Madeleine Detective 'Quits Case'
Updated: 10:57, Monday September 17, 2007
The official police spokesman in the Madeleine McCann inquiry has reportedly resigned.
Not returning calls: Olegario SousaChief Inspector Olegario Sousa is said to have quit in disgust at the way the missing girl's parents have been treated.
Sky sources said Portuguese police had given their counterparts in the UK 40 questions they want the couple to answer.
Gerry and Kate McCann - who are now back at their home in Rothley in Leicestershire - are expected to be given the list in the next few days.
The couple have been named official suspects in Portugal, and a slew of newspaper reports have linked them to their daughter's disappearance.
They plan to sue one Portuguese paper which said the police believe they killed Madeleine.
Mr Sousa is reportedly upset at leaks to the local press from his officers - leaks which he feels are designed to undermine the couple.
Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "The official line is that he was taken off the case on Friday because he is the police spokesman, and the case has moved from the police to the prosecution.
"But word on the ground is that some people were unhappy about the leaks to the media.
"His phone was switched off at the weekend, which is unusual because he normally answers it."
Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,, ... 93,00.html
Madeleine McCann ~ Little girl missing in Portugal
Moderator: Fashionista
by wvgirl » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:25 am
Portuguese judge balks at ordering Madeleine McCann's parents to return for questioning
(Reuters)
Kate McCann, who gave an interview to a Portuguese magazine today about her life as a mother
David Brown and Steve Bird in Praia da Luz
A judge reviewing the evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann is reported to have refused to order the couple to return to Portugal for further police interviews about the suspected death of their daughter, Madeleine.
Judge Pedro Daniel dos Anjos Frias is said to have asked for the couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, to be questioned instead by British police about the night their daughter disappeared from her Algarve holiday home.
Leicestershire police will be sent a list of all the questions that the Portuguese authorities want the McCanns to be asked, together with details of the related evidence, according to the Correio da Manhã newspaper.
It is has been claimed that the couple, both 39, will not be questioned again until the Polícia Judici�ria has received the results of tests on all the samples collected from the family’s holiday apartment, hire car and other places.
Interviews could also be carried out with the seven British friends who were staying with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, 137 days ago. Officers have complained of a “pact of silence” within the group that has made it difficult to create a timeline of events on May 3.
Portuguese detectives are working with the Leicestershire investigation but it is unclear if they will take part in the interviews. A Portuguese police source is reported by Correio da Manhã to have said that there could now be a delay in the investigation as they prepare to make the formal request for the interview in Britain.
“What normally happens is that it takes a few days, or even weeks, because quite often it is not possible to translate judicial terms and the letters return with requests of clarification,” the source said.
Portuguese detectives passed a 4,000-page dossier of evidence against Mr and Mrs McCann to the Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses on Tuesday of last week. He immediately ordered that the then files should go before Judge Frias, who must rule on several requests by the prosecutors before Thursday.
A spokesman for the couple said today: “We have been in touch with our lawyers. They assure us we have had no requests to date for any further questioning, either from the Portuguese police or in the UK.”
Portuguese police are still attempting to put together a picture of the relationship between Mr and Mrs McCann and their three children. Mrs McCann, 39, told has told a Portuguese magazine that Madeleine, who disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday, could be difficult but strenuously denied any crime.
“The only thing I’ve ever be certain of in life is I’ve wanted to be a mum,” she told the latest edition of Flash! magazine. “The first six months of Maddie’s life was very difficult”, because the little girl “had lots of colic and cried practically for 18 hours and day. I had to permanently carry her around.”
Mrs McCann explained that although the time was difficult it created a strong bond with Madeleine before the birth of the twins, Sean and Amelie, now 2.
“She accepted the twins’ arrival very well. She managed to deal perfectly with this new reality although she herself at the time was still a baby,” said Mrs McCann. “The worst thing is that she started to demand lots of attention, especially when I was breast feeding them. She’d run up and down screaming the background shouting for my attention.”
Mr McCann, a consultant cardiologist, used his internet blog to thank people who had written letters of support since the couple were made official suspects in the disappearance of their daughter.
Mr McCann wrote: “It means so much to us to know that so many people have not been deceived by rumour, innuendo and wild speculation. Most importantly the search for Madeleine carries on and our family have not given up hope of finding her.”
It was confirmed today that Clarence Mitchell, a former senior BBC journalist, has been appointed as the McCanns’ official spokesman.
He was sent to Portugal by the Foreign Office as chief adviser to the McCanns shortly after their daughter was reported missing, before his return to the UK in June. Part of his new brief will involve studying the Portuguese press after concerns from the family about a series of negative newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, the official spokesman for the Polícia Judici�ria has left the inquiry team. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa has said that there was no need for a police spokesman as the case was now being handled by the office of the Public Prosecutor.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 473974.ece
(Reuters)
Kate McCann, who gave an interview to a Portuguese magazine today about her life as a mother
David Brown and Steve Bird in Praia da Luz
A judge reviewing the evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann is reported to have refused to order the couple to return to Portugal for further police interviews about the suspected death of their daughter, Madeleine.
Judge Pedro Daniel dos Anjos Frias is said to have asked for the couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, to be questioned instead by British police about the night their daughter disappeared from her Algarve holiday home.
Leicestershire police will be sent a list of all the questions that the Portuguese authorities want the McCanns to be asked, together with details of the related evidence, according to the Correio da Manhã newspaper.
It is has been claimed that the couple, both 39, will not be questioned again until the Polícia Judici�ria has received the results of tests on all the samples collected from the family’s holiday apartment, hire car and other places.
Interviews could also be carried out with the seven British friends who were staying with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, 137 days ago. Officers have complained of a “pact of silence” within the group that has made it difficult to create a timeline of events on May 3.
Portuguese detectives are working with the Leicestershire investigation but it is unclear if they will take part in the interviews. A Portuguese police source is reported by Correio da Manhã to have said that there could now be a delay in the investigation as they prepare to make the formal request for the interview in Britain.
“What normally happens is that it takes a few days, or even weeks, because quite often it is not possible to translate judicial terms and the letters return with requests of clarification,” the source said.
Portuguese detectives passed a 4,000-page dossier of evidence against Mr and Mrs McCann to the Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses on Tuesday of last week. He immediately ordered that the then files should go before Judge Frias, who must rule on several requests by the prosecutors before Thursday.
A spokesman for the couple said today: “We have been in touch with our lawyers. They assure us we have had no requests to date for any further questioning, either from the Portuguese police or in the UK.”
Portuguese police are still attempting to put together a picture of the relationship between Mr and Mrs McCann and their three children. Mrs McCann, 39, told has told a Portuguese magazine that Madeleine, who disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday, could be difficult but strenuously denied any crime.
