The 'Victoria Beckham lookalike' in the hunt for Madeleine McCann asked if tourist had her 'new daughter', 07 August 2009

The 'Victoria Beckham lookalike' in the hunt for Madeleine McCann asked if tourist had her 'new daughter' Daily Mail Victoria Beckham in New York this year By TOM KELLY and CLAIRE ELLICOT Last updated at 10:17 AM on 07th August 2009   The woman detectives are hunting in the search for Madeleine McCann asked a British tourist if he was about to deliver her 'new daughter'.   The woman, who had an Australian accent, spoke to a British businessman in Spain just three days after the youngster disappeared.   She had been acting in an 'agitated' manner outside a bar in Barcelona and, when approached, asked the man: 'Are you here to deliver my new daughter?', a source close to the investigation said last night.   The tourist, who was chaperoning his brother on a stag party, was too shocked to reply and the woman repeated the question twice more. A second member of the party also spoke to the woman before she left.   It is believed that the woman mistook the witness for a man she had arranged to meet.   Investigators yesterday issued an urgent appeal for information about the woman, described as a 'glamorous and well turned out' Victoria Beckham lookalike.   Dave Edgar, the retired detective hired by Kate and Gerry McCann to lead a private inquiry, said it was very possible the youngster was smuggled into Barcelona by yacht from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz where she disappeared in May 2007.   The men said she appeared anxious as she paced up and down outside the El Rey de la Gamba bar as if she was waiting to meet somebody.   After watching the woman for ten minutes, one of the Britons approached her and they had a short conversation.   'She said something that was potentially significant to the investigation,' Mr Edgar said.   He described it as a 'strong lead,' but refused to give any more details.   The woman then went into an adjacent bar where she had a heated conversation with a local man in what appeared to be fluent Spanish.   She was last seen walking towards a hospital and more distant ferry and cruise ship terminals. The man she talked to described her as between 30 and 35, slim, about 5ft 2in and with short brown hair.   She was wearing expensive looking blue jeans and a jersey top, possibly pastel-coloured.   The man said she spoke with what he believed was an Australian accent.   Mr Edgar said: 'Madeleine most definitely could have got from the area to Barcelona by yacht. This woman is a significant individual, though I wouldn't describe her as a suspect.'   He said the witness, a married 41-year-old professional without children, only contacted the McCanns' investigation team six weeks ago.   Mr Edgar said that the delay was for 'personal reasons' and that he had insisted on remaining anonymous. The Barcelona marina where the woman was last seen An aerial view of Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona, popular with tourists, where the British witnesses encountered the woman that investigators now believe knew something 'significant' about Madeleine's disappearance   'We are satisfied that he is a very credible witness and the account he's given is clear and concise,' Mr Edgar said.   The man had been drinking but was not drunk, while the woman was sober.   The McCanns' private detectives travelled to Barcelona in search of extra information, but the CCTV footage of the area had already been wiped.   They have informed Portuguese detectives about the new lead and plan to talk with the Australian Federal Police and the Spanish authorities.   The e-fit of the woman by a British police artist was described by the witness as 80 per cent accurate.   The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have been kept informed. Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: 'They've learned through bitter experience not to get their hopes up.'   But he said they had 'drawn strength' from the new momentum in the investigation.

