Madeleine claims difficult to hear says mother

15 January 2010
The Irish Examiner

KATE McCann admitted yesterday that listening to claims that she faked her daughter Madeleine’s abduction was difficult – but said nothing could be as bad as losing her child.

She and her husband Gerry have sat through two days of court hearings in which former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral has called witnesses to support his allegation that the little girl died in her family’s holiday flat.

Ms McCann insisted that the couple were right to take legal action against Amaral and said she was confident they would win.

Speaking as she arrived for a third day of hearings at the main civil court in Lisbon, she acknowledged that this week had taken its toll.

"If I’m honest, our daughter’s been taken and nothing’s ever going to be as bad as that," she said.

"It’s still been difficult, it’s been emotive, because I know what’s in the case files, I know what the conclusions are. So it’s difficult to hear something that’s incorrect and inaccurate.

"At the bottom of all this is a little girl, and I think it’s important that we don’t forget that."

Mr McCann flew back to Britain on Wednesday night to return to work and his wife was accompanied to court today by Fiona Payne, one of the friends on holiday with the couple when Madeleine disappeared.

Amaral was the first head of the Portuguese police investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance from Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007.

He has called a series of top Portuguese law enforcement officials as witnesses in his attempt to overturn the McCanns’ injunction on his book about the case, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie.

Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida told the court on Tuesday he believed that Madeleine died in her family’s holiday apartment and her parents covered up the death by inventing a kidnapping.

Former detective Francisco Moita Flores also dismissed the theory that the child was abducted and said the McCanns’ legal challenge was "pathetic" when he gave evidence yesterday.

Mrs McCann said about the case: "This is definitely the right course of action.

"I truly believe we are doing this to help the search for Madeleine."

Amaral’s lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, has denied that the former policeman said: " F    the McCanns " in response to a question from a BBC reporter about whether his book was hurting the couple.

Regional news programme East Midlands Today broadcast the exchange with the allegedly offending word bleeped out.

But Mr Cabrita said his client had not said anything in English and Portuguese journalists suggested that he said "I’m not talking about the McCanns" in Portuguese.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

I'll face these slurs if it helps my little Maddy

15 January 2010
Mirror
Martin Fricker

Kate's court ordeal for her daughter

KATE McCann last night broke her silence after three days of hearing sickening slurs that she faked her child's abduction.

The mum-of-three insisted the court ordeal was worth it because "getting justice here will help our search for Madeleine".

Kate and husband Gerry, both 41, have been in Portugal while former detective Goncalo Amaral tries to overturn their ban on his book about the case. He says Madeleine, six, is dead and alleges her guilty parents staged her disappearance, in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Yesterday Kate said: "Hearing it has not been easy but this action will benefit Madeleine, which is our aim. It's been positive because it's shown again there is no evidence that Madeleine came to any harm or that we are involved."

Amaral's appeal against the injunction banning him from repeating his claims was adjourned.

Outside the Lisbon court he vowed that if he lost he would take it to a European human rights court to defend "freedom of speech".

Last night the BBC stood by a claim Amaral had told their crew " f   the McCanns ". His lawyer had claimed he was mistranslated.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

Ex-detective will take Madeleine McCann book fight to Europe

15 January 2010
Leicester Mercury

Goncalo Amaral has vowed to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if he loses a legal battle over his book which claims Madeleine McCann is dead.

The former detective said his case was about "fundamental rights" for all Portuguese citizens and pledged to keep fighting all the way.

Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were left facing the prospect of years of court hearings at which Mr Amaral's allegations against them will be repeated.

The couple, both 41, from Rothley, flew to Lisbon this week to hear Mr Amaral attempt to overturn their ban on his book, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie.

The ex-policeman called a series of witnesses to support his claims that Madeleine died in her family's holiday flat and that her parents faked her abduction - something they strongly deny.

Mrs McCann admitted yesterday that sitting through the evidence was difficult but added that nothing could be as bad as losing Madeleine.

She also insisted that she and Mr McCann were right to take legal action against Mr Amaral and said she was confident they would win.

Yesterday, Mrs McCann said: "Our daughter's been taken and nothing's ever going to be as bad as that. It's still been difficult, it's been emotive, because I know what's in the case files, I know what the conclusions are.

"So it's difficult to hear something that's incorrect and inaccurate."

