Madeleine McCann And McGuckin: Max Clifford, Robert Murat And Portugal Is No Spain
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann, with special guests the McGuckins.
British media massed in Portugal for the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are filling in the blanks by watching the telly. Eamon and Antoinette McGuckin flicker into life. Now read on…
THE GUARDIAN: “Holiday couple insist they were not drunk”
Friends in their village in County Derry, Northern Ireland, said the McGuckins had been the victims of “media paranoia” generated by the first anniversary of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.
You can never be too careful. There could have been three more Maddies.
Their children - aged one, two and six - were temporarily taken from them last weekend by the Portuguese authorities. The McGuckins said they were saddened and traumatised by the furore.
Portugal – bring the kids and get away from the kids.
DAILY MIRROR: Watching the parents. And what do we know about them?
“The couple live in a £450,000 house in Maghera, Northern Ireland.” Such are the facts.
DAILY MAIL: “’We were ill, not drunk’, claim Portugal holiday couple who had children seized”
Last night, a statement released by the McGuckins failed to state how much or what had been drunk, only that it was not “an excessive amount”.
Semantics. Well, Mr McGuckin is a “former bank manager”.
The incident has caused outrage in Portugal, where the year-long investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has already raised questions over standards of British parenting.
Let’s bomb Portugal, or at least give our young offenders a free holiday there.
BELFAST TELEGRAPH: “Did Derry duo pay for McCanns’ mistake?”
Lindy McDowell plays tabloid bingo and wonders…
And here we come to the crux of the matter. Two words — Madeleine McCann.
Was she there?
Coming as it did in the same weekend that marked the first anniversary of the little girl’s disappearance, the story was always going to make front page news.
And the opinion pages, it would always make the opinion pages, Lindy.
And fitting as it does the current Portuguese perception that parents from the UK are neglectful and selfish, the McGuckins were not going to win much sympathy from the authorities.
Me, I’d just like to hear their side of the story. I can’t help feeling that if this couple had chosen, say, a resort in Spain, we would never have heard a word about it all.
Yeah, you can pissed out of your head in Spain, allegedly, and the Spanish just step over you. Those are people you can trust.
Which brings us back to the question about the furore this week — was it really about the family from Upperlands? Or Madeleine McCann?
Well, we’d say it was about the McGuckins. But most things are about Madeleine McCann so it’s more likely about her and those “sardine mumching“ Portuguese scum.
THE SCOTSMAN: “Holiday parents deny being too drunk to look after children”
The incident happened just 45 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine McCann went missing from her family’s holiday apartment just over a year ago while her parents dined nearby.
Maybe they were drinking to forget?
IRISH INDEPENDENT: “Holiday parents insist: ‘We did not drink excessively’”
In a lengthy statement, released through friend and SDLP councillor Kate Lagan, the couple said that on Friday night last - the night it was alleged they were drinking during happy hour at a local bar — they left their apartment in an Algarve holiday resort at 7pm and went to a play park with their children for a half an hour.
The McGuckins have friends in politics. And a media handler. It’s the in thing.
MIDULSTER TODAY: “Max Clifford ‘more than happy to meet with McGuckins’”
PR guru Max Clifford, the man who represents Robert Murat?
He says that he’s happy to meet with the McGuckins. “It’s a good story and it’s important that they get their side of it out there,” he says.
Madeleine McCann: A child of our time
May 8th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Good morning everyone.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:30 am
New leadership in the Judiciary Police
Magistrates can leave the Judiciary
Almeida Rodrigues is the new national director of the Judiciary Police. He succeeds Alípio Ribeiro, general assistant prosecutor who presented yesterday his resignation. For the first time the PJ has in the leadership a man of the house, someone who began as an officer and went through all the levels of the hierarchy.
With the entry of Almeida Rodrigues exits are guessed: magistrates who assume still places in the intermediate directorships - posts of national joined directors - and who are seen struggling with a ‘crisis’ of competences. This situation - it is the first time that the Government does not opt for a magistrate to lead the PJ - can create corporative embarrassments, many people are already questioning if attorneys and judges can be in the straight dependence of a non-magistrate. Stipulated in the new Organic Law, which must come into force in the next weeks, the same commissions of service will be initiated, which will lead necessarily to the formation of a new team and that the name of the magistrates passes again over the filter of the respective superior councils.
