Little Morsals

Video by HiDeHo: Criminal Profiler Pat Brown Visits Portugal to Search for Madeleine

2012-02-23T18:00:00.000Z

This video by HiDeHo certainly makes a person wonder just how and why this has been allowed to go as far as it has.

Perhaps it’s now time for Kate and Gerry McCann to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that Madeleine was abducted.

People are not banned from Little Morsals

2012-02-20T22:38:00.001Z

There’s been a couple of recent comments by ‘Anonymous’ accusing me of banning people.

I have never banned anyone for one simple reason: Blogger.com does not have a ban or block facility, therefore it's impossible for me to ban or block any person from Little Morsals.

The Blacksmith Bureau: Not like the good old days

2012-02-14T21:06:00.000Z

Source: Blacksmith Bureau

Now you see it…

As a bearded loony once wrote, “history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.”

Oh for the great, late, days of 2007 when the Team of the parents, their paid mouthpiece, their relatives and their lawyers set out to enlist the public as their human shield against extradition – when the pages of the Mail were used to plug weaknesses in their stories (“the missing hours”) and invent new defences (“Gerry thinks abductor was there with him”) ; when the Times reporter was willing to smuggle secret details (the baby monitor) into his stories at Gerry’s prompting and when even the BBC was used by Ed Smethurst and his “expunge” campaign in Panorama. Such, such were the days!

But now?

The tired team, or its pathetic remnants, sees no other course but to repeat the strategy, only this time with no new information – after five years—and when British public opinion is now irrelevant to their fate. They have been “exonerated”, their enemies have been sued or scattered, they have not a blemish—even of tea-stain size—on their characters. Yet they cannot, simply cannot, stop spinning in their own defence.

So to the Mirror story about a far off libel case where UK public opinion doesn’t matter and can’t help: “Revealed: How shamed cop made a fortune spouting lies about Madeleine McCann's parents.”

There it is once more, an article that from the internal evidence could only have come from the McCanns, that pours on the old insults about Amaral – “outrageous...shamed...booted off...spouting lies...slurs...three hour boozy lunches”.

But what a come-down, what a parody of past glories now the ammunition cupboard is bare. Boozy lunches? Again? Is that the best they can do after five years? Even Clarence Mitchell is ashamed to admit being involved —not once are his normal, transparent disguises, “a source” or “a pal of the McCanns”, used in this rubbishy piece; instead the information is credited to a “legal source”, which cannot mean Mitchell. It bears, indeed, all the hallmarks of the McCanns themselves.

And then—farce after tragedy once more—they follow the old Team method of putting in new factual material near the end of the piece. Oh dear. Like we said recently, the remnants of the Team not only have nothing new of significance to offer but all they can do these days is passively react, not enact. So what is the “new material”?

It is a lacklustre confirmation of what the Bureau wrote over a week ago, when we gave the names of the witnesses they were calling and pointed out that the only people with a chance of factually rebutting Amaral’s claims of death in the apartment, the Tapas 7, were not being called, with the obvious inference that the lawyers, or the Tapas group itself, dare not risk their examination in the witness box.

With the second inference, that our list of the names of “friends, relations and those who worked with the couple after Madeleine’s disappearance” demonstrated that they were going to go for an emotion-based claim in which those witnesses will testify to having seen “evidence” of Amaral’s impact on the pair’s emotional well-being. And sure enough the Mirror thuds the message in with a picture to prove that that’s what they going to try, captioned “Destroyed: Kate and Gerry McCann.”

…now you don’t

And what is an “emotion-based claim” in this case? It is an admission of defeat. It tells us that the prosecutor Menezes and his colleague told the truth in the Archiving Report, when they wrote that the McCanns’ behaviour and their lack of co-operation with the Portuguese police “lost them the chance to prove their innocence”.

What? shouted the parents’ allies, how ridiculous, when do people have to prove their innocence?

At the libel trial in April 2012, that’s when. As we now know, the burden of proof in that trial is on them. Menezes is right and the parents know it: the chance is gone. They are admitting it by concentrating instead on the more hopeful and subjective “we saw how destroyed Kate was”. The one piece of new information in the report is a shame-faced attempt to slip out the fact that they themselves don’t want to risk cross-examination either and will try and avoid testifying.

The only thing in the Bureau’s report the sad Team haven’t attempted to spin is the list of police and judicial witnesses we provided. Obviously if they had certainty that all of them would testify that the suspicions of the parents are utterly groundless then they would be broadcasting it from the rooftops, with Clarence visibly in the forefront instead of skulking in the rear. They haven’t got that certainty so they are left with hope – hope these witnesses will answer the harridan’s obvious shrieked questions in the right way:

Duarte: [bellowing] Did your final conclusions include any claims of death in the apartment?
Rebelo: No.
Duarte: [SCREAMING] Why not?
Rebelo: We found no firm evidence of it.
Duarte: [discharging spittle] Exactly.

But it’s high risk with all of those witnesses because cross examination – now that Cabrita is gone—may reveal a less black and white picture. So the parents are too unsure to spin about them yet.

But even if the public were convinced by this passive and shoddy reminder of the great days, what would it achieve? As we’ve asked before, why? Why, faced with the inability of the public to help them, don’t they just shut up?

We admit we don’t know. But we found ourselves pondering; the words of a recent message to us by one of the wiser commentators on the case: “it’s beginning to look,” he wrote, “like the [book Madeleine] is derived rather less from any diary and more from a defence script being held in abeyance until called for.”

Hm.

Gonçalo Amaral - Maddie Case leads to Divorce (now complete)

2012-02-14T20:03:00.004Z

Many thanks to Joana Morais for all her hard work translating from Portuguese to English.

If anyone would like to help towards Mr Amaral's defence fund, please visit the official site Projecto Justiça Gonçalo Amaral (or PJGA for short), where donations can be made either by bank transfer or via PayPal.

Source: Joana Morais

The marriage of ten years yielded to the pressure of the Maddie case. Without assets nor money, the former inspector returned to his parents' home at the age of 53. To Nova Gente he spoke of his divorce, of his writings, about his daughters and of the litigation with the McCann couple...

After a few years you have decided to separate from Sofia. Did that happen as a consequence of the problems that you still have with Maddie's parents, namely, the fact that you were left without any assets, without means to provide for the family?

It is still to early to make that kind of accountability. Marriages end for various reasons, which should usually remain within the personal scope of the former matrimony. However, it was a considered decision between me and the mother of my daughter, Inês.

I remember Sofia has always supported you and at all times during this process. Even though you are separated does she continue to support you? In what way? Do you, Gonçalo, also support her?

Indeed it has been like that and it remains as such, however right now I want to preserve hers and my space. It is good to know that she is willing to support me, but I feel better to go alone to the final fight. As someone once said: when we were kids we did not call our family to fend for us. Now it is time to be alone, making sure that this is the best way to defend my daughter and her mother interests.

Will there be a filing for divorce?

The divorce is by mutual agreement, and I do hope that is declared as soon as possible, so Sofia can follow her path and I mine. We do not hold any grudges and our only concern is the future of our daughters. I often say if the mother of my daughters is well, they will also be well, and that is my main preoccupation.

How often do you visit your daughters? How do you manage that? Do you go to the Algarve to see them or do they come to Lisbon?

Whenever I can I will go to the Algarve or they will come to Lisbon. I still consider Rita as my daughter, even though legally I might not be [her father], I continue to worry about her and her future; it was a decade that I saw her grow up, and it is not possible to erase that as if switching off a button. The internet and the cell-phone also help shortening the distance from my daughters.

You have been increasingly close to your eldest daughter, from another marriage. Did she followed your steps?

My eldest daughter, now 27 years-old, became my confidant. I still worry about her future, even though she has achieved her academical goals (Bachelor's Degree, Master in Criminal Law and an unemployed 1 Lawyer), I generally say she is part of the so-called “geração à rasca” [desperate generation] 2. Her mother and I were able to do for her what many parents did and wished they had been able to do, which was to provide her with conditions in order to succeed, but that seems to be delayed for now. My only wish is for her to be happy.

Don't you miss your family life?

I believe the nostalgic feeling for the family life is not beneficial. Obviously, I cherish the memories of that family life, but I am divorcing from my wife not from my daughters, and they for me remain the primary reason for my existence.

Are you enjoying your new life as a 'single man'? Is it easier yo be married or to be single?

It's different, it isn't possible to make any comparisons.

How did you solve things? Was it difficult, lengthy, complicated?

It wasn't easy, but neither was it difficult. There was a consideration and a joint assessment of our relationship; the conclusion that it was exhausted, reached calmly and quietly, made us understand that it was necessary to change our lives, nothing more.

Did you ever thought that because of an investigation, such as Maddie's, your life would be turned upside down?

I never thought that, but that was only possible due to the servilism seen in our country in its relations with the United Kingdom, where our politicians and our intellectuals have forgotten the values of justice and truth. If, relatively, to the politicians, it is normal that they choose reasons of State rather than values that shape democracy, it is not acceptable nor understandable for the intellectuals to do the same. On the other hand, families feel helpless not knowing what they can do in pursuit of their loved one, and what to expect of police and judicial authorities.

The fact that you have now, with 53 years-old, returned to Olivais [area in Lisbon], to your father's home, is it a return to your origins, to the beginning of your life?

It is a fact. My mother has passed away, my brothers no longer live here, and now it's just me and my dad relearning to live together. It as been interesting in every aspect, mainly because he still sees me and my friends as the youngsters of other times portrayed in the book dedication [Vidas sem Defesa/Defenceless Lives] to the “moços do meu bairro” [boys from my neighbourhood].

How is life treating you?

My life is at a stage of profound changes. Everything is going well in terms of feeling supported by my family and childhood friends, here in the neighbourhood I am just like anyone else, I circle almost anonymously amongst friends and acquaintances. In economic and financial terms I am starting to take the necessary steps towards stability. To this end, I have defined a strategy with my new lawyer, which is to oppose the legal action taken by the McCann couple and to solve in a comprehensive manner all other situations.

“Vidas sem Defesa” [Defenceless Lives] is a manual for the parents of missing children or a cry of revolt? What led you to write this third book?

Defenceless Lives is a manual for the parents of long term missing children, for technicians working in the area of support to these families and also a cry of revolt in the absence, in our country, of structures capable of studying the phenomenon and of giving the answer that should be given during any disappearance of a child. A fast and effective response is slow to occur, there isn't a unified police structure, planning and specific training is lacking.

Of all the case mentioned by you in this book, which moved you most? And Rui Pedro's case?

All of them have touched me, it is difficult to elect one amongst all the cases, all of them filled with despair and anguish. Rui Pedro's case [disappeared in 1998] is special, since it serves as example of the inertia and inefficiency of the police, as a result of lack of planning and specific training of the investigators in charge of the case initially, but also as an example of the the struggle and tenacity of a family, particularly the child's mother, who did everything so his disappearance would not fall into oblivion or ended up covered in dust at the judicial archives.

The introduction to the book is a return to your childhood neighbourhood, of always... What lead you to write that memory?

