How could police drop ash on clues?

22 October 2007
The Sun
Clodagh Hartley In Praia Da Luz and Antonella Lazzeri
Maddie parents' fury at evidence contamination

Angry Kate and Gerry McCann were "horrified" yesterday that cops' CIGARETTE ASH could have contaminated evidence about daughter Maddie's disappearance.

The blunder by careless Portuguese cops was discovered by forensic experts studying samples from the McCanns' apartment in Praia da Luz.

Yesterday a close friend of the McCanns, both 39, said: "It is outrageous to think that messy cops could have ruined vital evidence about Maddie's abductor."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Antonella Lazzeri, Madeleine McCann

McCann friends face new probe

McCann friends face new probe
22 October 2007
Daily Express
David Pilditch in Praia da Luz

Portuguese police chief wants holiday couples interrogated

FRIENDS of Kate and Gerry McCann face new interrogations by detectives about the night their daughter disappeared, it was revealed last night.

Portuguese police have drawn up an official request for the group who holidayed with the couple to be formally interviewed.

Investigators believe members of the party - dubbed the Tapas Nine - may have helped the couple dispose of their daughter's body and covered up the crime.

Moves could be made to name members of the group as official suspects.

Under Portuguese law detectives would have to declare them "arguidos" in order to ask them key questions.

A team of high-ranking detectives and Portuguese public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses are now preparing to fly to Britain this week.

They will present a legal letter to their British counterparts signed by a Portuguese judge.

It is likely the interviews will be conducted by officers from Leicestershire Police who have been helping in the investigation.

Portuguese officers will ask to be present during the interrogations - the first to take place since the days after Madeleine disappeared from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3.

The McCanns were dining with the seven friends at a tapas restaurant in the Ocean Club complex when Madeleine vanished.

Last night a friend of the McCanns said:

"Kate and Gerry's friends are expecting to be interviewed again at some point and are happy to co-operate and do anything they can to help find Madeleine."

The development was revealed yesterday by Portugal's most senior police officer Alipio Ribeiro.

Mr Ribeiro is head of the Policia Judiciaria which is carrying out the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance 172 days ago.

Yesterday, Mr Ribeiro told how he was now "optimistic" the case would be solved.

He also insisted that detectives had made dramatic progress in the inquiry and were close to a breakthrough.

He spoke out after appointing his deputy Paulo Rebelo to take over the investigation based at police headquarters in nearby Portimao.

Mr Rebelo has opened new lines of inquiry and has ordered a series of fresh searches. He is continuing to treat Kate and Gerry, both 39, as chief suspects.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Mr Ribeiro said:

"I am convinced that sooner or later we are going to have a result. I cannot say when. But I am optimistic.

"Many similar cases have lasted longer and were resolved in the end.

I think this will also happen in our case. We have an idea of what happened.

"We've performed a huge job analysing and discounting hundreds of leads and pieces of evidence. In every investigation there is a key moment, a click that clarifies everything and helps you to reach the end."

Of the plans to interview the McCanns' friends, he said:

"Formal letters of request are ready and will be sent in a few days with a police team and Portimao's public prosecutor."

One member of the group, Jane Tanner, 36, told police she saw a man carrying a child wrapped in a blanket near the Ocean Club complex on the night Madeleine disappeared. Miss Tanner told police the man was heading towards the home of Robert Murat - the British expat who was named as the first official suspect.

Murat, 33, was also placed in the frame by three other members of the McCanns' party.

Miss Tanner's hospital consultant partner Dr Russell O'Brien, 36, Dr Fiona Payne, 34, and doctor's wife Rachael Oldfield, 36, all claimed they saw Murat near the McCanns apartment on the night Madeleine disappeared.

In July the three friends flew back to Portugal to confront Murat over his alibi during a tense five-hour grilling.

Murat - now set to be cleared - insisted he did not leave home that night and went to bed early after dining with his mother Jenny, 71.

The face-to-face showdown was set up by detectives to discover whose story was true.

Dr Payne's medical researcher husband David, 41, is said to have been one of the last people to see Madeleine. He joined Kate and her children at the McCanns' apartment at 6.30pm on May 3 after Gerry asked him to check on them while he was having a tennis lesson.

