Aragao Correia delivers a letter to court in which Leonor confesses that her daughter is dead

Leonor assaulted by colleagues?, 20 November 2008

Leonor assaulted by colleagues? 24Horas   by Miguel Ferreira 20 November 2008 Thanks to 'Astro' for translation   Leonor Cipriano was assaulted in prison by other inmates and not by the PJ's men, two supposed relatives of inmates at Odemira Prison stated yesterday, as they were interviewed – without being identified – on the 'Fatima' talk show on SIC. A version that could demolish the accusation of torture against the inspectors, but which the defence lawyer asserted to 24horas he is not going to take advantage of.   Pragal Colaço – who represents the four inspectors from the Violent Crime Combat Directory – said it "won't be necessary" to call those witnesses, given the fact that he considers that the testimonies from the prison doctor and from the Public Ministry's prosecutor who started the process were already "decisive to reach the truth".   "During the final allegations, it will become clearly perceptible what happened. Everything has a technical scientific explanation", he said, without adding further clarification.   During the SIC program, a source that was presented as being the mother of an inmate at Odemira Prison guaranteed that "it was the [prison] companions themselves that aggressed Leonor in order to make her confess what she did to her daughter".   With her face covered and her voice distorted, the woman said that she acquired knowledge of this fact through her daughter, who was detained at the same prison as Leonor, at the time when the latter presented a complaint against the PJ inspectors over alleged aggressions.   During the same show, another witness revealed that during a visit to an inmate at the same prison she was told that "Leonor was assaulted by the inmates several times, and the first one was right after her detention".   Different version   Contradicting everything were two other supposed inmates, who were heard during the same show. One of them admitted that the atmosphere inside the prison "was of great turmoil" because the inmates "wanted to know what had happened to little Joana". But she said that nobody had contact with Joana's mother during two and a half months after she returned from the PJ in Faro.   A supposed cell mate of Leonor even stated that the inmates were "threatened by the guards" not to hurt Leonor. Concerning the aggressions, "her initial version was that it was the police who beat her up", she said.   Defence will call ten inmates into court   Joana's mother's lawyer was caught by surprise yesterday by the testimonies that advance a new version of the facts that could explain the marks of violence on his client.   Marcos Aragao Correia told 24horas that he "had never heard about aggressions by inmates against Leonor Cipriano inside the prison", and therefore has already prepared ten witnesses to testify in court in order to contradict the theory, "if the defence calls the persons that were heard by SIC".   "I have ten inmates who are willing to go defend Leonor in court", he guaranteed.   For now, Marcos Aragao Correia is counting on 15 defence witnesses, whose request "was already filed". They include names like Antonio Leandro, Leonor Cipriano's former partner at the time when Joana died, former Polícia Judiciaria inspector Barra da Costa, relatives of Leandro and the director of the Prison of Odemira, Ana Maria Calado, whose testimony Aragao Correia does not abdicate from, although she was dispensed by the collective of judges at the Court of Faro. The lawyer considers the possibility of appealing to the Relation Court of Evora.   Phone calls   Lawyer Carlos Arroba da Silva clarified that "if the court or someone related to the process understands that those testimonies may help in the discovery of the truth", the persons that were heard during the program could "be summoned to testify in court".

Leonor Cipriano has psychotic traces, 24 November 2008

Leonor Cipriano has psychotic traces Correio da Manha   According to expert   24 November 2008 - 12h33 Thanks to Joana Morais for translation   Psychologist Paulo Sargento, who was summoned to the Court of Faro this morning as an expert in the case of alleged aggressions and torture on Leonor Cipriano stated that Joana's mother presents "narcissist, paranoid and schizoid traces". According to the expert, and based upon the report that was elaborated by the National Forensics Institute, Leonor Cipriano reunites these psychological traces in a 'psychotic nature' with 'an inclination towards suicide'. The trial of five PJ inspectors will resume this afternoon.

Joana Case: Leonor has psychopathic characteristics and suicidal tendencies, according to psychologist, 24 November 2008

Joana Case: Leonor has psychopathic characteristics and suicidal tendencies, according to psychologist LUSA   24 November 2008, 14:22 Thanks to Joana Morais for translation   Faro, 24 Nov (Lusa) – Psychologist Paulo Sargento admitted in court today, during the fifth session of the trial of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano, that the assistant in this process has psychopathic characteristics and a tendency towards suicide. The process of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by Polícia Judiciaria (PJ) inspectors is related to the so-called "Joana case", which dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day when the little girl, aged eight, disappeared from the village of Figueira, Portimao, Algarve.   According to Paulo Sargento, an expert in forensics psychology and the person who was responsible for the report from the Institute for Forensics Medicine about Joana's mother, which was carried out after the little girl’s disappearance, this document indicates that the assistant in this process is a person with "psychopathic" characteristics, "affective coldness", "with traces of low socialisation", with a "tendency to lie and fantasize", with "traces of omnipresence" and who does "not respect other people's wellbeing", he said.   The psychologist even said that Leonor Cipriano can be classified as an "aggressive" person, "without values", "dissimulated" and who "is not concerned about the truth".   During the trial session, the lawyer for arguido Gonçalo Amaral asked psychologist Paulo Sargento if a person with Leonor Cipriano's characteristics "might try suicide or not", which the expert answered to affirmatively and that Joana's mother had a "tendency towards suicide". Gonçalo Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, requested the court to understand the statement that was given by witness Paulo Sargento to be understood as "a piece of evidence" because he had "demonstrated direct knowledge about facts".   In statements given to journalists upon leaving the trial's morning session, lawyer Jose Preto, who is a member of ACED (Association Against Exclusion through Development) stressed that the technical report that had been performed on Leonor Cipriano was made at a point in time when she was an arguido, not an assistant, thus devaluing the "opinion", referring that there would always remain a "process doubt" because the result is a "probability".   From the list of witnesses, Osvalda Conselos was also heard today; an inmate at the Prison of Odemira at the time when Leonor Cipriano was in preventive custody at the same institution, she said in court that when Leonor Cipriano arrived in prison with lesions she always said that "she had fallen down the stairs".   When questioned by the judge if she had ever heard Leonor Cipriano commenting that she was going to request compensation for the alleged lesions, Osvalda Conselos remembered that she heard Leonor say herself: "But I fell down the stairs, why would I now say that I was beaten!".   The Public Ministry's accusations against five Judiciaria inspectors and former inspectors appeared following the questioning at the PJ in Faro in 2004, a time when Leonor reportedly appeared at the Prison in Odemira, where she was being kept in preventive custody, with lesions to her face and body.   Three inspectors stand accused of the crime of torture, one is being accused of failing to provide assistance and of omitting a denunciation, and a fifth one stands accused of falsifying a document. Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano (both siblings) were condemned by the Supreme Court of Justice to serve 16 years in prison each, for the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver.   The trial continues this afternoon, and the next session takes place on Thursday, the 27th.

