The purpose of
this site is for information and a record of Gerry McCann's Blog
Archives. As most people will appreciate GM deleted all past blogs
from the official website. Hopefully this Archive will be helpful to
anyone who is interested in Justice for Madeleine Beth McCann. Many
Thanks, Pamalam
Note: This site does not belong to the McCanns. It belongs to Pamalam. If
you wish to contact the McCanns directly, please use
the contact/email details
campaign@findmadeleine.com
News from September/October 2010 that is not covered elsewhere on the site
Paedophile ring with link to Madeleine McCann jailed, 05 September 2010
Paedophile ring with link to Madeleine McCann jailed Sunday Express
By James Murray Sunday September 5, 2010
A GROUP of rich and powerful men in Portugal have been jailed for their involvement in a paedophile
ring which some believe is linked to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
A former ambassador,
a television presenter, a doctor and a lawyer were found guilty on Friday after an eight-year investigation and a six-year
trial which shook the country, with 32 men giving evidence of hundreds of crimes committed against them when they were children.
Members of the ring snatched children as they slept at the state-run Casa Pia orphanages in Lisbon and took them to
grand houses to endure sickening abuse.
One of the abused boys, Pedro Namora, is now a lawyer and was a key witness
in the case.
He wants Portuguese detectives to continue their probe as he believes the ring may be connected to
the disappearance of Madeleine at the Praia da Luz resort on the Algarve in May 2007.
Speaking to the Sunday Express,
Mr Namora said: "During the summer children were taken to the summer homes of paedophiles on the Algarve. It was highly
organised and involved a lot of planning and control.
"It is possible that those connected with the ring who
have not been caught may be involved in Madeleine's disappearance. I do think detectives should look at this possibility.
No stone should be left unturned."
Although most of the abuse involved hundreds of boys, he said some girls
also fell victim to the gang.
One man arrested in the case and later released without charge was said to have had
a great interest in the ancient underground tunnels running under Praia da Luz.
There were emotional scenes at
the Lisbon court house as two judges read out the punishment to the men, once regarded as being among the country's great
and good.
Socialite Carlos Cruz, once Portugal's most popular television presenter, was sentenced to seven
years in prison.
The 68-year-old father of two was found guilty of having sex with a 14-year-old and abusing another
boy. Cruz said: "There is no proof of my guilt. This brings back memories of Portugal under dictatorship."
A former Portuguese ambassador to Unesco, Jorge Ritto, 74, was jailed for six years and doctor Ferreira Diniz got seven
years.
Former Casa Pia ombudsman Manuel Abrantes should have been safeguarding the boys but he was also an abuser.
He was sentenced to five years.
Casa Pia caretaker Carlos Silvino, 53, known as Bibi, used to pluck sleeping boys
from their beds and take them away to abuse them or pass to others.
He confessed to 600 crimes and was given the
longest sentence of 18 years.
Mr Namora, who was in court along with four other victims, said: "These men
have to be condemned. They committed barbaric crimes against humanity."
Catalina Pestana, who has run Casa
Pia since the crimes were reported in 2002, said: "The stories that I heard were the most terrible of my life.
"Now when a child accuses an adult, nobody will look with the same lack of attention that they did for many years."
Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said they had been closely following
the Casa Pia case but did not have a lead linking Madeleine's disappearance to the paedophile ring.
Sofia Leal & Gonçalo Amaral have been married for the last eight years and have two young daughters
Maddie Case: Court suggests separation [of assets] for sequestration
By:
Paulo Marcelino 08 September 2010 Thanks to Joana Morais for original translation
"I will not separate [the assets]. That would be a fraud. Our family
lives in full communion [unity]." Sofia Leal, who has been married for the last eight years with the former Judiciary
Police coordinator Gonçalo Amaral, reacted indignantly upon being notified, by requirement of the McCanns, to proceed
with a separation of assets in order to allow the seizure of a house in the municipality of Olhão, within the scope
of a claim for 1.2 million euros.
The application for compensation made by the McCanns is based on the contents
of the book "Maddie - The Truth of the Lie" (written by Amaral, in July 2008) concerning the investigation into
the disappearance of Maddie, the McCann's daughter, in Praia da Luz (Algarve), back in May 2007. The couple claim
that the former investigation coordinator accuses them of being responsible for their daughter's death and persisting
with the theory of abduction.
The interim measure [injunction] was filed at the 1st Civil Court of Lisbon in June
2009 and was allowed. The McCanns obtained seizure of all the rights due to the author of the book, half of Amaral's retirement
pension as well as his "share [moiety, half] of their rural property" in Olhão. In July this year, division
of the house into two parts at the registry office was refused on the grounds that it affected a common asset. The McCann
couple via their lawyer applied for Sofia Leal to execute a separation of assets, as foreseen by law. She refused and in August
the court carried into completion the full seizure. "My husband and I have never abandoned our daughters, or allowed
paedophiles in our circle of friends. I am shocked that a couple who affirm to be religious is seeking to destroy our family",
said Sofia Leal. British Rule Out Abduction
The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom (Foreign & Commonwealth Office) does not held Madeleine McCann's disappearance
recorded as an abduction, thus accepting that there is no evidence to suggest that a crime of that nature has taken place;
exactly what was concluded by the Portuguese Judiciary Police investigation initially led by Gonçalo Amaral and that
is mirrored in the book 'Maddie - The Truth of the Lie'. In a reply to an investigator, who requested information
regarding British missing children abroad, the Consular Directorate of the Foreign Office - dated December 14, 2009, to which
the CM had access - it claims: "You will also be aware of the Madeleine McCann case. Both this and the Needham case (disappeared
in Greece in 1991 and case archived since 2008) are categorised as a missing persons, rather than child abduction cases, as
there is no evidence in either case to support whether the children were or were not abducted".
