Max Clifford: My job is protecting my clients, 02 March 2011

Max Clifford: My job is protecting my clients PR Week David Singleton 02 March 2011, 2:24pm PR guru Max Clifford claims his business has become less focused on promotion and more about protecting clients such as Simon Cowell from the media Agenda: Clifford said he had to protect clients from media At an event hosted by the Association of Business Schools last week, the PR guru told the audience: 'My business is promotion and protection. When I started out it was mainly promotion. Increasingly, it's protection.' On pop mogul Cowell, he said: 'In the past five years, 95 per cent is protecting him from the excesses of journalists. If you do an interview, most of the journalists will write something that's nothing to do with the interview because they have their own agenda.' Clifford also spoke about representing Robert Murat, the Algarve-based property consultant who was falsely suspected of involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007: 'The British media destroyed him... He was almost suicidal, he didn't have any money but I took him on.' Clifford helped Murat to win an estimated £600,000 in libel settlements, mostly involving tabloid newspapers. 'When it goes right it's immensely satisfying, as it was with Robert Murat,' he said. The well known publicist is currently handling PR for Shrien Dewani, the man acc-used of ordering the murder of his wife during their honeymoon in South Africa. Clifford said he had recently received death threats over his involvement in the case, but he strongly believed Dewani was innocent. 'I'm 100 per cent convinced it's untrue, without any foundation at all.' Clifford also spoke out about Prime Minister David Cameron's Big Society initiative, appearing to agree with criticism that it is merely a cover for the Government's cuts. The PR guru said: 'I think this whole Big Society is a PR exercise because a lot of people are going to be struggling.' He was also quizzed over the make-up of his agency, Max Clifford Associates. He said: 'There have been a few lads over the years. They tend to be attractive ladies for some reason. I don't know why.'' ------------------ Related link, from this article Clifford 'not happy' with Robert Murat, no longer advising 'arguido' suspect David Quainton 18 July 2008, 11:39am Max Clifford has written a letter to PRWeek expressing his disappointment in the actions of Robert Murat, the man implicated in the Madeleine McCann disappearance. Clifford: not happy Clifford said he was disappointed in Murat using his lawyers' PR agency (The PR Office), when he had previously advised the Briton for free. The PR Office said Murat had 'changed strategy'. Murat yesterday received a substantial payout, of around £600,000, from the British press which had made various unfounded accusations towards him. As yet, Murat has not been found guilty of any charges related to Madeleine's disappearance. The PR Office was brought in to handle the Murat case against various British newspapers. Here Clifford's statement follows in full: 'Last summer, when his arguido status was put in place by the Portuguese authorities, it signalled the start of a character assassination of Robert Murat by sections of the Portuguese and British media. I was approached by Robert's family who claimed that Robert and they were having their lives destroyed by this coverage and desperately sought my help. I totally sympathised with them and agreed to help them just as I have helped many others when facing the worst excesses of the British media. They made it clear that neither Robert nor themselves could afford to pay me and that it was impossible for Robert to work. Nevertheless, I agreed to do whatever I could to help their plight whilst explaining that because of Robert's arguido status I was unable to officially represent him. Together with Nicola Phillips from my office, I spent a huge amount of time and effort over many months talking to Robert and his Aunt Sally, often late at night and doing everything possible to help them and stop the unjustifiable media onslaught. So you can imagine this week how I felt when Robert admitted to me he was paying a PR firm that he had been introduced to by his legal team. Having worked free of charge and in the words of Robert and his Aunt Sally, "been both wonderfully supportive and successful", I was not happy. In spite of this I am very pleased with what we at MCA did for Robert and his family, as many of the things written about him without so much as a shred of evidence were totally disgusting. Robert continues to have a huge battle on his hands to clear his name and to get his life back on track and I wish him and his family every success in achieving this. For now, I'll concentrate my time on my many appreciative paying clients and my continued battle with prostate cancer.' In response PR Office founder Shimon Cohen said his agency was 'engaged by [Murat's legal team] Simons Muirhead & Burton to provide litigation PR support for yesterday's hearing'. 'The change of circumstances in this case brought about a change of strategy,' he continued. 'Max Clifford Associates was advised by Simons Muirhead & Burton in a timely and appropriate manner that their services were not required this week, during the days leading up to the Statement in Open Court or in the immediate aftermath.' -------------- Related link, from this article FRONT PAGE: Murat in adviser confusion David Quainton 17 July 2008, 11:33am Robert Murat, the man implicated by national newspapers in the Madeleine McCann saga, has called in PR help as he fights to clear his name. But Murat's use of The PR Office has resulted in confusion at newsdesks over who is Murat's official spokessperson. Max Clifford has been supporting Murat on a free and non-contract basis. The uncertainty over who is his official spokesperson this week prompted Murat's solicitors, who retain the PR Office, to send a missive to national newsdesks asking them to stop referring to Clifford as the 'family publicist'. As PRWeek went to press, Murat's team and Clifford were due to hold a conference call in an attempt to resolve the situation.

