McCanns' pleased with appeal response, 02 January 2009

McCanns' pleased with appeal response Leicester Mercury   Friday, January 02, 2009, 09:30   Madeleine McCann's parents said they are pleased with the response to a Christmas television appeal for information on their daughter's disappearance.   Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, released a video featuring previously unseen footage of their daughter in the run up to Christmas.   It included clips filmed during Christmas 2006 – the last time Mr and Mrs McCann were together with all three of their children over the festive period.   In the video, the couple asked for people to help them make this their last Christmas without their daughter.   Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in Portugal, on May 3 last year.   Today, McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "There has been a good response in the wake of the video. Kate and Gerry are very pleased.   "The video achieved its aim of reminding a great number of people at this time of year of Madeleine and that the family still need help."   The video showed Madeleine sitting on the stairs of the family home, flanked by her younger siblings, twins Sean and Amelie.   It also featured the first recording of Madeleine speaking which has been made public.   On their website, Mr and Mrs McCann said the amount of public support in recent months had got them through a difficult Christmas. Thanking everyone for the "solidarity" that had helped maintain their "strength and our hope" they said it was now crucial that they did everything they possibly could to find their little girl.   They said: "Reassuringly, we know there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Madeleine has been seriously harmed – and this has been further confirmed after studying the recently-released Portuguese police files.   "In light of this, we passionately believe there is a very strong likelihood that Madeleine is out there and can be found.   "Like any family who suddenly find themselves in such a confusing and terrifying situation, we don't know if any of us could have got through all this without the public support."   Although Mr and Mrs McCann do not appear on the video, it features a direct appeal from them stating: "Christmas is a time for children. Please help bring our daughter back. This will be our second Christmas without our daughter.   "Please help us make sure we don't have a third."   Mr Mitchell would not give further details on what information had been received following the appeal, but said it was being analysed.   Portuguese police closed their inquires into the disappearance in July, due to lack of evidence.   However, the McCanns are continuing their search vowing "to leave no stone unturned".   Rothley vicar Rob Gladstone, from the church of St Matthew and St John, said Madeleine had been in the church's prayers, along with all other missing children.

Maddie: The face of 2009, 04 January 2009

Maddie: The face of 2009 Daily Star Sunday (Note: picture and article appear in paper edition only)   Experts reveal how missing McCann girl could look now Click image to enlarge 'It is highly unlikely that her life would be total misery - hence the slight smile'   EXCLUSIVE   by MIKE PARKER in Los Angeles Picture: AGEPROGRESSION.ORG January 4, 2009   EXPERTS say this is how Madeleine McCann may look today - 20 months after she went missing.   This astonishing image was created for the Daily Star Sunday by forensic computer age-progression expert Jovey Mae Hayes.   Using the same techniques she employs for the FBI and American police forces in missing persons cases and kidnappings, she has aged Maddie's face to reveal the way she looks now.   "Her face would be elongated, her chin would have become more pronounced and distinctive and her nose would be a bit bigger," said Jovey Mae.   We asked her to show how Maddie now looks on the basis that she has been physically untouched since her disappearance from the holiday resort of Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007.   Working from the photo taken shortly before she vanished - Jovey Mae's image shows Maddie with a hint of a smile.   Hearts   "Even in the worst possible circumstances it would be impossible to imagine that her life today is totally bereft of even slight happiness," the expert claimed.   Jovey Mae also revealed Maddie, who went missing just days before her fourth birthday, could be suffering from Stockholm syndrome.   This is defined by experts as "a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger, or at least risk, in which they have been placed".   The syndrome's name was coined by psychiatrist and criminologist Nils Bejerot following a five-day bank siege in the Swedish capital in 1973.   Police were astonished that some hostages defended the armed robbers who had held them captive.   Jovey Mae said: "If Maddie has been abducted, she may have built a degree of trust in the person or people who are holding her; if they have treated her well. It is highly unlikely her life would be total misery - hence the slight smile. This, at least, may be of some comfort to her parents and relatives."   Appeal   The McCann family made a Christmas appeal for information about Maddie, releasing a video of her playing at their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, at Christmas 2006.   Parents Kate and Gerry, both 40, have been delighted at the response, with calls from all over the world.   The couple spent Christmas at home with their twins Sean and Amelie, both three.

Sick., 08 January 2009

Sick. Tory Bear   Thursday, 08 January 2009   Matt Lewis resigned on Boxing Day as the Conservative Future Area Chairman for Staffordshire. Having clearly spent Christmas drafting his resignation letter that cited the Rock reforms as the reason for quitting, it was his behaviour over the New Year that has made TB glad to see the back of Mr Lewis: On his Facebook page Lewis has divulged the sickening details of dressing up for a party as Madeleine McCann. What sort of sick bastards would find this funny? To add insult to injury Lewis then went on to proudly boast about these antics to fellow CFers: Click image to enlarge Have these people lost their minds as well as developed abysmal poor taste? If he hadn't already quit Tory Bear would be calling for resignations over this. The Conservative Party has no room for this sort of appalling behaviour and warped individuals. TB wonders how Matt can be 100% sure there are no photos...

