The purpose of
this site is for information and a record of Gerry McCann's Blog
Archives. As most people will appreciate GM deleted all past blogs
from the official website. Hopefully this Archive will be helpful to
anyone who is interested in Justice for Madeleine Beth McCann. Many
Thanks, Pamalam
Note: This site does not belong to the McCanns. It belongs to Pamalam. If
you wish to contact the McCanns directly, please use
the contact/email details
campaign@findmadeleine.com
The book 'Maddie - The Truth of Lie' is the starting point for a documentary that begins filming in the
Algarve on the 20th. Goncalo Amaral, coordinator of the PJ in the process and author of the book, is not the
only character to appear in the TV production.
The documentary will be produced by Manuel Fonseca, of Valentine de
Carvalho, and most of the filming will take place in Portimão and in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine McCann disappeared from on
May 3, 2007. "First we will work and then make statements. The formal announcement will be at another time," said Manuel Fonseca
to CM, producer of films such as 'Koko' and 'The Private Life of Salazar'.
Goncalo Amaral coordinated the first five
months of the investigation, until he was removed from one of the most media focussed cases ever. The inquiry eventually
ended, this summer, at which time the former coordinator published his book, a pioneering work of police revelation
that has sold about 200 thousand copies in Portugal. It has been on sale since September in Spain and will soon be published
in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. "Everyone likes to see their work valued," said Goncalo Amaral, about the purpose of the documentary.
Maddie documentary to be filmed in the Algarve, 17 October 2008
Maddie
documentary to be filmed in the Algarve Portugal News
18/10/2008 (appeared online 17/10/2008)
From
the 20th of this month filming will begin on a documentary about the disappearance of toddler Madeleine McCann, using information
from the book 'Maddie – The Truth of the Lie' by ex-PJ inspector Gonçalo Amaral, who will also appear in the programme.
Produced by Manuel Fonseca,
of Valentim de Carvalho productions, the majority of the filming will take place in Portimão as well as Praia da Luz, from
where Madeleine went missing last year on May 3rd.
Gonçalo Amaral coordinated the first five months of the
investigation into the toddler's disappearance from her hotel room in Praia da Luz's Ocean Club Resort, before being removed
from the case.
He released his book this summer, in an attempt to clarify
his role within and views concerning the case a pioneering piece of criminal literature that has so far sold over 200,000
copies.
Since September 'Maddie – a Verdade da Mentira'
(approximately translated as 'Maddie – The Truth of the Lie') has been on sale in Spain and will soon be published in
Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Meanwhile on Sunday Gerry McCann posted an update on
his blog for the first time in more than a month.
It read, "First of all I want to apologise for not updating
this blog for so long. I would like to assure everyone that this gap is not because there is little going on in the search
for Madeleine. On the contrary, Kate and I have been incredibly busy over the last couple of months since the PJ files were
made public. We and our family have always vowed to leave no stone unturned in the search for our daughter and knowing exactly
what has been done and, more importantly, what has not been done is vital in planning our future strategy".
It continued, "Getting the files translated accurately
is a time consuming and expensive process but essential to our search. There is a huge amount of information contained within
the files which we have not been party to until now and this needs to be assessed carefully. This is even more important since
the Portuguese investigation is officially closed.
"In some ways, although this task is monumental, it has
been good for us doing something active and positive which we believe may help find Madeleine. We are also using this period
to get advice to maximise our effectiveness and efficiency in our overall strategy going forward. Keeping Madeleine’s
image in the public eye will continue to be important and the distribution of posters is central to that aim.
"Many people have also asked us what is happening with
the Amber alert after the successful adoption of the written declaration by the European Parliament. It has been relatively
quiet due to the summer recess but hopefully the momentum gained, added to the desire of the European Commission for an Amber
Alert system, will affect change in the near future.
"Finally we would like to thank everyone for their continued,
support, prayers and letters. I promise to do another update in the near future."
TVI's project tells the version of the former PJ inspector about Maddie's disappearance
Yesterday, in the Algarve, recordings started for the movie that will adapt Gonçalo Amaral's book "The Truth of the Lie",
which tells the Maddie case investigator's version about the child's disappearance, to the cinema.
Yesterday, the team from production house Valentim de Carvalho, headed by Manuel Fonseca, was in Sagres in order to capture
the first images of the scene where a Polish man is caught taking photos of children, a situation that is recorded in Amaral's
book, and which ended up being discarded by police because nothing was found that might incriminate the man.
And in the evening, scenes were short near the cane-field close to the Ocean Club, where Gonçalo Amaral believes that
the McCann couple could have hidden their daughter's body on the night of the disappearance, later moving the cadaver into
another location. After Sagres, the production intended to move into Praia da Luz, where an "illustrated postcard" of the
village would be shot.
Amaral is the movie's narrator
The retired PJ inspector, who will be present in almost every scene as the narrator, will defend, in the movie, the theory
that renders the McCann couple responsible for Madeleine's death and the concealment of her cadaver.
Amaral will be busy with producer Manuel da Fonseca until mid-November.
Yesterday, at around 3 p.m., the former inspector arrived at Hotel da Baleeira, in Sagres, where he is due to remain
until next Saturday. In a suit and tie, visibly slimmer, he said he could not make "any statements". 24horas was
able to establish that the former coordinator's silence is based on a contract that gives any exclusives to TVI, after only
a few days ago José Eduardo Moniz bought the film rights.
24horas knows that the castings which have searched for actors and figurants for the movie "haven't been easy".
According to a source that is close to the production, the major difficulties have been related to "finding people that resemble
Kate and the friends that were dining with the McCann couple that evening, at the Ocean Club's Tapas Bar".
The production is based on Amaral's book, which has sold 180,000 copies in Portugal alone, but may also include "scenes
that have never been reported before". A source that is close to Amaral said to 24horas that the former inspector
"wrote about what was in the process or what could be corroborated", but that there are conversations, phone calls and episodes
that were witnessed by the former policeman which may be fundamental to "bring the truth about the Maddie case into the world".
