Maddie link to German child killer, 08 May 2011

Maddie link to German child killer Sunday Express Sunday, 8 May 2011 Also: The Madeleine McCann Files - a special investigation 8 page pullout inside ------------------------ Maddie link to German child killer Sunday Express By James Murray Sunday May 8,2011 THIS is the man who has confessed to one child murder and is now facing questioning over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The 40-year-old German youth worker, who we can name only as Martin N, is being questioned over at least three child murders and 40 suspected attacks on children across Europe. He bears a striking resemblance to the photofit of a man seen holding a child in his arms just minutes after Madeleine was snatched from Praia da Luz. He targeted children on holiday, entering their tents, apartments or villas, armed with a knife or gun and wearing a black balaclava and clothing. He also threatened to kidnap a child unless the parents paid a ransom. Private detectives working for Kate and Gerry McCann will now try to discover if he was in Portugal when Madeleine vanished from the family's apartment at the Algarve resort on May 3, 2007. McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Our private investigators became aware of this man a month ago and they will be liaising with the German investigators. The investigation is at an early stage." German detectives will shortly question the child killer over the disappearance of six-year-old blond German boy Renee Hasse, snatched from the beautiful Amoreira beach near Aljezur on the Algarve in June 1996. The beach is some half an hour's drive from Luz. They believe Martin N was in Portugal that summer and are checking his passport and bank accounts to build up a complete picture of his movements over the past 20 years across Europe and South America. They are trying to establish if the Hamburg-based youth worker, who is said to have used his good communication skills with children to lure his victims, was acting alone or was part of a ring of paedophiles. He was arrested last month after a major police operation. In Germany he can be referred to only as Martin N because of its laws on naming suspects. Officers say he has confessed to the murder of nine-year-old Dennis Klein, who vanished during a school field trip at the Lower Saxony coastal town of Cuxhaven on September 5, 2001. Mushroom pickers discovered the child's body about 15 miles away two weeks later but the killer's trail had long gone cold. Earlier this year, a witness who saw a television programme about the case recalled seeing an estate car parked on a forest path at about 4.30am in early September 2001. A boy who resembled Dennis was in the back seat and a man in the front. The brawny, bespectacled man, who looked to be in his early 30s, matched a description police had received of the suspect from sex abuse victims. He was dressed in black. In 1992, police said that Martin N had kidnapped and killed 13-year-old Stefan Jahr. A month earlier he had entered a youth hostel in Bremen, pointed a knife at a boy and ordered him to follow him. The boy's scream alerted a teacher who frightened the attacker off. French police are believed to be about to question Martin about the fate of Jonathan Coulom, 11, who disappeared from a school hostel in St Brevin in the west of France. His body was found six weeks later, handcuffed and in his pyjamas in a pond 30 yards from the hostel. This could be just the tip of the iceberg. Detectives in Holland want to speak to him about the murder of Nicky Verstappen in August 1998. The boy disappeared from a tent in Brunssum and his body was found in a plantation of fir trees the next day. Although so far he is suspected of killing or attacking young boys, clinical psychologist Ron Bracey stressed that gender is not so important to paedophiles, making it quite possible that he could target a girl like Madeleine. He said: "With paedophiles the gender of the child isn't really that relevant. It's quite possible he could have killed girls and boys." The thought that Madeleine may have been abducted by a paedophile, and is possibly still being abused, is Kate McCann's worst fear, according to a newspaper interview yesterday. She was speaking in advance of her book,  simply called Madeleine, which is published on Thursday. Meanwhile a profile of Martin N began to emerge yesterday. German police interviewed him in 2004 after two boys complained they had been sexually attacked. He was given a small fine but appeared before the courts again in 2006 when a man said Martin N had demanded 20,000 euros or he would tell police the man had child pornography on his computer. Two years later Martin N was asked to supply a DNA sample for police but failed to keep the appointment. It is believed that between 2000 and 2008 he worked for an evangelical church on a project for the homeless. His mother is distraught about the police investigation and does not accept the boy she raised has grown into a monster. She describes him as "normal, a little timid and very attentive". She insists he never showed signs similar to "the cruelty necessary to commit these horrible crimes", although a German magazine claims he was scarred by his father leaving the family when he was young. At 21, the suspect finished a teacher training course and started to travel. Police know he visited Ecuador in 1993, Peru in 1995 and Portugal the following year. He has also made repeated trips to Holland and Denmark. Police psychologist Alexander Horn said: "During his studies to be a school teacher he was a solid student, although not over-brilliant. No professor observed any behaviour that brought special attention, no evidence from work colleagues that recalled him as a violent person. In fact, quite the reverse. "Everyone who has been his neighbour or has worked with him describes him as reliable, amiable, friendly and very intelligent. He was always disposed to help with a smile on his lips." There are suggestions, however, that in 1987 he sent letters threatening extortion to neighbouring families. One is alleged to have warned: "If you don't follow our instructions, your children will die." His penalty involved doing social work for eight weeks. Five years later he went on to kill his first ­victim. German police spokesman Anke Rieken said: "Every place that he has been, every person with whom he has been in contact could lead us to more victims." Last week the church in Praia da Luz was filled with supporters and wellwishers on the fourth anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance. Although the McCanns were not present, a message from Kate was read out while prayers and readings were given in English and Portuguese. Father Haynes Hubbard, of St Vincent's Church of the Algarve, said: "There were far more people at the service than we expected, exceeding all our expectations. "This was not a memorial service, instead we were challenging those who attended to continue in their search for Madeleine." Susan Hubbard, his wife, who is a friend of Kate's, said: "Father Haynes was unfortunately ill at home in bed so he could not lead the service but it was not something that was really led anyway. "We had readings in both English and Portuguese and I read out a message that Kate McCann had sent over for us. "There were more people than ever in the church for the vigil. It looked to be full, with a mixture of Portuguese and foreign residents and visitors who all wanted to come and say a prayer. "We prayed for the safe return of Madeleine but also for the return of other missing children including Rui Pedro and others. Although we may not know all of their names, we pray for their safe return too. "We believe that Praia da Luz has been given a mission to be the place that represents all missing children and we will continue to pray for them all." After the half-hour service candles were lit outside the church as a symbol of hope and light in the search for Madeleine. Additional reporting: Allan Hall in Berlin and Bill Bond in Madrid

Maddie hunt cops chase 1,900 leads, 08 May 2011

Maddie hunt cops chase 1,900 leads News of the World Investigators remain convinced they can still track down the vanished youngster Search ordeal... tortured parents Kate & Gerry Exclusive by Matthew Drake and Dominic Herbert May 8, 2011 THERE are still hundreds of leads to follow up in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann, we can reveal. Private investigators say they have 1,900 lines of inquiry to pursue as they search for Maddie, snatched from the Algarve in May 2007 while parents Kate and Gerry holidayed there. Despite having now ruled out all possible sightings of the youngster, investigators remain convinced they can still track down the vanished youngster. The revelation of a treasure trove of clues comes as heartbroken mum Kate releases her book Madeleine, which details her family's harrowing ordeal. A source close to the family said last night: "Kate still strongly believes she will one day find Madeleine. She clings to the belief that she is alive, and we still have 1,900 leads. Many of them relate to information about events at the time in Portugal and many are about what happened after she disappeared. "She could still be out there in the clutches of a captor. Every piece is taken seriously because it could just be that one fragment of detail that opens up the whole case." In the book Kate, 43, describes how she is consumed by the fear that Madeleine was snatched by a paedophile. And she told this weekend of the guilt she endures over her daughter's abduction, saying: "I became consumed with it. It was torture for me. It was horrible, so vivid." A friend said Kate hoped the book would help breathe fresh life into the hunt for Maddie, who vanished days before her fourth birthday. He added: "She has laboured long and hard over the book. This could get that one person with vital evidence to come forward." As well as her continuing anguish, Kate has also told of the strain that the disappearance of Madeleine has put on her relationship with husband Gerry, 42. She said: "I didn't know if I would ever get back to the person I was. I was conscious about the effect this had on Gerry. He needed me to be together and I just couldn't get myself there." Heart specialist Gerry also told how their love for six-year-old twins Sean and Amelie and support from his and Kate's mums helped them pull through. He added: "Child abduction could destroy any family. It's one of the most devastating things."