------------------------------- Comment:
By Nigel Moore, with thanks to 'Astro' Updated
09 September 2010
To clarify, the court wanted to seize half of the Amarals' house (the half that belongs
to Gonçalo), but were unable to do that while the couple is married and the house legally belongs to both of them -
because they wed under the most common marriage regime in Portugal, which means that any assets that were acquired by any
one of them, after the date of marriage, belongs to both members of the couple.
The McCanns, via their lawyer,
applied for Sofia Leal to execute a separation of assets, (i.e. to split ownership of the house into two halves) in order
to facilitate the seizing of Gonçalo's half of the house; Sofia Leal refused and so, in August, the court proceeded
to seize the whole house.
Witinin one hour
of Posting our first news story regarding Madeleine McCann we had received 2 replies and we have had many other enquiries
offering to help. We were also asked the question "What about the thousands of other children missing?"
This is a very valid question and our answer is this "Madeleine McCann has had the highest media interest
of any missing child we have ever known. By that very virtue if ALL Private Investigators join together across the Globe and
we can actually find this little girl or make a significant difference in finding her then lets start looking at other cases.
It is a cruel fact but a true one, that we can not help everyone. A.I.C Legal Services Ltd Directors and staff raise
money for a different charity every year and again we can not raise money for every charity that is out there but if we can
help one or two this is better than doing nothing"
A.I.C Legal Services Ltd Director contacted 'The find
Madeleine McCann' official website with full details of our plan and Idea to merge all Private Investigators in a new
bid to find Madeleine. He also offered his own personal services to co-ordinate this FREE of charge.
If you are interested and feel you can help us or you have another idea please contact me personally on 07775670794 –
Alan
After some of the worst Investigations
and botched enquiries ever seen, this little girl still remains undetected. The Portuguese Police should hang their head in
shame, especially one retired Detective who wanted to announce in a book that she was dead. We, like the rest of the public
find it absolutely unforgivable that someone would seek to make a fortune off the back of a book, with no regard to
the McCann family who live with this horror everyday.
A.I.C Legal Services Ltd are calling on ALL Private Investigators
all over the world to use all the resources open to them and all their contacts to raise the profile of this case again. We
are calling on all Investigators to work together voluntarily to try and make a difference in finding this young girl and
bring her home to her family.
If all the Private Investigators across Europe and the world were to join forces
along side the Police and other agencies, then we are certain we can make a difference. We will put our Ideas to the ABI and
WAPI with a suggestion that this course of action be co-ordinated by them.
Over the next few days we will search
our archives for all our contacts, we have many retired Police Officers, Firefighters, British Army, Close Protection Officers
etc who are situated all over the World and send them an e-mail with our suggestions. Hopefully this will be a chain e-mail
that never gets broken.
AIC have decades of experience in the provision of investigative services to the corporate and legal sectors
in addition to private clients both domestically and internationally
Companies
House Details
Companies House Number: 07041353 Incorporation Date: 14 Oct 2009
People connected with the Company
Alan MacClean - Appointment terminated as director
on 12 Jan 2010
Mr Dale Christopher Evans - Particulars Changed as director on 15 Dec 2009
Mr Alan MacClean - Particulars Changed as director on 15 Dec 2009
Alan McLean has led a fascinating life which has seen him go from a being member of the RUC in Northern Ireland
to a private investigator in Nottingham.
Alan McLean was born in a village in County Antrim, Northern
Ireland in 1967.
He joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary at the age of 19 and saw some of the worst troubles of
the Northern Ireland conflict.
He says "There's no way in this world you could prepare yourself for anything
like that... on my first tour of duty I saw one colleague shoot himself in the head and seen another part-time soldier get
murdered."
Alan resigned from the RUC after the death of his friend and because of a spiraling alcohol addiction.
He left Northern Ireland due to his alcoholism and ended up sleeping on the streets of Newcastle before eventually
finding work.
After he heard there were jobs going in Nottingham, he left Newcastle. After being in Nottingham
for one month he gave up drinking and eventually joined the fire brigade. He says,
"My life is a progression.
Money doesn't motivate me. What motivates me is challenge. And for me the challenge was to get into the fire service."
Alan eventually left the fire brigade and now works as a private investigator, another new chapter in his rich and
varied life.
He says "No matter what happens in your life you can create your own destiny... if you keep your
sense of humour you can do whatever you want to do."
Interview broadcast 08 September 2010 With thanks to Joana Morais for transcript/translation
TVI's anchor – Madeleine McCann's parents
want Gonçalo Amaral and his wife to execute a separation of assets in order to guarantee that the former Judiciary
Police Inspector, author of the book "The Truth of the Lie", has sufficient goods to pay up a damages claim. Gonçalo
Amaral's wife says she will not obey that court decision.
Voice Over reporter: The McCann
couple ask for 1,2 million Euros to Gonçalo Amaral, for the contents of the book "The Truth of the Lie".
The process is ongoing, however in legal terms and in order to guarantee that the former Judiciary Police Inspector possessions
are not lost, an apprehension of assets was ordered. Nevertheless, since those are common to his wife, the seizure of the
said assets was refused. Currently, Maddie's parents demand that Gonçalo Amaral and his wife execute a separation
of assets.
Sofia Leal Interview
Sofia Leal: It is an issue
of separation of assets, but the dilemma is that all of our possessions are common. Our separation, of our life together and
assets would be a fraud. We live, as everyone knows, in communion of goods [i.e. conjugal status], of togetherness,
of life. During the last years of difficulties, of sadness; but also with many moments of joy.
Voice Over
Reporter: This measure is foreseen in the law, but the couple affirms they will not oblige.
Sofia
Leal: I do not even want to envisage that there is someone in Portugal that wants to force me to separate from my
husband. Not to me, not to any other couple! [TVI's footage cut...] I did not expect any kind of posture;
I would never authorize one of our lawyers to make such an outrageous proposal to a family.