Mr Amaral was the first head of the Portuguese police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday. A judge granted the McCanns a temporary injunction in September last year banning further sale or publication of Mr Amaral's book and a TV documentary he made about the case. Mr Amaral's lawyers argue that the material in his book is contained in the official Portuguese police files for the investigation, many of which were made public in August 2008.

Mr Amaral emerged from the hearing yesterday and said he would take his case to Portugal's higher courts and even the European Court of Human Rights if he lost.

Police made the McCanns "arguidos", or formal suspects, in the case four months after Madeleine disappeared.

But this status was lifted when the investigation was shelved in July 2008 with prosecutors concluding they had no evidence that they committed any crimes. The case is to be adjourned until February 10.

Meanwhile, Mr Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, has denied that the former policeman said " f    the McCanns " in response to a question from a BBC reporter about whether his book was hurting the couple.

Regional news programme East Midlands Today broadcast the exchange with the allegedly offending word bleeped out.

A BBC spokesman said: "The reply was clearly ' f    the McCanns '."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Find Madeleine Fund, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

BBC in four-letter 'foul-up'

15 January 2010
Daily Star

BUNGLING BBC bosses sparked a row after accusing Goncalo Amaral of a four-letter tirade against Kate and Gerry McCann.

They insisted the ex-detective said " f    the McCanns " when asked by a BBC reporter if he felt his allegations were hurting the couple.

But last night it was claimed he had actually uttered the Portuguese phrase "fala com McCanns" - which means simply "speak to the McCanns".

Asked if he had sworn, Mr Amaral replied: "Never. I don't know what you are talking about."

And his lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, said: "He never said it. He does not use that kind of language."

Rival TV companies refused to broadcast the footage after their translators studied it.

But it was broadcast, with the key word bleeped out by the BBC in the East Midlands.

A BBC spokesman said last night: "The entire exchange was recorded on camera.

"The swear word was bleeped out for transmission as it was clearly unacceptable to broadcast such language at 6.30pm."

Sources last night said Mr Amaral is now considering legal action against the BBC.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

Kate McCann 'confident' of winning Madeleine libel case

15 January 2010
Guardian Unlimited
John Stevens

'It's difficult to hear something incorrect and inaccurate,' she says of ex-detective's claim that McCanns faked daughter's abduction

Kate McCann said today she was confident of winning the libel action over claims that her daughter Madeleine is dead.

As she arrived at court in Lisbon she admitted that listening to claims that she faked Madeleine's abduction was difficult, but said nothing could be as bad as losing her child.

It is the third day of the trial in Portugal, where the McCanns are seeking permanently to ban a book written by former policeman Goncalo Amaral and £1.1m in compensation for defamation.

Entering the court, Mrs McCann said: "If I'm honest, our daughter's been taken and nothing's ever going to be as bad as that. It's still been difficult, it's been emotive, because I know what's in the case files, I know what the conclusions are. So it's difficult to hear something that's incorrect and inaccurate. At the bottom of all this is a little girl and I think it's important that we don't forget that."

Asked if she believed the McCanns would win their case against Amaral, she said: "I am confident, yes."

McCann and her husband, Gerry, have sat through two days of hearings in which Amaral, who initially led the investigation into their daughter's death, has called a series of senior Portuguese officials to support his allegation that Madeleine, who was three when she disappeared, died in her family's holiday flat in May 2007.

Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida told the court on Tuesday he believed the McCanns invented a kidnapping to cover up the death of their daughter. Yesterday former detective Francisco Moita Flores also dismissed the couple's claim that Madeleine was abducted, saying the McCanns' challenge to claims Madeleine was dead was "pathetic".

Mr McCann flew back to Britain last night to return to work. His wife was accompanied to court today by Fiona Payne, one of the "Tapas Seven" group of friends who were on holiday with the McCanns in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz when their daughter disappeared.

Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, has denied that the former detective said "fuck the McCanns" in response to a question from a BBC reporter about whether his book was hurting the couple. A BBC spokesman said the reply was clear in the exchange, which was entirely recorded on camera.

Today the court is hearing evidence from producers of a TV documentary based on Amaral's book. The case will then be adjourned until 10 February, when the judge will hear from two witnesses not available this week.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

The British Media versus the Portuguese police / Dr. Goncalo Amaral

These are the first 100 Headlines of Articles archived in the Factiva database regarding Goncalo Amaral. I'll add the rest as time allows; there are over 1000 articles to review.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

There's no evidence Maddie is dead.. We will keep looking

14 January 2010
Scottish Daily Record
Janice Burns

DAD'S OUTBURST AT COURT HEARING

GERRY McCann yesterday angrily accused a Portuguese ex-cop of endangering the hunt for his missing daughter Madeleine.

