The McCanns bring in cold-case detectives to investigate Madeleine's disappearance, 03 January 2008

The McCanns bring in cold-case detectives to investigate Madeleine's disappearance Daily Mail   By DAN NEWLING and VANESSA ALLEN Last updated at 00:48 03 January 2008   Kate and Gerry McCann have hired a former Met Police officer to carry out a "cold case" review into Madeleine's disappearance.   Noel Hogan, a former CID detective, has spent hundreds of hours interviewing British witnesses in the case.   He has also gone through each witness's existing statements line by line. Among those he has interviewed include the socalled "Tapas seven" who were on holiday with the McCanns in Praia da Luz last May.   He is also thought to have taken Kate and Gerry McCann through their own statements in minute detail.   Mr Hogan spent eight years in the Met where he reached the rank of detective superintendent.   Since 1986 he has run his own detective agency in Surrey, Hogan International, which claims to have extensive experience dealing with missing-person cases.   Mr Hogan had been investigating one of the 7/7 suicide bombers before the terror attacks in 2005 after the man's bank became suspicious of his spending patterns.   When contacted by the Daily Mail, Mr Hogan confirmed that he had spoken to many of the holidaymakers now back in Britain.   He said: "I have been reinterviewing a number of the witnesses that were out in Portugal at the time."   He added that his investigation would tie in with the enquiry being conducted by the Spanish detective agency Metodo 3 in Barcelona.   Since four-year- old Madeleine's disappearance, well-wishers have contributed over £1million to the fund to help find her.   The McCanns have spent much of this money on Metodo 3, which is being paid £50,000 a month to lead the search for their daughter.   However, the couple are understood to have become increasingly disillusioned with the firm, after its head detective Francisco Marco made a series of wild public statements.   Mr Marco claimed to know for a fact that the missing toddler was being kept in North Africa and would be home by Christmas.   But yesterday a source close to the family said that Kate and Gerry were keeping faith with Metodo 3 in spite of their concerns.   But the source confirmed that they have also authorised the employment of Mr Hogan to coordinate the UK end of the investigation.   The McCanns' official spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, declined to comment.   Metodo 3 are currently trying to re-interview an Irish family who said they saw a man carrying away a child on the night Madeleine disappeared.   Martin Smith and his family-from Drogheda in Co. Louth, told police about the sighting - which is strikingly similar to one by a friend of the McCanns, Jane Tanner.   They described a barefoot child and a man wearing beige trousers walking towards the beach in Praia da Luz, about 400yards from the McCanns' holiday apartment.   However, they said that the man was definitely not official suspect Robert Murat, whom they had met before and would have recognised.   Mr Smith even flew back to Portugal to give evidence but said he had not been contacted by police since making a statement in May.   Hogan International: an apology Sunday Express (No online link)   On January 13 we published an article headed "Fears that new Maddie detective is 'not up to task'" in which we wrongly claimed that Noel Hogan’s investigation agency had taken over the private investigation into Maddie’s disappearance and accused it of being "not up to the task." We wish to withdraw unequivocally the suggestion that either Mr Hogan or his agency are incompetent or had misled the McCanns about their capabilities. We are happy to clarify that Mr Hogan’s company has been retained by Metodo 3, the Spanish agency who work for the McCanns, to carry out work in the UK. This is part of a long-standing arrangement between the two agencies to instruct each other for work in their respective countries. The impression we gave that there is animosity between them and that Mr Hogan breached professional confidences was also wrong. We apologise to Mr Hogan for the embarrassment and distress caused by our article and have agreed to pay him and his agency compensation and legal costs."

