Off the case; Madeleine police chief demoted after amazing rant against McCanns and British detectives

Off the case; Madeleine police chief demoted after amazing rant against McCanns and British detectives
3 October 2007
Daily Mail

The detective leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann was sacked last night.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral was removed from the inquiry after he claimed that British detectives had been duped by Kate and Gerry McCann and only investigated leads which were ' convenient' for the couple.

His outburst led to a reprimand from Portugal's justice minister, lberto Costa, who said: 'We need to concentrate on the job and not on the commentary.'

Within hours Alipio Ribeiro, the head of the Policia Judiciaria, ordered Mr Amaral off the case, demoted him to inspector and stripped him of his role as a regional head of the force.

Mr Amaral made his 'angry and explosive' remarks to the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias. He claimed: 'The British police have only been working on that which the McCann couple want them to, and which is most convenient for them.'

He said British police appeared to have forgotten that Mr and Mrs McCann remain suspects. He also repeated Portuguese claims that the couple were manipulating the inquiry.

'They (the English) have been investigating tip-offs and information created and worked upon by the McCanns,' he added.

The newspaper also reported an unnamed police source as saying: 'After we bought into a war with the British media we are now buying into another with the English police.'

Mr Amaral, 47, has attracted criticism from the early days of the inquiry and news of his departure was met with relief by those close to the investigation.

He enjoyed frequent three-hour boozy lunches and two days ago a British newspaper claimed he worked only four hours a day and had ignored most of the 252 possible sightings and tip-offs in the case. He is also facing a criminal hearing over another missing girl, Joana Cipriano, accused of concealing evidence that the girl's mother, Leonor, was beaten into confessing to her murder.

Mr Amaral came under pressure to step down from the McCann investigation after it emerged he could face trial over the accusations, but he refused to resign.

His sweaty, corpulent figure is a familiar sight in the restaurants and cafes around police headquarters in Portimao.

While the McCanns have been warned they be jailed for speaking about the case, Mr Amaral, who was 48 yesterday, has frequently been heard holding court and accusing them of killing Madeleine.

He has said: 'We are sure the parents killed Madeleine. They are both doctors and know about drugs. We are confident in our case.'

Mr Amaral, a father of three, has worked in the police for 26 years but has only investigated two other child killings.

British police will hope that his successor will bring fresh impetus to the investigation, which appeared to be stalling as Portuguese detectives refused to consider any evidence which did not fit theories implicating the McCanns.

Clarence Mitchell, the family's spokesman, said last night: 'We're aware of these reports and we simply can't comment.

'Gerry and Kate have consistently said that they are happy to cooperate fully with the Portuguese authorities and will continue to do so no matter who is in charge of the Madeleine investigation.' Mr Amaral had dismissed the latest development in the case, an email sent to Prince Charles which claimed Madeleine was abducted by a disgruntled former employee at the Praia da Luz holiday complex where the McCanns stayed, as 'another fact worked upon by the McCanns'.

Meanwhile Mr McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, said he and his wife, both 39, had endured 'another painful day without our beautiful daughter' on Sunday, the 150th day since she disappeared.

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

Portuguese police accuse Madeleine's parents of hindering inquiry

Portuguese police accuse Madeleine's parents of hindering inquiry

2 October 2007
Agence France Presse

A senior Portuguese detective has accused the parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann of misleading British police investigating the case, a report said Tuesday.

Goncalo Amaral told the Diario de Noticas daily that British police "have been investigating leads created and cultivated by the McCanns, forgetting that the couple are suspects in the death of their daughter Madeleine."

"The British police have been working solely on what the McCanns want and on what suits them," added the detective who is overseeing the probe into the disappearance of the girl from a Portuguese resort on May 3.

Portuguese police have declared Kate and Gerry McCann as suspects in the disappearance of their daughter, who vanished from her bedroom in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, while her parents were out.

Amaral cited British media reports that an e-mail was sent to Prince Charles alleging that Madeleine had been abducted by a former employee of the holiday apartment in an act of revenge for being fired.