It is an important memory because it took me to the time when the children of this country seemed able to play, like flocks of sparrows in the wild, and grow away from the dangers of today, without internet or cell-phones, and, as everyone says: we were happy. The dedication to the “moços do meu bairro”, was made after I returned to the neighbourhood were I grew up, where I met again many of my childhood friends and companions of those times. Amongst them, and still living in the same building, I have found the father of Margarida, this is a young woman of 19, who struggles like we do for the realization of her dreams. Among those, she dreams of studying theatre, if possible in England, but due to the current financial crisis, that might not be so easy. I always tell her it is good to dream and to believe in the realization of our dreams. Margarida decided to be baptised by the Catholic religion, something which will take place in the coming months, at the moment she is preparing herself at the local church in order to fulfil her desire and she has already chosen the godfather. The choice fell on me and fills me with pride, not only for the affection that I have for her, or for the friendship of decades with her parents, but mostly because I see in her a young woman who wishes to grow in faith, approaching the Church, knowing Jesus Christ, without stopping to live her youth times, like all young people she is able to distinguish between the temporal and spiritual. It was close to the parents of Margaret and her youth that I have rediscovered lost friendships over the years from a life of wanderer due to my profession as a criminal investigator.

Writing has been a constant since you retired as a Judiciary Police inspector. Is it a passion?

I will reveal a secret. In my teen years I started “scribbling” an account about my family's life. We originate from a small village in Beira Alta [Northern region of Portugal] which in the early years of the 1960's migrated to Lisbon in search of a better life, having gone trough bad moments, but many good, remembering well what meant to be a member of a large and poor family, but when we were all together those were moments of eternal happiness. I never finished that story of life hoping one day to do it, but everything has its time and the right time to do so will arrive. For now it is time to conclude the “Madeleine case” and write about what, in my opinion, still remains to be done to ascertain the truth, the steps of investigation that need to be taken to know what really happened to that child. The investigation of this case can be considered as an unfinished investigation that needs to be completed. As I write about the “Madeleine case”, about which I am not obsessed, I fight solely for the fulfilment of justice and truth, values that shape my life and the so-called democratic societies, I am also writing about another police world, the drug trafficking.

Do you already have an idea for the next book?

I have an unfinished book, with the title: “Trafficking and passions”, where I give an account about the criminal investigation of the crime of drug trafficking over the past three decades, the criminal organizations, traffickers as persons (subject to desires and passions), and not as mere criminals, the methods used by traffickers and the response given by the Judiciary Police.

The civil suit for defamation brought against you by the McCann couple - that was about to be tried but was postponed - and where they claim for 1 million and 200 thousand euros, do you see that as a Coup de grâce applied by them? Do you have good chances of winning?

It's not a Coup de grâce, it is a serious attempt to annihilate me as a person and as a citizen, however the McCanns have no facts to substantiate their claim and perhaps they don't even have the legitimacy to do so. I have always trusted in justice therefore I am certain and confident of winning that civil case.

Marinho Pinto has offered himself to testify in favour of the McCanns against you. What do you have to say about that? And what exactly is the libel case about?

Dr. Marinho Pinto is a free citizen and he is entitled to be a witness for anyone, whomever they might be, and regarding that matter I have no further comments. This is not a libel suit. In fact, under the scope of the injunction filed by the McCanns, the Superior Courts have already decided that I did not violate any private rights of the couple, let alone libelled them.

They were able to freeze your assets, the fees of “Maddie, The Truth of the Lie” book, in short, they have left you without funds and without employment; they have affected your life and of your family. Can you understand the reason why the couple wishes to see you completely destroyed? Is it hatred against you? What feeling does all this provoke in you?

The couple does not forgive me for the reason that in my book “Maddie, The Truth of the Lie” [“Maddie: A Verdade da Mentira”] I wrote the facts and the conclusions of the investigation up to September 2007. They had difficulties in coping with the truth. Initially they've depreciated the book. Two years later they remembered the book existed, coincidentally, I had just been appointed to be a candidate for Mayor of Olhão by a certain political party, and the book was about to be translated into English and eventually released in the United Kingdom. That was too much for them, they had to carry on with their campaign of discredit against my person and jeopardise the subsistence of my family, which by the way is not at all Catholic, as they claim to be. And all because the couple is afraid the truth is known.

Gonçalo, you have won at the Court of Appeals the injunction against the publication of the book “A Verdade da Mentira”, where you defended the thesis that Maddie had died in the Algarve. The appellate judges considered the prohibition on the book violated the Constitution. Was that a nice present? What happened next? Did you have the books returned, were you indemnified in some way?

The McCann couple does not comply with the decisions of the Portuguese courts since they have not yet returned the book copies of “Maddie: A Verdade da Mentira”, given to their lawyer as a trustee, although the court has already adjudicated 3. I doubt the books still exist, I even suspect they might have been destroyed, reason why I denounced the case to the Public Ministry [Attorney General's Office].

After nearly five years from Maddie's disappearance, do you believe the case will be reopened? Do you still defend the reconstruction?

It is very difficult for the case to be reopened in the near future, it's all a matter of political will. However the decision of the civil process, may play a role in creating that political will. In the case of a reopening of the investigation, the reconstruction will always be one of the first steps to be taken, there is no doubt about that.

Does the couple have feelings for vengeance against you?

I don't know if they nurture feelings of vengeance on me, everything points that way. They prey on me to silence uncomfortable voices.

The dispute that opposes them against you will end when? Is it a high price to pay because you didn't found their daughter or because you have said that probably they were the negligent ones?

They were negligent, you need only read the archival dispatch made by the Public Ministry and recall the facts. I have nothing to pay to the McCann couple, but they do, they should have already acknowledged publicly the commitment and efforts of the Portuguese investigators in their search for their daughter, often leaving behind their own families and children. They are rich and still ungrateful.

Where have you gone to get the strength to continue life?

To my daughters and to the values that I defend, among them, it is always worthwhile reiterating, justice and truth.

Do you have feelings of revenge at those who destroyed your life, like the McCanns?

I do not have feelings of revenge because I understand the couple is doing a “headlong rush”, for example, if the process where Madeleine's disappearance was investigated had not been prematurely archived, the reality would be different. However, the moment will come when the damages caused to my family and to myself will have to be accounted for and reimbursed, there is no doubt about that.

Gonçalo, you have lost everything you had. How have you survived?

I have survived with my retirement pension, or rather, with part of it, even because the company that I created after my retirement from the Judiciary Police has been ruined by the McCann couple. I do have projects for my life that do not depend on that couple, but since I know they do seek to destroy me I will not reveal them here.

Who was and who is now Gonçalo Amaral? Do you continue to fight for what you believe?

I am a Portuguese man like any other, with flaws and virtues, I have always placed my family above all, despite having constituted family twice. I live for my daughters and for the happiness of those who are near me, it is enough to know that the other is happy for me too be also happy. I defend the values that life has instilled in me, and yes, I am stubborn in defending those values. A democracy only makes sense if there is justice and truth, if a man has value beyond the State, there are not neither should there be reasons of State which place in question those principles.

Do you miss being an inspector? Of returning to the investigation? What do you miss most?

Of the adrenaline, of the decision on the edge, of the autonomy and initiative that each criminal investigator should have.

If the McCann couple come to Portugal to attend the trial, would you like to address them and tell them something?

Those questions would have to be answered within the scope of the criminal process that was investigating Madeleine's disappearance.

What would you like to tell the couple if you could say something to them?

That the lack of money is bad, but the lack of judgement is much worse.

What are your expectations for the future?

They are good, I hope in the coming months to resolve, with the support of my lawyer, all the problems that I have and be able to fulfil the dreams of my children and of those who are close to me.

And a dream of yours...

I would like one day to create a foundation that would support the integrated development of underprivileged children in order to fulfil their dreams and give them the material conditions to survive in a society which increasingly turns its back on the other.

in Nova Gente, published February 12, 2012

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Translators notes

1 With the current financial crisis in Portugal, 28,1% of the younger generation are unemployed. This is considered by some the most highly skilled (with university degrees) generation in Portuguese educational history.

2 “Geração à rasca” - A youth movement that was created to protest against unemployment, opposes the deterioration of working conditions and the dismantling of social rights. They also actively question the effectiveness, inevitability, legitimacy and democratic nature of the intervention of the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and Financial Stabilization Fund in Portugal. Term used to describe the younger generation that is facing difficulties due to the financial crisis.

3 Res judicata, final judgement that is no longer subject to further appeals.

MADELEINE McCANN: The 1,100,000,000 people who can buy, read and discuss ‘The Truth About A Lie’ - and the ‘free speech’ nation which cannot

2012-02-13T23:21:00.000Z

Source: Received via email (with permission to reproduce)

A discussion document issued by the Madeleine McCann Research Group, 14 February 2012

On 20 October 2010, the Portuguese Appeal Court made a historic decision in the long-running case of Dr Gerald McCann and Dr Kate McCann -v- Dr Goncalo Amaral.

After a lower Portuguese Court had banned his book for 13 months, the Appeal Court decided, having regard to the right to freedom of speech and expression, that it was not libellous for his book, once again, to be freely sold in Portugal (and other countries, such as Brazil), where Portuguese is spoken.

We reproduce relevant extracts of the judgment below.

Not only has Dr Amaral’s book on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, ‘The Truth About A Lie’, been freely available in Portuguese-speaking countries for the past 16 months, it has also, since various dates from September 2008 onwards, been available in no fewer than eight different languages, and all the countries that speak those languages.

We’ve done a calculation as to which countries have Dr Amaral’s book on sale in their main language. Here they are, in alphabetical order:

Andorra
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Bolivia
Chile
Cuba
Denmark
Ecuador
France
Germany
Guatemala
Holland
Honduras
Italy
Luxemburg
Mexico
Nicaragua
Norway
Paraguay
Peru
San Marino
Spain
Surinam
Sweden
Switzerland
Uruguay
Venezuela.

We estimate that around 1,100,000,000 people live in those countries: 1.1 billion, or nearly one-sixth of the world’s population.

Madeleine McCann was a British girl, born and bred in England, a land famed the world over for its freedoms, including the right of free speech. Yet Dr Amaral’s book cannot be published and sold in this country. Indeed, not only that, former Madeleine Foundation Secretary Tony Bennett currently faces a term of imprisonment for, amongst other things, referring to that book. In July 2010, for example, the Madeleine Foundation published a leaflet about Dr Goncalo Amaral, in which this statement appeared:

“In ‘The Truth About A Lie’, Dr Amaral explains why he and his team had good grounds for believing Madeleine had died in her parents’ apartment and covered up her death”.

That was and is a true - 100% factual statement. Yet as The Madeleine Foundation reported last year, the McCanns believe that the British public should not even be able to read that sentence. Carter-Ruck told the Madeleine Foundation that that sentence in their leaflet was libellous.

The world has turned upside down. Over a billion people worldwide can read the account by the initial senior detective in the case of the history of, conclusions arrived at, in his investigation.

But the people in the land where Madeleine was born, so the McCanns say, should not be allowed to read it.

There are in fact translations of Dr Amaral’s book available on the internet. Such is the power of the McCanns’ lawyers, Carter-Ruck, however, that we are not sure if we can give you the links here. So we won’t.