The same source believes that the book and the film may expose new data and lead to the reopening of the process, which
was archived and awaits "better evidence". "He still has a policeman's blood, he is still very aware of an education that
prevents him from speaking. But now he has to do it in front of the cameras, in the name of a truth that he wants to see revealed",
the same source explains to 24horas.
Dispensed to attend court
Gonçalo Amaral will be dispensed from the filming next Friday in order to attend court. The former policeman is an arguido
in the case of alleged aggressions over Leonor Cipriano. The accusation sustains that Joana's mother was tortured by the inspectors
that interrogated her. The PJ says that Leonor fell off the stairs at the Faro Directory. Amaral stands accused of the crime
of failure to denounce because he "knew about the crime and didn't report it to the Public Ministry".
You're not entering the Ocean Club, 22 October 2008
Resort Maddie disappeared from prevents filming in its interior
Text: Luis Ferreira
22 October 2008
Thanks to 'astro' for translation
The production house that is filming the adaptation of Gonçalo Amaral's
book had to record the scenes on the outside
No, no and no. The Ocean Club, the tourist resort where Maddie disappeared
from, did not allow for the producers that are making a film about the disappearance of the English girl to record inside
the resort.
Production house Valentim de Carvalho, which belongs to Manuel da Fonseca, wanted to film inside the apartment
where the McCanns were staying, in the Tapas Bar, where the couple dined with their friends on the evening of the disappearance,
and on the tennis court where Gerry says he played while Kate cared for the children. But the Ocean Club management refused
the collection of any type of images in locations that are considered to be more private, thus impeding the producer's work,
which is adapting Gonçalo Amaral's book "The Truth of the Lie".
"We've had enough. There is no doubt that the media
exposure of this case has done nothing but harm to us", a member of staff at the Ocean Club told 24horas, referring
that "at this time of the year, when there are school holidays in England, we used to have more reservations" at the resort.
The same source says that this is not happening with other apartments. This means that the downturn is happening exclusively
to that tourist resort.
Filming at the resort's door
Nevertheless, most of yesterday's recording was done around the apartment where the little girl disappeared from, where
a sign has been affixed reading "For sale". Gonçalo Amaral, the documentary's narrator, was filmed by two cameras from the
balcony that is located near the back window until the main entrance. A route that was captured in several takes, always with
narrative clarifications about a set of facts that were given as proved by the Polícia Judiciária's investigation.
"Nobody
went through this window", were some of the words proffered by the former inspector who, apparently, improvised his speech,
despite being conducted by the questions of a journalist that accompanied him, but who was never filmed.
At the producer's
request, two members of GNR were present on location, in order to assure public order. Nevertheless, the road that connects
Robert Murat's house to the Ocean Club, then descending towards the Baptista supermarket, had less movement than it used to.
This
time around, there were no more than 15 persons behind the cameras, including Gonçalo Amaral, who appeared serene and convinced
of the role that he was given. The former inspector, who is presently retired, kept the trousers of the suit that he was wearing
upon arrival, but switched his shirt for a brown t-shirt. And as the day was hot, there was often a member of the production
team by his side, wiping off the sweat and correcting the anti-shine powder. Between the 23rd and the 27th, some of the village's
streets are to be cut off, namely in the area of the Junta de Freguesia [village management].
Murat
was invited
Robert Murat was invited by the production team to be part of the movie's cast, but the
request still has to be formalised to the former Maddie case arguido's lawyer. According to a source that is close to Robert
Murat, who is not in Portugal at the moment, the answer is most likely to be negative, because "Robert is not interested in
reviving moments that were so hard for him".
News of Maddie documentary reaches Australia, 22 October
2008
A BOOK by a Portuguese detective who investigated the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann will be adapted
for a television documentary, according to its producers.
Ex-detective Goncalo Amaral - who has sold 180,000 copies of Maddie - The Truth of the Lie - will
narrate the documentary, which began filming this week in Algarve, the region where the girl went missing in May 2007.
"This documentary, currently being filmed, is based on the book by the former judicial police inspector,'' Cristina Valente,
a manager in the Portuguese production company Valentim de Carvalho, said.
Portuguese private television channel TVI has acquired the rights to the film.
In his 214-page book, Mr Amaral repeats accusations of involvement by Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, in their
daughter's disappearance.
Mr Amaral, who was sacked from the investigation in October 2007 for criticising British police, reiterates his belief
that Maddie died in a "tragic accident'' in the apartment in which she was sleeping the night she disappeared.
Portuguese authorities closed their investigation in July and lifted the "suspect'' label from Maddie's parents due to
lack of evidence.
Madeleine McCann went missing on May 3, 2007, days before her fourth birthday, from a holiday flat in the Portuguese
resort of Praia da Luz as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant.
THE shamed cop who led the Madeleine McCann probe is cashing in AGAIN — with a TV film.
Parents Kate and Gerry were "disgusted" last night after ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral was seen with a camera crew at
the Algarve apartment where the three-year-old vanished.
Portugal's Channel 3 confirmed he was making a documentary for them — after already coining it with a book about
the case earlier this year.
The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell fumed: "He seems determined to make as much as he can out of Madeleine. He should
be ashamed."
Amaral was kicked off the case after accusing doctors Kate and Gerry, both 40, of killing Madeleine, of Rothley, Leics.
He repeated the slur in his book The Truth Of The Lie. The TV film will be screened on May 3 next year — the second
anniversary of Maddie's disappearance.
Mr Mitchell raged: "It's beyond bad taste."
A local in Praia da Luz, where Maddie vanished, said of the TV film: "It's sick."
Documentary "Maddie: What Lies Beneath The Truth", 11 April 2009
It was only after being aware that the documentary inspired by
the book "Maddie: The Truth of the Lie" was soon going to be broadcast on Portuguese TV that the McCanns understood the urgency
to show the British public their version of the story. This information was now confirmed by a source close to the couple
who added that "the campaign launched in the Algarve was only a way to prepare and justify the documentary that they want
to show the British public as soon as possible".
