Gerry Dismisses Madeleine Claims, 13 January 2010

Gerry Dismisses Madeleine Claims Sky News Jan 13, 2010 The parents of Madeleine McCann have been in court for a second day hearing claims that they covered up their daughter's death. Gerry McCann spoke to reporters on his way into court in Lisbon. (00:01:12) -------------------------- Transcript By Nigel Moore Gerry McCann: "There is absolutely no evidence that Madeleine is dead and..." Sandra Felgueiras: "But then..." GM: "Shhh... let me finish, please... there is absolutely no evidence that Madeleine is dead and there is absolutely no evidence that we were involved in her disappearance. That is the conclusion..." SF: "But then you have..." GM: "No, let me finish... that is... that is..." Kate McCann: "You have to remember that they are..." GM: "Listen, but that is the conclusion of the process and that's what we are here debating; the conclusions of the process versus the conclusions of the book." SF: "So, you are not shocked?" GM: "Why would we be shocked? We're not denying the exis..." SF: "I'm asking you." GM: "Why would we be shocked? We're not denying the existence of the dogs or anything else. It's evidence we're interested in. There is no evidence that Madeleine is dead." UK Reporter: "Gerry, this..." GM: "That is what we heard yesterday - you heard that, didn't you?" UKR: "This is just raking up old ground, isn't it Gerry?" GM: "No, not... today... we're here... to..." UKR: "But the police..." GM: "No... hang on, hang on... they're not raking it up. This is a legal..." KM: "It's nothing new, you're right." GM: "This is a legal process that we're going through to protect our daughter and our family. So..." UKR: "But there's nothing new being said by the police, is there?" GM: "Of course there's not and, errr... and that's the point, you know, we're looking for new information to include... help the search. The question, of course, is: 'who is looking for Madeleine and who is been looking for Madeleine over the last two years' and that is us and our investigation team."

Father dismisses Madeleine claims, 13 January 2010

Father dismisses Madeleine claims The Press Association (UKPA) – 13 January 2010, 12:10pm Gerry McCann angrily dismissed Portuguese detectives' claims that his daughter Madeleine is dead as he arrived at court. Senior officers involved in the case told a hearing in Lisbon of their belief that the little girl died in her family's holiday flat and that her parents faked her abduction. Returning for a second day of evidence, Mr McCann and his wife Kate insisted that none of the claims were new. Mr McCann was asked by a Portuguese reporter whether it was worth the emotional cost for the couple to attend the court case. He replied: "Do you have children? Anyone who has children would go through the same process." Lisbon's main civil court is hearing an attempt by former police chief Goncalo Amaral to overturn a ban on his book questioning the McCanns' account of what happened to Madeleine. Speaking as he arrived at the court building hand-in-hand with his wife, Mr McCann seized on public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses's testimony on Tuesday that it was "50-50" whether the child is dead. Mr McCann said: "The most important thing (on Tuesday) was what the prosecutor said, there is absolutely no evidence that Madeleine is dead and there is absolutely no evidence that we were involved in her disappearance. "That is the conclusion of the process and that is what we are here debating - the conclusions of the process versus the conclusions of the book." Mr Amaral's lawyers argue that the material in his book - Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie - is contained in the official Portuguese police files for the case, many of which were made public in August 2008. The McCanns, both 41, from Rothley, Leicestershire, say their main motive for challenging the former policeman is the fear that people will stop looking for their daughter if they think she is dead.

McCanns angrily dismiss Portugese detectives' claims that Madeleine is dead, 13 January 2010