But what we can and will do is reproduce those parts of the Portuguese Appeal Court’s judgment which explain just how widely in the world Dr Amaral’s book can be bought and read:

EXTRACTS FROM THE JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF APPEAL IN PORTUGAL - IN THE CASE OF McCANNS -v- AMARAL

On 24 July 2008, the defendant Dr Goncalo Amaral first published his book, through publishers Guerra e Paz.

In that book, Dr Amaral put forward the following hypothesis:

• That the child Madeleine McCann died in the Ocean Club apartment G5A in Vila da Luz, on the evening of 3 May 2007
• That the McCanns and their friends fabricated an abduction
• That Dr Kate Healy and Dr Gerald McCann are suspected of involvement in the concealment of their daughter’s body
• That the death may have been the outcome of a tragic accident
• That there are indications of neglect of the care and safety of the children.

Dr Amaral’s book was published in four editions by the end of July, a further nine by the end of August, and another 12 by end of September. Each edition was of around 10,000 copies. [Thus, in all, around 250,000 copies were printed]. At the time of our decision, the book had been sold out at practically all points of sale.

When the book was published, Dr Amaral gave an interview to the newspaper Correia da Manha, published on 24 July 2008. In that interview, he explained his analysis of the case. He also gave interviews later to all other media that asked him for an interview, each time defending the book’s thesis.

At the beginning of May 2009, Dr Amaral published his book in France, this time under the title: ‘Maddie, L’Enquete interdite: Les revelations du commissaire portugais charge de l’enquete [The revelations of the Portuguese co-ordinator of the investigation].

Dr Amaral also gave countless interviews to several media in France, including the one that was published by Le Parisien newspaper in both its paper and online editions. In those interviews, Dr Amaral continued to promote his hypothesis on the case. The book’s French edition was, and continues to be, systematically and prolifically promoted on the internet, for example on the following websites: [a long list of websites follows] .

Between the date when the Portuguese edition was published [24 July 2008] and the date of the book’s French edition [May 2009], Televisao Independente (TVI) broadcast a TV programme produced by Valentim de Carvalho for the company Filmes, Audiovisuais, SA [FASA], who hold the copyright of the documentary.

The first transmission of that programme was on 13 April 2009, the second on 12 May 2009. This programme was essentially based on the contents of Dr Amaral’s book: ‘Maddie: The Truth About A Lie’. In that documentary, Dr Amaral appears and continues to advance his theory (a) that Madeleine is no longer alive (b) that her death occurred within their Ocean Club apartment, and (c) that her parents, the McCanns, concealed their daughter’s body.

At least 2,200,000 people viewed the first screening of this programme.

At the end of April 2009, a DVD of the programme was made, with the following title and subtitle: ‘Maddie - The Truth About A Lie: A powerful documentary based on the best-seller ‘The Truth About A Lie’ by Goncalo Amaral. Already, 75,000 copies of this DVD have been distributed for sale. The DVD is published on FASA’s website.

All the actions within the investigation that Dr Amaral reports in his book are documented within the investigation file. Not only that, but the investigation documents were also made available in electronic format, not only to the national media, but to international media. These media proceeded to divulge the contents of the reports and statements from the investigation file. This publication of the electronic reports naturally enabled knowledge of the facts of the investigation to be circulated. Public comments were made and soon there was universal discussion of the contents of the investigation file. Any individual in the world can have access to these facts and to the documents of the investigation which enabled the facts of the investigation to be verified. All of this was only a click on the mouse away.

The friends of the McCanns did not make themselves available in Portugal to attend a reconstruction [of the events of 3 May 2007]. This is all documented on pages 4,636 to 4,638 of Volume XII of the ‘Investigation Processos’ files, complied by the Prosecutor’s office.

Dr Amaral’s book was published, through other editors, in several countries, as well as in France, as we referred to above.

The publications occurred as follows:

• In Spain, September 2008, titled ‘Maddie - La verdad de la mentira’
• This was distributed in the Spanish/Castilian language in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries
• In Denmark, in November 200, titled ‘Maddie - Sandheden on Lognem’.
• This Danish edition was then published in the Nordic countries of Norway and Sweden
• In Italy, December 2008, titled ‘Maddie - La Verita della Menzonga’.
• That edition was distributed in Italian-speaking countries all over the world
• In Holland, April 2009, titled ‘Maddie - De Waarheide Achter de Leugen’.
• That was distributed in Dutch-speaking countries throughout the world
• In Germany, in June 2009, with the tile: ‘Maddie - De Wahrheit uber die Luge’
• This was also distributed in German-speaking countries, including Austria and Switzerland.
• There is also an English version circulating on the internet, on the web site www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/PJ/TRANSLATIONS.htm , where a Portuguese version can also be found.

Published by the Madeleine McCann Research Group, 14 February 2012

By Pat Brown: A Picture Worth a Thousands Words (updated 15/02/12)

2012-02-13T22:06:00.002Z

Source: The Daily Profiler

“Martha? I’m stepping out on the balcony for a smoke. Hey, Martha, come here! What the hell is that man doing at that window? You see right there? He’s busting in the window? Martha, go call the police! Hey, he’s crawling in flat….must be planning to steal…oh, my god, Martha! Tell the police he’s carrying out a child! I’m running downstairs! Maybe I can stop him!”

(The above is an imagined scenario for those who are pretended to not understand this...clearly I am just trying to make a point).

Yes, you are looking at Apartment 5A, the very apartment the McCanns were renting on May 3^rd, 2007. The time is 10 pm on February 12, 2012. The photo was taken from the third floor of the building across the street. There was some shrubbery along the left wall of the parking lot that has been removed but the view of the McCanns door and window would not have been obscured (I must add since I have been rightly corrected and I have doublechecked the photos at that time, there are trees also lining the back side on the street, it is difficult to say today if one is high up looking down from one balcony or the other, who can see the window). My purpose of this photo was to show that the window and door of 5A was not a location that was as hidden from view as one might think.

Predators who crawl in and out windows tend to choose windows that look out on dark empty spaces or are nowhere near other buildings. For example, a predator might break in on the back side of an apartment building that has no lights and nothing but a deserted lot behind. A predator might crawl in the back window of an isolated house. But the 5A window was on a corner with traffic going by, on a parking lot which people are driving in and out of, under other apartment windows, across from other apartments and next to other apartments. Partially obscured from some angles, the predator knows the window is not obscured at other angles. He may not know exactly who can see him and who can't. For example, there is a break in the trees where the drive comes into the parking lot and through which the window can be seen. Just knowning that there is an apartment building looming over one's crime area for people to look down on you (either breaking in or out or leaving the area with a child) would be unnerving. Any predator would be smarter going in the back door which is far easier to slip in and out of and not be seen.

The lights on the buildings and in the streets turn the building into a veritable fishbowl (some claim massive lighting improvement since that day but I have heard that it has not changed much). What idiot would think breaking in the window at Apartment 5A or carrying a child out of that window or even the door next to it would be a terribly bright idea? One thing kidnappers know is there are enough human fish in the sea that one doesn’t have to abduct someone under such risky conditions.

There are those who note the style of lamps in town have changed (from globe-shaped to the more boxy style now seen) and there are a couple of added lights to the McCann building. True, but this does not mean that the location was dark and dismal and a predator would be able to skulk around unseen. From my third floor apartment, I can clearly see the windows in the building on the other side of the road from the McCanns and it has no added lights at all. It is not clear that the change of street lamp has significantly increased lighting (some say it has and some say it hasn't - I haven't found statistics on this) but, suffice it to say, if it was good enough light for Jane Tanner to see a man carrying a little child off at a distance and be able to describe his clothes and hers, then it is possible for many others to see this man as well. He would know this and choosing so public a location to abduct a child would be unusual. Finally, it was a full moon night, so the lighting may have been even better than normal.

The next picture shows the front side of the apartment building with close-up of the window of Apartment 5A. I am standing in the doorway. Can you see how bright it is at night? (Again that light may be deceptive as it was added , but you can see how exposed the window is on a path people are coming out of their apartments on and at the end of that wall is the entrance from the parking lot, not to mention a full moon shining down on white buildings and light-colored walks). What would Mr. Predator do if he crawled out of the window with a child to find a car pulling in to park right there in the lot? He would be trapped. He still has to walk down that little path, turn right out the opening into the parking lot, come back down along the wall, then cross the parking lot, go out of the parking lot, turn right and walk down to the corner and cross the street - where Jane Tanner supposedly saw him.

It is also worth noting that there is a lack of proper photos and videos from that night or even the next, so we don't know the exact conditions. Furthermore, we cannot trust what photos and videos show us because they can be brightened or darkened according to what the presented of these evidences want the audience to think. Supporters of the abduction theory may want Jane Tanner´s sighting area to be brightened and the window darkened. Nonsupporters of the abduction theory may want Jane Tanner's sighting area to be pitch black and the window sitting in a spotlight. So, we likely will have difficulty in knowning the reality. However, and again, the predator does what is wisest and I still have to say that the front of 5A is not the choice a predator should make when the back door, the supposedly open sliding back door, exists and cuts down on ones visibility leaving the residence and escaping from the area.

This picture shows the corner where Jane Tanner sees a man cross the street coming from the apartment, child in his outstretched hands. If you were an abductor, would you be comfortable choosing to walk out in the open, across the well-light street with three people on it? Would you at least think walking the other direction hugging the wall might be a bit smarter, maybe cut down your chances of being seen? (The abuctor MAY have seen just seen the backs of Gerry and Jez as he peeped around the corner and stepped out just as Jane came out of the Tapas door and up the street getting caught in her sight line.) But walking the other direction is much safer and smarter unless one has no choice).

Robert Murat, the only other Arguido (suspect) in the case, lived on a couple blocks down the way in the direction Jane Tanner claimed the man carrying a child was walking. But, Robert Murat was a known individual in town and many people in Praia da Luz own places here or rent for a long period of time and return year after year. Would someone who knows people might recognize him walk down well-lit streets - his face totally exposed – straight to his own house? He would have to have an IQ far below 70 to think this would be clever.

If anyone took a child from the apartment, it would be smarter to walk the opposite way of the man Jane Tanner claims to have seen. Here you can see the wall I just mentioned that he could walk very close to and be out of sight of anyone looking down from the tall apartment building across the street. Even more intelligent would be for an abductor to leave the back of the apartment by the sliding glass doors and hurry down the enclosed path which leads up to the parking area at the front of the apartment and go out at the end of the street and onward to the darker end of the road. It is exactly this path that leads to the Smith sighting.

Praia da Luz is a very cozy, brightly lit, off-the-main road very small and charming resort town. No sex ring is going to choose this location to target children. A child sex predator might lurk about here but he would be wiser abducting a child from the outskirts of the town or in pretty much any other nearby village. There are some darker side streets further to the edge of the town that a predator or someone carrying a child would be a bit less visible . Apartment 5A would rank pretty much at the bottom of any abductor’s list of places to grab a kid. The only reason someone would remove a child from 5A would be of necessity. Then he would never take the route Jane Tanner claimed she saw the man carrying a child.

