In the middle of the media scrum

In the middle of the media scrum
30 May 2007
Leicester Mercury

Leicester Mercury man Paul Conroy reports on the first month of the extraordinary McCann case
What you see on your TV screens is Leicestershire couple Gerry and Kate McCann standing shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand.

But if you could spin the camera round, you'd see something quite different - the massed ranks of journalists, photographers and TV cameras at the Portuguese family resort of Praia da Luz.

There must be about 100 of them, sweating under the hot midday sun, pens at the ready.

Hundreds of children go missing every year, of course. Each one is a tragedy.

The reason poor Madeleine McCann continues to attract such interest, almost a month on, is partly down to the canny, determined Rothley parents. They want their missing child in the news.

Gerry and Kate face the waiting press pack almost every day, Kate clutching the pink Cuddle Cat which her daughter would hold whenever she was upset and needed comforting.

Now, it is her mother's constant companion.

As they speak, just five yards to their right is the ground-floor apartment that Madeleine was taken from, 27 days ago.

The couple live in another, nearby apartment now.

The shutters to this one remain closed, covered in the red powder used by the police to highlight any fingerprints.

The McCanns speak briefly - usually it's the Scottish voice of Gerry, as Liverpudlian Kate holds his arm.

Then, as the couple turn to go, chaos returns to the press pack.

TV presenters leap to their feet to expand on the words that have been broadcast live: "We have just heard from Gerry McCann who spoke about how the family will not return home without their daughter..."

Journalists scrabble for a copy of the statement - printed in advance for just this purpose - before walking away with a mobile clamped to their ear as they relay the couple's words back to the office.

The media is sometimes accused of feeding on people's misery, squeezing every last drop out of the latest tragedy.

And, indeed, 100 journalists scrabbling to get a story back to their editors as quickly as possible is not a pretty sight.

This case has been different, though - this is a couple who want the media coverage, who feel they need it. The pair have spoken of going to "dark places" in the days after their daughter's abduction - but then taking a decision to act.

That means, effectively, being their own PR office.

Gerry and Kate McCann want their daughter back. To help get her back, they want to get her on the front pages of newspapers every day, all over the world, for as long as possible.

So, they and their helpers plan what to say, plan what to do, to make a new headline or a new picture for the press.

Gerry and Kate fear the day when they wake up in their Praia da Luz apartment and all the journalists' satellite trucks have gone.

The British press, for its part, has been careful to respect the couple's wishes. "Intrusion boundaries" were established in the first few days.

The photographers, for example, checked the parents were happy for pictures of the twins, Sean and Amelie, to be published.

Now, the two youngest McCann children have become so used to the flashes that they wave at the photographers.

While the Rothley couple have shown canniness in dealing with the media, the Portuguese police have been less assured.

Clearly, those heading the investigation were taken aback in the first few days by the way the British media works.

They seemed surprised when journalists began ringing the police with questions.

Some of the criticism of the Portuguese police may have been over the top, and some can be put down to cultural differences.

A Portuguese lawyer explained that, in Portugal, the "segredo de justica", or secrecy of justice laws, prevent the release of virtually any details about an ongoing investigation.

He said that would only be breached in exceptional circumstances.

But, as one British journalist asked at a press conference: "Isn't finding a missing child an exceptional circumstance?"

Pictures of police officers sheltering from the rain when they should have been checking cars at a road block cannot have inspired confidence either.

And a former British police officer criticised the way the police had protected the apartment where Madeleine was snatched.

He said: "It is the worst-preserved crime scene I have seen."

There have been a few twists and turns.

Portuguese law also allowed property developer Robert Murat to be made an arguido, or official suspect, which requires less evidence than would be needed to arrest him.

The news about this development came on May 14, at about 7pm. Journalists had gathered in their usual position at the police cordon for a statement by John Buck, the British ambassador to Portugal.

As the pack waited, news spread about a villa being searched nearby. Journalists discussed whether to stay to hear the ambassador or leave to look for the villa.

Minutes ticked by, the ambassador was late. Word then spread that the house being searched was just yards away and suddenly the pack broke into a mad sprint towards Casa Lilliana.

As the ambassador came out to address the media, all he could see was the backs of fleeing journalists.

The press pack crashed through a patch of bushes and small trees to line up against a new police cordon outside the investigated house, which is just 150 yards from the McCann apartment.

The reporters knew Robert Murat. He spoke both Portuguese and English, and spent a lot of time where the journalists gathered.

However, police sources said no evidence has been found to link him to the kidnapping.

Then, on Friday, came the description of a man who was seen "carrying a child" on the night of Madeleine's disappearance.

Some journalists questioned the importance of its release from the start, saying the authorities had known about the sighting since the four-year-old was abducted and must have looked into it.

So, the disappearance of Madeleine and the media coverage of it has produced a clash of cultures.

But, as Gerry McCann said: "I think it's fair to say that we expected a very British-style response, that you would expect if you were in a big metropolitan city, but you have to put that in context - we're in a tiny resort."

The Portuguese police have now been forced into holding press conferences and releasing scraps of information, which local journalists say never usually happens on any criminal investigation.

Chief Inspector Oligario Sousa, the public face of the police investigation, said he had never appeared before the media.

Asked whether all the publicity had helped the case, he simply replied: "No."

The McCanns may disagree.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

Portuguese police good at clearing up crime but let down by lack of experience

Portuguese police good at clearing up crime but let down by lack of experience
Missing Madeleine; Factbox
Thomas Catan
29 May 2007
The Times

Hard-pressed officers are not used to dealing with the media's unrelenting attention, Thomas Catan writes

Britons have been aghast to learn that it took Portuguese police more than three weeks to release a description of a man seen carrying a little blonde girl away from the flat where Madeleine McCann was abducted -and then only after the intervention of Gordon Brown.

The abilities of Portuguese police have been doubted almost from the day the investigation began. But despite the confusion surrounding the search for the four-year-old girl, experts say that Portugal has a good record in clearing up crime.

The greatest difference between Portuguese and British police is that "Scotland Yard is technologically much more geared-up", says Francisco Moita Flores, a Portuguese law enforcement expert. "Aside from this, the English police work in a country with a massive amount of crime, (while) Portugal is one of the safest places in Europe."

Portugal does have one of the lowest crime rates in Europe, according to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. But the country also has a series of overlapping police agencies, which can be confusing for foreigners.

The body investigating Madeleine's disappearance, the Policia Judiciaria (PJ), is the main police agency and is broadly equivalent to Scotland Yard. The Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), a semi-militarised force operating mainly in rural areas, has featured heavily in the television coverage of the case, but is in fact merely playing a supporting role, guarding the crime scene and handling sniffer dogs. The Policia de Seguranca Publica (PSP) provides uniformed police officers for town and city work -the "bobbies on the beat" -while an alphabet-soup of other agencies have specialised functions, such as fighting terrorism or drug trafficking.

While the PJ has a good record in solving crimes, experts say it is often hampered by organisational problems. "The PJ is as good as Scotland Yard or the FBI," said Jose Vegar, a crime reporter. "The problem is that they don't have any co-ordination with other police forces and they don't share intelligence. They also lack the state-of-the art tools that police have in Britain."

When accused of being unco-operative, Portuguese police often point to a law that theoretically prevents them from divulging any information about a case.

Journalists say that the lack of official information is more a matter of style and that they have to rely on leaks from police contacts for information. One only half-joked when he said: "You know when the information you have printed is correct, because the police threaten to take action against you. Otherwise, rumours are almost never confirmed or denied."

Portuguese police are unaccustomed to such intense and extended public scrutiny, much less from the international media. "You have to remember that the police in Portugal have only about ten years' experience dealing with the media," Mr Vegar said. "They are still not very good at it. They also aren't used to the way the British media works."

At a recent press conference, one television reporter asked how police could justify dedicating such a large part of their resources to the hunt for Madeleine when there were Portuguese children missing. The families of two such children - Rui Pedro Mendonca and Rui Pereira -have expressed frustration that their cases did not receive the same attention from police.

The PJ is under enormous pressure to solve the crime, which is seen by Portugal's Government as a potential threat to their tourism industry. The British Ambassador in Lisbon, John Buck, has spoken directly with ministers and now Gordon Brown has become involved.

The officers at the centre of the investigation are certainly feeling the heat. An attendant at a car park in Portimao pointed to a car driven by one of the officers directing the case and said that it had not moved for days. "They sleep at the police station now," he said.

Portuguese detectives have said that criticism of their work is prompted by ignorance of their methods. "It's not going to affect our work," said Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa. "It's natural for our officers to feel hurt by these criticisms, but it has just made us more determined. We shall work, remain calm and keep a cool head."

DETECTION RATES COMPARED

* Portuguese police solved 22.4 per cent of all cases in 2000;  in England and Wales the rate was 25 per cent

* English police are marginally better at solving rape cases (54 per cent compared with 46.3 per cent) and serious assault (66 per cent against 60.4 per cent)

* Only in murder cases are English police significantly more successful than Portuguese - they solve 90 per cent of killings, compared with 56.6 per cent


Source: Interpol

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Gordon Brown, Madeleine McCann

Suspect's description made public after family pressure

Suspect's description made public after family pressure
MADELEINE DISAPPEARANCE: INFORMATION ROW 
Threat of legal action forced Portuguese police into releasing details of sighting
Torcuil Crichton
27 May 2007
Sunday Herald

PORTUGUESE police were forced into releasing a description of a suspect wanted in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann after the parents of the missing girl held discussions with prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown and threatened legal action.

Last night, 23 days after their daughter went missing from a Portuguese holiday resort, the British couple welcomed news that police had released the description of a man seen carrying what was thought to be a child.