“The only thing I’ve ever be certain of in life is I’ve wanted to be a mum,” she told the latest edition of Flash! magazine. “The first six months of Maddie’s life was very difficult”, because the little girl “had lots of colic and cried practically for 18 hours and day. I had to permanently carry her around.”
Mrs McCann explained that although the time was difficult it created a strong bond with Madeleine before the birth of the twins, Sean and Amelie, now 2.
“She accepted the twins’ arrival very well. She managed to deal perfectly with this new reality although she herself at the time was still a baby,” said Mrs McCann. “The worst thing is that she started to demand lots of attention, especially when I was breast feeding them. She’d run up and down screaming the background shouting for my attention.”
Mr McCann, a consultant cardiologist, used his internet blog to thank people who had written letters of support since the couple were made official suspects in the disappearance of their daughter.
Mr McCann wrote: “It means so much to us to know that so many people have not been deceived by rumour, innuendo and wild speculation. Most importantly the search for Madeleine carries on and our family have not given up hope of finding her.”
It was confirmed today that Clarence Mitchell, a former senior BBC journalist, has been appointed as the McCanns’ official spokesman.
He was sent to Portugal by the Foreign Office as chief adviser to the McCanns shortly after their daughter was reported missing, before his return to the UK in June. Part of his new brief will involve studying the Portuguese press after concerns from the family about a series of negative newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, the official spokesman for the Polícia Judici�ria has left the inquiry team. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa has said that there was no need for a police spokesman as the case was now being handled by the office of the Public Prosecutor.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 473974.ece
-
wvgirl - Posts: 4307
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:29 pm
- Location: Almost Heaven
by wvgirl » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:30 am
With prejudice
Unofficial sources and the demands of 24-hour news have led to a media storm around Gerry and Kate McCann that gets darker by the day
Giles Tremlett
Monday September 17, 2007
Guardian
Inside the drab, tile-clad police station in Portimao, there is a television tuned to Sky News. Officers are monitoring the UK news network, which has mounted rolling coverage of the case they are investigating, for one reason: they want to know what the world is saying about them.
That explains the outrage 10 days ago, on the evening that Gerry and Kate McCann were declared formal suspects, or arguidos, in the disappearance of their daughter. Police were still questioning Gerry McCann when, already, his sister Philomena was telling Sky they had offered Kate McCann a reduced two-year sentence if she admitted to killing her daughter accidentally, hiding the body and then secretly disposing of it weeks later.
On this occasion the police officers were right to be angry. Like many things said about the McCann affair over the past days and months, the story was wrong. There was no offer of a plea bargain. It had all been "a misunderstanding", the McCann lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, explained the following day.
That did not mean, of course, that Philomena McCann - one of many people speaking for what might broadly be called "the McCann camp" - was wrong about the rest of it. Portuguese police do seem to be considering accidental death followed by disposal of the corpse as a possibility in this most bizarre of cases. In this story without on-the-record sources, however, they have not even publicly confirmed that much.
It now seems incredible, however, to recall that the McCanns started suing Portugal's Tal & Qual magazine for saying just that a little over two weeks ago: Philomena McCann's statement gave British journalists the green light to start reporting the allegations against the McCanns - even though, if they are found not guilty in any future trial, editors could be sued.
The scene inside the police station helps explain something of the nature of what has become one of the world's biggest media storms. The journalists watch the police, the police watch the journalists and the world watches them all - showing an insatiable appetite for even the flimsiest reports about the McCann case.
Stir into the mix the relentless demands of 24-hour rolling journalism and some bitter, nationalistic warfare between sections of the British and Portuguese press and you get a messy, and occasionally nasty, story.
"The British press ... treats Portugal as a place full of incapable, careless incompetents," complained Francisco Moita Flores in Correio da Manha after a recent round of criticism of the Portuguese police.
Frustration reigns among journalists covering the case. Everybody who knows anything worthwhile is bound by Portugal's judicial secrecy laws not to talk. That includes the police, lawyers, court officials, the McCanns and almost anyone who has given evidence. That has not, of course, prevented the media providing a daily feast of "details". So where do these come from?
Kate and Gerry McCann might not be able to talk, but their extended family and a network of friends can, and do. Philomena, with her colourful Glaswegian vocabulary and willingness to attack the police, is among the most quoted - but there are many more.
The Portuguese police also talk, though the few gruff words issued by official spokesman Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa rarely add anything to the story. Like any police force, however, they leak - especially to Portuguese journalists. Unfortunately the things they leak are often contradictory. For every "police source" claiming the evidence against the McCanns is strong, for example, another is ready to say it is not.
The McCanns have their own favourite journalists. Gerry McCann, for example, likes Sky's Ian Woods - who conducted the first television interview with them back in May. It was Sky who told the world the McCanns were leaving Portugal on September 9.
Although many commentators have professed amazement at the McCanns' supposedly skilful media management, this has, at times, proved chaotic. It was naive, for example, to believe that the respect showed to them in the days immediately after three-year-old Madeleine vanished would hold.
Muck-raking stories
In the early days the McCanns were allowed to set the rules for the press. They decided what happened, and when. The British media succumbed, largely, to a bout of communal sympathy. Police had said it was a kidnap. Robert Murat, an expatriate Briton, had been declared a formal suspect. He, as the McCanns do now, denied any involvement. That did not stop, however, pages and pages of muck-raking stories about him from appearing in newspapers in both Portugal and the UK.
The McCanns' early success with the press can be put down, in part, to the media experts they found working alongside them. The Mark Warner company, whose holiday apartments they had been staying in, already had a deal with PR company Bell Pottinger. That meant that Alex Woolfall, the company's crisis management head, was in Praia da Luz the day after Madeleine disappeared. When Woolfall left 10 days later, the Foreign Office stepped in. Media handlers arrived from London. They included former Daily Mirror journalist Sheree Dodd and, later, former BBC man Clarence Mitchell. Both Woolfall and Mitchell are remembered by reporters as key and immensely helpful sources as the McCann phenomenon took off.
After they left, however, things started going wrong. Portuguese newspapers started to publish unsympathetic stories at the end of June. As Portuguese journalists caught the mood music from police the relationship disintegrated further. Sandra Felgueiras, a feisty state television journalist obsessed by the family's supposed use of Calpol, became a particular bete noire.
Some Portuguese commentators are aware that their press, like some of their British counterparts, have gone too far. "The crowd now wants the parents to be the murderers because they are British (and, therefore, not Portuguese) and so that the worst of the British press has to surrender to the worst of the Portuguese press and admit that the latter were right," commented Mario Negreiros in Portugal's Jornal de Negocios.