If the documentary with Gonçalo Amaral's version is going to be the first to be aired in Portugal, even before the second
anniversary of Maddie's disappearance, the version given by the McCanns has already guaranteed a wider broadcasting in Europe:
Channel 4 is broadcasting the documentary recently filmed in Praia da Luz and several contracts have already been negotiated,
including in Portugal, where the channel chosen was SIC.
Based on the book by the former man in charge of the official inquiry into Maddie's disappearance, taken off the case
due to political pressures exercised on the highest level within the English government, the documentary by Multimédia Valentim
de Carvalho doesn't contain much new information but, through the strength of the footage, completely destroys the version
of an alleged abduction, like Kate and Gerry McCann always insisted happened.
Next Monday, 13th of April, TVI is going to broadcast the documentary "The Truth of the Lie"
based on Gonçalo Amaral's book.
Technical information:
Direction: Carlos Coelho da Silva Script: Nuno Ramos de Almeida
Based on the book "A Verdade da Mentira", by Gonçalo Amaral
Producer: Manuel S. Fonseca Executive Producer: Ana Torres
Nationality: Portuguese Language: Portuguese & English with subtitles Year: 2008 Duration: 50 min, Colour.
Synopsis
3rd of May 2007
Madeleine McCann disappears from the apartment where she spends her holidays with her siblings and parents, Gerry and
Kate McCann.
The alarm is given by the parents after dinner when, returning home, the child is not found sleeping in her bed. In the
Ocean Club resort, in Praia da Luz, the guests get together and help looking for little Maddie.
The Republican National Guard [GNR] is alerted around midnight and warns the PJ.
Immediately the coordinator of the Judiciary Police,Gonçalo Amaral takes the command of the operations.
In this documentary, the PJ inspector presents his version of the case and how everything might have occurred on that
night.
Maddie: What Lies Beneath The Truth - Trailer, 11 April 2009
For the first time this documentary re-enacts the events of that night, a night that hit the news worldwide and grabbed
the people's attention for so long.
Gonçalo Amaral, the chief investigator, presents his version of the events and all questions are answered by interviewing
the main participants in the story.
Did the witnesses speak the truth?
What are the main inconsistencies?
What did the forensic tests reveal?
Why did Maddie's case reach a dead end?
Experts were consulted, and all scientific and forensic evidence found were thoroughly examined. Investigation material
never yet shown is presented.
Two re-enactments at Vila da Luz, shed light on what has happened to Madeleine McCann, that Thursday night, May 3, 2007.
After 27 years on the force, Gonçalo Amaral retired in July 2008 to regain his full freedom of expression about the case,
and do his best to help uncover the whole truth and to see justice done.
Based on Gonçalo Amaral book: A Verdade da Mentira - The Truth of the Lie.
"Maddie died in Praia da Luz on the night of the disappearance", 12 April 2009
"Maddie died in Praia da Luz on the night of the disappearance" Duarte Levy Wordpressand 24horas
McCann case: "what lies beneath the truth"
Duarte Levy
April 12, 2009 • 8:00 am
TVI, the television station in Queluz, is going
to broadcast tomorrow, Monday, right after the evening news, the documentary that is dedicated to the case of the disappearance
of Madeleine McCann, which was produced in our country by Valentim de Carvalho Filmes, based on the book "Maddie: The truth
of the lie", which was written by former Polícia Judiciária coordinator, Gonçalo Amaral.
For the first time after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on the 3rd of May 2007, a documentary will show on television
the reconstitution of what, according to the PJ senior official, really happened that night in apartment 5A of the Ocean Club.
During 50 minutes of images, spoken in Portuguese and English – with subtitles – this documentary strengthens
the version that Madeleine died on the night that Kate and Gerry McCann said their daughter was abducted.
In this documentary, which was directed by Carlos Coelho da Silva and produced by Manuel S. Fonseca, the former head
of the investigation explains which are the inconsistencies in the testimonies that were given by the McCann couple and their
seven friends, but also demonstrates, with unique documents, the results of the forensics tests that were carried out in Portugal
and in England.
The former head of the PJ in Portimão further explains how the investigation evolved and the brutal manner in which it
was interrupted after the British authorities intervened, namely diplomats in Lisbon and two prime ministers, Tony Blair and
Gordon Brown. "There was a political and rushed archiving [of the process]", Gonçalo Amaral states during the documentary,
adding that "there are people who are hiding the truth, but sooner or later, the varnish will crack and revelations will appear".
An important member of the team that is behind this documentary, Nuno Ramos de Almeida has read the process, carried
out numerous interviews and wrote a script that is already prompting reactions in England.
English documentary is reaction to Amaral's version
It was after hearing that the documentary which is based on the book "Maddie: The Truth of the Lie", by Gonçalo Amaral,
would be broadcast on Portuguese television, that the McCanns realised the urgency in showing their version of the story
to the public. The information was now confirmed by a source that is close to the couple, that further added that "the campaign
that was launched in the Algarve was merely a manner of preparing and justifying the documentary that they want to show as
quickly as possible to the English public."
The same source, in a statement to 24horas, further confirmed that during the last few months "several
attempts were made for the couple to have access to the Portuguese documentary even before it was shown on television", which
also explains the secrecy that surrounds its contents.
"They even considered the possibility of buying the documentary's rights for England, thus preventing it from being broadcast
in the country", the source close to the couple concluded.
In Portugal, 24horas was able to establish that all the participants in the documentary that was produced by
Valentim de Carvalho have been forbidden by contract to reveal any details or officially answering any questions before its
broadcast.
While the documentary with Gonçalo Amaral's version is going to be the first one to be broadcast in Portugal, even before
the second anniversary of Maddie's disappearance, the McCanns' version has already secured a wider diffusion throughout Europe:
Channel 4 is going to broadcast the documentary that was recently filmed in Praia da Luz, and several contracts have been
negotiated already. Including for Portugal, where it will be broadcast by SIC.