The McCanns were desperate to release the details but the Portuguese police, bound by national secrecy laws, have issued little in the way of details about the case and few appeals for information in the course of the inquiry.

The chancellor, Gordon Brown, has spoken to Gerry McCann on several occasions in recent days and pledged to do everything he could to support the family, who remain at the Ocean Club Mark Warner resort in the Algarve town of Praia da Luz where Madeleine was snatched from her bed.

The McCanns are now convinced that a white man aged around 35 to 40, spotted by a friend of the couple near their apartment at 9.30pm, was holding Madeleine. He was of medium build, about 5ft 10ins tall and wearing a dark jacket and beige trousers.

Portuguese police have known about the sighting for three weeks but because of laws which forbid the release of details of an investigation, details of the sighting could not be made public.

However, after a meeting between the McCanns and senior Portuguese officials, the police issued the physical description on Friday.

Although they have praised the efforts being made to find Madeleine, the McCanns were said to be increasingly frustrated in recent days at perceived delays and communication problems.

The family, whose lawyers have been in the Algarve recently, threatened legal action to push for the information to be released. On Friday night, after clearance was given by a public prosecutor, Portugal's Policia Judiciaria finally released the man's description, appealing for information.

In the UK, such a vital piece of the jigsaw would have been released early on in the investigation in the hope of witnesses coming forward.


The family had a series of meetings with British ambassador John Buck over the past three weeks, as well as with British and Portuguese police.

Yesterday Gerry McCann said that the talks were amicable and constructive, and insisted the sighting could prove "significant and relevant" in finding four-year-old Madeleine.

McCann said he and wife Kate wanted "more than anything" to get their daughter back safe and well.

Appealing for help, he said: "Any information, no matter how unimportant you think it could be, might be vital in helping the Portuguese and British police find our daughter." Kate McCann – who was still gripping Madeleine's pink Cuddle Cat toy – held her husband's hand as he urged the public to step forward if they had any information.

"Was this man seen anywhere else in or near the town with a child, or what appeared to be a child? Which direction was he heading in? Did he have a vehicle?" he asked.

After making their plea, the couple spent the afternoon with their two-yearold twins, Sean and Amelie, and took them swimming. They say they are determined to make life as normal for the children as they wait for news of their elder sister.

The discussions with Gordon Brown were an added boost to the McCanns after all other leads appeared to have gone cold.

Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for the family, said: "I can confirm that telephone conversations have taken place between Gerry McCann and Chancellor Gordon Brown. He offered both Gerry and Kate his full support in their efforts to find Madeleine, although details of the conversations will remain private." A Treasury spokesman refused to confirm that Brown had personally intervened to get the Portuguese police to change their minds on releasing the information.

Already there have been reports of a possible second sighting of the man carrying what appeared to be a child in Praia da Luz that night.

Although the reports have not been confirmed, a friend of the family said yesterday: "This is why the family were pushing to get that [sighting information] out there early, because they are hopeful that a number of other people might have seen her." As the police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance continued, the cordons around the McCann's apartment were narrowed. Telephone experts from the UK have travelled to the resort to examine all landline and mobile calls made on the night of the abduction, May 3, according to local newspaper Jornal de Noticias.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall yesterday said they had been following Madeleine's case "closely and with deep concern" and they "fervently hoped" she would be reunited with her family.

The couple's remarks were made in a statement from Clarence House and are the latest in a series of high-profile messages of support for the family.

The McCanns are currently planning trips to Spain, Germany and Holland to raise the profile of their daughter's case.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Clarence Mitchell, Gordon Brown, Madeleine McCann

Brown urged police to give more details

Brown urged police to give more details:
Chancellor acts after parents voice their concern at the lack of disclosure by Portuguese detectives
Brendan de Beer Praia da Luz
27 May 2007
The Observer

GORDON BROWN has personally intervened in the search for missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann after her parents became frustrated by the lack of progress in the police investigation.

After a series of telephone conversations with Madeleine's father, Gerry McCann in recent days, the Chancellor requested assistance from the Foreign Office and the Home Office. He asked that pressure be brought to bear on the Portuguese authorities to allow more information about the inquiry to be made public.

Gerry and his wife, Kate, have been desperate for a description of a man seen carrying what appears to have been a child on 3 May to be made public, but Portuguese police refused for three weeks because of the country's laws, which forbid the details of an investigation being released.

The Observer understands that Brown gave the McCanns an assurance he would do 'anything he can' to help. The British embassy duly applied pressure on the Portuguese authorities to find more flexibility in their secrecy laws. British ambassador John Buck visited the Algarve last Thursday. A day later Portuguese police made a U-turn and issued a detailed description of the man, said to be white, 35 to 40, 5ft 10in and of medium build, with hair longer around the neck, wearing a dark jacket, light beige trousers and dark shoes.


Asked whether Brown had influenced the decision, Clarence Mitchell, a Foreign Office spokesman for the McCann family in the Algarve, said: 'Draw your own conclusions.' He said in a statement: 'I can confirm that telephone conversations have taken place between Gerry McCann and Chancellor Gordon Brown. During them, Mr Brown offered both Gerry and Kate his full support in their efforts to find Madeleine, although details of the conversations will remain private.'

Although they have praised the efforts being made to find their daughter, the McCanns were said to be increasingly frustrated in recent days at delays and communication problems. The family have met lawyers in the Algarve and threatened legal action to push for the information to be released because of the exceptional circumstances.

The Observer can confirm that a top law firm in London had been asked late last week to seek legal avenues through which the McCanns could be kept up to date on the latest developments in the investigations.

It also emerged yesterday that The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall had been following the case 'closely and with deep concern'.

The McCanns yesterday emerged from their apartment to say that they had had an 'amicable and very constructive' meeting with police. 'We very much welcome the decision of the police authorities to release details of a man seen by witnesses here in Praia da Luz on Thursday, 3 May, the night of Madeleine's disappearance,' Gerry said in a statement.

'The release of this important information followed an earlier meeting we had with senior police officers. We feel sure that this sighting of a man with what appeared to be a child in his arms is both significant and relevant to Madeleine's abduction.'

It emerged that the couple plan to widen their search across Europe. The McCanns are expected to visit Seville and Madrid before moving on to Berlin and Amsterdam. A source said that the reasoning behind the visits is that, 'after Britons, Spanish, Germans and the Dutch are the most frequent visitors to the Algarve', and the most likely to have seen something suspicious.

The campaign fund is now well over pounds 300,000, according to Mitchell. He stressed that the McCanns 'never asked for a single euro'.

In a new interview yesterday the McCanns spoke about their feelings since the night they left their three children asleep in a holiday complex apartment while they dined with friends in the complex's grounds, returning to find Madeleine had been abducted, and their refusal to give up hope of welcoming her back with 'a very big hug'. Asked if she forgets for even one second that her daughter is missing, Kate said: 'Madeleine is such a huge personality it is obvious when she is not there.'

Gerry, wearing yellow and green ribbons on his wrist to accompany those his wife has tied to her hair for more than three weeks, said: 'My waking thought is that the phone by the bedside has not rung. And that means Madeleine has not been found.'

Kate added: 'I am better in the morning, it seems like a fresh start. Evenings are harder. '

The McCanns are drawing strength from their twins, two-year-old Sean and Amelie. Kate said: 'The twins are so young they just get on with things, but obviously we don't want them to forget about Madeleine. We are hoping to see a child psychologist to explain what has happened to Madeleine to the twins.'

She added: 'They help us to get through this. We are a strong family and they were so close to Madeleine, only 20 months apart.'

Gerry said: 'We could have lost the twins too. There were three children in the room. That's the worst nightmare. . . This is so rare. It's a million to one. We really have to make sure it doesn't affect the twins growing up and their normal childhood. 'This is not a time for grieving. We believe she is still alive, so grief is not the appropriate emotion. We are absolutely determined to get her back. It's a bit like we are waging a war. It's a backs-to-the-wall thing.' His eyes welled up with tears when asked the first thing he would do if Madeleine returned home.

'I think we will be having a very big hug. Hope, strength and courage are our motto. There is nothing more I would like than to see Madeleine walk in, so we could use the fund to help find other missing children.'

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Clarence Mitchell, Gordon Brown, Madeleine McCann

At night we sleep with our twins to be sure they're safe

At night we sleep with our twins to be sure they're safe
Sara Nuwar & Ross Hall in Praia da Luz, Portugal
27 May 2007
The News of the World

Maddie's mum can't be apart

Missing Madeleine McCann's parents last night told how they now have their twins sleeping in their bed- so they can keep a constant eye on them.

Mum Kate revealed she is so haunted by the disappearance of four-year-old Maddie, snatched from her bed while the couple ate, that she hates to be parted from two-year-olds Sean and Amelie.

In the couple's first newspaper interview, Kate spoke about keeping their other children safe and admitted: "The twins sleep in the bed with us now. They help us to get through this."

But she and husband Gerry, both 38, are trying not to be too over-protective towards them in the aftermath of Maddie's abduction.

Gerry said: "We really have to make sure it doesn't affect the twins growing up and their normal childhood."

The couple, both doctors, from Rothley, Leics, revealed Sean and Amelie will see a child psychologist next week.

Heartbreak

Kate said: "They are so young they just get on with things but obviously we don't want them to forget about Madeleine. We are hoping to see a psychologist to explain what has happened to Madeleine to the twins."

Yesterday the family looked like any other as they played in a park close to the apartment in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing on May 3.

Sean played on a slide while his sister went on the swings.