Members of the party took it in turns to check on the children during the evening.

Police are said to be concerned at inconsistencies in the statements of the McCanns and their friends of the events that took place that night.

The McCanns' friends consistently deny any wrongdoing.

Police believe part-time GP Kate played a part in Madeleine's death in an accident in the couple's apartment.

They are working on the theory that she enlisted consultant cardiologist Gerry to help cover up the crime and dispose of her body.

Kate and Gerry categorically deny the claims, insisting they have been victims of a "black propaganda" campaign in the Portuguese press fuelled by leaks from detectives.

Continue Reading... Labels: David Pilditch, Express, Leveson Inquiry, Madeleine McCann

Inept.. Incompetent.. I'm incandescent

Inept.. Incompetent.. I'm incandescent
21 October 2007
People
Stewart Whittingham

EXCLUSIVE MADDIE: SHOCK NEW CLAIMS AGAINST POLICE

Gerry 's rage over claim cops didn't check evidence Key papers 'scattered all over the floor ' Weeks behind in putting records on crime computer

HORRIFIED

Kate and Gerry McCann were incandescent with rage last night after cops were accused of a catalogue of incompetence in the hunt for their missing daughter Madeleine.

Insiders claim vital evidence was ditched by boozy officers and crucial documents were ignored.

And weeks were wasted clearing up the mess to get the search for four-year-old Maddie back on track.

The appalling extent of the shambles came to light when Goncalo Amaral, the police chief leading the five month investigation into Maddie's disappearance, was fired.

Sources said replacement Paulo Rebelo, 45, arrived in the resort of Praia da Luz to find:

CRUCIAL papers scattered over the floor of police offices;

A HUGE backlog of files that took two weeks to put on computer; and

BIASED officers who were convinced Kate and Gerry had killed Maddie.

The findings came as beleaguered police faced unrelated accusations of corruption and failing to crack down on a major paedophile ring.

Rebelo immediately SACKED 60 of the 100 cops involved in the search for Maddie.

A source admitted: "There was important material lying all over the place that hadn't been considered by investigators and a lot of key information was discarded.

"Putting all the papers in order has been a massive job."

A source close to Kate and Gerry revealed the 39-year-old couple's fury at the police failings - but welcomed Rebelo's clear-out.

The source said: "They are livid - they cannot believe how badly this has been mishandled.

"Not putting vital information on computer file is so amateurish. But at least the new man seems to know what he is doing."

And spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We'd be very concerned to hear all the information in the police's hands has not been properly or effectively co-ordinated or collated.

"If Mr Rebelo is strengthening their system that's all to the good."

Rebelo was put in place after Amaral was fired for alleged incompetence - and for being too fixated on his belief Kate and Gerry had killed Madeleine.

Experts said cops FAILED to seal off the McCanns' holiday apartment for 24 hours after Madeleine vanished - meaning key forensic evidence was lost.

Staff at the holiday complex were NOT quizzed for 60 hours, NO roadblocks were set up and cops in neighbouring Spain were NOT alerted for 12 hours.

Rebelo was also told his predecessor had regular threehour boozy lunches when he accused Kate and Gerry of drugging and killing their daughter.
Rebelo confronted Amaral's team at a heated meeting and accused them of having "closed minds". He then fired 60 of them.

Mr Mitchell said: "When Mr Rebelo came in, Kate and Gerry were pleased because it meant a fresh attitude and approach to the case. If the new inquiry is moving in a new direction then that's good."

Rebelo has drafted in specialist murder detectives to join his team, who are almost certain Maddie was killed rather than snatched.

Mr Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry still believe there is a possibility she's alive.

"But they are realistic enough to know there is a possibility she might be dead.

"If that is the case, any officer with expertise in that sort of inquiry would be welcomed."

Maddie vanished from the holiday apartment 171 days ago as her parents dined with friends nearby.

GP Kate and surgeon Gerry are said to believe she was grabbed by a paedophile - and they launched aworldwide campaign to find her.

But the couple, from Rothley, Leics, were named as official suspects in September.