Justine McGuinness, the campaign manager who took over after Mitchell left, stood down from the job last week; she is understood to have been exhausted by the intensity of the campaign. The McCanns have talked to, among others, former News of the World and Hello! editor Phil Hall about their future media needs, but seem to be finding it hard to hire a permanent replacement. Hanover PR, run by John Major's former press secretary Charles Lewington, was taking calls over the weekend, but stressed it was not working for the McCanns permanently.
It is hard to overestimate the global reach of the McCann story. The Associated Press, which rivals Reuters as the world's biggest global news agency, took reporters away from a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in northern Portugal to cover the McCanns' sudden change of fortune at Portimao police station. The decision paid off. The AP story was the most-read story on many US newspaper websites that day.
The strain on journalists in the Algarve has been immense. Working days have stretched for up to 18 hours or more. The McCann story has provided the British print media with the same test of modern, 24-hour, seven-day web-driven journalism as Virginia Tech gave their US counterparts.
Editors at newspaper websites realised back in May that McCann stories quickly shot to the top of their "most read" rankings. The best summary of the McCanns' current situation came from a Portuguese commentator, Joao Marques dos Santos of Correio da Manha. "The theory of the presumption of innocence for an arguido is a joke. When someone is declared an arguido, the exact opposite occurs. That person, whether innocent or not, is considered by investigators to be potentially guilty. The effects are devastating and irreparable."
The media, said McCann lawyer Pinto de Abreu, may be doing even more damage than that. "The media coverage could prejudice not just people's reputations but also the investigation itself," he told journalists last week.
MediaGuardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
Unofficial sources and the demands of 24-hour news have led to a media storm around Gerry and Kate McCann that gets darker by the day
Giles Tremlett
Monday September 17, 2007
Guardian
Inside the drab, tile-clad police station in Portimao, there is a television tuned to Sky News. Officers are monitoring the UK news network, which has mounted rolling coverage of the case they are investigating, for one reason: they want to know what the world is saying about them.
That explains the outrage 10 days ago, on the evening that Gerry and Kate McCann were declared formal suspects, or arguidos, in the disappearance of their daughter. Police were still questioning Gerry McCann when, already, his sister Philomena was telling Sky they had offered Kate McCann a reduced two-year sentence if she admitted to killing her daughter accidentally, hiding the body and then secretly disposing of it weeks later.
On this occasion the police officers were right to be angry. Like many things said about the McCann affair over the past days and months, the story was wrong. There was no offer of a plea bargain. It had all been "a misunderstanding", the McCann lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, explained the following day.
That did not mean, of course, that Philomena McCann - one of many people speaking for what might broadly be called "the McCann camp" - was wrong about the rest of it. Portuguese police do seem to be considering accidental death followed by disposal of the corpse as a possibility in this most bizarre of cases. In this story without on-the-record sources, however, they have not even publicly confirmed that much.
It now seems incredible, however, to recall that the McCanns started suing Portugal's Tal & Qual magazine for saying just that a little over two weeks ago: Philomena McCann's statement gave British journalists the green light to start reporting the allegations against the McCanns - even though, if they are found not guilty in any future trial, editors could be sued.
The scene inside the police station helps explain something of the nature of what has become one of the world's biggest media storms. The journalists watch the police, the police watch the journalists and the world watches them all - showing an insatiable appetite for even the flimsiest reports about the McCann case.
Stir into the mix the relentless demands of 24-hour rolling journalism and some bitter, nationalistic warfare between sections of the British and Portuguese press and you get a messy, and occasionally nasty, story.
"The British press ... treats Portugal as a place full of incapable, careless incompetents," complained Francisco Moita Flores in Correio da Manha after a recent round of criticism of the Portuguese police.
Frustration reigns among journalists covering the case. Everybody who knows anything worthwhile is bound by Portugal's judicial secrecy laws not to talk. That includes the police, lawyers, court officials, the McCanns and almost anyone who has given evidence. That has not, of course, prevented the media providing a daily feast of "details". So where do these come from?
Kate and Gerry McCann might not be able to talk, but their extended family and a network of friends can, and do. Philomena, with her colourful Glaswegian vocabulary and willingness to attack the police, is among the most quoted - but there are many more.
The Portuguese police also talk, though the few gruff words issued by official spokesman Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa rarely add anything to the story. Like any police force, however, they leak - especially to Portuguese journalists. Unfortunately the things they leak are often contradictory. For every "police source" claiming the evidence against the McCanns is strong, for example, another is ready to say it is not.
The McCanns have their own favourite journalists. Gerry McCann, for example, likes Sky's Ian Woods - who conducted the first television interview with them back in May. It was Sky who told the world the McCanns were leaving Portugal on September 9.
Although many commentators have professed amazement at the McCanns' supposedly skilful media management, this has, at times, proved chaotic. It was naive, for example, to believe that the respect showed to them in the days immediately after three-year-old Madeleine vanished would hold.
Muck-raking stories
In the early days the McCanns were allowed to set the rules for the press. They decided what happened, and when. The British media succumbed, largely, to a bout of communal sympathy. Police had said it was a kidnap. Robert Murat, an expatriate Briton, had been declared a formal suspect. He, as the McCanns do now, denied any involvement. That did not stop, however, pages and pages of muck-raking stories about him from appearing in newspapers in both Portugal and the UK.
The McCanns' early success with the press can be put down, in part, to the media experts they found working alongside them. The Mark Warner company, whose holiday apartments they had been staying in, already had a deal with PR company Bell Pottinger. That meant that Alex Woolfall, the company's crisis management head, was in Praia da Luz the day after Madeleine disappeared. When Woolfall left 10 days later, the Foreign Office stepped in. Media handlers arrived from London. They included former Daily Mirror journalist Sheree Dodd and, later, former BBC man Clarence Mitchell. Both Woolfall and Mitchell are remembered by reporters as key and immensely helpful sources as the McCann phenomenon took off.
After they left, however, things started going wrong. Portuguese newspapers started to publish unsympathetic stories at the end of June. As Portuguese journalists caught the mood music from police the relationship disintegrated further. Sandra Felgueiras, a feisty state television journalist obsessed by the family's supposed use of Calpol, became a particular bete noire.
Some Portuguese commentators are aware that their press, like some of their British counterparts, have gone too far. "The crowd now wants the parents to be the murderers because they are British (and, therefore, not Portuguese) and so that the worst of the British press has to surrender to the worst of the Portuguese press and admit that the latter were right," commented Mario Negreiros in Portugal's Jornal de Negocios.