Madeleine McCann flat to be let again, 06 March 2011

Madeleine McCann flat to be let again Sunday Express By Sunday Express reporter Sunday March 6,2011 THE holiday flat from which Madeleine McCann vanished is being put up for rental in the spring after attempts to sell it failed, writes James Murray. The disappearance of the three-year-old on May 3, 2007, made Apartment 5a of the Ocean Club in Praia de Luz on the Algarve notorious and over the past three summers it has been empty. A year later, the owner, Ruth McCann of Liverpool, who is not related to Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry, tried to sell the property. The asking price was about £225,000 but she had no luck. A source said: "It has been incredibly difficult for Ruth. She has money tied up in the property and needs to get it back. "It was on the market for quite a time but there was never any real interest. "Now it is hoped that people can finally move on and see the place as just a lovely apartment. "The hope is that when some people rent it and the locals see that, then gradually people will stop associating the property with Madeleine." However, memories will be stirred up again on May 12 when Kate McCann publishes her book, Madeleine. She will undertake a round of interviews in Europe and America to try to keep the case in the public eye and to raise funds to continue the hunt for her lost daughter.

Madeleine McCann - Portugese truck driver quizzed, 06 March 2011

Madeleine McCann - Portugese truck driver quizzed Sunday Express By James Murray Sunday March 6,2011 INVESTIGATORS working for Kate and Gerry McCann are trying to discover if a Portuguese lorry driver facing prosecution for child kidnapping is linked to the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine. They are looking into whether the 34-year-old accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old Portuguese boy was in Praia da Luz, on the Algarve, when Madeleine vanished nearly four years ago. Rui Pedro Teixeira Mendonca vanished from his home town of Lousado, near Porto in the north of the country, in March 1998. Detectives believe he was kidnapped while walking home from school and taken to a prostitute who was paid to have sex with him. Shortly after he was snatched there was also an unconfirmed sighting of the boy at Disneyland in Paris with a middle-aged man, suggesting he could have been moved around Europe by a paedophile gang. In 2001 his mother was flown to Switzerland to see if a child sex video seized in that country contained footage of her son. A breakthrough in the case was made when the prostitute allegedly confessed that she had been with the boy. She confirmed the suspect was seen with Rui Pedro on the day he vanished. Former British detectives working as private investigators for Kate and Gerry McCann will now try to discover the movements of the suspect over the past 13 years. The Sunday Express knows the identity of the man, but cannot name him for legal reasons. It is understood he travelled extensively around Portugal. Dave Edgar, the McCann's main investigator, is keen to know if he has ever visited the Algarve, and in particular the resort from where Madeleine was kidnapped in May, 2007. The man lived in Lousada but moved away after the disappearance of Rui Pedro and is believed to be married with a small child. Detectives have passed a file on the case to a court for prosecution on child kidnapping. It is expected the suspect will be arrested and questioned in the coming weeks. In the past Rui Pedro's mother Filomena has sent several messages of support to Kate and Gerry McCann. Pictures of both missing children appear on a missing persons' website in Portugal. After Madeleine disappeared, Filomena said: "When I saw the news about the disappearance of the English girl I was terrified. I immediately thought of my son, even though the cases are different, and I thought of Madeleine's parents, the anguish they are suffering." Three years ago the suspect, who admits being with the boy on the day he disappeared, said: "As far as Rui Pedro is concerned, the thing I want most in the world is that he appears. "I never denied being with him. But I never saw him again after we parted company that day and I haven't a clue what happened to him."

Trucker's arrest gives Kate and Gerry McCann new hope, 06 March 2011

Trucker's arrest gives Kate and Gerry McCann new hope Daily Record Gerard Couzens, Sunday Mail Mar 6 2011 MADELEINE McCann's parents have been given fresh hope after the prosecution of a Portuguese lorry driver for kidnapping a boy 13 years ago. Rui Pedro Mendonca vanished in March 1998 aged 11 from his home town of Lousada. His parents have now been told local Afonso Dias, 34, has been charged with their son's kidnap and will stand trial. Rui Pedro's mum, Filomena, has sent several messages of support to the McCanns. Portugal's Judicial Police - criticised over the flawed Maddie investigation - were also accused of mishandling the Rui Pedro probe. The boy's dad, Manuel Mendonca, said: "The Judicial Police only appeared the day after he vanished. "The National Republican Guard questioned the suspect but let him go because they couldn't hold him any longer. "No one believed my son could have been kidnapped. "Our priority at the moment is knowing what happened to him. We're praying he reappears alive and hoping then that justice is done. "It could just be that the trial awakens something in Dias and he finally tells us what happened." Family lawyer Ricardo Sa Fernandes added: "Only after ruling out all the theories relating to international paedophile rings and concluding that Rui Pedro hadn't been taken out of the country did the police concentrate on piecing together the 24 hours that preceded his disappearance."

Secret video of Maddie suspect, 06 March 2011

Secret video of Maddie suspect News of the World (subscription/paper edition) News of the World, paper edition March 6, 2011 MADELEINE McCann suspect Raymond Hewlett said his wife would "go mental" if she was asked about the missing girl in a dramatic video recorded before his death. Convicted paedophile Hewlett was tracked down to a German hospital by a British couple who met him on holiday in Portugal. In a tense video, the couple confront Hewlett and tell him they know of his paedo past - and ask him if he was involved in Madeleine's disappearance from an apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in May 2007. He replies: "You're joking. How would I know about that?" Hewlett then launches into a rambling alibi, during which he claims he was at a market with German wife Mariana Schmuecker on the day Madeleine vanished - except the market is held on Saturdays and the little girl went missing on a Thursday. Terrified the couple are going to speak to his wife, Hewlett adds: "I mean, you going... going to repeat all this to Mariana about this, about this kid? She'll go mental."