Insiders say police now admit they have NO evidence against the McCanns.

Meanwhile, a Portuguese court has heard how a top cop allegedly helped a woman run a prostitution racket from a bar. She is said to have given him sex in return.

And the country is bracing itself for a court case about a worldwide paedophile ring which has preyed on more than 100 kids.

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

Maddie's final gift for gran

20 October 2007
The Sun
Antonella Lazzeri and Clodagh Hartley
Hand print on plate

THIS is the poignant last gift from Madeleine McCann to her gran -given just days before she vanished.

The heart-shaped plate bears Maddie's little handprints and the touching message, "I love you Grandma and Grandad, From Madeleine 2007."

Maddie's devastated gran Susan Healy showed off the plate yesterday and said: "This is so special I feel like locking it in a safe.

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Antonella Lazzeri, Brian Kennedy, Forensic Science Services, Madeleine McCann

Maddie was still alive

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


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

The latest piece of the jigsaw centres on the moment mum Kate returned to their Portuguese holiday apartment and discovered her daughter gone.

Police have been told Kate KNEW instantly little Madeleine had been snatched because the bedclothes were in exactly the same position, raised above the mattress as if they were still lying over the child.

Supporters of the McCanns are adamant this meant she must have been carefully removed from the bed while asleep and taken, rather than just getting up and wandering off, which would have ruffled the bedclothes.

Those close to Kate and Gerry-still official suspects in the 164-day mystery are convinced the revelation should clear the couple and switch the investigation back to finding their four-year-old.

A Portuguese source told us:

"People keep asking how did Kate know so quickly that Madeleine had been taken and not just walked out.

"But it's obvious. When she put Maddie to bed the child was all tucked up around the shoulders, and when Kate realised she was gone all the sheets were still neatly in place.

Suspect 

"A child of that age wouldn't have been able to get out of bed without moving a thing. Someone had clearly been in and carefully lifted her out. Kate realised that right away.

"This evidence must now refocus the police attention. Kate and Gerry should be released from their suspect status."

Another vital clue pointing to kidnap came two months ago when the News of the World revealed how Maddie's treasured Cuddle Cat toy had been found on a high ledge in the room, out of her reach.

Portuguese police are aware of the new evidence but continue to point the finger at Madeleine's anguished parents.

Close friends of the McCanns have always known about the clue but have been unable to make it public because of strict Portuguese privacy laws.

Alarmingly, the News of the World has also discovered that other holidaymakers and neighbours in the same Praia da Luz apartment block have never been asked for DNA samples-even though many helped with the search on the night Maddie went missing.

Pamela Fenn lives in the apartment directly above the one rented by the McCanns and came into close contact with the couple that night.

She told us: "I've not been required to give a sample or provide fingerprints."

Another apartment owner said he was surprised not to have been checked out.

"I'd have thought it was important for us to give DNA samples, so we could be ruled out if nothing else," he said.

"There were lots of us helping out that night and you'd think our DNA would be all over the place."

The McCanns have always vehemently denied all allegations and are now putting together a defence case they are convinced will clear their names.

They are hoping the appointment of Paulo Rebelo, Portugal's second most senior cop, to head up the case will help shift the focus away from them. Rebelo replaces Goncalo Amaral, sacked after he accused British police of being manipulated by the McCanns.


Pounds 1.5 m reward for Maddie's safe return: details at notw.co.uk

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

Kicking sailor 'clue' to body

Kicking sailor 'clue' to body
Exclusive Missing Madeleine Day 164
The Sunday Mirror
14 October 2007
Lori Campbell

Portuguese police are becoming increasingly convinced Madeleine McCann's body was dumped at sea.

Officers drafted in to revitalise the investigation will reinterview a key witness who saw a sailor acting suspiciously after the tot disappeared.

Nanny Charlotte Pennington told last night how the man was kicking at something in the hull of his vessel in Praia da Luz, where the family had been staying, two days after Madeleine vanished.

Charlotte, who was working at the Mark Warner holiday complex where their apartment was, ran to get a friend to see what was happening but by the time they returned the boat - and the sailor in yellow fluorescent jacket - had gone.