Voice Over:
In July 2009, the injunction requested by the McCanns to Gonçalo Amaral's book was granted. At that time, Maddie's
parents attained his book authorship rights, half of his retirement pension as well as his share [half] of a rural house in
Olhão.
Police warn of impact of European justice powers, 11 September 2010
Police warn of impact of European justice powers Telegraph
Britain's top police officers have issued an official warning about the serious impact
that new European justice powers could have on their work.
By Andrew Gilligan Published: 10:22PM BST 11 Sep 2010
Commander Allan Gibson, the Association of Chief Police Officers'
spokesman on extradition, confirmed that he had written to the Government expressing concern over the European Investigation
Order (EIO).
Under the measure, agreed by the Coalition in July, foreign police will have the power to order British
forces to carry out investigations, house and body searches and surveillance in this country on their behalf.
They
will also be able to demand Britons' bank records, DNA profiles and other sensitive personal details.
Police
will have much less discretion to refuse such requests than under the current system of "mutual assistance".
The measure, part of Brussels's efforts to "harmonise" policing and justice throughout the European
Union, has alarmed Euro-sceptics and civil liberties campaigners.
In his letter, Cdr Gibson, the Metropolitan Police's
head of economic and specialist crime, says police fear the EIO "could be an inefficient instrument" because of
the risk of forces being loaded with trivial requests.
"If it's done correctly, the EIO is a potentially
very useful instrument," he told The Sunday Telegraph. "But there are issues around proportionality."
Other senior officers believe the order could place "massive" burdens on forces already facing up to 25
per cent cuts under the Coalition's spending review.
"We are going to have to stop investigating some
of our own crimes in order to start investigating other people's," said one.
The concerns follow experience
with the separate "no-evidence-needed" European Arrest Warrant, which last year saw more than a thousand people
in Britain seized and extradited on the orders of European prosecutors – often for minor crimes such as possessing cannabis
or leaving a petrol station without paying.
The number of people detained under the warrant has gone up 43-fold
since 2004, and rose by more than 50 per cent last year alone. Thousands of hours of scarce police, court and prison officer
time are taken up by the process.
There is no "proportionality test" in the arrest warrant and Cdr Gibson
called for the introduction of such a test in the EIO.
Mark Taylor, the secretary of the Police Federation's
legislation subcommittee, said police were deeply concerned about the new order.
"This is very resource-intensive,
and where are the resources going to come from?" he said. Last week, the federation said the cuts demanded by the Coalition
could see forces lose up to 40,000 front line officers.
The EIO's supporters say it will also benefit British
police, allowing them to make the same demands for investigation to their European counterparts, saving time, money and uncertainty
in the investigation of transnational crime.
But Britain tends to use cross-border powers more sparingly than some
other European nations, reserving them for serious offences.
The EIO, currently in draft form, is expected to be
finalised later this year or in 2011 and will come into effect next year.
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, told
MPs that the Government would "seek to ensure" that the final version contained a proportionality test.
However, its final shape will be decided by qualified majority voting, meaning that Britain could be outvoted on the issue.
I condemn the expulsion of gypsies but..., 13 September 2010
I condemn the expulsion of gypsies but... Público.es
By Isaac Rosa 13 September 2010
- Extract -
As children, the cry of "the gypsies are coming" got us all home. Today a few Romanians come to town
and rumours begin to circulate of the theft of children - which sometimes have ended in lynching. A few days ago the hoax
that Madeleine McCann was abducted by gypsies was published, and many saw it as plausible.
The Scots psychic helping Hollywood stars - and hunting down murder victims, 14
September 2010
The Scots psychic helping Hollywood stars - and hunting down murder victims Daily Record
Karen Bale Sep 14 2010
- Extract -
She's currently helping to try to find Lanarkshire schoolgirl Moira Anderson - who disappeared 53 years ago and she
has been asked to help trace Madeleine McCann.
(...)
Margaret has also been asked to help find Madeline
McCann - but has so far not got involved. She says the request would have to come directly from her parents, Kate and Gerry.
Düsseldorf
- Was the feverish search for Mirco [missing 10-year-old boy] in Grefrath the trigger?
Guesswork in Oberkassel:
Like here on the Glücksburger road where search posters now hang for missing Madeleine "Maddie" McCann
(4) who disappeared on 3 May 2007, whilst on holiday with her doctor parents in Praia da Luz (Portugal).
Oberkassel: Search posters for missing Maddie
For more than three years there has been a worldwide search for the child from the English town of Rothley
(Leicestershire). The Düsseldorf police: "We are not aware of any connection of the case to Düsseldorf."
The British government had, at that time, intervened and the international media carried the picture of "Maddie".
Now it hangs in Oberkassel. The search for missing children is boundless.
Inventor seeks internet fortune with biggest homepage, 30 September 2010
Salford's answer to Leonard Da Vinci is once again trying to find fortune and fame with his latest invention –
the world's biggest homepage.
(...)
Around 250 have bought into the project already including a
charity which builds houses in Africa, a website devoted to the search for Madeleine McCann, a website promoting Islam, and
an online shop that sells skirts for men.
Madeleine Foundation members have delivered letters 'calling for a full public enquiry into all aspects
of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann' to the Prime Minister, the Portuguese Ambassador, Kenneth Clarke QC (MP - Minister
for Justice) and Theresa May (Home Secretary)
Please click here for the letters to the Prime Minister and the Portuguese Embassy, and further pictures.
Kate McCann back in Portugal "to pray", 03 October 2010
Mum returns to the scene of Madeleine's disappearance
ALONE: Kate yesterday
By Dominic Herbert 03/10/2010
KATE
McCann made a solitary pilgrimage this weekend to the Portuguese resort where her daughter went missing "for emotional
reasons and to pray for Madeleine".