Learn how Gonçalo Amaral is going to attack the McCanns tomorrow, 12 April 2009
24horas, 12 April 2009
Learn how Gonçalo Amaral is going to attack the McCanns tomorrow 24horas
Seen at first hand the TVI documentary on the Maddie case
(no article yet available)
"What Lies Beneath The Truth" - TVI documentary, 13 April 2009
Documentary about Maddie case is broadcast by TVI today Correio da Manhã
TVI broadcasts today the 'Maddie Documentary' about the disappearance of the little British girl in Praia da Luz, on
the 3rd of May 2007. The Documentary is based on the book 'Maddie, Truth of the Lie', by Gonçalo Amaral, a former Polícia
Judiciária coordinator who followed the disappearance of the English child, then aged three.
"During 50 minutes, it reports on the investigations that were carried out by the PJ, mainly on the first and on the
following days. The documentary refers to the statements of the suspects, who were later made arguidos, the McCanns, and their
friends", CM was told by Gonçalo Amaral. And he added that, after these diligences, "it was established that the child had
died on that day".
The McCann family prepared another documentary with their version of the facts. Channel 4's work has been bought
by SIC.
MADELEINE McCann's
parents face new heartache tonight when the cop who wrongly branded them suspects goes on TV.
Goncalo Amaral, 48, was turfed off the investigation after alleging the missing girl's parents Gerry, 40, and Kate, 41,
were involved in her disappearance.
Now he is set to make more damaging claims in a Portuguese TV documentary.
It's closely based on his book The Truth Of The Lie, penned last year after he was removed from the investigation team.
The book has not been published in Britain.
But Portuguese station TV1 bought the rights and will screen the show tonight just two weeks before the second anniversary
of Maddie's disappearance from an Algarve holiday apartment.
Only 10 days ago, Gerry jetted back to the scene to help a Channel 4 TV crew reconstruct his daughter's abduction.
Filming had to be halted when the family pal playing the part of Madeleine broke down as the harrowing scenes were shot.
But tonight's programme will show a different reconstruction based on Amaral's story.
A McCann family friend said last night: "The timing of this – so close to the second anniversary of Madeleine's
disappearance – is nothing short of cruel."
Amaral's controversial book – in which he claims the youngster died in a "tragic accident" in the apartment –
has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in Europe since its release in Portugal last July.
Sacked police chief points finger at McCanns, 13 April 2009
THE former police officer thrown off the Madeleine
McCann case is set to attack her parents again in a TV documentary.
Shamed Goncalo Amaral will cast doubt on Gerry and Kate's belief that she was snatched by a paedophile. He will claim
Madeleine died in the British couple's holiday apartment the night she vanished nearly two years ago.
The documentary is closely based on Mr Amaral's 214-page book 'The Truth of the Lie', penned last year after he was removed
from the hunt for missing Madeleine.
It will also include a reconstruction of the night the three-year-old vanished which will lend weight to the idea she
died in the Praia da Luz flat.
Portuguese TV station TV1 is set to broadcast it tonight after buying the rights from an independent company.
Its transmission comes 10 days after Mr McCann jetted to the Algarve to help a separate reconstruction of the night Madeleine
disappeared which will go out next month on Channel 4.
Mr Amaral was removed as the head of the Madeleine probe in October 2007 after claiming British police were at the beck
and call of the McCanns.
He wrote his controversial book claiming the youngster died in a "tragic accident" in apartment 5A after taking early
retirement from the Policial Judiciaria. The book has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in Europe since being released
in Portugal last July.
It is yet to be published in Britain following the threat of legal action by the McCanns.
"I can say with absolute certainty that Madeleine was not abducted", reaffirmed yesterday the former coordinator of the
Judiciary Police of Portimão Gonçalo Amaral, stressing: "All that I know tells me that Madeleine died in the apartment on
3 May 2007."
In the documentary broadcasted by TVI and based on his book ('Maddie - The Truth of Lie'), Amaral recalls that it was
the scent of blood detected by the two British dogs in the apartment and in the car rented by the McCanns which determined
a new direction in the investigation to the disappearance of Madeleine.
"The reaction of the dogs was revealing, considered the former responsible for the investigation, referring that those
dogs never failed in over 200 cases."
The two dogs found the scent of blood and of cadaver on a shelf of a closet in the room where the McCanns slept and behind
a sofa in the living room. They also detected the smell of blood and of cadaver in a car "rented by the couple McCann 23 days
later", after the disappearance of the girl.
Gonçalo Amaral was 27 years in PJ and was responsible for investigating the disappearance of Maddie until October
2007.
Yesterday, in the documentary, Amaral again highlighted the contradictions in the statements given by the McCann Couple
and their friends; stressing three: the distance travelled by the couple and their friends from the restaurant where they
dined to the apartment where the children slept (see box); the view of the window of the room where Maddie slept, given by
the Tapas Group; and the same window of that room, which would be open.
Dog Reveals Cadaver Scent
The barking of dogs marking the cadaverine scent was one of the brand images of the documentary. In the apartment, Gonçalo
Amaral explained the steps taken in the investigation and the contradictions he found during the process, concluding that
the daughter of the couple McCann was not kidnapped but died in the apartment.
McCann couple furious about documentary, 14 April 2009
Carlos Pinto de Abreu, Kate and Gerry's lawyer, says he hasn't received any orders yet from his clients about the piece
that was broadcast by TVI yesterday
"Madeleine was never abducted and died on the night of the disappearance." This was the thesis that was defended in the
docuemntary that is inspired by the book from Gonçalo Amaral, a former PJ inspector, about the Maddie case, which TVI broadcast
yesterday and the McCann couple's lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, confessed to not having watched.
"I don't comment on fiction and even less inventions", the lawyer said, recognising that he had received no instruction
from his clients, Kate and Gerry McCann, about the documentary from Valentim de Carvalho.
According to a source that is close to the McCann couple, Maddie's parents "are furious about the fact that Gonçalo Amaral
continues to insist on a lie, further adding that TVI's documentary will never be shown in England because it "constitutes
a fiction that doesn't help in the search for the little girl".