More on the most likely route one would take to carry Madeleine from Apartment 5A in my next blog.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Kate McCann to write new book

2012-02-12T22:38:00.000Z

According to the Express Kate McCann is working on an updated paperback of her book ‘Madeleine’ which will apparently include details about Scotland Yard’s review.

How Kate McCann will include the details of the review is a mystery, unless Scotland Yard is keeping her up to date with every step they take and/or she’s expecting Scotland Yard to have it all wrapped up before completion of her new book which is due to be published in the spring.

The Express explains:

“Kate hopes the paperback will be a hit with British holidaymakers over the summer.”

Just the thing to read while on a family holiday.

Donations towards Tony Bennett’s legal expenses

2012-02-11T18:18:00.003Z

From Sharon Lawrence, Madeleine Foundation:

It is with regret that on the day after the hearing Tony resigned as Secretary and also from the Committee of The Madeleine Foundation. Tony has authorised us to say that he feels that, given the pressures he is under of having to fight a contempt of court action on his own, which could lead to his imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine, he must disengage from the Madeleine Foundation which he set up over 4 years ago.

Sharon of the Madeleine Foundation also explains (regards donations towards Tony Bennett's legal expenses)...

Some of you have kindly asked about making donations towards Tony’s legal costs and a few of you have already made donations. Your new Committee is exploring ways of setting up a fund to help Tony with his costs and we expect to make an announcement about this within the next month.

Although Tony is not legally represented, he has taken legal advice, he has had the costs of travelling to lawyers and the High Court, there are the expenses e.g. of photocopying masses of material, and moreover he intends shortly to make an application to be released from one of his undertakings which will require a court fee and another round of extensive photocopying.

If you wish to help Tony with these expenses, please do not send anything to him direct, but make a donation to The Madeleine Foundation, either via our website, or if you e-mail us we will give you an address to which to send cheques, or our bank details if you want to pay by direct transfer.

Website:
www.madeleinefoundation.org.uk

E-mail:
themadeleinefoundation@gmail.com

Tony has asked me to thank those writing as ‘Anonymous’ in the comment section of Little Morsals for their kind offers/enquiries regards donations.

Last but not least, a message from Grenville Green:

Dear Sasha

Helene and I are very aware of the biased and twisted media coverage,if you happen to have a different opinion to the abduction theory. Lack of money should not stop Justice from being done.

Therefore,we believe a fund to help Tony needs to be set up ASAP. I should like to pledge the sum of £300 (a large chunk from my pension) towards such a fund.

In the UK we already have the ability under Common Law to settle disputes without engaging the likes of Carter-Ruck, who reputedly charge over £800 per hour.

Unfortunately, since the Lisbon Treaty, our system of Law has been changed to the great detriment of the people. If anyone needs further information on our constitution, they should read "Laymans's Guide to the English Constitution" by Albert Burgess.

News of the World online: The forbidden investigation

2012-02-10T07:31:00.000Z

Every Sunday and Wednesday, the News of the World Online has been publishing chapters from Mr Goncalo Amaral’s book ‘The Truth of the Lie.’ So far they have reached Chapter 16 (with scans and photos included).

The ‘News of the World Online’ does not state where they obtained their copy from but having read the discussion on ‘Missing Madeleine’ forum it looks likely to be the translation done by AnnaEsse.

Before printing a copy of the book, the 'News of the World Online' has this to say:

“Madeleine McCann: The Forbidden Investigation was written by former police detective Gonçalo Amaral, who led the Madeleine investigation in the first five months after the three-year-old's disappearance from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in October 2007.

We at NOTW Online have considerable sympathy for the McCann family who have obviously suffered terribly from this tragedy. We have no views and can offer no theory behind the disappearance of young Madeleine - that is not our role.

What we believe however, is that as responsible publishers we must allow the reader the option of deciding. It is for this purpose that we have elected to publish the view of former Portuguese police detective Gonçalo Amaral.

The book, originally written in Portuguese, has been translated into English. We neither affirm nor deny the contents of the book, but we at NOTW Online have the duty of delivering news and support the right for English speaking people to read it and decide the truth for themselves.

Our hope is that one day, this young girl will walk back into the lives of her family.
GDS”

With that out of the way...

....For anyone who would like to read the English translation of Mr Goncalo Amaral’s book “The Truth in the Lie” please go to News of the World Online

McCann Vs Bennett: Mike Gunnill may be called as a witness

2012-02-08T21:49:00.001Z

At least it seems the judge presiding over today’s court hearing had been fair towards Tony Bennett. Although a couple of proposed orders by Mr Bennett had been refused, the judge did allow him to call Michael Gunnill as a witness in the next round of court proceedings.

Apparently acting on behalf of third party (believed by Mr Bennett to be the McCann couple via Carter-Ruck) Mike Gunnill obtained a “60 Reasons” book from Mr Bennett through what can only be described as entrapment.

If anyone would like to know the background to the ‘entrapment’, SteelMagnolia has a couple of links on her site.

The following update of today's court hearing copied from McCann Exposure

Update on today’s court proceedings: McCann Vs Bennett
The hearing was only ever about getting the matter ready for trial.

The hearing lasted around 1 hour and 50 minutes. The McCanns were represented by Jacob Dean (barrister), Adam Tudor, Isabel Hudson and two assistants.

Carter-Ruck had proposed a timetable for serving and filing evidence ahead of the trial and proposed that the trial would last for 1-2 days, to be held as soon as practicable on or after 10 April.

I made a number of applications at the hearing, which out of courtesy I notified to Carter-Ruck by hand on 2 February.

My application to have a ‘McKenzie friend’ [lay helper] with me at the hearing was granted by consent, and I thank my friend who acted as my McKenzie helper today.

I made an outline application to be allowed to apply for one part of the original undertaking I gave to be rescinded. This was granted. I have until 22 February to submit that application. That involves paying a Court fee of £80.00 and submitting detailed reasons for that application. At this point I will say that I do not propose to seek to rescind any of the following undertakings, all of which I have abided by except for the sale of one book to Mr Michael Gunnill (see below):

• To deliver up all hard copies of “What really happened to Madeleine McCann? 60 key reasons which suggest that she was not abducted” (known in short as ‘60 Reasons’) to Carter-Ruck
• To deliver up all hard copies of the leaflet entitled “What really happened to Madeleine McCann? 10 key reasons which suggest that she was not abducted
• To destroy any electronic version of ‘What really happened to Madeleine McCann? 60 key reasons which suggest that she was not abducted”.
• To destroy any electronic version of the leaflet entitled “What really happened to Madeleine McCann? 10 key reasons which suggest that she was not abducted
• To close our website, whose domain name was: www.madeleinefoundation.org‘
• To use my best endeavours to delete or otherwise prevent access to any and all defamatory allegations about the Claimants published by him on the website http://missingmadeleine.forumotion.net
• To use my best endeavours to delete or otherwise prevent access to any and all defamatory allegations about the Claimants published by him on the website http://democracyforum.co.uk
• To use my best endeavours to delete or otherwise prevent access to any and all defamatory allegations about the Claimants published by him on the website http://www.anorak.co.uk
• To use my best endeavours to delete or otherwise prevent access to any and all defamatory allegations about the Claimants published by him on the website www.truthformadeleine.com
• To pay £440.00 towards the Defendant’s costs [subsequently reduced to £400.00.]

I applied for an Order that ‘the Claimants [the McCanns] do specify which words they allege constitute alleged breaches of my undertaking’. This was because of what I claimed was a lack of clarity in the McCanns’ application. The Practice Rules are very specific in requiring that in a contempt of court allegation, the Claimants must be precise and full in explaining to the Defendant precisely why he is alleged to be in breach of an undertaking to such an extent that he deserves to be sent to prison.

I had also asked for more time to prepare my defence. The Judge was concerned about the volume of paperwork I was faced with [153 alleged breaches of the undertaking] and said that ‘there is considerable force in Mr Bennett’s request for more time to prepare his defence’.

This was resolved as follows. The Judge invited Jacob Dean [the McCanns’ barrister] to take a 5-minute adjournment to consider whether he wished to reduce his 153 alleged breaches to, say, ‘the 10 most serious breaches’. He said that if the McCanns could prove those breaches, it was unnecessary to prove the other 143. After 15 minutes, the McCanns’ legal team came back into Court and said that they would submit a new application based on ‘around 25’ of the most serious breaches. The trial will then be confined effectively to an examination of just those 25 alleged breaches. The Judge gave them until 4pm on Friday 17 February to serve this new application on me. He also suggested to Mr Dean that Carter-Ruck needed to be much more precise than they had been about the words I used that were said to be in breach of the undertaking and which term of any undertaking they were alleged to breach.

The Judge granted me until 9 March to reply to the McCanns’ revised application [the McCanns had originally asked for my response by 22 February.

The McCanns will then have the right to reply to my response. They will have to serve this on me by 5 April.

I applied for an Order that Michael Gunnill be produced as a witness and was able to inform the Judge in outline of how Mr Gunnill had obtained a ’60 Reasons’ book from me by entrapment, and how Mr Gunnill had boasted about doing this ‘on behalf of a third party’ which I believed to be the McCanns, via Carter-Ruck. I was granted permission to apply for a Witness Order against Mr Gunnill requiring to attend the trial and give evidence. I shall be doing that shortly.

I had applied for an Order that one of the McCanns make a Witness Statement to (a) state what evidence there is that Madeleine McCann was abducted and (b) to state what evidence there was, as claimed in Isabel Hudson’s Affidavit, that any of my actions had, as the McCanns claimed, ‘harmed the search for Madeleine’. These applications were refused. The Judge said that it was for the Claimants to give whatever evidence they felt was necessary to support their application to commit me to prison and that if I felt there was insufficient evidence that an abduction had occurred I would have the right to make submissions about this in my closing speech at the trial.

I applied for the McCanns to produce certified English translations of the two judgments against them in the Portuguese Court of Appeal (October 2010) and Portuguese Supreme Court (March 2011). The Judge refused, after asking the McCanns’ barrister if Dr Amaral’s book was now freely available in Portugal, to which of course he agreed. He said that if I considered these relevant, I should produce these myself. One of my supporters at the hearing kindly volunteered afterwards to see if she could obtain these for me.

The trial is scheduled for 2 days, any time on or after 17 April 2012.

In conclusion, I would like to thank each and every one of the eight people who kindly troubled to attend court to support me, and it was a pleasure to buy them all lunch at the Dulcis Cafe afterwards.

Tony Bennett

The Examiner reports on Pat Brown

2012-02-08T17:55:00.000Z

Source: The Examiner

By: Isabelle Zehnder
Missing Persons Examiner

"Pat Brown goes to Portugal in a quest for truth and justice for Madeleine McCann"

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Isabelle Zehnder reporting) -- Driven by her desire for truth and justice for missing Madeleine McCann, Criminal Profiler Pat Brown is planning a trip to Portugal Monday.

Madeleine is the British girl who went missing from a resort in Portugal nearly five years ago.

Madeleine disappeared on the evening of Thursday, May 3, 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday. She was on vacation with her parents and twin siblings in Portugal and went missing from an apartment in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz. Her parents claimed they left the children alone while they ate at a nearby restaurant.