Madeleine McCann: Gerry McCann angrily dismiss detectives' claims over Maddy Daily Mirror By Mirror.co.uk 13/01/2010 Gerry McCann angrily dismissed Portuguese detectives' claims that his daughter Madeleine is dead as he arrived at court today. Senior officers involved in the case told a hearing in Lisbon yesterday of their belief that the little girl died in her family's holiday flat and that her parents faked her abduction. Returning for a second day of evidence, Mr McCann and his wife Kate insisted that none of the claims were new. Mr McCann was asked by a Portuguese reporter whether it was worth the emotional cost for the couple to attend the court case. He replied: "Do you have children? Anyone who has children would go through the same process." Lisbon's main civil court is hearing an attempt by former police chief Goncalo Amaral to overturn a ban on his book questioning the McCanns' account of what happened to Madeleine. Speaking as he arrived at the court building hand-in-hand with his wife, Mr McCann seized on public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses's testimony yesterday that it was "50-50" whether the child is dead. Mr McCann said: "The most important thing yesterday was what the prosecutor said, there is absolutely no evidence that Madeleine is dead and there is absolutely no evidence that we were involved in her disappearance. "That is the conclusion of the process and that is what we are here debating - the conclusions of the process versus the conclusions of the book." Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida told the court yesterday he believed that Madeleine died in her family's apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on the day she went missing. He said the main evidence for this was the findings of British police sniffer dogs sent to Portugal to examine the flat. Mr McCann said the evidence of the police witnesses called by Mr Amaral's lawyers did not surprise him. "Why would we be shocked? We are not denying the existence of the dogs or anything else," he said. "It's evidence we're interested in. There is no evidence that Madeleine is dead, that's what you heard yesterday." His wife added: "There's nothing new." Mr Amaral's lawyers argue that the material in his book - Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie - is contained in the official Portuguese police files for the case, many of which were made public in August 2008. Arriving for today's hearing, Mr Amaral said he was "very happy" that his police colleagues had repeated in court what was in the files and in his book. The McCanns, both 41, from Rothley, Leicestershire, say their main motive for challenging the former policeman is the fear that people will stop looking for their daughter if they think she is dead. Explaining why the couple launched legal action against Mr Amaral, Mr McCann said today: "This is a legal process that we're going through to protect our daughter and our family. "We're looking for new information to help the search. "The question of course is who is looking for Madeleine and who has been looking for Madeleine over the last two years, and that is us and our investigators." Mr McCann will return to Britain this afternoon because of work commitments, a spokeswoman for the couple said. Fiona Payne, one of the friends who was on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared on May 3 2007, is flying out to support Mrs McCann.

McCanns Face More Claims Of Cover-Up, 13 January 2010

McCanns Face More Claims Of Cover-Up Sky News 12:20pm UK, Wednesday January 13, 2010 Hannah Thomas-Peter, Sky News Online A former senior Portuguese police officer has questioned Kate and Gerry McCann's claim that Madeleine disappeared from their holiday apartment Speaking in court in Portugal, former detective and criminologist Moita Flores said: "I have spoken to respected experts on crime and none of them agrees it would be possible to pass a child through the window. "It would have been a very stupid person who tried to pass a sleeping child through the window of the McCanns' holiday flat." Mr Flores is the first witness called on the second day of a three day libel trial, brought by the McCanns, to permanently ban a book written by a senior figure in the investigation that claims Madeleine died in the family's apartment. Former detective Goncalo Amaral is trying to overturn the ban on his book Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie. Mr Amaral initially led the Madeleine investigation but was taken off the case in October 2007 after criticising the British police in a newspaper interview. Mr Flores defended the police inquiry and Mr Amaral's book. He said: "It is not true to say that the police only pursued the line of inquiry that the McCanns were guilty. "Many, many hours were spent by officers checking every other possible line of inquiry. "This case is pathetic. A citizen is being prevented from freely expressing his opinions in a responsible way." Speaking outside court Gerry McCann told journalists he had heard no evidence that Madeleine was dead. He said: "This is the legal process we're going through to protect our daughter and our family. Anyone else with children would do the same." Sky News Online reporter Jon di Paolo, who is reporting from inside the court said: "The McCanns are both in conversation with their interpreters. Gerry looks relaxed and smiles as he talks." Yesterday a senior detective called as a witness by Mr Amaral told the court he believed Madeleine died in her family's apartment. Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida claimed the main evidence for this was the findings of British police sniffer dogs sent to Portugal to examine the flat. He said the animals detected traces of blood inside the dining room of the holiday flat and in the car the McCann's were using. The McCann's lawyer Isabel Duarte challenged the claim, saying the sniffer dog results did not constitute proof. Local public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses was also called as a witness. When asked if he believed Madeleine was dead, he said it was "50-50". Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann were made "arguidos" or formal suspects four months in to the investigation, but this status was lifted when the case was shelved the following summer. In seperate legal proceedings in Portugal, the couple are seeking over £1m in compensation from Mr Amaral for defamation. The McCanns have always strenuously denied allegations they were involved in their daughter's disappearance, and say they will never stop looking for her. The trial continues.