The mystery begins at 18:30h, 01 May 2008

The mystery begins at 18:30h Correio da Manha   01 May 2008 00:30h (Thanks to 'Li' from the3arguidos for translation)   It was shortly after 22:00 when Kate went to the room and shouted from the balcony: "They took Maddie, they've taken her". This happened almost a year ago but it is still very vivid in the memory of some of the employees of the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz. No one is able to remember how many minutes before Maddie's mother left the table. They only know that when help was asked, Kate was already near the flat with one of the women of the group. "She seemed hysterical and the only thing she was saying was that someone had taken the kid. Everybody left the table and the confusion was established", reminds one of the employees. But the mystery of the British kid began at 18:30. What happened till 20:00 in the flat where the McCanns spent holidays with the three kids continues to be the doubt of the investigators of the PJ, one year later. At 20:00 the couple entered the Tapas restaurant where they dined with the friends. "Everyday they dined at the same table.It was not strange to us", reminded to CM the same source of Ocean Club. Kate, Gerry and the friends were in an oval table. Before dinner they asked for "strawberry daiquiris and martinis" and only after 21:00 the meal began to be served. The group was cheerful. Around 21:00 dinner is served. One of the employees remember that one of the elements of the group was not in the table. The physical description coincides with Russel O'Brien, "I remember because someone asked us to keep the meal". Kate gave the alert at 22:00 but the GNR was only called at 22:40. "I only realised that was Kate's daughter when she gave the documents to the GNR. Till then I didn't realise that she was the mother", reminds the witness. Around 02:00 the PJ began to inspect the place, collecting vestiges and following the hypothesis of a kidnapping. THE PJ MADE A RECONSTRUCTION IN OCTOBER The team that investigates the case have already made a reconstruction of what happened on the night of 3rd of May but during the day. The CM found that the reconstruction was made in the end of October in the days that the team directed by the new coordinator Paulo Rebelo returned to the flat and to the Tapas restaurant. Some actions were made like passing objects from the inside to the outside of the flat or simply measuring distances. Also in the Tapas restaurant at that time the employees were asked to put the table and simulate the dinner that took place the night that Maddie disappeared. "It is a step that is done to gather clues that were collected, cross information and depositions or to confirm a confession" explained to the CM a judicial source. The second step of this kind that the PJ wants to make "will be to reunite the participants in order to see all possible details about what happened that night", explained the same source. A reconstruction can be asked by the PJ or by the Public Prosecutor that is in charge of the case. As the CM reported it was asked to the group of nine persons that spent holidays in the Ocean Club their collaboration to make this reconstruction but there are no answers yet if they are going to be present or not. "I NEVER SAW THEM WITH THE KIDS" Some of the employees that worked in the Ocean Club did not know that the group had children. One of them referred to the CM that he was "astonished" when the alert was given. "I never saw them with children. The parents came always alone and only after that we began to think that the children always stay in the rooms sleeping alone", said one of the employees that had the night shift and is no longer working in the resort. The group of adults took the kids to the crèche of the Ocean Club where they had several activities. Only in some situations they were together, adults and children, in the pool. INDICATIONS ABOUT THE WINDOWS The first indications that the McCanns gave to the police after the disappearance of their daughter was that the living room door in the back of the flat where Maddie slept with the twins was opened. "It was through that door that they checked the kids. The blind was open and it was just needed to open the windows to enter the flat. If someone had done that they would not be able to see it from the restaurant", said to the CM a source of the Ocean Club. The other references were about the window of the room where the kids sleep, that the parents commented that night that "could have been opened". Maddie's parents told the PJ that they checked the children every 15 minutes but a source of the Ocean Club reaffirmed to the CM that "it was not with that regularity". The upstairs neighbour Pamela Fenn that heard Maddie crying the night before wanted to help but Kate did not accept the suggestion. When around 23:00 hours the GNR arrived some of the employees of the Ocean Club made the translations of what the couple and friends said. Only after that the PJ was called. The area was searched during the night by Gerry, friends and several citizens. In the morning the authorities launched the biggest search operation ever made in Algarve. The first thesis is of abduction In the second day of the search the PJ admits that it could be an abduction with sexual intentions.   The development of the investigation ended with the suspicion of homicide.

Guardian bought Madeleine McCann link by mistake, says marketing director, 08 August 2008