Tory activist expelled from party after dressing as Madeleine McCann for New Year's bash, 09 January 2009

Tory activist expelled from party after dressing as Madeleine McCann for New Year's bash Daily Mail   By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 3:28 PM on 09th January 2009 A young Tory activist has been expelled from the party after he boasted about dressing up as Madeleine McCann at a New Year bash.   Conservative Future (CF) member Matthew Lewis wrote on his Facebook site that his costume would include a blonde wig, 'pink pyjamas, a teddy bear and a vial of fake blood'.   Other figures from the organisation joined in the joke about the missing five-year-old, with one responding: 'Is this a cunning (Baldrick style) plan to obtain the reward money?'   Tory chairman Caroline Spelman today branded Mr Lewis's behaviour 'totally unacceptable' and confirmed he had been expelled.   'This offensive behaviour is not only shocking but intolerable and completely unacceptable,' she said.   'There is no place for this sort of person in the party.'   Mr Lewis - believed to be in his early 20s and a student at Queen Mary, University of London - resigned as chairman of Staffordshire CF last month in protest at internal reforms.   Images on the group's website show him campaigning with David Cameron for last year's Crewe and Nantwich by-election. Friends of Matt Lewis joined in the joke about the missing five-year-old, with one responding: 'Is this a cunning (Baldrick style) plan to obtain the reward money?'   Mr Lewis was not answering his mobile phone this afternoon, but most of the exchanges were still visible on his Facebook profile.   Page snapshots showing other comments were featured on the Tory Bear blog.   On New Year's Day, after the party, Mr Lewis told another CF member, Flick Cox, online: 'There was a brief moment when I thought I might have gone too far with elements of the costume, but it was ok'.   He added that another guest at the party was dressed as Baby P, the toddler who died after a catalogue of horrific abuse.   'There may not be photos, I don't think anyone wants to risk being associated with them!' Mr Lewis went on.   Ms Cox suggested that he may have 'pulled a Prince Harry' - a reference to the royal's controversial decision to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party in 2005.   She said she would 'hate to have to end our friendship when I become an MP' if he got into trouble over the fancy dress outfit.   Madeleine McCann went missing while on holiday with her family in Portugal in May 2007. She has yet to be found despite a massive worldwide hunt.   Clarence Mitchell, the spokesman for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, demanded an apology from Mr Lewis.   'The offensiveness of this activist's actions is almost beyond belief', he said.   'I know Gerry and Kate will be grateful that the Tory Party has taken swift and appropriate action by ejecting him from the party.   'His actions are not only disgraceful in themselves, they will also cause great hurt to Kate and Gerry. I feel it is appropriate that he now apologises both privately and publicly to them.   'It is a complete disgrace that Madeleine's name and image should be made fun of in this way.'

McCanns' anger at Tory activist, 09 January 2009

McCanns' anger at Tory activist BBC News   Page last updated at 18:29 GMT, Friday, 9 January 2009   Kate and Gerry McCann have condemned a Conservative activist who boasted about dressing up as Madeleine McCann at a party, calling his actions "offensive".   Matthew Lewis has now apologised "unreservedly" to the McCanns. He was expelled from the party after telling friends of his New Year party exploits.   Tory chairman Caroline Spelman said the Conservative Future activist's actions were "completely unacceptable".   Madeleine was three in 2007 when she vanished during a holiday in Portugal.   'Regret'   Despite a worldwide hunt, there has been no trace of her since.   In a statement released on Friday, Mr Lewis said: "I unreservedly apologise to Mr and Mrs McCann for my actions.   "I completely regret my behaviour that night and since, and cannot express how sorry I am for the incredible hurt I have caused.   "Whilst my actions were not meant to be malicious, I fully understand the pain they have brought."   Mr Lewis, who is believed to studying in London, told friends on the Facebook website that he planned to attend a party dressed as Madeleine McCann.   He said his costume would include "pink pyjamas, a teddy bear and a vial of fake blood".   After the party, Mr Lewis used the website to tell another Conservative Future member that "there was a brief moment when I thought I might have gone too far with elements of the costume but it was OK".   Mr Lewis was listed by Conservative Future as its branch chairman in Staffordshire although he is reported to have resigned from the position last month.   Staffordshire Conservative Future's website now lists the post of chairman as "vacant".   He was pictured campaigning alongside Tory leader David Cameron during last year's Crewe and Nantwich by-election.   A spokesman for the McCanns said his actions were "offensive almost beyond belief".   "His actions are not only disgraceful in themselves, they will also cause great hurt to Kate and Gerry," he said.   "It is a complete disgrace that Madeleine's name and image should be made fun of in this way."   But the spokesman praised the "swift and appropriate" action taken by the Conservatives against Mr Lewis.   In a statement, Conservative Central Office said there was "no place for this sort of person in the party".   "This offensive behaviour is not only shocking but intolerable and completely unacceptable," Mrs Spelman said.