Expert says that photographs of Leonor Cipriano may have been manipulated, 24 November 2008

Expert says that photographs of Leonor Cipriano may have been manipulated IOL Portugal Diario   Witness was summoned to testify in court by the defence of inspector Marques Bom   24-11-2008 - 21:05h Thanks to 'Astro' for translation   A computer expert said in court that the photographs that were taken of Leonor Cipriano with markings of alleged aggressions from Polícia Judiciaria inspectors in October 2004 may have been manipulated, Lusa reports.   Electronics engineer Miguel Custodio was summoned as a computer expert to the Court of Faro by the defence of inspector Marques Bom, one of the five arguidos in the process of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano during the investigation into the case of Joana, the little girl who disappeared from the village of Figueira, Portimao, in September of 2004. The witness authored a forensics report that intended to establish the dates when the photographs were taken, possible indicia of manipulation, as well as the quality of the images that were recorded on the CD that is part of the process, which includes 19 photographs of Leonor Cipriano presenting several bruises on different body parts. According to the technician, the images of Joana's mother that were presented in the process "have passed through a software filter that manipulated them". Nevertheless, he asserted that "it's not possible to determine what manipulation was carried out without having access to the original files". Miguel Custodio said that he presumes that the original images were recorded on a floppy disk, adding that he didn't know what had "happened to the original files" in the meantime, and that he couldn't guarantee that those had not been altered since their original recording. "It was not possible to establish the date of the photographs" According to Miguel Custodio, "it was not possible to establish the date of the photographs" because "the disc where they were recorded was no longer the original one". The CD that was appended to the process was recorded in October 2008 from images that had been recorded on the 9th of May 2005. Concerning the quality of the files, the witness explained to the judges and members of the jury that due to the fact that they were taken with "low resolution, the images don't have enough quality to allow for an enlargement and to distinguish color details" when they were printed, which led him to conclude that they are of "bad quality" as a "piece of evidence".   Falling down the stairs   The witness statement of Miguel Custodio followed the one given by Jose Prachedes, a PJ inspector who was part of the initial list of eight arguidos in this process. Jose Prachedes was taken off the process after a line-up that was carried out in Evora in 2007, during which Leonor Cipriano failed to identify him. The PJ inspector stated that on the night of the alleged aggressions, on the 14th of October 2004, he was inside the building of the PJ directory in Faro, accompanied by Joao Cipriano, Leonor's brother, with whom he had been carrying out diligences within the Joana case. At a certain point in time, he recalled, "I was talking to Mr Joao and I heard a noise". When asked what kind of noise it was, he replied: "It sounded like something heavy that fell unsupported on stone". Despite realising that "something had happened, I didn't know immediately what it was". It was only "30 to 60 minutes later" that Jose Prachedes would be "informed about what had happened by inspector Leonel Marques". "What I was told later was that she [Leonor Cipriano] went to the toilet and that when she exited, she precipitated herself towards the stairs and inspector Marques Bom precipitated himself towards her to try to prevent her from falling down the stairs", he told the court. The inspector further added that he had "no motives not to believe in his colleagues" even more because at the date of the facts, Leonor Cipriano had already admitted her involvement in her daughter's death to the instruction judge, on the 13th of October.

"Director made her change the version", 25 November 2008

Osvalda Concelos "Director made her change the version" Correio da Manha   Leonor: Former inmate says that Joana's mother always spoke about a fall   Joao Mira Godinho 25 November 2008 - 00h30 Thanks to 'Astro' for translation   When she arrived to the Odemira Prison (EPO) with bruises on her face, Leonor Cipriano, always "said that those were the consequence of a fall on the stairs". The statement is from Osvalda Concelos, former prison inmate, who testified at the fifth court session of the trial of the five PJ inspectors accused of torture, in Faro. "Only after a conversation with the Director of the EPO [Ana Maria Calado] did she start talking about aggressions", said Osvalda Concelos, who states that she overheard the conversation and to whom it seemed that "it was the director who talked about the possibility of Leonor receiving compensation". "But I fell on the stairs, am I going to say that I was beaten?", asked Joana's mother before she changed her version, according to Osvalda Concelos. As well, in yesterday's court session, a computer specialist stated that it is impossible to know if the photos where Leonor appears with bruises were doctored. "The files that I analysed have the date of 9 May of 2005", explained Filipe Custodio, when the photos were taken in October 2004. Thus, and for their lack of quality, the expert affirmed that is not possible to know if they were changed. The forensic psychologist, Paulo Sargento, based on a Forensic Medicine Institute report, affirmed that Leonor Cipriano has "psychopathic" characteristics.

Leonor Cipriano's lesions were not all caused at the same time, 28 November 2008

Leonor Cipriano's lesions were not all caused at the same time Sol (with Lusa)   27 November 2008 Thanks to 'Astro' for translation   Two forensic medicine experts said at the Court of Faro today that Leonor Cipriano's lesions, that are documented in photographs that were taken at the prison in Odemira, were not all caused within the same time period   "There are lesions to the head, torso, upper member and thorax, but they don't all have the same temporality because they have different colours", said pathologist Rosa Maria da Silva, during the sixth session of the trial of the PJ inspectors who are involved in a process of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano, following the investigation into the disappearance of her daughter Joana in 2004.   According to expert Rosa Maria da Silva, who authored a report about Leonor Cipriano's lesions based on some of the photos that are included in the process, the "lesions were caused by contusing trauma" and its evolution starts with a reddish colour, then a black purple colour (until the third day after the blow), followed by a blue purple colour (until the sixth day after the blow), finishing in a green and finally yellow colour. Although it has "indicative value" and may vary, this colour scale allows for pathologists to evaluate the trauma temporality. "A blue lesion was certainly not produced on the day that it was photographed", the expert alleged, referring that the photographs that she analysed were either "not all taken on the same day" at the Prison in Odemira or "something happened".   The cause of said lesions, according to the medic, could be either fist blows (active form) or a fall from the stairs (passive form).   "Fist blows cannot be excluded, but it could have not been that, either. It's not possible to reach major conclusions", Rosa Maria da Silva admitted.   According to the opinion of another pathologist that was also heard in court today, expert Tânia Maio, the photographs that she analysed also demonstrate that one is looking at "different moments of the lesion" because the "colour and the lesions" differ from one photo to another, but safeguarding that the blood absorption varies according to the area of the body being more or less irrigated by blood. Expert Tânia Maio further refers that all of the trauma that she saw on the photos resulted from a "contusing form", but that they could be caused by fist blows (active form) as well as by a fall (passive form), although she stressed that her opinion falls on a "trauma from passive form", which means a soft body hitting [a surface] and not direct trauma.   Another witness that had been heard during one of the initial sessions of the trial, a computer expert, admitted that the photographs that were taken of Leonor Cipriano with bruise marks on several parts of her body "could have been manipulated".   Miguel Custodio, who was summoned to testify by the defence of inspector Marques Bom, one of the five arguidos in the process, said that the photographs passed through a software filter that manipulated them, but that it's not possible to determine if that manipulation was done without access to the original files.   For Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, Marcos Aragao, these opinions are irrelevant for the process: "I don't see any relevance, because these doctors are not witnesses in the process", he told the journalists.   Defence lawyer Pragal Colaço, on another hand, said that the testimonies from the pathologists "brought a very important fact" into the process, which is the "evolution time of the lesions".   "The photos could have been taken at different times. There are lesions that are older than others. They are not all contemporary (at the date of the photo session)", the lawyer observed, referring that it was not possible to obtain any certainties concerning the cause of the trauma being direct fist blows.   The accusations from the Public Ministry against the Polícia Judiciaria inspectors appeared after the questioning at the PJ in Faro in 2004, the time at which Leonor appeared at the Prison in Odemira, where she serves a prison sentence, with bruises on her face and on her body.   Leonor Cipriano and her brother Joao Cipriano were each condemned to 16 years in prison, for the crimes of homicide and concealment of the cadaver of Joana, the eight-year-old girl who disappeared from the village of Figueira, in Portimao (Algarve) in September of 2004.