Kate, wearing the now-familiar yellow and green ribbons in her hair, pushed as Amelie shouted, "Higher, Mummy, higher. Good fun".

But behind the smiles lurks the continuing heartbreak of Madeleine's disappearance.

Gerry said: "My waking thought is that the phone by the bedside has not rung. That means Madeleine has not been found."

Kate said: "Madeleine is such a huge personality it's obvious when she's not here.

I'm better in the morning. It seems like a fresh start. Evenings are harder."

The couple confessed they still cannot think about returning home without Maddie.

On a flying visit to Rothley this week, Gerry was unable to go into the house, let alone Maddie's room.

He confessed: "As I drove into the village I was thinking, 'There should be five of us coming home'. But this is not a time for grieving. We believe she is still alive so grief is not the appropriate emotion.

"We are absolutely determined to get her back. But it could have been worse-we could have lost the twins too. There were three children in the room. That's the worst nightmare."

Tears welled in Gerry's eyes as he thought about the first thing he will do when Madeleine returns home. He said: "We will be having a very big hug."

The couple will make trips around Europe to keep the hunt for Maddie in the headlines and then return to Portugal.

Gerry explained: "It's important to make sure Madeleine's profile and image is as well-known as possible.

"We have to cover Spain because we are so close to the borders. But I hope she is still in Portugal because if that's the case it should just be a matter of time before they find her."

Late yesterday Gerry welcomed the decision to release details of a man seen by a witness with what appeared to be a child in his arms in Praia da Luz on the night Maddie disappeared.

The McCanns had threatened legal action if the man's description was not released.

He is described as 35 to 40, 5ft 10ins, medium build, wearing a dark jacket, beige trousers and dark shoes.

Meanwhile, the only officially named suspect surfaced for the first time since being quizzed over her disappearance. Robert Murat, left, 33, drove off yesterday morning from his mother's villa 150 yards from where Maddie was snatched.

 

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, News of the World, Robert Murat, Ross Hall

Maddie's mum can't bear to leave them

Maddie's mum can't bear to leave them
Sara Nuwar & Ross Hall in Praia Da Luz, Portugal
27 May 2007
The News of the World

At night we sleep with our twins to be sure they're safe

MISSING Madeleine McCann's parents last night told how they now have their twins sleeping in their bed-so they can keep a constant eye on them.

Mum Kate revealed she is so haunted by the disappearance of four-year-old Maddie, snatched from her bed while the couple ate, that she hates to be parted from two-year-olds Sean and Amelie.

In the couple's first newspaper interview, Kate spoke about keeping their other children safe, admitting: "The twins sleep in the bed with us now. They help us to get through this."

She was speaking as it emerged PM-to-be Gordon Brown has had a series of phone conversations with her husband Gerry. A spokesman for the family said: "Mr Brown offered Gerry and Kate his full support in their efforts to find Madeleine."

Kate and Gerry, both 38, revealed they are trying not to be too over protective towards the twins in the aftermath of Maddie's abduction.

Hoping

Gerry said: "We really have to make sure it doesn't affect the twins growing up and their normal childhood."

The couple, both doctors, from Rothley, Leics, revealed Sean and Amelie will see a child psychologist next week. Kate said: "They are so young they just get on with things but obviously we don't want them to forget about Madeleine. We are hoping to see a psychologist to explain what has happened to Madeleine to the twins."

Yesterday the family looked like any other as they played in a park close to the apartment in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing on May 3.

Sean played on a slide and his sister on the swings. Kate, with the now familiar yellow and green ribbons in her hair, pushed as Amelie shouted, "Higher, Mummy, higher. Good fun".

But behind the smiles lurks the continuing heartbreak of Madeleine's disappearance. Gerry said: "My waking thought is that the phone by the bedside has not rung. That means Madeleine has not been found." Kate said: "Madeleine is such a huge personality it's obvious when she's not here. I'm better in the morning. It seems like a fresh start. Evenings are harder.

"The only thing that will make us feel good is having Madeleine back. We will do anything. It's what Madeleine deserves."

The couple confessed they still cannot think about returning home without her. On a flying visit to Rothley this week, Gerry was unable to go into the house, let alone Maddie's room.

He confessed: "I was thinking, 'There should be five of us coming home'. But this is not a time for grieving. We believe she is still alive so grief is not the appropriate emotion.

"We are absolutely determined to get her back. But it could have been worse-we could have lost the twins too. There were three children in the room. That's the worst nightmare."

Tears welled in Gerry's eyes as he thought about the first thing he will do when Madeleine returns home. He said: "We will be having a very big hug."

The couple will make trips around Europe to keep the hunt for Maddie in the headlines and then return to Portugal.

Gerry explained: "It's important to make sure Madeleine's profile and image is as well-known as possible.

"We have to cover Spain because we are so close to the borders. But I hope she is still in Portugal because if that's the case it should just be a matter of time before they find her."

Late yesterday Gerry welcomed the decision to release details of a man seen by a witness with what appeared to be a child in his arms in Praia da Luz on the night Maddie disappeared.

The McCanns had threatened legal action if the man's description was not released.

He is 35 to 40, 5ft 10ins, medium build, wearing a dark jacket, beige trousers and dark shoes.

Meanwhile, the only officially named suspect surfaced for the first time since being quizzed over her disappearance. Robert Murat, left, 33, drove off yesterday morning from his mother's villa 150 yards from where Maddie was snatched.


 

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, News of the World, Robert Murat, Ross Hall

At night we sleep with our twins to be sure they're safe

At night we sleep with our twins to be sure they're safe
Sara Nuwar & Ross Hall in Praia da Luz, Portugal
27 May 2007
The News of the World

Maddie's mum can't be apart

Missing Madeleine McCann's parents last night told how they now have their twins sleeping in their bed- so they can keep a constant eye on them.

Mum Kate revealed she is so haunted by the disappearance of four-year-old Maddie, snatched from her bed while the couple ate, that she hates to be parted from two-year-olds Sean and Amelie.

In the couple's first newspaper interview, Kate spoke about keeping their other children safe and admitted: "The twins sleep in the bed with us now. They help us to get through this."

But she and husband Gerry, both 38, are trying not to be too over-protective towards them in the aftermath of Maddie's abduction.

Gerry said: "We really have to make sure it doesn't affect the twins growing up and their normal childhood."

The couple, both doctors, from Rothley, Leics, revealed Sean and Amelie will see a child psychologist next week.

Heartbreak

Kate said: "They are so young they just get on with things but obviously we don't want them to forget about Madeleine. We are hoping to see a psychologist to explain what has happened to Madeleine to the twins."

Yesterday the family looked like any other as they played in a park close to the apartment in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing on May 3.

Sean played on a slide while his sister went on the swings.

Kate, wearing the now-familiar yellow and green ribbons in her hair, pushed as Amelie shouted, "Higher, Mummy, higher. Good fun".

But behind the smiles lurks the continuing heartbreak of Madeleine's disappearance.

Gerry said: "My waking thought is that the phone by the bedside has not rung. That means Madeleine has not been found."

Kate said: "Madeleine is such a huge personality it's obvious when she's not here.

I'm better in the morning. It seems like a fresh start. Evenings are harder."

The couple confessed they still cannot think about returning home without Maddie.

On a flying visit to Rothley this week, Gerry was unable to go into the house, let alone Maddie's room.

He confessed: "As I drove into the village I was thinking, 'There should be five of us coming home'. But this is not a time for grieving. We believe she is still alive so grief is not the appropriate emotion.

"We are absolutely determined to get her back. But it could have been worse-we could have lost the twins too. There were three children in the room. That's the worst nightmare."

Tears welled in Gerry's eyes as he thought about the first thing he will do when Madeleine returns home. He said: "We will be having a very big hug."

The couple will make trips around Europe to keep the hunt for Maddie in the headlines and then return to Portugal.

Gerry explained: "It's important to make sure Madeleine's profile and image is as well-known as possible.

"We have to cover Spain because we are so close to the borders. But I hope she is still in Portugal because if that's the case it should just be a matter of time before they find her."

Late yesterday Gerry welcomed the decision to release details of a man seen by a witness with what appeared to be a child in his arms in Praia da Luz on the night Maddie disappeared.

The McCanns had threatened legal action if the man's description was not released.

He is described as 35 to 40, 5ft 10ins, medium build, wearing a dark jacket, beige trousers and dark shoes.

Meanwhile, the only officially named suspect surfaced for the first time since being quizzed over her disappearance. Robert Murat, left, 33, drove off yesterday morning from his mother's villa 150 yards from where Maddie was snatched.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, News of the World, Robert Murat, Ross Hall

Ex-soldiers launch search for Maddy

26 May 2007
Yorkshire Post

Two Yorkshire ex-soldiers have embarked on their own personal search mission around the village where Madeleine McCann was abducted. Colin Sahlke, 46, from Keighley and Steve Taylor, 32, from Leeds are scouring rough ground and abandoned buildings around Praia Da Luz hoping for a breakthrough more than three weeks after the four-year-old went missing.

Mr Sahlke and Mr Taylor say they are not interested in rewards but just want to help find Madeleine.

The pair say their aim is to at least help restore the McCanns' "faith in humanity".

Mr Taylor, who is a father of five, said: "I can't imagine even an inkling how they are feeling." Describing the pair's mission he said: "We are here to help find or put pressure on the people who know where Madeleine is to either give her up or cock up and leave a clue." The former infantryman met Mr Sahlke while the pair were working at a shower factory in Nelson and have both given up their jobs for the search.