According to a news report by Telegraph.co.uk, the initial investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance was based on the assumption she was abducted. The report states Portugal police later determined there was a strong possibility she may have died in her room.

In September 2007, Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, and local resident Robert Murat, were named arguidos.

Their arguido [suspect] status was lifted in July 2008 because there was not enough evidence to charge them with a crime, Brown said Friday. Telegraph.co.uk reports the case was archived but can be reopened if new evidence emerges.

Pat Brown said there are two camps over Madeleine’s disappearance: one of a child who was abducted by a stranger and the other of a child who died, possibly an accidental death. She said there were suspicious circumstances surrounding Madeleine’s disappearance and that it was never proven that Madeleine was abducted.

In recent years the McCanns have instructed their solicitors, Carter-Ruck, to send numerous cease-and-desist letters to people who have publicly questioned their possible involvement in their daughter's disappearance.

While Pat Brown was not the recipient of a cease-and-desist letter from the McCanns a 30-page, self-published eBook she wrote detailing what she believes may have happened to Madeleine was pulled from sale at the direction of the McCanns.

Fight for freedom of speech

Pat Brown's book, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, was removed from sale by Amazon following a claim by Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, that the book was defamatory.

Carter-Ruck, one of the leading media and defamation law firms in the world, acted on behalf of the McCann’s when they sent a letter to Amazon requesting they pull Brown’s book.

Brown said Friday, “This is important because Carter-Ruck is one of the most feared legal firms in the world for their libel work and this is why Amazon pulled the book; it wasn't worth it for them to have to go up against these legal giants.

"The overly strict libel laws of the UK, along with Carter-Ruck's going after so many, has caused the press to be afraid to print certain stories like this one about my Cease-and-Desist letter.

"In fact, Carter-Ruck is such a force, people say, 'Oh, you've been Carter-Rucked'.”

A press release issued Wednesday by Brown and her attorney, Anne Bremner, said Brown is fighting back "for the cause of freedom of speech and justice." Read full article...

Tony Bennett meets Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

2012-02-07T15:56:00.000Z

U.S. Criminal Profiler Pat Brown in Windsor to discuss the complete mystery of Madeleine McCann with Tony Bennett, Madeleine Foundation Secretary, 7 February 2012

What Pat Brown hopes to accomplish in Portugal

2012-02-06T11:56:00.000Z

Source: The Daily Profiler

Sunday, February 5, 2012 (Washington DC)

Many of you are wondering what I expect to accomplish in Portugal for the two week period I will be in the country. Some have scoffed on Twitter that I am on a fool's errand or some egotistical fantasy trip, that I think I am going to pop over to Praia da Luz and solve the McCann case in a snap. Hardly. I am not that unrealistic nor am I so blind to reality and my abilities that I think I am going to do any such thing. What I am trying to do is learn a bit more. Since my book, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann did earn some dividends (although not much since it was pulled from Amazon under threat of Carter-Ruck and the McCanns) and I stated I would put fifty percent of the earnings toward searching for Madeleine, I am doing that with the money.

I am approaching this case as I do others I have profiled. I plan to survey the area and then reanalyze the crime based on what I learn. Then, I plan to search in locations I believe Maddie may be.

I can accomplish the first part of the plan within ten days. The second part is unlikely to be fully accomplished and may require me to return to Portugal if I think another search has merit. I also may run into the "unknown factor" while I am in Praia da Luz. I may come across new information that will add to what is publicly known of the case or something that could change my profile. Although my top theory is that the evidence points to the McCanns involvement, the next most likely theory is that a local pedophile grabbed Madeleine and walked off with her to his lair. I do not at all believe Madeleine's disappearance had anything to do with a sex ring or someone who wanted a child. I do not believe Madeleine was taken away alive in a car. I believe Madeleine is not alive, whether the McCanns are involved or not.

Could I change this view? Sure. If I get to Praia da Luz, start analyzing the layout of the area and, suddenly, say, "Well, hell, if I had known that...." I don't expect this will happen but you never know. Being at the crime location is extraordinarily valuable when analyzing any case and this can change everything. If I do a one-eighty, I will not shirk my duty to disclose this and I will revise my profile as necessary.

What I won't be doing in Praia da Luz is going around questioning people. I am not a private detective and I don't have the right to do so in Portugal anyway. I won't refuse to talk to people but I am not knocking on doors and demanding people answer my questions. I will be analyzing and reconstructing the crime by way of the locations I can publicly access or have permission. I will do some experiments as to how long it takes to walk from A to B, check to see how easily something could be accomplished or how easily one can be seen carrying a child in certain places, and where a person could stash a body or not.

I will be searching for Madeleine in locations I believe have some merit. I am not going to discuss on this blog exactly where and how. I will tell you that when I get back.

Do I expect to find Maddie or the big clue that will lead me to her? The odds are not great that I will leave Portugal having accomplished that. I hope to increase my knowledge of what exactly happened to Madeleine. And, if I am really, really lucky, maybe I will unearth something of great value.

I am looking forward to my two weeks in Portugal. I am very curious to see what I will learn. I will try to blog daily on what I am doing and finding out (that I can release) and I hope all goes well. If, when my two weeks is up, I feel the trip was productive and I could use more time in Portugal, I will make a second trip to Praia da Luz in the coming months and continue my work.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Yard to call in Tapas 7 - Exclusive to Sunday Express (from paper version)

2012-02-05T22:43:00.006Z

Paper version starts on front page and continues on page 5 – (Transcript of the article beneath scans of the Express article)

Exclusive
By James Murry
Investigations Editor

February 5, 2012

Scotland Yard detectives are poised to interview the so-called Tapas Seven as their inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann steps up a gear.

The friends of Kate and Gerry McCann, who accompanied them on their holiday to Portugal almost five years ago, are expecting interview requests as soon as officers feel they could assist the investigation.

So far, the Yard’s Maddie Squad has been concentrating on analysing every scrap of evidence in the case from files supplied by Leicestershire police, Portuguese detectives and Metodo 3, the Barcelona-based private investigators hired by the McCanns.

Officers have flown to Portugal three times and visited Span twice. With much of the analysis over, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood wants to put his team of three detective chief inspectors, five detective sergeants and 19 detective constables to good use.

They are being supported by six civilian staff and three officers from the specialist murder review group, bringing the total number on the team to 37.

By April the cost of the inquiry will be £1.9 million but it is thought that figure could double with the “investigative review” going into next year.

After nine months of information gathering, officers are checking statements from key witnesses. They include the Tapas Seven, so called because they were eating at a tapas bar with Kate and Gerry at the time Madeleine disappeared.

In some cases the Yard officers have asked for documents to be retranslated from Portuguese to English so that they are absolutely sure of what was said and meant.

One theory they are examining is that someone abducted Madeleine, they could have had a copy of the key for the holiday apartment a the Ocean Club in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz. The Sunday Express has learned that the Tapas Seven “fully expect” to be asked to go over the statements they made to Portuguese officers shortly after Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007

They were also interviewed by Leicestershire detectives, with Portuguese officers in attendance, when they arrived home.

The most significant witness is mother-of-two Jane Tanner, partner of doctor Russell O’Brien, who said she saw a man carrying a child resembling Madeleine, some time after 9pm. Another key witness is Matthew Oldfield, who went to the apartment to check on Madeleine and twins Sean and Amalie, who celebrated their seventh birthdays last week.

Mr Oldfield saw the twins in their cots but did not push the door open wide enough to see Madeleine, although he was happy all was well.

All the Tapas Seven fully supported the Yard’s review of the case and hope it will provide a breakthrough. Other members of the group include Mr Oldfield’s wife Rachael, David and Fiona Payne and her mother Dianne Webster.

A Yard spokesman declined to say who would be interviewed and when. “We are not going into that level of details” he said, “we are not at the stage of speaking to individuals yet. We are laying the groundwork.”

The McCann’s spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they and their friends would do everything to assist attempts to discover what happened to Madeleine.

Press Release: Cease and Desist Letter issued to Gerry and Kate McCann, parents.

2012-02-02T06:53:00.010Z

I've added a 'jump break' to this article. Please click on 'read full article' at the bottom.

Source: Women in Crime Ink

PRESS RELEASE

Gerry and Kate McCann, parents of the missing Madeleine McCann, find themselves for the first time at the other end of a potential legal action. Top defense attorney, Anne Bremner, counsel to the Friends of Amanda Knox and the families of Rebecca Zahau and Susan Cox Powell, has issued a cease-and-desist letter (content posted below) on behalf of American criminal profiler Pat Brown whose book, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann was removed from sale by Amazon following a claim by the McCanns that the book was defamatory. In recent years, the McCanns have instructed their solicitors, Carter-Ruck, to send numerous cease-and-desist letters to people who have publicly questioned their possible involvement in their daughter’s disappearance nearly five years ago while on family holiday in Portugal.

Next week on February 8th, retired solicitor Tony Bennett faces English prison as the McCanns’ fight to shut down his efforts to bring focus to aspects of the missing child case that point to the parents’ possible involvement. Also, the McCanns have sued the detective on their daughter’s case, Dr. Goncalo Amaral, for libel and have had his book, Truth of the Lie, pulled off the worldwide market. The trial is scheduled in Portugal for April. Now, Pat Brown has fought back for the cause of freedom of speech and justice, alleging that the McCanns have interfered with her right to conduct business and have damaged her professional reputation with their successful removal of her book from sale. On Monday, Pat will leave for Portugal to continue her quest for truth and justice in the case of Madeleine McCann. The Find Madeleine Campaign operated by Gerry and Kate McCann has spent some 2.5 million pounds on the supposed search for their daughter, Madeline, who vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal while on vacation with the family nearly five years ago and come up empty handed. Since last May, a 37-man team headed up by Scotland Yard has spent 1.5 million pounds on salaries plus many more pounds following up supposed leads with no sign of success. Altogether, four million pounds has been forked out to locate a missing child with zero results. What, then, does American criminal profiler Pat Brown hope to accomplish with her two week trip to Portugal, beginning next week on February 6, with her small band of assistants and a few hundred euros of her own money?

She could find the truth. She could find Madeleine. She could find nothing but at least she won’t be costing the taxpayers millions or draining the pocketbooks of kindhearted donators chasing useless leads.

Pat Brown will be following up on the theory she purported in her Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, her eBook which was pulled by Amazon at the request of the British solicitors Carter-Ruck on behalf of Gerry and Kate McCann. Amazon was told the book was defamatory in spite of the fact Ms. Brown clearly stated facts in the case, developed a theory based on those facts, and repeated numerous times that she makes no claim that the McCanns are guilty of any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance (other than leaving three children unattended night after night in the resort apartment). Since Gerry McCann clearly stated during the Levinson hearing, “I strongly believe in freedom of speech” and “I don't have a problem with somebody purporting a theory,” it is difficult to understand why the McCanns wanted the book to be repressed except that it was selling well and that the theory she presented was being considered credible by a number of readers.