Sightings of Madeleine McCann top 1,900, 08 May 2011

Sightings of Madeleine McCann top 1,900 Daily Star Sunday By Daily Star reporter 8th May 2011 MISSING Maddie McCann has been "spotted" 1,900 times, including ­reported sightings this year. Private detectives ­searching for her are ­concentrating their efforts in Portugal, where Madeleine McCann vanished four years ago. Last night a spokesman for Madeleine’s parents Kate, 43, and Gerry, 42, said: "A lot of work is being done on the ground in Portugal. "Information is still ­coming in. At present there are 1,900 'sightings' being investigated, some recent and some older." Since May 2007, when four-year-old Maddie, from Rothley, Leics, vanished from the holiday resort of Praia da Luz, ­investigators have probed leads as far afield as New Zealand and South America. A source close to retired detective Dave Edgar, ­who is leading the McCanns' ­investigation team, said: "Each sighting is ­meticulously followed up and discounted or ­investigated further." Mr Edgar and his team are bracing themselves for a new flood of information after Kate McCann's book on the case is released on Thursday.

Madeleine McCann: Ex-Met Police chief Peter Kirkham calls for cold-case review in hope of attracting new witnesses, 09 May 2011

Madeleine McCann: Ex-Met Police chief Peter Kirkham calls for cold-case review in hope of attracting new witnesses Daily Mirror by Peter Kirkham 9/05/2011 Reviews of unsolved cases are a key part of professional investigative practice. They bring a fresh set of eyes to make sure nothing has been missed. And they also allow the evidence to be viewed in the light of what we know now and they give new impetus to the investigation. Forensic science has moved on and re-examination of the original exhibits may well lead to new clues. Renewed publicity can locate new witnesses and this is the most important point. Loyalties will have changed. People unwilling to talk to police about their friends four years ago may well now choose to do so. The suspect is very likely to have said something to someone close or to have done something to raise suspicions in that person's mind. This is why an unsolved case review is essential.

We believe Maddie is alive and we won't give up -- McCanns, 14 May 2011

We believe Maddie is alive and we won't give up -- McCanns Irish Herald By Geraldine Gittens Saturday May 14 2011 KATE and Gerry McCann have told of the "absolute terror" they felt the moment they discovered their daughter Madeleine was missing. And they've also admitted to the "bitter regret" that haunts them over their decision to leave their three small children alone while they dined with friends. "There's no doubt that we'll always bitterly regret our decision that night, the way we were leaving the children and checking on them, and in the early weeks, months and years I used to persecute myself over it. And if you could put yourself in your child's place, you'd do it in a second," said Kate. The couple said that they have got massive criticism over the years for leaving the children alone in the Portuguese holiday apartment. But they said they were their own harshest critics. The couple, who were interviewed on last night's Late Late Show, say that four years on, they have no reason to believe that Madeleine, who would now be eight, is not still alive. "There's absolutely nothing to suggest that she isn't and as parents we couldn't give up our child without concrete evidence that she's alive, so in our minds Madeleine's alive," Gerry said. The McCanns' visit to Ireland is to promote Kate McCann's book, the proceeds of which will go towards the search for her daughter. The parents recounted the harrowing moments and weeks after Madeleine's disappearance, when they were wrongly accused of involvement in their daughter's murder. SECRECY Gerry said: "We were told explicitly that we couldn't talk about the details of the investigation under judicial secrecy, and the police weren't allowed to talk and then we were getting all the lies and smears and misinformation put out, and it was almost impossible to combat it because we weren't allowed to say anything." The couple said there were missed opportunities in the first 48 hours with forensics, and criminal police did not arrive at the scene until four hours after Madeleine's disappearance. They contend that the Portuguese eventually began to feel pressure from the world, and though they met with them every 10 days to two weeks, they were eventually suspected of being involved in her disappearance. Gerry explained: "The pressure started to make [the police] feel that this had to go away. "It was the pressure on them, and when the dogs came, which actually happened at our request ... basically, when the dogs barked around the apartment and the cars it basically gave them an opportunity to portray us as involved, but it was ludicrous." mimic Kate said that her family speak about Madeleine everyday, and twins Amelie and Sean understand that she was taken by a "burglar". "I love my children so much, we've got a lovely family. [The twins] are great. They speak about her every day. They know what's happened. They know a man has taken her. They call him the naughty man." Maddy had "bags of personality" according to the couple, and "she was a little mimic. She could do accents". Before Madeleine had disappeared, the parents had asked to book a restaurant more convenient for them while they were on holiday in Praia da Luz, but regrettably a request by a staff member to accommodate them was never acted upon. Kate said: "When I discovered that I just felt sick because I just felt, well this is in a staff book which would be seen by all staff ... you're notifying them that there are children that are on their own." Gerry said: "Whoever took Madeleine was at a high risk strategy and you think with hindsight that someone's been watching you and they knew the kids were there."

Gonçalo Amaral: British investigation will be a shot in the foot, 14 May 2011

Gonçalo Amaral: British investigation will be a shot in the foot Diário de Notícias 14 May 2011 The former coordinator of the PJ who investigated the disappearance of Maddie argues that Scotland Yard "will discover much that is not pleasing to the McCanns". In today's edition of the "Jornal de Notícias", Gonçalo Amaral reacts to Friday's news that the British police will re-investigate the case after intervention by the British Prime Minister. For the former coordinator of the PJ such an inquiry "will be a shot in the foot" for the McCanns, since, he says, Scotland Yard has experience in "unmasking false abductions." ------------------- Gonçalo Amaral: Inquiry is a "shot in the foot" Jornal de Notícias (paper edition) Gonçalo Amaral says that Scotland Yard is "going to find several things that won't please the McCanns" by Marisa Rodrigues 14 May 2011 Thanks to Joana Morais for translation The former Judiciary Police coordinator who investigated Maddie's disappearance said the British police inquiry, ordered by the British Prime Minister, will be a "shot in the foot" for the McCanns, given their experience in "unmasking false abductions". "If Scotland Yard has the necessary autonomy and independence to investigate, they will find much that will not please the McCanns," said the former inspector who has always maintained that the parents of Madeleine, who has been missing for four years from the apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, were responsible for the death and disappearance of Madeleine's body. Scotland Yard is a specialized police force, whom David Cameron has asked to investigate the disappearance, after Kate and Gerry McCann wrote a letter with an appeal for that purpose. Andrew Bell, the Home Office spokesman, confirmed the decision to JN yesterday. The prime minister considered this to be an exceptional case, because Madeleine has been missing for a long time and "due to the high media profile of this matter". "While Madeleine disappeared in Portugal, and the Portuguese remain responsible for the case, the agencies that enforce the law here followed leads and sent information to the Portuguese authorities," said the spokesman. Questioned on how the investigation will be done, Bell only said that "the Portuguese process will be analysed". He also said that he had been "assured the Portuguese authorities will provide all the assistance", but he did not explain why an investigation was never opened in England at the time. "I can only speak about this decision now," he said. Influential Couple "Once again it has been proved that this couple has political influences at the highest level," said Gonçalo Amaral, according to whom "one cannot say 're-opening' since there was never an official investigation in England, despite the victim being British, just like her parents are."