Justine McGuinness, the campaign manager who took over after Mitchell left, stood down from the job last week; she is understood to have been exhausted by the intensity of the campaign. The McCanns have talked to, among others, former News of the World and Hello! editor Phil Hall about their future media needs, but seem to be finding it hard to hire a permanent replacement. Hanover PR, run by John Major's former press secretary Charles Lewington, was taking calls over the weekend, but stressed it was not working for the McCanns permanently.
It is hard to overestimate the global reach of the McCann story. The Associated Press, which rivals Reuters as the world's biggest global news agency, took reporters away from a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in northern Portugal to cover the McCanns' sudden change of fortune at Portimao police station. The decision paid off. The AP story was the most-read story on many US newspaper websites that day.
The strain on journalists in the Algarve has been immense. Working days have stretched for up to 18 hours or more. The McCann story has provided the British print media with the same test of modern, 24-hour, seven-day web-driven journalism as Virginia Tech gave their US counterparts.
Editors at newspaper websites realised back in May that McCann stories quickly shot to the top of their "most read" rankings. The best summary of the McCanns' current situation came from a Portuguese commentator, Joao Marques dos Santos of Correio da Manha. "The theory of the presumption of innocence for an arguido is a joke. When someone is declared an arguido, the exact opposite occurs. That person, whether innocent or not, is considered by investigators to be potentially guilty. The effects are devastating and irreparable."
The media, said McCann lawyer Pinto de Abreu, may be doing even more damage than that. "The media coverage could prejudice not just people's reputations but also the investigation itself," he told journalists last week.
MediaGuardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
-
wvgirl - Posts: 4307
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:29 pm
- Location: Almost Heaven
by wvgirl » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:41 am
POLICE TO SEARCH SHRINE FOR BODY
Monday September 17,2007
David Pilditch and Martin Evans in Praia da Luz
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLICE in Portugal believe Madeleine McCann may be buried at one of the holiest sites of the Catholic Church.
Officers were last night planning to launch a search at Fatima in central Portugal.
Devout Kate and Gerry McCann made a pilgrimage there three weeks after their daughter vanished from their holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
Just four days later they rented a car which police believe the couple used to return to the shrine and dispose of Madeleine’s body.
The search in Fatima is said to be one of a series to be carried out over the next few days. It comes as it was claimed yesterday that Kate could be charged with her daughter’s murder.
In just five weeks the McCanns clocked up 1,709 miles in the car and police want to question them about every journey they made. The couple claim they ran up the mileage making frequent return trips from the resort to Faro Airport 55 miles away.
They were picking up and dropping off family and friends who stayed with them as they mounted their campaign to find Madeleine, who vanished on May 3.
But a police source told the Daily Express yesterday that officers were not satisfied with the explanation the McCanns gave them.
They now believe the couple made the 500-mile return trip to Fatima to dispose of their daughter’s body.
It is one of the few places in Portugal outside the Algarve that the McCanns are known to have visited in the days after Madeleine disappeared.
Officers want to examine a pasture called the Cova da Iria near the village of Aljustrel a mile from Fatima – where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three children in 1917.
Police believe Madeleine died as a result of an accident and her body was hidden before being moved in the McCanns’ hire car.
They are convinced Gerry and Kate McCann’s devotion to their faith played a key role in how they supposedly disposed of the body.
The McCanns’ visit to Fatima on May 23 was the first of a series of organised trips to raise awareness for their campaign to find their missing daughter.
By the time they signed a rental agreement on a Renault with Budget Rentacar at Faro Airport on May 27, Fatima was one of the few places in Portugal they had been to. Detectives are said to be “very concerned” about the high mileage of the hire car and believe the couple may have travelled a long distance to dispose of Madeleine’s body.
A source close to the investigation said: “We are looking for a final resting place for the little girl.
“We now believe the movements of the car in the days after it was hired are the key to solving the mystery.
“Everywhere they have been will be thoroughly examined. They did not know Portugal well. The only familiar places will be the ones they visited.
“They have said the only places they drove to were around the resort and to and from the airport but that does not account for the mileage they did in the car.”
Body fluids with an 88 per cent DNA match to Madeleine were found in the spare tyre well under the carpet in the boot of the Renault along with clumps of the youngster’s hair.
During police interviews the McCanns were shown a video of a sniffer dog “going crazy’’ when it approached their hire car.
Police had previously been working on the theory that Madeleine’s body was dumped in the sea near the beach in Praia da Luz.
The British dogs brought in by South Yorkshire Police allegedly detected a trail of death from the family’s Ocean Club apartment down to the sea front.
Experts in tidal movements were called in to try to establish scientifically where a body may have been washed up. Another theory was that Madeleine’s body was placed in a sack and weighed down with rocks.
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/printer/view/19301/
Monday September 17,2007
David Pilditch and Martin Evans in Praia da Luz
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLICE in Portugal believe Madeleine McCann may be buried at one of the holiest sites of the Catholic Church.
Officers were last night planning to launch a search at Fatima in central Portugal.
Devout Kate and Gerry McCann made a pilgrimage there three weeks after their daughter vanished from their holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
Just four days later they rented a car which police believe the couple used to return to the shrine and dispose of Madeleine’s body.
The search in Fatima is said to be one of a series to be carried out over the next few days. It comes as it was claimed yesterday that Kate could be charged with her daughter’s murder.
In just five weeks the McCanns clocked up 1,709 miles in the car and police want to question them about every journey they made. The couple claim they ran up the mileage making frequent return trips from the resort to Faro Airport 55 miles away.
They were picking up and dropping off family and friends who stayed with them as they mounted their campaign to find Madeleine, who vanished on May 3.
But a police source told the Daily Express yesterday that officers were not satisfied with the explanation the McCanns gave them.
They now believe the couple made the 500-mile return trip to Fatima to dispose of their daughter’s body.
It is one of the few places in Portugal outside the Algarve that the McCanns are known to have visited in the days after Madeleine disappeared.
Officers want to examine a pasture called the Cova da Iria near the village of Aljustrel a mile from Fatima – where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three children in 1917.
Police believe Madeleine died as a result of an accident and her body was hidden before being moved in the McCanns’ hire car.
They are convinced Gerry and Kate McCann’s devotion to their faith played a key role in how they supposedly disposed of the body.
The McCanns’ visit to Fatima on May 23 was the first of a series of organised trips to raise awareness for their campaign to find their missing daughter.
By the time they signed a rental agreement on a Renault with Budget Rentacar at Faro Airport on May 27, Fatima was one of the few places in Portugal they had been to. Detectives are said to be “very concerned” about the high mileage of the hire car and believe the couple may have travelled a long distance to dispose of Madeleine’s body.
A source close to the investigation said: “We are looking for a final resting place for the little girl.
“We now believe the movements of the car in the days after it was hired are the key to solving the mystery.