Guardian bought Madeleine McCann link by mistake, says marketing director Journalism.co.uk   By Laura Oliver Posted: 08/08/08   The Guardian has admitted it mistakenly bought the keywords Madeleine McCann from Google.   By wrongly purchasing the keywords a link to the paper's coverage of Madeleine's disappearance appeared in a column of sponsored results when a search for her name was made on Google.   The newspaper has now taken down the link and has reviewed the list of keywords it owns, Marc Sands, marketing director for the Guardian, told Journalism.co.uk.   The paper's purchase of the words Madeleine McCann was criticised by Justin Williams, assistnat editor at Telegraph Media Group, on his personal blog, who said the practice showed the paper was 'desperate' to hold onto its position as the UK's most popular newspaper website according to the most recent Audit Bureau of Circulations Electronic (ABCe) traffic figures. "The purchase of terms is a way of getting your stories, at a cost, in front of people. It's absolutely what everyone does all the time," said Sands.   A search for the terms shows the Mirror currently owns the keywords McCanns cleared, while a Google search for other keywords, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, show the the Sun and Times have also purchased phrases from Google.   "It is a way of getting it [news] distributed to people who have expressed an interest in that subject," he added.   "The issue with the Madeleine McCann keywords is an interesting one. It's like advertising, but not really: the only reason you and I search for a term is because we are interested in that term."   The practice had been criticised in the blog post, he said, because of the Guardian's previous stance on the coverage of the McCann story. "The Guardian in the past has been very critical of the coverage of Madeleine McCann, saying it has been salacious and misleading. What the person in the blog post is saying is that Madeleine McCann is not to be treated in this way, so what on earth are they doing buying keywords?"   The issue led the paper to review its list of current keywords to assess 'what news is okay to do it with and what isn't', he said.   The Guardian buys thousands of Google keywords relating to current news stories every week, he added. It currently owns the keywords 'stamp duty', 'university league tables' and 'post office closures'.   "Madeleine McCann slipped through the net. You don't approve all these [keyword purchases] every day. We would have had to say to the company that buys the keywords for us: never buy the keywords for Madeleine McCann," he said.   Search engine marketing and search engine optimisation of newspaper websites is a 'new area' for publishers, added Sands.   "Everyone is working their way through and trying to remain true exactly to the principles of what they're doing, but also to ensure that they're getting read."   *   How low will the Guardian sink with search engine marketing? CounterValue.com   By Justin Williams, Assistant Editor at the Telegraph Media Group This entry was posted on Thursday, August 7, 2008, at 8:35   As I commented last month, the digital team at Guardian News and Media seems to be desperate to hold on to its recently regained crown as the No 1 newspaper website in the UK. There is no phrase too sensitive, no taste that is too poor … apparently. Now GMG has bought the keywords "Madeleine McCann" from Google. The Guardian has bought the key phrase "Madeleine McCann" Even though it repeatedly denounced the Telegraph's perfectly legitimate search engine optimisation strategy back in May after telegraph.co.uk had risen to No.1, that distaste for what is not decent journalism doesn’t extend … apparently … to its marketing department. Or perhaps search engine marketing at GNM isn't just the domain of the marketing department - last month GNM's digital head, Emily Bell, was quoted on her own website explaining how the newsdesk has involvement in SEM:   'Also in the past two months, we have started to combine search engine optimisation - talking to the news desk on the paper about SEO-friendly headlines and underlining SEO with our subs desk [on the website] - with our marketing and pay-per-click activity'   That pay-per-click activity now extends to buying the phrase "Madeleine McCann", something that even The Sun has stopped doing after being roundly condemned for poor taste in its dash for unique users.