Madeleine McCann holiday flat is up for rent after spooked potential buyers refuse to buy it, 15 May 2011

Madeleine McCann holiday flat is up for rent after spooked potential buyers refuse to buy it Sunday Mirror The Ocean Club apartments where Madeleine McCann went missing by Justin Penrose 15/05/2011 The flat Madeleine McCann was snatched from is being rented out for the first time since the crime – because the owner cannot find a buyer. Apartment 5a of the Ocean Complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, has been empty since Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry flew home in September 2007 after months searching for her. Its British owner Ruth McCann, who is not related to the couple, has been trying to sell it ever since with an asking price of £255,000 – £50,000 less than compar­able properties around it. But she has now given up and taken it off the market after finding that potential buyers – especially women – are put off by the holiday flat's tragic ­history. She said: "The property has had ­several viewings. But as soon as women buyers are told it was the apartment that Madeleine was taken from they immed­iately pull out. A lot of couples have shown an ­interest. The man usually makes the first approach and a meeting with the estate agent is arranged. "But before agents show people round a property in Portugal, they are required to tell them about previous owners. "As soon as the female member of the viewing couple learns about the link with the McCann family, she says 'no' to the deal. Women are concerned that the flat will continuously remind them of Maddie's tragic disappearance. "Sometimes the man has rowed with his female partner, saying the association with the ­McCanns does not matter – but the woman has been adamant in refusing it." Retired teacher Mrs ­McCann, 57, from Liverpool , ­began letting out the apartment after her husband died but was ­planning to sell it once legal ­details had been sorted out. She has now asked rental firm the Ocean Club to let it to holiday­makers. It was last rented to Madeleine's parents for £1,500 a week. Mrs McCann said: "This summer, for the first time since Madeleine's ­disappearance, it is going to be let out to ­holidaymakers. But the income still won't cover my out­goings. I still have to pay the Portuguese equivalent of council tax." Madeleine, who would have celebrated her eighth birthday this week, was snatched from her bed in the apartment on May 3, 2007. Her parents were having dinner with friends in a restaurant close to the flat, regularly checking on their sleeping ­children. But the last time Kate went to check she discovered that Madeleine was gone. Flat-owner Mrs McCann – who says Portuguese ­detectives did not even open one of the ­cupboards – said: "I ­reacted with absolute horror and I felt ­immediate ­sympathy with her parents. Even now I think about Maddy frequently and wonder whether she will ever be found." Portuguese police have been ­accused of rushing to make Kate and Gerry suspects after a half-­hearted ­investigation.

Maddie McCann paedos probed by cops, 15 May 2011

Maddie McCann paedos probed by cops Daily Star Sunday By Jonathan Corke 15th May 2011 BRITISH detectives are investigating a secretive paedophile internet network over encrypted messages about Madeleine McCann. Police, alongside intelligence experts and the McCanns' own investigators, are probing a series of posts made about the youngster on a sickos' web forum. In the posts – which have been seen by the Daily Star Sunday – the perverts revel in describing abuse missing Maddie may have suffered. Chillingly, they also talk of her being "deleted" and "offed". Other sick messages on the site – which is heavily encrypted – include talk of drugging and killing children. And concealed behind names such as "Lolitrixlover" and "justinsa2008" the perverts appear to post without fear of being caught. But detectives are determined to crack the codes. Both Leicestershire Police – Madeleine's local force – and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre are involved. A CEOP spokeswoman said: "Our experts will try and find out where these people are located." Much of the material is too disgusting to publish. As well as talk about Madeleine, who was three when she vanished from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007, the online perverts also discuss the case of missing 12-year-old American girl Lindsey Baum, from McCleary, Washington State. An internet crime expert who uncovered the site said: "The content is horrific. Whoever these people are, they need to be caught." Detectives from Scotland Yard are also expected to study the material. Prime Minister David Cameron declared last week that the Yard will launch a new investigation into the Madeleine case. Last night it was announced that Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, from the Met's elite Homicide and Serious Crime Command, will head the new probe. The crack detective is an expert in cold case reviews and previously snared killer Miguel da Silva 15 years after he strangled Susan Martin, 44, in Notting Hill, west London, in 1994. Meanwhile it is hoped Kate McCann's book on the case, which went on sale last week, will generate new leads. The McCanns, from Rothley, Leics, have been busy doing interviews to try to boost sales. On Friday they gave an interview on the Late Late Show in Ireland. But they faced an awkward moment when host Ryan Tubridy claimed a "section of the audience" suspected the McCanns of involvement in Maddie's disappearance. Gerry, 42, said: "Read the book" before Kate, 43, replied: "Everything is in there."

I understand McCann's torment, says Robert Williams' mother, 15 May 2011

I understand McCann's torment, says Robert Williams' mother Wales Online by Sion Morgan, Wales On Sunday May 15 2011 A MUM has spoken of her heartbreak after police gave up the nine-year search for her missing son. In the week the Metropolitan Police agreed to use their expertise to reinvigorate the search for still-missing Madeleine McCann, South Wales mum Cheryl Davies can still clearly picture the moment 15-year-old Robert Williams walked out of their home – the last time she ever saw him. "It's as if it happened yesterday," she said. "I can tell you what he said, what he was wearing, I can see him walking towards the garden gate. I relive it every day." Last week, South Wales Police told 41-year-old Cheryl that Robert was probably dead. Officers decided to close his case after a 12-month renewed attempt to find answers surrounding his disappearance from Resolven, Neath, on March 22, 2002. Cheryl said she accepted the decision but said it meant she would have to live without closure for the rest of her life. "As a mother you cannot give up hope that he is out there," she said. "Losing a child is the worst thing that a parent can ever go through – deep down you don’t want to accept it. "When it happens to other people at least they have a body to bury, a grave to visit. "I don’t think I will ever have that closure, I think I'll live like this for the rest of my life now." On the morning of his disappearance, Robert had a row with his mother. Despite being seen in Skewen that weekend by an old friend, who he told he was going home, he never returned. Cheryl said: "The last day I saw Robert was in the morning. We'd had a row, he walked out of the door, I watched him going and I thought, 'He'll be back'. I never saw him after that day. "Not a day goes by when I don't wonder if I could have done things differently, said things differently. "When he was younger he was always into mischief, the house was never quiet. "When he left he had a lot of problems – he changed from a happy boy to a sad young man. "You're constantly looking. You can’t sleep, you can't think of anything else. If you see someone who resembles Robert you stop the car to double check, though I know in my heart it's not him." Last year a photograph of the teenager was issued following a review of outstanding missing people. It was digitally altered to show how he may look now, as a 24-year-old with closely cropped dark hair as opposed to the long-haired blond teenager who vanished. The thought of how her son might look today haunts Cheryl. "I've asked myself a lot whether I would recognise him, it's something which has bothered me for years," she said. "It's something which has caused me heartache and sleepless nights – what if I didn't recognise him? But I'd know his eyes anywhere." She added: "Sometimes it can catch you off guard. You see a teenager in the street and you take a second glance – just for a second your mind starts wondering. But then you remember that the person you're looking for isn't a 15-year-old any more, he’s a grown man." Last week South Wales Police said that more than 100 further witness statements had been taken in the past 12 months concerning Robert's case. Detective Inspector Mark Lewis, of the South Wales Police Specialist Crime Investigation Team, said: "We have also carried out extensive proof of life inquiries which have all proved negative. "In addition, we have searched the national fingerprint and DNA databases, checking medical records and contacting a large number of organisations in the hope that Robert may have been linked to them since his disappearance. "As a result of these inquiries there is tragically no evidence that Robert Williams is alive. "All outstanding missing person cases remain open and if any new evidence came to light then we would fully investigate it." Cheryl is full of praise for the officers who have dealt with her son's case since 2002. But she said that seeing similar stories to hers on the TV, radio or newspapers also has a profound effect on her. "When you see stories on the news of children being abducted or going missing sometimes the situation is completely different but you can relate to what those people are going through, you remember how you felt, even if you look at someone like Madeleine McCann," she said. "People were looking for Robert for days, friends and family were out trying to find him, but it was very hard to accept when people stopped looking – that was an unbearable situation because even now you don't ever want to give up hope. "When you see her parents on the news you know how they feel." Robert's father died when he was young and Cheryl's younger son, Carl, who is now 20, has been her saving grace. "He's my rock," she said. "Carl was 11 or 12 when Robert left, it obviously hit him hard and was difficult to explain but I protected him from what I was going through. I refused to show him how hurt I was. "Robert loved his brother and Carl remains affected by it today, but we have a wonderful close relationship, he's just taking his exams for university and I could not be prouder of him." Anyone with information about Robert’s case or any other missing person is urged to contact South Wales Police on 01792 562732 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