"This situation has been completely excluded. It has no credibility for Portuguese police. That story of a kidnapping for vengeance is another fact worked on by the McCanns," he said.

"It is not an e-mail, especially an anonymous one, which is easy to determine where it came from. That is going to distract us from our line of inquiry," he added.

Madeleine vanished from the holiday apartment just before her fourth birthday while her parents were out at a nearby restaurant.

Kate and Gerry, who are both doctors, strongly deny any role in her disappearance and have led an international campaign to raise awareness of the case.

One of the McCanns' two Portuguese lawyers, Carlos Pinto Abreu, told Lisbon-based news radio TSF that Amaral's comments were "chauvanistic".

"I think it is in a very bad tone. It would be useful if police cooperated," he said.

The investigation into Madeleine's disappearance initially focused on the possibility that the girl was kidnapped.

But earlier this month Portuguese police named Kate and Gerry as suspects after receiving the results of forensic tests carried out at a laboratory in England on items found in the holiday apartment and a car the couple rented.

The British press has remained largely supportive of the couple and very critical of the Portuguese police investigation, with Amaral a favourite target.


Britain's Sunday Mirror claimed over the weekend that Amaral had a habit of taking a "long, boozy lunch" and said his "beer belly spilling over his baggy jeans" made him look "more like a holidaymaker than a detective".

Many Portuguese newspapers meanwhile have been full of stories sourced to anonymous police offices which accuse the couple of accidentally killing their daughter and trying to cover up the cause of her death.

******

Chief investigator in missing Madeleine case dismissed


2 October 2007
Agence France Presse

The detective leading the inquiry into the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal was dismissed on Tuesday, Portuguese police chief Alipio Ribeiro said.

"This decision was taken by the national director," he told news radio TSF without giving further details.

Portuguese media reported earlier that Goncalo Amaral had been sacked because he criticised British police working with the investigation in comments published earlier on Tuesday in daily newspaper Diario de Noticias.

Amaral told the paper that British police "have been investigating leads created and cultivated" by Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate "forgetting that the couple are suspects in the death of their daughter".

"The British police have been working solely on what the McCanns want and on what suits them," he added.

Portuguese police have declared the McCanns as suspects in the disappearance of their daughter, who vanished from her bedroom in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, on May 3 just before her fourth birthday while her parents were out.

Amaral was reacting to British media reports that an e-mail was sent to Prince Charles alleging that Madeleine had been abducted by a former employee of the holiday apartment in an act of revenge for being fired.

"This situation has been completely excluded. It has no credibility for Portuguese police. That story of a kidnapping for vengeance is another fact worked on by the McCanns," he said.

"It is not an e-mail, especially an anonymous one, which is easy to determine where it came from. That is going to distract us from our line of inquiry," he added.

Kate and Gerry, who are both doctors, strongly deny any role in Madeleine's disappearance and have led an international campaign to raise awareness of the case.

One of the McCanns' two Portuguese lawyers, Carlos Pinto Abreu, told TSF radio earlier that Amaral's comments were "chauvanistic".

"I think it is in a very bad tone. It would be useful if police cooperated," he said.

The investigation into Madeleine's disappearance initially focused on the possibility that the girl had been kidnapped.

But earlier this month Portuguese police named Kate and Gerry as suspects after receiving the results of forensic tests carried out at a laboratory in England on items found in the holiday apartment and a car the couple rented.

Ribeiro however has said that the forensic tests on the car were not conclusive and he expected the investigation to continue.

The British press has remained largely supportive of the couple and very critical of the Portuguese police investigation, with Amaral a favourite target.

Britain's Sunday Mirror claimed over the weekend that Amaral had a habit of taking a "long, boozy lunch" and said his "beer belly spilling over his baggy jeans" made him look "more like a holidaymaker than a detective".