The Scots doctor twice addressed reporters directly outside Lisbon's main civil court - after sitting through two days of accusations that he and wife Kate faked Madeleine's abduction in 2007.

Meanwhile, the former detective whose book and TV documentary led to the trial provoked outrage by telling a British TV crew at the court: " F   the McCanns ."

Goncalo Amaral, who was thrown off the McCann case only months into the hunt, made the foul-mouthed outburst when asked:"Is your book hurting the McCanns?"

He then appeared to laugh as he walked away.

A McCann family friend said:"It's disgraceful and gives a true measure of the man."

In the trial, Amaral is attempting to overturn an injunction banning further publication of his book and stopping him repeating his claims about the McCanns.

Glasgow-born heart consultant Gerry and his GP wife Kate are suing him for more than £1million for defamation but no date has yet been set for that case.

Yesterday, a visibly frustrated Gerry, 41, said the main motive for challenging Amaral is their fear that people will stop looking for Madeleine if they think she is dead.

He insisted there was no evidence to support Amaral's claims that Madeleine died in her family's Algarve holiday flat on the night she vanished, just before her fourth birthday.

"Over the last two days, we've heard a lot about Mr Amaral's thesis that Madeleine is dead," he said.

"And I also hope you've heard that there is absolutely no evidence to support that thesis.

"A thesis without evidence is meaningless. It's evidence we're interested in. There is no evidence that Madeleine is dead, that's what you heard yesterday."

Gerry was asked by a reporter whether it was worth the emotional cost for the couple to attend the court.

He replied: "Do you have children? Anyone who has children would go through the same process."

He added: "We're looking for new information to help the search."

A former senior detective called as a witness by Amaral yesterday dismissed the theory that Madeleine was abducted.

Francisco Moita Flores, a criminologist and a writer, told the court it would be impossible to pass a child through the window of the McCanns' holiday flat.

Prejudice

He also defended the way that the Portuguese police investigated the case, praised Amaral as a "good professional" and said his book did not prejudice the inquiry.

Isabel Duarte, the McCanns' lawyer, argued that the police files reached no conclusion about the window and said there were other ways Madeleine could have been taken from the apartment.

The case will continue today and the judge, Maria Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues, could order further hearings.

The McCanns say any damages awarded to them would go towards funding the hunt for Madeleine.

Gerry was last night returning to his home in Rothley,Leicestershire, because of work commitments.

Fiona Payne, one of the friends who was on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared on May 3 2007, is flying out to support Kate.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Find Madeleine Fund, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

Madeleine claims 'difficult to listen to' says Kate McCann

14 January 2010
The Irish Examiner

Kate McCann admitted today that listening to claims that she faked her daughter Madeleine's abduction was difficult - but said nothing could be as bad as losing her child.

She and her husband Gerry have sat through two days of court hearings in which former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral has called witnesses to support his allegation that the little girl died in her family's holiday flat.

Mrs McCann insisted that the couple were right to take legal action against Mr Amaral and said she was confident they would win.

Speaking as she arrived for a third day of hearings at the main civil court in Lisbon, she acknowledged that this week had taken its toll.

"If I'm honest, our daughter's been taken and nothing's ever going to be as bad as that," she said.

"It's still been difficult, it's been emotive, because I know what's in the case files, I know what the conclusions are.

"So it's difficult to hear something that's incorrect and inaccurate.

"At the bottom of all this is a little girl, and I think it's important that we don't forget that."

Mr McCann flew back to Britain last night to return to work and his wife was accompanied to court today by Fiona Payne, one of the friends on holiday with the couple when Madeleine disappeared.

Mr Amaral was the first head of the Portuguese police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007.

He has called a series of top Portuguese law enforcement officials as witnesses in his attempt to overturn the McCanns' injunction on his book about the case, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie.

Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida told the court on Tuesday he believed that Madeleine died in her family's holiday apartment and her parents covered up the death by inventing a kidnapping.

Former detective Francisco Moita Flores also dismissed the theory that the child was abducted and said the McCanns' legal challenge was "pathetic" when he gave evidence yesterday.

Mrs McCann was asked today whether she now felt it was a misjudgment to bring legal action against Mr Amaral.