Yesterday morning the anguished mum went to the Nossa
Senhora da Luz church, five minutes walk from the flat where the McCanns holidayed in May 2007.
Kate is staying
with Praia da Luz's Anglican priest Father Haynes Hubbard and his wife Susan who have become close friends.
Passengers
who saw GP Kate, 42, on a flight from East Midlands airport to Faro on Friday morning said she cut a lonely figure.
One said: "Kate looked very sad, she was by herself. It is clear time is not healing the pain."
Husband
Gerry is thought to have stayed at home in Rothley, Leics, with twins Sean and Amelie.
As Kate revisited the scene
of Madeleine's abduction aged just three it emerged that there are new efforts to find her.
Three British ex-cops
have joined Dave Edgar's team in Portugal.
"Gerry and Kate have some very experienced people working for
them now and they will also pray for a miracle", said a pal.
The
mother of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann is on a fleeting visit this weekend to the village from where here daughter
went missing more than three years ago.
The aim of the visit was emotional, rather than to attract
attention to the ongoing search for Madeleine, Kate McCann told The Portugal News.
Speaking as she left the Praia
da Luz church shortly after noon on Saturday, having spent some time inside in prayer, Mrs McCann said she was in Portugal
"for emotional reasons and to pray for Madeleine".
This was only the second occasion that Kate McCann
had visited Praia da Luz since she and her family had left the resort in September 2007.
Madeleine's mother in Portugal trip, 03 October 2010
Kate McCann this weekend has returned to Portugal, where her young daughter Madeleine went missing in May 2007.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said it was one of a number of recent visits she had made to see friends in the
country.
The mother-of-three from Rothley in Leicestershire, who is a devout Catholic, was seen praying in the
Nossa Senhora da Luz church near where her daughter disappeared.
A small team of private investigators led by Dave
Edgar is still looking for Madeleine.
The little girl was three years old when she went missing from her family's
holiday flat in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, while her parents dined with friends nearby.
McCanns 'disappointed' to hear of resignation of Jim Gamble, 04 October
2010
Source
says Kate and Gerry McCann will be 'disappointed' to hear of resignation of head of Child Exploitation and Online
Protection centre. about 1 hour ago via Dabr
---------------------
Child
Protection Boss Quits In Quango Row Sky News
Rob Cole 10:45pm UK, Monday October 04, 2010
The boss of
the organisation charged with protecting children against sexual abuse has quit in a row with the Government.
Jim
Gamble was angry at plans by ministers to make the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centrepart of
the new National Crime Agency.
He felt the decision was not in the best interests of children and had demanded
the organisation remain affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
The Government said that would create
"another quango".
Ceop was set up in 2006 to track online paedophiles and bring them to court.
"Those people who know Jim Gamble may not be surprised at this development," said Sky News' crime correspondent
Martin Brunt.
"He believes the issue of child protection is so important it merits its own agency and should
not be subsumed by a national agency," Brunt added.
A Ceop spokesman confirmed that "Ceop does not feel
it is in the best interest of children and young people for Ceop to be assimilated into the National Crime Agency".
In statement, Ceop said: "This direction of travel does not seem to have changed and Ceop's CEO Jim Gamble
has therefore... offered his resignation to the Home Secretary with a four-month notice period."
Home Secretary
Theresa May has accepted Mr Gamble's resignation.
She said: "The Government recognises the importance
of child protection and wants to build upon the work of Ceop, but does not necessarily feel this is best done by creating
a new quango."
Prior to joining the agency, Mr Gamble served as head of Northern Ireland's anti-terrorist
unit.
McCanns fear child protection plan, 05 October 2010
Missing Madeleine McCann's parents have joined the chorus of concerns about the Government's child protection
policies after a top policeman quit in protest at plans to curtail his agency's independence.
Kate and Gerry
McCann said it was "extremely saddening" that Jim Gamble felt he had to resign as chief executive of the Child Exploitation
and Online Protection (Ceop) Centre.
They urged ministers to remember the importance of the "invaluable work"
carried out by his organisation to protect children against abduction and abuse.
Mr Gamble believes plans to assimilate
Ceop into a new National Crime Agency are not in the "best interest" of vulnerable children.
The McCanns
have a close working relationship with Mr Gamble, who last year launched a new internet video aimed at pricking the conscience
of the key witness who knows what happened to Madeleine when she vanished in Portugal in 2007, aged three.
Mr and
Mrs McCann said in a statement: "We are certain that he will be a huge loss to the field of child protection. Knowing
how committed Mr Gamble is to this cause, it is extremely saddening that he feels unable to continue to lead Ceop, apparently
as a consequence of the proposed Governmental changes.
They added: "In this challenging economic climate,
we urge the Government to remember the value of our children and the importance of the invaluable work which is necessary
to protect them against the devastating crimes of child abduction and exploitation."
The Association of Chief
Police Officers (Acpo) said it was "in firm support" of Ceop remaining as a stand-alone agency, while shadow home
secretary Alan Johnson went further, saying the Government's plans "will harm child safety networks".
"Their lack of consultation has led to the resignation of Mr Gamble, who is highly respected within and outside of
the organisation he served so well. His expertise will be badly missed," he said.
But Home Secretary Theresa
May defended the move, saying: "The Government recognises the importance of child protection and wants to build upon
the work of Ceop, but does not necessarily feel this is best done by creating a new quango."
I realise
I am going to be on very unsteady ground here but I'm usually a straight down the middle guy who doesn't rock the
boat so I'm going out on a limb with a slightly controversial piece here.
In the few days since Jim Gamble
announced his resignation from his role as Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and On-Line Protection Centre (CEOP)
he has been accorded almost universal adulation by the British Media and has been followed out of the door by three other
senior executives at CEOP. To believe the media Mr. Gamble was an irreplaceable hero who single-handedly protected our children
from online harm. Here are a selection of stories from the last 48 hours.