Even so, three exits were assured yesterday. Those in question are the magistrates Manuel Gonçalves and Baltazar Pinto, respectively in the leadership of the Central Direction of Investigation to the Traffic of Drugs, and the assistant of the former National Director; also Manuel Ferreira, directing financier and the only one who was strange to both the Judiciary and the magistracies.
The exit of Alípio Ribeiro was inevitable during the day of yesterday, after admitting to the ‘Economical Diary’ that the PJ should be under the scope of the Internal Administration. There was no alternative left for Alberto Costa, a long time friend of Ribeiro, except to accept his stress and consequent dismissal. The general assistant prosecutor returns to the magistracy and, with a police officer at the front of the PJ, other magistrates can follow him.
The Government managed make ‘peace’ with the bases of the PJ by accepting a solution that it was commended for a long time: to nominate someone who knows the police work and who has sensibility for the difficulties that day by day the police faces.
It weighed also in the decision the characteristics of Almeida Rodrigues. Of easy treatment and with directive experience, Minister Alberto Costa believes that this choice will manage to resume the dialog and to make more operational a police force who survives a great deal of commitment and dedication of the officials and whom begins to show frailties in getting results.
Quick explanation:
Obviously for someone outside the country [even for myself] this is a bit confusing so I will try to explain quickly the situation as I perceive it.
Alípio Ribeiro’s Statements
Currently, the MAI - Ministry of Internal Affairs has all the police forces except the PJ under their ambit. The MJ - Justice Ministry has the PJ. The interview given by Alípio Ribeiro defended a joint administration of all the Police forces, therefore implying that the Minister of Justice and the Ministry of Justice didn’t ‘work well’ - reason to be sacked or in a more political correct language: to ask for his resignation. He also defended a creation of a Ministry of Interior similar to Spain, where all the polices forces would be under the scope of an internal affairs secretary - the ‘Super Cop’, which would be without any doubts very vulnerable to political pressure and who would concentrate to much powers (and have access to process and could at sometime corrupt the system of justice).
Debate
Yesterday in RTP-N there was a debate on this subject with Paulo Cristovão, a former national PJ director, a magistrate from the public ministry, a representative from the GNR/PSP. They talked about the PJ organic Law which was recently promulgated; the fight the magistrates want to do because they don’t want to have as a PJ National Director a Policeman in spite of Almeida Rodrigues excellent record as a career officer, they discussed as well the low paying of the PJ officers - example: at night time after 8pm until the morning the PJ Officers are not paid at all, they work for the love of their profession (the PJ receives something like 2,50 euros per hour in normal work hours).
They also considered how the PJ is going to work, if they’re going to have or should indeed have autonomy from the Justice Ministry and if the PJ should be under the scope and dependant of the MAI- Ministry of Internal Administration, and how this will affect the process of the investigation by the PJ, and how the prosecution and judges could have their work hindered. On the other side the real situation in the police isn’t being tackled, the lack of means, lack of resources, of money, of few inspectors/officers, and the fact that the police forces working already in cooperation under the scope of the MAI aren’t coordinated are good reasons to think differently about this Law.
It was also discussed that the PJ needs autonomy from any possible political interference.
Ongoing Polemical Situation
The situation now, as I understand it, is that some politicians along with magistrates want to pass an internal security and criminal investigation law which would put all the police forces, the PJ, PSP, GNR working together under MAI- Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The real danger of having just one man- a secretary of state of internal security, a kind of super cop- to whom all this forces: the PJ, the Magistrates and Judges will answer to, it’s a real danger to democracy since all the judicial powers and legislative powers are concentrated in this one man…
Plus this secretary of state would only answer to the Prime Minister. Indeed a very dangerous step to democracy.
Meanwhile…
Carlos Anjos, the president of the Criminal Investigation Officers’ Union (ASFIC) stated that everything is ‘fine’ working under the Minister of Justice and sees no reason that the PJ should be under the scope of MAI. As well, we can all guess how he felt in relation to Alípio Ribeiro as the PJ’s Director: “It’s logical that operational capacity has diminished. We’ve lost more than 20% of personnel, which can only give the result we’re now seeing.” Obviously Anjos is very pleased that for the first time in 62 years a real policeman (career officer) is going to be the National director of the PJ, instead of a magistrate from the PGR (Public Prosecution Service).
Back to Almeida Rodrigues
PROFILE
Reserved but with a capacity of work above the average. This is how Almeida Rodrigues is defined, a man with 49 years who reaches the leadership of the Judiciary Police.