“Everywhere they have been will be thoroughly examined. They did not know Portugal well. The only familiar places will be the ones they visited.
“They have said the only places they drove to were around the resort and to and from the airport but that does not account for the mileage they did in the car.”
Body fluids with an 88 per cent DNA match to Madeleine were found in the spare tyre well under the carpet in the boot of the Renault along with clumps of the youngster’s hair.
During police interviews the McCanns were shown a video of a sniffer dog “going crazy’’ when it approached their hire car.
Police had previously been working on the theory that Madeleine’s body was dumped in the sea near the beach in Praia da Luz.
The British dogs brought in by South Yorkshire Police allegedly detected a trail of death from the family’s Ocean Club apartment down to the sea front.
Experts in tidal movements were called in to try to establish scientifically where a body may have been washed up. Another theory was that Madeleine’s body was placed in a sack and weighed down with rocks.
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/printer/view/19301/
-
wvgirl - Posts: 4307
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:29 pm
- Location: Almost Heaven
by apodixis » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:17 pm
Perhaps part of the sensational British public interest in the case is due to the legal prohibition of media coverage of cases on trial there. Because such coverage is usually “forbidden fruit”, when it does become available “binge drinking” occors.
How has the latest OJ Simpson news been playing in the UK? Did it bump the McCann news coverage at all? In the US, there is a non-stop media feeding frenzy going on.
The cultural differences in these cases make them interesting. I imagine that the Brit upper class practice of sending kids off to bording school is looked on as too "cold" in Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
How has the latest OJ Simpson news been playing in the UK? Did it bump the McCann news coverage at all? In the US, there is a non-stop media feeding frenzy going on.
The cultural differences in these cases make them interesting. I imagine that the Brit upper class practice of sending kids off to bording school is looked on as too "cold" in Portugal, Spain, and Italy.
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apodixis - Posts: 6242
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by Need2Know » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:24 pm
Lord knows I may be wrong, but I keep thinking the parents and possibly their friends are responsible and/or accomplices in this accidental death and coverup.
1 John 3:1a, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
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Need2Know - N2K
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by Isanah » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:41 pm
1700 miles is a lot of miles to have driven. That would be about to 17 round trips to the airport. I wonder if there were shuttle buses available to and from the airport. Certainly friends would use them rather than impose on the grieving parents.
Living and Dying in 3/4 time! Jimmy Buffett
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
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Isanah - Posts: 11508
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by Need2Know » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:50 pm
Isanah wrote:1700 miles is a lot of miles to have driven. That would be about to 17 round trips to the airport. I wonder if there were shuttle buses available to and from the airport. Certainly friends would use them rather than impose on the grieving parents.
Just seem like more inconsistencies. I know they are screaming innocence and bad police work, but what person that knows they are guilty will actually tell the truth from the beginning? None of us have all the facts and we also know how inaccurate the media can be most times, which is why I have not commented on this in a little while, but from what I do seem to know, these parents are not believable to me. I have a bad opinon about them concerning the mere fact they left these kids alone, but apart from that, their facts are not fittting here.
1 John 3:1a, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
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Need2Know - N2K
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- Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:27 am
by Isanah » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:25 pm
I agree N2K. I am trying to be open to that they did not deliberately hurt their child, or the child was kidnapped. No doubt there is something hinky to all this! Even the story about the friend seeing someone carrying a child in a blanket is hinky to me. If I knew that these children were alone, I may have stopped the person just to ask an "innocent" question of some sort. At least that person should have checked on the children at that time after witnessing someone close to the apartment carrying a child. Is child sexual abuse and kidnapping really that unusual in this country? What about all the stranger danger that has been preached all over the world?
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone.
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone.
Living and Dying in 3/4 time! Jimmy Buffett
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
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Isanah - Posts: 11508
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by Seraph » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:38 pm
[quote="Isanah"]I agree N2K. I am trying to be open to that they did not deliberately hurt their child, or the child was kidnapped. No doubt there is something hinky to all this! Even the story about the friend seeing someone carrying a child in a blanket is hinky to me. If I knew that these children were alone, I may have stopped the person just to ask an "innocent" question of some sort. At least that person should have checked on the children at that time after witnessing someone close to the apartment carrying a child. Is child sexual abuse and kidnapping really that unusual in this country? What about all the stranger danger that has been preached all over the world?
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone.[/quote]
What makes you think that 'any other Country would be so flip about this practice (?) of leaving children alone'
I have worked in Child Protection in both the U.S. and the U.K. , believe me it happens eveywhere. Just because it isn't plastered across the front pages, doesn't mean there are not consequences for those who neglect their children.
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone.[/quote]
What makes you think that 'any other Country would be so flip about this practice (?) of leaving children alone'
I have worked in Child Protection in both the U.S. and the U.K. , believe me it happens eveywhere. Just because it isn't plastered across the front pages, doesn't mean there are not consequences for those who neglect their children.
I love my dog. He does nothing for political reasons.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers
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Seraph - Posts: 1632
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by WangChung » Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:20 pm
wvgirl wrote:
"By the time they signed a rental agreement on a Renault with Budget Rentacar at Faro Airport on May 27........"
There's the answer to the 1700-mile mystery. Budget offers unlimited free mileage with their rentals. The McCann's were just trying to get their money's worth.
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WangChung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
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by Heli » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:18 pm
The article quotes 1709 miles but the fact is that cars in Europe, just
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
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Heli - Transcription Goddess
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by CherokeeKid » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:43 pm
Madeleine McCann case
Car with residues drove 2750 km in a month
The Policia Judiciaria wants to clarify the routes that were driven by the Renault Scenic during its first month of rental in Praia da Luz. The vehicle, where the residues that are preseumed to be from Madeleine, were found, was delivered to the McCann couple on May 27, with 3114 kilometers. On June 3, the rental agreement was extended, and the vehicle was showing 3844 kilometres at that point.
The last record of the vehicle was made in July, also on the 3rd, and the counter of the vehicle registered 5864 kilometres. Which means that from May 27 until July 3 – a little over a month – it ran 2750.
At the moment, it’s unknown how many kilometers were made by the car already, whose contract with the McCanns ends on the 20th of this month. The extensions of the contract were made by phone, and the documents from the rental company don’t show the distances anymore.
CM knows that besides Gerry there was a second authorized driver on the rental agreement. It is Michael Wright, a cousin of Kate McCann, who at some point was the couple’s spokesperson. Michael Wright promoted the Find Madeleine site and organized some of the couple’s most important trips. PJ tries to understand who drove the car and which routes were taken, at a time when the McCanns were touring the world, and used tourist taxis for their connections to Faro or Lisbon airports.
