Madeleine McCann: Case Closed, Reported Claims And Olegario Sousa Explains
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY MIRROR: “McCann case ‘to be axed’”
Not axed by the Mirror, which maintains a hack in Praia da Luz to read the local press, rather by the police
“The McCanns could be cleared over daughter Madeleine’s disappearance in months as police plan to shelve the case, it was claimed yesterday. Top detectives believe the case will never be solved and are thought to be preparing public opinion for the fact no one will be charged”
“Claimed.” “Believe.” “Thought.” Can the Mirror be any more certain?
The McCanns spokesman Clarence Mitchell says: “Gerry and Kate want to be cleared but they will never give up the search. We still believe Madeleine could be alive”
DAILY STAR: “MADDIE CASE CLOSED – Police finally admit they will never find body”
“Police are to close their investigation into the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann.”
The Star is certain
“MADDIE PROBE – CASE BUNGLED - EXCLUSIVE”
“Sources close to the investigation yesterday said detectives are ready to admit defeat and clear her parents of suspicion. They claim top brass are trying to prepare the public to cope with their failure to find whoever was responsible for Madeleine’s disappearance”
So the case has not been closed?
“And yesterday a senior police sources claimed: ‘By admitting being hasty in making Madeleine’s parents suspects, the national director of the Policia Judiciaria is preparing public opinion for the possibility that no prosecution will ever be brought because of a lack of consistent evidence’”
But Mr Ribeiro clarified his comments, at least he sought to. He called it a “slip of the tongue”. Although the Star never reported his most recent words, just the ‘hasty’ part…
THE STAR SAYS: “COPS ARE CLUELESS…This lot would make the Keystone cops look good”
DAILY MAIL (online): “Madeleine police ‘to clear McCanns but admit case will be never be solved’”
“Sources said comments by Alipio Ribeiro, the head of the Policia Judiciaria, showed he was preparing an ‘exit strategy’ to allow the investigation to be filed”
But Mr Ribeiro said his comments were made under pressure, he never meant to say hasty
“One high-ranking official told the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias: ‘He has dropped the case.’
“The newspaper reported: ‘In admitting there was haste in making the McCanns arguidos, the national director is preparing public opinion for the possibility of no charges being brought, because of a lack of evidence’”
So it wasn’t a slip, a mistake rather it was a deliberate ploy to gage public mood? Clever stuff…
DAILY EXPRESS: “MADELEINE DETECTIVES ‘SET TO CLEAR MCCANNS’”
“Police in Portugal are preparing to shelve the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, it was reported yesterday”
Reported
“Senior detectives are also planning to revoke her parents’ status as official suspects, it was claimed”
Claimed
Says Clarence Mitchell: “We don’t want the case to be archived in any way. We still believe Madeleine could be alive, so the police must keep an operational inquiry going, looking for a missing person. Of course we want Gerry and Kate to be cleared as suspects, but we do not want the police to stop looking for Madeleine. We will never give up the search for her”
THE SUN: “Kate and Gerry ‘in clear’”
Well, if the case is closed, then something will have to done with their situation, no? So why not “clear” them?
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Police ‘ready to shelve Madeleine McCann case’”
“Senior police officers are said to be preparing public opinion for the idea that the case will be “archived” and may never be solved because of a lack of evidence. But the decision is said to have caused outrage among the Portuguese public who believe it is being dropped because of political pressure from the United Kingdom”
Olegario Sousa, spokesman for the Policia Judiciaria, says: “Naturally if we do not have any definite culprit or culprits, the case will be sent to the archive. If at any time new and important facts come to light, the investigation could be re-opened”
February 7th, 2008 at 7:55 am
1st?
February 7th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Looks like it
February 7th, 2008 at 7:58 am
IMO, if the case is closed it does NOT mean the McCanns are in the clear. It means there was not enough evidence to convict them. May their conciences haunt them always!
February 7th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Morning Wanderer
February 7th, 2008 at 8:03 am
So do we really think they are closing the case because they can’t find a body (which, if dropped in water would appear to not give away too much evidence anyway), or because the suspects aren’t giving away information and the evidence isn’t enough? Just asking because I think I remember someone saying without a body it’d be harder to charge anyone with, but I also remember speculating with others that there is a chance, if the body is anything like the scene of one of the crimes, that a lot of evidence wouldn’t be found anyway. (as if there were sedatives found, the McCanns could say the abductor did it, even if they were guilty of that aspect of the case, etc.)
I wonder if the McCanns really think Murat did it? (if one of them or both are entirely innocent)
Hmm…
Hello! Lol, guess your post just answered my question! I’ll still post it…
February 7th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Could show that all that medical training didn’t go to waste - and watching lots of CSI.