The couple's spokesperson, Clarence Mitchell, accuses the former PJ coordinator of "wanting to make money off the case."
In England, the documentary was attentively watched on the Internet and in Portuguese cafés and bars where TVI was a
reason to justify dinner reservations, mostly by British customers who wanted to watch what they know no channel in their
country will broadcast.
Pressures and interferences
In the documentary, Gonçalo Amaral showed a brief reconstruction of what, according to the Polícia Judiciária's official
inquiry, happened on the night of the 3rd of May 2007, using the power of images to point out the inconsistencies of the statements
from Maddie's parents and their seven friends.
Yesterday's documentary showed, for the first time on television, images from the work that was done by the 2 dogs that
came from England, prepared to search solely residues of blood and cadaver smell.
The dogs indicated the car that had been used by Maddie's parents in the Algarve, but also several items belonging to
the couple and some spots inside apartment 5A at the Ocean Club.
TVI's documentary also raised doubts concerning the work that was done by the English lab – the Forensic Science
Services (FSS) in Birmingham – whose analyses were initially considered to be sufficient to launch suspicions on the
McCann couple, but ended up being denied through the intervention from a senior English police officer.
During 50 minutes, both Gonçalo Amaral, who lead the investigation into the case, and several other intervenients, stressed
the interference of the English authorities, with the former coordinator of the PJ's Criminal Investigation Department in
Portimão ending up removed from the inquiry.
Gonçalo Amaral himself stated once more that "the PJ was pressured to not investigate this case like any other".
Efficient French alert
Elise, the little girl that was abducted on the 20th of March in Arles, was recovered by her father in Hungary yesterday,
due to the European arrest warrant that France launched within the "Abduction Alert" system whose model was adopted by Portugal
this year. The French "Abduction Alert" system was used for the 8th time since it exists, and once more, its success was confirmed.
This system, contrary to the one that is planned by the English and the Americans, takes into account the real necessity of
using the media, apart from a real and true coordination between the various intervenients: family, police and Public Ministry.
Documentary about Maddie was the most watched in 2009, 14 April 2009
Yesterday, according to Marktest, TVI obtained its best result of 2009, registering for the
entire day a record of 41,7% share, followed by RTP1 with 26.9% and SIC with 24.0%.
The exceptional result obtained
resulted of a fortunate combination of programs, being the adherence of the Portuguese spectators to the documentary Maddie:
The Truth of the Lie the most important.
The documentary is based
on the book of Gonçalo Amaral, the former Judiciary Police inspector who investigated the disappearance of Madeleine McCann,
the girl of British nationality who disappeared in the Algarve in 2007.
This version of events,
with a duration of 50 minutes, received an average audience of 2 million and 209 thousand individuals representing a leader
market share for an audience of 61.8%.
During the same period of
this documentary broadcast, RTP returned 19.8% share and SIC 15.2%. In the longitudinal development of this broadcast, the
maximum average audience was registered at 22 hours and 13 minutes with an instant audience of 2 million and 466 thousand
individuals, which corresponded to an audience share of 69.5%.
Over 6 million have already watched documentary about Maddie's death, 15 April 2009
Over 6 million have already watched documentary about Maddie's death
Duarte Levy Wordpress
Duarte Levy
April 15, 2009 • 5:00 AM
The documentary 'Maddie: Truth of the Lie', that was broadcast
by TVI, was the most watched programme in Portugal last Monday evening, and confirmed the station of Queluz de Baixo as the
audience leader in Portugal. According to Marktest, this is even TVI’s best result in 2009.
The documentary by Manuel S. Fonseca – the same director
of the 'Amália' movie – is based on the book "Maddie: The Truth of the Lie", which Gonçalo Amaral, the former head of
the investigation, wrote after he left the Polícia Judiciária.
According to the numbers that are now known in Portugal, the
documentary, in which the former coordinator advances that Maddie died on the evening of her disappearance, obtained 53% of
share and an average audience of 23,4, which corresponds to 2,209 million viewers. The number of viewers even reaches 2,466
million individuals, with audiences peaking at around 10.13 p.m., which matched a share of 69,5%.
According to the owners of several internet sites, which were
contacted by 24horas, these 2,209 million viewers were joined by approximately 4 million people who saw the TVI broadcast
through streaming, and not counting with those who since Monday have watched the documentary on YouTube, or on several blogs
that are dedicated to the case.
Gonçalo Amaral, who was interviewed on "As Tardes da Júlia"
show on TVI yesterday, further confirmed that the documentary will "hardly be shown on British television", just like it happened
with his book: "The editors were warned and they are afraid of publishing it in England", the former coordinator of the CID
in Portimão said.
Last Monday, TVI led the audience chart, with 33,8%, followed
by RTP1, with 21,8%, and SIC, with 19,4 percent. At the Queluz de Baixo station, "Maddie: The Truth of the Lie" occupied the
top slot of audiences, followed by 'Feitiço de Amor' and 'Jornal Nacional'. 'Telejornal' from RTP1 was the most watched programme
on the channel, occupying the fifth place in the chart, while 'Jornal da Noite', from SIC, appears on place nine.
"I hope that the AG has watched it" (WITH VIDEO), 15 April 2009
"I hope that the AG has watched it" (WITH VIDEO) Correio da Manhã
With an audience of 2.2 million viewers, the documentary 'Maddie – The Truth of the Lie', that was broadcast by
TVI on Monday, and based on Gonçalo Amaral's book, was the leading programme of that day and the second most watched one of
the year. To CM, the author explains that the film has exceeded expectations. "I've always felt that the people feel great
anxiety and the need for justice to be made", he says. "I hope that the Attorney General has watched the documentary and that
this may be the document that was needed to reopen the process", stresses the former Polícia Judiciária inspector who has
accompanied the investigation.
In this production from Valentim de Carvalho Filmes, the most "difficult" was to "face the shroud of silence" that settled
around the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. "From the English police to some witnesses who fear consequences, many people
didn't want to talk", producer Manuel Fonseca reveals.