GMTV - Madeleine latest, 07 August 2009

Madeleine latest GMTV   Last updated: 7 August 2009   GMTV takes a look at the latest news surrounding missing Madeleine McCann and the possible connection with an Australian woman Transcript   By Nigel Moore 07 August 2009   Andrew Castle: Now, this is the face on the front of newspapers in this country and on the other side of the globe in Australia, as well. It's an e-fit of a woman who could hold vital information in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann. Investigators want her to come forward because of what she said to a British tourist three days after Madeleine's disappearance in 2007. We're joined now by Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell. Clarence, good morning to you.   Clarence Mitchell: Good morning.   AC: I note the... the, errr... newspapers in this country have got that picture on, as well. 'Have you got the child?'; that is what is reported to have been said between this woman and the man who has now come forward, 'Maddie hunt for woman: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"' - speculates the Daily Express, and '"Have you brought my new daughter?": Hunt for Posh lookalike who asked about the girl' - that's in The Sun. So, you're generating a... a great deal of press. Is that a good thing for you?   CM: In this case, it is exactly what, errm... the detectives needed. We... they need to know who this woman and where she is. Errr... We're very grateful to the media for once again coming back to the Madeleine story, in the... the way they have. Errm... We very specifically have not revealed what the contents of the conversation this woman had with the new witness, errr... f... for good operational reasons. The papers, of course, were going to speculate; we knew that. I'm neither going to confirm or deny that those quotes were... were in that conversation but it is potentially significant; what she said needs to be highlighted for the investigation.   AC: Why has it taken so long for this man to come forward?   CM: That's a question only he can really answer, errm... he... he has told the detectives it was for personal reasons, errm... they accept that; they've checked him out, he's a respectable businessman in his early forties, errm... he felt it was important, errr... we understand has grappled with his conscience, to a certain extent, but, errm... we're grateful to him for coming forward even though it's so late. We'd rather have information that the de... detectives can work on than not at all.   AC: Okay. And, as you can imagine, the story is big news, errr... in Australia. This is how they're reporting it...   News reporter (v/o): The McCann family turn their attention to Australia. But who is this woman and what does she know?   Female news anchor 1: Private investigators say they hold high hopes an Australian woman could be the key to finding Madeleine McCann alive.   Female news anchor 2: The hunt for missing British girl, Madeleine McCann, is switching to Australia.   AC: Well, joining us now, errr... from Sydney is Seven Network anchor, Chris Reason. Chris, thanks very much for taking the time to join us on GMTV this morning. Investigators are hoping this e-fit gets maximum exposure; it looks like it's getting that exposure.   Chris Reason: It is indeed, Andrew. Good morning to you. Yes, it's, errm... it's getting the sort of exposure I'm sure Clarence would be happy with here. It's... it's front page news, of course, it's coming up to the prime time news services here in Australia in just the next, errr... hour or two; it will get, errr... saturation coverage there, as well. This is a big story; it's been a big story worldwide for the last two years and... and to have this Australian angle indeed, not just... I mean, 24 hours ago, we think about this, Andrew, this woman was a witness. Today, according to your British, errr... press reports, she is an accomplice, so that just takes the story of... to even greater heights and greater interest here in Australia.   AC: Any sightings reported?   CR: Nothing yet, nothing yet. But as soon as they are, it will be... huh, I... I can imagine the... the meltdown... mayhem that will begin over that. But, errr... but, no... but... but look it's early days, it... the... the photofit, the e-fit as you call it, errr... hit the papers here this morning; it will hit the electronic media through... it has been on the electronic media through the day and again in prime time this evening. So, errr... let's... we're just going to have to wait and see as to whether that, errm... that jogs any memories if anyone recognises that woman, then contacts authorities. The federal police here haven't yet been approached by the McCanns' private detectives, errm... they are waiting for that and they say that if that, errr... approach is made, errm... officially, they will do whatever they can to, errr... to try and, errr... track down this woman and help in this investigation.   AC: Chris, thanks for taking time out to join us. Chris mentioned it there, Clarence, errr... 'accomplice'... if we're to believe what we're seeing in these newspapers, then she would be an accomplice to what happened.   CM: Well, errr... he's absolutely right to identify that aspect of the story. Errm... This is potentially a highly significant, errr... person of interest to the investigation. I can't go into any more detail, errr... the... the media will do their job and will assist us in the search for this woman.   AC: Why have Kate and Gerry's detectives not asked the Australian federal police to get involved?   CM: They go where the evidence takes them and at the moment, errm... this woman is, errr... formally not accused of anything. We're not even absolutely sure that she's in Australia; you can't just simply ring up a national police force and say 'look for one person' without any... any more detail for no reason...   AC: No.   CM: ...but the minute the evidence takes them to Australia they, of course, will liaise with the relevant law enforcement agencies. The British police, the Portuguese police and the Spanish police are all working, errr... closely on... with the de... detectives and, errr... if they need to speak to the Australians formally they will, at any stage.   AC: How do the family cope when new lines of inquiry open up, which presumably they've known about for days or... or weeks? How... how're they doing?   CM: Kate and Gerry have known about this virtually since the moment the information came in. Errm... They have learned through bitter experience to, errr... neither let their hopes get up or down. We've had so many sightings, so many tip-offs, so many false leads, errm... that they just wait to hear from either the police or their own investigators as to whether this particular line is significant or not and until then they just draw strength from the fact that there is momentum behind this; the fact that the media are so helpful, errr... whenever we have information to get out there and, errm... they really feel that they're doing... doing Madeleine a service and they'll keep going.   *   Note:   07 August 2009   Clarence Mitchell's statement that the Portuguese police are working with the McCanns' detectives is untrue.   The Portuguese police cannot work with the private detectives - they are prevented from doing so by law.   If the process was open and the investigation under way, then the private detectives would be prevented by law from investigating on Portuguese soil in the first place.   But given the fact that the process has been archived, the Portuguese police can't investigate the case anyway, as it needs an open process and instructions from the Public Ministry to formally investigate the case.   (Note courtesy of Astro)

Madeleine - the Latest But Not Very Much, 07 August 2009

Madeleine - the Latest But Not Very Much Sky News   Martin Brunt August 07, 2009 10:20 AM   The latest Madeleine appeal is intriguing and shouldn't be ignored.   But I can't help question the credibility of a brief conversation outside a Spanish bar at 2am between a British man on a stag night and an agitated Aussie woman. And it was more than two years ago and was not reported at the time.   But the McCanns' private investigator, ex-RUC detective Dave Edgar, is the expert and he feels it's worth pursuing then surely it is?   He batted away most questions at his press conference and left most unanswered, though more details - how the woman asked the man "have you got the child?" - have emerged from other sources since.   A colleague who covered Northern Ireland affairs for many years called me to say it was not the first time an Ulster policeman had called a media conference and then said very little.   In fact, Belfast hacks rarely expected anything else.