She replied: "This is definitely the right course of action. I truly believe we are doing this to help the search for Madeleine.

"I believe in the Portuguese judicial system and that we will get justice, and that we can take the search for Madeleine forward."

Asked if she believed the McCanns would win their case against Mr Amaral, she said: "I am confident, yes."

Mr Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, has denied that the former policeman said " f    the McCanns " in response to a question from a BBC reporter about whether his book was hurting the couple.

Regional news programme East Midlands Today broadcast the exchange with the allegedly offending word bleeped out.

A BBC spokesman said: "The reply was clearly ' f    the McCanns '.

"The entire exchange was recorded on camera, and the swear word was bleeped out for transmission as it was clearly unacceptable to broadcast such language at 6.30pm."


But Mr Cabrita said his client had not said anything in English and Portuguese journalists suggested that he said "I'm not talking about the McCanns" in Portuguese.

A judge granted the McCanns an injunction last September banning further sale or publication of Mr Amaral's book and a TV documentary he made about the case.

The ex-policeman's lawyers argue that the material in his book is contained in the official Portuguese police files for the investigation, many of which were made public in August 2008.

The McCanns, both 41, from Rothley, Leicestershire, say their main motive for challenging the former policeman is the fear that people will stop looking for their daughter if they think she is dead.

The court is hearing evidence about Mr Amaral's documentary from TV producers today.

The case will then be adjourned until a further session on February 10, when the judge, Maria Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues, will hear from two witnesses who were not available this week.

The McCanns are also seeking €1.2m in compensation for defamation in separate proceedings against Mr Amaral in Portugal.

They have said any damages awarded by the courts would go towards paying for private investigators to look for Madeleine.

No date has been set for a trial in the compensation case.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

Maddie cop rant

BLOGGER NOTE:

THE ARTICLE "TEASER" APPEARED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE SUN - THE FULL TEXT ARTICLE (SEE BELOW) WAS ON PAGE 11

News; Front Page
Maddie cop rant
14 January 2010
The Sun
Tom Wells

THE cop who led the Maddie McCann probe yesterday launched a tirade against her parents.

Goncalo Amaral spat "*F*** the McCanns*" when asked if he felt his wild claims were hurting them.

Full Story — Page 11

***

FULL ARTICLE:

Vile cop: f *** the McCanns ; New attack on parents
The Sun
Tom Wells and Antonella Lazzeri

The ex-cop who led the Madeleine McCann probe sparked new outrage last night after launching a four-letter tirade against the missing child's parents. Brazen Goncalo Amaral spat, " F    the McCanns " when asked by a BBC TV reporter if he felt his wild claims about their daughter were hurting them. Producers bleeped out the slur when a report was broadcast in the East Midlands region where Kate and Gerry McCann live.

Amaral, axed after leading the abortive early investigation into Maddie's disappearance in 2007, flipped before entering a court in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.

Concern

Yesterday he denied making the outburst, claiming he had not even spoken to a British TV crew.

But the BBC insisted he had used "inappropriate language".

And a source said: "It would not have been bleeped out had there not been sufficient cause for concern."

Amaral, 50, is trying to have a ban overturned on his book The Truth of the Lie. In it, he makes lurid claims that Kate and Gerry faked an abduction and hid Maddie's body after the three-year-old died in an accident at their holiday flat in Praia da Luz.

Yesterday he appeared to deliberately provoke the McCanns before the second day of the hearing began.

He sauntered into court brandishing a copy of his SECOND book on the case, The English Gag, in which he claims the parents tried to "silence" him. He sat yards from Kate, 41, and began leafing through its pages. Upset Kate shook her head in disbelief.

But then she steeled herself and told a friend: "He's just promoting it."

She and Gerry, also 41, were forced to endure more insulting evidence as former Portuguese police chief Francisco Moita Flores backed Amaral's view and branded the abduction a "fairytale".

Outside court heart specialist Gerry, who is heading back to Britain to fulfil work commitments, cracked when asked by a female Portuguese reporter if the ordeal of the hearing was "worth it".

He barked: "Do you have children? Anyone who has children would go through this."

He added: "I'd like to remind everyone it's the book that's on trial and not Kate and I." Gerry claimed the Portuguese cops' blinkered view that Maddie was dead — for which there was NO evidence, making it "meaningless" — was damaging the search for her.