Rich abusers escape justice, 13 August 2008

Monsignor Luciano Guerra Rich abusers escape justice Correio da Manha   Pilgrimage - Fatima rector is revolted with abuse against children   13 August 2008 - 00h30 Thanks to 'viv' for translation   Achieving justice in child abuse cases is difficult when the suspects have greater economic power, believes the Shrine Rector of the Fatima Sanctuary, using the Casa Pia scandal as an example. Monsignor Luciano Guerra writes in today's edition of the 'Voz de Fátima' (Voice of Fatima) - on the same day that the Immigrant Pilgrimage ends - an article regarding "the abusers of the innocents", and refers to Esmeralda, Maddie, and Casa Pia, considering the last one to be "revolting." "The worst of these isolated miseries is the Casa Pia case, which has been in the courts now for four years, with thousands of hearings" and so many pages that "no-one, no judge, could possibly read it all", states the rector. For Luciano Guerra – the last time in front of the Sanctuary during a large pilgrimage - these processes "reveal to us a chronic reality, which cannot be solved with two or three hearings, as in other cases, because the "truth of the lies" are so much more difficult to prove the wealthier those who practice them are". After criticising the "apologies of paedophile relations", and the attempts to legalise them, the priest considers violations that happen within "the sanctuary of the family, which convert the cradle and the incubator into killers of innocents" to be "much worse, because they are more serious and drawn out". Luciano Guerra is aware that in this respect, "the Church is finally beginning to accept a negligence that could have lasted for centuries", stressing that "the three child-seers of Fatima also suffered offence committed by adults, when they gave their testimony regarding the truth of the apparitions at Fatima." Finally, the Shrine Rector believes that, even after Justice is achieved in the courts, "the open wounds in the children's hearts will continue, so long as they and we fail to understand the tragedy of the abuse" as "only forgiveness can heal our hearts." Pope smiles about coming to Portugal During a 15 minute meeting during which he was asked by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima whether he intended to visit Portugal, the Pope smiled. This revelation was made yesterday by D. Antonio Marto, when questioned, on whether the trip could occur after the visit of the Holy Father to the shrine of Lourdes (France) in September. "The Pope laughed and said not a word. I do not know what this means", said the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima, adding that the presence of Bento XVI in Fátima "would not be soon…" (…) Monsignor Luciano Guerra with the McCanns at Fatima on 23 May 2007 McCanns pray for miracle as inquiry stalls Timesonline   David Brown in Fatima and Steve Bird in Praia da Luz May 23, 2007   The parents of Madeleine McCann today made a pilgrimage to Portugal's holiest site to pray for a miracle to bring their daughter home as the three-week police investigation into her disappearance appeared to be making little progress.   Kate and Gerry McCann's visit to Fatima was particularly poignant as the 90th anniversary of the vision of the Virgin Mary earlier this month had coincided with the fourth birthday of their missing daughter.   The physical agony of the penitents who approached the shrine of Fatima on their knees was mirrored by the mental anguish on the face of the McCanns as they entered the Chapel of Apparitions.   However, the couple began to smile as they were showered with kisses and hugs after slipping into the back of a Mass, on the exact site of the apparitions, in time for the sharing of the "peace".   Mrs McCann was again clutching Madeleine's favourite soft toy cat which she has carried everywhere since her daughter was abducted from her bed in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz 20 days ago. In her hair were the green and yellow ribbons that have become a symbol of the campaign to find Madeleine.   The couple, both 33, from Rothley, Leicestershire, later spent 30 minutes in a side chapel for private prayers before returning to the square in front of the basilica to light candles for Madeleine.   Maria Arlete, who handed two candles to the couple, said: "People are looking for miracles. Maybe that’s the only thing left, a miracle."   Returning to the main chapel to say the Rosary, the couple sat beside the marble pillar marking the spot where three shepherd children had seen visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. Mrs McCann, a GP, closed her eyes and passed a Rosary slowly through her fingers, while her husband, a cardiologist, looked distracted as his eyes searched the packed pews around the shrine.   Monsignor Luciano Guerra, Rector of the Shrine, made several references in Portuguese to Madeleine's disappearance, referring to her abductors as "vultures".   "Let the Holy Spirit enlighten the hearts of those that have responsibilities so that this tragedy can come to an end," he told the congregation. "Let us pray so that those vultures can be enlightened, they need to be converted, those who abuse children and approach children to be sold off."   He also referred to the importance of parenthood: "Parents have to take care of their children. Let us pray Lord for all the parents who do not have time to play with their children. They need to work for a living and do not have time to spend with their children."   As the McCanns left the chapel the 1,000-strong congregation ignored the strict rule of silence to break into spontaneous applause and to inundate them with gifts of religious icons and flowers.   Despite the presence of the television cameras and reporters, who have made the McCanns the most famous couple in Portugal, they said they had drawn enormous strength from the visit. While Mrs McCann’s religious belief is long-standing, her husband in particular is said to have found new faith in recent days.   Mrs McCann had decided before leaving Britain to join the millions of pilgrims who visit the shrine at Fatima each year. Her determination to make the eight-hour return trip was strengthened on the weekend of Madeleine's birthday when 500,000 pilgrims flocked to Fatima, including many who carried the girl's picture.   The site of the vision by three shepherd children - Lucia Santos, 10, her cousin Francisco Marto, 9, and his six-year-old sister Jacinta - just north of Lisbon attracts pilgrims from around the world.   Today was the first time that Mrs McCann had left the Algarve since Madeleine was abducted. Her two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie remained with relatives because she feared the journey would be too tiring from them.   A spokesman for the couple said: "This was a profoundly moving and spiritual visit for them. Every single prayer is important to them, they draw strength from every prayer in their ongoing search for Madeleine. This was a chance to get some strength for the future because they know it is going to be a long hard campaign for them."   Both Mr and Mrs McCann are preparing to travel across Europe to raise awareness of their daughter and to promote their campaign website, which has received more than 115 million hits.   They returned to Praia da Luz to learn that detectives leading the hunt for their daughter had reinterviewed two of the "witnesses" in the investigation.   Michaela Walczuch, the girlfriend of the prime suspect, and her estranged husband, Luis Antonio, spent several hours being questioned at the headquarters of the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) in Portimao.   Ms Walczuch is also a business partner of Robert Murat, the 33-year-old British estate agent who is still the only official suspect in the case.   Chief Inspector Oligario Sousa said: "It’s a matter of routine. We spoke to these people before and we have some more questions. The people concerned are witnesses and not suspects."   However, the police investigation appeared to be floundering after reports that tests on hair, sweat and fibre traces discovered at the apartment where Madeleine disappeared between her sleeping brother and sister had so far yielded no clues.   Duarte Nuno Vieira, head of Portugal’s National Forensic Medicine Institute, insisted that the tests were "far from over, and we'll only be able to draw conclusions once they're completed."   Mr Murat, 33, who lives less than 100 meters from the apartment where Madeleine was abducted and worked as a translator for the police investigating her disappearance, has strenuously denied any involvement. It is thought that if no evidence is found in the tests linking him to the abduction, he could then be formally cleared as an "arguido" although people can remain suspects for many months.   Monsignor Guerra dedicated the prayer to the McCanns Mundo Português   24 May 2007 Thanks to 'ines' for translation   "The prayer was dedicated to the "stressed and tired parents" and to "the institutions that manage" the country, whilst the rector emphasised the importance for "society to perceive that it is essential that parents have time for their children". Guerra also referred to the drama of the "dozens and dozens of abandoned or sold children" and made a special appeal to the saints Francisco and Jacinta so that the "Pastorinhos "would be with the loved and respected children, especially with little Madeleine. May God watch over her."