Madeleine McCann investigators swamped with calls about new lead, 07 August 2009

Madeleine McCann investigators swamped with calls about new lead Telegraph   Private detectives searching for Madeleine McCann have received "hundreds of calls" after appealing for information about a mysterious woman, the family's spokesman said.   Published: 6:25PM BST 07 Aug 2009   The investigators yesterday issued an e-fit of the woman, described as an Australian Victoria Beckham-lookalike, who reportedly asked a witness if he was there to deliver her "new daughter" just days after the little girl's disappearance.   Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, said there had already been a "substantial" response to the appeal, including several possible names for the woman.   The private detectives are now going through the information from the public and deciding which leads to follow up.   Mr Mitchell said: "We have had a substantial response overnight, with many hundreds of calls coming in particular from Australia.   "I understand many calls have also been made to the Australian police.   "Some names have been put forward, and all of this information is now being analysed and prioritised by the detectives.   "They are extremely grateful to everyone who has come forward with information.   "Where and when appropriate they will of course be liaising with the Australian authorities.   "As we stressed yesterday, the Australian dimension is just one part of the overall investigation into Madeleine's disappearance and work is continuing on several fronts."   Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3 2007 while her parents dined with friends nearby.   Just over 72 hours later, in the early hours of May 7, two British men saw the woman while on a night out in the popular Port Olimpic Marina in Barcelona in Spain.   She was well-dressed but appeared agitated and kept walking up and down outside the El Rey de la Gamba restaurant-bar as if she was waiting to meet somebody.   When one of the British men approached and spoke to her, she reportedly asked him: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"   Mr Mitchell refused to confirm or deny any details about this conversation.   After speaking to the witness the woman went into a bar next door, where she had a heated conversation with a local in what seemed to be fluent Spanish.   The British man - who has not been named but is a married 41-year-old professional without children - did not disclose his brief conversation with the woman until he approached the McCanns' investigators about six weeks ago.   The woman was described by the main witness as "a bit of a Victoria Beckham lookalike" and could be Australian based on her accent.   The McCanns' private detectives said it was "most definitely" possible that Madeleine was smuggled hundreds of miles from the Algarve to Barcelona by yacht.

Yacht Woman - A Story Gone Overboard, 07 August 2009

Yacht Woman - A Story Gone Overboard EXCLUSIVE to mccannfiles.com   By Dr Martin Roberts 07 August 2009   YACHT WOMAN - A STORY GONE OVERBOARD   Unexpectedly, as if from the depths of the Black Lagoon, the McCann case has acquired both a new witness and a new (female) suspect. Opening yesterday's press conference, Clarence Mitchell intoned: "The investigators or I will not be revealing any detail of what was said to the witness by the woman." Less than 24 hours later and the press are chorusing exactly what was said to the witness by the woman; well almost anyway.   During a conversation which 'lead investigator' Dave Edgar described as lasting "two or three minutes" (as long as it takes to boil an egg) the woman is said to have asked the same question three times. That explains, perhaps, why The Sun and The Daily Mirror quote her as asking: "Have you got her? Have you got the child?" whereas The Daily Express rendition is: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?" Or were there two independent 'leaks' to the press perhaps?   This sharply dressed lady is clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed if it took her a full three minutes to recognise a case of mistaken identity. But maybe it was good old British bravado that sustained her interest in a married, middle-aged, wannabe playboy. A source close to the investigation in Portugal told the Daily Express, apparently: "The new witness is a senior bank manager. He was in Barcelona for his brother's stag do. He was not drinking because he was keeping an eye on his brother." The source might have done well to share this detail with Dave Edgar who, when asked about the same individual at the press conference, said: "The witness had been drinking. He wasn't drunk." Clearly, an interval of two years and the intrusion of 'personal reasons' stimulated selective amnesia in this instance.   Turning to the seemingly mischievous female (an antipodean speaker of Castillian and/or Catalan - or 'Strine' even), it is worth paging back 24 hrs to yesterday's press conference, and the following exchange which took place shortly before its conclusion.   Q: "How does this match what... what happened in Portugal...? You suspect that she arrived in Barcelona by yacht. How does this match what could have happened in Praia da Luz?"   DE: "All I say is, it... it's something we looked at. It's possible to get there by yacht. It's, errm... a busy port, Barcelona, it, errr... you know, there's yachts there from all over the world. There's cruise ships land there, there's ferry ships land there so it... it's entirely possible." (that she arrived by yacht).   Q: "And how does this match... the previous e-fits that you had of the man that was seen by Jane Tanner in Praia da Luz? Do these two stories match at all?"   DE: "Well, obviously, the Jane Tanner sighting, she's... her perception was it was a man and this... this is a woman. We obviously haven't... Jane Tanner could have been wrong - it could have been a woman, errm... so we've got an open mind on that."   Now let's just hold it there.   Dave Edgar having already discussed the feasibility of travelling to Barcelona by yacht from Portugal, the assembled press are now being invited to entertain two potentially related notions: 1. The woman possibly arrived in Barcelona by yacht. 2. She might have been the individual seemingly spotted by Jane Tanner on the night of May 3rd. Bringing the two together implies that she might have travelled to Barcelona, by yacht, from Portugal - with Madeleine.   Again, this is very much a 'pre-press' moment, and Dave Edgar has repeatedly refused so far to divulge the substance of the conversation between witness and suspect (for suspect this lady must be). But he knows what it is, surely? He knows that she thrice asked the man whether he had come to deliver her new daughter. Why on earth should she ask such a question if she had brought Maddie to Barcelona herself?   Small wonder then that Clarence Mitchell should step in to undo the anomaly:   CM: "We're not suggesting today that it's one and the same person by any means. I mean the circumstances in Portugal have their own set of circumstances round them and this is, errr... it may be connected, it may not be."   DE: "Yes, yes. That's right."   Keeping their options open, notice. But if there is a connection to be made in the manner suggested, then the interpretation placed upon the conversation, as subsequently revealed, is completely illogical. Yet no more so than the introduction of the 'yacht' hypothesis in the first place. An earlier commentary here (All At Sea) points up just how unlikely it is for this woman and/or Madeleine to have journeyed by sea from Portugal to Barcelona within 72 hours - not impossible, just highly improbable. Yet the Daily Express find themselves engulfed in the swell:   'Less than 1,000 miles as the crow flies, the journey from the Algarve to Barcelona is easily achieved in less than 36 hours by sea in a high-powered cruiser or less than 14 hours by car. Mr Edgar said: "Madeleine most definitely could have got from the area to Barcelona by yacht."   'The Portuguese source said: "Boats have been recorded leaving Albufeira and arriving in Barcelona one day later."'   Well, 'as the crow flies' is hardly a useful measure of nautical distance (in excess of 700 nautical miles in this case) and to cover the relevant distance in 24 hours would require cruising at a sustained 30 knots plus. One wonders whether the 'high-powered cruiser' referred to in the article is a Royal Navy vessel. To inform the debate however, here are some relevant observations from an anonymous but knowledgeable UK source:   "There is no sailing yacht under half a million that could possibly work at a speed of 13 knots. Averaging 6 knots would need a very fast yacht too. Winds are not particularly strong in that area, unless you are lucky. Often, the wind is good, but it's on the nose.   "Motor yachts are very thirsty and require frequent stops for diesel.   "If you really mean sailing, that is 700 nautical miles, then the only place you get the sort of wind that gives you continuous sailing like that (to average 10 knots) is in the open ocean, e.g. the North Atlantic, the Indian Ocean. The Mediterranean is notoriously fickle with light and variable breezes."   As suggested elsewhere therefore, the sheer cost of the proposed adventure is well beyond the means of any jay-walking paedophile.   Now that the Tabloids have 'gone to press', one might reasonably adopt the point of view that the woman arrived by yacht from somewhere other than the Iberian peninsular, and that Madeleine travelled independently by road. The problem with this entire farrago however, is that this is not the scenario set out categorically by Messrs. Mitchell and Edgar at the press conference beforehand. And if they don't know what to believe, how are the press and the public to make any sense of it all? There again, maybe that's the point.