The 50-minute-long film, which between pre-production and final editing took three months to be concluded, and counted
on a team of 20 persons, is, for the producer, "a market action" involving TVI, that bought the broadcast rights, and the
Investment Fund for Cinema and Audiovisual.
"We're going to sell the documentary on the international market and we already hold proposals from the majority of European
countries", the producer explained, citing Spain, France, Holland, Sweden and Poland.
In Manuel Fonseca's opinion, 'Maddie – The Truth of the Lie' is a production "with very good acceptance". "The
theme and the quality it presents are compatible with the standards of the best European televisions."
The little English girl's disappearance in the Algarve, "a theme that marked the Portuguese society", TVI's merit, who
knew how to "promote" the program and owns "a regular audience", and the "clear manner" in which the documentary transmitted
the former PJ inspector's point of view, explain the success, according to Manuel Fonseca.
"I have no doubts that Maddie is dead", says Gonçalo Amaral. "When I abandoned the investigation, I believed in an accidental
death, but it's still strange that, within an accident scenario, the parents were preoccupied to conceal what had happened.
I hope to find Madeleine's body some day."
Direct Speech
"It brings nothing new" (Clarence Mitchell, the
McCann couple's spokesperson)
Correio da Manhã – Are
you aware of the documentary that was broadcast the day before yesterday by TVI, 'Maddie – The Truth of the Lie'?
Clarence Mitchell – Yes, I'm aware of it. Gerry and Kate McCann, as well.
- Have you watched it?
- No, we haven't. They won't dignify to make any sort of comment about Mr Gonçalo
Amaral's actions, either.
- Are you going to take any measures?
- Not for now. They are focused on searching for their daughter and on collecting information about the case. I remind
you that the second anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance is approaching. This kind of thing would only distract them from
what really matters.
- Are the McCanns shocked about the broadcast of this documentary?
- Mr Gonçalo Amaral had already said this kind of thing in his book, so it brings nothing new. Anyway, neither Gerry
nor Kate will dignify it by commenting.
In 2007, after Gonçalo Amaral left the coordination of the Polícia Judiciária's Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
in Portimão, on the day of his birthday – October the 2nd – many diligences were still possible within the investigation
into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, but few or almost none were carried out.
Despite the fact that all the English people of the so-called "Tapas Group" were officially summoned to return, to participate
in the reconstruction of what happened on the night that Maddie disappeared, none did so and the Portuguese authorities accepted
that fact as if they were expecting it from the start. Another diligence, the questioning that was carried out in England,
ended up revealing further contradictions in the statements but were regrettably sabotaged both by the English police and
by the PJ.
Like Gonçalo Amaral had denounced already, the authorities in England didn't cooperate at the level that was expected
from them and the diplomatic interferences – that have become more than evident now – had produced their purpose:
the head of the investigation was removed and replaced by someone more "malleable", and the case was prepared to be archived.
With two versions of the same night, now recreated in documentaries that have been produced for television – one
in Portugal under the guidance of Gonçalo Amaral and another, an English one, by the McCanns – 24horas has
gone back over the witness statement of Jane Tanner, who is one of the key "characters" of a real case in which the victim
remains solely one: Maddie.
Strangely, according to the videos and transcriptions of their interrogations, to which 24horas had access,
all the English witnesses – David Payne, Fiona Payne, Dianne Webster, Jane Tanner, Russell O'Brien, Matthew Oldfield,
Rachael Mampilly – were given, by the English police, the possibility to consult what they had already told the PJ directors
earlier on.
Some of the English people – as was the case of Jane Tanner, among others – were also given the opportunity
to read the others' witness statements and to change their final statements. Despite this abnormal behaviour by the Leicestershire
police, at least two video recordings of the questionings never arrived in Portugal, and given the fact that the PJ inspectors
who travelled to England, following orders from Paulo Rebelo, were not present, their contents might be lost, if it wasn't
for so-called information "leaks".
The alleged abductor as described by Jane Tanner
Jane Tanner, who is without doubt one of the key characters of the case and in both documentaries, described, in Portugal,
a person, the alleged abductor, "who couldn't be a tourist" because – as she says – "he was too heavily dressed".
The man would be between 35 and 40 years old, with very dark hair, thin and approximately 1,70m tall. Despite the distance,
Jane tells the Portuguese inspectors that the suspect was wearing beige or gold-coloured trousers, a "duffy" type of jacket
(but as thick) and black, classical shoes.
According to Jane's first statement, the suspect walked hurriedly and carried a child lying in his arms, that "looked
larger than a baby". About the child, Jane only added in May 2007 that she "only saw the legs" but that she was wearing pyjamas
that resembled pink cotton where she had the "feeling" of seeing a flowery print.
Back in England, the same man is described by Jane Tanner as "a father who was carrying his own child" whose description
doesn't exactly match the one that was given to the PJ: the man now wears dark, wide clothes that were not "the kind of clothes
of a person on holiday at a Mark Warner resort".
A detail that Jane Tanner stresses to the investigators, and that was used as the basis for the English documentary that
the witness has recently supervised in Praia da Luz, was that the alleged abductor's clothes "don't seem to be from Britain
but rather bought in Portugal": Tanner never explained to the investigators why she made such a statement, instead merely
clarifying that this was what the group had pointed out "not to forget" and to prepare for the PJ's questioning.
While in Portimão, Jane said that she "had no doubts that it was" Madeleine because through a conversation that she held
with Fiona Payne, in which she described to her the pyjamas that the little girl was wearing that night, she saw that everything
matched what she had seen.
Back in England, Tanner's memory changes once more and the pyjamas are only light-coloured and she no longer recalls
the conversation that she held with Fiona.
In all the interrogations, Tanner, who says she walked the longer route to go from the Tapas to her apartment, says she
passed Gerry McCann and Jeremy Wilkins in front of the stairs that lead up to 5A, but the two men state they didn't see her.
Neither her nor the alleged abductor.
To the Portuguese investigators, she said, in May 2007, that she didn't recall the positions that Jeremy and Gerry occupied
on the road. Almost a year later, Tanner was able to precise where they were standing.