Hair exams
Simultaneously, PJ is still waiting for the tests that are being performed on hair that was found inside the vehicle. Which is an important clue in the investigation. It can typically associate a suspect with a victim, or a victim with a crime scene. The amount and the state the hair is found in, are also important factors in the police inquiry.
In 200, a member of scientific police at the FBI, Douglas W. Deedrick, concluded that the microscopic characteristics of a hair under amplified sight do not allow for an absolute identification of the sample. But one thing can be determined quickly: if the hair fell out, or if it was pulled from a living or a dead person.
Meeting between police and magistrates
During the afternoon yesterday, police and magistrates met at the Courthouse in Portimao. The contents of the meeting is unknown, but the motive is certain: the continuation of the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, the definition of strategies over the coming days.
The meeting ended around 6 p.m, and only the heads of PJ at Portimao, Gonçalo Amaral, and from Faro, Guilhermino Encarnação, were captured by the cameras.
The magistrates exited incognito again and nobody knows what diligences are being prepared. The moment is of absolute silence and even Olegario Sousa, the PJ’s spokesperson for this case, was not to be reached. CM knows that next week the searches, which will be surgical, may start, and could lead police to discover the corpse. At least, this is what the police hopes for, as they believe they can clarify the mystery.
(…)
5 persons drove the car between May 3 and 27, the day the McCanns rented it. None of them is in any way related to the couple.
September 20 is the foreseen date for the car to be returned. The McCanns have not yet said if they will extend the contract.
Correio da Manha today:
http://www.correiodamanha.pt/noticia...dCanal=181&p=0
Copied from: http://helpmadeleine.proboards79.com... 86581&page=29 post #421
Car with residues drove 2750 km in a month
The Policia Judiciaria wants to clarify the routes that were driven by the Renault Scenic during its first month of rental in Praia da Luz. The vehicle, where the residues that are preseumed to be from Madeleine, were found, was delivered to the McCann couple on May 27, with 3114 kilometers. On June 3, the rental agreement was extended, and the vehicle was showing 3844 kilometres at that point.
The last record of the vehicle was made in July, also on the 3rd, and the counter of the vehicle registered 5864 kilometres. Which means that from May 27 until July 3 – a little over a month – it ran 2750.
At the moment, it’s unknown how many kilometers were made by the car already, whose contract with the McCanns ends on the 20th of this month. The extensions of the contract were made by phone, and the documents from the rental company don’t show the distances anymore.
CM knows that besides Gerry there was a second authorized driver on the rental agreement. It is Michael Wright, a cousin of Kate McCann, who at some point was the couple’s spokesperson. Michael Wright promoted the Find Madeleine site and organized some of the couple’s most important trips. PJ tries to understand who drove the car and which routes were taken, at a time when the McCanns were touring the world, and used tourist taxis for their connections to Faro or Lisbon airports.
Hair exams
Simultaneously, PJ is still waiting for the tests that are being performed on hair that was found inside the vehicle. Which is an important clue in the investigation. It can typically associate a suspect with a victim, or a victim with a crime scene. The amount and the state the hair is found in, are also important factors in the police inquiry.
In 200, a member of scientific police at the FBI, Douglas W. Deedrick, concluded that the microscopic characteristics of a hair under amplified sight do not allow for an absolute identification of the sample. But one thing can be determined quickly: if the hair fell out, or if it was pulled from a living or a dead person.
Meeting between police and magistrates
During the afternoon yesterday, police and magistrates met at the Courthouse in Portimao. The contents of the meeting is unknown, but the motive is certain: the continuation of the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, the definition of strategies over the coming days.
The meeting ended around 6 p.m, and only the heads of PJ at Portimao, Gonçalo Amaral, and from Faro, Guilhermino Encarnação, were captured by the cameras.
The magistrates exited incognito again and nobody knows what diligences are being prepared. The moment is of absolute silence and even Olegario Sousa, the PJ’s spokesperson for this case, was not to be reached. CM knows that next week the searches, which will be surgical, may start, and could lead police to discover the corpse. At least, this is what the police hopes for, as they believe they can clarify the mystery.
(…)
5 persons drove the car between May 3 and 27, the day the McCanns rented it. None of them is in any way related to the couple.
September 20 is the foreseen date for the car to be returned. The McCanns have not yet said if they will extend the contract.
Correio da Manha today:
http://www.correiodamanha.pt/noticia...dCanal=181&p=0
Copied from: http://helpmadeleine.proboards79.com... 86581&page=29 post #421
Wolf Wisdom-
CherokeeKid - Posts: 12719
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by Isanah » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:26 pm
Isanah wrote:I agree N2K. I am trying to be open to that they did not deliberately hurt their child, or the child was kidnapped. No doubt there is something hinky to all this! Even the story about the friend seeing someone carrying a child in a blanket is hinky to me. If I knew that these children were alone, I may have stopped the person just to ask an "innocent" question of some sort. At least that person should have checked on the children at that time after witnessing someone close to the apartment carrying a child. Is child sexual abuse and kidnapping really that unusual in this country? What about all the stranger danger that has been preached all over the world?
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. [b] As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone. [b]
Seraph wrote:What makes you think that 'any other Country would be so flip about this practice (?) of leaving children alone'
I have worked in Child Protection in both the U.S. and the U.K. , believe me it happens eveywhere. Just because it isn't plastered across the front pages, doesn't mean there are not consequences for those who neglect their children.
Yes, though there wasn't an immediate arrest and prompt investigation concerning the other children. In the US, and many other Countries, during that time one's other children would be with family services or other family members deemed responsible by the court. BTW, it does so far appear that Portugal has been "flip" by not immediately doing the above. I don't see where I suggested any other Country, only an inference to my surprise as to how this Country initially handled this case.
No need to make it like I was Country bashing. I am sincerely surprised how this case has been handled by this Country from the onset.
Living and Dying in 3/4 time! Jimmy Buffett
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
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Isanah - Posts: 11508
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:20 pm
by Seraph » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:57 pm
Isanah wrote:Isanah wrote:I agree N2K. I am trying to be open to that they did not deliberately hurt their child, or the child was kidnapped. No doubt there is something hinky to all this! Even the story about the friend seeing someone carrying a child in a blanket is hinky to me. If I knew that these children were alone, I may have stopped the person just to ask an "innocent" question of some sort. At least that person should have checked on the children at that time after witnessing someone close to the apartment carrying a child. Is child sexual abuse and kidnapping really that unusual in this country? What about all the stranger danger that has been preached all over the world?
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. [b] As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone. [b]Seraph wrote:What makes you think that 'any other Country would be so flip about this practice (?) of leaving children alone'
I have worked in Child Protection in both the U.S. and the U.K. , believe me it happens eveywhere. Just because it isn't plastered across the front pages, doesn't mean there are not consequences for those who neglect their children.