Could also link into the theory that the action took place on May 2nd, providing lots of time for disposal & cover up
They may not ever end up in the clink, but they’ll always know what they did. As was said elsewhere, a movie about the case has already been made “We know what you did last summer”
February 7th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Silly question, but was the syringe completely discounted? I have heard very little about it recently.?
February 7th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Yesterday saw John Suchet describing his latest role as a Porno baron involved with the biggest Bank heist in history (in the 70s). He said it was based on truth and a D notice was slapped on the reporting because the Porno people had “compromising pictures of a certain princess” which were held in Bank vaults. He was not allowed to identify the princess.
Sorry not to be expressing the scenario as clearly as he did, but the point he made was how alarming it is that the powers that be can submerge all evidence and inquiry when it suits them.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Someone will need to take a civil suit against them in Portugal if the case is shelved.
Im not sure though how this would work in Portugal as I dont know the law there.
here in the UK I had to take civil action against a man who killed my daughter as there was only one witness (my son) and not enough hard evidence. In the civil case (which I won), circumstantial evidence was taken into account, whereas a criminal prosecution has to have hard evidence.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:24 am
I would be glad if their conscience would haunt them. but after so many month I’ve come to the conclusion they don’t have any.
might very well be they believe their own words now and feel completely innocent.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Is it actually true now or still bolox?
February 7th, 2008 at 8:25 am
just_me
?????
February 7th, 2008 at 8:28 am
8
Yes, May. Especially for something seemingly more inane than true security issues. But I don’t live in a country that has princesses, etc. so those that support that obviously will feel a bit different. I do think the publishing of such things, without consent, is silly..but that is a risk for the person I guess. I suppose, to be fair, such pictures didn’t have a lot of weight when put to trial, as robbing a bank…the person probably didn’t know they were there? Oh, I don’t know.
Anyway, are you sure it just wasn’t pictures of the Duchess of Argyll?
I am happy I’ve picked up a bit more about such things at Anorak, so thanks May and others who have mentioned such things in passing a bit more.
9
Once again, I’m sorry to hear about your loss but I am happy that you received some kind of justice.
I am curious who would file for civil action in this case? If it is the McCanns, that is easy enough, but if they don’t because either they are innocent and don’t know who the criminal is or because they are guilty…and following some bizarre path to blame others in order to save face for their futures and that of the twins.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:28 am
12 Brandon - My daughter was killed in 1998, I wont go into details on here too much about it all. I have talked about it before on here to make certain points of view regarding this case, especially the reactions of Kate to it all. Madeleine will not get any justice if someone somwehee doesnt do something if they shelve this case and it sickens me.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:29 am
The Mc’s are not the only ones who spin the press, IMO they are waiting for someone to drop their guard.
It would be intresting to see what happens if one of the tapas crew run into financial problems
February 7th, 2008 at 8:32 am
9 - my first thought would be Tony Bennett, he has mentioned before about people donating money to pay for a solicitor in portugal to take on the case as he doesnt want to do it himself. I hope he is on the forum later so i can speak to him about it. For all of us who truely want justice for Madeleine, it wouldnt take much if we all clubbed together with a few quid each to pay for it. I for one will happily do it.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:37 am
16
Even with a lawyer in Portugal, do you really think they’d allow themselves to be extradited?
That brings up another interesting thought, the people shelling out for the legal team won’t always be paying these men…and I’m not sure how long you have to file a civil case as opposed to a criminal one? Anyway, if the McCanns feel like they’re in the clear by the PJ as do their supporters (who fund them, both the big wigs and the public), and later, once that net of lawyers is gone and someone attempts to take them to court again and try to extradite them (which I imagine would be quite a long process, especially with their past lawyers), I wonder how that would mix things more and if some more questions would be answered. Providing a book or film doesn’t come out sharing everything…
February 7th, 2008 at 8:39 am
The press isn’t known for its accuracy. I don’t think they know more than we do about the closure of the case. If the rogatory letters are sent, it means the case isn’t ready to be closed yet.
We all know it is a difficult case, and maybe what the newspapers say will happen. Yet I think the detectives are still working on it. Didn’t Ribeiro say it needed patience ?
February 7th, 2008 at 8:45 am
14
just_me Says:
February 7th, 2008 at 8:28 am
12 Brandon - My daughter was killed in 1998, I wont go into details on here too much about it all. I have talked about it before on here to make certain points of view regarding this case, especially the reactions of Kate to it all. Madeleine will not get any justice if someone somwehee doesnt do something if they shelve this case and it sickens me.
========
Good morning everyone - and just_me i send you love.
The reason i became so interested in the McCann case was because i also lost a daughter
(age 4) - hit and run.