'Daughter' and the Urban Dictionary, 07 August 2009

'Daughter' and the Urban Dictionary Urban Dictionary   By Nigel Moore 07 August 2009   A quick look at the Urban Dictionary reveals that 'daughter' is a 'word used by dealers or customers wen talkin about a quater (7 grams) of a variety of drugs puff, coke etc.'   A quarter ounce of cannabis is sometimes referred to as a 'farmer's daughter'.   So, could it be that the mysterious Victoria Beckham lookalike was actually expecting a delivery of her favourite recreational indulgence, rather than a real-life little girl?   'Are you here to deliver my daughter (quarter)?'   Remember the woman spoke with an Australian accent, it was 2am in the morning and the man had had a drink, although he wasn't drunk - according to Dave Edgar.   After a 3-question conversation, which inexplicably seems to have lasted for 3 minutes, the woman would surely have concluded that the man before her had nothing more interesting in his pockets than his hands. Realising her error, she moved swiftly along.   It's entirely possible, as Clarence Mitchell would say.   But then, so are most things in this story.

Lindy McDowell: Will using public as sleuths really help find Madeleine McCann?, 08 August 2009

Lindy McDowell: Will using public as sleuths really help find Madeleine McCann? Belfast Telegraph   Saturday, 8 August 2009   Somehow you doubt it's the sort of headline to thrill the image-conscious former Posh Spice. "Victoria Beckham lookalike sought in search for Madeleine." And in fairness to Mrs B, the photo-fit accompanying this week's story did not exactly live up to the hype.   Actually it looked more like Frank Lampard. But then, so very much of the marathon saga that is the disappearance and search for Madeleine McCann has turned out to be something short of what we have been primed to expect.   The latest arguido/witness/possibly entirely irrelevant passer-by is said to be Australian. Maybe. Or perhaps from New Zealand.   She was spotted not in Portugal where Madeleine disappeared but in Barcelona three days later when she approached two Brits and said something which the McCanns' investigators believe makes her "a person of interest".   The British witnesses say they saw her outside the bar in which they were drinking near the Port Olimpic Marina around two in the morning. She was pacing up and down and appeared agitated (which given the area and the time of night could have had countless explanations.) She is described as being around 5'2" and a size 10. (The minuscule Victoria Beckham will love that last bit.)   But it was what this woman said that apparently aroused suspicions. She appears to have mistaken the Brits for someone else and asked: "Have you got her? Have you got the child?" Having realised her mistake and walked off, she then went to another bar where she was heard to berate someone. Seemingly in Spanish.   The odd thing. While the exchange may have raised his suspicions, the British man who is the investigators' informant only contacted the McCann team recently.   Why did it take him two years to come forward? We're told only that he is a credible witness and there were "personal reasons" why he has kept this to himself ever since.What these reasons are, we can only guess at.   Even before the high-profile press conference, the Madeleine case was already back in the headlines this week with news that British police have to date spent three quarters of a million pounds searching for the child.   If it helps find Madeleine — or even what happened to her — you could not begrudge a penny. And you can't fault the McCann investigators from following up every lead.   It's just that there's been so very many of these leads. Each new one seemingly contradicting the previous theory of what could have happened to her. This little girl's disappearance has been more widely reported and analysed than any other in history.   There can be few people anywhere in the world — especially in the Western world — who have not been alerted to her story. And yet to date? not a trace. Throughout, the investigation has focussed primarily on mobilising public support and vigilance. Has this been counter-productive?   For the result has been a bewildering array of "sightings", theories and countless photo-fits from the featureless Mr Potato Head 'snatcher' to this mysterious Aussie Posh who may have been ... what? A broker for child-traffickers?   Recruiting the public as an international band of armchair Sherlocks has failed to crack the case. The McCanns believe fervently in keeping the story in the headlines, and that reference to the Posh lookalike this week certainly ensured it did just that.   But then, you think of that man who despite all the publicity, appeals and pathos, still held his secret to himself for two long years for "personal reasons" and you wonder about the reasons and the accuracy of his recall.   Does the photo-fit look like Victoria Beckham?   Or just another red herring?