The next day Charlotte spotted the man, wearing what she thought was the same jacket, and contacted police.

Charlotte, 20, said at her home in Leatherhead, Surrey: "I'm really pleased they are taking this seriously because it means they aren't just looking at the McCanns as suspects."

Her sighting of the sailor - and his possible involvement - was described by a police source as "credible".

Local council leader Manuel Borba reckoned the chances of finding Madeleine in the area were now virtually nil.

Mr Borba, who spent two weeks searching, said: "I personally looked in 40 wells. I'm not going to say that it's impossible the body has been hidden here but I don't believe that it has."

Police will finally receive results from DNA samples taken from the McCanns' hire car and their apartment in the next few days.

The Portuguese hope they will provide a breakthrough - and possibly back their theory that Madeleine's parents helped dispose of her body after she died accidentally.

In a sign of increasing desperation, detectives are studying a map sketched by Chilean mystic Isabel Avila of an area where she claims Madeleine can be found. It suggests she is near a bridge and masts.

 

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

Cops probe nanny's dumped at sea claim

Cops probe nanny's dumped at sea claim
Exclusive Missing Madeleine Day 164
The Sunday Mirror
14 October 2007
Lori Campbell and Grant Hodgson

Key witness quizzed again 
Police dig into parents' uni days

Portuguese police are becoming increasingly convinced Madeleine McCann's body was dumped at sea.

Last night officers drafted in to revitalise the investigation were planning to re-interview a key witness who saw a sailor acting suspiciously after the tot disappeared.

And British police are to delve into the student pasts of Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry.

Last night nanny Charlotte Pennington told how she saw a sailor kicking at something in the hull of his vessel in Praia da Luz, where the McCanns had been staying, two days after their daughter vanished.

Charlotte, who was working at the Mark Warner holiday complex where their apartment was, ran to get a friend to see what was happening but by the time they returned the boat - and the sailor in yellow fluorescent jacket - had gone.

The next day Charlotte spotted the man, wearing what she thought was the same jacket, and contacted police.

Charlotte, 20, back home in Leatherhead, Surrey, said: "I'm really pleased they are taking this seriously because it means they aren't just looking at the McCanns as suspects."

Her sighting of the sailor - and his possible involvement - was last night described by one police source as "credible".

The officer added: "Whoever had the expertise to make Madeleine disappear from the flat also had the expertise to throw her into the sea."

Police believe Madeleine was killed on May 3 and her body dumped in the Atlantic. They fear she may never be found.

Local council leader Manuel Borba reckoned the chances of finding Madeleine in the area were now virtually nil.

Mr Borba, who spent two weeks searching, insisted: "I personally looked in 40 wells. I'm not going to say that it's impossible the body has been hidden here but I don't believe that it has." Several new officers, including two murder squad detectives based in Lisbon, started work on the case yesterday under the command of Paulo Rebelo.

He replaced controversial Goncalo Amaral, 48, taken off the case after his criticism of British police. Mr Rebelo is reported to be receiving long-awaited results from DNA samples taken from the McCanns' hire car and apartment in the next few days. The test results, produced by the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham, are being sent in sealed envelopes via the British embassy.

The Portuguese hope they will provide a breakthrough - and possibly back their theory that Madeleine's parents helped dispose of her body after she died accidentally.

Detectives in Britain are to dig into the couple's backgrounds as far back as their university days 20 years ago.

Strathclyde Police have been asked to contact former friends and colleagues to establish if there is anything in either's past which may shed light on the case.

Kate and Gerry, both 39, from Rothley, Leics, met as junior doctors in Glasgow's Western Infirmary in 1992 after finishing their medical degrees.

The couple, who attended the Church of the Sacred Heart near their home yesterday with two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, have had no contact from Portuguese police since they returned to the UK. They deny any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

A friend said: "They've not heard a word. Not only are they unaware what is happening regarding their status as suspects but they fear nothing is being done to look for Madeleine."

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they would stay in Leicestershire for the twins' sake but would return to Portugal if asked.

In an increasing sign of desperation, Portuguese police were last night studying a map sketched by Chilean mystic Isabel Avila of an area where she claims Madeleine can be found. It suggests she is near a bridge and tall antennas.