"Top Abuse Boss Quitting Puts Kids in Danger" says The Sun; "Resignation A Sad Day" says BBC News; "Victim's Group Slams Home Secretary" says the Daily Mail and in this weeks most tabloid friendly collision of stories "Kate and Gerry McCann "Very Upset" at Resignation" says the Daily Mail natch. Now I'm not denying Jim Gamble was/is a man with a mission and a very laudable one at
that. His aim is to prevent the abuse of children. This is something which is unarguable and inalienable. I though have met
Mr. Gamble on more than one occasion (and more than two for the wags at the back) and there was something very undesirable
about his methods and his message. In a cry that echoed back to the radical feminist cry "All Men are Rapists" Mr.
Gamble in public speeches seemed to suggest that all men were paedophiles. The role of CEOP was to protect children at all
costs from these almost primeval urges. He also seemed to be suggesting that only CEOP could fulfil this role in the UK. The
view of many in industry and the legal profession is he was an empire builder who had a particularly narrow and skewed view
of society and in particular the relationship between adults and children. I still have a marginal note I made at one of his
speeches where I noted down "I am not a paedophile and I resent the implication I am because I happen to be a man."
I wasn't the only one less than happy with his methods. As the BBC profile of him (linked above) notes:
Gamble
began to gain his reputation as the UK's foremost hunter of paedophiles, heading up Operation Ore, the UK's largest
ever police investigation into who was viewing internet child abuse images.The operation identified over 7,000 suspects and
led to more than 2,000 convictions but it proved highly controversial. There were criticisms that the net was hauling in too
many innocent people and that some of those convicted had not viewed images of child abuse at all but were actually victims
of identity theft.
The specialist press were even more direct. in January 2009 ISPs attacked his plans to pass
on RIPA costs to ISPs (The Register) while in May 2007 a PCPro investigation revealed the flaws in Operation Ore in full. This is why I'm glad to see that The Register has yesterday put its head
above the parapet to write the story "Internet Firms Welcome CEOP Chief's Exit". I agree with the comment that this offers a clean slate. The protection of children is one of the most sacred responsibilities
of any society. The UK takes it particularly seriously and UK ISPs working with CEOP and local and national police forces
have gone a long way to eradicating its production and distribution via the internet in the UK. It is the responsibly of us
all to take things forward. Jim Gamble should be thanked for his work to date but we need to move forward in a more streamlined
and co-operative form of regulation within this area. My two cents is that Jim Gamble was not the right personality to work
with ISPs on the next stage - his form of management was well suited to the Wild West of the internet between 1995-2005. It
is not as well suited to the modern internet.
Marcos Aragão Correia accused of defaming Gonçalo Amaral, 06 October
2010
Marcos Aragão Correia accused of defaming Gonçalo Amaral Correio
da Manhã (paper edition)
The Public Ministry accuses lawyer Marcos Aragão Correia of defamation against Gonçalo
Amaral, a former PJ coordinator, due to a document in which he recounts supposed torture acts against Leonor Cipriano, who
in 2005 was condemned to a 16-year prison sentence over the death of her daughter, Joana, and the concealment of the child's
cadaver.
The lawyer - who represents Leonor Cipriano - has sent the aforementioned document to the Association
against Exclusion for Development (ACED), and its head, António Dores, also stands accused of the crime of defamation.
After filing the complaint against the lawyer, Gonçalo Amaral requested for Aragão Correia to be considered
unimputable, even suggesting his commitment to a psychiatric hospital.
Within the case of alleged aggressions against
Leonor, Gonçalo Amaral was condemned to a one-and-a-half-year suspended sentence over false deposition. The former
PJ coordinator is represented by João Grade, Cipriano's former lawyer.
Madeleine McCann hunt: 'New team, new ideas, new hope', 10 October 2010
Madeleine McCann hunt: 'New team, new ideas, new hope' Sunday Express
Tracey Kandohla Sunday October 10,2010
A CRACK team of British ex- police officers who have joined the search for Madeleine McCann are giving her
parents fresh hope.
Kate and Gerry McCann are convinced three new investigators will help solve
their daughter's disappearance and she told a friend yesterday: "A new team, new ideas and new hope!"
The three, paid by the Find Maddie Fund, are now in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
Kate has made a return trip
to the resort where her daughter, now seven years old, was snatched nearly three-and-a-half years ago.
She visited
friends in Praia da Luz and went alone to the Catholic Church and wept as she prayed.
A family source said: "Kate
has been given fresh hope by her visit to 'Luz' and by the fact three new highly regarded investigators are injecting
new impetus into the search for Madeleine. She didn't meet the investigators but stayed with the local Anglican priest
Father Haynes Hubbard and his wife Susan, who have become very close friends.
"Kate went out alone to have
a break and, of course, to pray for Madeleine."
Family doctor Kate, 42, spent last weekend in Luz while relatives
looked after her twins Sean and Amelia, five.
She is believed to have taken a look at the Mark Warner flat from
where Madeleine vanished in May 2007. Infamous Apartment 5a remains empty with its windows boarded up and gates padlocked.
Chief investigator David Edgar has boosted his team with three former policemen: Nigel Brown, who was named Investigator
Of The Year after securing the rescue of a kidnapped oil company executive, Dave Carter, who worked in Northern Ireland, and
Ray Cooper, who investigated war crimes in Bosnia.
The McCann source said: "They are in Portugal on a semi-
permanent basis.
"When new leads come in they are there to chase them up. They are an ideal addition to the
team and, in Gerry's words, have vowed to leave no stone unturned.
"Kate is upbeat because she is convinced
they will have new ideas and methods of working, which gives her new hope."
Last week, the McCanns were said
to be "very upset and annoyed" that Jim Gamble, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre, has quit over a merger with the proposed national crime agency.