And he said they were STILL ignoring leads passed on to them by the family's private investigators.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

The British Media versus Amaral - OCTOBER 2007

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST
October 2007 Headlines re: Goncalo Amaral

Continue Reading... Labels: Clarence Mitchell, Gonçalo Amaral, Leicestershire Police, Madeleine McCann

McCanns shouldn't have left the children alone, say police

14 January 2010
Daily Mail
Vanessa Allen

THE 'fairytale' of Madeleine McCann's abduction saved her parents from being charged with neglecting their children, it was claimed yesterday.

Kate and Gerry McCann did not face negligence charges because police were too 'distracted' by claims their daughter had been snatched, a former policeman said.

Francisco Moita Flores told the second day of the McCann libel case how police hadn't believed three-year-old Madeleine was abducted from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.

They were forced to investigate the theory because of the 'media circus' surrounding the case and the political pressure it created, the Portuguese court heard.

He suggested the couple should face neglect charges because they left their children sleeping while they went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

After yesterday's hearing a clearly angry Mr McCann conceded that he and his wife had been wrong to leave their children, but said mistakes had been made by all involved.

He said: 'We're not harking over mistakes which were made, and particularly mistakes that were made early on and cannot be redeemed.

'What is done cannot be righted;  in hindsight we made a mistake by leaving Madeleine and we have to live with the consequences of that. We can't change it.'

Earlier, Mr Moita Flores had told the court: 'No one believed it was an abduction. It was a fairytale, a fable. If the police only worked on that theory then they would be a bunch of idiots.'

He said he believed it would have been impossible for an abductor to break into the McCanns' apartment and carry away Madeleine.

'The McCanns should be judged for the neglect of their children. In Portugal this is huge negligence,' he said.

'The accusation was not made. Justice was distracted. How could they not be accused?'

Mr Moita Flores did not work on the investigation and had already left the Portuguese police when Madeleine, right, disappeared in May 2007.

But he was giving evidence on behalf of Goncalo Amaral, the detective accused of libelling the McCanns in his bestselling book, Maddie: The Truth of the Lie.

Madeleine's parents took legal action against Mr Amaral over accusations they faked their daughter's abduction to cover up her death while on a family holiday.

They won a court injunction banning the sale of the book worldwide and preventing him from repeating the allegations.

But the injunction did not stop him from publishing a second book in December, called The English Gag.

The libel case has provided the police officers who investigatedthe McCanns with a public platform on which to air their suspicions.

Unlike a criminal trial, the detectives have not had to provide evidence to support their allegations.

Mr McCann, 41, left Portugal last night to return to his job as a hospital heart consultant.

His wife, also 41, a former GP who has not returned to work since Madeleine's disappearance, is expected to stay in Lisbon until the end of the court hearing.

The latest courtroom accusations came as Mr Amaral was forced to deny claims he had launched a foul-mouthed attack on the McCanns.

The 50-year-old was caught on camera as he was asked if his book had hurt the couple, and appeared to snarl: 'No, **** the McCanns.'

His outburst was shown by the BBC's regional news programme in the East Midlands, which bleeped out the offending word.

A source said producers were convinced he had sworn, but lawyers for the detective denied he had spoken in English.

His lawyer Antonio Cabrita said: 'I have never heard him use that kind of language.' Asked if he had made the comment, Mr Amaral, 50, replied: 'Never.'

The detective is believed to face financial ruin if the McCanns succeed in their £1million libel action.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

Ranting Rat

14 January 2010
Mirror
Martin Fricker

 As Kate suffers unimaginable agony, the police chief who should've been finding missing Maddy spits out vile four-letter abuse at the McCanns..

DISGRACED detective Goncalo Amaral yesterday let rip at Kate and Gerry McCann with a foul-mouthed outburst.

The former policeman - asked if his book about their daughter Madeleine was hurting the couple - barked: "No, f*** the McCanns."

Amaral then laughed as he walked off, despite being caught on camera insulting the couple who have suffered so much anguish in recent years.

The disgusting slur came as Kate and Gerry had to listen to yet more accusations by Portuguese officers that they were involved in the youngster's 2007 disappearance.

It was made to BBC East Midlands Today reporter Mike O'Sullivan who confronted smirking Amaral outside the Lisbon court where the McCanns are suing him for libel over his book.

Mike said:

"I was astonished, and so was my cameraman, that a former senior police officer could use a term like that against the McCanns. It really was crude."

A friend of Kate and Gerry, of Rothley, Leics, added:

"It's disgraceful and gives a true measure of the man."