Desperate cops to study map drawn up by a psychic


  

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Clarence Mitchell, Gonçalo Amaral, Lori Campbell, Madeleine McCann, News of the World, Ross Hall

I'M MADDIE'S FATHER..100%

12 October 2007
The Sun
With Clodagh Hartley/Antonella Lazzeri in Rothley
Angry Gerry slams cop rumours

The parents of Maddie McCann reacted with fury yesterday after reports in Portugal claimed Gerry was not the tot's natural father. Police sources say IVF baby Maddie, four, has a different biological dad. They claim it means that if DNA evidence said to have been found in the couple's hire car is proved to be Maddie's, it cannot be explained away as being the twins'.

But a close family friend said the claim had left Kate and Gerry "horrified and distressed". The friend said: "Gerry IS the father. And he damn well knew, because of the IVF process, that he was 100 per cent the father."

Continue Reading... Labels: 2007, Antonella Lazzeri, Clarence Mitchell, Madeleine McCann

Portuguese put top cop in charge of the search

Portuguese put top cop in charge of the search
9 October 2007
Evening Herald

ONE of Portugal's most senior detectives today took charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Paulo Rebelo, a senior criminal investigation co-ordinator at national police headquarters in Lisbon, will now lead the inquiry.

Mr Rebelo was expected to move to southern Portugal, where Madeleine vanished 159 days ago on May 3, a Portuguese police spokeswoman said.

The detective, who will start work later this week, has investigated several high-profile cases including claims of a child sex ring at a state-run children's home.

Portuguese police chiefs will want the new leader to bring fresh momentum and stability to the troubled and controversial inquiry.

Goncalo Amaral (above) was removed from the investigation last week after criticising British police in a newspaper interview.

The officer claimed detectives were being misled by the girl's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, who are suspects in the case.

Mr Amaral, who headed the regional Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, also accused the McCanns of releasing new information each day in a bid to confuse the inquiry.

After the move, another senior officer, Chief Inspector Tavares Almeida, asked for an extended leave of absence.

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

The detective, who heads the regional Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, was also said to have engaged in three hour boozy lunches at the height of the investigation into Maddie's disappearance.

 

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

I traced Maddie DNA to the sea

I traced Maddie DNA to the sea
'The Locator' gives fresh hope to the McCanns
7 October 2007
News of the World
Lucy Panton

RENOWNED international manhunt expert, dubbed The Locator, sensationally revealed he has uncovered a telltale DNA trail left by snatched toddler Maddie McCann.

In a shock new twist, ex-cop Danie Krugel tracked a "forensic route" he believed her kidnapper took from her family's Portuguese holiday apartment through alleyways, roads and paths down to a nearby beach.

There the trail goes cold-crucially supporting the theory that Madeleine was then taken out to sea in a boat after being abducted on May 3.

And the McCanns are convinced Krugel's evidence means four-year-old Maddie was taken ALIVE and gives them hope she can still be found.

The experienced investigator told us:

"I spent four nights in July carrying out my searches.

"I've been able to trace where Madeleine was in the resort and have drawn a map which has been given to the police.

"I can't reveal details as I don't want to alert anyone who might try to disturb the scene. But I believe I've traced where she was taken that night and now it's down to police to use their search experts to do the rest. The area to which my investigation led me is a difficult one to search."

"We tried to contact the family at the very beginning to offer our help, but unfortunately we didn't get called in until a couple of months after Madeleine went missing."

Desperate

News of Krugel's findings came as the News of the World discovered that forensic tests on DNA found in the apartment and hire car are "inconclusive"-completely refuting Portuguese police claims that they incriminate to Maddie's distraught parents, still branded official suspects.

In their desperate bid to find Madeleine the McCanns called in South African Krugel after hearing of a string of remarkable successes in his homeland, where he earned his nickname The Locator.

Krugel's hi-tech methods are a closely guarded secret and he refuses to give details of his techniques.

But his method uses DNA fragments and Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology to find missing persons, alive and dead.

The McCanns gave him a sample of Maddie's hair found on a coat that had been left at home in Rothley, Leicestershire, to carry out his probe, with the full cooperation of the cops in Praia da Luz.