'Detectives of the McCann's asked me to arrange for evidence against Gonçalo Amaral', 04 December 2008

O Crime (cover)    04 December 2008   LAWYER WHO WORKED WITH THE INVESTIGATORS EMPLOYED BY THE PARENTS OF MADDIE TO 'O CRIME':   'DETECTIVES OF THE McCANNS ASKED ME TO ARRANGE FOR EVIDENCE AGAINST GONÇALO AMARAL'   'PARENTS OF MADDIE FORETOLD THE DEATH OF THEIR DAUGHTER'

'Spanish detectives asked me to arrange for evidence against Gonçalo Amaral' O Crime (appears in paper edition only)   The lawyer who cooperated with 'Metodo 3' makes surprising revelations • "Maddie's parents foretold their daughter's death" • "Satanic societies and secret services involved in the Maddie Case"   In the book that he is launching this week, Dr Marcos Aragao Correia, the lawyer who defends Leonor in the process in which Joana's mother accuses five PJ inspectors of having tortured her, reveals how his facet as a medium became important, namely in the discovery of the truth in the Maddie case, allowing 'O Crime' to learn about some data, this far kept under secrecy, about the investigations that were carried out by Spanish detective agency Metodo 3, stressing the highly likely intervention of secret services and satanic sects in the disappearance of the English girl.   Interview by: Jose Leite 04 December 2008 Thanks to 'Astro' for translation   'O Crime' - What do you intend to reveal in this book of yours? Marcos Aragao – In the book 'The Little Girls that Came from the Stars' I mix true facts with romantic ones, approaching new aspects of the private investigation that Maddie's parents carried out into their daughter's disappearance. I speak about my powers as a medium and how those powers were useful to develop a private investigation that counted on the support of the Metodo 3 Detective Agency. I wanted to employ that gift of mine into the discovery of a credible truth about the case of the disappearance of Maddie, stripping myself of any material purposes. The goal was not to earn money – even more so because I fortunately lead an economical life without any financial problems in Madeira – but rather to help those parents who lived in affliction. One of the major teachings of spiritualism mentions that it's only by helping others that we are able to help ourselves. That was what I intended to do: to help this little girl, thus conquering her precious Love. How did that premonition of yours about the Maddie case happen? On the 5th of May, upon returning from a spiritualist meeting in Madeira, right after going to bed, but before falling asleep, at around midnight, an extraordinary thing happened to me for the first time in my life: I saw the image of a little girl that must have been around 4 years of age, with blonde, shoulder-length straight hair, blue eyes, very disturbed, visibly unable to understand what was happening to her, accompanied by a female being of great beauty and great spiritual standing… Then, other images appeared, related to what had happened to her: I saw a strongly built man, blue eyes, somewhat balding and with blondish hair, brutally raping that girl and then strangling her with his hands, throwing the cadaver into a lake. I perceived by a map that was shown to me, that this happened in the Algarve, but I couldn't read the name of the village. I stress that I hadn't seen any photo of Maddie before, I only knew, from what I'd heard on the radio, that she was 3 years old. That individual that you describe, was he ever referred to within the PJ's investigation?   In fact, there were references about a strongly built individual of British appearance as a suspect. Still, as this was my first vision in my entire life, there was, on my side, a certain reluctance in divulging it. I let a few days pass, even to see whether or not the little girl showed up. Until I gave the lead to the PJ, on the 9th of May, but they never contacted me. Later on, an agent from the PJ in Portimao told me that the investigation's thesis was not based on abduction anymore. Then, I decided to carry out a private investigation: I went to continental Portugal, and visited the various lakes and dams of the Algarve, until I reached the Arade one which was the only one that precisely matched the scenery that I had seen in my vision. I decided to contact a senior official at Metodo 3, the detective agency that had been hired by the McCanns to investigate their daughter's disappearance. When I mentioned that the dam was located in Silves, I noticed that they were surprised and immediately wanted to speak with me. What happened next? Two detectives met with me and told me that they had already received thousands of leads, but that mine was corroborated by a physical case that they had already established. It involved a Portuguese truck driver, M. Gautier, who only two days after the disappearance of Madeleine, at around 4 or 5 p.m., while driving down the IC1 road, near the Arade dam, saw two cars parked by the road, an Audi A3 that was driven by a man and a green car (of a very special green) that was driven by a blonde woman. The two vehicles were separated by a small metallic fence, and while driving by in his truck, the driver saw what seemed like an inanimate child to him, being passed from one car to another, wrapped up in a blanket. But how could he immediately conclude that it was a child? By the manner in which the body stood out from the blanket, the bent legs and small dimensions made him conclude without hesitation that it was a child. On the other hand, the double caution with which the couple held the blanket on a hot day, became suspicious. It was all extremely strange, and because of that, in November, the truck driver reported everything to the detectives at Metodo 3, after the Portuguese police simply discarded that mysterious event that he had participated in. According to what he told me himself, the PJ's elements even ridiculed him as soon as he called them on the day that he witnessed the translation of the body near the metal fence. And did Metodo 3 ever investigate that case? Of course. The Spanish detectives showed M. Gautier the photos of some of the main suspects in the disappearance of Maddie, and found some physiognomic similarities with at least two of them. I read in the process concerning Maddie's disappearance, which was archived in the meantime, that the PJ, after picking up on that lead again six months later, discarded it once more, after the analysis of the cellular activation of the antennae of the suspicious couple's mobile phones, and after questioning the persons that owned a house on that plot… There, the PJ committed a gross mistake by investigating only that suspect and his girlfriend. The truck driver said that he couldn't guarantee that it was that precise suspect, but rather that it was a person with similar physiognomic features, mainly in terms of body mass. The fact is that Metodo 3 placed their bet on you and that Dr Aragao Correia left to do that research in the dam?   Yes, they bet on me, after submitting me to a test in order to prove in an unequivocal manner whether or not my medium abilities and my posture were credible. They were fed up with following false leads. The fact is that the test gave totally positive results, according to what was confirmed to me by the director of the Agency in Barcelona herself, and as a consequence of that, Metodo 3 offered full support to my research. But given the fact that Maddie's parents preferred to spend the decreasing money from the Madeleine Fund in mainly following leads that placed the hypothesis that their daughter was still alive, they dismissed the possibility of paying professional divers to scrutinise the dam. Then, I offered myself to pay for the first phase of the searches in the dam, having later received much support (even financial) from mediums and spiritualists who believed in and corroborated my theory. Searches that failed to find anything relevant? Relevant yes, but not sufficient as evidence. Maybe I did some mistake, which may have alerted the possible abductor(s) of the little English girl: on the 11th of January, before the diving in the dam started, 'Lux' magazine published those suspicions of mine on their front page. It was almost two months later that the searches were started at the dam, which was more than enough time for the criminals to hide any incriminating residues. Nevertheless, we discovered a girl's sock that was Maddie's age. I believe that the sock might have been used by Maddie, although the lab tests failed to detect any human residues, due to the fact that it stayed underwater for such a long time. We also found several