In front of the PJ and when confronted with information that the dogs had smelled trails that supposedly indicated that
Madeleine never passed by the crossing where she said she saw the man who carried a child, but rather into an opposite direction
– which actually matches the Smith family's statement – Tanner was adamant and defended that she was not lying,
sticking to her initial version. Despite the importance of this issue, which even could be an indication that an alleged abductor
might have walked a different path for his getaway, neither Tanner nor the English police approached this matter again.
In Portugal, facing the Portuguese and English policemen who followed the questioning and the first diligences, Tanner
points at Robert Murat as being the man who she allegedly saw carrying a child, but during the interrogations in England,
she completely changes her version and says that when Bob Small took her into a van from where she could observe Murat without
being seen, "there was a car that passed at that moment and then two persons walked by", which allegedly disturbed her and
led her to identify the Anglo-British man by mistake.
The reading of Jane Tanner's interrogations in England, without the need to compare it with her previous statements to
the PJ, reveals by itself her lot of contradictions: while explaining the manner in which she cooperated with the Portuguese
police in the identification of Murat, Tanner first says that when she met Bob Small she didn't know who he was and asked
her partner, Russell O'Brien, to write down the license plate of the car in which the policeman rode. During the same questioning
session, Tanner says that at the time she took her collabotaion with the authorities "very seriously" and that she didn't
even tell her partner that she was meeting Bob Small and why.
The importance of phone calls
The extensive analysis that is carried out on all telephone communications that
were made by the nine English people during their entire stay in Portugal is an important detail of the official investigation
into Maddie's disappearance.
It is Jane Tanner who reveals to the English police that David and Fiona Payne used a Portuguese mobile phone at the
time when Madeleine disappeared, a situation that was not even unique given the fact that Kate and Gerry McCann also had phones
with a Portuguese chip at their disposal, some of which were never known to the PJ.
When questioned in England about her own phone communications, Jane Tanner identifies all of the correspondents as being
friends or relatives, yet fails to identify the owner of a Portuguese mobile phone whom she calls and sends text messages
after Maddie's disappearance. The question would never be clarified.
Another important detail that none of the documentaries – the Portuguese one, based on Gonçalo Amaral's book and
the English one under the "direction" of Gerry McCann – explains, is the contradiction between the various witnesses,
concerning Kate McCann's movements.
To the Leicerstershire Police, Jane Tanner, when questioned about that matter, says that she didn't see whether or not
Kate left the table during dinner because she "was back in her room at that moment" and only saw her again after the disappearance,
"when she (Kate) was running near our apartment with Fiona Payne".
Reconstruction or documentary
Jane Tanner, who is pointed out in the documentary that Channel Four will transmit on the seventh of May as one of the
most important witnesses of the case, explains to the English police, in her last questioning, why she refused to participate
in the PJ's reconstruction.
According to her testimony, "I'd be on a plane tomorrow if I thought that it might help find Madeleine" but that the
fear of facing the media and the fact that the diligence was explained to her as "just another occasion to incriminate us"
and not focusing on discovering what happened and where Madeleine is, led her to refuse the Portuguese authorities’
request. Now, almost two years after Madeleine's disappearance, Jane Tanner was precisely one of the witnesses who returned
to Praia da Luz to face the media and to help in the filming of a reconstruction that doesn't comply with the official inquiry
at all.
"I really need to understand that it's worth doing and not simply a way to close the inquiry," said Tanner, adding that
"from the media's point of view and from a psychological point of view, the thought of walking up that road again and having
to relive it all, it would be exactly terrible". That was precisely what Tanner did earlier this month and 24horas
followed on location.
To those who are convinced that the case is solved, 20 April 2009
To those who are convinced that the case is solved Expresso (appears in paper edition only - 'Actual' magazine)
There are three ways to find out about police cases in television fashion: either one arrives too late and the report
has had time to be thought over, or one is on location while the action takes place, or one 'dramatises'. In a dramatisation,
the alleged crime is recreated in movie style and fiction is used to replace the reality of facts. This is an uncommon procedure
on Portuguese television, and implies a conjunction of means (technical, financial, legal means and even unknown actors or
stand-ins) that seldom takes place.
"The Truth of the Lie", the recreation of the Maddie McCann case according to Gonçalo Amaral, was broadcast by TVI on
Monday and showed how in Portugal some excellent results can be obtained from the knowledge of dramatisation work. "The Truth
of the Lie" started out as a bestseller in bookstores. In his book, Gonçalo Amaral, the coordinator who was responsible for
the investigation into the disappearance of little English girl Madeleine McCann in an Algarvian resort, wanted to "clean
his honour" and that of the Polícia Judiciária and to open the doors for the re-opening of the process. Removed from the case
by then PJ director Alípio Ribeiro, Amaral defends the theory that Maddie died accidentally on the night that she was announced
as missing, and that the corpse was concealed by her parents.
The programme that was broadcast on the 13th by TVI, a Valentim de Carvalho production, gives a minute report of events
and is convincing to the point of not leaving anyone in doubt, at least judging from the voxpopuli comments that were heard
throughout the week.
The viewer is guided by Gonçalo Amaral himself to the various locations of the event, the evidence that solidifies the
former inspector’s theory is lined up, experts speak and the notion that there was no failure in the investigation,
but rather an "interruption in the investigation", and that the political pressures (even at the British government level)
were more than evident, is reinforced.
While Amaral lacks a 'television posture', to say the least, the programme impressed by its rhythm, the excellent editing
of something that in less capable hands would be a scattered puzzle, and by the almost patronising defence, in the best of
senses, that Amaral has reason on his side.
Now all that is left to do is to wait and watch the English dramatisation, which is soon to arrive on TV. Will the truth
and the lie switch positions again?
"Maddie is in Praia da Luz!", 26 April 2009
'Maria' cover, 26 April 2009
"Maddie is in Praia da Luz!" Maria (appears in
paper edition only)
Gonçalo Amaral continues the searches and makes revelations
"Madeleine McCann died in apartment 5A and her body was concealed." With this certainty, Gonçalo Amaral closes the documentary
'Maddie – The Truth of the Lie' that was broadcast by TVI on the 13th of April.