Tory's callous Madeleine prank shouldn't surprise us, 11 January 2009

Tory's callous Madeleine prank shouldn't surprise us Guardian    Barbara Ellen 00.01 GMT, Sunday 11 January 2009   Matthew Lewis, an area chairman for the young Tory group Conservative Future, has been discovered bragging to friends on Facebook about dressing up as Madeleine McCann for a fancy dress party.   In a series of exchanges, it was decided he needed pink pyjamas, a blonde wig, a teddy bear and a phial of fake blood to complete the costume. At one point, Lewis worried he had gone too far, but then comforted himself that there was a Baby P at the same party. The young Tories really know how to cut a rug, don't they?   Condemned from all sides, not least by his own party, Lewis left his post and apologised to Madeleine's family. As well he should, the moronic, insensitive twerp. Whether he should be public enemy number one is another matter.   The fact that a child is involved makes this that much more disgusting, but there is nothing new about sick fancy dress costumes based on famous news stories or real people, alive or dead. This sort of thing is par for the course in America, where Halloween is awash with "Dead Dianas" or "Heather's Missing Leg". Nor is sick fancy dress so uncommon here. Look at Prince Harry in his Afrika Korps get-up.   Moreover, in the case of Madeleine, haven't we all been asking for it? Madeleine is a vulnerable child, whose parents have been devastated by her disappearance. Yet the fact remains that Maddie the concept, the brand, has been fully absorbed into British culture for some time.   While this must be hard on Kate and Gerry McCann, it is also a sign that their campaign was extraordinarily successful, so successful that a culture of oversensitivity has long swirled in the slipstream. Indeed, thinking about it, how was it ever possible to turn this tragic little girl into a media celebrity without her image being up for grabs for every merchant of bad taste?   The Tories are right to be embarrassed by Lewis's actions - his prank was unfunny and callous. However, only the McCanns can justify being upset by it. As for the rest of us, we reap what we sow.

Gerry McCann returns to Portugal   13 January 2009   For transcript, press reports and videos of Gerry's return to Portugal click here

Brit team in new hunt for Maddie, 14 January 2009

Brit team in new hunt for Maddie The Sun   EXCLUSIVE   By MIKE SULLIVAN and ANTONELLA LAZZERI Published: Today, 14th January 2009   AN elite team of ex-cops and secret agents are spearheading a new hunt for Madeleine McCann.   The veteran investigators have been hired by missing Maddie's desperate parents Gerry and Kate.   The 12 crack former Scotland Yard detectives and MI5 and MI6 agents have been secretly on the ground in Portugal for weeks chasing any new leads which may help to find her.   The group was recruited over the past few months after Portuguese cops announced they had shelved their inquiry into Maddie's disappearance.   They are thought to have been assembled by a London-based private security firm run by a former intelligence officer.   Multi-millionaire businessman Bryan Kennedy, who has supported the McCanns since three-year-old Maddie vanished in May 2007, is thought to be funding them.   A source close to the investigators said yesterday: "The team in Portugal comprises some of the most experienced officers in the police and security services.   "They feel there is still a great deal of stuff to be gone over and new leads to be found."   The team has used files released by Portuguese cops last summer to compile a database of evidence and information known about the abduction of Maddie.   They are also using a HOLMES type computer software system to index the information.   Suspects   The Home Office Large Enquiry System was developed after the Yorkshire Ripper investigation and is still regarded as the most advanced in the world.   The team is carrying out background checks on possible suspects, including their movements before and after Maddie went missing. A list of paedophiles in the area is also being analysed.   Gerry and Kate, both 40, of Rothley, Leics, have vowed that they will never give up searching for Maddie, who vanished from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.   Yesterday their spokesman Clarence Mitchell refused to confirm that the team was in Portugal, saying: "We never comment on operational detail."   The Spanish private eyes Kate and Gerry first hired were a complete failure.   Barcelona-based Metodo 3 cost the Finding Madeleine Fund more than £300,000.