From lie to lie, 08 August 2009

From lie to lie Correio da Manhã Matter of fact   Gonçalo Amaral 08 August 2009 - 00h20 Thanks to Astro for translation   Barcelona, the capital of Cataluña and of Modernism, where Antoni Gaudí has lived and worked and in whose museums the works of Miró and Picasso are exhibited, is one of the most interesting cities in Europe. With so many attractions, it would be expected that, during a hot month of May, a middle-aged English tourist would enjoy the beauties of Barcelona.   That was what the now main witness of Madeleine McCann's disappearance did. He visited restaurants and bars, just like people visit museums and cathedrals. As the story goes, told two years later, in a bar at the marina, a woman, looking like Victoria Beckham, "maybe" with an Australian accent (something difficult for a British person, it’s like a Portuguese recognising a Brazilian), asked him: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"   The credible witness, imagine, had been drinking – but was not drunk. Was it a sexual type of invitation? Taking into account the ambience and the late hour!? When he saw the Victoria look-alike talking to a local, in Castellan, it is said, like unbridled polyglots, the tourist discovered the reason for the question: she was waiting for Madeleine.   From sighting to sighting and suspects by the dozen, the true story is not difficult to hide. Bring on the elections in Portugal and in England, let the funds run dry, and then we’ll see the result of so many lies and false leads.

Madeleine police make dramatic breakthrough in hunt for Victoria Beckham lookalike linked to disappearance, 08 August 2009

Madeleine police make dramatic breakthrough in hunt for Victoria Beckham lookalike linked to disappearance Daily Mail   By RICHARD SHEARS Last updated at 10:12 AM on 08th August 2009   Police in Sydney are investigating what might be a dramatic breakthrough in the hunt for Madeleine McCann.   They have been given a potential lead towards a woman who is at the centre of recent developments in the two year old case.   A New South Wales police spokesman reported today that they had received information about a woman who is similar in description to an Australian woman being sought by private investigators.   Police were contacted by another woman who said she knows the mystery woman being hunted by private detectives looking for Madeleine.   The woman who contacted them has given police a formal statement and her information is now being followed up.   It was revealed last week that a British man was spoken to by a woman outside a bar in Barcelona, Spain, 72 hours after Madeleine disappeared from neighbouring Portugal.   The woman, said the British witness, mistaking him for someone else, asked where her new daughter was - before she realised she was talking to the wrong person.   The witness said the woman, who was a Victoria Beckham look-alike, spoke fluent Spanish when she was accidentally bumped by someone a few moments later as she walked away from the Briton.   'On Friday afternoon a Sydney woman provided a formal statement to detectives at a Sydney police station,' the NSW police spokesman told the domestic news agency, Australian Associated Press.   'She claims to know the identity of the woman being sought by the private investigators attached to the McCann family.   'NSW police force will forward the information received to the Australian Federal Police for follow up.'   The AFP are responsible matters of state and for liaisons with overseas police forces.   It is not known if the woman who contacted police, or the mystery woman she says she has information about, lives in Sydney.   An artist's impression of the mystery woman - based on a description given by the British witness - has been widely circulated in Australian newspapers and on television.

Maddie: Hunt for Aussie boat, 08 August 2009

Maddie: Hunt for Aussie boat The Sun By ALEX WEST in Barcelona and ANTONELLA LAZZERI Published: Today (08 August 2009)   THE hunt was on last night for a mystery Aussie motorboat now being linked to Madeleine McCann.   It entered the marina soon before a woman there, thought to be Australian, asked a man: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"   The unnamed multi-million pound 105ft powerboat - which was registered Down Under - remained in the Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona, Spain, for just three days.   Records show it arrived just hours before the woman - said to look like Posh Spice Victoria Beckham - approached a British man there and asked about the child. It is believed she mistook him for a "courier".   The Sun told yesterday how the conversation happened at about 2am on May 7, 2007 - 72 hours after Maddie, then three, vanished on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal.   A senior port authority source said: "An Australian-flagged powerboat arrived at 12.40pm on the 6th. It left on the 9th. We don't know where it went.   "It was the only unknown vessel to enter the port that day - the others have regular moorings here.   "Australian-flagged boats in the Mediterranean are incredibly rare." One theory being probed is that a boat was used to transport Maddie from Portugal shortly after her abduction.   The passage is 728 nautical miles but could be made in a speedboat in about 35 hours - plus time for at least four fuel stops.   Another theory is that the Australian woman had masterminded the kidnapping and was awaiting delivery of the child from another vessel before sailing off.   By last night investigators working for Madeleine's doctor parents Kate and Gerry, both 41, of Rothley, Leics, had received more than 600 calls and emails in response to the Posh lookalike appeal.   Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the response had been "overwhelming" since an e-fit of the woman was released on Thursday.   He revealed: "Most of the responses have been from Australia. Names of possible women have been put forward. Also what our detectives describe as a 'number of viable leads' have resulted from the appeal."   It also emerged yesterday that Maddie cops had ALREADY mounted an Australian surveillance operation before the Posh lookalike alert.   It is understood that undercover detectives have been watching a number of individuals in Australia for several months after a tip-off that Maddie was smuggled there.   A source close to the Maddie investigation said: "It may be that the woman the British witness talked to in Barcelona is linked."