After Amaral's tirade, Gerry, 41, laid into Portuguese detectives over their claims he and his wife killed three-year-old Madeleine and dumped her body to cover their tracks.

He said:

"The prosecutor had all the evidence and he said there was no evidence Madeleine was dead. If there was evidence of our involvement in Madeleine's disappearance then the prosecutor would have charged us.

"Officers who considered us as involved in Madeleine's disappearance have not been able to change their mind, despite a lack of evidence."

And the heart specialist insisted the blinkered theory by former police liaison officer Ricardo Paiva that their daughter has been killed was hindering the ongoing search for her.

Gerry added:

"How could he investigate thoroughly if he believes that? We've also heard Mr Amaral's thesis that Madeleine is dead.

There is absolutely no evidence to support that. We are not harking on over mistakes that were made and cannot be redeemed.


"What is done cannot be righted. We made a mistake, in hindsight, by leaving Madeleine and we have to live with the consequences of that."

Gerry vowed to keep up the search for their little girl, who vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz as they ate nearby with friends.

He said:

"There is a little girl missing who still needs to be found.

"We will keep going until Madeleine is found and until whoever has taken her is brought to justice. It's not good enough that the search stops."

Gerry revealed three new pieces of information had been sent to investigators in Portugal from their team. But the McCanns faced more accusations yesterday. The court was told Madeleine's abduction was a "fairytale" concocted by the couple.

Criminologist Francisco Moita Flores, a friend of Amaral, said:

"No one believed Madeleine was kidnapped. I saw that window. It was impossible.

"The McCanns should be on trial for not guarding their children."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, Mike O'Sullivan

Another example of Really Superb investigative reporting by the British press

14 October 2007
Maddie was still alive: Exclusive
Ross Hall
The News of the World
New evidence gives fresh hope to McCanns

TODAY the News of the World reveals key new evidence that PROVES Maddie McCann was abducted ALIVE.

Continue Reading... Labels: Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Sacked cop chief to give Maddie talk

Sacked cop chief to give Maddie talk
11 January 2010
Scottish Daily Record

McCanns' fury at invite

The cop who led the hunt for Madeleine McCann plans to visit the UK to talk about his claims that her parents are to blame for her disappearance.

Portuguese former police chief Goncalo Amaral also criticised British police involvement in the case.

And he was pictured enjoying boozy lunches when he should have been working. He was eventually sacked.

Next week, he will appear in a Lisbon court to fight a £1million libel action brought against him by Kate and Gerry McCann after he published a book accusing the couple of killing their daughter.

Now Amaral, 49, has been being invited to the annual conference of the Madeleine Foundation pressure group.

Their members believe she is dead and her parents bear some of the responsibility.

The McCanns have asked their lawyers to consider what action can be taken to prevent him speaking at the gathering, near Nottingham, at the end of next month.

The couple already have a High Court injunction banning the foundation's secretary Tony Bennett from making any allegations about Madeleine's disappearance.

Sources close to the McCanns said the couple were "deeply concerned" about the conference - due to be held on February 27 and 28 at The Liberal Club in Melbourne, Derbyshire - and the invite to Amaral.

He was put in charge of the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007 , a few days before her fourth birthday, during a family holiday in Praia Da Luz, Portugal.

He was the one who authorised their status as arguidos, or official suspects.

But he was removed from his post after five months and then retired.

His 224-page book, Maddie - The Truth Of The Lie, was published in July last year.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, Carvi Scandal, Gonçalo Amaral

Sacked cop chief to give Maddie talk

Sacked cop chief to give Maddie talk
11 January 2010
Scottish Daily Record

McCanns' fury at invite

The controversial cop who led the Madeleine McCann investigation has been invited to the UK to speak about his belief that her parents were to blame for her disappearance.

Former police chief Goncalo Amaral was sacked after he criticised British police involvement in the case and was pictured having boozy lunches when he should have been working.

Next week he will appear in a Lisbon court to fight a £1million libel action brought against him by Kate and Gerry McCann after he published a book accusing the couple of killing the youngster.

But Amaral, 49, intends to speak about his views again after being invited to the annual conference of the Madeleine Foundation pressure group. Their members believe the missing three-year-old is dead and her parents bear some responsibility.

The McCanns have asked lawyers to consider action to stop Amaral speaking at the conference near Nottingham and the end of next month.

The couple already have High Court injunction banning the foundation's secretary Tony Bennett from making allegations about Madeleine's disappearance.