Sandra Felgueiras for RTP: Moita Flores' testimony - video & translated transcript, 13 January 2010

Sandra Felgueiras for RTP: Moita Flores' testimony - video & translated transcript RTP 13 January 2010 Thanks to Astro for translation Sandra Felgueiras, outside Lisbon Civil Court, 13. Jan. 2010 - I would say that during the two hours that his deposition lasted, by videoconference, Moita Flores produced a treaty on freedom, on criminal investigation and on truth. A treaty on freedom because what is at stake, here, is the duality of rights that are part of our Republic's constitution: on one hand, the right to freedom of expression, expressed by Gonçalo Amaral, and on the other hand, the McCann couple's right to a reputation and to dignity. And concerning this conflicting duality, Moita Flores was peremptory: he thinks it is "pathetic" and "an aberration" that in a democracy, someone's right to write a truth that he says he has reached, is put at stake. And even when judge Maria Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues asked him if he thinks it's legitimate for an inspector, after retiring, and after having privileged access to information, to write, to publicise it, he [Moita Flores] said "I don't see why that can't happen, even because nobody else in Portugal has been dragged through the mud by the British press, like Gonçalo Amaral was, therefore he is in his full right”. He even said "I don't know what I would do if I was in his shoes; if anyone had told me or written that my wife is a prostitute and I, a drunk. I know that Gonçalo Amaral is a good policeman, and that is why I came here to testify". Such were the words of Moita Flores. Then, why do I mention a treaty on criminal investigation? Because for several times, Isabel Duarte has tried to discredit the book, and therefore, at the same time, the criminal investigation, and she tried to tell Moita Flores, or rather ask him, if he knew the location, the window through which the abduction could have taken place in Praia da Luz. He replied, in his own voice, that he was on location, and that he was absolutely certain that it was materially impossible for an abductor to leave through that window – unless the child was dead. This is due to there being no possibility for anyone to exit through that window without leaving natural traces, which is to say, without leaving marks, and that is the line that investigators follow. Therefore, in this way, he tried to credit, contradicting the McCanns' thesis that the only possibility was abduction. And he even said that he does not believe that any competent investigator in the world easily accepts that anyone tries to impose a sole thesis on him. And the McCanns came here to try to impose one sole thesis on Portuguese justice, the thesis that they believe in, the abduction thesis. And he says that Gonçalo Amaral could not resign himself to this possibility. Finally, a thesis about truth. A thesis about truth because Moita Flores came to this court to say that the absolute truth belongs only to God. The truth that belongs to men is a dynamic truth, a truth that is gradually obtained. This because when he was questioned several times about the legitimacy of discussing a thesis that the Public Prosecutor did not reach, he even said: "The Public Ministry had an opinion. That does not mean that there could not be another one". And Isabel Duarte told him, at the end: "But there are people here who have been absolutely murdered on the public square". And Moita Flores finalised by saying: "So was Gonçalo Amaral". As a conclusion, I would say that it was a demolishing testimony in front of judge Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues, who by the way is the daughter of former Attorney General Cunha Rodrigues; it will be up to her to decide whether or not to keep this injunction in place, which removed the book "Truth of the Lie" from the market last September. In this way, Moita Flores joins the choir of former inspectors, and even the joint national director, Luís Neves, who came here yesterday to state again that all of them, together, and including the Public Ministry, shared the thesis that Madeleine was dead, and that the McCann couple was involved in concealment of the cadaver. They all said, in one voice, that Gonçalo Amaral's book focuses on everything that is included in the investigation, and that they do not see, in any way, that the contents of the book may be influencing public opinion in the sense of disturbing the search for Madeleine and putting her survival at stake. These are the two main issues that the injunction is based upon, and it was due to these two allegations from the McCann couple's defence that the judge who previously judged the injunction decided to take the book off the market. In the afternoon, we will hear José Manuel Anes, currently the vice president of the Security Laboratory, he is a witness that was summoned by editor Guerra & Paz, the editor that published the book "Truth of the Lie". As you know, this trial continues tomorrow, but Gerry McCann won't be attending anymore. He is going to return to the United Kingdom, he says, due to professional reasons. At around 4 p.m. he is expected to leave this court, and at that time, he promises to make a statement to the press.