GRUESOME TWOSOME, 17 August 2008

GRUESOME TWOSOME   THE PEOPLE UNMASKS GHOULS CASHING IN ON MADDIE EXCLUSIVE   Vile fantasist ties to sell 'dynamite' Madeleine McCann pics The People   We snare this vile fantasist trying to sell 'dynamite' McCann pics for £50k   Exclusive by James Millbank 17 August 2008   Maddie McCann's parents are "devastated and furious" over a cruel bid to cash in on their anguish.   Grasping Duarte Levy demanded £50,000 for photographs he claims implicate Kate and Gerry in their daughter's disappearance.   The 23-stone Frenchman said the "dynamite" pictures showed Kate had changed clothes suspiciously the night Maddie vanished.   Despicable Levy also made the ludicrous claim that the 24 photos he was peddling cast doubt on what Gerry and one of the couple's Tapas 7 pals told Portuguese police.   Levy, who said he had close links to the cops, bragged outrageously: "These photos are a bombshell and will force the Maddie case to be re-opened."   The People refused his offers to sell the pictures - and told the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell of Levy's preposterous claims.   Mr Mitchell branded Levy "a con man and fantastist".   He said: "Kate and Gerry are angry and upset that he is seeking to make money out of Madeleine - it is a disgrace.   "They are no longer suspects and he should not be trying to tarnish their reputation. We thank The People for exposing this man."   A People investigator met Levy in a Brussels hotel last week. Levy said: "I will sell the photos to the highest bidder. I got hold of them through my contacts."   Levy - who is in his 40s and claims to have homes in Spain, Belgium and London - said he had sold pictures and stories about Maddie for tens of thousands of pounds.   He said his new photos showed doctors Kate and Gerry, both 40, dining with their friends in Praia da Luz the night Maddie, then three, disappeared 15 months ago.   Levy claimed that Kate and one of the Tapas 7 changed their clothes.   He also alleged: "The photos were taken between about 8.10pm and 10.15pm and they show that the time lines made by Gerry McCann and another Tapas 7 friend are wrong.   They are dynamite." Levy cruelly scorned Kate and Gerry's belief that Maddie is still alive. He said: "I believe she died in that room during an accident and then her body was moved to a flat in the town where it was kept in a freezer."   The claim is categorically denied by the McCanns and police produced no evidence to support the theory. Levy said the pictures were taken by a Spanish tourist whose camera was later stolen.   He claimed a police source tipped him off after officers found the camera, which he then bought legally.   Levy also tried to convince The People that a well-known British legal firm offered him 600,000 euros (£512,800) for the photographs.   Bizarrely, he said he refused because the lawyers would not agree to his demand that the police should have copies of the pictures.   He also offered The People recordings he claimed to have of the McCanns' financial backer, double-glazing tycoon Brian Kennedy, in a private meeting with Portuguese police.   Mr Mitchell last night said he did not know if Kate changed her clothes and added: "If she did, so what?" He said: "It is no big deal that Mr Kennedy met the police.   "He is interested in all - aspects of the investigation. He is a very hands-on person."   A friend of the McCanns, of Rothley, Leics, said last night: "They have nothing to hide. It appears the Portuguese police are using Levy to leak negative material."   'Photos of couple are a bombshell...I will sell for highest offer'

