church Kate McCann is attending: “Kate looks as if she is having a really hard time. She looks so desperately sad”
Such are the facts
DAILY STAR page 10: “CRACK MADDIE’S PARENTS – Cops ordered to get tough”
“British detectives ordered to quiz Madeleine McCann’s parents will be told to ‘get tough’ with them”
Can Portuguese police tell Britain’s coppers what to do?
A letter from the Portuguese prosecutor to the Home Office contains over 100 questions and “tells UK officers precisely when and how to ask them”
Notes beside each question instruct “with feeling”, “smile (not with eyes)” and “exit stage right wearing a green felt hat and slapping thigh”
A source in Portugal said: “They will not be holding back. The police and prosecutor believe these interviews are vital in the search for the truth about Madeleine’s disappearance. If they don’t get these interviews right we may never know what happened. It is as simple as that”
If you don’t ask, you don’t get results
Continues the source: “There are certain suspicions among officers that the British police have some sympathy with the McCanns and may be too gentle. It has taken weeks preparing the questions and interview structure, then translating it all into English”
Anyone checked the translations?
“At a certain point we understand the officers will be told to get tough”
Because it’s easy to answer 100 questions while sat in police cell before a bevy of British and Portuguese police…
DAILY MAIL page 12: “Will police be ‘tough enough’ on McCanns?
The Portuguese “letters of appeal” - which detail questions detectives want put to the couple - had been due to be sent this week, but have been held up by red tape. The questions must go before a judge in Portugal before being translated and sent to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and then on to the police
Says a Policia Judiciaria: “The Portuguese investigators may only sit in on the questioning and make suggestions”
And Kate McCann? “Heavy bags under her eyes suggested the 39-year-old doctor is struggling to settle back into life in Britain”
Such are the facts…
DAILY TELEGRAPH (WEB ONLY): “Madeleine McCann: British police doubted”
“Portuguese police have ‘little faith’ that their British counterparts will be able to solve the mystery of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in new interviews with her parents and their friends”
Says Clarence Mitchell: “As we head towards Christmas, we do not believe that these interviews will take place before then, but if they do that’s fine”
DAILY MIRROR, THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES and THE INDEPENDENT: No Madeleine news today
December 10th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Sad to be so soon!
December 10th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Morning Ian
December 10th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Good morning !!
December 10th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Good morning
A veritable gale blew through Lulu Towers last night, disturbing my beauty sleep. Not here much today as real life intrudes, however…..tonight I will conga. Anyone care to join me?
XX
Stuff
December 10th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Has anybody thought to look in the Darwins hidey-hole, she may be there.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Not much chance of a conga, I’m afraid; the kitchen is calling to me…
December 10th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Rumour has it that one Branson, R, has offered two one-way tickets to Panama…
December 10th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Perhaps Anorak might know; why were the police meeting Mrs Canoe armed?
December 10th, 2007 at 8:20 am
8…chenier
Strange that.
Maybe they were the Airport Police initially….aren’t they armed ?
December 10th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Good to see the Mirror forum have been investigating the suspicious (and arrogant) support from Stephen Winyard (’tycoon’). Living in Monaco (surely not to avoid paying his taxes?) arguing to have his business rates reduced (in his ‘health spa’ which is allegedly used by Astra Zeneca - the drug company connections keep cropping up) yet demanding ‘ministerial meetings’ to discuss two self confessed child neglectors who are suspects in the suspicious disappearance of their daughter.
So he was the one who has financed pointless ‘too late’ tests of the twins hair (for what exactly?) and forensic tests by an unnamed yet ‘government approved’ agency of already known to be clean parts of a Car from which the evidence had been removed.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:34 am
morning all.
Don’t really understand what’s the fuss about british cops interviewing the Mccanns.
Was Eurojust mentioned at all in the british press? That’s the pan EU judicial cooperation system that allows for the type of interviewing to occur. Apparently this type of thing goes on all the time (for example you have Spanish officers working in France and Portugal investigating ETA cells, Italian officers in Germany investigation mafia related issues etc. etc.). It’s absurd that the british press make it sound like the McCanns interviews are a really big deal and that there’s distrust between the forces. Why is it that the most common of things are so hyped up to become a big circus whenever they are reported in Britain?