Mr Sahlke has also given up his rented flat and has sold possessions to raise £5,000 to fund their endeavour.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann

Maddie is on a trip..she will be back very soon

26 May 2007
Scottish Daily Record
Mark McGivern

McCANN INTERVIEW.. What twins have told parents of missing big sister

TWINS Sean and Amelie McCann have told their parents: "Madeleine is on a trip - she will be back soon."

They are sure they will see their four-year-old sister again.

And even though the two-year-olds have not seen her for three weeks, they still refer to their big sister.

Mum Kate said the youngsters had been very strong, despite knowing something was wrong.

She said: "They're really good. They're at an age where they're still quite young and it hasn't had the same impact as if they were a bit older.

"They do talk about Madeleine. They pick things up and say, 'Madeleine's' - and that's fine. They're really good."

Kate and husband Gerry told how they were enduring every parent's worst nightmare, as they gave their first detailed interview since Madeleine's abduction 23 days ago.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Madeleine McCann

Search for man seen with child

26 May 2007
The Sun
Ian Hepburn

PORTUGUESE cops admitted yesterday they are hunting a man seen carrying a child near the time Maddie was snatched - after the McCanns threatened legal action.

The frustrated couple said they would resort to lawyers if the information was not made public.

Cops had the detailed description TWO DAYS days after the kidnap.

The suspect was seen in the area at 9.30pm - and "carrying a child or an object that could have been taken as a child".

Chief Inspector Olegario da Sousa said the man was 35 to 40, medium build and 5ft 10in. He was wearing a dark jacket, light beige trousers and dark shoes.

Meanwhile, ex-squaddies Colin Sahlke, 46, and Steve Taylor, 32, have quit their jobs in Leeds to search for Maddie on the Algarve.

They say they will not touch any reward money if they find the tot.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Madeleine McCann

Police Forced Into U-Turn In Missing Madeleine Hunt

Police Forced Into U-Turn In Missing Madeleine Hunt
26 May 2007
Press Association National Newswire
Caroline Gammell and John Bingham, PA in Praia da Luz

Portuguese police were forced to make an embarrassing U-turn after the parents of missing Madeleine McCann held discussions with prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown, it emerged today.

The Chancellor spoke to Gerry McCann on several occasions in recent days and pledged to do everything he could to support the family.

The McCanns were desperate to release details about a man seen carrying what was thought to be a child on the night Madeleine went missing and had threatened legal action.

But after a meeting between the couple and senior Portuguese officials, the police relented and a physical description was issued.

Today, Mr McCann said the talks were amicable and constructive and insisted the sighting could prove 'significant and relevant'' in finding the four-year-old.

It is 23 days since Madeleine was snatched from her bed at the Ocean Club Mark Warner resort in the Algarve town of Praia da Luz.

Mr McCann said he and wife Kate wanted 'more than anything'' to get their daughter back safe and well.

Appealing for help, he said: 'Any information, no matter how unimportant you think it could be might be vital in helping the Portuguese and British police find our daughter.''

Mrs McCann - still holding Madeleine's pink Cuddle Cat - held her husband's hand as he urged the public to step forward.

'Was this man seen anywhere else in or near the town with a child, or what appeared to be a child?

'Which direction was he heading in? Did he have a vehicle?''

After making their plea, the couple spent the afternoon with their two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, and took them swimming.

They are determined to make life as normal for the children as they wait for any news of their elder sister.

The top level discussions with Mr Brown were an added boost to the McCanns after all other leads appeared to have gone cold.

Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for the family, said: 'I can confirm that telephone conversations have taken place between Gerry McCann and Chancellor Gordon Brown.

'During them, Mr Brown offered both Gerry and Kate his full support in their efforts to find Madeleine, although details of the conversations will remain private.

'The conversations took place against the background of the Chancellor's earlier offer to help when he met and spoke to other members of the McCann family in the UK.''

A Treasury spokesman refused to confirm that Mr Brown had personally intervened to get the Portuguese police to change their minds on releasing the information.

The McCanns are convinced that a white man aged around 35 to 40 spotted by a friend of the couple near their apartment at 9.30pm was holding Madeleine.

He was medium build, 5ft 10ins tall, wearing a dark jacket and beige trousers.

Portuguese police have known about the sighting for three weeks but because of extraordinary laws which forbid the release of details of an investigation the sighting could not be publicly released.

In other countries such a vital piece of the jigsaw would have been released early on in the hope of future witnesses coming forward.

The family, whose lawyers have been in the Algarve recently, had a series of meetings with British ambassador John Buck over the past three weeks as well as with British and Portuguese police.

Today it emerged that Mr Brown had spoken to Mr McCann by telephone more than once.

Last night, after clearance was given by a public prosecutor, Portugal's Policia Judiciaria (PJ) finally gave way and released the description, appealing for information.

Already there have been reports of a possible second sighting of the man carrying what appeared to be a child in Praia Da Luz that night.

Although the reports have not been confirmed a friend of the family said today: 'This is why the family were pushing to get that out there early because they are hopeful that a number of other people might have seen her.''

As the police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance continued, the cordons around the McCann's apartment were narrowed.

Telephone experts from the UK have travelled to the resort town to examine all landline and mobile calls made on the evening of May 3, the night of the abduction, according to local paper Jornal de Noticias.

And two former British soldiers who have volunteered to help in the hunt have been searching empty warehouses in the area.

The hunt for Madeleine has sparked interest across the world, including China, South Africa and the US.

The McCanns are currently planning trips to Spain, Germany and Holland to raise the profile of their daughter's case.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Clarence Mitchell, Gordon Brown, Madeleine McCann

Madeleine police hunt for suspect: white man, 35-40

Madeleine police hunt for suspect: white man, 35-40
Friend thought to have seen male carrying a bundle that could have been the child
CAROLYN CHURCHILL
26 May 2007
The Herald

POLICE searching for Madeleine McCann last night issued a detailed description of a possible suspect who was seen on the night the four-year-old disappeared.

The man, who is white and between 35 and 40, was seen walking in the area of Praia da Luz, Portugal, at around 9.30pm on May 3. The Policia Judiciaria said that he was "carrying a child or an object that could have been taken as a child".

Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa said the man was 5ft 10in, of medium build and was wearing a dark jacket, light beige trousers and dark shoes. He urged anyone who had seen him to come forward to police.

Mr Sousa added that dozens of reports of Madeleine's possible whereabouts were still being checked, but none had proved positive. "The investigation is ongoing, " he added.

A source indicated last night that the sighting of the man was made by a friend of Gerry and Kate McCann, who was with the couple's party in Portugal.

It is thought that the police have known about the sighting for three weeks but have not released the description because of Portugal's strict "secret of justice" laws which forbid the disclosure of information about an investigation.

The decision to issue a description of the man had to be sanctioned by the public prosecutor.

It followed an "amicable"meeting between senior Portuguese police and the McCanns, which is believed to have taken place on Thursday. The couple also had discussions with British Ambassador John Buck and UK police.

A spokesman for the McCann family welcomed the release of the description and said Madeleine's parents were pleased that there "appeared to be a new development".

Earlier yesterday, Mr and Mrs McCann spoke of their feelings of guilt at not being there when Madeleine was abducted from the family's holiday apartment.

In their first interview since she vanished three weeks ago, they said that in the first few days after she was taken they had blamed themselves. The couple were eating in a tapas bar at the Ocean Club Resort in Praia da Luz and were regularly checking on their three children when Mrs McCann discovered her daughterwas missing.

The couple said that the resort was "very safe" and dining out in the restaurant within the grounds was "no different from having dinner in the garden".

However, Mr McCann, who is originally from Glasgow, added that the guilt they felt at not having been there when Madeleine was taken "will never leave us".

Mrs McCann, who was holding her daughter's favourite pink toy throughout the interview, said: "Certainly in the first few days I think the guilt was very difficult. But I think as time goes on you feel stronger."

Meanwhile, two UK specialists have flown to the Algarve to reexamine the abduction scene. The two, who are not police officers, arrived on Thursday.

Continue Reading... Labels: Ambassador John Buck, Madeleine McCann

Chancellor 'Spoke To Missing Madeleine's Father'

Chancellor 'Spoke To Missing Madeleine's Father'
26 May 2007
Press Association National Newswire
John Bingham and Caroline Gammell, PA, in Praia Da Luz

Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown has spoken personally to the father of missing Madeleine McCann to pledge support from the very top of the Government for the family's efforts to find her, it was confirmed today.

The Chancellor had a series of telephone conversations with Madeleine's father Gerry McCann in recent days.

Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for the family in the Algarve, said today: 'I can confirm that telephone conversations have taken place between Gerry McCann and Chancellor Gordon Brown.

'During them, Mr Brown offered both Gerry and Kate his full support in their efforts to find Madeleine, although details of the conversations will remain private.

'The conversations took place against the background of the Chancellor's earlier offer to help when he met and spoke to other members of the McCann family in the UK.''

Although details of the conversations have not been released it is thought they took place before a dramatic U-turn by the Portuguese police on whether or not to release details of a possible sighting of Madeleine being carried by her abductor in the Algarve village of Praia Da Luz on the night she was taken.

Mr and Mrs McCann have been desperate for a description of a man seen carrying what appears to have been a child on May 3 to be released.

A white man aged around 35 to 40 was spotted by a friend of the couple at 9.30pm on the night of Madeleine's abduction.

Her parents are convinced that it was Madeleine.

Portuguese police have known about the sighting for three weeks but because of extraordinary laws which forbid the release of details of an investigation the sighting could not be publicly released.

In other countries such a vital piece of the jigsaw would have been released early on in the hope of future witnesses coming forward.

Although they have praised the efforts being made to find the four-year-old, the McCanns were said to be increasingly 'frustrated'' in recent days at delays and communication problems.