Gerry McCann Hits Out At Claims In Book, 13 January 2010

Gerry McCann Hits Out At Claims In Book Sky News 6:29pm UK, Wednesday January 13, 2010 Hannah Thomas-Peter, Sky News Online Gerry McCann has hit out at the Portuguese detective who wrote a book claiming his daughter Madeleine was dead, saying it damaged the search for her. He was speaking outside a libel trial to get the book written by former police detective Goncalo Amaral banned. Mr McCann told reporters: "I'd like to remind everyone that it's the book that's on trial and not Kate and I. "Over the last two days you've heard a lot about Mr Amaral's thesis. There is absolutely no evidence to support that thesis. A thesis without evidence is meaningless." Mr McCann said he would "keep on going until Madeleine is found" but expressed concern over those involved in the investigation. "I think it's particularly disappointing that the police officers who considered us responsible for Madeleine's disappearance are the same officers we are depending on to carry on the search for Madeleine," he said. Sky News Online reporter Jon di Paolo, who is covering the court case in Lisbon, said that despite the avalanche of testimony favouring Mr Amaral, Mr McCann seemed to be "quite upbeat". He added that Mr McCann is planning to leaving Portugal because of work commitments in the UK, but that his wife Kate would stay on until the end of the case. Mr Amaral is trying to overturn the ban on his book, entitled 'Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie'. He initially led the Madeleine investigation but was taken off the case in October 2007 after criticising British police in a newspaper interview. He abruptly left the court this afternoon, stopping to tell journalists that he wrote the book to protect his honour and set the record straight. Another former senior Portuguese police officer also questioned Kate and Gerry McCann's claim about how Madeleine disappeared from their holiday apartment. Speaking in court as a witness for Mr Amaral, criminologist Moita Flores said: "I have spoken to respected experts on crime and none of them agrees it would be possible to pass a child through the window. "It would have been a very stupid person who tried to pass a sleeping child through the window of the McCanns' holiday flat." On the second day of a three day trial, Mr Flores attacked the proceedings, which have been brought by the McCanns. He said: "This case is pathetic. A citizen is being prevented from freely expressing his opinions in a responsible way." Former Portuguese police forensic laboratory chief Jose Manuel Enes also gave evidence on Wednesday. He told the court the immense media interest in the case was unhelpful for the investigators trying to solve it. Mr Amaral's book publisher Mario Sena Lopes was next to give evidence. He said the book was published very quickly to make the most of marketing opportunities. On Tuesday a senior detective called as a witness by Mr Amaral told the court he believed Madeleine died in her family's apartment. Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida claimed the main evidence for this was the findings of British police sniffer dogs sent to Portugal to examine the flat. He said the animals detected traces of blood inside the dining room of the holiday flat and in the car the McCanns were using. The McCanns' lawyer Isabel Duarte challenged the claim, saying the sniffer dog results did not constitute proof. Local public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses was also called as a witness. When asked if he believed Madeleine was dead, he said it was "50-50". Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann were made "arguidos" or formal suspects four months in to the investigation, but this status was lifted when the case was shelved the following summer. The couple, who have always strenuously denied allegations they were involved in their daughter's disappearance, arre seeking over £1m in compensation from Mr Amaral for defamation. The hearing continues. ----------------------- Transcript of press conference By Nigel Moore Gerry McCann: "Obviously, as you all know, to… the trial over the last, errr... two days and continuing tomorrow is really about Mr Amaral's book and DVD and how we feel that relates to the ongoing search for Madeleine. I'd like to remind everyone that it's the book that is on trial and not Kate and I. "Right from Day One, after Madeleine was taken, Kate and I fully understood the need for us to be investigated and we consider that a matter of course and you may remember that we spent all day on the 4th of May at the police station in Portimão and I subsequently spent a lot of time there. We stayed in Portugal during this period, right through to September, in an effort to aid the investigation. "We also understood that every thesis had to be considered and we felt strongly that we had been eliminated from the investigation. "For those of you who have followed this case, when things, errr... turned sour for us in August, of 2007, we didn't disappear, we stayed. We waited until we had our arguido interviews, even though that we did wish to return home, because we felt that was the right thing to do. We did wish for a reconstruction to be done, very early on, as would be the norm, errr... and certainly within the United Kingdom and we were prepared to come back to participate in the reconstruction, in fact we would have been obliged as arguidos to come back and participate and it wasn't our decision not to do it, although, I have to say, I don't think it would have helped very much in the search for Madeleine. "Over the last two days, I think you've heard a lot about Mr Amaral's thesis that Madeleine is dead and I hope you've also heard that there is absolutely no evidence to support that thesis. A thesis without evidence is meaningless and that is what we are challenging. We strongly believe and, in fact, as a direct result of the searches - which were actually directed at finding a missing body in and around Praia da Luz and the surrounding terrain - the fact that this thesis, which has been tried to be proved quite firmly, has not found any harm to Madeleine is actually, in many ways, reassuring and gives us more evidence that Madeleine is probably alive. "And I hope everyone remembers that there is a little girl missing, who still needs to be found, and we will keep going until Madeleine is found and also until whoever has taken her is brought to justice and, in response to the question earlier on, that is why we carry on, and we have other children who miss Madeleine dearly and we will be able to look them in the eye and say that we have done everything to help that search." UK Reporter: "How emotionally..." GM: "I have to return to England today, I have work commitments that I couldn't cancel at short notice. I will be leaving, Kate'll be staying on and, errm... I'll take a few questions." UKR: "Gerry, how... how emotionally draining has the last few days been? Do you feel that it has actually given maybe the Portuguese police and even, errr... the media an opportunity to re... errr... to... well, to bring some old theories back to, errr... back to the surface?" GM: "I think what's been important is that things are being debated in a rational way in a court of law and that is the place where it should happened and that is where evidence is judged and can be done so within a legal framework. From our point of view what's happened in the last two days is, I suppose, in many ways, expected - these are Gonçalo Amaral's witnesses. I think it is particularly disappointing that certain police officers within Portimao, who considered us as possibly involved in Madeleine's disappearance, have not been able to change their mind, despite a lack of evidence, and it is these officers who have, are... who we are dependent on for pursuing the investigation within Portugal."