Kate and Gerry McCann, 14 January 2009

Kate and Gerry McCann Evening Standard   14.01.09   As readers will recall, since Madeleine McCann's abduction in May 2007, The Evening Standard has covered the story extensively and reported developments in the police investigation and search for Madeleine.   During the last few months of 2007 we, along with much of the media, published a number of articles which may have been understood to suggest that Kate and Gerry McCann may have been involved in Madeleine's disappearance. We regret this and wish to make clear, for the avoidance of any doubt, that we fully accept that there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that Kate and Gerry were involved in the disappearance of their daughter.   We continue to support Kate and Gerry in their search for Madeleine. There is no evidence that Madeleine has come to any harm and clearly there are people out there who know where she is.   Therefore we are today calling on Evening Standard readers to redouble their efforts to find Madeleine. We have now made a very substantial donation to assist with the search and are continuing to run adverts in the foreign editions of our sister paper, the Daily Mail, asking for information which might lead to Madeleine being found.   We wish Kate and Gerry all the best and will continue to work with them to help find their daughter.   *   Of interest related to the timing of this apology/payout:   Russian oligarch Alexander Lebedev to buy London Evening Standard Guardian   Luke Harding in Moscow and Mark Sweeney Wednesday 14 January 2009 20.59 GMT   The billionaire and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev is to buy London's Evening Standard tomorrow, in a dramatic move that would see him become the first Russian oligarch to own a major British newspaper, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal.   Lebedev is poised to buy a controlling stake in the ailing title, following a year of secret negotiations with Lord Rothermere, its owner and the chairman of the Daily Mail & General Trust.   Under the terms of the deal Lebedev will purchase 76% of the newspaper, with the Associated Newspapers group retaining 24%. His son Evgeny, who lives in London, is due to sign the deal with Daily Mail & General Trust tomorrow. The agreement will make Lebedev the paper's controversial new proprietor.   A source close to DMGT admitted: "The deal is still very much alive." DMGT failed to comment.   (article continues...)

Chester Conservative councillor expelled after Madeleine McCann fancy dress comment, 15 January 2009

Chester Conservative councillor expelled after Madeleine McCann fancy dress comment Chester Standard   Published Date: 15 January 2009 11:58 AM    A CHESTER councillor has apologised for a remark he made about missing toddler Madeleine McCann on Facebook.   Richard Lowe has been booted out of the Conservative Party following a comment he made on the Facebook website. Cllr Lowe, elected last May as a City ward representative on the new Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), got into hot water after posting a response to a Tory colleague on the social network website. Conservative Future (CF) chairman Matt Lewis boasted on Facebook that he was going to a New Year fancy dress party dressed as Madeleine McCann, who disappeared during a family holiday in the Portuguese of Praia da Luz in 2007 when she was three and is still missing. After the party Mr Lewis wrote that he arrived at the event dressed in pink pyjamas with a blonde wig, a teddy bear and a veil of blood. He joked that it was his "bad taste party outfit". Cllr Lowe, at the time CF North West regional co-ordinator, replied, in a reference to the popular historical comedy series Blackadder, starring Rowan Atkinson: "Is this a cunning (Baldrick style) plan to obtain the reward money? Room for one more?" A third CF colleague, Flick Cox, said she could not wait to see the pictures taken at the party. In a statement the McCann family demanded an apology and said their actions were offensive and "almost beyond belief". The trio were promptly expelled by Conservative Party chairman Caroline Spelman who said their behaviour was "shocking, intolerable and completely unacceptable". In a statement to the Evening Leader, she added: "There is no place for this sort of person in the party." By Monday Cllr Lowe had notified the council that he was now sitting as an Independent. Cllr Lowe, who also works for the West Cheshire Chamber of Commerce as a business information officer and lives with wife Gemma in Broadmead, Vicars Cross, has declined to answer questions, but in a statement he said: "The remark I left on the status of someone on the social networking site Facebook was wholly inappropriate for anyone to make, let alone for an elected politician. "The off-the-cuff comment was something I clearly did not think about, and in no way, shape or form do I condone the actions." He added: "May I take this opportunity to apologise to the residents of the City ward, and indeed residents of the Cheshire West and Chester Area. "Finally, I offer my most sincere apologies to the parents and family of Madeleine McCann for not treating her disappearance with the respect, compassion and understanding that it so clearly deserves." Cllr Lowe formed part of the successful Conservative team who enjoyed a landslide victory in the first elections for CWAC but two of the three Tories who won are now sitting as Independents. Only Cllr Tom Parry remains on the controlling group's benches. The City of Chester Conservative Association declined to comment on the latest expulsion.

Madeleine mum can't face return, 15 January 2009

Madeleine mum can't face return Daily Mirror   15/01/2009   ALGARVE   Heartbroken Kate McCann was too upset to go back to Portugal where her beloved Madeleine was snatched.   She couldn't face joining husband Gerry on a recent trip to the Algarve to revive the hunt for their missing daughter.   During his 24-hour visit Gerry, 40, met Portuguese lawyers and UK embassy officials in Lisbon.   A family source said: "At this moment, Kate doesn't feel strong enough. She is still too distressed to go anywhere near where Madeleine was taken."   Kate, 40, stayed at home in Rothley, Leics, looking after the couple's twins. Maddy was nearly four when she went missing from an apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Kate plans a return to Portugal, 18 January 2009

Kate plans a return to Portugal Sunday Express (appears in paper edition only)   By James Murray 18 January 2009   Kate McCann is preparing to make an emotional trip to Portugal in a new effort to find her missing daughter Madeleine.   She has not been there since September 2007, four months after Madeleine vanished from the family's holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz.   Kate, husband Gerry and their twins, Sean and Amelie, flew home to Leicestershire after being made arguidos by the Portuguese police.   That status was lifted in July last year as detectives in Portugal effectively shelved the investigation. However, a team of former top British police officers, financed by a family friend, is now investigating the case.   Last week Gerry flew to Portugal to meet the family’s lawyer and to get an update on the work being carried out by the British team. He is said to have found the trip very useful.   Madeleine vanished nine days short of her fourth birthday.