The family, whose lawyers have been in the Algarve meeting them recently, threatened legal action to push for the information to be released because of the exceptional circumstances.

They had a series of meetings with British ambassador John Buck over the past three weeks as well as with British and Portuguese police where the issue may have been raised.

And today it emerged that Mr Brown had spoken to Mr McCann by telephone more than once.

Last night, after clearance was given by a public prosecutor, Portugal's Policia Judiciaria (PJ) finally gave way and released the description, appealing for information.

Already there have been reports of a possible second sighting of the man carrying what appeared to be a child in Praia Da Luz that night.

Although the reports have not been confirmed a friend of the family said today: 'This is why the family were pushing to get that out there early because they are hopeful that a number of other people might have seen her.''

The McCanns welcomed the police's decision to release details of the suspect.

They emerged from their apartment - Mrs McCann still clutching Madeleine's pink cuddles - to make a statement to the waiting media.

Mr McCann said they had had an 'amicable and very constructive'' meeting with police.

'We very much welcome the decision of the police authorities to release details of a man seen by witnesses here in Praia Da Luz on Thursday, May 3, the night of Madeleine's disappearance.

'The release of this important information followed an earlier meeting we had with senior police officers.

'We feel sure that this sighting of a man with what appeared to be a child in his arms is both significant and relevant to Madeleine's abduction.''

He urged anyone who may have seen the suspect to come forward to police.

'Any information no matter how unimportant it might be could be vital in helping the Portuguese police to find our daughter.

'We wish for nothing more than to bring Madeleine home with us safe and well.''
   
   

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Clarence Mitchell, Gordon Brown, Madeleine McCann

The detectives working as the world watches

The detectives working as the world watches
Daily Telegraph
26 May 2007
Fiona Govan

The Portuguese police have been widely criticised for their handling of the investigation into the abduction.

But although officers insist they are doing everything possible, the leading figures in the inquiry remain steadfastly behind the scenes.

At the forefront of one of the most intensively scrutinised investigations in recent history is Guilhermino Encarnação, 59, the director of the Judicial Police for the Algarve.

Described as a "desk strategist" in the Portuguese media, a police spokesman admitted early in the case that Mr Encarnação's experience of abduction cases was limited, saying:

"He has a background in detective work but this case is unique, so he has only a bit of experience in this area."

He is said to be working closely with Goncalo Amaral, the head of the regional Judicial Police in Portimão. Both officers were involved in a controversy over a previous inquiry into a missing child.

Joana Cipriano disappeared in the village of Figueira on September 12, 2004, only seven miles from Praia da Luz.

In echoes of the McCann case, the hunt for Joana got off to a false start when the Republican National Guard, another police body, failed to seal off the house where she was last seen. It was only five days later - after hundreds of police and friends of the family had trampled over the scene and after relatives had cleaned the house with bleach - that the Judicial Police took over.

Joana's body was never found, but the case was solved. Leonor and Joao Cipriano, her mother and uncle, were convicted of killing her and sentenced to 16 years in jail, but they never confessed.

A third detective forms the trio leading the search for Madeleine and he has impressed the McCanns.

Luis Neves, 41, the national director of the DCCB, the Portuguese equivalent of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, was sent from Lisbon and met the McCanns on Thursday.

A source close to the family said:

"He is young and the McCanns were impressed not only with his grasp of the investigation but his efforts to inform them of its progress."

The public face of the investigation has been Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa. Adept at press conferences in which he often fails to answer questions with clarity, he admits that his experience lies in investigating "crimes against the freedom of press".

Rarely observed at the scene of Madeleine's abduction or available for comment, those leading the investigation have frequently been spotted lunching at the Carvi seafood restaurant in Portimão.

SOURCE:

Govan, Fiona. The detectives working as the world watches. Daily Telegraph. 2010-12-08. URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1552718/The-detectives-working-as-the-world-watches.html. Accessed: 2010-12-08. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5up8jzHIH) MCF Archive: The detectives working as the world watches.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Carvi Scandal, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Former paratrooper's search for Madeleine

Newsdesk
25 May 2007
Newsquest Media Group Newspapers

Stephen Taylor and Colin Sahlke

A former Keighley paratrooper and his pal have started their own personal search around the Portuguese village where Madeleine McCann was abducted.

Colin Sahlke, 46, and Steve Taylor, 32, are scouring rough ground and abandoned buildings around Praia Da Luz hoping for a breakthrough more than three weeks after the four-year-old went missing.

Mr Sahlke and Mr Taylor say they are not interested in rewards but just want to help find Madeleine. The pair say their aim is to at least help restore the McCanns' "faith in humanity". Mr Sahlke has given up his rented flat and has sold possessions to raise £5,000 to fund their endeavour.

Since Sunday, kitted out in full army surplus gear including desert camouflage, with compasses, maps and binoculars they have been searching areas close to Praia Da Luz fanning out from the coastline to waste ground inland.

Mr Sahlke, who has two children, lost his 18-year-old daughter Debbie six years ago in a car accident. Mr Sahlke said: "A few years ago I lost my daughter and if I could give something back, if we even restore the McCanns' faith in humanity, it is a start."

The pair have met the McCanns in Praia Da Luz and explained what they were doing.

Mr Taylor, who is a father of five, said: "I can't imagine even an inkling how they are feeling. "We are here to help find or put pressure on the people who know where Madeleine is to either give her up or leave a clue."

The former infantryman met Mr Sahlke while the pair were working at a shower factory in Nelson and both have given up their jobs for the search. The pair say they are trying to search in places where no one else has searched.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann

Madeleine police: 'We have a suspect'

25 May 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Portuguese police searching for Madeleine McCann release description of man seen carrying a child or a large object on the night the four-year-old went missing.

Portuguese police searching for Madeleine McCann today released a description of a man seen carrying a child or a large object on the night the four-year-old went missing.

The girl's parents, who welcomed the release of the description, spoke emotionally earlier of how the guilt they feel at leaving her alone "will never leave us".

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

Donegal gets behind campaign to find Madeline

25 May 2007
Donegal News
C.J. McGinley

AS an appeal fund was launched in Donegal to help find missing Madeleine McCann her Donegal born aunt has paid tribute to the people of the county for their support in the search for the missing four years- old.

Philomena McCann told the Donegal News despite their ordeal they were heartened by the messages of good will and support from Donegal. Madeleine's grandfather, John McCann was from St Johnston while her great grandmother was Bridget Ferry from Tully, Dungloe. Madeleine was abducted from her parents' rented holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, Portugal on the evening of May 3.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Donegal, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

Seven hours after this, Madeleine was gone

Seven hours after this, Madeleine was gone
John Bingham
25 May 2007
Birmingham Post

Laughing in the sunshine, dangling her feet in the swimming pool, this is carefree Madeleine McCann posing for a happy family snap hours before she was abducted.

Seven hours after this photograph was taken by her mother Kate - exactly three weeks ago yesterday - Madeleine had been snatched from her bed in the holiday resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal.

Yesterday the McCann family gave a glimpse of those precious final hours, releasing the last photograph known to have been taken of Madeleine before she was snatched.

Her father Gerry, who has spoken of his daughter's abduction as causing a "tidal wave" of destruction, sits proudly with his two young daughters by his side.

Next to him in an orange top is his two-year-old daughter Amelie whose twin brother Sean is off playing.

Beside Amelie is smiling sister Madeleine, who was looking forward to her fourth birthday at the end of the holiday.

Madeleine, wearing a pink smock top, white shorts and a sun hat, cools her feet in the swimming pool.

A small braid of her hair is tied up with a white hair tie as she sits by the Ocean Club pool, just behind the apartment where the family had been staying, at exactly 2.29pm on May 3.

Seven hours later, as Mr and Mrs McCann, both 38, were having a quiet dinner with friends in a tapas bar by the pool, Madeleine, Sean and Amelie were asleep in the apartment.

The couple were making regular checks on the children, but some time between 9.10pm and 10pm someone entered the McCann's apartment and carried her away.

It is thought she was still asleep.

Her disappearance has been publicised worldwide, but despite an extraordinary campaign to make her image known across Europe there has been no news of her whereabouts.

Mr and Mrs McCann, backed by an army of friends and family, remain convinced that Madeleine is alive and are praying, along with people around the world, for her safe return.

A fighting fund for their campaign has reached almost £300,000 and 125 million people have clicked on their www.findmadeleine.com website.

The couple are drawing up plans to travel Europe giving interviews to boost Madeleine's profile.

Launching his own "blog" on the campaign website yesterday, Mr McCann spoke about the plans.

"We need to start finalising our plans for interviews in areas of Europe where the coverage of Madeleine's disappearance has been limited," he said.

But there have been some signs of frustration at the pace of progress. A source close to the McCann family said while Madeleine's parents were happy with the "overall thrust" of the police investigation, they felt frustrated questions and concerns they had were not being addressed quickly enough.

Mr and Mrs McCann were said to feel they were not getting responses to their questions from the Portuguese authorities and that the system was slow.

Portugal's unusual "secret of justice" laws prevent the police releasing information about the investigation publicly and also curtail what they can say even to the family concerned.

A spokesman for the couple in Portugal said: "Naturally when it appears that things are moving slowly it can be frustrating - the only thing that would really make them happy is Madeleine's safe return and every parent will understand that."

Mr and Mrs McCann held an informal discussion over tea yesterday with the British Ambassador to Portugal John Buck, consular officials and British police.

It is understood their plans to travel were up for discussion.

Among fresh offers of help yesterday was one from the Catholic bishop of the Algarve, Manuel Neto Quintas, who said in a Portuguese radio discussion he could become a go-between with any kidnapper.