The other thing that papers seem to overlook is that at any stage portuguese police may still request the McCanns and their friends to go back to Portugal for questionning (and in the McCanns case, the arguido status means that they’ll have to go). If they are doing the interviews in the UK there should be reasons for that.
To me it just sounds like that these interviews in the UK are part of a strategy to:
a) gain some more time (either in the hope of one tapas cracking, or unveiling new evidence)
b) keep the british police force closely involved in the investigation (as it has been all along when the mccanns were in portugal)
December 10th, 2007 at 8:35 am
This is something i don’t understand
They told Tony B. that they had no jurisdiction on the neglet case because it was in Portugal
And now,the Portuguese Police can’t even put 1 question to them ?
When the P.J. ,showd K. the tape from the snifer dogs,she laughed,and said she had been near 6 dead people.This lady is colder then ice
December 10th, 2007 at 8:36 am
9
Matt. Says:
December 10th, 2007 at 8:20 am
8…chenier
Strange that.
Maybe they were the Airport Police initially….aren’t they armed ?
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Some of them are, but it’s highly unusual for someone who is allegedly only a participant in fraud.
There’s a neat article, also in the guardian, about Conrad Black’s sentencing today:
‘Black has described the US government’s case against him as “rubbish”, “nonsense”, a “vendetta”, a “persecution” and as “essentially a substitute for a wealth-redistribution policy”. He has condemned prosecutors as “Nazis” and “pygmies”. All these comments were pinned on an office noticeboard by prosecutors, who filed arguments last week calling for a longer sentence because of Black’s contempt for the process.
This prompted a slight change of tack from the peer, who informed the Canadian press in an email that he considered the US justice system to be “one of the 10 best in the world”.
Does this sound familiar?
December 10th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Morning Can’t Say No
Where did you get the details from Kate’s reaction to the questionning? That’s interesting.
I’m sure that there’s more than just simple arrogance in that reaction. Possibly something to do with mental disfunctions?
Police (and courts) have jurisdiction over their territories. This is understandable if you think that a spanish police officer (or judge) would not know the law of the land in Portugal and vice versa. The same applies to crimes. The crime was committed in Portugal and should be judged according to the law of the land where it took place (POrtugal). It’s not up to a british court to apply portuguese law or vice versa.
Judicial cooperation is possible under Eurojust http://eurojust.europa.eu/
December 10th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Saloman ES
Of course it’s rubbish. Why not interview them in Portugal?
Who are these “sources” saying the Portuguese don’t trust the British police to do the job properly?
Unless perhaps someone is preparing to blame the British if the new interviews don’t yield the results the want….? They’re already miffed, allegedly, because our forensic people said there was no meaningful DNA evidence.
What’s with this blame culture? Go back to Portugal , Kate and Gerry! Why not? There’ll be British police with you as well, and your lawyers. No chance of being beaten up!
December 10th, 2007 at 8:44 am
14
Sherlock
It was not only teh POlice there ,there were others, like translaters,that issue about K. reaction,came to public, just after the quiz
They said ,that G. is weaker than K
December 10th, 2007 at 8:44 am
13…chenier
Very familiar indeed.
Sociopathical arrogance is a common feature in Sociopaths.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Hi, Can’t say No. !!
December 10th, 2007 at 8:48 am
17
Matt. Says:
December 10th, 2007 at 8:44 am
13…chenier
Very familiar indeed.
Sociopathical arrogance is a common feature in Sociopaths.
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Wonder if the PJ have a similar noticeboard?
December 10th, 2007 at 8:49 am
Please, people from U.K. ,don’t leave you country.
If you can commit crimes ,in other countries ,and then back to home, and stay clean,than don’t leave your country
It’s France ,Italy ,Turkey ,Deutchland, it’s enough !