Sources close to the McCanns say the couple are "deeply concerned" about the group's conference and their invite to Amaral.

The meeting is due to be held on February 27 and 28 at The Liberal Club in Melbourne, Derbyshire.

Amaral was put in charge of the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007 in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, and authorised their status as arguidos, or official suspects.

But he was removed from his post after five months, and then retired.

His 224-page book, Maddie - The Truth Of The Lie, was published in July last year.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2010, Carvi Scandal, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Maddie cash to run out in three months

13 December 2009
Sunday Mail
Parents will battle on

Cash funding the search for missing Madeleine McCann will run out in three months. Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are now preparing to open talks with multimillionaire businessman Brian Kennedy to extend his backing.  The couple had feared the fund set up to trace their little girl, who has now been missing for 31 months, would be exhausted by the end of this month. But they have boosted it with payouts won in legal actions against newspapers in Britain and abroad.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2009, Brian Kennedy, Clarence Mitchell, Find Madeleine Fund, Gonçalo Amaral, Leicestershire Police, Madeleine McCann

Dodgy trackers top a catalogue of police howlers

Dodgy trackers top a catalogue of police howlers
10 August 2008
People
Dean Rousewell

EXCLUSIVE DOGGED BY BLUNDERS

BUNGLING Portuguese cops used DUFF sniffer dogs in the search for missing Madeleine McCann.

The animals had only been trained to follow scents in the countryside - yet four-year-old Maddie vanished from her family's holiday apartment a busy TOWN.

And the trackers weren't brought in for five days after the tot disappeared - even though experts said they should have been there within 48 hours.

When the dogs did finally arrive in Praia da Luz, they gave up the hunt after just 100 yards because they were confused by the stench of rotting food from a pile of binbags.

The appalling blunder is revealed in a damning report by Portuguese state prosecutors.

And it is just one of a catalogue of disastrous gaffes by detectives after the toddler went missing from the Ocean Club complex on May 3 last year.

The bungles began almost as soon as Maddie was reported lost.

Blood specks in her bedroom were missed by Portuguese police - only to be found by British cops when they were drafted in three months later.

Bedding was not forensically tested for traces of an abductor.

Cops failed to seal off the flat in the hours after the disappearance.

No fingertip search of local streets was carried out at the time - and house-to-house inquiries were not launched for 48 hours.

Two days passed before police got a list of other holidaymakers at the complex - by which time many of them had already flown home.

Border guards were only alerted about Maddie after 24 hours and coastguards were told nothing for 14 hours.

The catastrophic blunders continued after the shambles with the dogs.

Detectives spent hours poring over footprints found at the scene - which turned out to belong to policemen.

Forensic samples sent for analysis contained ash from cops' cigarettes.

Chief detective Goncalo Amaral, 47 - later thrown off the case after criticising British cops - was accused of taking boozy three-hour breaks.

Police only declared the McCanns' holiday flat a crime scene after two months - allowing 11 other tourists to contaminate vital evidence. And cops leaked stories to local media about Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry and British ex-pat Robert Murat, who were all named official suspects.

The prosecutors said: "Investigators worked with an enormous margin of error and achieved very little in terms of conclusive results, especially with regards to the fate of the unfortunate child."

The sniffer dog revelation infuriated Kate and Gerry, who were only recently ruled out as suspects.

A family friend said last night: "It is heartbreaking for them - but sadly it will be no surprise."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2008, Carvi Scandal, Gonçalo Amaral

Is this the best way to help Maddie?

Is this the best way to help Maddie?
26 July 2008
Daily Mail
Amanda Platell

Excerpt:

...Few who saw Kate and Gerry McCann's press conference can fail to have been deeply moved as they responded to the news they had been cleared as suspects in their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.

With a face like stone to hide a breaking heart, Gerry sat clutching his wife's hand under the table. 'It has been devastating to witness the detrimental effect being named as suspects has had on the search for Madeleine,' Kate said.

But there was more than sorrow behind those tear-filled eyes. For the first time since their daughter went missing, there was bitterness, too.

'It is hard to describe how utterly despairing it was to be portrayed as suspects,' she said.

One can understand her anger at being falsely named as 'arguidos', but surely this should have been the end of that part of their torment. Finally they have been exonerated, and at last they are free to pursue their search.