Many Portuguese newspapers meanwhile have been full of stories sourced to anonymous police offices which accuse the couple of accidentally killing their daughter and trying to cover up the cause of her death.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Carvi Scandal, Forensic Science Services, Gonçalo Amaral

Officer leading hunt for Madeleine 'enjoys boozy lunches and half days'

Officer leading hunt for Madeleine 'enjoys boozy lunches and half days'
02 October 2007
Mail Online

Portuguese police have again come under fire for their laid back and unprofessional attitude in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann.

The man leading the world's biggest missing child inquiry, Portuguese police chief Goncalo Amaral, is working as little as four-and-a-half hours a day.

And he has been enjoying boozy lunches- despite a mountain of uninvestigated sightings of Madeleine McCann.

According to the Sunday Mirror newspaper there have been 252 possible tip-offs about the little girl's whereabouts - but the vast majority have yet to be checked.

It has also been reported that he was overheard in a cafe brazenly accusing the McCanns of killing Madeleine.

The conversation was a breach of the judicial secrecy rules which prevent Kate and Gerry from defending themselves against police leaks.

Amaral is himself under investigation for allegedly helping to cover up a police beating carried out to extract a confession from the mother of another missing girl.

He strenuously denies covering up the alleged abuse said to have been carried out by three of his colleagues.

The investigations problem's increased when the official police spokesman in the Madeleine case quit over the way the McCanns were treated.

Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa resigned in disgust at the way fellow officers were briefing "friendly" Portuguese journalists behind his back.

The couple, who have not returned home to Rothley, Leics, vehemently deny having anything to do with their daughter's disappearance.

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry want to cooperate with the Portuguese police and would hope that they and their resources are being deployed as effectively as possible at all times."

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

Madeleine McCann chief detective sacked

Madeleine McCann chief detective sacked
2 Oct 2007
The Telegraph
Aislinn Simpson in Praia da Luz

The Portuguese detective leading the Madeleine McCann investigation has been sacked from the inquiry after launching an astonishing public attack on his British counterparts.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, 47, was dismissed from the position by the national director of the Judicial Police.

He had accused British detectives of only chasing leads Gerry and Kate McCann want followed up.

The move came after Portugal's Justice Minister Alberto Costa stepped into the row by insisting there is "fruitful cooperation" between the two countries' police forces over the inquiry.

Mr Costa said Portuguese police intend "to increase the collaboration" with their British counterparts and that the important thing is "to concentrate on the job and not on the comments" made by Mr Amaral.

Mr Amaral, who was jointly in charge of the inquiry, was also dismissed from his post as the head of the Judicial Police in the Algarve town of Portimao.

The 47-year-old detective not only laid into police but also attacked the McCanns, accusing them of "creating and working on" lines of inquiry which they then pass onto Leicestershire Police to investigate.

Mr Amaral, who headed the Policia Judiciaria in the nearby town of Portimao and is himself under investigation for allegedly concealing evidence about an alleged assault on the mother of another missing child, was speaking to the daily newspaper Diario de Noticias.

The paper said the detective, who has come under fire in the British press for his "boozy" three-hour lunches and allegedly failing to investigate some of the tip-offs his 30-strong team of officers have received, was in an "explosive and indignant" mood during the brief interview.

Sources said his departure follows five months of gripes about the British police involved in the case.

A family friend said it was "just plain wrong" that Kate and Gerry, both 39-year-old doctors from Rothley in Leicestershire, were seeking to exert any influence on the investigation, adding that British police were only involved to act as a liaison between the family and Portuguese detectives.

And one of the McCanns' two Portuguese lawyers, Carlos Pinto Abreu, told Lisbon radio station TSF that Mr Amaral's comments were "in very poor taste" and "unhelpful to the investigation".

"The British police have only been working on that which the McCann couple want them to and which is most convenient for them," he said.

"The have only investigated tips and information developed and worked on for the McCanns, forgetting that the couple are formal suspects in the death of their daughter Madeleine."

Officially, Portuguese detectives say they appreciate British help and expertise - particularly forensic - but unofficially claim they feel patronised and bullied.