Yes, though there wasn't an immediate arrest and prompt investigation concerning the other children. In the US, and many other Countries, during that time one's other children would be with family services or other family members deemed responsible by the court. BTW, it does so far appear that Portugal has been "flip" by not immediately doing the above. I don't see where I suggested any other Country, only an inference to my surprise as to how this Country initially handled this case.
No need to make it like I was Country bashing. I am sincerely surprised how this case has been handled by this Country from the onset.
Isanah, I think the immediate response was to try to find Madeleine. From the press reports it appears that they will go after the McCanns for neglect if they can't prove anything else. When they returned to England they were seen by Social Services and I don't believe it was at their own request. Sorry for sounding 'snapish' but I'm sure Child Services have been alerted and are prepared to open a case against them. If they do not return they will then have to rely of British Social Services to deal with them. I don't know of any European country that would not act to investigate the same scenario. We all now belong to the Europen Community and are subject to many of the same laws and principles.
I love my dog. He does nothing for political reasons.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers
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Seraph - Posts: 1632
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:49 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
by WangChung » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:02 pm
Heli wrote:The article quotes 1709 miles but the fact is that cars in Europe, just
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
Budget offers unlimited free kilometers also.
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WangChung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
- Posts: 12229
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:58 pm
by Isanah » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:10 pm
Seraph wrote:Isanah wrote:Isanah wrote:I agree N2K. I am trying to be open to that they did not deliberately hurt their child, or the child was kidnapped. No doubt there is something hinky to all this! Even the story about the friend seeing someone carrying a child in a blanket is hinky to me. If I knew that these children were alone, I may have stopped the person just to ask an "innocent" question of some sort. At least that person should have checked on the children at that time after witnessing someone close to the apartment carrying a child. Is child sexual abuse and kidnapping really that unusual in this country? What about all the stranger danger that has been preached all over the world?
However, hindsight is 20/20.
I don't ever recall anyone that wasn't of questionable behavior leaving their children alone in the States. It doesn't mean some decent people haven't, but I have never heard of it. [b] As all of us know, we charge people with child neglect/endangerment here, and it never occurred to me that any other Country would be so flip about this practice of leaving children alone. [b]Seraph wrote:What makes you think that 'any other Country would be so flip about this practice (?) of leaving children alone'
I have worked in Child Protection in both the U.S. and the U.K. , believe me it happens eveywhere. Just because it isn't plastered across the front pages, doesn't mean there are not consequences for those who neglect their children.
Yes, though there wasn't an immediate arrest and prompt investigation concerning the other children. In the US, and many other Countries, during that time one's other children would be with family services or other family members deemed responsible by the court. BTW, it does so far appear that Portugal has been "flip" by not immediately doing the above. I don't see where I suggested any other Country, only an inference to my surprise as to how this Country initially handled this case.
No need to make it like I was Country bashing. I am sincerely surprised how this case has been handled by this Country from the onset.
Isanah, I think the immediate response was to try to find Madeleine. From the press reports it appears that they will go after the McCanns for neglect if they can't prove anything else. When they returned to England they were seen by Social Services and I don't believe it was at their own request. Sorry for sounding 'snapish' but I'm sure Child Services have been alerted and are prepared to open a case against them. If they do not return they will then have to rely of British Social Services to deal with them. I don't know of any European country that would not act to investigate the same scenario. We all now belong to the Europen Community and are subject to many of the same laws and principles.
I see. I wouldn't want to be these parents no matter the outcome. What an awful thing to live with if she was kidnapped while they socialized with friends. So very sad.
Living and Dying in 3/4 time! Jimmy Buffett
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Winston Churchill.
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Isanah - Posts: 11508
- Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:20 pm
by Seraph » Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:26 am
Top Stories
Latest
Judge refuses to order McCanns back to Portugal
A judge's decision to block police demands to return Kate and Gerry McCann to Portugal for further questioning is the clearest indication yet that the case against them is flawed.
Detectives - convinced the couple accidentally killed their four-year-old daughter Madeleine then disposed of her body - had been pinning their hopes on getting them back to face another grilling.
But Judge Pedro Daniel dos Anjos Frias raised the McCanns' hopes that the police's case, based on DNA samples from their hire car and holiday apartment, is falling apart. He turned down the police request and boosted the chances of no charges being brought against the couple.
The news came as the couple's new spokesman, former government spin doctor Clarence Mitchell, insisted they had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance. He said all the "evidence" in the police's 4,000-page dossier has "innocent explanations"
And the McCanns were also encouraged by news last night that Gordon Brown has developed a personal interest in the case.
Judge Frias now wants the couple to be quizzed by British police in their home town of Rothley, Leics.
The second round of interviews with Kate could come as early as next Tuesday.
Portuguese police were last night arranging for the official request documents to be sent to the UK. There is now expected to be a delay in the investigation as preparations are made.
A source said: "What normally happens is that it takes a few days, or even weeks, because quite often it is not possible to translate judicial terms and the letters return with requests of clarification." Leicestershire police will be sent a list of questions Portuguese authorities want cleared up. They are expected to ask Kate about 40 points she refused to answer during her 11-hour grilling in Portugal.
Portuguese detectives are understood to be keen to sit in on interviews as observers. But police sources said the likelihood of that was "very low".
Interviews could also be carried out with the seven British friends who were staying with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz on May 3.
A spokesman for the couple said: "We have been in touch with our lawyers. They assure us we have had no requests to date for any further questioning, either from the Portuguese police or in the UK."
A British police source said it would be "unusual" for officers to carry out interviews for a foreign force but stressed "anything is possible" in a major inquiry.
Kate and Gerry, both 39, went jogging yesterday before meeting advisers at their home. Kate later went for a drive with two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.
The couple have hired Mr Mitchell to spearhead the campaign to find Madeleine.
A former BBC journalist, he stunned bosses at the Central Office of Information by suddenly quitting his £70,000-a-year post as head of the Media Monitoring Unit.
Gerry was impressed with Mr Mitchell during a stint as their spokesman in Portugal during the summer.
He also accompanied the couple on trips to Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam and Morocco highlighting Madeleine's disappearance.
Gerry said: "We are delighted Clarence has returned to work with us. He did a great job supporting us during the weeks following Madeleine's disappearance.
"We appreciate his continuing support during this difficult time."
Mr Mitchell, 46, who lives in Bath, said last night: "They are an ordinary family caught up in extraordinary circumstances. I am utterly convinced they have nothing to do with the disappearance of their daughter.
"There are wholly innocent reasons for any of the so-called evidence the police may or may not have. They are happy to explain those at an appropriate point.
"But because of the legal situation they are constrained from commenting."