Madeleine: Why the McCanns believe their daughter is alive, 11 March 2011

Madeleine: Why the McCanns believe their daughter is alive Daily Express Friday March 11, 2011 MADELEINE Why the McCanns believe their daughter is alive. To coincide with Madeleine's 8th birthday and the 4th anniversary of her kidnap a new book by mum Kate will reveal all SEE PAGE SEVEN ------------------------- Kate McCann: I want to give an account of the truth on Madeleine Daily Express By Padraic Flanagan Friday March 11,2011 THE true story of Madeleine McCann's disappearance is set to be revealed in an explosive new book billed as the publishing ­sensation of the year. Four years on, Kate McCann's emotional first-person account of her daughter's abduction from a Portuguese holiday apartment will give a huge boost to the depleted fund to find her. The family doctor and her cardiologist husband Gerry have pledged to use every penny of the proceeds from the book, called simply Madeleine, to continue their desperate search for her. The 384-page personal account – which will cost £20 – will be published on May 12 to coincide with Madeleine's eighth birthday, underlining the book's central message that her parents are convinced she is still alive. Sources close to the McCanns say their belief that Madeleine McCann will eventually be found has been strengthened by the cases of American schoolgirl Jaycee Lee Dugard and Austrian Natascha Kampusch, abducted as children only to emerge alive years later. After signing the multi-million-pound publishing deal, Kate said: "My reason for writing is simple – to give an account of the truth. "Publishing this book has been a very difficult decision and is one that we have taken after much deliberation and with a very heavy heart. "However, in the last few months, with the depletion of Madeleine's Fund, it is a decision that has virtually been taken out of our hands. "Every penny we raise through its sales will be spent on our search for Madeleine. Nothing is more important to us than finding our little girl." The McCanns, both 42, from Rothley, Leicestershire, also hope the book may help the hunt for Madeleine in other ways. Gerry McCann said: "Our hope is that it may prompt those who have relevant information – knowingly or not – to come forward and share it with our team. Somebody holds that key piece of the ­jigsaw." Publisher Transworld won the rights to the couple's account of Madeleine's baffling disappearance from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007. Details of the deal have not been released but it reportedly includes a "substantial" advance and "enhanced royalties", giving the fund a bigger share of profits from sales of the expected best-seller. Bill Scott-Kerr, publisher at Transworld, said: "It is an enormous privilege to be publishing this book. "We are so pleased to be joining Kate and Gerry McCann in the Find Madeleine campaign." The official Portuguese inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance formally ceased in July 2008 but private detectives employed by the McCanns have continued the search for the missing child. Within weeks of Madeleine being snatched, just days before her fourth birthday as her parents dined with friends nearby, money from the public poured in to help fund the massive search for her. But it emerged recently that the fund had dropped from its £2million peak to less than £300,000. The McCanns have also sent letters to public figures asking for money to help continue the hunt for their daughter. Along with a conviction that their daughter is alive, the McCanns are angry they are not receiving more help from the authorities. Kate admitted to misgivings about writing her own account, fearing the effects on Madeleine's brother and sister, six-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. "This decision has not been an easy one," she said. "Many factors needed to be given thorough and careful consideration, not least the impact of such a book on the lives of our three children."

Gift from Kylie Minogue boosts funds to carry on hunt, 11 March 2011

Gift from Kylie Minogue boosts funds to carry on hunt Daily Express By Padraic Flanagan Friday March 11,2011 KYLIE Minogue has given a huge boost to the parents of Madeleine McCann by raising funds to help the search for their missing daughter. The singer pledged her support for the youngster's family by donating a designer handbag for their "Bags of Hope" auction. Kate and Gerry had asked people to donate bags for three fund-raisers in Leicester, Liverpool, and Glasgow. Kylie's silver shoulder bag, complete with an autograph and photo of the Australian star, was a prized gift, it was revealed yesterday. It is not known how much it fetched. She was among a host of celebrities to donate a bag, helping to raise tens of thousands of pounds for the cause. Among other generous celebrities to help out were Coleen Rooney, Fearne Cotton, Lorraine Kelly, Carol Vorderman and Chris Tarrant. Friends, family and supporters of the McCanns also gave gifts. And Kate and Gerry have been overwhelmed by the huge response. A source close to the McCanns said yesterday: "They are very grateful to everyone who gave bags and bought them. They were in all shapes and sizes, from glamorous designer bags to casual sports items."

IN THIS ISSUE: New Hope for Madeleine McCann?, 12 March 2011

IN THIS ISSUE: New Hope for Madeleine McCann? OK! Magazine (USA) OK! Magazine - USA, 12 March 2011 Author: OK! Staff March 12th, 2011 11:50 am Madeleine McCann, just 3 years old when she vanished from her room in a posh Portuguese resort as her parents dined in a nearby restaurant, may have been kidnapped and smuggled into the United States by an organized pedophile ring, according to a private detective's explosive new claim. OK! takes a look at the new reports in this week's issue. OK! REAL LIFE: ELIZABETH SMART'S ABDUCTION CASE TRIAL DELAYED Marcelino Italiano, a 36-year-old investigator and former nightclub bouncer, told police he believes Maddy is alive. He asserts that two prominent Portuguese businessmen with links to the country's judiciary were involved in her disappearance on May 3, 2007. OK! POLL: DID ELIZABETH SMART'S FATHER PUT HER AT RISK? "It's up to the police to determine the validity of his private investigation," child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas tells OK!. "Then they will pursue those people he named to be involved in the pedophiliac activity." Italiano believes the pedophile ring has been responsible for the kidnapping of more than a dozen children. "They need to be exposed," he has said. Portuguese officials have been pursuing Maddy's captors since her abduction from her family's vacation apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. OK! REAL LIFE : JONBENET RAMSEY — WHAT THE POLICE KNOW Maddy's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and the Find Madeleine Fund's own private investigators have interviewed hundreds of witnesses and pored over evidence that includes more than 1,000 phone calls and 15,000 e-mails in the years since Maddy went missing. They are now exploring these new claims. "We are grateful for the information," Maddy's parents said in a statement. "As with any information of this nature, the man concerned has done the right thing by informing the authorities. Clearly it will be a matter for them and the private investigators currently searching for Madeleine to investigate further." FOR MORE ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BABY MADDY, PICK UP THIS WEEK'S ISSUE OF OK! ON SALE EVERYWHERE NOW!