Fury as Madeleine McCann cop brings sick book to UK, 17 August 2008

Fury as Madeleine McCann cop brings sick book to UK The People   Bungling cop is bringing his sick book to UK in bid to make £1m   Exclusive by Joshua Layton 17 August 2008   Bungling Maddie cop Goncalo Amaral will rake in a MILLION pounds by flogging his book worldwide.   The Truth Of The Lie has topped Portugal's bestseller lists after selling more than 140,000 copies in its first two weeks.   And his publisher plans to release it in the UK, despite our stricter libel laws which would make it easier for the McCanns to sue.   Jorge Silva, of Portuguese firm Guerrae Paz, said: "We are convinced it doesn't go against any law. It is an important contribution to the discovery of the material truth and the fulfilment of justice."   But the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell fired a warning to Mr Amaral last night, saying: "If he seeks to publish in Britain, he and his publisher will face legal action without a shadow of a doubt.   "There is nothing to stop us from suing him in Portugal. Our lawyers are looking at the exact content of what he said in Portuguese and have plenty of time in which to act.   "But if he publishes in Britain it will make legal action even easier."   The tubby ex-chief inspector was obsessed with the theory that parents Kate and Gerry disposed of Madeleine's bod (sic) - despite all their denails.   Mr Amaral was overheard telling Portuguese F1 driver Pedro Lamy: "We suspect the parents killed Madeleine."   Even without a UK book deal, he is set to make a fortune.   A Spanish publisher has just bought the so-called inside story and Mr Silva said he was in talks with publishers from countries like the USA, the Netherlands, Brazil and Germany, as well as Britain.   Uk book expert Suzanne Collier said: "I could see it being a bestseller and even one of the biggest British books of the year."   She likened the book to Spycatcher, the controversial memoirs of former MI5 officer Peter Wright. She added: "It doesn't matter if it's true or not, people would want to read it. The author could well make up to a million. I reserve judgment on whether it should be published."   Mr Amaral, 48, is on a full police pension after being sacked five months into the shambolic Maddie hunt for saying Brit cops were shielding the McCanns.   He shamelessly launched his 214-page book by flogging hundreds of signed copies for £10 each in a Lisbon department store.   The father of three's account says cops suspected Kate and Gerry almost as soon as Maddie vanished in Praia da Luz. He blames British police, the Diplomatic Service, M15 and even the NHS for conspiring against him.   His publishers claimed he was motivated by "duty", not money. Incredibly, Mr Silva hit out at the McCanns over the book. He added: "We're aware that some UK publishers - given the atmosphere created by the McCanns and more specifically their spokesman - may fear to take it on. We hope that an audacious publisher understands its relevancy and will publish soon."   Mr Amaral said he would RELISH a court battle with the couple to clear HIS name.   Documents released this month showed the Portuguese CID had no evidence against the McCanns.   The couple's spokesman Mr Mitchell said of the ex-detective's book: "Any publisher should think very long and hard about what they are potentially opening themselves up to.   "He's been trying to make money out of his book since the day he started writing."   'This is an important contribution to discovery of truth'