This bile shows why we need a privacy law, 17 May 2011

This bile shows why we need a privacy law The Guardian Cases like the McCanns show the base motives really driving the press assault on privacy laws Angus McBride Tuesday 17 May 2011 On the day that pictures of the Middleton sisters in a private moment on a boat were published by the Daily Mail and a complaint lodged with the Press Complaints Commission, the Daily Mail and a group of newspapers published articles complaining about UK privacy laws. This forms part of a campaign by the press to ridicule the law, based upon a series of fallacious arguments backed by statements that are misleading and self-interested. The primary attack – taken up by politicians and others – is that privacy law is in effect judicially created and so undemocratic. Aside from the fact that, under our common law system, judges have (for hundreds of years) had a significant role in the development of the law, the right to privacy is contained in statute. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act provides for a right to privacy; article 10 for a right to freedom of expression. Judges have looked at these competing rights and reached the sensible conclusion that a breach of an individual's right to privacy by publication of private information is acceptable where there is a public interest. It is difficult to argue that this is not a good test. It is said that only the rich and famous have access to the law. But it is generally the rich and famous that are of interest to the prurient press, so are more likely to require the protection of the courts. And is there really a public interest in the private lives of footballers or entertainers? What right do we have to pry behind their bedroom doors? In any case, is not the real scandal that ordinary members of the public without access to football-sized wage packets do not have protection against the power of the press? Legal aid should be available to those without the means to hire expensive lawyers. So, the argument continues, not only are privacy laws created by judges out of touch with society, and in the interests of the rich and famous, but the law is in any case unenforceable: in the internet age, privacy is dead. This approach is deeply worrying and essentially accepts that the internet cannot be policed. The same argument would in effect end the right to trial by jury. If we were to state that juries could no longer decide on an individual's guilt or innocence before a court because of speculation on the internet, all principles of justice would break down. Clearly the internet cannot remain completely unfettered, and indeed it is not. The Twitter publication of people who it is claimed took out superinjunctions was hailed by some as being in the cause of freedom of the press, but it is a contempt of court. The fact is, the press has not earned the right to unfettered freedom of expression. I am reminded reading Kate McCann's deeply moving book that on their return from Portugal, having been declared suspects in their daughter's disappearance, Gerry and Kate McCann asked me to visit newspaper editors to explain that there was no truth in any of the allegations made in the more scurrilous parts of the Portuguese press, and that the material was the product of vindictive leaks. I explained to each editor that uncorroborated evidence from a sniffer dog and inconclusive DNA (which could have been attributable to any member of the family) found in the boot of a hire car driven by the McCanns created not even a prima facie case. It is fair to say that a number of the editors listened carefully and subsequent reporting reflected the fact that they understood that to report the allegations would be immoral, scurrilous and damaging to the efforts to find Madeleine McCann. Others, however, listened coldly and made it quite clear that commercial pressures trumped completely the rights of these two tragic parents and their daughter. I was told that this "whodunnit" mystery was one of the biggest stories in years ("alongside Lord Lucan and Shergar") and that the truth of what had taken place was not going to get in the way of that line of reporting because that is what the public wanted, as evidenced by sales increases. Bile-infested internet comment on the McCanns was fuelled by this early reporting, and continues to this day. The vilification of John Terry over an alleged relationship that was no one's business, the appalling coverage of the first arrest in the recent murder investigation in Bristol (and indeed many other early-investigation situations when the clamour for information means contempt rules are broken), and many more examples give the lie to the fact that this campaign has a high moral calling based around freedom of speech. There should be no illusions. The press campaign against privacy laws is a campaign for power without responsibility, and to publish on the basis that the public interest is what the public are interested in. If the campaign succeeds then all our lives are fair game.

McCanns in Lisbon to promote 'Madeleine' (videos), 21 May 2011

McCanns in Lisbon to promote 'Madeleine' SIC / RTP Broadcast: 21 May 2011 With thanks to Joana Morais for translation/transcript Video Transcript Voice Over - The story that arrives on Monday to the Portuguese bookshops starts before Madeleine's birth, and is detailed in private matters, such as the desire to have children, the pregnancy, Madeleine's first months. The decision to write this book was always made, the decision to publish it, says Kate McCann, was more difficult. Kate McCann - I always wanted to, to write down the truth, really, for my three children, and I guess the reason, or the trigger reason why I actually, why it became a book and why it was published, is because we have to fund the search for Madeleine. And the fund was running low, so we needed to raise the money. VO - Kate McCann also writes about what she considers to be the hypocrisy of the cooperation between the British police and the Portuguese police. It's infuriating, writes Madeleine's mother, that even though we know the British police are very aware of the selective leaks to the media, they continue to insist that they have a cooperating relationship with the Judiciary Police. KM - If I'm honest, I suppose I was hoping we had more public support, really. But because we were at such a low ebb, and things couldn't have gotten any worst than they were in September 2007, I suppose I'd hoped someone to come forward and publicly showed support or basically, you know, said what they felt about certain bits of information that were appearing in the media. Gerry McCann - Most of it implying that Madeleine was dead, and we felt that was a complete injustice, because if people believed that Madeleine was dead or that there was evidence that Madeleine was dead, the search couldn't go on and obviously that, as parents, was incredibly painful. VO - Gonçalo Amaral is about to publish a second book about the Maddie case. In March the Supreme Court of Justice authorized the sale of the first book written by the former coordinator of the investigation, who was removed by the Judiciary Police directorate. The book that was taken from the bookshops due to the injunction made by the McCann couple. GM - We have proceedings underway against Gonçalo Amaral and that's all we really want to say about it. KM - I guess we just want people to keep looking really for Madeleine and as Gerry said the age progression images is a very useful tool, and I guess people just to open their minds, remember she's still missing really, and she can still be found. VO - The British government announced recently that the Scotland Yard is going to investigate the Maddie case, and analyse all the existent information of the archived process. In the United Kingdom, Kate McCann's book sold 74000 copies in the first three days. -------------

McCanns fly to Portugal for new appeal for Madeleine, 22 May 2011

McCanns fly to Portugal for new appeal for Madeleine Daily Mail By GERARD COUZENS Last updated at 5:58 AM on 22nd May 2011 Kate and Gerry McCann have flown to Lisbon to appeal for information about their missing daughter ahead of the launch of their heartbreaking new book, Madeleine, in Portugal. The couple did a series of TV, newspaper and magazine interviews yesterday in the Portuguese capital in their latest bid to move the nation's hearts and minds. Many in the country remain unconvinced by the McCanns' claims that a kidnapper snatched Madeleine from their Algarve holiday apartment four years ago as they ate tapas nearby. The trip is their first since Scotland Yard announced a review into the flawed Portuguese police probe into the then three-year-old's disappearance on May 3, 2007. Kate's moving 384-page book, already out in the UK, is due to be launched tomorrow in Portugal. The 43-year-old mother-of-three, whose twins Sean and Amelie are now six, told Portuguese online newspaper Destak: 'I hope, with all my heart, that everyone remembers we still haven't found Madeleine. She is still missing. She needs us and we need to find her and bring her back home to her family. 'It doesn't matter if we're British or Portuguese . . . we're a family of five which has had one of their children taken from them, an innocent child that needs help.'' 'That's surely the most important thing, isn't it?' Hitting back at accusations in Portugal that she appeared cold following her daughter's disappearance, angry Kate added: 'Who can say what the mum of a missing child should look like? People can judge however they want but unless you've been in the situation we've been in, it's impossible to know what someone feels.' In a separate interview with Portuguese magazine Sabado, Kate said: 'I've managed to appreciate life a lot more now. The feeling of guilt has diminished as well. We will always regret not having been there to help Madeleine but we cannot change things now. 'I still feel a little guilt when I laugh but not as much as I did.'