Leicestershire Police were reluctant to wade into the developing row, only saying they would "continue to support the Portuguese investigation".

The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell was equally cautious, saying: "Kate and Gerry consistently said that they wish to cooperate with the Portuguese authorities in the hunt for Madeleine and that remains the case."

Mr Amaral has reportedly investigated only two child murders in his 26-year police career and he is facing a criminal hearing for allegedly concealing evidence, after a woman jailed for the murder of her daughter claimed police officers tortured her into making a confession.

Leonor Cipriano, 36, claims she was forced to kneel on glass ashtrays with a bag over her head as police repeatedly hit her during almost 48 hours of questioning.

She is serving 16 years for the murder of her eight-year-old daughter Joana, even though the body has never been found and she has since retracted her statement.

Mr Amaral, a father-of-three, strenuously denies covering up the alleged abuse said to have been carried out by three of his colleagues.

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

Portuguese detective 'removed from Madeleine case'

Portuguese detective 'removed from Madeleine case'

2 October 2007
Press Association National Newswire
Josie Clarke, PA

The Portuguese detective in charge of the Madeleine McCann inquiry was removed from the case today after accusing her parents of manipulating British police, it was reported tonight.

Goncalo Amaral was reportedly taken off the case following his comments that Kate and Gerry McCann had been calling the shots by identifying lines of inquiry for Leicestershire officers.

The detective, who heads the regional Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, said today British police had overlooked the fact that the couple remain suspects.

And he accused the McCanns of releasing new information each day in a bid to distract and confuse the 152-day-old inquiry.

Police reportedly said in a statement today that Mr Amaral had been taken off the case but gave no reason for the decision.

Portuguese Justice Minister Alberto Costa refused to comment on the case, saying in reports: 'We have to concentrate on the work, not on making comments.''

Clarence Mitchell, the family's spokesman, said tonight: 'We're aware of these reports and we simply can't comment.

'Gerry and Kate have consistently said that they are happy to cooperate fully with the Portuguese authorities and will continue to do so no matter who is in charge of the Madeleine investigation.''

Despite his previous media silence, Mr Amaral has been a controversial figure during the search for Madeleine.

Last month it emerged he is one of five men charged over an alleged attack on the mother of another missing girl.

The men are accused of 'scenes of aggression'' against Leonor Cipriano, whose nine-year-old daughter, Joana, vanished in September 2004.

The detective was also forced to defend a two-hour lunch break with police spokesman Olegario Sousa at a fish restaurant in Portimao.

The men were spotted drinking what looked like white wine and whisky as the McCanns flew to Berlin to publicise the case.

Mr Amaral's comments today were the latest salvo from the Portuguese authorities in an increasingly bitter war of words over the case.

The head of Portugal's police federation said a claim by Mr McCann that Madeleine's abductor may have been hiding in her room was a 'ridiculous episode''.

Mr Amaral broke his silence after it was reported that an anonymous email sent to the Prince of Wales's website was being investigated by British police.

The message suggested a disgruntled employee working at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz may have kidnapped the young girl.

Mr Amaral told Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias all current and former employees at the resort have been investigated.

He said: 'The British police have only worked on what the McCann couple want them to work on and what suits them.''

Speaking about the email lead, he added: 'This situation has no credibility whatsoever for the Portuguese police.

'(British police) have investigated tips and information worked on by the McCanns, forgetting that the couple are suspected of causing the death of their daughter Madeleine.

'This story about kidnapping for revenge is another fact worked on by the McCanns.''

Earlier, Carlos Anjos, head of Portugal's police federation, accused Mr McCann of being negligent.

His comments came after Mr McCann said he believed someone was hiding in Madeleine's room when he went back to check on the children on May 3.

Mr Anjos said: 'If he was suspicious that there was a man in the apartment, and then he calmly went to dinner, then words cannot describe how negligent he is as a father.''

He also criticised what he claimed was a steady stream of information from the McCann camp.