Years later i don’t have a waking minute that i don’t re-live that day.
I could NOT believe when there were pictures of McC jogging next day, and that
smiling one with cheque, plus so so many others.
I hope somebody’s conscience (T7 or whoever) will crack,,,
The McC’s leave me lost for words.
The whole feckin circus leaves me lost for words.
Money money and more feckin money.
apologies for anger - coffee/brandy anyone
February 7th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Good morning,
Actually, I agree with Marie Nicholas. I think we may be jumping the gun a bit. If it is closed, I would think it would simply be due to political pressure, rather than to lack of evidence or anything related to the case itself.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:50 am
17 - I had an excellent solicitor, even then it still took 2 years, which I might add was absolutely horrendous. I had to dig in my heals and stick with it to get justice. We filed the civil suit as soon as I was told that a criminal prosecution was not going to happen. As I said, this was UK, so I can only imagine it will be very very difficult and extremely time consuming to make this happen in another country, but for Maddy, it has to be worth a try.
regards books and films etc., they say they are considering all this to make money for the fund., IMO this will mean more money for the McC’s. I have always totally disagreed with them using the donated money for personal expenses. They should sell their house if they cant afford the mortgage, and use the funds purely for searching for M. I wrote a book too, about my experiences of losing my daughter and it has been used worldwide as help to others in similar circumstances, and all the proceeds go to charity, I simply cannot comprehend anyone wanting to make money for themselves through the death of their child.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:52 am
19 - ((((hug))), i know exactly how you feel, it also makes me so angry. I just hope and pray that one day justice will be done somehow x
February 7th, 2008 at 9:03 am
21
I agree, it is worth a try.
I also agree that they shouldn’t have taken money for the fund to pay for personal expenses, but that too seems to be a divided issue here (but, yes, I know that the way the fund is worded and set up, they were within their rights to do so). I’m happy to hear your book is going towards a good cause and helping others suffering through such tragedies. Pointing out the divided issue yet again, if they wrote a book or as we’ve seen with the film news, and only use it to find out what happened to Madeleine, then a part of our group thinks that is acceptable as well.
Someone mentioned some of the other Tapas 7 coming forward when they needed help, I’m sure their stories would sell, but I’m not sure many would believe them this late in the game (unless their is evidence). It seems people have chosen a side or remain a bit more apathetic towards the question of guilt (not justice for the girl), so I’m not sure if that would change things until it was proven in court.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:07 am
23 - I agree about the division here, I think its only as to the guilt or not of K & G being involved. I think everyone wants justice for Madeleine, theres no division there.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:10 am
23 Wanderer
“I also agree that they shouldn’t have taken money for the fund to pay for personal expenses, but that too seems to be a divided issue here (but, yes, I know that the way the fund is worded and set up, they were within their rights to do so).”
——————————–
I agree but, perhaps, if I believed the stranger abduction theory, I would think differently. A lot of what one may think about individual issues depends on whether one believes that K and G are guilty or not. Depending on one’s stance, a reasonable argument almost always exists.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Maybe Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia is searching for Madeleine’s body in order to bring a civil law action in Portugal. This could explain why the search stopped as soon as M3 became interested.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Look at the papers : the Sun, the Daily Star, I don’t know about the Daily Mail and the Daily Express. What is their reputation? Can they be trusted? Are they objective as regards this case?
Let us wait for news from Portugal. Till I am told by Portugues or/and British officials that the case is closed, I shall not believe it. Not that I am very optimistic about the outcome, because of the clever, expensive, lawyers and lack of body. Still, one thing I am sure of, is the Police (British and Portuguese) wouldn’t be spending time on it if they didn’t have relevant clues.
Irish Girl and Just Me, I think of you both. You are very brave.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am
“….t is not the first time Mr Ribeiro has suggested that the case could go unsolved.
In November he said: “I don’t know if there will be arrests in the Madeleine case.”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=512602&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
February 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am
26 dcb
(Think my first attempt to reply has been spammed for some reason.)
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that I think I remember that, when this man first appeared in the news some months ago, that did not appear to be the case - I seem to recall that he thought M had been abducted.
February 7th, 2008 at 9:18 am
25
Indeed, Chloe. I also thin the timeline plays a role in it, some believe they should have had a nest egg or asked the bank or something, others believe that because the fund was so new and looking at the people who donated (schoolchildren to some degree), it was wrong no matter what.
I suppose that is what makes this case good to discuss, we simply don’t have all of the facts and possibly never will, yet there seems to be enough leads/information for both parties to present their views while having a chance of something good to back it up. And I do believe that, although it simply won’t always work for either side, I know not everyone will agree with that comment but oh well