Stay home, comit your crimes at home
Till later
December 10th, 2007 at 8:50 am
“Nor can I really argue with your line of reasoning. You have described a thoroughly plausible chain of possible events. All we currently lack is the evidence to prove it” (prev. thread). Peter O that is probably the daftest quote ever posted on this board,as barking as the windbag who likes to use the P word, as often as possible.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:50 am
19…chenier
If there is….it could be very well covered by pinned notes by now.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:57 am
11 Salomon ES Says:
“The other thing that papers seem to overlook is that at any stage portuguese police may still request the McCanns and their friends to go back to Portugal for questionning (and in the McCanns case, the arguido status means that they’ll have to go).”
Actually the arguido status is of no practial use to force them back to Portugal if they ignored such an request. But they said that they would be happy to return anyway. And honestly, what would they have to fear? A return would make them appear brave in public opinion, for no real reason.
“If they are doing the interviews in the UK there should be reasons for that.”
No other reason than that it’s common practice, as you have already pointed out.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:58 am
15 Maria
You have no idea what the DNA evidence shows. Dont forget in isolation something has a lower value than when in context.
Why do you always seek to attack any evidence unless it supports the non-involvement of McCanns and their friends?
What you singularly fail to realise is that the British police are the reason that the McCanns have been identified as the primary suspects. The worry is that the British Police may be influenced by their political masters.
December 10th, 2007 at 9:03 am
22
Matt. Says:
December 10th, 2007 at 8:50 am
19…chenier
If there is….it could be very well covered by pinned notes by now.
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An article on Gordon Brown’s use of spin, also in the media Guardian, notes that Gordon put in a Treasury official Michael Ellam as his communication chief. But there’s also Damian McBride, a former VAT press officer who Brown trained to be an effective and tireless spinner on his behalf, with special adviser status.
Ellam and McBride, effectively, are of equal seniority. But Ellam is the face of official civil service briefing which Brown wants us to think is the post-Blair, anti-spin fresh start; McBride is the hidden face of spinning as usual.
As far as I can tell, both Ellam and McBride are saying the same thing about Team McCann…
December 10th, 2007 at 9:03 am
Ferdinand and Ruth
Ludicrous to suggest the McCanns would be happy to answer the questions of the police or to return to Portugal.
They ran away to save their hides, which they clearly put before the safety and security of their children. If they were so keen, they would have been back in Portugal doing anything they could to find their daughter - explain to us why they arent in Portugal now?
Why do you persist in defending these people instead of discussing the alternatives to the ontheory which has no evidence whatsover, abduction by osmeone unknown to the family and friends?
December 10th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Good morning my little Xmas posters, the rush is upon us.Rest day yesterday, to much malice on here recently had to keep away from it.Anyway all this police talk now two questions, why did the PJ not arrest the McCanns in Portugal and why if they have conclusive evidence dont they apply for a Euro warrant.Answer IMHO is this evidence is a publicly generated myth,they don’t have any evidence and for those of you who insist they do,tell the rest of us why they don’t use this conclusive evidence.
December 10th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Doesnt the picture above sum the pair McCann up?
December 10th, 2007 at 9:08 am
25…chenier
Spin is part and parcel of Politic’s…always has been…always will be.
For any Politico to say that “spin” will be absent in his Gov, shows that he
is merely dabbling, yet again, in spin.
Any particular quotes, re McCann’s, available by these two stalwarts of Mr Brown ?
December 10th, 2007 at 9:08 am
23 Ferdinand - I don’t understand what you mean with “arguido status is of no use to order them back to portugal if they ignored such request”?
Under the terms of the arguido status (TIR) they are obliged to attend further questionning or proceedings (in Portugal) as and when required by the portuguese authorities (further to writen notification).
Failing to return to Portugal when requested to do so would mean that they are in breach of their obligations under the arguido status. It would therefore be possible for the Ministerio Publico (public prosecution) to determine that the restrictive terms (TIR) applied to them should be changed and they should be detained preventatively whilst awaiting charges to be brought against them.
so you don’t think this is of relevance????
I keep reading your posts echoeing that well known McCanns mantra that they’ll go back and happily cooperate. But interestingly they haven’t been back… knowing that there are inconsistencies between their statements and particularly in relation to phone calls.