He said: 'Since their daughter disappeared, Gerry and Kate have followed a strategy of almost daily announcements of new facts.''

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

Chief investigator in missing Madeleine case dismissed

Chief investigator in missing Madeleine case dismissed

2 October 2007
Agence France Presse

The detective leading the inquiry into the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal was dismissed on Tuesday, Portuguese police chief Alipio Ribeiro said.

"This decision was taken by the national director," he told news radio TSF without giving further details.

Portuguese media reported earlier that Goncalo Amaral had been sacked because he criticised British police working with the investigation in comments published earlier on Tuesday in daily newspaper Diario de Noticias.

Amaral told the paper that British police "have been investigating leads created and cultivated" by Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate "forgetting that the couple are suspects in the death of their daughter".

"The British police have been working solely on what the McCanns want and on what suits them," he added.

Portuguese police have declared the McCanns as suspects in the disappearance of their daughter, who vanished from her bedroom in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, on May 3 just before her fourth birthday while her parents were out.

Amaral was reacting to British media reports that an e-mail was sent to Prince Charles alleging that Madeleine had been abducted by a former employee of the holiday apartment in an act of revenge for being fired.

"This situation has been completely excluded. It has no credibility for Portuguese police. That story of a kidnapping for vengeance is another fact worked on by the McCanns," he said.

"It is not an e-mail, especially an anonymous one, which is easy to determine where it came from. That is going to distract us from our line of inquiry," he added.

Kate and Gerry, who are both doctors, strongly deny any role in Madeleine's disappearance and have led an international campaign to raise awareness of the case.

One of the McCanns' two Portuguese lawyers, Carlos Pinto Abreu, told TSF radio earlier that Amaral's comments were "chauvanistic".

"I think it is in a very bad tone. It would be useful if police cooperated," he said.

The investigation into Madeleine's disappearance initially focused on the possibility that the girl had been kidnapped.

But earlier this month Portuguese police named Kate and Gerry as suspects after receiving the results of forensic tests carried out at a laboratory in England on items found in the holiday apartment and a car the couple rented.

Ribeiro however has said that the forensic tests on the car were not conclusive and he expected the investigation to continue.

The British press has remained largely supportive of the couple and very critical of the Portuguese police investigation, with Amaral a favourite target.

Britain's Sunday Mirror claimed over the weekend that Amaral had a habit of taking a "long, boozy lunch" and said his "beer belly spilling over his baggy jeans" made him look "more like a holidaymaker than a detective".

Many Portuguese newspapers meanwhile have been full of stories sourced to anonymous police offices which accuse the couple of accidentally killing their daughter and trying to cover up the cause of her death.

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

The Portuguese detective in charge of the Madeleine McCann inquiry today accused her parents of manipulating British police

The Portuguese detective in charge of the Madeleine McCann inquiry today accused her parents of manipulating British police

2 October 2007
Press Association National Newswire
Chris Greenwood, PA Crime Correspondent

Goncalo Amaral said Kate and Gerry McCann have been calling the shots by identifying lines of inquiry for Leicestershire officers.

The detective, who heads the regional Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, said British police have overlooked the fact that the couple remain suspects.

And he accused the McCanns of releasing new information each day in a bid to distract and confuse the 152-day-old inquiry.

His comments are the latest salvo from the Portuguese authorities in an increasingly bitter war of words over the case.

The head of Portugal's police federation said a claim by Mr McCann that Madeleine's abductor may have been hiding in her room was a 'ridiculous episode''.

Mr Amaral broke his silence after it was reported that an anonymous email sent to the Prince of Wales's website was being investigated by British police.

The message suggested that a disgruntled employee working at the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz may have kidnapped the young girl.

Mr Amaral told Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias that all current and former employees at the resort have been investigated.

He said: 'The British police have only worked on what the McCann couple want them to work on and what suits them.''

Speaking about the email lead, he added: 'This situation has no credibility whatsoever for the Portuguese police.