Madeleine McCann detectives uncover Spanish child porn network, 19 January 2009

Madeleine McCann detectives uncover Spanish child porn network Daily Mail   By TOM WORDEN Last updated at 9:47 AM on 19th January 2009   Detectives hunting for Madeleine McCann have exposed a child pornography network operating in Spain, it was revealed today.   Thirteen people have been arrested in a police operation sparked by the search for the missing youngster.   Barcelona-based private detectives Metodo 3 were hired by Gerry and Kate McCann to help find Madeleine six months after she vanished.   Three months into their investigation they received an anonymous email saying the toddler appeared in a child porn video being distributed on the Internet.   The team, lead by agency director Francisco Marco, tracked down the images but discovered Madeleine did not appear among them.   They reported their finding's to Spain's National Police who launched an operation to hunt down the paedophiles distributing the videos.   Armed police launched a series of raids across Spain last month and arrested 13 people. Ten more are being formally investigated by a judge at a Barcelona court, who is overseeing the police operation.   Father-of-two Marco, 36, said videos were 'the worst images I have seen in my life.'   He added: 'In the video all the victims are under ten years old. I am satisfied to have taken out of circulation more than 20 paedophiles, and those who will be arrested in the future.'   The detective said his team has found similar images in the hunt for Madeleine which will lead to further arrests.   El Mundo newspaper said the videos were being distributed by the network p2p and the file sharing programmes Gnuteklla and eDonkey2000.   Police sources said the video showed dozens of young children, mostly girls, being sexually abused. The Spanish paedophiles were allowing other Internet users around the globe access to the videos.   Police seized five home computers, three laptops, 47 hard drives, 133 DVDs and CDs, a digital camera, two video cameras and a photo album showing hundreds of child porn pictures.   Madeleine was days short of her fourth birthday when she went missing on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.   Parents Gerry and Kate McCann, both doctors from Rothley, Leics, hired Metodo 3 in August at a reported cost of £50,000 a month financed by their multi-millionaire backer Brian Kennedy.   Mr Marco was criticised after making a string of boasts about his team's ability to find Madeleine.   In November 2007 he promised he would locate the missing youngster before the firm's six month contract expired.   And the following month he sensationally claimed he knew who kidnapped Madeleine - and hoped to reunite her with her parents for Christmas.   Metodo 3's six month contract ran out in January 2008 but they have continued to work on the Madeleine investigation along with fresh teams hired by the McCanns.   They have investigated possible sightings of Madeleine as far afield as Chile, Morocco and Bosnia.

Latest: City council adviser excluded over Madeleine McCann stunt, 19 January 2009