interlaced ropes, over five metres long, which could perfectly have been used to tie up the body at the bottom of the dam. All of this was recovered by the divers in an area where there was no garbage. Metodo 3 always accompanied the searches closely, and took all of those objects to Spain. Do you believe that Maddie's abduction and death were an isolated action? The information that I received as a medium didn't allow for me to understand what the crime's mobile was. But information that I obtained later on – even from consulting an excellent book by criminologist Barra da Costa – led me to believe the theory, that was exposed by that former PJ chief inspector, that the police weren’t interested in finding either Maddie or the real culprits over her disappearance. They weren't interested? Dr Barra da Costa said that there was something like a tacit plan to induce a general sense of insecurity across society, to allow for the micro-chip (a device that after being implanted in human beings delivers signals to track them down) may be produced on a major scale. At the beginning I had some reservations concerning that issue because I had never heard about it, but I was careful enough to go on the internet and to consult several credible websites, including FBI and CIA sources, where I found some amazing things: the micro-chip was being promoted as the ideal weapon to prevent crime. They added that the population should be induced into accepting this technological revolution, even if at the cost of promoting insecurity policies. Well, the Maddie case fell like "soup in the honey" for the promotion of those insecurity policies, especially as far as children are concerned. And why Maddie?   Concerning that issue, I obtained precious information with Metodo 3 (which I reveal in my book) concerning the status of the missing girl's parents, who had very influential connections with the British government. Apart from that, one day before his daughter disappeared, Gerry received enigmatic coded messages on his mobile phone, which he failed to decipher. Was it a warning from someone connected to the British secret services, trying to warn him about the imminent abduction of his daughter? The fact is that the little girl fell victim to a perfect abduction, carried out by professionals, who studied all of the McCann couple's steps and left no trace. The PJ's investigation process even refers the existence of an individual who watched the apartment in a suspicious manner, during the days that preceded the abduction. But at what level did the parents relate to the British government: with the secret service? My book also discusses that. There was privileged knowledge by the American secret services, through the English, about those parents' entire life. And although Gordon Brown is a person of integrity, I cannot say the same about George W. Bush, who is doubtlessly one of the major international terrorists. From here to the perverse secret societies, it's a small step… But what were those secret societies? Everyone knows that president Bush was connected to a secret society, 'Skull and Bones', whose elements have the fetish of lying in coffins and participating in satanic rituals. That society recruits for the major totally Machiavellian secret societies that seek to control the earth. Due to their strength at a global level, it would be natural for those societies to know about that privileged relationship between Maddie's parents and the British government. And that in the case that one of the couple's children was abducted, they could be certain that Gordon Brown's government would act and that the case would become immensely media-exposed. On the other hand, those satanic sects would know beforehand that the crime would never be discovered in Portugal, as it happened, due to the ineptitude that our police present in finding abducted children. And they also knew that the person who is responsible for that investigation in the Portimao department had already proved his incompetence in the Joana case. All of that would reinforce the politics of implementation of the insecurity theories – another abducted child, nobody knows who did it, etc…, benefitting the interests of the industries that will launch said micro-chips. I was shocked when I saw reports that stated that if the technology had been implemented already, Maddie would easily be found. They revealed a lowly attitude by using the little girl's memory… How did you appear in the defence of Joana's mother?   Metodo 3 asked me to juridically investigate (to arrange for evidence and witnesses) the tortures by Mr Gonçalo Amaral, namely over Joana's mother. According to them, this was a coordinator who had revealed an embarrassing ineptitude in the investigation of child abductions in the Algarve, systematically incriminating, without any evidence whatsoever, the missing girls' mothers. I spoke to ACED and asked them if they were interested in me writing independent reports about Leonor and her brother, Joao Cipriano. Did you reach any conclusion through those interviews with Leonor and Joao Cipriano?   I was confronted with two different states of mind: Leonor was shocked about what had happened to her daughter; Joao displayed no remorse. It is curious that the first time that I sat down in front of him, I saw streams of blood running down his face, as if he was guilty over his niece's death. I was impressed, but I remained silent and told nobody about the fact. But now, after having questioned tens of persons, after Leonor herself told me that he was not to be trusted, that on the evening of the crime (he had arrived at Leonor's house just one day before), as soon as the child left the house, he went after her, all of this added to the depositions from relatives and from persons who dealt with them in the village of Figueira, I was fully convinced that it was Joao Cipriano who murdered Joana. In fact, I learned that he had already been convicted over attempted homicide of an individual, having received 100 euros and a motorbike to do that service. Why didn't he reveal the location of the cadaver? He always held on to the hope that if the cadaver wasn't found, he would be acquitted. He also incriminated Joana's mother, saying that she had beaten the little girl, and saying that Leonor had written him letters stating that she had sold her daughter, but she never wrote to him, as prison records prove. In that village everyone knows that Leonor had never beaten the little girl and that she had an excellent relationship with her. Did you find any 'medium-related' contact points between both cases: Joana's and Maddie's? One 'transported me to the other'. It's curious that the parents of both children received 'medium-related' information themselves: according to data that I obtained with Metodo 3, before coming to Portugal to spend their holidays at the Ocean Club, Maddie's mother had a horrendous foreboding that something serious would happen. She even spoke to her husband about cancelling the trip to Portugal but Gerry convinced her to come. Only a few days after Maddie disappeared, the father also had a vision of a long tunnel with a light at its end, where Maddie was standing, surrounded by that magnificent light. Joana's mother also had a vision of her daughter accompanied by an adult couple. She tried to approach her daughter on a thinking level, but the couple told her that it wasn't possible and very gently led Joana away. The interpretation that I make on the level of parapsychology, a science that I studied for almost ten years, is that Joana is also in the spiritual world already, accompanied by good spirits who protect her. I thank both for the Love that they have given me, offering me these marvellous missions. ....................................................................................... Gonçalo Amaral replies to Aragao Correia: "All he wants is publicity and clowning" Concerning the contents of this interview, we contacted former PJ inspector Gonçalo Amaral, who clarified as follows: "I don't believe that Metodo 3 chased that lawyer up. What he says is a lie. All he wants is publicity and clowning around. If he was at the Arade dam looking for Maddie after having a 'vision', why didn't he dive into the waters?..." Concerning possible contacts between Metodo 3 and the PJ investigators, Gonçalo Amaral refers: "There was a meeting in Elvas and in Portimao between Dr Paulo Rebelo, the Spanish police, the detectives and millionaire Brian Kennedy, who financially supports the McCanns. The testimony by the truck driver was part of that conversation, but later that lead was dismissed."