Krugel's starting point was the ground floor apartment in the Mark Warner complex where she vanished, just a short distance away from the tapas bar where Kate and Gerry were dining with seven friends.

Using his secret techniques Krugel began tracing and following a DNA trail on a 15-minute route to the sea.

Portuguese cops were then called in to examine his dossier of evidence and immediately decided to carry out searches based on the information. A source told us:

"In fact TWO searches were carried out although this has never been revealed.

"The police were worried that media in the area would see them but they managed to do it all without anyone finding out.

"They didn't find any trace of Madeleine but this did not mean Mr Krugel's information wasn't accurate. The investigations show the only option was for Madeleine to have been put on a boat and taken out to sea."

After police made inquiries around the nearby Lagos marina and other local boating communities there emerged the two theories that Madeleine's body was dumped at sea or she is still alive having been taken by boat abroad, possibly to Morocco.

Krugel's results also match a crucial eye-witness account on the evening of May 3 by Kate and Gerry's close friend Jane Tanner.

She said she saw a man carrying what appeared to be a child wrapped in a blanket close to their apartment.

In a witness statement to cops Miss Tanner said the child looked similar to Madeleine. The man has never been traced. Ironically for the McCanns, it was the work of Krugel that resulted in sniffer dogs being brought in and the couple being declared suspects.

Our source said:

"It was suggested to the Portuguese police that after they'd searched the beach they should then use the dogs from Britain. And it was the behaviour of the dogs that caused them to believe they'd found this so-called 'scent of death'.

"This in fact may not have been the case but the police became convinced Kate and Gerry were involved.

"They are ignoring all the statements to the contrary, the DNA evidence said to have been found in the hire car which can be easily explained, and also the work of Mr Krugel who has had many successes."

"The Locator" traced victims of infamous South African paedophile Gert van Rooyan in the late 1980s. Six girls, aged 11 to 13, had vanished and police were baffled.

Using hair from the missing girls he repeatedly pinpointed the same spot and when the area was excavated bone fragments of victims was found.

He also traced the body of missing five-year-old girl, Naledi Ntebele, in just 20 minutes.

The News of the World has learned Kate and Gerry could finally be cleared after new forensic tests carried out in the UK have proved "inconclusive".

DNA testing by the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham on samples of body fluids and blood have NOT provided a positive match to Madeleine.

An FSS source said that further "more complicated" tests were being carried out and denied claims they were holding back information from the Portuguese. Earlier British experts accused the Portuguese of overplaying early DNA evidence to put pressure on the McCanns.

In the days that followed it was alleged that Portuguese police had found fluids and hair from Madeleine in the hire car.

Leaked reports claimed bodily fluids and blonde hairs apparently belonging to Maddie had been found in the Renault, leading to speculation that they used the car to move her corpse weeks later.

Proven

But a source close to the forensic inquiry insisted yesterday:

"The testing carried out so far remains inconclusive. There are no complete DNA profiles that could implicate the McCanns.

"Tests are still underway and if they come to the same conclusion the case against the McCanns will collapse."

As the argument raged, investigator Krugel told us he had asked for no money or even expenses for his work on the case.

"I wanted to assist the McCanns and offered my services," he said.

"We tried to contact the family at the very beginning but unfortunately we didn't get called in until months after Madeleine went missing."

A source close to the McCanns said:

"The work of Mr Krugel should not be underestimated and gives great hope to Gerry and Kate.

"Many people have contacted the couple to try to help but while their hearts may be in the right place they just don't have the expertise to be of assistance. But Mr Krugel has a proven record of finding people and his methods are extremely credible.

"The results in Praia da Luz crucially match many other strands of the investigation which all point to Madeleine being abducted and still being alive on that night when she was taken.

"Kate and Gerry just want police to concentrate on this evidence and find Madeleine. It's so frustrating for them.

"It is important to mention Kate and Gerry used Mr Krugel with the full cooperation of Portuguese police. The fact they carried out searches as a result of his work prove his credibility with them.

"Yet sadly they seem to have decided to no longer follow this line of inquiry."

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