It also emerged that police had been told of an attempted abduction five months ago of a girl similar to Madeleine about half an hour from Praia da Luz.

Three-year-old Carolina Santos was led away by a man thought to be Moroccan on Christmas Day last year from the family cafe near the town of Silves in the Algarve.

Three days ago her parents Abel, 40, and Lina, 28, contacted police again after a Moroccan man threatened to take their daughter during a row at the cafe.

Police are investigating these incidents, but are not linking them to Madeleine's disappearance.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Madeleine McCann

Maddie: The Last Picture

Maddie: The Last Picture
Jerry Lawton
25 May 2007
Daily Star

Hours later she'd gone

MADELEINE McCann smiles for the camera only seven hours before she disappeared.

This is the last picture mum Kate and dad Gerry, both 38, have of her.

Their daughter is dangling her feet in the pool yards from the family's holiday apartment in Portugal where she was snatched.

The photo was taken by GP Kate at 2.39pm on May 3 in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz. But by 9.30pm Madeleine had vanished from her bed as her parents dined at a tapas bar 40 yards away. Last night police hoped it would restart the hunt for the four-year-old amid criticism their bungles had let her abductor escape.

The McCanns still remain convinced Madelaine is alive.

But a spokesman admitted they were growing frustrated at the lack of progress.

He added: "The only thing that would really make them happy is Madeleine's safe return."

The McCanns yesterday met British Ambassador to Portugal John Buck, consular officials and British police.

And last night detectives were probing reports a Moroccan man had tried to snatch a three-year-old blonde girl in the nearby village of Silves around Christmas.

He was scared off but has recently been seen in the area again, renewing fears that Madeleine might be linked to child trafficking in Africa.

Yesterday the Algarve's Catholic bishop Manuel Neto Quintas offered to be a go-between with a kidnapper.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Madeleine McCann

Sighting in Alvor, Portugal - Madeleine McCann

51—Service information re sighting in camping site in Alvor-Dourada
apenso5_vol_1_Pag51

Continue Reading... Labels: Madeleine McCann

Irish Fund Launched

21 May 2007
Daily Mirror
Maeve Quigley

People across Ireland are donating thousands of euro to a new account set up to help find Madeleine McCann. Family friend Catriona Fernandez, from Dungloe, Co Donegal, organised the fund here after people came to her desperate to help.

Catriona said: "Previously a fundraising appeal was set up in England which allowed people to make a donation. "But as a friend of the McCann family I realised it was difficult to send money over from Ireland. "So we set up an account in the Allied Irish Bank so that people can go into any branch and make a donation.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Donegal, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann

Phone call re: possible sighting of Madeleine McCann - Campsite in Alvor

51—Service information re sighting in camping site in Alvor-Dourada apenso5_vol_1_Pag51

(Google Translation - with apologies for awkward translation)

I must inform you Ex today at about 13:20 telephone call was received on this site, from the number 960,017,652, which left the following statement:

On Friday after the abduction was the campsite of Alvor, a golden couple with two children. One of them was two, and another looked like a child missing. So there he saw that day. They were in a tent and had a minivan gray, had + / - 30 years, spoke in English but the man spoke and seemed Portuguese. Not able to see the registration.

The caller identified himself as Fernando Ferreira, employee of the campsite, and asked to be contacted description works for a short time there and is afraid of losing their jobs.

The Inspector,
Jorge Vaz

Continue Reading... Labels: Madeleine McCann

Police fly to UK to quiz wife of kidnap suspect

Police fly to UK to quiz wife of kidnap suspect
20 May 2007
The Sunday Independent (Ireland)
OLGA CRAIG in Praia da Luz, JASPER COPPING and ANDREW ALDERSON in London

PORTUGUESE police officers have flown to Britain to step up their inquiries into the abduction of Madeleine McCann.

Officers investigating the disappearance of Madeleine 17 days ago are expected to interview the estranged wife of Robert Murat, the only official suspect in the case. They hope that Dawn Murat will be able to provide an insight into her husband's character and behaviour.

The latest twist came as police sources revealed that the search for the four-year-old has been widened to include Britain and North Africa.

"I know that there are PJ (Policia Judiciaria) officers who have gone to the UK, but I don't know if they have found something," said one police source.

Despite Mr Murat's insistence that he had no involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, officers want to delve into the past of the 33-year-old ex-pat, after failing to find any evidence linking him to the case during a search of his villa.

He lives in a property which is just 160 yards from the apartment from which Madeleine was taken.

Although Mrs Murat, 41, has expressed support for her husband, with whom she has a young daughter, Sofia, friends of the couple have claimed that she was left in a financially precarious position when they separated and, for a time, struggled to pay the mortgage on the three-bedroom, semi-detached house in Hockering, Norfolk.

One friend said: "Robert left her with real financial problems with the mortgage and friends had to help her out."

Mrs Murat, however, is fiercely protective of her estranged husband, insisting that he was "not capable of hurting anybody". She had "no doubt at all" about his innocence, adding: "He is not a person to do this. He is the most helpful and genuine person I have ever met. I'm absolutely disgusted by what people are saying. It is absolute total shock and disbelief. He has been made a scapegoat."

Neville Lake, a friend of Mrs Murat, said: "Dawn has been a bag of nerves. She has been in floods of tears all week. She's been glued to the television news and reading the papers."

As a video of Madeleine was shown at the FA Cup Final at the new Wembley stadium yesterday, her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, spent another day waiting for news.

The Football Association allowed the broadcast, watched by an estimated worldwide audience of 500 million, at the request of Madeleine's family.

It is understood that police on the Algarve are still waiting for the results of DNA tests carried out at the Mr Murat's villa.

On Friday, reports claimed that Mr Murat had made a late-night call to Sergey Malinka, 22, a Russian computer expert living in Praia da Luz, shortly after Madeleine vanished. The call, from Mr Murat's mobile phone, is alleged to have taken place at 11.40pm. Yet earlier in the week, Mr Murat had claimed that he had not spoken to Mr Malinka "for months".

Mr Malinka has also fiercely denied any role in the disappearance. He said yesterday: "The disappearance of a child is always difficult. No parent would want any of that to happen to anybody. So I wish and truly hope that Madeleine will be found and returned to her parents. I have a clear conscience. I have nothing to worry about."

Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared from her room shortly before 10pm on May 3 as her parents ate with friends at a tapas bar close to their apartment.

On Friday, Mrs McCann, 38, wept in public for the first time since her daughter was snatched. She sobbed as she left the village church and whispered to supporters: "Bring Madeleine home."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

A picture of courage

A picture of courage; Noddy, Shrek, Thomas The Tank Engine and Cuddle Cat help Maddie's parents hold it together
Carole Aye Maung & Ross Hall in Praia da Luz
20 May 2007
The News of the World

It looks for all the world a picture of idyllic family life.

Mum and Dad cuddle their precious little ones on the sofa as they read their favourite stories to squeals of delight.

But this is no ordinary family scene.

For the parents are Gerry and Kate McCann and the smiles they show for their two-year-old twins Amelie and Sean mask the ache of longing for their missing daughter Madeleine.

In Sean's lap is Cuddle Cat, the toy Maddie took to bed every night and turned to whenever she was upset.

Kate has kept it close since she was snatched on May 3, drawing strength and comfort that she can still smell her daughter on it.

The very personal photo-one of several taken inside the McCanns' apartment at The Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz, Portugal-demonstrates the courage Kate and Gerry are showing in the face of their unimaginable agony.

In one touching picture Gerry tenderly kisses Amelie's plastic doll as she dresses it in her mum's necklace.

Sausages

In another, the family watch as Sean takes centre stage and shows off, roaring with laughter as he plays with his Thomas The Tank Engine train set.

The children's favourite toys, games and books were brought from their Leicester home by family members at Gerry and Kate's request last week.

As well as Thomas, the delivery included a Shrek DVD and Amelie's favourite pink Snow White spoons.

Noddy's The Birthday Book, unwrapped last week at the private fourth birthday party held for Madeleine, lies just feet away.

On the wall, just like at home in Leicester, are the children's drawings. And just as they would at home the twins are treated to their favourite meal-sausages and beans.

In one picture, Amelie sits on her mum's knee as Kate helps her eat with a Snow White spoon. Next to her is another plateful for Madeleine. The family include their missing daughter in all their mealtimes and treats.

On Kate's wrist is a child's beaded bracelet. She ties her ponytail with the now-familiar yellow ribbon together with a green ribbon, the colour of hope in Portugal. Round Gerry's wrist are twisted yellow and green strings.

Amelie too wears green hair slides and her bunches are tied with two hairbands, one green and one yellow.

The McCanns' have recorded their struggle to cope with everyday life for the sake of their twins in an extraordinary handwritten diary.  Here is a typical day.

"Our day starts around 6.30am. We have breakfast with Sean and Amelie and our close family and friends who are here with us. Then it's clean nappies and clothes for Sean and Amelie followed by showers etc for the rest of us. Usually there's free time for a few stories or games with the twins before heading out."

9am-9.15: "We take Sean and Amelie to Kids' Club. They really enjoy it and run in.

Amelie particularly likes to look after 'babies'. We use the club a bit like nursery at home but Sean and Amelie still think they are on holiday!"

9.30am-12.15pm: "We return to the apartments, usually for meetings with our press officer, Mark Warner reps, occasionally consulate staff, lawyers and British liaison officers. We catch up with family and close friends, usually by phone and discuss ideas how to keep Madeleine's profile high especially throughout continental Europe."

With the vital jobs attended to the McCanns, both 38, again put the twins first, somehow putting their gut-wrenching worry and dread to one side.