Maddie and Joana: Esotericism, plot, psychotic disturbance or a mere case of fooling the public?, 05 December 2008

O Crime: 'McCann detectives asked me to arrange for evidence against Gonçalo Amaral' Maddie and Joana: Esotericism, plot, psychotic disturbance or a mere case of fooling the public? Câmara de Comuns   by Paulo Sargento* 05 December 2008 Thanks to 'Astro' for translation   Today, the 4th of December, I read something that I never expected to read about the already intimately and publicly connected cases of Maddie and Joana. I fail to find the appropriate adjectives, beyond STUPEFIED, in order to qualify the state that I was left in after reading, in weekly newspaper "O Crime", the interview that was given by Dr Marcos Aragao Correia, a most illustrious lawyer, who assists Leonor Cipriano in the media-exposed process that concerns alleged torture carried out by Polícia Judiciaria agents.   I will try to be brief and to point out five reasons for said stupefaction.   Reason 1 – Dr Aragao Correia states, according to the aforementioned weekly: "the Spanish detectives asked me to arrange for evidence against Gonçalo Amaral".   Allow me to underline the expression ARRANGE FOR. Apart from hardly being a juridical term, the expression contains a strange connotation that directs us towards a depreciative conception of what evidence actually is. Evidence is not ARRANGED FOR. Evidence is something that emerges within an investigation. If there are no ARRANGEMENTS here, then Dr Aragao Correia should, firstly, confirm whether or not he used this expression, and secondly, explain its meaning within the process that he is a patron of at the moment. We did, however, learn that the purpose of said ARRANGEMENT, so to speak, would be that of denigrating the image of Gonçalo Amaral, allegedly due to the fact that Metodo 3 considered him to be an inspector who "systematically incriminated the mothers of missing little girls without any evidence whatsoever".   Reason 2 – Dr Aragao Correia assumes esoteric explanations in order to justify criminal investigation and juridical arguments.   In effect, it seems that esoteric dimensions have taken over a certain protagonism in both cases. While I hold absolutely nothing against any type of knowledge, I must however stress that scientific knowledge presents some advantages in relation to other forms and methodologies of knowledge. From my point of view, the most important of those advantages is the possibility of reducing potential biases or errors in our convictions, ideologies, impressions, sensations, illusions or even deliriums towards a given event. This happens because in science there are no illuminates. In science, there are men and women who submit their judgment concerning certain facts to empirical tests, sharing the used analysis paradigms and methodologies, thus rendering them accessible to everyone, and therefore acquiring the value of DEMONSTRATIONS.   Now, when any man or woman holds a piece of information through a route that nobody else can share or understand, three possibilities should be considered:   a) either the person obtained that information through a non conscious channel, and therefore is unable to understand how he or she reached that information; b) or the person is delirious and therefore presents psychotic symptoms; c) or the person is lying, and there is a purpose to it.   While respecting medium abilities as a particular form of knowledge, I must still assume my reservations concerning the effectiveness of Dr Aragao Correia's capacities.   Why is that?   Because he stated that the Maddie case constituted his first "vision" and COINCIDENTALLY took place immediately after a spiritist session which he attended, as he was fully entitled to. Beginner's luck, one might think. Although he considered that his "vision" was a relevant element for the investigation into the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann, the Polícia Judiciaria apparently didn’t value that information. But Metodo 3, probably better fit to evaluate his abilities as a medium, submitted him "to a test in order to prove if (his) medium capacities and (his) stance were credible or not". Despite not divulging what type of test was carried out, Dr Aragao Correia divulges the outcome: "positive", obviously, we might add.   Reason 3 – Dr Marcos Aragao Correia assumes himself as a magnanimous individual who stripped himself of any material intentions. The noble reasons that illuminate the action of so many people who practice esotericism are recognised in only very few cases, and in my view, they are only to be praised, like any other action of selfless solidarity.   Dr Aragao Correia wants to add to the short list of promethean philanthropists who live their lives to help others, due to no other motive than human solidarity and the contempt of material goods.   Now before anything else, Dr Aragao Correia, do allow me the following question: should we only help others if they are under the media spotlight, or should that quality be no motivation for such action? Why did you rush to help these parents in distress, and not any other equally "distressed" ones?   If, as you state yourself, you lead a financially sound life in Madeira and even started out by paying for the diving in the Arade Dam, why do you stress the fact that you received financial support from spiritist organisations?   To which organisation do you intend to offer the profits from the sales of your book "The Little Girls that Came from the Stars", which will be launched during the opportune and commercial Christmas season? You certainly don't wish to add to the list of those that stand accused of making money from other people's misery.   Reason 4 – Dr Marcos Aragao Correia believes, in association with other characters, that there is an intervention from the English secret services and from secret societies (not of a spiritist nature, I’m sure), namely "Skull and Bones", which he says President George W. Bush belongs to, whose purpose it is to create a climate of insecurity in order to promote the implanting of chips in children.   Dr Marcos Aragao Correia,   What you state needs to be proved, or we may be confronting a phenomenon close to the Truman syndrome, a psychopathological condition that was masterly divulged by the film "The Truman Show", with the notable interpretation by actor Jim Carrey.   The conspiracy theories that are based on secret societies constitute a very ancient argument and occur in two situations: in order to dissimulate important or compromising aspects in some situations, or in situations of mental disturbance (namely delirious and hallucinatory psychotic disturbances, and paranoid schizophrenia).   You should remember that you only identified one association that you belong to: the respectable Lawyers' Order. Are the other associations that you belong to of a secret nature, and therefore you only mentioned the title "spiritist"?   Reason 5 – Dr Marcos Aragao Correia divides to conquer, publicly, in the Joana case.   Dr Aragao Correia,   You have absolutely no right whatsoever to induce people to the innocence of Leonor Cipriano by insinuating the culpability of her brother, Joao Cipriano, through the usage of judgments of value, by extrapolating forensic documents that are anterior to the case over which he was condemned, and even less, through esoteric justifications like the one that you refer to when you say you had a(nother) "vision" where "streams of blood" ran down the face of said individual.   You have responsibilities in the case, responsibilities that exceed those of the common citizen! There are boundaries that must not be overstepped!   These are the five reasons for my stupefaction.   Now I ask:   What does the Lawyers' Order have to say about this? What does the Public Ministry have to say about this? What does the Silence of the McCanns mean? Are we now closer to the day when the forensic tests that are mentioned under article 159 of the Penal Process Code will be applied to other actors within the administration of Justice?   This is all for today, but I promise to continue with this reflection, in memory of and as a token of respect towards two (unfortunate) stars that once were little girls.   * Prof. Paulo Sargento is a forensic psychiatrist, university professor and author

"The Public Prosecutor office fell into a trap", 07 December 2008

"The Public Prosecutor office fell into a trap" Diario de Noticias   LICÍNIO LIMA 07 December 2008 Thanks to 'pear' for translation    Interview. For the first time, one of the PJ inspectors accused of ordering the assault of Leonor Cipriano, mother of Joana, talks about the trial You are accused of having tortured a woman together with a group of policemen and former policeman. How do you feel? We are very offended. But the Public Prosecutor (MP), shortly, will make clear that they fell into a trap. In any case, the accusation is not of physical torture, but of "having ordered it," that is, we are accused of facilitating the access to someone unknown, who has entered the building of the police to assault the lady. To the public that is not clear. Mrs Leonor Cipriano's complaint is that someone has beaten her; throughout the process she gave six versions. During the trial she had two more. But the facts have already begun to be dissected by the MP and he has now realised that he was fooled. The process is a conspiracy against the PJ? I do not believe in conspiracies. But I saw that there was a sequence of events in the two weeks before we get to the Algarve and that they were used to cover problems. What problems? We have a prison in Odemira that was about to be subjected to an inspection, following several complaints by prison guards against the director. This, in itself, already shows that something goes wrong. Now, if you know at any time that the most media exposed prisoner shows marks of aggression, that does not seem to help for a good result of the inspection. Leonor Cipriano was assaulted or not? She must have been assaulted on three or four different occasions. that is the conclusion the notes is the medico-legal expertise. The marks in the eyes demonstrate attacks on more than one occasion? Those marks in the eyes have already been explained by the experts. There is a strong impact against a wall. the bruise goes down by force of gravity, hence the marks. There are also marks on the body... We see marks with various types of development, with periods ranging between three and 18 days. And all this would not be all right except for a little detail about which no one has spoken: that is, at the date of such attacks, we had been in the Algarve for two days only. That means... If we want to ridicule the thing, that means that two or three weeks before, we were in Lisbon ordering the torture [of a person], when we had nothing to do with that investigation yet. Did you see the marks of aggression that Leonor Cipriano had on her body? Neither we nor the medical-legal experts saw the body of the lady. The accusation is based on photographs. No one ever saw it, except those who had more interest in it being said that the PJ hit her, which is someone in prison in Odemira, where the photos were taken. So I think the MP fell into a trap.

Lawyer seeks hearing of Leonor Cipriano, 18 December 2008

Lawyer seeks hearing of Leonor Cipriano Correio da Manha   To clarify whether she was drugged   18 December 2008 - 17h12   The lawyer for Leonor Cipriano wants the Court of Faro to hear the mother of Joana again, because there are suspicions that she may have been drugged.   Marcos Aragao says it is necessary to clarify "contradictions" of Leonor Cipirano, assistant in this process, which were invoked by the accused and also to clarify whether she was injected with a drug in Faro Hospital, with the intention of disrupting her capabilities. Besides the mother of Joana, the lawyer delivered this Thursday a request asking that more than 15 witnesses be heard in order to support "the contradictions and react to the accusations of the defence's evidence and dispute it".   The seventh session of the trial of the alleged assaults of Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors took place this Thursday, with no interruption for evidence. The trial continues on 16 and 22 January.