Kate and Gerry said: "He will be a
huge loss to child protection…it is extremely saddening."
Madeleine McCann And A New Appeal, 26 October 2010
Kate and Gerry McCann
are launching their website in German this week in a bid to reach German tourists who were staying at the Ocean Club when
Madeleine vanished.
Apart from British and Dutch holidaymakers, who've long been canvassed directly, there
were also German tourists who may have left the resort without talking to police about potential evidence that's not been
considered.
The McCanns have also given an interview to Bunte magazine in which they make new appeals for help
in the search for their daughter who disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in May 2007.
The couple's
lawyers are studying the recent 30-page judgement from Portugal in which former cop Goncalo Amaral won an appeal to republish
his book the 'The Truth of the Lie' which the McCanns had managed to get banned.
They may appeal his appeal
ahead of a full defamation claim they are still pursuing against Mr. Amaral who claims that Madeleine died accidently in the
apartment and her parents hid the "truth" by concocting an abduction theory.
A defamation trial in Lisbon
is unlikely to be heard until next year.
UK: There was no political contact on Madeleine McCann - ambassador, 26 October
2010
UK: There was no political contact on Madeleine McCann - ambassador Lusa
26 October 2010, 13:05
London, 26 Oct (Lusa) - The controversy
surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal "had no impact" on relations between Portugal and
the United Kingdom nor did it result in any political contact, assured the Portuguese Ambassador António Santana Carlos.
"At the political level I have not had any contact with the British authorities nor have they approached me to
ask me anything about it," said the diplomat, who continues his functions - which began in October 2006 - until the end
of the week.
Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007 - just days before her fourth birthday - from an
apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, where she was holidaying with her family, triggering huge media attention in the
UK.
Comic Frankie Boyle slammed by family of Maddie McCann for jokes at Liverpool
Philharmonic, 27 October 2010
Comic Frankie Boyle slammed by family of Maddie McCann for jokes at Liverpool Philharmonic Liverpool Echo
By John Sutton Oct 27 2010
THE LIVERPOOL grandad of missing
Madeleine McCann hit out after a comic made "low" jokes about her disappearance.
Brian Healy, dad to
Madeleine's mum Kate, told the ECHO he and his family were angry and hurt after Scottish stand-up Frankie Boyle made gags
about the night the three-year-old went missing and how the family were coping.
Boyle is best known as a panellist
of TV game show Mock the Week, but when he transfers from screen to stage is notorious for telling shocking jokes, regularly
using rape or child abuse as his subject matter.
Mr Healy, 71, said although he hadn't seen the show at the
Philharmonic Hall on Hope Street on Saturday night, friends had told him what was said.
Mr Healy said: "If
he's making jokes like that he must be very short of material.
"That is really low, bottom of the barrel
stuff, going to that sort of level just to get a laugh."
Advertising for the show, called "I Would Happily
Punch Every One of you in the Face", carried warnings about the content.
Boyle played three sell-out shows
at the Philharmonic over Saturday and Sunday, and was seen by nearly 5,000 people.
A spokesman for the venue said
not one complaint about the content had been received.
Mr Healy, who lives with wife Susan on Wembley Road, Allerton,
where GP Kate, 42, grew up, said the family still haven't given up hope Madeleine, who would have turned seven in May,
might one day be found.
He added: "He might think he's joking, but things are very difficult for us.
"People say about things like this 'move on', but we've nothing to move on from.
"There's
nothing to suggest she's been hurt, and miracles can happen."
Madeleine went missing from the Portuguese
resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007, sparking a worldwide search that continues to this day.
Mr Healy said: "Kate
and Gerry haven't given up. We last saw them about a month ago, and they are holding up and holding on. It might seem
like it has faded from other people's minds, but it hasn't from ours."
The ECHO contacted Boyle's
London-based management company Chambers Management for a comment, but our calls and emails were not returned.
THERE are few things
more subjective than humour. What makes one person laugh, will leave another unmoved.
But there can be few, if
any, who would consider the disappearance of a little girl and the subsequent turmoil of her family to be an appropriate subject
for comedy.
Gerry and Kate McCann must live every day with the spectre of what happened in Portugal; the not knowing
and the soul-searching.
And yet seemingly Frankie Boyle considers that to be a situation to make fun of.
Liverpudlians are sometimes accused of lacking a sense of humour when it comes to jokes at our expense.
But this
isn't a good natured jibe, teasing the city and its residents. This is specifically aimed at one girl, one family, one
tragedy.
We are renowned across the country for our wit and our quick turn of phrase, but it takes no quick wit
to pick on an innocent target like the McCanns.
In Liverpool, of all places, Boyle had a right to show some kind
of sensitivity and respect.
But perhaps that isn't his strong suit. After all, the tour is called "I would
happily punch every one of you in the face" and the comedian has carved himself quite a reputation for his shocking material.
Perhaps he would simply attribute these jokes to his 'pulling no punches' routine, something he has so successfully
traded on.
There is a world of difference, though, between attacking a public figure or faceless organisation in
the name of comedy, and exacerbating the suffering of a family who have already been through so much.
No matter
what a comedian's style, certain subjects should be off limits. What those subjects are is dictated by the inherent sense
of decency within most people.
This is a trait which appears to be sadly lacking in Frankie Boyle.
Although
perhaps the fact that he has upset a traumatised family further will simply appeal to his sense of controversy.
Cape Town - The McCann
family has contacted a South African volunteer organisation, Missing Children, to ask for their help, after hearing about
the organisation's high success rate in finding missing children.
Madeleine McCann's uncle, John McCann,
called Missing Children director, Pieter Boshoff, on Sunday.
"Somebody they know told them we are very successful
in finding missing children here in South Africa," Boshoff told News24 on Monday.