A born communicator and also someone who in many moments removed himself consciently away from the spotlights. Almeida Rodrigues knew how to wait for the right timing and left a place of leadership in the National Direction of the PJ in 2005, exchanging the post for the sub-director of the PJ in Coimbra, where his family was. In terms of curriculum he is certainly one of the most qualified officers of the institution. He already led the PJ’s department of Aveiro, he was the national joint director in the PJ’s National Direction, and he took the role sub-director in the Directorship of Coimbra.
One of his last works in the field is outstanding. In the prison of António Costa, the officer of the GNR who was accused of killing three young persons in Santa Comba Dão, Almeida Rodrigues became involved personally. He went out from the office and with Pedro do Carmo they ‘walked the roads’. On the day of the detention they had very little, but Almeida Rodrigues bet everything. Rodrigues was able to get the serial killer to show him where he had put the bodies; he recovered the mortal remains of the last young person to be killed. Then, he rested, relieved. António Costa was condemned to 25 years.
Source for part of this article: Correio da Manhã
May 8th, 2008 at 7:31 am
McCanns hated Cop Gonçalo Amaral is going to be a lawyer!
translating - not online yet, only thing I can read:
Return to the PJ? No, Thank You [Voltar à PJ? Não Obrigado]
On the Top:
PJ’s Inspector is Going to make an internship after finishing the Book about Maddie
AMARAL LAWYER
The coordinator of the Criminal Investigation from the Judiciary is going to make an internship for one year in a Office in the Algarve. His future passes by the Criminal and author rights.
source: 24 horas
May 8th, 2008 at 7:33 am
McGukins doing a McCann
So the McGukins state they were given roofies in their drinks and instead of helping the Portuguese Police catching the alleged ‘gang ‘that spiked their drinks they decided not respect a court of Law and flee Portugal?…by the way did all the people that drank the sangria (as this couple states)have the same effect?
Rohypnol
(roofies, ‘date-rape’ drug)
Rohypnol is a prescription-only sedative that has been used in many ‘date rapes’ in the US, with cases now being reported in Europe and Australia.
Rohypnol’s medical use is as a pre-operation anaesthetic or strong sleeping pill, but stronger doses can bring on amnesia. It takes effect very quickly - sometimes as quick as 10 minutes after being taken - and reaches its peak eight hours later when it can render a person totally unconscious. It’s about ten times stronger than Valium.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Good morning.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:37 am
May 8th, 2008 at 7:38 am
xklamation,
Your posts are appreciated!
May 8th, 2008 at 7:39 am
Come out Clarence where ever you are!
May 8th, 2008 at 7:47 am
2
xklamation Says:
May 8th, 2008 at 7:30 am
——————
Were you trying to get that one in before us pros jumped to any conclusions?
Too late!
May 8th, 2008 at 7:56 am
No garth I was trying to explain the latest developments in Portugal, did you see the actual debate in RTP-N?
May 8th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Good morning everyone
allo steveyweevey ♥
May 8th, 2008 at 8:06 am
mornin all
Brandon - did you get the email?
May 8th, 2008 at 8:11 am
just_me
Hi
Just read it! Phew!!!!!!!! 
May 8th, 2008 at 8:12 am
thought you would like to know
May 8th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Hi Peter Mac
May 8th, 2008 at 8:18 am
BBL
May 8th, 2008 at 9:47 am
“”"”Madeleine McCann And McGuckin: Max Clifford, Robert Murat And
Portugal Is No Spain”"”
Max Clifford ??
Robert Murat ??
May 8th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hi Matt!
I have gone for over an hour and only one post!!!
May 8th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Brandon,
I dont like talking to myself!
Hello Matt.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:53 am
17…brandon flours
Good morning, brandon.
Have M3 culled us ???
May 8th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Has the thread run its course
before justice has been done
May 8th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Morning, SteveT.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I hope the mc guckins dont rise to the bait and disappear with some dignity
May 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am
20…brandon flours
Well…Justice will be done…..dunno about the Thread though. (allegedly/IMO)
May 8th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Did you both read about the meeting on 3 may with the authors of the madeliene books by the ex coppers?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:57 am
22…brandon flours
Which bait, brandon ?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:58 am
24…brandon flours
The “Enigma” meeting/discusion ?
Yes, read it a few days ago…..interesting reading.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:58 am
24
brandon flours
No. Did Brian Kennedy turn up as well?
May 8th, 2008 at 9:59 am
morning all…
fleeting visit - no real news then?
hiya brandon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
edited jj
May 8th, 2008 at 9:59 am
matt
of having to appear in the media to defend themselves and drag the story on even more.