McCanns return to Portugal, 22 May 2011

McCanns return to Portugal News of the World McCanns... talk to the press May 22, 2011 THE parents of Madeleine McCann yesterday went back to Portugal to plead for help in finding their missing daughter. Ahead of the launch of their new book - called Madeleine - Kate and Gerry blitzed the media with a series of interviews. Mum-of-three Kate, 43, said: "We need to find her and bring her back home to her family." She admitted she felt guilty if she ever laughed but added: "It's important to be strong and relax from time to time." Kate blasted Goncalo Amaral, the ex-police chief who wrongly implicated the McCanns in the disappearance. They are suing him for defamation. She said: "He, more than anyone, has prejudiced the search for Madeleine."

Kate McCann: How dare they call me cold, 22 May 2011

Kate McCann: How dare they call me cold Sunday Express By James Murray Sunday May 22,2011 A DEFIANT Kate McCann yesterday confronted critics who branded her cold and emotionless when she returned to the country where her daughter Madeleine vanished. As she arrived in the Portuguese capital Lisbon to make her latest ­appeal for information, an angry Kate, 43, asked: "Who can say what the mum of a missing child should look like? "People can judge however they want but unless you've been in the situation we've been in, it's impossible to know what someone feels. Why do people feel they have the right to judge when this judgment is based on ignorance?" Kate and her husband Gerry chose not to give a formal press conference to launch her book, Madeleine, in Portugal, preferring to give television interviews. Their daughter disappeared a few days before her fourth birthday from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz as they dined with friends in May 2007. In an interview with the Portuguese magazine Sabado, Kate admitted she still feels guilty when she laughs about something. She said: "I've managed to appreciate life a lot more now. The feeling of guilt has diminished as well. "We will always regret not having been there to help Madeleine but we cannot change things now. "I still feel a little guilt when I laugh but not as much as I did. I have learned to accept it's not bad to be happy." Kate, whose twins Sean and Amelie are now six, added: "They need a happy mummy and Madeleine needs to be able to return to a mummy who's happy as well." Scotland Yard has announced a review of the Portuguese police investigation following the personal intervention of Prime Minister David Cameron. Yesterday senior Portuguese police sources claimed key statements and a photo fit of a potential suspect were not passed on by their British counterparts. Investigations by the Sunday Express suggest there were unexplained breakdowns in the communication, which could have damaged the effort to find Madeleine. A British man at the tapas bar where the McCanns dined gave a statement saying how he spoke to an English woman who told him she had heard a "breaking noise" about the time that Madeleine was taken. His statement, however, was not passed to Portuguese police, said ­Goncalo Amaral, the senior officer who was moved off the investigation for complaining about his British counterparts. Earlier this month the Sunday Express published a photofit of a man seen acting suspiciously near the McCanns' apartment alongside a photograph of a 40-year-old German youth worker, being held on suspicion of murdering several children across Europe. Mr Amaral said the first time he was aware of the photofit was when he saw it in the Sunday Express. Last night he said: "I knew about the statement from the British woman but the photofit was not sent through. I believe it is important that this line of inquiry is investigated." The woman who drew up the image was a relative of Pamela Fenn, an elderly woman who lived above the McCanns' apartment. She died recently. Her relative said that on the afternoon of the kidnap, she was on the balcony of Mrs Fenn's apartment when she looked down and saw a man pushing a gate to a neighbouring apartment to and fro possibly to find out how much noise it made. When she realised Madeleine was taken the same evening she gave a statement to British police and helped them compile the  photofit. However, the first time the public was aware of her potentially crucial evidence was its mention in Kate's book. Speaking to the Sunday Express Mr Amaral said: "I don't think it would be useful to criticise the British detectives but I would be interested to hear why certain material was not sent to Portugal while I was on the case." Ian Robertson, who has an apartment in the same block, said from his home at Neyland, Pembrokeshire: "There seemed to be a group of local thieves targeting the apartments. I have a theory that they had criminal contacts and that Madeleine might have been stolen to order." Mr Amaral said: "One of the theories considered was that a thief got into the apartment and something happened with Madeleine. I am sure the review will examine that theory."

McCann couple "is stronger than in 2007", 22 May 2011

McCann couple "is stronger than in 2007" Correio da Manhã This Sunday, the McCann couple stated to Lusa agency that they are satisfied that the English police has decided to re-evaluate the case of the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine, in 2007 in the Algarve, and said that they hope that it will bring more information. 22 May 2011 Thanks to Astro for translation/screenshots below Gerry mentioned that the couple "is stronger than in 2007" and that "the pain and the assortment of emotions are not as close to the suffering" of those days. "Our life has brought us joy. We have two other beautiful children and other things that make us happy. It is not a complete life, there is a feeling of sadness that is always present. It is not like living a nightmare, like in 2007, but we are working hard to find Madeleine," he sustained. Gerry McCann, who traveled to Lisbon this weekend in the company of his wife, Kate, expressed to Lusa agency that both were "very satisfied that the Metropolitan Police is going to re-evaluate all of the information and the case files", after the intervention of British prime-minister David Cameron. "It's something that we had been asking for over three years and, for the process, it is very important that that information is analysed again, so more investigations can take place. We are very satisfied and we hope that new information will appear," Gerry McCann said. Madeleine's father also stressed that he expects cooperation between the English and the Portuguese authorities and mentioned that the book 'Madeleine', written by Kate, may help "people to open their minds". A book which, Gerry McCann stressed, does not have the purpose of collecting funds for the investigation or to silence those who do not believe in the British couple, that always insisted on the thesis of Madeleine's abduction. "Concerning the many lies and ridiculous things that have been written about us, we are not impressed. What we say to those people who do not believe in us is that, please, read the book and compare what has been written. You must face the facts and what we have done, throughout time, to find our daughter," Gerry stressed. Confessing that it was "a major decision to publish the book", Kate reinforced that Madeleine's parents want to present the truth. "There has been much speculation, much lost information and lies," the anesthetist doctor stated, while her husband, a cardiologist, said he believed that "directly and indirectly, the book helps the search" for the child. Four years after Madeleine's disappearance, in a tourist resort in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, Gerry and Kate McCann continue to believe that their daughter is alive and reiterate the need to continue the investigation, also defending that those responsible must be punished. "In my heart, I feel that she is somewhere and in my head, based on pure facts, there is no evidence that says she is not alive," Kate observed. The book 'Madeleine', which is already on sale in Portugal, was launched in London on the 12th of May, and for each copy sold, one cent will go into the investigation and search for the child. ---------------------- Screenshots related to final paragraph in report above Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook McCann supporter 23 May 2011 at 18:01 There is a story being put about in the Portuguese media that only ONE CENT of the cover price is going to the Fund. It was reported in that rag Correo de Manha and is being repeated by others. Suggest someone takes action on that ASAP. Official Find Madeleine Campaign response 23 May 2011 at 18:36 We are trying to get our PT PR firm to address and get this fixed in the Portuguese newspapers. ALL proceeds from the serialisation and the book sales, go to the fund. 23 May 2011 ALL sales from the book and the serialisation go to the fund. Anyone printing otherwise is inaccurate. The Portuguese papers printing that only 1 cent is going to the fund are completely wrong. 23 May 2011 at 21:40 Correio de Manhã corrects the inaccurate statement regarding book royalties. All royalties from the book are going to the fund.