Joana Case: PJ inspectors' trial retruns to Faro Court today, 16 January 2009

Joana Case: PJ inspectors' trial retruns to Faro Court today Lusa   MAD. 16 January 2009, 06:34 Thanks to Astro for translation   Faro, Jan 16 (Lusa) – The trial of the alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by Polícia Judiciaria (PJ) inspectors returns to the bar of Faro Court today, in order not to interrupt the production of evidence, and continues next Thursday. During the last session of the trial, which was held in mid-December, with the same purpose, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer delivered a request in court for 16 witnesses to be heard, so that contradictions can be made. The first witness that is presented within that request is Leonor Cipriano, an assistant in the process; the list of witnesses that Marcos Aragao Correia requests includes university professor of forensics Pinto da Costa, Public Ministry inspector Alípio Ribeiro and the director of the Prison of Odemira, Ana Maria Calado. According to Joana's mother's lawyer, the request is based on the need to clarify "contradictions" from the assistant that were invoked by the arguidos and to clarify if she was injected with a drug at Faro Hospital, with the purpose of disturbing her capacity. The process of the alleged aggressions on Leonor Cipriano by PJ inspectors is related to the so-called "Joana case", which dates back to the 12th of September 2004, the day that the little girl, aged eight, disappeared from the village of Figueira, Portimao, Algarve. The Public Ministry's accusations against five former inspectors and inspectors of the Judiciaria appeared following questioning sessions at the PJ in Faro in 2004, a time at which Leonor appeared at the Prison of Odemira, where she was under preventive detention, with lesions to her face and to her body. Three inspectors stand accused of the crime of torture, one stands accused of the crime of false testimony and omission of denunciation, and a fifth stands accused of the crime of falsification of a document. Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano, have been condemned by the Supreme Court of Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver.

Leonor Cipriano changes her statement and says that her daughter was killed by the uncle, 16 January 2009

Leonor Cipriano changes her statement and says that her daughter was killed by the uncle Lusa   16 January 2009, 13:05 Thanks to Astro for translation   Leonor Cipriano changed her testimony concerning the disappearance of her daughter, in Portimao on the 12th of September 2004. In a witness statement that she signed at the prison of Odemira yesterday, Leonor Cipriano accuses her brother, Joao Manuel Domingos Cipriano, of being the author of the child’s death. Beforehand, they intended to simulate an abduction and to send the child to Spain, in exchange for money. This process did not work according to plan and ended up being transformed into a homicide that was carried out by the child’s uncle. The Public Ministry accuses the child's mother and uncle of being the authors of Joana's death and of entertaining an incestuous relationship and that Joana's body, which remains missing, was dismembered. Leonor Cipriano's lawyer will make a statement this afternoon, after the testimony, which is eight pages long, is delivered at the Court of Faro. This revelation is made on the day of the trial of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano by Polícia Judiciaria inspectors. Joana's mother, Leonor Cipriano, and her uncle, Joao Cipriano, have been condemned by the Supreme Court of Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver.

The Cipriano Case: Leonor changes her story once again and accuses the uncle of having killed Joana, 16 January 2009

Joao Manuel Domingos Cipriano The Cipriano Case: Leonor changes her story once again and accuses the uncle of having killed Joana SOSMaddie   Duarte Levy 16/01/2009 Thanks to AnnaEsse for translation   Leonor Cipriano, mother of Joana, the little girl aged seven, who disappeared in the south of Portugal in December 2004, has once again changed her version of the facts, this time about the death of her daughter.   Tried and sentenced for Joana's murder, Leonor Cipriano is involved now in the trial of five Portuguese PJ inspectors accused by the Public Minister of having committed acts of torture against her.   Yesterday, as her lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, had elsewhere "predicted", on the occasion of his book launch, Leonor Cipriano accused Joana's uncle of having killed the child after having tried to sell her.   According to Leonor, in a document signed yesterday in prison, Joao Manuel Domingos Cipriano allegedly killed Joana after having failed to deliver the child to her purchasers.   Today, at around 4pm (3pm in Portugal) Marcos Aragao Correia, Leonor's lawyer, accompanied by Joana's step-father, Antonio Leandro David Da Silva, will read a press release, at the entrance to the Faro court where the trial of the PJ inspectors is taking place. After the press release, the document, a total of eight pages, will be handed to the Public Minister.   A case revived for the advantage of the Madeleine McCann case   After lying around for several years in the drawers of the Public Ministry, during which time, different prosecutors have never succeeded in establishing with certainty if Leonor Cipriano was really assaulted and by whom, it took the Madeleine McCann case and in addition, a "divorce" between the police and the magistrates, for five PJ inspectors to be accused of acts of torture...amongst them the head of the investigation into Maddie's disappearance. Surprisingly, Gonçalo Amaral only became an arguido in this trial after having considered Maddie's parents as suspects in the disappearance of their daughter, which any police officer would have done, given the various elements of the investigation.   Even if all the specialists are in agreement in considering that the Joana Cipriano case has no relation to the disappearance and death of Madeleine McCann, the British media (and some Portuguese) have been encouraged to "revive" this story in order to implicate the head of the investigation for the PJ, Gonçalo Amaral.   Now, four years after the murder and the disappearance of Joana's body, Marcos Aragao Correia, the lawyer who has worked with Metodo 3's Spanish detectives hired by Kate and Gerry McCann, has also become Leonor Cipriano's lawyer and continues to want to link the two cases, seeing the work of Gonçalo Amaral in both.   "Regardless of everything about the Cipriano case - where he doesn't give a damn - if Marcos Aragao Correia succeeds in tarnishing Amaral's image, he would at the same time restore the McCanns' image," a PJ specialist in communication states, stressing that, "this was the objective plotted with the Spanish."

New statements from Leonor Cipriano are "lies", 16 January 2009

New statements from Leonor Cipriano are "lies" Lusa/SOL   16 January 2009 Thanks to Astro for translation   Former PJ inspector Gonçalo Amaral today classified the statements that change the initial deposition made by Leonor Cipriano, who now holds the uncle responsible for the little girl's death after a failed plot to sell Joana, as "lies"   Gonçalo Amaral led the investigation into the disappearance of Joana when he was the head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Polícia Judiciaria (PJ) in Portimao. The former PJ inspector was speaking to journalists at the entrance to the Court of Faro, where today was held another session of the trial of the case of alleged aggressions against Leonor Cipriano, in order not to interrupt the production of evidence. Today, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer delivered the Public Ministry an eight-page-long document that had been signed by his constituent, in which Joana's mother reveals new facts concerning her daughter's disappearance. In the new version of the facts, Leonor – who remained silent while she was tried over the death of her daughter – says that her brother, Joao Cipriano, convinced her to sell the little girl to a couple, a deal that went wrong and culminated in the death of Joana, then aged eight. In the document, Leonor states that she didn't kill Joana and that the confession that she made to the Polícia Judiciaria happened because she signed what "they wanted", not even reading what it was and only finding out "later". "The lady [Leonor Cipriano] is declared a psychopath", Gonçalo Amaral said, adding that the fact is that Leonor was condemned over her daughter's death and that everything else "are lies that are going around". Gonçalo Amaral, who in this process is being tried over the crimes of false testimony and omission to denounce, considered that what happened to Joana was "horrendous" and that Justice worked "because they [the mother and uncle] were condemned". In the document that he delivered to the Public Ministry, Leonor's lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, requests the opening of an inquiry to identify the persons that wanted to buy Joana and to recover the little girl's body. In the deposition that was dated Thursday and signed at the Prison of Odemira, where Leonor is under detention, the little girl's mother mentions that she made a pact of silence with her brother, who buried the body "in the hills" of Figueira, near the village where Joana disappeared from. According to the facts that are described in document, the girl died outside the house, after her mother sent her on an errand to a nearby pastry shop and her uncle picked her up in order to deliver her to the couple who was going to buy her. "He would deliver Joana to that couple as soon as she returned home from shopping, but without coming in", the statement reads, with Leonor adding that she only saw her brother again one and a half hours after she sent the little girl out on the errand. Joao Cipriano returned without the promised money from the deal, and Leonor later noticed a speck of blood on the trousers of her brother, who ended up confessing that the little girl had died after he lost control over himself. After hearing the alleged discussion between the uncle and the couple, Joana understood that she was "going for good" and not on a holiday to Spain as they had initially told her, and threatened to tell the whole truth. At that moment, the uncle slapped her in the face, under protests from the girl that allegedly made him lose control and culminated in her death; the body was then hidden in order to be "disposed of" later on, the statement reads. In statements to the journalists, Gonçalo Amaral said that the indicia that were collected by the police in Leonor's house (photos and the visualisation through ultraviolet) allow for the child's death at home to be reconstituted. "The little girl died clutching the door, it can be seen [through markings that could be visualised with ultraviolet] that she collapsed, from the markings of her hands and of her face", the former inspector stressed, classifying the scenario as "horrendous". Joana's mother and uncle have been condemned by the Supreme Court of Justice to 16 years in prison each, over the crimes of homicide and concealment of the child's cadaver. The next session of the trial of alleged aggressions against Leonor by the PJ inspectors is scheduled for Thursday at 9 a.m. at the Court of Faro.