The People: Duarte Levy's response, 17 August 2008

Clarification about the article in the newspaper The People, of August 17, 2008  SOSMaddie   Duarte Levy 17 August 2008 The People: Duarte Levy's response   Clarification concerning the article in the Sunday newspaper, The People, August 17th 2008.   The information concerning me, published today in The People newspaper, is false. Between August 9th and August 15th, I was contacted by and met with several British journalists (*) at their request, about a witness who claimed to have seen Madeleine McCann in Brussels, and about the article published by me and Paulo Reis about the existence of 24 photos, taken on the the night of May 3rd by tourists who were at the Tapas Bar.   These colleagues asked me for help, because, besides the fact that they don't speak French, they didn't know Brussels, didn't know where or to whom to direct themselves to investigate the case of the witness claiming to have seen Madeleine.   As is the rule between professional colleagues, I met with these journalists and I helped them as much as I could. As is obvious, we spoke about the Madeleine McCann case, on the information published recently on my blog and on my colleague Paulo Reis' blog. We exchanged impressions and comments. I will not repeat the comments from my English colleagues, because private conversations are private conversations - at least for principled people.   So that it is clear, I do not have in my possession, anything which is of interest to the authorities or which might concern the investigation of a crime.   Duarte Levy   17 August 2008   (*) – Nick Fagge & Jonathan Buckmaster - Daily Express / Lucy Hagan - The Sun / Julie (?) Daily Mail / Emily Miller - The Mirror / James Millbank - The People (14 and 15 August)   *   The entry on Paulo Reis's blog which is referenced in this statement:   McCann case: 24 pictures that may help to re-open the case Gazeta Digital 13 August 2008   A tourist that was at the Tapas Bar, on the night of May 3, took several pictures where the table with the McCann and their friends is visible. The tourist was with his wife and another couple and they took pictures from each other, with the McCann table on the background. The owner of the pictures is negotiating with several British newspapers to sell the rights for an exclusive publication, but with a condition: before being published, the pictures must be sent to the Portuguese police. The tourist is well aware that the pictures may have important evidence related with a crime and not sending it to police is considered also a crime, in his country. Yesterday, a well known legal office from UK knew about the existence of those pictures and contacted the owner, offering to buy all pictures for 600,000 Euros. But the British lawyers didn't accept the condition set by the owner – that the pictures should be sent to the Portuguese police, just before the transaction. The lawyers' office wanted to be free to choose the moment when the pictures would be send to Portuguese authorities, so the offer was refused by the tourist. Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis Posted by Paulo Reis at 06:09:00

McCanns to sue police?, 22 August 2008

McCanns to sue police? Woman's Own magazine (no online link, appears in magazine only)   Madeleine's parents face new agony after detectives' mistakes are revealed   Family ripped apart   Words: Jackie Brown Edition date: 25 August 2008, Published date: 18 August 2008   No one can fail to be moved by new revelations of information that was withheld from Kate and Gerry McCann in the search for missing Maddie.   Possible sightings, e-fits of two suspects, CCTV pictures and information that a paedophile ring may have ordered the abduction have been brought to light.   And now the couple may be planning to sue the Portuguese police for any mistakes they might have made during the investigation.   Family spokesperson, Clarence Mitchell, tells Woman's Own, 'The mistakes and incompetence are there for all to see. If they’d done a lot more in the first few days after Madeleine went missing, then there would have been a better chance of getting her back.'   The move was revealed as the McCanns' team of private investigators were following up a new sighting of Maddie – a security guard in Brussels, Belgium, is convinced he saw her with a woman in a hijab headdress just days ago. While the McCanns' priority is still to get Maddie back, their legal team in Portugal are seeing if there are grounds for a lawsuit.   But this renewed investigation comes at a time when the McCanns are running low on cash. There's just £460,000 left in the Find Madeleine fund, and with the investigation reported to be costing £166,000 per month, they're running out of the money needed to find their little girl.   But members of the public, desperate to return Madeleine to her parents, have got into trouble taking pictures of children whom they suspect may be Maddie. The McCanns are now urging people not to take photos of children without the consent of their parents, but to report any suspicions to the police immediately.   The recent reports of possible new sightings have further convinced the McCanns that their daughter is alive and unharmed, playing down claims that she may have been snatched by a paedophile ring.   'There is no suggestion she has been harmed or killed,' says Clarence Mitchell. 'They believe she has been hidden somewhere. It could be a Romany family who have taken her. It's unusual, but not completely rare.   'As long as there is money in the fund to pay for investigators, the investigation will continue. If and when it runs out, there are ways to bring more money in.'   Secrets of the case dossier   It's claimed a little girl told Dutch shop assistant Anna Stam, 41, in early May last year that her name was Maddie and she'd been taken from her holiday. Two e-fits of suspicious men seen hanging around Praia da Luz before the little girl went missing were never released. Previously unseen CCTV images show small children resembling Maddie at two Algarve petrol stations the day after she vanished. News came out that a man tried to abduct a child from the same apartment eight months earlier.