Felicity Cox Latest: City council adviser excluded over Madeleine McCann stunt thesentinel.co.uk   Monday, January 19, 2009, 11:30   A POLITICAL assistant employed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been temporarily excluded by the Conservative Party.   Felicity Cox, who is also head of a Keele University Tory group, has been suspended as part of an investigation into a party activist's decision to dress up as Madeleine McCann.   Matt Lewis, a previous chairman of Staffordshire Conservative Future, was expelled from the party after writing on an internet social networking site that he intended to go to a New Year's Eve event dressed as the missing five-year-old.   It is alleged he exchanged online messages with Ms Cox, the chairman of Keele University's Conservative Future branch, who also has links to the party's Newcastle and Keele group. She has now been temporarily excluded from the Conservative Party while officials look into the matter. It is not known how long the investigation by the party's central office will take.   Ms Cox is paid by Stoke-on-Trent City Council to work with the Conservatives and Independent Alliance and help portfolio holders put together policy.   Owen Meredith, chairman of Newcastle Conservative Association, said: "I can confirm that she has been excluded, that it still stands, and that she is not involved with the party in any sort of official capacity or otherwise."   In an online conversation, Mr Lewis is said to have told Ms Cox: "There was a brief moment when I thought I might have gone too far, but it was OK."   She is alleged to have replied he may have "pulled a Prince Harry", a reference to the royal's decision to wear a Nazi uniform to a party in 2005.   Party chairman Caroline Spelman said last week about Mr Lewis's actions:"There is no place for this sort of person in the party."   The expulsion was praised by a spokesman for the McCann family.   Mr Lewis apologised, saying his actions had not meant to be malicious.   *   Updated 20 January 2009:   Tory's career in doubt after Maddie disgrace thesentinel.co.uk   Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 09:20   PARTY leaders have questioned whether a political assistant caught up in the Madeleine McCann costume row will be able to fulfil her duties.   Felicity Cox, an employee of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, has been temporarily excluded from the Conservative Party as an investigation takes place into a fellow party member's decision to dress up as the missing five-year-old.   It has been alleged that Ms Cox, also known as Flick, engaged in an online conversation with activist Matt Lewis, who has been expelled from the party over his choice of costume for a fancy dress event on New Year’s Eve.   In yesterday's Sentinel, the chairman of Newcastle Conservative Association, Owen Meredith, confirmed the temporary exclusion and said Ms Cox was not working for the party, officially or otherwise.   But it is not known how long the investigation by the party's central office will take.   And that has left leaders of other city council political groups asking if she will be able to fully carry out her responsibilities as a £25,000-a-year political assistant to the Conservative and Independent Alliance group.   The role, which is funded by the city council, involves party members supporting councillors and portfolio holders in pulling together policy. But the position is not purely party political and is covered by the same guidelines affecting other council officers.   A city council spokesman said the authority does not comment on staffing matters, but it is believed the council sees the issue as a personal matter that does not affect Ms Cox's job.   Councillor Roger Ibbs, leader of the Conservative and Independent Alliance group, said: "I have complete confidence in Flick's ability to do her job in her usual professional manner."   But BNP leader councillor Alby Walker said: "I think this is an embarrassment for the Conservative Party and also for the city council."   Labour group leader councillor Joy Garner said: "It is alleged unless she is proven guilty, but it is very sad if it is true because she has very promising career prospects."   Potteries Alliance leader councillor Peter Kent-Baguley said: "If she has been excluded it would make her role extremely difficult to carry out and would raise a question of the appropriateness of continuing to pay public money to an officer of the council who is not fully able to carry out the duties attached to that post."   Councillor Ann James, leader of the City Independents, said she was not in a position to comment, while the Liberal Democrat group leader councillor Jean Bowers said she was reluctant to be drawn into the politics of the matter.   But she added: "She is a bright young woman with great aspirations."   Former Staffordshire Conservative Future chairman Mr Lewis apologised for his actions after party chairman Caroline Spelman termed them "completely unacceptable".   He had used his internet Facebook page to state that his fancy dress costume would include a blonde wig, pink pyjamas, a teddy bear and a "vial of fake blood".   In an online conversation, Mr Lewis allegedly told Ms Cox: "There was a brief moment when I thought I might have gone too far with elements of the costume, but it was OK."   She is said to have replied he may have "pulled a Prince Harry", a reference to the royal's decision to wear a Nazi outfit at a fancy dress party in 2005.   Do you think Felicity Cox should be allowed to continue as a political assistant?

Maddie stunt fury, 22 January 2009

Maddie stunt fury Hackney Gazette   22 January 2009   A vile stunt in which a group of Hackney artists made pornographic artwork using images of Madeleine McCann has sparked outrage. Decima Gallery, based in Smeed Road, said they pasted photographs of the missing four-year-old on to pornographic magazines in an attempt to satirise her treatment at the hands of the media. A spokesman for the McCann family said the stunt distracted from the search for their daughter, who was three when she vanished from a family holiday in Portugal in 2007. Meg Hiller, the MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, branded the stunt "sick and appalling." She said: "Hackney has a reputation as an artistic place with artists who do interesting and sometimes provocative work, but this sort of thing doesn't do the reputation of Hackney any good." Decima, which opened a gallery in Smeed Road, Hackney Wick, last year, has carved out a reputation for staging provocative exhibitions and events. The latest event was hosted in Riverside Close, Lower Clapton, on Sunday afternoon. A spokeswoman for the NSPCC told the Gazette: "This is appalling and completely insensitive to the family of Madeleine McCann. "Even allowing for artistic freedom there is no excuse for encouraging people to indulge in something as distasteful as this."

McCann's face another family milestone without Maddy, 25 January 2009

McCann's face another family milestone without Maddy The People   By Tom Mctague  25 January 2009   Kate and Gerry McCann will this week brave another family milestone without their beloved daughter Maddie - their twins' fourth birthday.   Sean and sister Amelie, who has become more like her chatty big sister, will be treated to a party at the weekend.   Pals say it will be especially poignant as Maddie was snatched in Portugal just nine days short of her own fourth birthday.   A close family friend said last night: "Kate and Gerry love watching the twins grow up but this is going to be difficult, a painful reminder of the last time they saw Madeleine.   "Amelie looks so like Madeleine did at her age although she has blonder hair. Even Amelie says: 'I'm pretty, just like Madeleine!' It makes Kate very tearful at times.   "Amelie loves swimming and dressing like her sister - and still carries around her sister's Cuddle Cat toy as if it were her own."   The kids' party is expected to be held at the family home Rothley, Leics, on Sunday - a full 20 months since Gerry and Kate, both 40, last saw Maddie.   She vanished during a holiday in Praia da Luz, sparking a global search. The couple still believe she is alive. Her gran Eileen McCann, 68, said: "It's the twins' big day and they're very excited. As hard as it is, life has to go on."   Spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "The party is a very private occasion. Kate and Gerry are busy working hard on the search for Madeleine."