During her trip to Portugal, Pat Brown will study the town of Praia da Luz and environs, reconstruct the crime, and examine possible locations as to where Madeleine might have been taken, dead or alive. If she discovers evidence to support a theory other than the one that was the focus of her book, she will pursue that information. She is looking forward to meeting with Dr. Goncalo Amaral, the ex-detective on the McCann case. Meanwhile, it is her hope and that of her lawyer, Anne Bremner, that the McCanns rethink their actions regarding the Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and instruct their solicitors to have Amazon return the book to the market (now available at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble online).

For interviews and media appearances, please contact:

Pat Brown
The Pat Brown Criminal Profiling Agency
she2000@comcast.net
301-633-1151
www.patbrownprofiling.com
www.sheprofilers.com

Anne M. Bremner
Stafford Frey Cooper, PC
3100 Two Union Square
601 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101-1374
abremner@staffordfrey.com
206.623.9900
www.annebremner.com

--------------------------------------------

Cease-and-Desist Letter

Anne M. Bremner
Stafford Frey Cooper, PC
3100 Two Union Square
601 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101-1374

February 1, 2012

Adam Tudor
Carter-Ruck
6 St Andrew Street
London EC4A 3AE
England

Dear Mr Tudor,

In July 2011, American criminal profiler, author, and television commentator, Pat Brown, released on June 15, 2011 a self-published book of thirty-pages on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.de, for the price of US2.99. It was titled Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, sold 850 copies over the next five weeks and garnered 49 nearly all five star reviews on Amazon.uk alone. Then, the book vanished from sale on all three sites. Upon questioning, Pat Brown was informed by Amazon that they had received a communications from Carter-Ruck on behalf of their clients Gerald and Kate McCann that the book was defamatory.
Mon 7/25/2011 7:27 PM

Dear Pat,

We have received a notice of defamation from Carter-Ruck Solicitors that says the content of Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (UPDATED) B0055WYVCQ, contains defamatory statements regarding their clients, Gerry and Kat (sic) McCann.
Because we have no method of determining whether the content supplied to us is defamatory, we have removed the title from sale and will not reinstate it unless we receive confirmation from both parties that this matter has been resolved.

Carter-Ruck can be reached at:
6 St Andrew Street
London EC4A 3AE
T 020 7353 5005
Best regards,
Robert F.
http://www.amazon.com

This was quite a surprise to Pat Brown as she had never received any communications from the McCanns nor their solicitors concerning any defamatory material in this book nor had she ever received any communication concerning any defamatory material in her blogs on the case she has posted online at The Daily Profiler over the last four years. As Ms. Brown is an analyst of evidence, she is careful to not state anything as a fact that is not a fact and to clearly state what is a hypothesis or a theory as opposed to proof. She has publicly and repeated explained to anyone reading her analyses of crime that criminal profiling is a methodology which explores the possible and theoretical scenarios that might be considered as logical based on evidence connected with the crime - forensic, linguistic, or behavioral. Any findings resulting from investigative tools which are not acceptable in certain courts of law (such as cadaver dogs or polygraphs) are noted as suitable for speculation, but not as solid proof of anyone’s guilt or involvement in criminal activities. Criminal profiling itself is an investigative tool and not a finding of guilt as Pat Brown clearly notes in her book.

Due to the speculative, if analytical, nature of Deductive Criminal Profiling, the methodology used by Pat Brown, she was careful to repeat numerous times throughout her publication that she was not accusing the McCanns of being involved in any crime or in the disappearance of their daughter, Madeleine. She was clearly only “purporting a theory” and exercising “free speech,” both manners of communication Gerry McCann stated he strongly supported under oath at the Leveson Inquiry on November 23, 2011 in London:

I would like to emphasise that I strongly believe in freedom of speech, but where you have people who are repeatedly carrying out inaccuracies and have been shown to do so, then they should be held to account. That is the issue. I don't have a problem with somebody purporting a theory, writing fiction, suggestions, but clearly we've got to a stage where substandard reporting and sources, unnamed, made-up, non-verifiable, are a daily occurrence.” Gerry McCann

As Pat Brown also believes in free speech and the right to purport a theory, it would seem she and Gerry McCann are in agreement that any work that purports a theory as opposed to false statements of fact is acceptable under freedom of speech. Pat Brown’s Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann opens up discussion of what happened to the McCann’s daughter, further stimulating interest in the case, and keeping Madeleine in the minds of the public. As the McCanns claim this is what they want, Pat Brown’s book is in accordance with this desire. In fact, it is the McCanns themselves who have clearly encouraged massive interest and speculation on this case. Pat Brown is in no way, therefore, infringing on any wish to keep talk about the case to a minimum.

By speaking and writing out quite often and in such a high profile manner, the McCanns have succeeded in making Madeleine McCann the most well-known missing child in modern history (since the Lindbergh baby in 1932). They have stimulated debate worldwide as to what happened to Madeleine. They have publicly purported their own theories; that someone took Madeleine because they wanted to raise a child, that she is being held captive in a sex ring, and that a pedophile had taken her. They have publicly disclosed many details of the case and repeatedly told their version of what occurred before, during, and after the disappearance of the daughter. They have discussed their emotions, behaviors, and opinions. Pat Brown is carrying on that discussion.

Utmost of importance in the entire matter, is the handling and funding of child abduction cases, the prevailing attitudes toward these crimes, and the future of catching child predators. Because the victims are so young and innocent, missing children are among the most publicized cases in the world. In the last three decades with the increase of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle, awareness of child sex predators and stranger child abduction has radically increased fears of parents that their child will be taken and murdered. In reality, stranger abduction continues to be exceedingly rare for children of Madeleine’s age. Regardless, the paranoia that is engendered when a small child goes missing is a great stress to the community, the police, and resources. Therefore, it is extremely important that each and every case be properly analyzed and understood so that wrong ideas aren’t promulgated and funding and efforts are wasted investigating such crimes improperly. Each child that goes missing is a terrible tragedy for the parents, siblings, relative, friends, and community. Pat has great empathy for any family of a missing child and, most of all, compassion for the innocent young person who has suffered abuse, terror, sexual assault, and, possibly, an early death at the hands of others.

We are requesting that you respect Pat Brown’s right to free speech and to purport a theory as Gerry McCann has stated is not a problem for him. We request that the claim of libel be retracted for the Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the book permitted to be returned for sale at Amazon.

Regards,
Anne M. Bremner

UK Libel laws must change!

2012-02-01T12:27:00.002Z

Since 2007 my eyes have slowly opened to the corruption going on in the world, the manipulation behind closed doors, been introduced to the workings behind companies (such as Monsanto) and the hidden poisons in our food. In fact, I would not have set off down the road to truth if it hadn’t been for the gate latch being lifted by various areas of the McCann case, least of all Carter-Ruck gagging the press from reporting on the allegations that Trafigura dumped toxic waste in the Ivory Coast in 2006. It was a shock for me to learn that law firms are able to instigate something like that. But it was the string of libel actions by the McCann couple that flung the gate open. If not for those events taking place I would probably still be picking daisies and thinking how wonderfully fluffy the world is.

I am now learning just how dangerous the UK libel laws are for anyone who may disagree with those who may have money to burn. With a huge push from ‘Anonymous’ who left some links on Little Morsals last night I’m on my way to the motorway of eye popping (and worrying) stories regarding libel.

Sally Morgan (an apparent psychic – who obviously didn’t see this one coming) is to sue Paul Zenon over his Daily Mail article “What a load of crystal balls” for daring to detail some of the tricks of the trade, in effect saying he’s sceptical of her ‘abilities’. But Sally is also demanding damages of £150,000 from Associated Newspapers over the Daily Mail article.

The Disclosure Project has some videos which people may like to view.

It comes to something when UK libel laws protect this kind of thing. Of course, she is claiming the article has ruined her reputation; a loophole which the likes of Sally Morgan (who apparently use to be the psychic for Princess Diana...nothing like adding some weight) can slip through and reap the rewards.

Another eye-popping link left by ‘Anonymous’ is regarding father of three, Mr Vaughn Jones, who is being sued for libel by a self-published author on Amazon. Mr Jones wrote some ‘damning’ reviews which the author obviously took a disliking to and in November 2011 decided to start libel proceedings. Please excuse me for thinking with a head on my shoulders, but isn’t Amazon’s “write a review of this book” there to inform prospective buyers whether or not you enjoyed a particular book you’ve bought and read? It seems only favourable reviews will be permitted by some authors or it's off to the courts for defamation.

The author of the book is also attempting to sue the Richard Dawkins Foundation for publishing an article by Mr Vaughn Jones and also Amazon, although the reason for suing Amazon isn’t exactly clear.

What, with the McCann couple suing those who may disagree with their abduction scenario; psychics who don’t like their abilities challenged and self-published authors who don’t seem able to accept that not everyone may like their work, it’s high time something was done about the UK libel laws ... to protect those who give an honest opinion/view on a given subject!

Thankfully, Anonymous also left a link to a site which is working towards having the libel laws changed. The Libel Reform Campaign has started a petition, which is supported by numerous journalists and TV personalities.

On their petition page they state:

"England’s libel laws are unjust against the public interest and internationally criticised - there is urgent need for reform

Freedom to criticise and question, in strong terms and without malice, is the cornerstone of argument and debate, whether in scholarly journals, on websites, in newspapers or elsewhere. Our current libel laws inhibit debate and stifle free expression. They discourage writers from tackling important subjects and thereby deny us the right to read about them.

The law is so biased towards claimants and so hostile to writers that London has become known as the libel capital of the world. The rich and powerful bring cases to London on the flimsiest grounds (libel tourism), because they know that 90% of cases are won by claimants. Libel laws intended to protect individual reputation are being exploited to suppress fair comment and criticism.

The cost of a libel trial is often in excess of £1 million and 140 times more expensive than libel cases in mainland Europe; publishers (and individual journalists, authors, academics, performers and blog-writers) cannot risk such extortionate costs, which means that they are forced to back down, withdraw and apologise for material they believe is true, fair and important to the public.

The English PEN/Index on Censorship report has shown that there is an urgent need to amend the law to provide a stronger, wider and more accessible public interest defence. Sense About Science has shown that the threat of libel action leads to self-censorship in scientific and medical writing.

We the undersigned, in England and beyond, urge politicians to support a bill for major reforms of the English libel laws now, in the interests of fairness, the public interest and free speech."

Absolutely!

For anyone who is interested, the petition can be signed here, or click on the banner at the top right of Little Morsals.

While there, please have a browse around the tabs at the top of their page.

Tony Bennett Vs McCann 2012

2012-01-31T11:23:00.000Z

It’s no secret that I’ve grown distrustful of the British news (any wonder why OFCOM wanted the removal of Press TV from the UK airwaves?). The recent coverage by the Telegraph regards the up and coming court case between Tony Bennett and the McCann couple has only bolstered my distrust. As their article appears to be somewhat biased I would advise people to read the McCann Files where all correspondence (scans and PDF included) between Tony Bennett and Carter-Ruck has been recorded for the benefit of truth.