Instead, the McCanns seem set on revenge. Revenge against the Portuguese police who launched the biggest missing child investigation in its history. Revenge against the former head of the investigation, Goncalo Amaral, over his book about Madeleine, even though he has already been sacked, discredited and disgraced.

And revenge against the media -- yes, the same media that with the help of hired PRs they used ruthlessly, relentlessly and understandably to try to keep their daughter's face in the public eye. How sad.

Their PR Clarence Mitchell insists: 'The only thing they care about now is finding Madeleine.'

So surely this is the time to go up a gear in that quest and not allow themselves to become bogged down in lengthy compensation cases.

How does that help to find Madeleine?

Little wonder so many ordinary people -- the very ones they rely on in the search for their daughter -- are asking if this quest for retribution is in Madeleine's best interests.

It wasn't just their precious daughter that was missing at Monday's press conference, but also any reference to their own behaviour on that dreadful night when they went out wining and dining and left their beloved children untended in an unlocked holiday flat.

My own view has always been that the McCanns deserve the greatest sympathy for their loss, but the public increasingly is not so understanding.

If the couple were now to spend as much time campaigning against the dangers of parents leaving children alone as they are apparently spending trying to seek financial recompense, then the nightmare of Madeleine's disappearance might have one positive legacy...

Continue Reading... Labels: 2008, Carvi Scandal, Gonçalo Amaral

BBC Video Interview with Goncalo Amaral

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7517883.stm
BBC
21 July 2008
VIDEO

The former lead detective on the Madeliene McCann case Goncalo Amaral has defended making her parents official suspects.

Mr Amaral was removed from his post in October 2007 after reportedly criticising his British counterparts.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2008, BBC, Gonçalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

We'll savage bungling cops on Oprah show

We'll savage bungling cops on Oprah show
20 July 2008
People
Nick Dorman

CLEARED McCANNS VOW TV ONSLAUGHT

Madeleine McCann's parents will savage bungling Portuguese cops in a tell-all interview with chat queen Oprah Winfrey when they are cleared as suspects tomorrow.

For 317 days fuming Kate and Gerry have been gagged by their status as arguidos.

But at noon tomorrow a judge will formally lift the cloud of suspicion - as exclusively revealed in The People in April.

And the McCanns will finally be free to speak about the investigation into three-year-old Maddie's disappearance.

They are set to launch a stinging attack on US star Oprah's TV show - although her rival Barbara Walters is also vying to secure the first interview with the couple. The doctors, both 40, will either go to the States or speak from their home in Rothley, Leics.

Pals expect them to highlight more than a dozen basic errors by police in the four weeks after their daughter's disappearance on May 3 last year.

These include: FAILING to immediately seal off the crime scene in Praia da Luz, allowing vital forensic evidence to be lost in and around the McCann holiday apartment.

FAILING to inform Spanish border cops until the next morning.

WAITING more than 48 hours before house-to-house inquiries began.

DELAYING the decision to bring in child abduction specialists and ISSUING a baffling series of different descriptions of suspects - including one primitive e-fit picture which resembled a "boiled egg with hair".

The McCanns will also round on cops for leaking details of the case to the Portuguese press in a bid to incriminate them.

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said last night: "Kate and Gerry will talk about the police inquiry once their arguido status has been lifted.

"They want to get their side of the story across. They want the weight of guilt by association lifted from their shoulders. And they will make it clear that they will continue to search for Madeleine, come what may."

The couple are likely to focus their fury on top cop Goncalo Amaral, who was kicked off the Madeleine case last October following allegations of incompetence and attacks on his British police counterparts.

Moustachioed Amaral, 48, sometimes worked little more than four hours a day and enjoyed long, boozy lunches.

He was also overheard telling of his suspicions that the McCanns killed their daughter.

Police still have NO idea what happened to Madeleine, who disappeared from her bed while her parents were eating out.

A friend said yesterday: "Kate and Gerry are furious. They've kept their thoughts private - because the Portuguese legal system left them no choice. It's been incredibly frustrating.

"They know the police have given up looking for Maddie, so they've nothing to lose. A string of mistakes were made. And police leaked things that were totally untrue. When it was reported that Maddie's DNA was found in their car, Kate and Gerry could only conclude someone was trying to frame them.

"Being suspects has put an appalling strain on them. Kate hasn't been able to go out without thinking people may be pointing a finger of blame.

"As soon as they're free to talk about the appalling way they have been treated, they will."

  

Continue Reading... Labels: 2008, Carvi Scandal, Gonçalo Amaral