Balloons launched for Madeleine McCann charity, 26 May 2011

Balloons launched for Madeleine McCann charity Harborough Mail Published on Thursday 26 May 2011 13:10 BRIGHT yellow balloons were released into Harborough's skies to mark International Missing Children's Day. Children from Little Bowden Primary School took part in the event yesterday (Wednesday), organised by missing children's group Forever Searching. Youngsters gathered on Little Bowden Recreation Ground to release balloons with tags attached giving the details of children still missing in the UK. Forever Searching aims to actively raise awareness of missing children in the hope that they are traced and brought home to their parents. The group uses the colour yellow as it traditionally symbolises home-coming – historically yellow ribbons would be displayed when families were expecting the return of their loved ones. The organisation came about following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007. As volunteers began their search for the Leicestershire three-year-old, it became apparent just how many children across the UK were missing. This sparked the need for greater public awareness of all missing children cases. Event organiser and Harborough mum Maxine Harris became involved with Forever Searching after Madeleine's case hugely raised the profile of missing children. Maxine, who also works with the McCann charity, said: "You should never give up searching. I'd like to think that if it was my child, others would never give up. It's good to feel that you're actively doing something to help." Money raised by the group is channelled into awareness events like the Little Bowden balloon launch and allows for pictures of missing children to be distributed around the world in the hope that the images will jog the memory of somebody somewhere. It is estimated that up to 110,000 children go missing in the UK every year. Most are found within a week with 1 per cent becoming long-term missing after a year. To find out more about the campaign visit www.foreversearching.com. --------------------- After complaints were made to a resistant News Editor, the word 'charity' was replaced in the main headline by 'case' and in the main body of text by 'family's campaign'. JCL New version: Balloons launch highlights Madeleine McCann case Harborough Mail Published on Thursday 26 May 2011 13:10 BRIGHT yellow balloons were released into Harborough's skies to mark International Missing Children's Day. Children from Little Bowden Primary School took part in the event yesterday (Wednesday), organised by missing children's group Forever Searching. Youngsters gathered on Little Bowden Recreation Ground to release balloons with tags attached giving the details of children still missing in the UK. Forever Searching aims to actively raise awareness of missing children in the hope that they are traced and brought home to their parents. The group uses the colour yellow as it traditionally symbolises home-coming – historically yellow ribbons would be displayed when families were expecting the return of their loved ones. The organisation came about following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007. As volunteers began their search for the Leicestershire three-year-old, it became apparent just how many children across the UK were missing. This sparked the need for greater public awareness of all missing children cases. Event organiser and Harborough mum Maxine Harris became involved with Forever Searching after Madeleine's case hugely raised the profile of missing children. Maxine, who also works with the McCann family's campaign, said: "You should never give up searching. I'd like to think that if it was my child, others would never give up. It's good to feel that you're actively doing something to help." Money raised by the group is channelled into awareness events like the Little Bowden balloon launch and allows for pictures of missing children to be distributed around the world in the hope that the images will jog the memory of somebody somewhere. It is estimated that up to 110,000 children go missing in the UK every year. Most are found within a week with 1 per cent becoming long-term missing after a year. To find out more about the campaign visit www.foreversearching.com.

"Please read the book" says Kate McCann, 27 May 2011

"Please read the book" says Kate McCann Algarve Resident By DAISY SAMPSON Updated: 27-May-2011 Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing Madeleine McCann, returned to Portugal at the weekend to promote the launch of the Portuguese version of Madeleine, the book about the case as written by Kate. In an interview with the Algarve Resident, Kate McCann spoke of how important the release of the book in Portugal is for the case and how she hopes that as many people living in Portugal as possible read it to help them in their search for their daughter. Madeleine was released in Portugal on Monday and it had always been the plan of the couple to publish the book in Portugal. "Someone in Portugal may be holding a key piece of information, knowingly or otherwise," said Kate McCann. "Once we'd made the decision to publish the book, we always wanted it to be published in Portuguese too. Madeleine disappeared in Portugal and the person who took her was obviously in Portugal, therefore it is important for us, for Madeleine's sake, to share all the information we have with the Portuguese people and reach out to them for their help."” Despite the sometimes negative reaction to the McCanns in Portugal in the past, the couple said that they had not been nervous about coming over to present the book here and that the general response by Portuguese people and press while on their promotional trip to Portugal had been "very positive - friendly and supportive". "We want to find Madeleine and that is the main objective of the book. The perceptions of us may change or may not but we feel that people will be in a better position to make a judgement after reading the book. Our main goal has always been to find our daughter," said Kate McCann. The couple maintain close links with Praia da Luz where Madeleine disappeared from four years ago and last month a vigil was held in the town which was attended by both British and Portuguese supporters. Kate said: "It was really uplifting and heart warming for us to hear of the continued support for Madeleine in the community of Praia da Luz and beyond. "We have received letters and emails from Portugal encouraging us to continue the search for Madeleine and offering support."” She added: "We have great friends and help in Portugal and we know that the majority of the Portuguese support our cause and want Madeleine to be found. It’s been really important to us, since the very beginning, to receive all this support. We needed it and still need it, as does Madeleine."” Already Madeleine has become one of the fastest selling nonfiction titles in the UK with more than 136,000 copies being sold in the first 12 days and Kate hopes that there will be similar levels of success for the book in Portugal as "the more people reading the book, the greater our chances of finding Madeleine". The reasons behind the book becoming a best seller in the UK are varied according to Kate: "I think there are many people around the world who have been affected in some way by Madeleine's abduction and desperately want Madeleine to be found. Also, most people have not heard our side of the story and are interested to hear it."” Writing the book and reliving their personal and private torment has been difficult for Kate and Gerry. However, the couple maintain that they have no regrets about publishing the book. "We need to continue our search to find her and also we believe the book may also lead to information coming in to us which could lead us to Madeleine," said Kate. "The most important message we want to get across is for people to please read the book. If you know something or remember something that may be related to Madeleine's disappearance which you haven't told to the authorities, please come forward and share it with us now. "It is never too late to do the right thing. We need to find our little girl."