29 January 2009   'Madeleine's Fund - Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited'   Accounts released to 31 March 2008.   Click here to view (includes press reports)

Proof of their determination, 30 January 2009

Proof of their determination Leicester Mercury   Friday, January 30, 2009, 09:30   Some people were very quick to think the worst about how the fund set up to find missing Madeleine McCann would be used. This newspaper's website was bombarded by ill-intentioned people who seemed to take pleasure in seeking to do down the efforts of Kate and Gerry McCann to find their daughter and to question their motives.   The release of detailed accounts of the fund for the financial year ending last March 31 should give these malicious detractors pause for thought.   The fund was launched a fortnight after the little girl, then aged three, vanished from Praia da Luz, southern Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Readers of this newspaper were very quick to rally round in response to our armbands appeal – and the significant amount raised in that way is acknowledged in the accounts. But the most important details are those covering how much was spent and how the money was used.   As we would expect, search fees, detectives' bills, legal costs and the actual running of the high-profile campaign make up the bulk of the £815,000 spent on trying to trace Madeleine.   The McCanns always said that how the money was used would be made public for all to see and they have been true to their word. Every penny has been properly accounted for and the fund has been independently audited. We hope this disclosure reassure any doubters – and help to encourage people to continue their support for this missing Leicestershire child.

McCann twins are four ... with presents from sister Maddie, 31 January 2009

McCann twins are four ... with presents from sister Maddie The Sun   Exclusive   By LUCY HAGAN Published: Today (Saturday, 31 January 2009)   GERRY and Kate McCann will tomorrow hold a party to celebrate the twins’ fourth birthday — with presents from missing sister Madeleine.   The couple have invited a number of friends and family to their home for a low-key celebration for Sean and Amelie.   It will bring back tragic memories for the McCanns — as it is the birthday Madeleine never celebrated with them.   The family and their relatives had been looking forward to a party at the McCanns’ home in Rothley, Leics.   They had ordered a Dr Who cake with the number four on for Madeleine.   Snatched   But just days before the celebration planned for May 12, she was snatched from her holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.   The McCanns are determined to make the day special for Sean and Amelie — including giving them presents from Madeleine, who they have not seen for more than 21 months.   A friend said: "Kate and Gerry have always tried to keep things as normal as possible for the twins.   "Last year they threw a big party for them. But a year on, with still no clue as to what happened to Madeleine, it is a difficult time.   "It is especially poignant as the last birthday cake they had for Madeleine had a number four on it." The twins were just two years old when Madeleine disappeared in May 2007. They have always asked where their sister was.   Despite the huge impact Madeleine's disappearance has had on the family, the McCanns have always vowed to give Sean and Amelie a "normal childhood".   Next year the pair will start school, a milestone that Madeleine never reached.   The friend added: "It is doubly difficult, because the twins are doing things for the first time that their sister should have done before them.   "They will make the day all about the twins, but Madeleine will never be far from their minds."

Haunted by Maddy's disappearance, Kate McCann spends three hours a day trawling files, 31 January 2009