Criminal Investigations on the Maddie case, 14 March 2011

Criminal Investigations on the Maddie case Le Figaro By Damien Mercereau (TVMag.com) 14/03/2011 at 17:05 The Criminal Investigations magazine [TV show] will be dedicated to two unpublished documents [sic] about the Maddie case on Monday April 4, from 20h45, on W9. On May 3, 2007, little Maddie McCann strangely disappeared in Portugal. Convinced of the kidnapping of their daughter, Gerry and Kate McCann are however the target of the accusations of the Portuguese police officer Gonçalo Amaral. The latter will explain himself for the first time on the set of Sidonie Bonnec and Paul Lefevre. ------------------- The Maddie case in "Investigations exclusive" on W9 Allo-News Posted by karine 14/03/2011 W9 offers for the first time, two new documentaries on the strange disappearance of Maddie McCann, on May 3, 2007. While the parents of little Maddie proclaim their innocence and are convinced of an abduction, the Portuguese police officer Gonçalo Amaral considered, at the time, there was enough gathered evidence to implicate Kate and Gerry McCann. Through original footage of the Portuguese police reconstructing the facts, interviews with the parents of Maddie and the English private investigators, and despite the opposition of the English and Portuguese theories, Criminal Investigations will try to shed light on the dark history. Sidonie Bonnec and Paul Lefèvre will receive for the first time in the studio Gonçalo Amaral, the Portuguese police officer. "THE FORBIDDEN INVESTIGATION" - Documentary 1 Gonçalo Amaral, the Portuguese police officer who led the investigation before being taken off it, believes the parents are responsible for the death of their daughter. According to the detective, the girl died accidentally in the apartment where the family spent the holiday. Then the parents wanted it to be believed an abduction. Gonçalo Amaral believes the McCanns lied to investigators "because they were negligent with their children. They dined whilst leaving them alone. Such behaviour was reprehensible. So they staged the abduction story." Gonçalo Amaral is returned to the scene. In front of our cameras he reconstructs minute by minute everything that happened on the day of the disappearance and highlights the contradictions of various witnesses. You will see exclusive footage shot by Portuguese police and showing in particular the reaction of police dogs when they searched the apartment of Maddie's parents. "THE THEORY OF THE PARENTS" - Documentary 2 Despite the claims by Gonçalo Amaral, and the filing of the investigation, Gerry and Kate McCann say they still believe their daughter is alive. A few weeks ago, they released an aged picture of the girl in the hope of finding her. In addition they have hired two detectives who still continue to investigate. The two men also returned to the spot in Praia da Luz in Portugal to make a reconstruction film of the day of the tragedy. You see their images. They have found new witnesses who claim to have seen, several days before the disappearance of Maddie, a man lurking outside the McCanns' holiday apartment. For them there is no doubt the man is the abductor.

War of words looms over Madeleine McCann books, 20 March 2011

War of words looms over Madeleine McCann books Sunday Express By James Murray Sunday March 20,2011 FORMER Portuguese police chief Goncalo Amaral is set for a new legal battle with Kate and Gerry McCann after writing a second book about their missing daughter Madeleine. Mr Amaral's book will be published in Portugal next month shortly before Kate McCann publishes her fundraising book called Madeleine. It could not come at a worse time for Kate, 42. She is hoping someone who reads her book will come forward with information about the person who took her daughter on May 3, 2007. The McCanns' private investigator David Edgar is also preparing to beef up his team in Portugal to react swiftly to any new leads produced by Kate's book. It goes on sale in Britain on May 12 and a week later in Portugal. The McCanns have already fought a costly legal battle over Mr Amaral's first book on the case. Called Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie, it was taken off the shelves for several months before being allowed back on sale. On Friday the McCanns lost an appeal in Portugal's Supreme Court to stop his first book from going back on the shelves there. In the book Mr Amaral put forward the theory that Madeleine had died in apartment 5a of the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz on the Algarve. His conclusion angered the McCanns, who insist there is no evidence to suggest Madeleine died there and they still hope she is alive. Now the stage is set for a fresh legal battle. Mr Amaral's wife Sofia said: "Goncalo has been working on his book for about six months, spending days and nights assessing all the evidence. He has put in an enormous amount of work. The title has not been decided and a publication date will be sorted out this week. "At this stage he doesn't want to say too much, but he will say his investigation was cut short and he will explain what he would have done if he had been allowed to continue. The book is not just about Madeleine. He gives the background to other big cases he was involved with. "The timing of this new book is just coincidental, nothing was planned. We are not trying to cash in on the fourth anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance and we do not want a fight over Kate's book." Mr Amaral was a senior investigation officer in the case but was taken off it after criticising British police for an alleged lack of co-operation. After resigning from the Policia Judiciaria, he has become a successful author in Portugal and regularly appears on television news. He has tried to publish The Truth Of The Lie in Britain but no publisher has accepted it for fear of being sued for libel. Kate McCann is said to have been warned by her publisher to be careful of what she says about Mr Amaral. However, she does chronicle her frustration with him and her anger over the way he looked at the case. The Sunday Express can also reveal that Mr Edgar has been making regular trips to Portugal to check out leads in recent months. A source said: "The investigation is very active. There is a hope that Kate's book will lead to someone coming forward with the key piece of the jigsaw."