Gerry McCann rejects claims his daughter Madeleine is dead, 13 January 2010

Gerry McCann rejects claims his daughter Madeleine is dead Telegraph Gerry McCann has defended the legal action he and his wife Kate are taking in Portugal, claiming any parent would do the same. By Fiona Govan in Lisbon Published: 8:24PM GMT 13 Jan 2010 Mr Amaral has alleged that the McCanns covered up Madeleine's death Madeleine McCann's parents have spoken out against Portuguese detectives who accused them of covering up their daughter's death. Mr McCann said the determination of police investigators to pursue the "mistaken" theory, despite a lack of evidence, had harmed the search for his missing daughter. "It's disappointing that certain police officers who considered us as possibly involved in Madeleine's disappearance have not been able to change their mind, despite a lack of evidence," he said outside court in Lisbon. "It is these officers who we're dependent on for pursuing the investigation within Portugal." Mr McCann was asked by a Portuguese reporter whether it was worth the emotional cost for the couple to attend the court. He replied: "Do you have children? Anyone who has children would go through the same process." His comments came on the second day of a tense legal battle with the former head of the investigation, Goncalo Amaral, who has written a book about the case. The couple heard a series of allegations made against them by former detectives involved in the initial investigation as they closed ranks around the ex-police chief. Four detectives on the case, the public prosecutor and a leading criminologist were all called to testify in support of Mr Amaral's claims that Madeleine died in a tragic accident in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007. But the McCanns dismissed claims that their daughter was dead and they had concealed her body and faked an abduction. "I'll like to remind everyone that it is the book that is on trial and not Kate and I," Mr McCann said outside court. "Over last two days we have heard a lot about Amaral's thesis that Madeleine is dead," he told reporters. "but we have also heard that there is absolutely no evidence to support that thesis. "A thesis without evidence is meaningless – and that is what we are here to discuss," he said. On Wednesday a court heard how the McCanns, both 41, had woven "a fairytale" to divert police and should have been prosecuted for neglect after leaving their children in the holiday apartment unattended. Portugal's leading criminologist Francisco Moita Flores told the court that the abduction theory pushed by the McCanns should have been dismissed immediately as it was "totally implausible". He also accused British police of failing to follow up leads that could have led to the couple's arrest. "No one believed it was a kidnap. The theory was a fairy tale invented by the McCanns," he said. He said Mr Amaral, who he admitted had been a friend for almost 30 years, was a good policeman and that the investigation had been carried out correctly. He branded the injunction banning the book "pathetic" because it prevented a citizen expressing his opinions in a responsible way. "This trial is bizarre - an aberration," he told the court by video link. The testimony came as Mr Amaral, 50, expressed his total disregard for the couple suing him for libel following the publication of his book "Maddie: The Truth of the Lie" in July 2008. "F*** the McCanns," he said on camera when asked by BBC East Midlands news team what he thought of the case. The current hearing is part of lengthy legal battle that could eventually win the McCanns 1 million euros in damages. The couple, both doctors from Rothley, Leics, said their main motive for challenging the former policeman is the fear that people will believe his version and will stop looking for their daughter. "There is a little girl missing who still needs to be found and we will keep going until Madeleine is found and also until whoever has taken her is brought to justice," said Mr McCann. "That is why we carry on. We have other children who miss Madeleine dearly and we will be able to look them in the eye and say we have done everything to help that search."