Joana died..., 17 January 2009

Joana died... Correio da Manha   Matter of fact   Gonçalo Amaral 17 January 2009 - 00h30 Thanks to Astro for translation   "There is only one truth in that statement, Joana died, the rest is another pack of lies".   Four years ago, a child was murdered at the hands of her mother and her uncle. Her crime was surprising them during sexual activity. Her name was Joana, and apart from being neglected by her mother, she was a victim of sexual abuse. Yesterday, her mother, who was judicially declared responsible for her death, signed a statement at the Prison of Odemira where she confirms said death, and attributes the responsibility solely to her brother. There is only one truth in that statement, Joana died, the rest is another pack of lies from a person who was declared a social psychopath and who has been lying to Justice since the first moment. Contrary to other murdered children, those responsible were taken before justice and condemned over the heinous crime. For Joana's mother, it's not enough to beg for forgiveness, she should stop lying and tell the truth. That will be the moment of true redemption and then Joana's soul will rest in peace. Joana suffered throughout her life, and at the time of her violent death it wasn't possible to avoid such sacrifices, but we contributed to the fulfilment of justice. This and other cases make us feel proud about having been policemen, to be able to look into the sky and to say: by the grace of God… I was a policeman.

The Cipriano Case: Joana was battered to death by her uncle, 17 January 2009

The Cipriano Case: Joana was battered to death by her uncle SOSMaddie   Duarte Levy 17/01/2009 Thanks to AnnaEsse for translation   The new witness statement has been written by Marcos Aragao   Yesterday, the lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia revealed to the press, outside the trial of the five PJ inspectors, a document signed by Leonor Cipriano, in which Joana's mother accuses her brother, Joao Cipriano, of being the sole perpetrator of the little girl's murder.   In this eight page document, written by hand by the lawyer, Leonor Cipriano explains that her brother convinced her to sell Joana, but that "the people didn't have the money promised (an amount Leonor has not revealed) and Joao did not hand over the girl.   (To read the complete document click images below or the PDF).   This umpteenth version is, according to Marcos Aragao, "the true story," Leonor's witness statement recounting exactly what allegedly happened to her daughter Joana, who disappeared in September 2004.   "When Joana left the house, the intention was to hand her over to the people and simulate a kidnapping," the lawyer states, explaining that her uncle, Joao Cipriano, had taken along the little girl's clothes in a large bag.   According to Marcos Aragao, Joana allegedly heard the whole discussion between Joao and the buyers, threatening her uncle, "that she was going to tell everything," after which, "he allegedly started battering her, finishing up killing her."   According to this new witness statement, written by Marcos Aragao, Leonor was not present at the time of Joana's death but Joao Cipriano allegedly confessed his crime to her: when he came home, he tried to hide the murder, but, at Leonor's insistence, who allegedly detected traces of blood on her brother's trousers, Joao ended up admitting having killed Joana and having hidden the body in a place close to the house before burying it the next day.   Umpteenth version targets Gonçalo Amaral, the former coordinator   It was outside the trial of the five PJ inspectors that Marcos Aragao Correia - the same lawyer who stated that he had a vision that Maddie's body was in the deep waters of the Arade Dam - chose to present the document to the press, stressing that Leonor, "decided to leave this out and say that she knew nothing," because of, "her brother's threats," but that the confession of her participation in Joana's murder was allegedly made, "under torture," when she was interviewed by the PJ inspectors.   The new version of the events surrounding Joana's death will, meanwhile, be used by Leonor's lawyer to point the finger at former inspector, Gonçalo Amaral, officer for the disappearance and death of Joana in 2004 and of Madeleine McCann in 2007.   In the document which the lawyer wrote and Leonor signed, the former inspector is accused of knowing the truth: "If Mr Amaral knows it, then why did he ask people to beat me up? Why?"   In statements to the Portuguese press, the former coordinator of the PJ's DIC in Portimao, contented himself with saying that Leonor Cipriano was already considered to be a psychopath (see the video by the psychologist Paulo Sargento) and that she was lying, stressing that Joana's mother, as well as her brother Joao were tried and convicted for Joana's murder, all "the rest was lies being put about."   Gonçalo Amaral's lawyer, Antonio Cabrita, goes further and after having considered that the document presented by Marcos Aragao had no relevance to the ongoing trial against the five inspectors, stated that he did not believe it was Leonor's work, but rather the work of someone else: "an obvious manipulation of the prisoner for other purposes," notably the sullying of Gonçalo Amaral's image.   Review of Leonor's conviction must await the end of Amaral's trial   The request for review of Leonor and Joao Cipriano's convictions will await the final result of the trial of the five PJ inspectors, accused of having committed acts of torture during an interrogation, the day after Leonor's confession in the presence of her lawyer at the time.   In November 2005, the two siblings were sentenced, respectively, to 20 years and four months in prison and 19 years and two months. In May 2008, the Supreme Court of Justice reduced the sentences to 16 years and eight months in prison.   The actual Leonor Cipriano witness statement, written by Marcos Aragao: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 8 (cont.) Translation of Leonor Cipriano's statement Thanks to Astro for translation Statement I the undersigned Leonor Maria Domingos Cipriano, inmate number 34 at the Prison of Odemira, today the 15th of January 2009, confess and swear that this is the entire truth that I know about the disappearance of my daughter Joana Isabel Cipriano Guerreiro – that my brother Joao Manuel Domingos Cipriano convinced me on the day that he arrived at my house in Figueira (in the early morning of the 12th of September 2004) that I had no financial conditions to care for three children, that they would become miserable persons like myself, without a future and without money and without an education. That he knew a couple that couldn't have children and that he thought they could be a new family at least for Joana, as Laura and Ruben were too small and everyone would suspect if one of them went missing. About Joana they could say that she was abducted, that Joana would be well cared for, by a family that would give her everything, as they had money that he knew them and guaranteed that they were trustworthy, that they would never hurt Joana, that they only wanted a daughter that they couldn’t have. That Joana would be taken abroad and that I could never see her again personally, but that they would do everything to send me news about her and even send some photos of her when she would be grown. That he (Joao Cipriano) was my brother and that I could trust him, because he also wanted the best for Joana. That they had to invent a story for Joana's disappearance, because lawfully I couldn't give Joana away to this couple as an adoptive daughter in this manner, because the law of Portugal didn't allow it. But that I shouldn't worry, because Joana would be very well cared for and it would be the best for her future. At the beginning I refused, but he insisted so much that he managed to make me believe that what he was saying was truly the best for my children. That I would receive financial help so I could look properly after my two youngest children (Laura and Ruben). That everything would be fine, he would talk to Joana to explain to her what was going to happen, everything had been agreed already. I believed and trusted my brother Joao Cipriano. He arrived on the 12th for that purpose already. I never met any of the persons that he told me would take Joana abroad. But he always asserted me that they were trustworthy and that he would put his hands into the fire for them. He arranged everything for 8 p.m. Then he asked me to fetch Joana shortly after 6 p.m. from the house of my mother-in-law, Maria de Lurdes David. I went, took Joana home and in front of me he told her that she would have a good surprise on that day, because she was about to go on a great trip. Joana was happy, she wanted to know more, but he didn't reveal a lot of details to her, that she would find out later. My younger children were playing but they didn't hear anything, because they were in the living room but further away from us. At 8 p.m. I sent Joana to do the shopping at Pastelaria Celia. As soon as Joana left, Joao placed some of her clothes in a plastic bag, and never returned either with the bag or with Joana. I knew that he was going to deliver Joana to that couple as soon as she returned home from the shopping, but without entering the house. Joao told me that we both should make believe that Joana had been abducted by strangers. It was only one and a half hours later that I saw Joao Cipriano again, but he arrived without money, the money that he told me the couple would give me to help my younger children. I asked him what had happened. At the beginning he didn't answer me, he only said that everything had gone well. It was only later that I saw blood on the lower part of his trousers. I was alarmed. I asked him about Joana. Then he told me that things had not gone well. That the "guys" (citation) didn't have the money. That Joana knew about everything already, that he had told her that she was going to spend holidays in Spain with a couple that were his friends. That she then heard the verbal fight between him (Joao) and the "guys" and realised that she was "going for good". That they didn't take her because he didn't give her away because there was no money. That he sent the "guys" away and the Joana started to say that she was going to tell everything. That he slapped her in the face. That she protested even more. That he slapped her again, but she wouldn't shut up. That he lost control and the girl had died. That the body was hidden for him to dispose of it later. I panicked. But he told me it was no use anymore, that if someone heard me we would both go to jail, because we were both into it. I screamed at him that I didn't kill Joana, he replied that if I didn't kill her at least I wanted to sell her. After a big verbal fight, I agreed to say nothing. Later on, he told me that he had buried the body "up in the hills of Figueira". I was scared. I cried very hard for my daughter. I prayed for her. I know that I didn't kill her. But I was afraid of being arrested because I tried to sell Joana. I only wanted the best for her. But people might not understand. I decided since then that I never went through any of that, and that I would always say that I didn't know anything, just like my murderous brother said that he would do. I couldn't bring Joana back anymore. When I was spanked by the Polícia Judiciaria, which is true that I was just like I said at the Court in Faro, I signed what they wanted me to sign, I didn't even read what it was. I never said anything, I just said what they wanted, what they wrote, which I only found out later what it was. I didn't kill Joana. Mr Gonçalo Amaral knows that, then why did he order them to spank me? Why? Why am I in prison for the murder of my daughter Joana? Why? I didn't kill her! It was my brother Joao Cipriano, the monster, who killed her. The police knows that... Why did they arrest me? I erred, I trusted Joao, that monster, I regret what I did, but I only wanted the best for my children, for Joana. Forgive me Joana. My beloved, my angel, from heaven where you are, my dear Joana, forgive me.