NZ police open to helping in Madeleine case, 08 August 2009

NZ police open to helping in Madeleine case NZ Herald   By Jared Savage 1:53PM Saturday Aug 08, 2009   New Zealand police are open to helping international authorities investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann but have received no requests for assistance.   Spokesman Grant Ogilvie said police were aware of developments in the case of the missing British girl through foreign media, who have reported a possible link in the case to Australia or New Zealand.   Private investigators hired by Kate and Gerry McCann are trying to find a "glamorous" Australian or New Zealand woman who spoke to a man in Barcelona just three days after Madeleine vanished in 2007.   The British holidaymaker said she asked him: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"   Described as speaking fluent Spanish and in her 30s, the woman is not a suspect, but private investigator Dave Edgar says what she told the man could be significant.   Four-year-old Madeleine disappeared from her family's rented holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, while her parents dined with friends at a nearby restaurant.   Mr Ogilvie said New Zealand police were open to help but had not been approached by Interpol.   McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell earlier admitted new information linking a New Zealand or Australian woman to the case was vague.   But he suggested there was more to private detectives' search in this part of the world than had been publicly announced.   "We are not doing this in a complete vacuum," Mr Mitchell said. "Anything that is done publicly is part of a wider picture.   "There is other work going on in other directions, some of it perhaps in Australia, some of it perhaps in Portugal, other places too."   Anyone with information Madeleine's on disappearance can visit www.findmadeleine.com.

Madness in search for Maddie, 08 August 2009

Madness in search for Maddie smh.com.au (Clockwise) Maddie at age three and an age progression image of her at six, Identikit of the woman and bottom, Judith Aron.   Matthew Benns August 9, 2009 (Australian time)   A 53-YEAR-OLD mother was yesterday forced to deny that she or her fair-haired five-year-old daughter had anything to do with missing British toddler Madeleine McCann after a friend in Sydney reported her to police.   Shocked Judith Aron said: "I have no connection to the little girl."   The search for Madeleine has swept across at least four Australian states with a string of sightings after private detectives revealed they were looking for a Victoria Beckham lookalike with an Australian accent.   An identikit picture of the woman was released by British police last week after a witness came forward to say the woman had approached him in Barcelona three days after Madeleine went missing in Portugal in 2007 and said: "Are you here to deliver my daughter?"   Ms Aron, who by a bizarre twist lives in Madeline Street, Glen Iris, a Melbourne suburb, said: "I'm 53 years old and I certainly don't look like a Spice Girl.   "I'm shocked that anybody may have thought that I have some connection to this case. I can't understand how it may have happened. I can honestly say I have no connection to the little girl.   "I haven't left Australia since 2000, so there's no way I could have been in Portugal or Spain around the time she went missing.   "My mum passed away in 2000 and I was looking after my elderly father after that so I wasn't able to go overseas."   However, Ms Aron said she felt terrible for Gerry and Kate, Madeleine's parents.   "I only wish there was some way that I could help them. I have a five-year-old daughter myself so when I think of what they must be going through it is just awful."   A neighbour said she thought the link might have been made because Ms Aron spoke Spanish and had a fair-haired child.   On Friday afternoon, an elderly Sydney woman went into Burwood police station and filed a report claiming that a friend she had met in Spain, and travelled with in Portugal, was the woman in the identikit picture.   "She showed us a picture of the woman on a plane from Portugal and we got goosebumps," said a detective, who could not be named. "It looked exactly like the identikit picture."   A NSW Police spokeswoman said: "NSW Police force detectives have received information about a woman who is similar in description to the woman being sought by private investigators investigating the disappearance of British child Madeleine McCann.   "A Sydney woman provided a formal statement to detectives at a Sydney police station.   "She claims to know the identity of the woman being sought by the private investigators attached to the McCann family. The NSW Police force has forwarded the information to the Australian Federal Police for follow-up."   A federal police spokesman confirmed it had received informal notice but added: "We are certainly not investigating at the moment."   The woman who filed the statement is understood to be Nelida Martinez from Burwood. Yesterday she said: "I don't want to talk to nobody unless it's the police."   Meanwhile, attention has also focused on an Australian-registered cruiser that was in Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona at the time the mystery woman was asking the new witness if he had brought her new daughter.   Reporters from London yesterday speculated that it was a $12 million powerboat belonging to a wealthy West Australian family.   A spokesman for the family said: "This is the most ridiculous speculation I have ever heard. It's ludicrous."   Despite claims by London newspapers that investigators are looking for the yacht, which flies the Australian flag, a family friend scoffed at speculation that it could be connected in any way to the Madeleine McCann case.   The friend said: "I know the owners of that yacht and they would laugh at newspaper reports that their powerboat was somehow used in the abduction of Maddie. That's a good one."   Investigators working for the McCanns said they had received more than 600 emails after issuing the Posh Spice lookalike appeal. A spokesman for the family said most of those responses had come from Australia.