It seems that Tony Bennett has a knack of upsetting people, but whether or not people agree with him the fact remains that he (like so many others) does not agree with the abduction scenario as apparently instigated by the McCann couple and naturally, where there’s any degree of doubt then discussions/debates will arise. In his belief that there is reasonable evidence in the official police files to suggest that Madeleine McCann may have died in apartment 5a, Tony Bennett attempted to uncover what happened on the evening of May 3rd 2007, and in doing so he has become one of the larger targets for Carter-Ruck law firm on instruction by Kate and Gerry McCann.

But there’s something far more reaching than simply denying the right to discuss whether or not Madeleine may have died. If this tactical bullying is allowed to go ahead (and in the event that it’s successful) then it may very well open the floodgates towards the absolute destruction of freedom of speech as we now know it. Imagine a world where discussion has been wiped out...imprisonment for those who dare to suggest they disagree with any given scenario...Tony Bennett may be the first to feel the wrath, but look around and ask yourselves...who will be next and where will it stop?

I will leave you with this video entitled “First They Came ...(if this doesn’t wake you up – nothing will)”

“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from or what you believe in or what you do. Freedom of speech is a civil liberty”

Belle Famille “Nice Family” – a novel by Arthur Drefus

2012-01-09T13:06:00.004Z

Sometimes there comes a book where the root of the storyline doesn’t need any explanation. This is one of those books.

The synopsis ends on a teaser that will - no doubt - help to sell the book if only to learn the secret: "Little by little it will be understood why she hides her child’s body" (Please note that the book is written in French)

Many thanks to Anna Andress for her kind permission to reproduce her article and the synopsis on Little Morsals.

First seen on Anna Andress Blog

'Belle Famille,' a novel in French by Arthur Dreyfus, in which a French family by the name of Macand, the parents both doctors, go on holiday to Tuscany, and lose one of their children, whose name is Madec Macand. Madec dies accidentally in the kitchen of the parents' holiday accommodation, while the parents are dining at a restaurant with friends.

Brief description featured in the online magazine Cultura:

A strange, uncommunicative and lonely child, Madec lives in Granville with his parents and his two brothers.

While the family is on holiday in Tuscany with a couple of friends, Madec almost drowns in the swimming pool. He is saved by an Englishman, Ron Murdoch, an ex-convict who served a long sentence in England for paedophilia.

One evening, while his parents are dining at a restaurant with their friends, Madec dies accidentally in the kitchen of the bungalow.

Going back, for some reason, in the middle of the meal, Laurence finds her son dead on the tiled floor. Without a second thought, she takes the body and gets rid of it, before rejoining the others in the restaurant as though nothing has happened.

On their return to the bungalow, the disappearance sets off a general alert. Searches, more searches, police investigation, paparazzi: within a few days, the parents become celebrities.

The child’s uncle orchestrates a press campaign which gets world-wide attention – reaching Pope Jean-Paul II. Led by an Italian inspector, the investigation is followed closely in high places in France.

The Englishman Murdoch is soon accused of having abducted and killed Madec. His past works against him..Drawing inspiration from a recent news item, Arthur Dreyfus describes that family, set in their silence and spinelessness, with an often cruel irony and Madec’s solitude with entrancing poetry.

Progressively, a climate close to madness sets in, in which the mother, mysterious and silent, plays a central role. Little by little it will be understood why she hides her child’s body.

Published by Gallimard on January 5th 2012, the book is available from Amazon France

Stephen Lawrence Forensic to be used in Madeleine McCann case

2012-01-06T11:45:00.002Z

According to the Daily Express

“SCIENTIFIC advances used in the Stephen Lawrence case could solve the mysteries of Madeleine McCann and Jill Dando.

Forensic experts working on the racist murder devised new techniques to discover microscopic clues that convicted two of the killers.

Now Scotland Yard hopes the same revolutionary approach could help find the truth behind the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine in 2007 and the killing of BBC Crimewatch presenter Miss Dando in 1999.”

The forensic experts the Daily Express mention is LGC Forensics who not only provided key evidence in the Stephen Lawrence case but also for Joana Yeates, Rachel Nickell, Damilola Taylor as well as others, details of each can be read here. Most of these cases were previously overseen by Birmingham forensic Science Service (FSS) who, so it would seem, overlooked vital clues, ones which LGC picked up on and consequently brought the respective murderers to justice. As you may recall it was FSS who were also involved with the Madeleine McCann case. If they overlooked vital clues in other cases is it possible they also overlook clues in Madeleine’s?

Madeleine McCann case

Even though LGC appear to have an excellent track record, it’s difficult to understand how they will be of use in the McCann case.

In previous cold cases handled by LGC they had the benefit of clothing and/or footwear from possible suspects and/or items from the deceased, but in the McCann case there is nothing from the supposed ‘abductor’ to test forensically (least of all any evidence that there was ever an intruder, except for the word of the McCann couple), nor has Madeleine’s body been found...as yet...if she is indeed dead of course.

However, if Scotland Yard is willing to put aside the McCann abduction scenario, then LGC could work on the only items available...those alerted to by Eddie and Keela. But then that is dependent on whether or not Kate’s trousers and other personal items belonging to the McCann couple have been kept in storage. If they have then it seems possible that LGC could use them as a starting block and re-examine them for possible clues.

But what if those personal items have since been returned? What is left to examine? Nearly five years have gone by since Madeleine’s disappearance so it’s unlikely that the car hired by the McCann couple (also alerted to by Eddie) will be of any use... unless it is true that the lining of the car boot was securely locked away in the Birmingham forensic Science Service (FSS) – which, incidentally, is due for complete closure by March 2012 – and is still available for further tests.

It doesn’t matter which way I look at the possibility of LGC re-examining the McCann case I can’t seem to pin down anything which they could use...or am I overlooking something? Perhaps the perishable forensics (saliva and blood) originally sent to FSS by the Portuguese police has not been destroyed as we have been led to believe?

We can only hope that if there is any truth in the Daily Express article, then there is something left to be examined.

The real reason the McCann couple 'won' an out of court settlement

2011-12-22T10:57:00.003Z

Sources:
Leveson Inquiry: Transcript of David Pilditch
Leveson Inquiry: David Pilditch statement

Questions by Mr Jay to David Pilditch (General News Journalist for Daily Express)

Cutting through the Leveson Inquiry cat-and-mouse questioning and getting down to the nitty gritties, during the questioning it came to light that Mr Pilditch was indirectly receiving information from the Portuguese police (PJ) via the Portuguese journalists. Mr Jay seemed to suggest that information gleamed from these sources were unreliable because Mr Pilditch had not been in direct contact with the PJ.

However, this part of the questioning brings something of importance to the surface:

David Pilditch: “So basically, every day when I'd speak to the news desk, normally you'd say, "Look, this is what we know, this is what the police are saying, and that's taken as being fact", but the conversations I was having with the news desk were explaining the information I had with all the caveats that were attached to it.”

Mr Jay: Did you tell your news desk that which we see in paragraph 23 of your statement, namely:
"Due to the restrictions of the Portuguese law, anyone who was unhappy about something that had been written or said about them and wished to take legal action would almost certainly have been successful." Was that sentiment shared with your news desk at the time?

David Pilditch: Well, this is what I felt on the ground. I'm not a legal expert, but I felt that just the situation as it presented itself, that that was the case, and I'm certain that the news desk would have had conversations with lawyers about this, and there would have been discussions, ongoing discussions, and that was the situation we were in and there was no way around it.

Mr Jay: I must persist with the question.

Pilditch: Sorry, yes.

Jay: Yes. Did you share your discomfiture with your news desk?

Pilditch: Yes. I said "If we're going to have any problems, we may not be able to defend these things because we just cannot get any confirmation", and that was the difficulty.

So basically because of the Portuguese secrecy laws, the British journalists were unable to name the Portuguese police as their actual sources and as a result could be liable for court action if challenged.

But did the News articles have any substance to them? The statement made by David Pilditch for the Leveson Inquiry seems to suggest that what was printed was the truth:

“It was only months later, in July 2008 that Portugal’s Attorney General formally closed the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Under the Portuguese system, the authorities released the official police file - more than 10,000 documents including photographs, official reports and witness statements including those of the McCanns. Through the release of those documents and subsequent legal actions in Portugal it is now a matter of public record that the reports I was writing between September 2007 and January 2008 were truthful and accurate."

It appears that the reason the McCann couple won an out of court settlement was not due to lies being printed, but that at the time the sources could not be confirmed due to the Portuguese secrecy laws. A fact I’m sure the top lawyers working for the McCann couple would have been very much aware of and able to use in their favour...at the time. No doubt they felt safe in the knowledge that due to the secrecy laws the police files would not see the light of day. It seems they hadn't banked on the fact that the shelving of the case would allow those files to be released and eventually end up in the public domain for anyone to read.

It’s often been said in the past that the ‘truth will out’ eventually.

Meaning of Portuguese Arguido Status

2011-12-22T09:06:00.000Z

Source: Mediabeak

The arguido status

In Portuguese law a person is constitued as an arguido when she or he is suspected of having committed a crime.

A person can request to be made "arguida" because he or she will benefit from rights that he/she does not have as a witness. Apart of the obligation of being accompanied by a lawyer when giving depositions in front of police authorities, the arguido has the right to remain silent and not reply to any questions. This means that as a potential suspect he or she is acting in their own defence. A witness by law is obliged to reply to all questions.

A person is constituted arguido during the investigation phase when sufficient evidence is collected to formulate an accusation. At that time, the less serious of the coercive sanctions which is the "term of identity and residence" is applied to the arguido. This term can be translated as a kind of conditional liberty where the arguido is obliged to inform the police authorities whenever he/she is absent for more than 5 days. An arguido can also be submitted to other coercion measures, the most severe being the "preventive arrest", which is usually applied when there is the danger of escape, disturbance of the investigation, possibility of destroying evidence, etc.

Secrecy of justice

The notion of secrecy of justice means a special jurisdiction obligation that applies to any person with direct knowledge of an act or document of the penal procedure. That person must comply to that secrecy, meaning he/she is forbidden to talk or reveal the content of that act or document.

The secrecy of the inquiry or investigation aims to satisfy the functionality of the juridical machine in the preliminary phases of the process. The arguido cannot be granted access to clues and evidence collected during the investigation since there might be over-riding interests such as: national security, witnesses protection, efficacy of the investigation and the obtaining of evidence.

The aim of the secrecy of justice is to ensure the secrecy of the criminal procedure, and allows also the guarantee that justice is made in an independent and unbiased way without the interference of other sovereign organs. Interference is also prevented from pressure groups or persons with personal (or institutional) power able to spread erroneous information campaigns through the media, harming the discovery and preservation of evidence and thus hindering the conclusions of the penal procedure.

More leads in Maddie case or just a load of bumpkin?

2011-12-15T15:15:00.001Z

Daily Mail's headlines: "Maddie investigators 'looking at eight important new leads' from tranche of Spanish evidence"

“Scotland Yard detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are examining eight ‘important’ new leads, it was claimed yesterday.”

I’m glad they said ‘claimed’ because the truth of the matter is that Scotland Yard are not divulging their reason for visiting Metodo3 or why they removed documents from their premises. But then it does beg the question why the Daily Mail is filling their space with what can only be classed as hearsay.