Kate's Life Without Maddie, 30 May 2011

Kate's Life Without Maddie Flash! magazine (paper edition) 30 May 2011 Thanks to Montclair for translation 4 years after Maddie's disappearence, the mother reveals the traumas she has experienced. In Portugal, there are those who continue to defend that the McCanns are lying and the little girl is dead. "Kate needs to blame others for what happened to her daughter, at the least, as a result of her gross negligence," affirms Gonçalo Amaral to FLASH!, the first inspector to be the head of the investigation of the PJ in the Maddie case, in the Algarve. Not even after opening her heart in the book Kate McCann wrote, Madeleine, which is on sale as from today, do Gonçalo Amaral and Moita Flores, ex-inspector and criminalogist change their conviction that unfortunately the little girl has died – since that fateful night of 3 May 2007 – and the parents know it. 4 years later. Both say that the parents do not want the case reopened, as they have announced. For Gonçalo Amaral, the thesis of the investigation that he coordinated "during the first 6 months and the conclusions of the investigation carried out by the Portuguese and British police, in September 2007, come to the indications of the accidental death of the child and the subsequent hiding of the body." And he continues to defend what he believes and what he wrote in his book "Maddie, the Truth of the Lie". The McCanns are the ones who hide the truth and who never collaborated with the police". His colleague and the criminalogist, Francisco Moita Flores defends: "I have no doubt that the child died". And he points the finger at the McCanns who, in Kate's book, continue to criticise the actions of the Portuguese police in how the case was carried out: "They should keep quiet, because if it wasn't for the entire media show, in Portugal, they would have been arrested and accused of child abandonment". THE STRUGGLE FOR MADDIE Indifferent to these accusations, and stating that they will do everything to find their daughter, the McCanns are now presenting Kate's book, "Madeleine", published by ASA of the Leya group. 4 years after her disappearance, Maddie's mother still remembers every detail of how it happened. On the morning of 4 May 2007 Portugal woke to the news that Madeleine McCann, an English 4 year old, had disappeared in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve. The news spread all over the planet. In the centre of the hurricane were her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors, who accused an abductor of having abducted their daughter while they were dining with friends 50(!) metres from the apartment, in the Ocean Club. They made public appeals, innumerous press conferences and prayed at Fátima sanctuary. They went to the Vatican, where they spoke to Pope Benedict XVI. Nothing happened, except for the creation of the Find Madeleine Fund to which thousands of people contributed in order to help the desperate couple to find their daughter. At the end of July 2007, a mediatic turn of events occured: the PJ started to follow the lead that the child died in the apartment and that her body was hidden. In less than a month, the couple changed from parents suffering from the abduction of their daughter in the case, to suspects in hiding her death. Kate and Gerry abandoned Portugal on 10 September with their image stained by suspicion. They returned to Rothley, a small town in the centre of England, and bit by bit they tried to regain normality in their lives. In November 2007, Gerry returns to his work at Glenfield Hospital, although he only began working full time in January 2008. Kate stays at home taking care of the twins, Sean and Amelie, and working on the fund created to find their eldest daughter, as is revealed in the book. THE DIFFICULT RETURN In the book – which on the first day sold 40.000 copies and 250.000 in a week – as well as giving her version of the facts as to what happened on that night, in the apartment of Praia da Luz, Kate describes the arrival at home in Rothley, as "comforting". "I feel very inhibited in public places", she reveals in her book, adding that she understands when people come up to her to wish her well, but others just stare at her or nudge their friends and whisper: Look there's Kate McCann, then everyone stares at me. Some examples: Store employees calling their colleagues and looking out from the counters. Do they believe what is in the papers? Kate and Gerry have taken up their familiar habits. Sean and Amelie have started their swimming lessons, a few months after returning from Portugal. The couple, fervent Catholics, continue to go to mass on Sunday at the local church St. Mary and St.John, in Rothley, and visit frequently the main pub of the town, The Royal Oak Pub, a family place, where they eat light meals or snacks and hear live music. SUICIDE AND TRAUMA OF SEX Kate McCanns admits in her book the depression which lead her to consider suicide. "I felt the need to throw myself in the ocean and to swim as fast as possible until I was exhausted and to let the water swallow me to alleviate the suffering". As a result of Madeleine's disappearance, Kate reveals that she lost her sexual desire for her husband. Her sexual desire went to zero and how she would not normally talk about her sex life. However, it is an important part of most marriages and it would not be correct not to recognise this. She could not permit any kind of pleasure, even reading a book or making love to her husband. The fear that Maddie's fate could be the worst and that she was in the hands of a paedophile contributed to her mental block. This has been overcome in the meantime. She was not going to let herself be beaten by that and not to give in and to accept it as an unfortunate secondary effect of the tragedy. Gerry and a psychologist assured her that her sexual desire would return. They now try to live a normal life and continue the search for Maddie. For this they have asked David Cameron to reopen the investigation. KATE AND GERRY ARE NOT SERIOUS The ex-inspectors of the PJ, Gonçalo Amaral and Moita Flores, do not believe that is the intention of the McCanns. Nor do they believe in any diligences carried out by the British authorities in Portugal. "This case is still very "hot" and this couple is so insolent and dishonest that everything they say sounds like bullsh*t. Everything they is just for the English PR," states the writer and mayor of Santarém, Moita Flores. He rejects the harsh criticism, in the book, of the PJ during the last months the couple was in Portugal, especially after they were made "arguidos". "The criticism of the PJ is nonsense and a gross manipulation. As long as the PJ had not yet come to the lead that the child was dead and were concentrated on the abduction lead, as the couple wanted, they only had praise for the PJ. After the PJ discoverd the blood and cadaver smell, everything started going wrong," he sustains. The criminologist will only begin to believe the McCanns when they agree to carry out a reconstruction in which it is proven that an abduction had actually taken place. "The day in which they want to prove, with a reconstruction, their thesis – this macabre staging – that it was possible that someone could have entered by the door and left with a child in their arms, by the window, they might stop treating the Portuguese police as stupid". THEY DO NOT WISH FOR THE TRUTH TO BE DISCOVERED The ex-inspector, Gonçalo Amaral, also sustains: "Despite what they want us to believe, the conclusions of the process, in September 2007, still remain valid, because they have never been questioned by any evidence to the contrary. Everything the couple says is folklore and they do not wish to find the material truth or achieve justice". Gonçalo Amaral, against whom the couple had a case to stop the publication of the book "A Verdade da Mentira", is categoric: "The couple refuses to participate in any part of the investigation, such as a reconstruction, which would help to clarify their possible responsibility in the disappearance of their daughter, and if they are speaking the truth, will serve to clear them of this responsibility. Furthermore, they have never requested the formal reopening of the case, shelved in 2008, but did everything to have the case shelved". The ex-coordinator of the investigation says that he suspects that "the case will not be reopened". He justifies: "The couple never wanted the case reopened. They only want a review of the sightings, always on the basis of the nonexistent abduction theory, keeping the case shelved, fearing the reopening of the case. If this criminal case was taken off the shelf and the investigation reopened, I have no doubts that it would lead to the discovery of the material truth and to achieving justice. There were many diligences to carry out and some could have a decisive role in the discovery of Madeleine McCanns whereabouts". In his new book, he will counter Kate's accusations. Moita Flores believes that one day all the truth will be known: "I have no doubts that the child died. Who knows, one day a fishing net may pick up a bag with the child's bones in it".