It seems to me a new viewpoint needs to be looked at in the case. Apparently 31 children disappeared in Portugal in the last year. It makes me wonder if this case is similar to the one in Belgium a few years ago.
A judge's decision to block police demands to return Kate and Gerry McCann to Portugal for further questioning is the clearest indication yet that the case against them is flawed.
The appointment of Mr C Mitchell is very strange, he has stated that he will not be paid from the Madeleine Fund but rather from an anonymous backer.
Latest
Judge refuses to order McCanns back to Portugal
A judge's decision to block police demands to return Kate and Gerry McCann to Portugal for further questioning is the clearest indication yet that the case against them is flawed.
Detectives - convinced the couple accidentally killed their four-year-old daughter Madeleine then disposed of her body - had been pinning their hopes on getting them back to face another grilling.
But Judge Pedro Daniel dos Anjos Frias raised the McCanns' hopes that the police's case, based on DNA samples from their hire car and holiday apartment, is falling apart. He turned down the police request and boosted the chances of no charges being brought against the couple.
The news came as the couple's new spokesman, former government spin doctor Clarence Mitchell, insisted they had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance. He said all the "evidence" in the police's 4,000-page dossier has "innocent explanations"
And the McCanns were also encouraged by news last night that Gordon Brown has developed a personal interest in the case.
Judge Frias now wants the couple to be quizzed by British police in their home town of Rothley, Leics.
The second round of interviews with Kate could come as early as next Tuesday.
Portuguese police were last night arranging for the official request documents to be sent to the UK. There is now expected to be a delay in the investigation as preparations are made.
A source said: "What normally happens is that it takes a few days, or even weeks, because quite often it is not possible to translate judicial terms and the letters return with requests of clarification." Leicestershire police will be sent a list of questions Portuguese authorities want cleared up. They are expected to ask Kate about 40 points she refused to answer during her 11-hour grilling in Portugal.
Portuguese detectives are understood to be keen to sit in on interviews as observers. But police sources said the likelihood of that was "very low".
Interviews could also be carried out with the seven British friends who were staying with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz on May 3.
A spokesman for the couple said: "We have been in touch with our lawyers. They assure us we have had no requests to date for any further questioning, either from the Portuguese police or in the UK."
A British police source said it would be "unusual" for officers to carry out interviews for a foreign force but stressed "anything is possible" in a major inquiry.
Kate and Gerry, both 39, went jogging yesterday before meeting advisers at their home. Kate later went for a drive with two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.
The couple have hired Mr Mitchell to spearhead the campaign to find Madeleine.
A former BBC journalist, he stunned bosses at the Central Office of Information by suddenly quitting his £70,000-a-year post as head of the Media Monitoring Unit.
Gerry was impressed with Mr Mitchell during a stint as their spokesman in Portugal during the summer.
He also accompanied the couple on trips to Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam and Morocco highlighting Madeleine's disappearance.
Gerry said: "We are delighted Clarence has returned to work with us. He did a great job supporting us during the weeks following Madeleine's disappearance.
"We appreciate his continuing support during this difficult time."
Mr Mitchell, 46, who lives in Bath, said last night: "They are an ordinary family caught up in extraordinary circumstances. I am utterly convinced they have nothing to do with the disappearance of their daughter.
"There are wholly innocent reasons for any of the so-called evidence the police may or may not have. They are happy to explain those at an appropriate point.
"But because of the legal situation they are constrained from commenting."
It seems to me a new viewpoint needs to be looked at in the case. Apparently 31 children disappeared in Portugal in the last year. It makes me wonder if this case is similar to the one in Belgium a few years ago.
A judge's decision to block police demands to return Kate and Gerry McCann to Portugal for further questioning is the clearest indication yet that the case against them is flawed.
The appointment of Mr C Mitchell is very strange, he has stated that he will not be paid from the Madeleine Fund but rather from an anonymous backer.
I love my dog. He does nothing for political reasons.
Will Rogers
Will Rogers
-
Seraph - Posts: 1632
- Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:49 pm
- Location: United Kingdom
by Need2Know » Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:57 am
Heli wrote:The article quotes 1709 miles but the fact is that cars in Europe, just
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
I would think they did the conversion before publishing that, but who knows.
1 John 3:1a, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
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Need2Know - N2K
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by Heli » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:22 am
Need2Know wrote:Heli wrote:The article quotes 1709 miles but the fact is that cars in Europe, just
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
I would think they did the conversion before publishing that, but who knows.
As I read subsequent articles, it seems you may be right, as the reports
are citing 2,000+ kms.
Since the rest of the world has adopted the metric system years ago,
what's the problem with the USA still using an antiquated system?
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Heli - Transcription Goddess
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by Need2Know » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:32 am
Heli wrote:Need2Know wrote:Heli wrote:The article quotes 1709 miles but the fact is that cars in Europe, just
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
I would think they did the conversion before publishing that, but who knows.
As I read subsequent articles, it seems you may be right, as the reports
are citing 2,000+ kms.
Since the rest of the world has adopted the metric system years ago,
what's the problem with the USA still using an antiquated system?
That is an age old question - more than likely it is because it would be very costly to make the change on a complete and massive scale.
1 John 3:1a, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
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Need2Know - N2K
- Posts: 12273
- Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:27 am
by Heli » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:41 am
Need2Know wrote:Heli wrote:Need2Know wrote:Heli wrote:The article quotes 1709 miles but the fact is that cars in Europe, just
as in most countries of the world, have odometers that record in kilometers
There's a big difference between 1709 miles and 1709 kms.
1709 kms = 1061.92304 miles
I would think they did the conversion before publishing that, but who knows.
As I read subsequent articles, it seems you may be right, as the reports
are citing 2,000+ kms.
Since the rest of the world has adopted the metric system years ago,
what's the problem with the USA still using an antiquated system?
That is an age old question - more than likely it is because it would be very costly to make the change on a complete and massive scale.
Yes, it nearly made my country bankrupt when we converted decades ago
The conversion occurs in a graduated manner over several years and cost seems a lame excuse coming from the most powerful and richest
country in the world, don't you think?
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Heli - Transcription Goddess
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by Need2Know » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:54 am
Maybe it's just good old American hard-headedness 
1 John 3:1a, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
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Need2Know - N2K
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- Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:27 am
by Heli » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:58 am
Judge Pedro Frias, faced with unprecedented media pressure, has asked the national council of judges to allow him to explain to the public the progress of the criminal investigation into the four-year-old’s disappearance.
According to Portuguese radio station TSF, the council of judges will meet today (September 18, 2007) to consider his request.
According to Portuguese radio station TSF, the council of judges will meet today (September 18, 2007) to consider his request.
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Heli - Transcription Goddess
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