'(British police) have investigated tips and information worked on by the McCanns, forgetting that the couple are suspected of causing the death of their daughter Madeleine.

'This story about kidnapping for revenge is another fact worked on by the McCanns.''

Earlier, Carlos Anjos, head of Portugal's police federation, accused Mr McCann of being negligent.

His comments came after Mr McCann said he believes someone was hiding in Madeleine's room when he went back to check on the children on May 3.

Mr Anjos said: 'If he was suspicious that there was a man in the apartment, and then he calmly went to dinner, then words cannot describe how negligent he is as a father.''

He also criticised what he claimed is a steady stream of information from the McCann camp.

He said: 'Since their daughter disappeared, Gerry and Kate have followed a strategy of almost daily announcements of new facts.''

Despite his previous media silence, Mr Amaral has been a controversial figure during the search for Madeleine.

Last month it emerged that he is one of five men charged over an alleged attack on the mother of another missing girl.

The men are accused of 'scenes of aggression'' against Leonor Cipriano, whose nine-year-old daughter, Joana, vanished in September 2004.

The detective was also forced to defend a two-hour lunch break with police spokesman Olegario Sousa at a fish restaurant in Portimao.

The two men were spotted drinking what looked like white wine and whisky as the McCanns flew to Berlin to publicise the case.

A spokeswoman for the McCanns said Portuguese police have been 'very helpful'' by regularly updating the family on progress in the case.

She said: 'The McCanns have always worked hard to maintain a positive working relationship with the Portuguese police.

'Obviously it is in their interests to support the work they are doing to find Madeleine.''

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

Spies and their lies

1 October 2007
David Rose
New Statesman
British intelligence has long used clandestine "undeniable briefings" to release information real and false to tame hacks including David Rose...

My secret life began, as if scripted by P G Wodehouse, with an invitation to tea at the Ritz. The call came at the end of the first week of May 1992. I was the Observer's home affairs correspondent, and at the other end of the line was a man we shall call Tom Bourgeois, special assistant to "C", Sir Colin McColl, the then chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. SIS (or MI6, as it is more widely known) was "reaching out" to selected members of the media, Bourgeois explained, and over lunch a few days earlier with McColl, my editor, Donald Trelford, had suggested that I was a reliable chap - not the sort, even years later, to betray a confidence by printing an MI6 man's real name. Would I like an informal, off-the-record chat? You bet I would. "I make no apologies for the cliché," Bourgeois said, "since we do need a way to spot each other. I will be in the lobby, with a rolled-up copy of the Times."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, BBC

Find the maid: New Maddie Suspect

Find the maid: New Maddie Suspect: 
Amazing twist in investigation as cops hunt for suspect with a grudge
30 September 2007
The News of the World
Lucy Panton, Crime editor

* Sacked worker in 'revenge plot'

* Anonymous tip to Prince Charles

BRITISH cops launched an urgent hunt for a new suspect in the Maddie McCann case-after an astonishing tip-off from the PRINCE OF WALES.

An anonymous email sent to the prince's official website insists three-year old Madeleine was kidnapped from the Mark Warner Ocean Club holiday resort in Portugal by a disgruntled ex-employee.

The informant named a maid who was sacked from the apartment complex in Praia da Luz and claimed she snatched the child in a crazed revenge plot.

British police are now liaising with Portuguese detectives over the dramatic new twist which is revealed 150 days after Maddie vanished.

Officers believe the tipster entrusted the new information to Prince Charles because he and wife Camilla came out firmly in support of Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry.

Factual

In a statement released from Clarence House in May, the royal couple said they had been following the case "closely and with deep concern" and "fervently hoped" Madeleine would be reunited with her family.

As soon as the whistleblower's email arrived on the royal website aides passed it to Scotland Yard.

Officers from Leicestershire police- the McCanns' local force-are now trying to trace the writer.

The detectives have already established that the named ex-employee EXISTS and the checkable details appear to be ACCURATE.

A police source said:

"There have been hundreds of Madeleine theories, sightings and tips sent into UK cops from members of the public. But this one is different.