Search for Madeleine focuses on £6m yacht as police follow more than 600 leads, 08 August 2009

Search for Madeleine focuses on £6m yacht as police follow more than 600 leads Daily Mail   By RICHARD SHEARS Last updated at 10:22 PM on 08th August 2009   Investigators searching for Madeleine McCann were tonight checking the movements of a £6million Australian yacht that was in the Mediterranean at the time of her disappearance.   One theory is Madeleine was transported by sea to Barcelona after being snatched from Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007.   Private detectives have received more than 600 calls and emails since they published an e-fit of a woman who had been in the Port Olimpic area of Barcelona just days after Madeleine, then three, vanished. Under scrutiny: The movements of this £6 million yacht are being examined   The woman – described as a Victoria Beckham lookalike – was said to have asked a British tourist she mistook for a trafficker: 'Are you here to deliver my daughter?'   The investigators have been given the name and registration details of one Australian-registered power boat said to have been in the area at the time.   'We have the port records for Portugal and Spain, which we are going through now,' said Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann. 'Any Australian vessel there at that time will be examined.'   Since the e-fit was published investigators from people in Europe and Australia are 'dozens' of possible names for an e-fit of a woman, described as a Victoria Beckham-lookalike with short dark hair.   Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said: 'Since the appeal on Thursday the investigators have had more than 600 separate pieces of information come into the inquiry via email and telephone calls.   'Amongst it all are a number of viable leads, all of which are being assessed and prioritised as necessary.'   But it emerged today that one woman in Australia who was named as being the witness in Spain and who also has a five-year-old fair-haired girl has not left Australia since 2000.   Judith Aron, who has dark spiky hair is understood to be the woman identified by an acquaintance as having a daughter who looks like Madeleine.   But now Ms Aron , who lives in Melbourne, has denied having anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance.   'I'm 53 years old and I certainly don't look like a Spice Girl' she said in a reference to the British witness's description of the woman in Spain looking a little like Victoria Beckham.   'I'm shocked that anybody may have thought that I have some  connection to this case. I can't understand how it may have happened.   'I can honestly say I have no connection to the little girl. I haven't left Australia since 2000, so there's no way I could have been in Portugal or Spain around the time she went missing.   It was revealed last week that a British man was spoken to by a woman outside a bar in Barcelona, Spain, 72 hours after Madeleine disappeared from neighbouring Portugal.   The woman, said the British witness, mistaking him for someone else, asked where her new daughter was - before she realised she was talking to the wrong person.   The witness said the woman spoke fluent Spanish when she was accidentally bumped by someone a few moments later as she walked away from the Briton.   Police are now on the hunt for a mystery Australian motorboat which entered the Port Olimpic marina in Barcelona shortly before the woman was spotted.   A senior port authority source told how the 105ft multi-million pound vessel was docked at the marina for just three days.   He said: 'An Australian-flagged powerboat arrived at 12.40pm on the 6th. It left on the 9th. We don't know where it went.   'It was the only unknown vessel to have entered the port that day - the others have regular moorings here.'   He added that Australian-flagged boats in the Mediterranean were incredibly rare.   Detectives are now speculating that the powerboat was used to transport Madeleine to Spain from Portugal.   The journey of 728 nautical miles would take approximately 35 hours excluding the required four fuel stops.   A NSW police spokesman said today: 'On Friday afternoon a Sydney woman provided a formal statement to detectives at a Sydney police station.   'She claims to know the identity of the woman being sought by the private investigators attached to the McCann family.   'NSW police force will forward the information received to the Australian Federal Police for follow up.'   The AFP are responsible matters of state and for liaisons with overseas police forces.   It is not known if the woman who contacted police, or the mystery woman she says she has information about, lives in Sydney.   An artist's impression of the mystery woman - based on a description given by the British witness - has been widely circulated in newspapers and on television across the globe.   McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell described the public response to the E-fit of the woman as 'overwhelming'.   He went on to reveal however, that most of the responses had been from Australia: 'Names of possible women have been put forward,' he said.   'Also what our detectives describe as a "number of viable leads" have resulted from the appeal.'