EXCLUSIVE: Two sides to the Madeleine story, 25 March 2011

EXCLUSIVE: Two sides to the Madeleine story Algarve Resident By DAISY SAMPSON Updated: 25-Mar-2011 Readers will now be able to hear two sides of the story surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann as her mother, Kate McCann, is due to release a book detailing the case from the McCann family's point of view on May 12 while the former police inspector in the case Gonçalo Amaral, has been granted permission to resell his controversial book Maddie – A Verdade da Mentira (Maddie - The Truth of the Lie). Madeleine, the book, has been written by Kate McCann to help boost funds for the search to find her daughter Madeleine. It is due to be released in the UK on May 12 to coincide with Madeleine's eighth birthday. A spokesman for the McCann family has confirmed to the Algarve Resident that a version will be translated into Portuguese and launched here shortly after the UK release. The spokesman said: "The book was written to give Kate and Gerry's account about what happened on May 3. Kate and Gerry felt that it would help people to have their point of view as there have been several opinions and alleged facts everywhere, but the least of them being from Madeleine's parents. "They hope that the book could help people to remember something or for people who might know something to be prompted to step forward and share information that will help the investigation." Money raised from the sale of the book will be donated to the Find Madeleine Fund to help continue the work of investigators who are searching for Madeleine. Appeal rejected Meanwhile, former police inspector Gonçalo Amaral is now able to place his controversial book back on sale after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Kate and Gerry McCann to ban the book. The decision of the Supreme Court came on March 18, just weeks before the planned release date of the book by Kate McCann. Gonçalo Amaral told the Algarve Resident that the decision to be able to sell his book again was a "victory for democracy" and added that the public should be free to read all versions of the case including his and that of Kate McCann. Gonçalo Amaral said: "I have not read the book by Kate McCann but believe that they have the right to freedom of expression to be able to write what they like about the case." While the former police inspector did not criticise the plans of the McCanns to release their own version of the case, he said that he was unsure if it would be able to help in the search for their daughter who disappeared from their holiday apartment in May 2007. "Could the book help to find Madeleine? It depends on what it says so we will have to wait and see if it can contribute in any way to an investigation, and if it can, it would then become something that could be used as evidence in a case," said Gonçalo Amaral. He also spoke of his rights to publish in the UK: "I have the right to publish any book in the UK and the British people also have the right to be able to read and know about all the versions about what may have happened during the night of May 3, 2007." ----------------------- Note: Updated, 25-Mar-2011 09:55:29, with new headline: Kate McCann to release book on Madeleine's disappearance

Ex-cop in Madeleine McCann book bid, 27 March 2011

Ex-cop in Madeleine McCann book bid Daily Star Sunday By Daily Star Reporter 27th March 2011 THE police chief sacked over the bungled hunt for Madeleine McCann is trying to get his once-banned book published in Britain. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Star Sunday, Goncalo Amaral said he is desperate to have his account of the search on sale in the UK. And he welcomed Kate McCann’s book about her daughter's disappearance, which is to be released soon. Mr Amaral claims that Madeleine died in a Praia da Luz holiday apartment in Portugal. Earlier this month he had an injunction banning the sale of The Truth Of The Lie lifted by the Portuguese courts. He said: "I have the right to publish any book in the UK and the British people have the right to be able to read and know about what may have happened on the night of May 3, 2007." It was then that Madeleine, aged three, vanished from the apartment and has not been seen since. Last night the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said they would be making no comment about Mr Amaral's plans. Mrs McCann's book, simply titled Madeleine, is due out on what would be the child's eighth birthday, May 12. Any proceeds will go towards funding the family's search for Maddie.

McCanns face quiz, 03 April 2011

McCanns face quiz Daily Star Sunday By Daily Star Reporter 3rd April 2011 MADELEINE McCann's parents are set to be quizzed in court later this year in connection with their daughter's disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, Leics, will face lawyers acting on behalf of the Portuguese detective who led the hunt for Madeleine. They are suing former police chief Goncalo Amaral for more than £1million damages over claims he made about them. Amaral, who believes Madeleine is dead, is due to call the McCanns in his bid to defend himself. Last night the couple's lawyer Isabel Duarte said she expects the libel trial to take place this year. She said: "It could be June or July but most likely September. He can call them if there are things they can contribute (to his case)." Madeleine went missing during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

Eddie Stobart "Madeline (sic) McCann" trailer transfers, 03 April 2011

Eddie Stobart "Madeline (sic) McCann" trailer transfers eBay £9.99 - 10 originally available For Sale Eddie Stobart Trailer Waterslide Model Transfers "Madeline McCann" 10% of the sale value of this item will be donated to the charity Action For Children 1/50th scale Condition New Description The transfers are on A4 paper and have been designed to fit Corgi Modern Trucks box trailers. For use on die cast, railway models etc. High quality transfers, easy to use and very durable. They are only suitable on back grounds that are white, cream, grey, silver, yellow or orange. Full instructions for use are included.