12.30pm: "Time to pick up Sean and Amelie from Kids' Club then head back to apartment for lunch."

1.30pm-2.30: "Time spent playing with the twins either in the apartment or in the play area next to Kids' Club."

2.30pm-3.00: "We usually take the twins back to Kids' Club although Sean has had the odd afternoon in the apartment as it's a bit cooler and he's not much of a sun worshipper! They have been taking part in activities including painting, singing, stories, swimming, trips to the beach and they have lots of toys."

3pm-5.00: "We try to get some time together alone, going for a walk to talk things over or getting some exercise. This is often the time for quiet trips to the church for prayers."

5pm-5.30: "Meet kids for high tea with other mums and dads. They love pasta and have been doing really well with their vegetables although a few chips have been squeezed in."

5.30pm-6.30: "Games with kids at play area. Amelie loves trying to get in the baby pool!"

6.30pm-7.30: "Bath and story time with the twins."

8pm: "We put the kids to bed."

Now it is time to turn their attention, once more, to finding Madeleine.

8.30pm-11: "We try to sit down for a family meal, chat about the day's events and plan the next day."

11pm: "Bed and prayer for Madeleine that she will be returned to us safely ASAP."

Robert Murat, 33, left, the prime suspect in the Maddie case, was in hiding last night.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, News of the World, Robert Murat, Ross Hall

Searchers head off in hunt for Maddie

18 May 2007
The Burnley Express


A NELSON dad is hoping to form a search and rescue team to help find British child Madeleine McCann, who was abducted in Portugal.

Father-of-five Stephen Taylor (32) is looking for the help of any ex-armed forces members willing and able to help with the ground search across Portugal and into Spain.

People all over the world have been touched by the heartbreaking news that four year-old Madeleine, from Leicestershire, was taken from her bed in the Praia da Luz apartment while her parents ate in a nearby restaurant.

Ex-infantry soldier Mr Taylor, of Leeds Road, said: "I've got five children myself, including a little girl who is the same age as Madeleine with blonde hair and blue eyes. I look at her and think what would I do in that situation.

"Ideally, I would like to hear from ex-armed forces trained in search and rescue and people that have basic survival skills. People who come forward need to be serious about getting time off work and be prepared to self-fund themselves."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Find Madeleine Fund, Madeleine McCann

Police seal off villa in hunt for Madeleine

Police seal off villa in hunt for Madeleine 
Search at home of British mother and son 160 yards from where child disappeared
CALUM MACDONALD
15 May 2007
The Herald

POLICE investigating the disappearance ofMadeleineMcCann last night questioned several people as they searched the home of a British man 160 yards from where the four-year-old was abducted.

As relatives of the missing girl met at the Scottish Parliament to recruit the help of the country's newly-elected MSPs, intense police activity surrounded the house in Portugal lived in by RobertMurat.

Forensics experts and sniffer dogs were brought in to examine the villa which is just yards from where the girl's parents Gerry and Kate McCann are staying while the search continues for their daughter.

Mr Murat's mother, Jennifer, who is believed to own the house, has been running a stall on the seafront in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz appealing for information from the public about the girl's disappearance.

Mr Murat, who worked as an estate agent, was seen regularly crossing the police tape and approaching the McCanns' apartment. He said he was helping theMcCanns as a translator, but some journalists informed the police earlier this week that they had suspicions about him.

The Policia Judiciara confirmed last night they were questioning a man, but a spokesman did not confirm the nationality or identity of the person. Police stressed no-one had been charged, and said two or three people were being questioned.

Late last night, a car containing a man crouched forward, who was of a similar description to Mr Murat, was driven out of the rear of the police station in Portimao. Local media reported that he was being treated as a witness rather than a suspect.

A shed in the grounds of Mrs Murat's home, called Casa Liliana, was searched by forensic specialists and the water was drained from the swimming pool.

On May 4, the day after Madeleine's disappearance, Mr Murat chatted to reporters about the case but refused to reveal what his role was initially. He told people he had a daughter the same age asMadeleine.

A few days later Lori Campbell, a British journalist, reported him to Leicestershire Police because she thought he was suspicious.

She said: "He was coming in and out of the family apartment speaking with the media and acting like he was somebody official.

But when questioned about it, he was very vague about his position. He said he was just helping to translate witness statements.

"He was in and out of their apartment all week. He said he was from the UK going through a divorce there. He kept trying to emphasise parts of the investigation such as 'maybe she's gone to Spain, maybe it's too late'."

Gaynor de Jesus, a local translator who went to school with Mr Murat, said she was "shocked" at the development.

She said he had joked with her about media rumours that he was a suspect in the inquiry.

Last night Mr Murat's cousin, Sally Eveleigh, said there was "absolutely no way" he could have anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance.

She agreed Mr Murat's daughter looked very like the missing girl, but added that lots of children could look similar to her.

As the forensic search got under way John Buck, the British ambassador to Portugal, praised Mr and Mrs McCann's "remarkable resilience and dignity in very distressing circumstances".


   

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

Police in Portugal question and release British man

Newscast: Police in Portugal question and release British man in connection with abduction of Madeleine McCann
15 May 2007
CBS News: The Early Show

RUSS MITCHELL, anchor:

Police are questioning a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The four-year-old British girl went missing 11 days ago in Portugal, where she was vacationing with her family. The BBC reports a British man from a nearby villa was questioned by police but released.

Mr. JOHN BUCK (United Kingdom Ambassador to Portugal): Spoken today to the national chief of police in Lisbon and to the chief investigating officer here in the Algarve. There are clearly impressive resources being devoted to this investigation.

MITCHELL: The reward for information leading to Madeleine's safe return has topped $5 million.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, BBC, Madeleine McCann

Brown offers help over Madeleine

May 15, 2007
BBC NEWS
Excerpts:

Chancellor Gordon Brown has told relatives of missing Madeleine McCann he will help "in any way he can".
Philomena McCann, lobbying MPs for support in the search for her niece, four, said he was "extremely helpful".  A fighting fund will be launched later at the Walkers Stadium in Leicester, to help cover escalating legal bills.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, BBC, Find Madeleine Fund, Gordon Brown, Madeleine McCann

Madeleine's Parents 'Can't Consider' Return To Britain

Madeleine's Parents 'Can't Consider' Return To Britain
14 May 2007
Press Association National Newswire
John Bingham, PA, in Praia da Luz

The family of Madeleine McCann said today they 'can't even consider'' leaving Portugal as they lead an international effort to recover their abducted daughter.

Eleven days after their child was snatched from her bed in an apartment complex in the village of Praia da Luz, Gerry and Kate McCann said they continued to believe that the four-year-old is 'safe and being looked after''.

The couple are co-ordinating a new drive, backed by a growing fighting fund, from an apartment in the complex on the Algarve, metres away from where the abductor struck.

Speaking about their plans for the first time, the couple thanked friends, family and members of the public for their efforts to get their daughter - who turned four on Saturday - back.

'As far as we are concerned, until there is concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe that Madeleine is safe and being looked after and that's how we can continue in our efforts,'' Mr McCann said.

Indicating plans to stay in Portugal for the foreseeable future, Mrs McCann said: 'I can't even consider going home at the moment, absolutely can't even let it enter my head.''

The couple have hired lawyers with expertise in child abduction to help them assess options to take the hunt further.

Looking more relaxed than in recent days, they also thanked the media and those promoting the campaign at home and abroad for giving the case international exposure.

'We have taken tremendous strength from the warmth and the spiritual outpouring that we have received here and from all around the world,'' Mr McCann said.

'That has given us great encouragement and hope that we will bring back Madeleine safely.''

He said there had been 'multiple offers'' of help, including many financial pledges for their efforts.

He said the couple welcomed the offers but they had created a problem in knowing where best to channel the resources.

The arrival of lawyers from the International Family Law Group, who flew out to Portugal at the weekend, had helped to relieve some of the pressure on the couple.

After enduring a week of torment followed by the pain of celebrating their missing daughter's birthday, the couple stood, hand in hand, to address reporters, even taking a few questions.

'Since the lawyers have come here we have visibly felt a burden being lifted from our shoulders because it is one less thing that we now have to immediately think about and how should we co-ordinate it,'' he said.

'This has allowed us to concentrate more on our own physical and mental well-being.

'We do need to spend more time at this point considering ourselves, our family, for Sean and Amelie, and contemplating about the situation that we are in.''

He also praised travel trauma consultants who had helped them work through their ordeal and, in the face of criticism of the Portuguese police investigation, said they were 'fully supporting'' it.

But he said that while the main thrust of the search for Madeleine was the police investigation, the lawyers had been brought in to advise the family on what else could be done.

He did not go into whether this would mean hiring private investigators to work in Spain or elsewhere, but more details are expected later in the week.

'You have seen that the family and close friends back home, in contact with us, are doing everything in our power to keep the publicity high and that has been the thrust and main action at the moment.

He said only that he did not know what other directions the campaign may go in.

'We will have to consider that with the expert advice, and take in advice from all the different agencies that are involved, and that's why we can't do that on our own,'' he said.

Praising the many efforts to publicise Madeleine's disappearance by friends, family and members of the public, he added: 'I think, I hope... that they have really taken on what we have said, that we must look forward and turn thought into action,'' he said.

Behind closed doors, the police have formally interviewed around 100 people but spoken to hundreds more informally.

They appear to have ruled out lines of inquiry focusing on various CCTV images featuring a blonde woman and a couple staying in the next village.

The Policia Judiciaria (PJ) - Portugal's criminal investigations police - have also now ruled out lines of inquiry over a man with a white van reportedly seen acting suspiciously near the McCanns' flat.