Missing Children has, since
its inception in March 2007, worked closely with police and its volunteer network to help find missing children. "The
success rate this year in the recovery of children is 83% in the Western Cape," said Boshoff.
Between January
and August 185 children went missing and of those, 155 were found through collaborative efforts. Declined
However, the organisation decided to decline the offer, feeling they would not be of much help. "We
felt that we would have been unable to be of much assistance, as we know little of the area and even less of how the local
people and tourists react, nor of police procedure overseas," said Boshoff, adding that being involved would have been
a mere "PR exercise" on their part.
"I said if they have any proof that the child is in South Africa,
we will take the case on immediately," said Boshoff. "Since the start of this case we have followed it and felt
intensely for the family."
Boshoff attributes the country's success to the close work between police,
organisations like his, and concerned people. "We work very closely with the police and others," said Boshoff. "I
don't want to say it is our successes; it's everybody's successes."
The organisation has access
to about 50 000 people via their networks. They have a website, a Facebook and Myspace profile, and a Facebook application
that alerts members as soon as a child is reported missing.
The first 24 hours after a child goes missing are the
most critical, according to Boshoff.
Madeleine, 4, disappeared five months ago after she was left with her brother
and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, in a holiday apartment at a Portuguese resort.
A month after the suicide of Pieter Boshoff, the respected founder of Missing Children SA, startling details
have emerged about the children's rights crusader's dark secret life involving gay teen pornography, theft, spiralling
debt and an alter ego called "Riaan".
Boshoff's suicide leap from the fourth-floor of an upmarket
apartment building he was renting in Bloubergstrand shocked many Capetonians including Western Cape Premier Helen Zille who
described his death as "devastating".
But those close to him say it seems Boshoff's two lives were
starting to converge, and he decided to kill himself.
After his death, thousands of photographs and video clips
of teenage boys having sex were found on Boshoff's computers, among pictures of Boshoff posing with high-profile figures
including Zille and Patricia de Lille. There were also photographs of Nelson Mandela and a letter from Desmond Tutu for one
of Boshoff's websites.
This week, friends and colleagues told Weekend Argus they had discovered that Boshoff,
38, fabricated stories about a son called "Loakie" whom he said had died at the age of nine, and a trust fund that
he claimed he would have access to when he turned 40.
When Boshoff left Missing Children SA in 2008 he joined MylifE,
an outreach organisation that works with youth at risk. He left there about five months before he died.
Former
MylifE managing director Sarah Peacocke said Boshoff knew a lot of celebrities.
"We joked he had 'celebrityitis'.
He loved to be pictured with celebs which he'd put up on Facebook."
He had photos of himself with celebrities
like presenter Michelle McLean and UK pop singer Estelle, sports stars such as Benni McCarthy and politicians like Kgalema
Motlanthe, De Lille but mostly of himself and Zille.
Peacocke owned the Bloubergstrand apartment Boshoff was renting
– and lived in the one below him.
After he died she found photographs and video clips of gay porn when she
accessed his computer. "I was gobsmacked – there must have been 10 000 or more."
She said there
were also saved conversations from chat-room sites Boshoff had visited where he had been very explicit about what he wanted
to do.
"He'd say he wanted a toyboy. He was targeting boys still at school, probably around 16 or 17 years
old."
She also found some of her post, including bank statements, and cellphones that belonged to her in his
apartment.
"I also found a voucher from Cash Crusaders for a MylifE laptop which he had sold for R850 and
a modem for R150."
Boshoff had told Peacocke and her husband Vince that he wanted to buy the apartment when
he got access to his trust fund, and would take over the bond until then. But he defaulted on it and regularly borrowed money
from the couple and other people. When he died he owed them nearly R50 000, according to a letter he had signed.
Peacocke said Boshoff had tried to kill himself two weeks before he jumped.
"He taped the bathroom doors
shut and took two of my dining chairs and filled oven trays with charcoal which he set alight. He climbed into the bath and
told us he wanted to die from carbon monoxide poisoning."
More than a month later the apartment still reeks
of smoke and there is smoke damage in the adjoining bedroom.
"I saw it more as a cry for help than a serious
attempt on his life. Pieter was good at playing the victim," Peacocke said.
On Friday October 1, the day he
died, Boshoff went down to Peacocke's apartment at 9.10am.
"He was fine; happy. He said he was meeting
a guy who was interested in buying one of his websites, www.capetown.fm, and then we could go to the bank at 10am and he would
deposit our money."
"When he was late Vince was going to call him but we thought we'd give him a
few more minutes."
At 10.20am Peacocke heard a thud.
"Then my mobile rang and Philip the security
guard said 'That tenant of yours has just jumped off the building and he's dead'. I said, 'Don't joke.'"
But when she went downstairs she saw Boshoff's body. He hadn't left a note.
Linzi Thomas, MylifE
founder, said she had trusted Boshoff because of his background with Missing Children SA and his apparent close relationship
with Zille.
She said he was also very close to the police and had senior officers' cellphone numbers, including
that of former Western Cape police commissioner Mzwandile Petros.
"He was brilliant at networking and he was
online 24 hours a day. He used our laptop and wouldn't let it out of his sight."
But when Boshoff left
MyLife five months ago saying he was going to work for the DA, he took the sponsored laptop with him.
"We
didn't think anything of it at the time but when we asked him for it back he always had an excuse."
Thomas
said a week before he died she went to his flat to ask for the laptop.
"I was shocked at what he looked like.
He had put on about 10kg and the flat was in a mess and stank. He hugged me and told me he was struggling."
Boshoff told her he'd sent the laptop to Cape Town with a friend. After he died it emerged that he had sold it to Cash
Crusaders.
"It was only when we got the laptop back that we realised Pieter had stolen five of our IBM computers
which he sold on Gumtree as well as my camera."