Leonor tells everything about Joana's death, 17 January 2009

Leonor Cipriano Leonor tells everything about Joana's death Jornal de Notícias   Confession written by the lawyer and signed by Leonor was delivered to the Public Ministry   MARISA RODRIGUES 17-01-2009 Thanks to Astro for translation   Leonor Cipriano's lawyer delivered to the Public Ministry, this Friday, a confession that was signed by Leonor Cipriano, in which she reports the circumstances under which her daughter Joana, aged eight, was supposedly murdered by her uncle, in 2004. According to the confession, Leonor Cipriano and her brother, Joao, agreed to sell Joana to a childless couple. The promised money wasn't delivered. The child realised what was happening and protested. The uncle killed her with slaps to her face and buried the body "up in the hills of Fugueira" (Portimao), in a location that she didn't reveal and referred towards her brother.   The document, which was written by the lawyer, Marcos Aragao Correia, and signed by Leonor, was delivered to the Public Ministry in Faro yesterday [Friday], hours before the start of the eighth session of the trial of the five Polícia Judiciaria (PJ) investigators. The confession is eight pages long, written on the day before yesterday [Thursday], at the Prison of Odemira, where Leonor is serving the 16 years sentence that she was convicted to, for the homicide and the concealment of the cadaver of her daughter, in co-authorship with her brother. Marcos Aragao asserts that he wrote "exactly" what the inmate dictated him. "During the visit I sensed that she had something to tell me and I pressured her. That was when she started crying and ended up confessing what had really happened", he said yesterday [Friday], after delivering a copy of the manuscript to the journalists. "She can hardly write, but she read everything, agreed and signed," he said, to justify the fact that the document had been written by him. He decided to deliver the statement because he wants "the body to be found so the child can finally have a decent funeral" and also "for this couple that is mentioned to be investigated, because they could have done the same with another child", in a clear reference to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Leandro Silva This new version caught Leandro Silva, Leonor's former partner, by surprise. "I had never heard this story. It's the first time", he revealed to JN. He added that it was only yesterday [Friday] that Aragao Correia told him what happened. They were both present at the Public Ministry in Faro, where Leandro was heard in the context of the complaint that he filed against Gonçalo Amaral over aggressions that he says he also suffered at the PJ in Faro. What happened in the courtroom where the trial of the PJ inspectors in the alleged case of torture of Leonor Cipriano is taking place, ended up being relegated to the background. The session was used merely to avoid the interruption of the production of evidence, which would imply an annulment. Ana Calado The judge read the deposition made by Marques Vidal, a counsel judge and a former national director of the PJ. A defence witness, he spared the arguidos no praise, classifying them as "serious", "committed" and of "high level". During the next session, the director of the Prison of Odemira, Ana Calado, against whom the General Directory of Prison Services has filed a process, will be heard. At the origin of the inquiry were statements made by Antonio Maia. The former chief of prison guards accused the head of the prison of suggesting the change of a service information sheet that concerned the state in which Leonor was in when she returned to the prison after the interrogation at the PJ.

The Joana Case, 18 January 2009

Francisco Moita Flores The Joana Case Correio da Manha   Digital print   Francisco Moita Flores, University professor 18 January 2009 - 09h00 Thanks to Astro for translation   The lawyer for Leonor Cipriano, [the woman] who was condemned, in complicity with her brother, for murdering her daughter and concealing the cadaver in an unknown location, appeared this week with a sleazy trick to try to avoid the defeat that can already be perceived in this case - that he leads against the PJ inspectors over alleged aggressions. He takes off his spectacular sunglasses and presents Leonor's true confession. As everyone knows, she made several confessions. But this is the true one. Says he. And I believe him, because the man has virtues that escape the common mortal, the main one being his merit to speak to spirits that are summoned during medium sessions. As a matter of fact, it was in that way, he says, that he knows beyond any doubt where Maddie is. I must confess that I would believe with more conviction if, with such magisterial powers - which are not bestowed upon him by any law school or by the Lawyers' Order - the man would render a bloody good service if, by invoking the spirits, he would tell us where Joana can be found, as he would serve his client much better and would appease so many people who worried about the end of the poor girl. Concerning the confession that was now presented, there is also one certainty: Nobody will believe that it was obtained under torture. One cannot imagine that indescribable lawyer landing a slap on Leonor for her to tell the truth. Or another truth among the many truths, or maybe not, that she told throughout time. I must also admit that the creature, who is a lawyer that is registered with the Order and everything, didn't question her after this confession. If your brother did it and you are innocent, why didn't you denounce him? Why were you unjustly stoned like a Magdalena, without your duties as a mother imposing on the cover-up and the complicity in such a barbarous crime that was committed by your brother? Did you at least ask him where he hid the body? If he was soiled with blood, why didn't you take the clothes to the police? Didn't you at least say where he killed her? And he killed her when you were about to sell her? Why didn't you wait for some time, to see if the slave market went up? At least you'd make some money and then I, with my medium powers, would discover her whereabouts. Of course he didn't carry out this questioning. That's something for the police, those lowly animals, who don't think a rotten confession with clay feet is good enough, and who, being dirty animals, would rush to the brother and say: Look, your sister confessed. How is it now? It's plain to see that this chronicle is full of silliness. Of course it is. It couldn't be otherwise when a trial becomes a session of stand-up comedy.