Criminal Investigations: The Maddie case, 04 April 2011

Criminal Investigations: The Maddie case W9 31/03/2011 On Monday, April 4, 2011 at 20:40 on W9, through two new documentaries, Criminal Investigations offers an update on the strange disappearance, on 3 May 2007, of the child Maddie McCann. Maddie: The forbidden investigation Gonçalo Amaral, the Portuguese police officer who led the investigation before being taken off it, believes the parents are responsible for the death of their daughter. According to the detective, the girl died accidentally in the apartment where the family spent the holiday. Then the parents wanted it to be believed an abduction. Gonçalo Amaral believes the McCanns lied to investigators "because they were negligent with their children. They dined whilst leaving them alone. Such behaviour was reprehensible. So they staged the abduction story." Gonçalo Amaral is returned to the scene. In front of our cameras he reconstructs minute by minute everything that happened on the day of the disappearance and highlights the contradictions of various witnesses. You will see exclusive footage shot by Portuguese police and showing in particular the reaction of police dogs when they searched the apartment of Maddie's parents. The theory of the parents Despite the claims by Gonçalo Amaral, and the filing of the investigation, Gerry and Kate McCann say they still believe their daughter is alive. A few weeks ago, they released an aged picture of the girl in the hope of finding her. In addition they have hired two detectives who still continue to investigate. The two men also returned to the spot in Praia da Luz in Portugal to make a reconstruction film of the day of the tragedy. You see their images. They have found new witnesses who claim to have seen, several days before the disappearance of Maddie, a man lurking outside the McCanns' holiday apartment. For them there is no doubt the man is the abductor. Beyond the investigation of the detectives, you will see how, two years after the event, the McCanns are trying to continue with life in their house near Leicester in central England, with their twin children. ---------------------- Teaser videos - The police dogs - The parents theory

Madelaine (sic) fundraiser, 06 April 2011

Madelaine (sic) fundraiser Kirkintilloch Herald Published on Wednesday 6 April 2011 10:22 MORE than £2,000 has been raised for the Madelaine McCann appeal thanks to generous businesses and fundraisers. The impressive total of £2,032 was raised at an event organised by Helen Macdonald recently at Smiths Hotel, Kirkintilloch. Items donated for the raffle and silent auction included hotel stays, tooth whitening treatments, haircuts, and artworks by Kirkintilloch artists David Smith and Ed Travers. Helen said: "I couldn't have made the night a success without the help of my two friends Alison O'Brien and Rona Jannaway. Thanks also to Kate and Gerry McCann's god-daughter Eilidh Muir and Madelaine's uncle Johnnie McCann for starting off the raffle. "And a big thank you to all the local businesses that donated lots of fantastic prizes for the raffle and also to Graeme Robertson for letting his wife persuade him into being so generous and donating £200 helping to top up the £2000 for such a great cause." Pictured on the night are (top l-r) Alison O'Brien, Rona Janaway, Johnnie McCann, Helen Macdonald and (bottom l-r) Matthew McKissock, Eilidh Muir and Derek Macdonald.

Imelga offers the possibility of using ground penetrating radar to find buried remains, 07 April 2011

Imelga offers the possibility of using ground penetrating radar to find buried remains La ​​Voz De Galicia Santiago / La Voz 7/4/2011 The Institute of Legal Medicine of Galicia (Imelga) has a ground penetrating radar which can detect buried remains up to a depth of five metres and there is the possibility of using it to try to locate those of Maria José Arcos, if there is particular suspicion about a place where they may be buried, said the director of the institution, Benito López de Abajo. It is the only public ground penetrating radar in Spain, and belongs to the Forensic Anthropology Unit of Imelga. Last year it was used 14 times, in part to search for victims buried from the war in 1936. It also intervenes outside Galicia, and was called upon to identify bodies in the 11-M bombing in Madrid. It also travelled to Portugal to investigate a beach on the Algarve regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, but eventually it was withdrawn when the Portuguese authorities ruled the place out, says López de Abajo. ------------------- Related report: Man arrested 15 years after woman's disappearance Typically Spanish By h.b. Apr 6, 2011 - 1:07 PM María José Arcos vanished in August 1996 A 'friend' of María José Arcos, the woman missing from Santiago de Compostela for the past 15 years, has been arrested in connection with her disappearance. She was 35 when she vanished without trace on August 15 1996. Local press reports that her family always suspected the Television cameraman who has now been detained, after allegations that she had lent him some money. On Tuesday night the Guardia Civil arrested R.V.G. as a main suspect in the disappearance. The missing woman's sister, Rosa Arcos, said that she had asked for him to be detained three days after her sister disappeared, claiming that he had only told them a list of lies, and changes to his alibi. Now the case has been opened again by the court in Ribeira, and the man is being held in the cells of the barracks in A Coruña, ahead of his declaration to the judge in the Instruction Court.

McCanns: Madeleine McCann - Trade Mark No. 2456061?, 12 April 2011

McCanns: Madeleine McCann - Trade Mark No. 2456061? Day Trading (German) By A DAY TRADER Published: 2011/04/12 Perhaps one of the most bizarre aspects of the case of missing Madeleine McCann is that, within days of her disappearance, her parents submitted a trade mark application on her behalf. Trade marks are typically used to protect commercial property rights, so that, in this bizarre case, it seems that not only was Madeleine perceived as a missing daughter, but also as a future commercial concern, the rights of which were required, to protect the commercial interests of Team McCann. In a way, it's easy to see why Madeleine's image attracted substantial sums for the interested parties. Personally the thought of a 'trade mark' for a missing child sounds pretty sick to say the least, and brings a certain disgust at the whole question of her loss. But what is your opinion? Is it customary to mark a missing child this way? Was the McCanns' child an exception, whose name needed to be trade marked in the circumstances? Source: ipo.gov.uk ---------------------- Note: It should be pointed out that the trade mark relates specifically to the activities of the 'Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned' company and not Madeleine McCann herself. Case details for Trade Mark 2456061 Intellectual Property Office Mark Mark text: Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Status Status: Registered Classes: 09, 16, 36, 41 Relevant dates Filing date: 18 May 2007 Next renewal date: 18 May 2017 Registration date: 22 February 2008 List of goods or services Class 09: Downloadable internet publications Class 16: Printed matter Class 36: Charitable fundraising; charitable and non-charitable services relating to the provision of assistance to families and others affected by missing children. Class 41: Non-downloadable internet publications