Thomas said they gave the laptop to the police to examine
and when they got it back there was nothing on it. But a computer boffin at MyLife restored it and found hundreds of video
clips and photographs of gay teen pornography.
Boshoff had logged on to gay chatroom sites with the user name "Olahatzi"
where he befriended teenage boys.
Peacocke said that after Boshoff's funeral his elderly father had told her
that when Boshoff was nine his mother had shot herself and the youngster had found her body.
That trauma of that
must have piled up over the years, especially when he was working for Missing Children SA, she said.
"Sometimes
dealing with others people's trauma helps you deal with your own."
Peacocke said she was still trying
to unravel Boshoff's complex story.
"Right now I have so many questions and wonder if anyone can shed
any light on it.
"I don't think what he did in his personal life should detract from the good he did with
Missing Children (SA)."
She said that besides the computer and clothes, all that was left in Boshoff's
apartment when he died was a list of celebrity phone numbers and some personal documents – all of which fitted into
a small bag.
Boshoff had started Missing Children SA in 2007 to help find missing children and to offer support
to their families.
Judy Botes, Missing Children SA's spokeswoman, said the reason Boshoff left in 2008 was
because he had a nervous breakdown.
She said she was aware of Boshoff's debt and Missing Children SA had closed
all banks accounts in his name when he left.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said Boshoff's death was still
being investigated as a death inquest as no foul play was suspected.
German version of findmadeleine.com launched, 28 October 2010
Will Germans solve Madeleine mystery?, 31 October 2010
KATE and Gerry McCann believe a German tourist could hold the key to their daughter's disappearance.
The desperate couple are pleading with Germans holidaying in Portugal's Algarve to keep their eyes open in the
search for Madeleine.
The McCanns last week launched their official Find Maddie website in German.
The
move follows a boost to the private investigative team, with three former British policemen joining and a shake-up of the
Maddie Fund board of directors, as exclusively revealed by the Sunday Express last week.
The new-look website,
aimed at reaching a bigger part of Europe, has given fresh hope to the family, from Rothley, Leicestershire.
Their
spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: "Kate and Gerry are very pleased with the new site and hope it will lead
to important new developments. They have long wanted to make sure they reach the German public because so many Germans were
holidaying in the Algarve at the time Madeleine disappeared."
The youngster, who would now be seven, vanished
from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents were dining with friends in a nearby tapas bar.
Kate and Gerry are convinced their daughter is still alive and have vowed to continue their hunt for her with financial
support from members of the public and their backer, double glazing tycoon Brian Kennedy.
There have been numerous
alleged sightings of blonde Madeleine, who has a distinctive flaw in her right eye, in different parts of Europe over the
past three and a half years but all have proved false. Mr Mitchell said: "As well as the British, many German and Dutch
holidaymakers frequent the Algarve.
"After Madeleine was abducted hundreds of tourists, including Germans,
were allowed to leave the resort. It is possible they may have seen something and may still have important information.
"Kate and Gerry are appealing for Germans who may remember something to come forward and for German tourists
visiting the Algarve to keep their eyes open and remain aware that Madeleine is missing."
The Find Maddie
website, which shows three age progression pictures of the youngster, runs in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
The
German language site urges people to download a poster of Maddie begging: "Don't give up on me!"
------------------------
Will Germans find Maddie? Sunday Express (paper
edition)
By Tracey Kandohla Sunday October 31, 2010
KATE and Gerry McCann believe a German tourist could hold the key to their daughter's disappearance.
The desperate couple are pleading with Germans holidaying in Portugal's Algarve to keep their eyes open in the
search for Madeleine.
The McCanns last week launched their official Find Maddie website in German.
The
move follows a boost to the private investigative team, with three former British policemen joining and a shake-up of the
Maddie Fund board of directors, as exclusively revealed by the Sunday Express last week.
The new-look website,
aimed at reaching a bigger part of Europe, has given fresh hope to the family, from Rothley, Leicestershire.
Their
spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: "Kate and Gerry are very pleased with the new site and hope it will lead
to important new developments.
"They have long wanted to make sure they reach the German public because so
many Germans were holidaying in the Algarve at the time Madeleine disappeared."
The youngster, who would now
be seven, vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents were dining with friends in a nearby
tapas bar.
Kate and Gerry are convinced their daughter is still alive and have vowed to continue their hunt for
her.
There have been numerous alleged sightings of blonde Madeleine, who has a distinctive flaw in her right eye,
in different parts of Europe over the past three and a half years but all have proved false.
Mr Mitchell said:
"After Madeleine was abducted hundreds of tourists, including Germans, were allowed to leave the resort.
"It
is possible they may have seen something and may still have important information."
The Find Maddie website,
which shows three age progression pictures of the youngster, runs in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
The German
language site urges people to download a poster of Maddie begging: "Don't give up on me!"
Parents of missing Madeleine McCann watch Everton victory at Goodison, 31 October
2010
Parents of missing Madeleine McCann watch Everton victory at Goodison Click Liverpool
by Natalie Evans Published Sun 31 Oct 2010 14:32
The
Liverpool-born mum of missing Madeleine McCann was spotted at a football game during a visit to her home city this weekend.
Kate McCann, 42, pulled on her team's colours as she watched Everton's clash with Stoke at Goodison with husband
Gerry.
The couple cheered and clapped as Yakubu's goal saw the Blues gain a 1-0 victory over the visitors.
GP Kate was born in MOssley Hill but now lives in Rothley, Leics, with Gerry and the couples' twins Sean and Amelie,
5.
Blonde Maddie was nearly four when she went missing from an apartment during a family holiday in the Portuguese
resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3rd May 2007.
Earlier this year, a prayer service was held at Kate's
parish church of Our Lady of the Annunciation Bishop Eton, in Woolton, to mark the third anniversary of the little girl's
disappearance.