"It's incredibly detailed and so far, from the inquiries being made in Portugal, it appears to be based on factual events.

"UK officers have been taking a back seat in the hunt for Madeleine as it's a Portuguese inquiry. But they couldn't ignore this information.

"Any clue which could shed new light on the case will be dealt with seriously. This could be very significant."

After being told of the tip-off, McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said last night:

"We have continually said that any lead with a shred of credibility should be swiftly and thoroughly investigated by the police.

"Kate and Gerry are encouraged by any development that brings focus firmly on to finding Madeleine.

"Legitimate police activity is entirely proper and hopefully will bring about an end to the rampant unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations that have been so hurtful and distracting in recent days and weeks."

Yesterday it was not clear exactly how far Portuguese police have got with the new information. They have been given the name of the maid, who is thought to be Portuguese, but it is not known whether she has been physically traced.

But it has been established that the woman was sacked and left on bad terms with bosses at the resort.

The email tipster claimed the maid was incredibly bitter and wanted vengeance on her former employers.

An inside source added:

"The vital next step is for the police to track down the woman and either question her or put her under surveillance.

"She needs to be ruled in or out of the inquiry as soon as possible."

Meanwhile UK police are now focusing on tracing the informant who they feel may have MORE vital information which needs to be probed.

The Madeleine mystery has been the No1 topic of conversation among the dozens of British and Portuguese workers employed at the Algarve complex, owned and managed by Mark Warner.

Most of those hired as nannies, pool lifeguards, tennis coaches and front- of-house staff, such as receptionists, are young Brits. And the teams of maids, waiting and bar staff, pool cleaners and security officers are mainly Portuguese.

The housekeeping staff are given keys to the apartments which are cleaned at least twice a week.

There is no security monitoring of the staff who are free to come in and out of the complex unchecked.

But they are easily identifiable and all wear uniforms-red shorts and Mark Warner T-shirts for the kids' club workers, white uniforms for maids and smart suits for receptionists.

Dumped

The new lead comes as desperate Portuguese police are STILL working on the discredited theory that Maddie may have been accidentally killed by mum Kate and then assisted by dad Gerry to cover it up.

The cops' latest claim was that the body may have been kept in a fridge before being dumped.

They are said to be focusing on a "mysterious and fatal period" of 90 minutes when they claim Kate was alone in the apartment with her children while Gerry played tennis.

McCann spokesman Mitchell dismissed this latest line as "utterly ridiculous" and begged for an end to the smear campaign. The stress on the couple was visible yesterday as they went for a 20- minute jog together near their home in Rothley, Leicestershire. A local said:

"It's great to see them back doing the things they love, but Kate looked dreadfully pale and thin. The strain shows."

Portuguese police have come in for huge criticism for missing vital clues in the investigation. Crucial forensic tests which should have taken place in the first few hours were not carried out until several months after Maddie vanished on May 3.

And door-to-door inquiries, documenting what locals and visitors saw, are still incomplete. The McCanns' apartment was described by one experienced cop as "the worst-preserved crime scene" he had ever witnessed.

It was not taped off until 10am the next morning and was compromised by hundreds of people passing through.

Family, friends and assorted helpers all wandered freely about the apartment and it was 48 hours before any fingerprinting was done.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Clarence Mitchell, Lucy Panton, News of the World

Exclusive: Maid's kidnap plot: We reveal new Maddie suspect

Exclusive: Maid's kidnap plot: We reveal new Maddie suspect
The News of the World
Lucy Panton
30 September 2007

Cops hunt for worker at resort

COPS hunting Maddie McCann are probing a sensational new tip-off that she was kidnapped by a maid sacked from the Portuguese resort.

Detectives have a confirmed NAME for the suspect, said to be seeking revenge on the Mark Warner complex in Praia da Luz.

A police source said last night: "It could be a very significant lead."

FULL STORY - Pages 4 & 5

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Lucy Panton, News of the World