'We have left that line of inquiry, we have checked it and it led to nothing new,'' a source told reporters.

Police are now looking at two or three main theories but have not spoken publicly about what they are.

Friends of the McCanns who had been on holiday with them are still expected to give evidence before a judge in a private court hearing about what they know before they return to the UK.

Under a process known as 'memory for the future'', they are likely to give evidence in private.

It would be recorded on video, sealed and used in any future trial, should Madeleine's abductor or abductors be caught.

Today, at the main court in the town of Portimao - capital of the Algarve region - staff were aware of the case but had not received the relevant documents by mid-afternoon.

Members of the party were seen back in the resort of Praia da Luz earlier today.

Police were tonight searching a villa just 150 yards from the apartment where Madeleine was abducted.

The house, known as Casa Liliana, was sealed off with tape by police while men in white suits and masks began a search inside.

Police guards were on the doors outside.

John Buck, the British ambassador to Portugal, said tonight that 'impressive resources'' had been allocated to finding Madeleine.

He also praised Mr and Mrs McCann's 'remarkable resilience and dignity in very distressing circumstances''.

Today he spoke to the national chief of police in Lisbon and to the chief investigating officer in the Algarve.

Speaking on a visit to Praia da Luz, Mr Buck said: 'There are clearly impressive resources being devoted to this investigation.

'Those resources are, rightly, primarily Portuguese, but we also have a number of British police officers working with their Portuguese colleagues closely here in the Algarve.''

He added that the chief investigating officer had told him the collaboration between British and Portuguese police was 'truly exceptional''.

Mr Buck also thanked journalists for respecting Mr and Mrs McCann's privacy.

He said: 'They appreciate that the media have an important role to play in helping to find Madeleine.

'They and I are very grateful for the constructive, responsible and considerate way in which the media have approached this.''

In the UK, a text message urging mothers to pray for Madeleine's safe return to her family has spread from mobile phone to mobile phone.

The message, which has also been posted on internet forums, reads: 'Mums of the world unite. Light a candle and say a prayer for little Madeleine tonight.

'Hope she will be found safe and well and returned to her family.

'From one mum to another, let's all pray for her. Pass this to all the mums you know.''

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Ambassador John Buck, Madeleine McCann

Ice cream cones in the afternoon and innocent giggles at the seaside

14 May 2007
Evening Herald
Alan O’Keeffe
. . . photos from Madeleine’s Irish holiday before the abduction nightmare

This is the way the family and friends of abducted Madeline McCann remember the fun-loving little girl. The holiday photographs were taken on a family trip to Ireland and evoke the innocence and carefree fun of childhood. Madeline and her family spent a holiday in Co Donegal recently and visited a number of seaside areas.

She played with her younger twin brother and sister Sean and Amelie and their young cousins Fiona and Gregor McCann. They enjoyed ice-cream cones in the afternoon sunshine as they played in the idyllic seaside location. The children were happy to pose for family snapshots as the family toured the Donegal area.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Donegal, Joe Peoples, Madeleine McCann, McCann pub, St Johnston

'Keep hoping, keep looking, keep praying, don't give up'

'Keep hoping, keep looking, keep praying, don't give up'
The search for Madeleine Day 11
The Sunday Mirror
13 May 2007
Lori Campbell and Simon Wright in Praia da Luz and Susie Boniface in London

Mum's birthday plea
Dad tells of a 'tidal wave' of devastation for her family
Nine Brits quizzed over 'middle man' in abduction
Intruders crept in via the unlocked patio doors

IT was the cruellest day any mother could face. She should have been celebrating her little girl's fourth birthday at a party packed with friends, family and laughter.  Instead Kate McCann had to endure yet another day without her precious daughter, managing only a brave and grateful smile as Portuguese children gave her presents and messages for missing Madeleine after a special church service last night.

As the hunt enters another unbearable week today, Kate began Saturday with a growing despair. In a statement read on her behalf she pleaded: "On Madeleine's birthday, please keep looking, please keep praying, please help bring Madeleine home."

It has now been 11 days since Madeleine was snatched from her hotel bed during the family holiday on the Algarve. Last night Kate and husband Gerry arrived at the 16th Century Our Lady Luz church for evening mass. Green and yellow ribbons were tied to the door - green as a symbol of hope for their daughter's safe return, yellow in remembrance that she's missing.  As the couple walked into church, Kate clutched Madeleine's Cuddle Cat toy. It has not left her side since the daughter vanished.  During the service, Gerry spoke of the "tidal wave" of devastation wreaked by the abduction, telling villagers he and his wife Kate had drawn "strength, hope and courage" from friends, family, the community in Praia da Luz, at home, across Europe and even around the world.  Shaking with emotion, he said: "We are looking forward to the day when Madeleine returns to us as a joyous one."  And after the service he added: "We walked out of this church believing that we will see Madeleine soon and she will be safe and well and we will continue to hope.

Kate managed her first smile in many days as the congregation formed a Guard of Honour to applaud them. Carrying flowers and presents for Madeleine, she kissed on the cheek by women wellwishers after the two-hour mass. The couple were visibly moved as they walked past the line of villagers and holidaymakers showing their support.  Red and yellow balloons were released into the air bearing the words "I Love You", and children gave out pieces of paper with birthday messages to Madeleine. Earlier in the day, Kate prepared a new statement for the media. But in the end she was just too broken to face the TV crews.

Instead a spokesman for holiday firm Mark Warner read the statement for family. The rest of it said: "Today is our daughter Madeleine's fourth birthday. We would like to mark today by asking people to redouble their efforts to help find Madeleine. We know that there is already a huge amount of effort and resource being put into the search for our daughter. We also know that offers of support are being made daily. It is this that gives us hope."

Yesterday was the first time Kate's strength, which had held up through countless public appeals in which pain was clearly written on her face, had deserted her.  For the first time she had begun to fear Portuguese police could wind up their search with her daughter still not returned to her and no clear leads.

Her uncle Brian Kennedy, 68, said: "She just couldn't put herself through it. We have all urged her to stay inside, to regain her strength."  Kate's family fear that the 38-year-old GP is near collapse. Mr Kennedy said that she was becoming dangerously frail. He said: "We don't know how long she can go on like this. She's going through unimaginable misery. Madeleine is the centre of her world and she feels an unbearable void to be without her on her birthday. We're all deeply worried - she's lost a lot of weight and looks gaunt, almost skeletal."  Kate spent most of yesterday privately in the villa she and Gerry and their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie have now moved to.  They appeared briefly when they went to the Mark Warner complex Madeleine was abducted from.

Meanwhile, a newly-released poster of Madeleine shows her distinctive right eye - where the pupil runs into the blue-green iris - which could easily identify the little girl if her captors try to disguise her.

Portuguese detectives now believe nine British holidaymakers hold the key to finding her kidnapper.  Police sniffer dogs have tracked Madeleine's scent to a local supermarket and two apartments where the group were staying, only yards from where she was snatched.  The nine Brits have been helping police with their inquiries over the last three days. Police believe they may have unwittingly come into contact with a "middle man" of Madeleine's abductor or abductors at the Ocean Club in Prai da Luz, Portugal. There is no suggestion the nine are suspects, but they are seen as important witnesses. The news fuelled speculation that a holidaymaker the McCanns may have met was involved in the abduction.

A police source said: "We are hoping we can reach the kidnapper or kidnappers' middle man through these nine. They have all been questioned as potential witnesses. They were staying at two apartments that the sniffer dogs have tracked Madeleine's scent to."

MADELEINE was snatched from the family's apartment at 10pm on May 3 while her parents were having a restaurant meal just 50 yards away.  Two men and a blonde woman seen at a petrol station driving a car with UK plates last week have emerged as prime suspects.  Witnesses say all three seemed to be English and were driving a car with yellow-and-black registration plates like UK cars.

Local shopkeepers have also been shown CCTV printouts of three people, including a man aged about 40 with dark hair down to his shoulders, a blonde woman of about 40 with her hair in a ponytail and an older woman with collar-length hair. The three were clearly not Portuguese and "looked English".

There are now just 30 police officers assigned to the investigation, scaled down from the original 150 that scoured the surrounding area for clues.  Detectives - who have come under attack for a series of blunders - are working late into the night at the area's police headquarters in the town of Portimao. Some have even been sleeping at the office.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Mirror can reveal that Madeleine was snatched through patio doors which had been left unlocked.  It was originally thought shutters at the front of the villa had been broken and jammed open by the kidnappers. But Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa confided in former British Chief Inspector Albert Kirby that neither the windows or their metal shutters had been tampered with.  Mr Kirby, who led the Jamie Bulger inquiry and is currently in Portugal, revealed it was the sliding patio doors of the ground floor apartment that allowed Madeleine to be quietly and quickly kidnapped.  The McCanns would have used the patio doors as they checked on their children during their meal. They had a direct line of sight to the apartment from their table at the restaurant opposite, but their view of the doors was obscured by a hedge.  Mr Kirby told the Sunday Mirror: "I had a very interesting chat with the officer in charge. The window shutters are not at all involved. The door was left unlocked. The window's shutters are almost impossible to open from the outside."

The McCanns have vowed to remain in Portugal until their daughter can come home with them.  Madeleine's grandparents Susan and Brian Healey last night described the little girl as "a special gift from God".  Susan said: "It would take a lifetime for us to thank all the people who have offered support. Now we just want our Madeleine brought home.  "We don't know how long Kate and Gerry are going to stay out there for.  "At the moment it is just a frightening thought that life could ever go on again without Madeleine."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Brian Kennedy, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, News of the World, Ross Hall