Maddie Case: The McCanns lose, 16 April 2011

Maddie Case: The McCanns lose Correio da Manhã (paper edition) 16 April 2011 Thanks to Joana Morais for translation and mariacpois.blogspot / MCF for images The Public Ministry of Portimão rejected a complaint made by Isabel Duarte, the lawyer for the McCanns, which accused Gonçalo Amaral of giving false statements to the Social Security in order to obtain legal support. The Public Ministry considers that Gonçalo Amaral did not commit any crime. [Picture] Gonçalo Amaral: "This is another defeat for the McCanns. It's another setback in their attempt to destroy me civilly [i.e. through civil action]"

I wish I'd snatched Maddie, 17 April 2011

I wish I'd snatched Maddie Belfast Telegraph/Sunday Life magazine Sunday, 17 April 2011 A shamed civil servant who has admitted a string of child sex offences boasted that he wished he had snatched missing child Madeleine McCann. Self-confessed "paedo" and child porn addict Barry Shaw told cops he wanted to murder, torture and rape babies. South Belfast man Shaw, 30, also admitted during police interviews that he had made sickening sexual comments about missing child Madeleine, who vanished from her holiday apartment in Portugal in May 2007. Details about the accountant's perverted fantasises emerged during a bail hearing at Belfast Magistrates' Court last week. For the full story, see this week's Sunday Life.

Madeleine Advisers Are Gone, 20 April 2011

Madeleine Advisers Are Gone Sky News blog Martin Brunt April 20, 2011 5:09 PM The first UK specialists parachuted in to help Portuguese police find Madeleine McCann have left their jobs. Det Supt Graham Hill and psychologist Dr Joe Sullivan helped the investigators narrow down a list of potential suspects and offered interview techniques. They arrived in Praia da Luz within 48 hours of Madeleine's disappearance nearly four years ago, but diplomatic sensitivities delayed confirmation of their presence for several days. They and colleagues later advised Leicestershire police who pursued British leads in the hunt for Madeleine. The two men led the Behavioural Analysis Unit at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and are the latest in a small exodus of its staff. CEOP insists the the unit is being retained and even expanded to improve the range of expertise it offers police forces around the world. The unit has been at the forefront of dissuading certain interrogators from the 'Life on Mars' style of questioning. Det Supt Hill is returning to Surrey Police, from where he was on a long secondment and Dr. Sullivan has not had his consultant contract renewed. CEOP says both men will be missed and replaced and denies it is scaling down its child-centered operations as it prepares to be absorbed into the new National Crime Agency. --------------------- Further reading: Dr Joe Sullivan

Madeleine: We should listen to investigators, 21 April 2011

Madeleine: We should listen to investigators Widnes Weekly News (paper edition) Letters Page April 21 2011 Could I comment in the editoral columns of the Widnes Weekly News on one of the biggest international news stories of recent years, the 'abduction' of Madeleiene McCann. I would like to do so because I've noticed that there are several posters in the Widnes Market Centre appealing for information from anyone who has information of the child's whereabouts. Madeleine's parents are about to publish a book about their daughter's 'abduction' so they can carry on funding private detectives to search for Madeleine. However, I find the McCanns decision to publish a book rather perverse, even hypocritical. Much of the money from their 'Find Madeleine Fund' has gone towards legal costs to win an injunction on another book written by the original head of the investigation, the now-retired Portugese Police Officer, Goncalo Amaral. Mr Amaral has come in for much vilification in the British media for stating in his book his opinion that Madeleine died in a tragic accident and the McCanns concocted an abduction scenario. What I did not know, until recently, is that Mr Amaral's thesis was shared by all of his fellow investigators, most notably the forensics expert, Mr Paulo Sargento. Doubtless, the publication of the McCanns' book will be accompanied by many sympathetic interviews on British television. Their book is also going to be serialised in a national newspaper. Would it not be in the interest of democracy and balanced media coverage for Mr Amaral's book to be serialised in a national newspaper, and for Mr Amaral - or one of his fellow investigators - to be interviewed on British television? Especially, as the Supreme Court in Portugal recently overturned the injunction on Mr Amaral's book. WIDNES MARKET SHOPPER Name and address supplied [Text accompanying photographs: 'NEW BOOK: Kate and Gerry McCann's decision is described as perverse. Right: Their missing daughter Madeleine.] ----------------- Note: It should be pointed out that Dr Paulo Sargento is a forensic psychologist, rather than a police, crime scene, forensics expert. He has been a regular commentator on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann - as well as a vocal supporter of Gonçalo Amaral - and has published many articles on the case, which can read here.