Haunted by Maddy's disappearance, Kate McCann spends three hours a day trawling files Daily Mirror   Exclusive by Rod Chaytor 31/01/2009   She is consumed with the hunt for her daughter. every day she will spend 3 hours reading documents, looking for the vital clue which will answer the question that has tortured her and Gerry for 21 agonising months. Where is our missing Madeleine?   Kate McCann sips her tea and then turns another page from the mountain of paperwork, looking for the one clue that could spark a breakthrough in the search for her missing daughter.   As her twins Sean and Amelie enjoy playing with friends at nursery, their 40-year-old mum combs through thousands of police documents stacked up in 17 massive files hoping to latch on to any nugget of information such as the names of witnesses that were never interviewed.   Raw pain is still sometimes clearly etched on her face. But this is Kate's life now.   No longer working as a GP, she has dedicated herself to the task of unearthing clues that will lead her to her daughter Madeleine who vanished 21 months ago.   A family member said: "She is there virtually every morning. It's her routine for two or three hours every day while the twins are in nursery.   "Sometimes I feel she is exhausting herself. I wish she would take a break. But she won't listen. She is driven, consumed with the task and the goal of finding Madeleine."   While the agony of not knowing where Madeleine is or what has happened to her eats up Kate and husband Gerry, the  couple still have to provide a normal family life for Sean and Amelie. Tomorrow, the twins celebrate their fourth birthday and their parents will make sure it is a special day full of fun, laughter, gifts and games.   But, inevitably, one heartbreaking thought will haunt the couple throughout: "We never got to do this with Madeleine."   She vanished nine days short of her own fourth birthday from the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, as her parents ate at a tapas bar with friends.   This year, the twins will start school – another milestone Madeleine never reached.   She had been due to start at Bishop Ellis Catholic Primary at Thurmaston, Leics, in September of the year she vanished.   Kate has reached folder number 15 of the 17 she is searching through.   She will doggedly plough on line-by-line through the daunting pile of paperwork, forensically noting, computer filing, cross-checking, never giving up hope of stumbling across the key to her daughter's whereabouts.   Her desperate actions echo Gerry's words to the Mirror in his last UK interview in May last year as the Portuguese police closed their file. Back then, he vowed: "We’ll find her ourselves."   So far, their hunt has been without success. But every new scrap of information gives the couple fresh hope that they will be reunited with their little girl.   The family member added: "Kate has already found evidence overlooked by police and the names of witnesses never interviewed.   "On a day that happens, she is upbeat, positive, cheerful. When she comes across something negative however, she is down.   "Of the two of them, Kate is the most fragile. Her mood can change quickly.   "But she remains strong, resolute, determined to find Madeleine. Till the day she dies, she will never give up."   According to friends, this has been Kate's daily routine for the last six months since the Portuguese authorities lifted the couple's arguido suspect status and handed over the written record of their bungled investigation. For Gerry, too, the work involved in finding Madeleine has become a second job. The 40-year-old heart consultant leaves home before 8am for the cardiac unit at the Glenfield Hospital on the outskirts of Leicester.   Despite his demanding work schedule, he strives to be home by 6pm to join in the nightly bath and bed routine of the couple's twins.   Like any devoted dad, he reads the children a bedtime story before lights out and then joins his wife for supper.   But then, instead of slumping in front of the TV, he goes into the study, spending a couple of hours each night taking his turn to scour the files or hit the phones.   He calls the couple's Portuguese lawyers, their UK-based investigators and consults their team of advisers and sponsors.   At weekends, the pair try to take a break, spending family time together, shopping, seeing friends. On Sunday, it's church at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, just five minutes' walk from their home in Rothley, Leics, and a traditional roast.   Their family says the couple's ordeal has left their staunch Catholic faith undimmed.   Earlier this month, Gerry flew to Portugal for a face-to-face conference with their  lawyer Rogerio Alves to discuss progress in the hunt for Madeleine.   It was his first return since the couple were forced to come home from Portugal without her nearly 17 months ago.   Afterwards, Gerry said: "We think there's a very good chance she is still out here and can be found, so we want the search to go on.   "We want to be positive and look forward. We want to find our daughter. This is the first visit but I expect it will be the first of several."   Family members privately admit Kate was not strong enough to return.   One relative said bleakly: "I don't know when, if ever, she will be able to go back."   This week, figures showed that, in the financial year to March 2008, nearly £2million was raised by the Find Madeleine Fund to search for the missing youngster. More than £50,000 has been spent on professionally translating the Portuguese police files.   According to a friend, Kate and Gerry decided to switch their attention from the enormous media campaign they ran for over a year to concentrate on the investigation.   Gerry has not updated his blog on the Find Madeleine site since November. There have been no press conferences since last summer, when they won the battle to persuade the European Parliament to adopt a US-style Amber Alert system to warn cross-border countries of children going missing.   Their appeal this Christmas – with Madeleine's presents again unopened under the tree – was much more muted than in 2007 when Kate went on TV to talk directly to their missing daughter with the message: "Be brave, sweetheart."   But the pair reject fears that, as the second anniversary of their daughter's disappearance approaches, they are losing hope she will ever be found and are scaling back their campaign.   Their Christmas website message declared defiantly: "We will NEVER give up looking for Madeleine."   Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "They have not withdrawn. It's business as usual, finding Madeleine. They draw strength from the support of friends and family. They are not being distracted by stuff around the fringes.   "They are 110 per cent focused on the job in hand, working on the files, directing work going on behind the scenes and, when ready, they will take it up a gear again by coming out with any messages of tangible benefit in the search for Madeleine.   "We still get the odd piece of information coming in, a tip-off, the occasional sighting, and they are quietly checked out."   For Kate and the family, the search still goes on...   *   Same article appeared later under a new headline and emphasised first paragraph:   Inside the mind of Kate McCann Daily Mirror   By Rod Chaytor 31/01/2009   EXCLUSIVE She is CONSUMED with the hunt for her daughter. EVERY DAY she will spend 3 HOURS READING documents, looking for the VITAL CLUE which will answer the question that has tortured her and Gerry for 21 AGONISING MONTHS. Where is our missing Madeleine?   - Article then continues as above, with 2 lines of disembodied text at the end:   Sometimes I wish she'd take a break but she won't listen. It's her routine FAMILY MEMBER