“Spanish private investigators have handed over 30 boxes of documents which could yield a breakthrough.”

Yield a breakthrough? Perhaps not in the way they expect.

“On Tuesday, four British officers visited the Barcelona HQ of Metodo 3, the detective agency employed to look for Madeleine by her parents Kate and Gerry for six months after she vanished at the age of three in 2007.

The agency’s director, Francisco Marco, said there were ‘six, seven or eight very important leads’ within the files.”

Ah! Francisco “We’ll have Madeleine home by Christmas” Marco. For anyone who cannot remember this astonishing statement made by Francisco Marco, here’s the original Daily Mail article entitled “McCann’s Private Detectives: ‘We know who took Madeleine – and she’ll be home by Christmas.”
Was Madeleine home by Christmas? No. So obviously they didn’t know who had ‘taken’ her.

“But sources close to the British investigation played down the significance of the material yesterday.”

“It is the second time that Metropolitan Police detectives have flown to Spain as part of their review of her disappearance.

At last, an ounce of truth!

Last month they spent three days with the Spanish National Police and Civil Guard force as part of inquiries into whether she was abducted and smuggled across the border from Portugal.

Abducted and smuggled across the border no less! Says who? Wasn’t Scotland Yard because apparently they’re not saying anything about their investigation, so where did the Daily Mail get this gem from?

British detectives have also recently collected documents from the Portuguese police, Leicestershire police and the McCanns.

Have they really? I do hope that is true..

Yesterday Mr Marco said on Spanish TV: ‘We have provided [British police] with all the documents and information we have collated worldwide about Madeleine’s disappearance.’

He told The Ana Rosa Programme: ‘[The leads] were passed at the time to Portuguese police who ignored them because it was a very politicised issue.’

So why then didn’t Mr Marco pass these documents to Dave Edgar and his team (the current Private Investigators of the McCann couple)? More to the point, if there are leads to Madeleine’s whereabouts then why didn’t Dave Edgar collect the documents? How on earth can the McCann couple’s Private Investigators operate any kind of coordinated search for Madeleine if they can’t so much as ensure that they are in receipt of all available evidence?

Madeleine, of Rothley in Leicestershire, disappeared from her parents’ holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal in May 2007.

Her parents hired Metodo 3 to find her four months after she vanished.

The agency sent a team to Morocco to follow leads that she might have been smuggled out of Portugal.

And? Did they find anything in Morocco from those leads? Obviously not otherwise we would have heard about it surely? So why add this piece if not to try and bolster the already flagging reputation of Metodo3.

Mr Marco said he still believed that was ‘very possibly’ what happened to her but refused to give more details.

Yes, but in December 2007 he also said he knew who took Madeleine and would have her home by Christmas.

It seems that Mr Marco was desperate to get his side out on national Spanish TV. Perhaps there is another reason for Scotland Yard visiting Metodo3 and removing files? Is it possible they are investigating Metodo3?

The files taken by Scotland Yard include investigations the agency carried out into Raymond Hewlett, a convicted British paedophile who was in Portugal when Madeleine went missing and left for Morocco three weeks later.

Hewlett died of throat cancer aged 64 in Germany last year having refused to talk to detectives about Madeleine’s disappearance.

If all else fails, return to Mr Hewlett who is dead and unable to defend himself. The Daily Mail seems to forget that the ‘detectives’ he refused to talk with was none other than the McCann private investigators, and that Mr Hewlett had already been questioned by official police officers. As he wasn’t convicted, we can safely assume he was cleared of any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

Prime Minister David Cameron asked the Met to examine Madeleine’s case in May. Operation Grange, led by Detective Chief Inspector John Redwood, will consider whether there are any grounds for the Portuguese police to re-open their original inquiry, which was shelved in 2008.

Here’s hoping!

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police refused to comment yesterday. The McCann family also declined to comment.

Absolutely and rightly so too...at least while the investigation is ongoing. So now we’ve gone full circle and still no closer to knowing why Scotland Yard visited Metodo3 or why they removed boxes of documentation.

Considering the word of Metodo3 can’t be taken seriously surely they shouldn’t be permitted any space to muddy the already murky waters. If the Daily Mail stuck to the facts it would save typing time and culminating in one paragraph:

Scotland Yard flew out to Spain on Tuesday where they removed boxes of documentation from the premises of Metodo3. Scotland Yard decline to comment.

Gonçalo Amaral: "Justice works in Silence"

2011-12-09T21:05:00.000Z

Source: Algarve123

Gonçalo Amaral
“Justice works in Silence”

His life has been ripped apart since he led the police investigation into the Millennium’s greatest mystery, and came into legal confrontation with Kate and Gerry McCann. Gonçalo Amaral has lost his family, his business, his assets and the income from his controversial book that states all the reasons why he believes three-year-old Madeleine McCann died in apartment 5A in Praia da Luz back in May of 2007. Now, four-and-a-half years down the line, he faces another hurdle: a trial for defamation of the McCanns – due to start in Lisbon in February – in which the couple are claiming 1.2 million euros in damages. Does he think he can win? “Of course”, he says. This is the man whose maxim is “justice works in silence”. He still believes the case of the world’s most famous missing person will be solved. And he told Algarve123 what he thinks is needed to get there…

You wouldn’t miss him in a crowd. Gonçalo Amaral, 52, is strikingly tall with a penchant for hats. He was wearing a long black coat, a black fedora and a bright red scarf when we met him on the terrace of Casa Inglesa in Portimão. He looked much more like an intellectual than a former police officer, but these days his life is spent largely writing - an activity he’s come to love as much as the police work that used to fill his days.

Our first question: “How’s life?” elicited the reply “Bad!” so any further niceties went by the board.

What Amaral has always maintained is that the McCanns’ zeal for litigation “will not bring their daughter back”. He claims various legal suits against him, and a number of other Portuguese public figures who have verbalised “anti-McCann-story” sentiments, are totally out of keeping with the Catholic faith so fervently embraced by Madeleine’s mother Kate.

“Is it Catholic to hold sentiments of vengeance? To seek to destroy a family as mine has been destroyed?” he asks.

“This litigation will carry a heavy price – but I have faith that the mystery will be resolved. “Even if I “disappear” in the process - as Kate McCann has written that she wishes I would in her book - I have a daughter and lots of friends who will make sure justice is done”.

It may sound theatrical - but Amaral is not about theatre. He is about truth – hard facts, solid investigative work.

“The case has to be re-opened, and I have faith that it will be,” he said. “It will either be when this current “procurador” leaves, or when the current chief of police leaves. It’s not something I am pushing for - even if I could - it’s just something I feel certain will happen. And when it does, the first, most essential thing to be done will be a reconstruction of that very first night – the night Madeleine disappeared. Because that’s what happened: she literally disappeared! The reconstruction will have to involve all the parties: the McCanns and their friends. You see, there are so many inconsistencies in these people’s statements that a reconstruction will very quickly highlight where they have not told the truth”.

An example of the power of reconstructions came only weeks ago in Spain where a father claimed his two children were abducted from a park. A police reconstruction quickly proved that the father had never taken his children to the park: witnesses who had seen him arrive in his car but hadn’t noticed the children in the back seat, were surprised to discover that in the reconstruction the child-sized dummies in the back were clearly visible. The children’s father is now in jail – although the children are still missing.

Amaral explained that when Madeleine disappeared police didn’t organise a reconstruction in Praia da Luz “because there were so many journalists on the ground” – and once the heat had died down, “the McCanns refused. They said any reconstruction should be made by actors – but the whole reason for reconstructions is to use the people involved, and see where their stories don’t add up!”

Going back to that first night is logical: the initial 48-hours after any disappearance are crucial. They can literally mean the difference between life and death – but in Madeleine’s case, Amaral is convinced of the latter. The theory that has led to his prosecution by the McCanns for defamation is clearly set out in his book “A Verdade de Mentira” (The Truth of the Lie) – banned from sale in 2009, and then “released” by the Appeals Court a year later. We say “released” because the books were actually never returned to publishers Guerra & Paz, and thus they and Amaral have had nothing to sell…

“It’s another part of the whole plot to assassinate my civil position,” Amaral says matter-of-factly. “I’ve been left with no chances; no way of paying my debts; liens on my property. I’ve had to move away from my family in order to protect them. My marriage, well, it’s not so good. Not good at all, really. My life seems to be all about divorce…”

So how does he find the strength to move forwards?

“Well, I put the McCanns in a metaphorical box and I am not really thinking too much about the trial in February. I think I will win, and then they will appeal – but I have to have a path. I want to open another consultancy. I had one when I left the police force, but that was destroyed when the McCanns went after me over “A Verdade de Mentira”.

So that’s one thing - and the other is writing. I have recently brought out a new book: “Vidas sem Defesa” about missing children cases in Portugal, and I have another one almost ready (I am not going to tell you what it is about!). After that, I would like to take police “mysteries” and study them and write stories, not novels; stories based on facts to show what I believe really happened. There’s a real lack of books of this type.”
So he’s not angry over the agonies and frustrations he’s endured from what came from essentially doing his job?

“I have my anger well-guarded. No feelings for revenge. Like I say, they will pay for what they have done to me and my family – but through the courts. Even after everything that has happened, I still have faith in the Portuguese justice system”.

And does he have any clues as to what catapulted the Madeleine case into the stratosphere of media attention? Why did the McCanns receive so much help from the British authorities right from the very beginning? And why were they and the so-called Tapas 7 never taken to task for child neglect – considering that they all left their children alone at night during the ill-fated holiday?

“Ah, now there we’re getting into politics – and quite honestly, those are questions for the British public to ask. I don’t have to have theories about them. My job was to find Madeleine”.

A job handed to him nearly five years ago – and one that he will never forget.

Pat Brown to sue Gerry and Kate McCann

2011-11-04T10:46:00.000Z

Pat Brown will be suing Kate and Gerry McCann for libel and tortious interference with business in the very near future. Anne Bremner of the law firm of Stafford Frey Cooper will be representing Pat in the upcoming legal actions.

Anne Bremner has performed legal work on a number of high-profile cases, including the murder of Meredith Kercher in Italy as legal counsel and a spokesperson for the Friends of Amanda Knox, and as the lawyer for the family of Rebecca Zahau following her death in California.

Pat says “It is a Freedom of Speech issue: we cannot live in a world where questions cannot be asked or varying opinions voiced.”

Pat Brown will be in Portugal February 2012 for Mr Amaral’s libel trial.

Joana Morais: McCann libel trial hearings to start in February 2012

2011-10-11T22:22:00.001+01:00

Original Source: Joana Morais
Article reproduced here with the kind permission of Joana.

The civil complaint filed by the McCanns against Gonçalo Amaral, over his book "Maddie - A Verdade da Mentira" (The Truth of the Lie) will start to be tried in February 2012.

The first two hearings have been scheduled for the 9th and 10th of February, 2012, at 9.30 a.m., at the Civil Court of Lisbon.

The defence fund that supports Mr Amaral by helping to finance the legal expenses related to this trial, is still in operation. Donations are very welcome. Please refer to Projecto Justiça Gonçalo Amaral for contributions. Thank you.