Jo Yeates' landlord Christopher Jefferies to sue papers, 21 April 2011

Jo Yeates' landlord Christopher Jefferies to sue papers BBC News 21 April 2011 Last updated at 19:32 The landlord of murdered landscape architect Jo Yeates has launched libel and privacy claims against a string of newspapers, his lawyer has said. Christopher Jefferies is suing papers including the Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Daily Express and Daily Star. Mr Jefferies, from Bristol, was the subject of media scrutiny after he was arrested last December on suspicion of murder. He was released without charge. None of the papers contacted by the BBC has so far commented on the action. Mr Jefferies is "seeking vindication of his reputation for the terrible treatment he received" at the hands of the press, his lawyer Louis Charalambous said. Madeleine McCann The partner at Simons Muirhead and Burton said he was hoping for a swift resolution to Mr Jefferies' case. Miss Yeates vanished after returning to her basement flat in Bristol's Clifton area on 17 December. Her body was found on a grass verge about three miles away on Longwood Lane in Failand on Christmas Day. Another man has been charged with the murder and is awaiting trial. In 2008, Mr Charalambous represented British expatriate Robert Murat, who received a record settlement in 2008 of £600,000 and an apology over "seriously defamatory" allegations in nearly 100 newspaper articles concerning the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. In Mr Murat's case, the settlement was reached with the Sun, Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star, Daily Mail, London Evening Standard, Metro, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, News of the World and the Scotsman. He later also settled out of court with BSkyB, for an undisclosed sum.

La Verdad De La Mentira, 27 April 2011

La Verdad De La Mentira Round Town News (RTN The Favourite Free Newspaper For The Costa Blanca, Costa Calida) By Danny Collins Wednesday, 27 April 2011 DETECTIVE CHIEF Inspector Gonçalo Amaral is the policeman who led the search for Madeleine McCann, if in fact the poor mite was ever really searched for on that night of 3rd May 2007. Despite the child being left in an unlocked apartment with her two younger siblings, out of view of her parents who were dining more than a hundred metres away, her parents insisted she had been abducted. In my own book, Vanished – The Truth About the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (John Blake 2008), I voice my suspicions that the McCann's put forward the abduction theory because they feared a police prosecution for the abandonment of a minor. DCI Amaral agrees but far from believing my conclusions that Madeleine wandered out of the unlocked apartment of her own volition and was carried off by Romanian gipsies to be sold for begging, Amaral believes she died an accidental death in the apartment and her death was covered up by her parents. I find that hard to believe and Amaral's attempts to convince us of his conclusions strike me as a cynical assumption based on an immense dislike for the McCanns and for the misguided attempts by them and members of their holiday group to mislead the investigation regarding how the group's children were left and checked on. However, one can't deny the police inspector and his team unearthed some startling facts, including that about a member of the group that could be contrived as playing a sinister part in Madeleine's disappearance. Clearly DCI Amaral, who retired in order to write the book, has a policeman's nose that twitches at every scent, even putting forward the ludicrous assertion that the McCann's used a hire car, rented 23 days after Madeleine's disappearance, to remove her body to a place of clandestine burial. However, other than a few similarly bizarre assertions that seem to deliberately overlook established fact – for example, Amaral insists that cadaver dogs have been successful in 200 cases without mentioning that given the scientifically declared success rate is between 66 and 69%, it must mean they have proved unsuccessful in a further 100. This is, of course, a policeman's logic and not mine but his conviction is unshakeable that Madeleine died in apartment 5A on 3rd May 2007. For myself I believe that every fact must be considered before a conclusion is reached and for that reason I recommend it to RTN readers who can handle Spanish. The book was banned from sale by the Portuguese Court following a plea by the McCann's lawyers in September 2009 but was lifted following a successful appeal by Amaral on 19th October 2010. copy@dannyjpcollins.com Author: Gonçalo Amaral Publisher: Esquilo  (Spanish language paperback) Price: 13.50€ ISBN: 978 989 8092 40 3 Reviewed by Danny Collins Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 April 2011 ) ----------------- Madeleine - the search goes on? Round Town News Written by RTN Reporter Thursday, 28 April 2011 FOUR YEARS ago this coming Monday, on 3rd May 2007, Madeleine McCann disappeared from apartment 5A at the Ocean Club Complex in Praia da Luz on the Portuguese Algarve. Many mysteries surround the disappearance even to this day. The answers to some of the questions were answered in an on-site investigation carried out by investigative journalist Danny Collins' and published in his book 'Vanished – The Truth About the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann', published by John Blake in 2008. Author Collins stresses that the shout line on the title which follows the hyphen, is the publisher's choice and not his; for as he says, 'those who know the truth of what occurred that night aren't talking. The rest of us are left with only logic and intelligent investigative deduction – and that's my job.' Is Madeleine alive? Logic says yes but four years have passed since that fateful night. This month Kate McCann will tell her story in book form, and detective chief inspector Gonçalo Amaral, who originally led the investigation, has told his in the Spanish translation of La Verdad de la Mentira (see this week’s Book Review). The scheduled English translation was blocked in court by the McCann's lawyers but the ban has now been lifted. For those who can handle the Spanish language it’s recommended reading, although Danny Collins, who spoke to scores of witnesses in Praia da Luz, doesn’t share DCI Amaral’s conclusion. Collins's book became a bestseller in Europe, the USA, and Australasia and here's your chance to own a signed copy. Three lucky readers of RTN will have a chance to decide for themselves in our Madeleine Competition. All that is necessary is to answer this simple question: 'Exactly how old was Madeleine when she disappeared?' Answers by email to: rtnmail@roundtownnews.com The first three correct answers will receive a copy of Vanished – the Truth About the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, signed by the author. Closing date: 6th May BOOK OF THE MONTH Vanished – The Truth About the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann is now Book Of The Month at Librería Europa, Oscar Esplá 2, 03710 Calpe. Tel: 96 583 5824. Take or send this article with your order for a 5% discount on your purchase.