'Maddie yacht owner' found and she's worth £250million, 08 August 2009

'Maddie yacht owner' found and she's worth £250million Sunday Mirror   EXCLUSIVE by Frank Thorne and Justin Penrose 9/08/2009 (appeared online 8/08/2009 22:00 PM)   Family distraught at abduction 'link' and say hunt is ludicrous.   Madeleine McCann detectives aim to interview a millionairess after a yacht at the centre of the inquiry into the child's disappearance was traced.   Melissa Karlson's mother owns the £6million vessel that docked in Barcelona hours before a mystery woman asked a British tourist: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"   But the family of the 31-year-old Australian, daughter of £250million socialite Rhonda Wyllie, 52, yesterday told the Sunday Mirror any suggestion the vessel was involved with the abduction or the mystery woman was "ludicrous".   The team hunting three-year-old Madeleine had believed that the mystery powerboat could provide a breakthrough.   Flying an Australian flag, it was seen in Barcelona  three days after she vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal.   Records show the 105ft boat arrived just hours before a woman – said to look like Posh Spice Victoria Beckham – approached a British bank executive and asked: "Are you here to deliver my daughter?"   The woman was described as slim and "glamorous", aged 30 to 35, about 5ft 2ins tall, with short spiky brown hair and speaking with an Australian accent. The luxury Sunseeker vessel, called Will Power, was reportedly the only vessel out of nine unaccounted for by Maddie investigators.   It was moored in Barcelona from 12.40pm on May 6, 2007, and left on the 9th for an unknown destination.   Investigators are keen to speak to Mrs Karlson, who runs her mother's investment group, and Mrs Wyllie to rule them out.   A source close to the investigation told the Sunday Mirror: "We have been told about the daughter of the owner of this boat and are aware of who she is. We understand she's currently in Perth, Australia, and will be keen to speak to her to eliminate her from our inquiries."   The family last night said they were "distraught" to have been linked to the Madeleine case but would happily cooperate with police.   Mrs Karlson, married to fashion wholesaler Jamie, is the managing director of Wyllie Group, her mother's company. Wyllie Group company director Craig Coleman, speaking on behalf of Mrs Karlson, said from his home in Perth: "This is the most ridiculous speculation I have ever heard. It's ludicrous."   It came as investigators working for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, both 41, from Rothley, Leics, had received dozens of names linked to the e-fit released last week. More than 600 phone calls have been made by people who saw the image.   The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the team would be working their way through the names given to identify them.   A woman in Australia yesterday claimed to know the Posh Spice lookalike as Madeleine mania swept the country but the report turned out to be false.   It emerged that an investigator had already reportedly mounted an Australian surveillance operation.   Undercover detectives have been watching a number of individuals in Australia for several months after a tip-off that Madeleine was smuggled there.   But Australian Federal Police have said they are not involved in looking for Madeleine and have not been approached by the McCanns.   Ms Karlson started as a trainee accountant in her father Bill's property development company before becoming MD in 2005, six months before his death.   She reportedly celebrated her 30th birthday with a big bash at the luxurious Legian Hotel in Bali in March last year. It is understood celebrity guests were flown in for the night.   Widow Mrs Wyllie, a non-executive director of Wyllie Group, is on Will Power, cruising in the Mediterranean, a spokesman said.     Melissa M. Karlson Wyllie Group B. Bus Managing Director   Melissa was appointed Director - Property Management in 2003 and has been Managing Director since August 2005.   She is responsible for the Wyllie Group's extensive national investment portfolio and the management and financial performance of the company.   Melissa has experience in the property industry, financial markets, and the acquisition and disposal of investments. Her other current appointments include Non-Executive Director of Viburnum Funds Pty Ltd, Non-Executive Director of Dome Coffees Australia and Non-Executive Director of Ganehill Pty Ltd (Invisible Zinc) and board member of the Property Council of Australia (Western Australia Division).   Melissa holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Edith Cowan University where she majored in Accounting and Finance. She is currently studying towards her Executive MBA at the University of Western Australia.   Melissa is the youngest daughter of Bill and Rhonda Wyllie.     Wyllie pleads guilty to reckless driving ABC News Posted Fri May 30, 2008 12:50pm AEST   Perth business woman Rhonda Wyllie has been fined and disqualified from driving for six months after pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge.   Ms Wyllie did not attend the Armadale Magistrates Court but her lawyer admitted she had been driving at 167 kilometres an hour, or more than 100 km/h over the speed limit, on Tonkin Highway when stopped by police in March.   Today her lawyer John Prior told the court his client was overseas, but was remorseful and extremely apologetic for what she had done.   Ms Wyllie, the widow of businessman Bill Wyllie, was also fined $1,000 plus court costs.

Witness recognises woman linked to Madeleine McCann, 09 August 2009

Witness recognises woman linked to Madeleine McCann couriermail.com.au   Marnie O'Neill August 09, 2009 12:00am (Australian time)   A SYDNEY woman has told NSW police she knows the identity of a woman sought by British investigators over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.   The woman walked into a Sydney police station on Friday afternoon and made a formal statement to detectives, a police spokesman said.   She not only provided what she believed was the name of the woman, who lives interstate, possibly in Melbourne, but also a photograph of her.   "Police have forwarded the information to (both) the Australian Federal Police and the private investigators attached to the McCann team," a police spokesman said.   A police source said the photograph bore an "uncanny resemblance" to a police artist's impression released to Australian media by the McCann team last week.   The image is based on the eyewitness accounts of two bar-hopping British men who encountered the woman in Barcelona, 72 hours after Madeleine was snatched from a Portuguese resort on May 3, 2007.   One of them approached her and she asked him in an Australian accent: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter? Have you got her? Have you got the child?"   The new Sydney witness is one of "hundreds" of Australians who claim to have seen the mystery brunette. She is said to speak "excellent Spanish, possibly Catalan".   McCann chief investigator Dave Edgar said his team would fly to Australia to analyse all new information, including several names that had been passed on to them.   The owner of Sydney's most famous Spanish restaurant Capitan Torres, Manuel Vilarino, is convinced she visited his establishment "two or three months ago".   When the image was shown around Sydney's Spanish Quarter last week, most people drew a blank.   Mr Vilarino, however, felt a "punch in the gut", all but gasping out loud when he saw her face.   "The moment you showed me this picture, I felt a jolt of recognition," he said.   "I believe she came to the restaurant about two or three months ago with a party of three or four, including at least one man.   "I remember she was very pleasant and very well presented, wearing cream or white-coloured tailored trousers."   Mr Vilarino said the woman, who spoke to him in Spanish, did not dine at the restaurant but had stopped by in the afternoon to ask what their trading hours were.   "She said to me: 'We arrived only yesterday. I want to show (my companions) the Spanish Quarter.' She wanted to know our trading hours."   Mr Vilarino said the more he looked at the image, the more convinced he felt it was the same woman.   "It's a very strange feeling, hard to describe but I feel in my heart I feel that this is the woman who came here that day," he said.   Mr Vilarino has managed Capitan Torres for 33 years.   The restaurateur is well known within the Spanish communities of Sydney and Melbourne.