The former coordinator of the most media exposed investigation of all times believes that the English girl, who disappeared
from Praia da Luz on the 3rd of May 2007, was not abducted as her parents have always defended and further advances: "Maddie
is there in the Praia da Luz area! For some reason, they're around."
Despite having been taken off the case in October 2007, Gonçalo Amaral continued to investigate on his own and promises
to make some revelations soon: "I've been talking to other retired policemen, from other countries, and we've given the case
plenty of thought. There is lots of information that has been collected, and news will be out, over the coming days. We have
new clues and very serious ones."
The production from Valentim de Carvalho Filmes, which is based on the book that was launched by Gonçalo Amaral, after
he was removed from the investigation, was a success. Over two million viewers saw the documentary, which was broadcast by
the Queluz station, and is now the second most viewed programme of 2009.
The former Polícia Judiciária inspector already expected the programme to be a success, but never this much. "We were
expecting great impact, because it's an issue that still touches people. They want to know the truth and they want justice.
But we never expected this much", reveals Gonçalo Amaral, who doesn't doubt that since the 13th, the Portuguese are now better
informed about Maddie's disappearance. But according to the former inspector, it seems that not everyone watched it attentively:
"The Attorney General should have realised by now that he holds a very important document that proves that there is no abduction,
and all he has to do is to reopen the process."
Ocean Club workers want to sue the McCanns
Before the little girl's disappearance from apartment 5A at the Ocean Club, 130
people worked at the resort. During the following summer, the number fell to 60, and late last year, it was reduced to 48.
Presently, only 27 people have kept their job!
The Ocean Club management was forced to "cut back on personnel" and doesn't hesitate to point at those who are responsible
over the redundancies. The dismissal letter, which was sent to 21 workers, reads: "… This is the expected result of
a sequence that has been continued over the past two years, when the company has supported the heavy costs of a reduction
in its activity, as a result of the unfortunate Maddie McCann event."
The Ocean Club staff shares the same opinion and add that "after the little girl's disappearance, there was a break of
40 per cent in the number of tourists. We used to host entire families. There were even 'wars' to get a sunbed. Now, that
doesn't happen anymore".
As a result of this decrease in the number of customers, over twenty people, aged 30 to 50, and some of them working
for this company for two decades, have received a redundancy letter and promise to unite to sue the McCanns.
Residents want to forget about Maddie
The tragedy that was lived in Praia da Luz, in May 2007, did not only "cast a
shadow" on that resort. A little over the entire Algarvian village, business owners complain about the lack of tourists, and
once more blame the excessive media coverage of the Maddie case.
The truth is that, two years after the disappearance of the English girl, that paradise by the sea has yet to return
to normality. "We enjoyed a quiet life, and it was bad luck that this happened here", a resident says. The locals have not
managed to forget about Maddie, and they are not even allowed to do so! Gerry's return to Praia da Luz, earlier this month,
is proof. Despite the fact that Kate remained in England, supposedly due to being physically and psychologically debilitated,
the husband returned to the crime scene, but was ill received.
At the Ocean Club's entrance, insults were thrown at the one that they used to support. "Why didn't he come when the
PJ asked him to?", a shop owner questions. "What's this documentary's use? To further denigrate Praia da Luz's image?" –
another one asks.
There is no doubt that the locals' opinion about the McCanns' innocence has changed a lot. Apart from making it very
clear that the couple is not welcome, they weren't pleased about the most recent campaign from the English. A few weeks ago,
ten thousand leaflets were distributed in mail boxes and dozens of posters with Maddie's face were put up. Nevertheless, 'Maria'
failed to find a single one of them! "They were all torn", a resident confesses. We see a single billboard upon leaving
Luz, with the child's face covered with white paint, as well as the contact number for new information. It's a sign that the
locals cannot stand the McCanns' media circus anymore.
Chronology of a polemic case
2007
3rd May Madeleine McCann disappears from the room where she slept with her
twin brother and sister, at the apartment 5A of the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz. The parents were having dinner with a group
of friends in the resort's restaurant, around 50 meters away from the apartment.
5th May The Judiciary Police director in Faro, Guilhermino Encarnação,
advances that all the evidence points to an abduction, there was already a sketch of the suspect.
14th May Murat is heard for 14 hours at the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) of Portimão and becomes the first arguido [suspect] in the case process.
31st July The PJ, elements of the British police and two dogs, trained to
detect traces of blood and cadaver scent, inspect apartment 5A and find new evidence.
11th August For the first time the Judiciary Police admits that
Madeleine might be dead.
6th SeptemberKate McCann
is interviewed at the PJ in Portimão for 11 hours.
7th September The McCann couple are heard at the CID in Portimão
and constituted as arguidos.
9th September Kate and Gerry return to England.
2nd October Gonçalo Amaral, coordinator of the 'Maddie Case'
since the first day, is removed from the investigation.
8th October Paulo Rebelo is announced as the substitute of Gonçalo
Amaral, at the head of the case.
2008
19th March The PJ returns
Robert Murat's apprehended belongings.
13th April Robert Murat demands libel payments from various
British media groups.
21st July The Attorney General's Office [PGR] announces the archiving of
the process due to not obtaining evidence of the practice of any crime.
24th July Gonçalo Amaral publishes the book 'The Truth of The
Lie', where he reveals his theory about Madeleine’s disappearance.
2009
25th March Ten thousand
leaflets and dozens of posters with Maddie’s face are distributed and placed in Praia da Luz, with the intention of
not forgetting about the disappearance of the English girl.
4th AprilGerry McCann returns
to Praia da Luz to shoot a documentary about what happened on the 3rd of May 2007.
12th April Inspector Ana Paula Rito replaces Paulo Rebelo at
the coordination of the Portimão's CID.
13th AprilTVI broadcasts
a documentary based on Gonçalo Amaral's book, in which the former inspector sustains that Maddie is dead.