McCann Exposure is Carter-Rucked, 02 June 2011

McCann Exposure is Carter-Rucked McCann Exposure Brian Kennedy via Carter Ruck has raised objections to four articles posted on McCann Exposure. Below is McCann Exposure's response to Carter Ruck's "cease and desist" demand. 03 June 2011 To whom it may concern, Re: Carter Ruck's "cease and desist" computer-mediated-communication to WordPress.com dated 2nd June 2011, concerning four articles published at McCann Exposure. Carter Ruck is in no position to ascertain the notion that Kate and Gerald McCann are "responsible for Madeleine's disappearance or death" is a false allegation. It remains a mystery as to what really happened to Madeleine McCann. Furthermore, the truthfulness of such a hypothesis is a matter that can only be determined in Court. As such McCann Exposure will continue to hypothesize and debate the possibility that the McCann's were complicit in their daughter's disappearance. Abundant discussion of this nature should be of no surprise given that a number of persons whom have been directly involved in the investigation of Madeleine disappearance have perceived this to possibly be the case. For example, Mark Harrison, National Search Adviser, presented a report detailing the conclusions of his analysis to the investigation coordinators admitting the possibility that Madeleine could be dead, and her body hidden in an area near Praia da Luz. Based on his conclusions he suggested that in order to follow this line of inquiry specialized dogs should be used. Specifically, an enhanced victim recovery dog trained to detect cadaver scent, and a crime scene investigation dog able to detect human blood. Mr. Harrison also suggested that investigators should concentrate in the apartment where the McCann family had stayed, and in the Ocean Club apartments that had been occupied by their group of friends. He further suggested that "new and deeper searches" to Robert Murat's home and "forensic searches" to Mr. Murat and his friends' cars and to the McCann's hire car should be undertaken. Lee Rainbow, a National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) expert, wrote in a report to the investigating coordinators, "It was Madeleine's father who was the last one to see her alive. The family is a lead that should be followed. The contradictions in Gerald McCann's statements might lead us to suspect a homicide." Like Mr. Harrison, he too recommended that the police take new forensics from the McCann's holiday apartment. Subsequent searches undertaken by Martin Grimes and his dogs on the back of these recommendations lend weight to the hypothesis that a cadaver had at some point been present in apartment 5a, as did the Forensic Science Services initial reports. In light of this, McCann Exposure proposes that Carter Ruck's attempt to impress on WordPress.com that the Portuguese authorities "confirmed that there was no evidence what so ever to implicate" Kate and Gerald McCann in their daughter's disappearance is highly questionable. Additionally, Carter Ruck's sympathy with "a tragic situation in which Mr and Mrs McCann found themselves" and Brian Kennedy's significant donations and resources he utilized are of little consequence when alleging that untrue statements, defamation or libel are present on McCann Exposure. None of the posts to which Mr. Kennedy objects are in anyway "highly defamatory". McCann Exposure does NOT engage in the publication or encouragement of threatening or harassing content. Thus, this renders Carter Ruck's statement of "hate content" negligible. Details of Mr. Kennedy's home address, including an architectural map of Swettenham Hall, is freely accessible via the internet. Photographs of his home and businesses can also be freely accessed via internet searches. In the UK personal information such as home and business addresses are declared when registering a company; this information is also easily accessible via internet searches. McCann Exposure argues that Mr. Kennedy's privacy and his family's privacy were compromised the moment he became highly publicized as the McCann's benefactor. Further, that his personal safety is more likely to have been jeopardized by his dubious business dealings as opposed to a few articles published on an obscure blog that speculates about his interest and involvement in the McCann case. McCann Exposure also contends that Mr. Kennedy risked his personal safety, his son's personal safety and the personal safety of several persons sworn to Portuguese judicial secrecy when he meddled with witnesses and attempted to perform a 24-hour "stake out" whilst perversely "investigating" whom ever he was 'staking out' at that time. It is a fact that Mr. Kennedy's actions of holding private meetings with several witnesses in the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann – one of whom was a Prime Suspect – could constitute interfering with witnesses and is a custodial offense both in the UK and in Portugal. McCann Exposure has reviewed the four articles concerned and can confirm the following: Articles "Madeleine Foundation's Tony Bennett alleges Brian Kennedy intimidated witnesses in Madeleine McCann case" and "Brian "I play to win" Kennedy, McCann's multi-millionaire benefactor – EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS removed at request of Carter Ruck", have been amended. Article "Brian Kennedy: The Cheshire Police Connection and 'Rotherhamgate' – The Rotherham Rugby Union Club Slush Fund", has been password protected and is therefore no longer accessible. Article "Brian Kennedy seeks window of opportunity with banks", required no action. This article was first published by The Business Desk and remains active on their website; it is not defamatory or libelous in any regard. On a final note, McCann Exposure's chief objective is to provide a chronological archive of articles on what is arguably the most controversial and unprecedented child disappearance case of contemporary times. Given that the McCann's have courted the public relentlessly over the last four years in a bid to obtain information in relation to Madeleine's disappearance and monies donated to their fund, McCann Exposure argues that it is the public's right and in their interest that they have access to all facets of the case: something which the McCann's, with a helping hand from Carter Ruck, wish to deprive them from. As such, articles published by McCann Exposure do not "constitute the criminal offense of harassment". On the contrary, McCann Exposure is providing a chronological documented account of events that have unfolded in the McCann case. Articles published on McCann Exposure comprise a factual account of the twists and turns in the case of missing Madeleine McCann. Yours Sincerely, McCann Exposure ---------------------------- McCann Exposure is Carter-Rucked for a second time McCann Exposure McCann Exposure is subject to defamation, harassment and copyright complaint via Carter Ruck on behalf of their clients Kate and Gerald McCann and Jon Corner. McCann Exposure's response to Carter Ruck is reproduced in full below. 04 June 2011 To whom it may concern, Re: Carter Ruck's correspondence to WordPress.com dated 3rd June 2011, regarding Gerald and Kate McCann – Defamation, Harassment and Copyright complaint. As outlined in our previous correspondence, Carter Ruck does not have authority to ascertain whether Gerald and Kate McCann were complicit in their daughter's disappearance or possible death. McCann Exposure contends that there appears to be little evidential support for the abduction thesis. This is a view shared by many others, including members of the official investigation team. The foundation of the abduction thesis appears to rely heavily on the reported sighting of the McCann couple's friend, Jane Tanner. A sighting that has significantly developed in detail in the mind of the witness as time has passed by; quite a remarkable phenomenon per se. Quite possibly the only verifiable facts in the case is that Madeleine McCann is missing and that her parents choose to leave her largely unattended with her younger siblings for five consecutive evenings in May 2007. The latter of which is an action that can result in criminal proceedings of parental neglect in the USA, UK and similar proceedings in Portugal. Further, that the circumstances under which Madeleine disappeared and what subsequently happened remain a complete mystery (a term recently used by the McCann couple’s spokesperson, Clarence Mitchell). Carter Ruck's allegation that Mr. Anthony Bennett is "jointly responsible" for McCann Exposure is both unfounded and untrue.  McCann Exposure suspects that this untruth likely emanated from agents of certain forums dedicated to seeking out and passing on information of possible defamatory comments made by Mr. Bennett to Carter Ruck. It is not McCann Exposure's intention to imply that these agents receive monetary gain for their actions. To be clear, at no time has Mr. Bennett published articles at McCann Exposure, nor does he have access to the administration panel of McCann Exposure. He has submitted several comments on various articles; an action that any person visiting the blog can make should they so wish. McCann Exposure is not affiliated to Mr. Bennett or The Madeleine Foundation, or any of its individual members.  Nonetheless, information of Carter Ruck's planned complaints and intended actions of others relating to Mr. Bennett are appreciated. In respect of the article that Carter Ruck cite as constituting defamation and harassment, McCann Exposure argues that the UK media first reported that The Madeleine Foundation was possibly planning a leaflet distribution around the time of Mrs. McCann's book release. Sadly, the UK media is decidedly selective and biased in what is published at any given time.  Whilst McCann Exposure has empathy for any parent that suffers the loss of a child, regardless of the circumstances in which the loss occurs, it is imperative that the fundamental human right in the practice of freedom of thought and expression and equality in access to information in order to formulate informed opinion is acknowledged. McCann Exposure, therefore, argues that they have the right to hold, freely express and publish opinion that covers all aspects of the case. Including those that question the claim that Madeleine McCann was abducted under circumstances posited by the McCann couple and others; notably the McCann couple's private investigators. As stated in our previous correspondence to Carter Ruck, dated the 3rd June, McCann Exposure's chief objective is to provide a chronological archive of articles on what is arguably the most controversial and unprecedented child disappearance case of contemporary times. Thus, the vast majority of the articles published serve to document in full the twists and turns in the McCann case. McCann Exposure publishes and allows discussion on all aspects of the case. Publication covers a wide range of material, including that which frames the McCann's in a positive light. It is a fact, however, that there are many commentators and researchers that vigorously challenge the abduction thesis. In light of this and McCann Exposure's objectives, Carter Ruck is hereby informed that McCann Exposure is not prepared to remove any articles published merely because the McCann couple and others do not wish for all aspects of the case to be considered. In respect to copyright infringement, McCann Exposure has reviewed the McCann couple and Jon Corner's concerns and can confirm the following: Photographs of Madeleine to which the McCann couple holds copyright have been removed. The photograph of Madeleine contained in the article "Terence Backer, the Independent gives his view on the McCann's choice of photo", has been removed and replaced with a link to an external hosting site. A video containing material to which Jon Corner holds copyright has been removed. In addition to Carter Ruck's complaint, a further article on McCann Exposure contained said video; this too has been removed and replaced with an external link to the hosting site Youtube. Yours Sincerely McCann Exposure ------------------------- Announcement McCann Exposure 10 June 2011 In light of misconceptions being generated by an ill-informed minority, McCann Exposure considers it necessary to issue the following announcement: McCann Exposure is not owned, co-run or affiliated to The Madeleine Foundation or any of its members. This includes, Mr. Anthony Bennett, Mr. Stephen Marsden, Ms. Sharon Bradford and Ms. Sharon Lawrence. McCann Exposure is not subject to criminal complaint investigation by Greater Manchester Police or any other police force on behalf of Mr. Brian Kennedy or any other party. Carter Ruck's communications dated 2nd and 3rd June to Automattic and WordPress are not available for public viewing. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that people exercise great caution when reading commentary generated elsewhere in relation to this matter.

The Cult, 10 June 2011

The Cult Unterdenteppichgekehrt By Johanna Friday, 10 June, 2011 18:11 Definition: A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Groups that have been characterized as cults are at high risk of becoming abusive to members. A cult is an ideological organization held together by charismatic relationships and demands total commitment. A cult is a group or movement exhibiting a great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea or thing and employing unethically manipulative techniques of persuasion and control. Here are some entries from the facebook page of the Madeleine McCann cult: I agree that anyone posting unhelpful comments should be watched Others know what to do - not you and I. I'm sure the Mccann's have followed up already. This page is not for that. Please don't give your energy to it as it will be dealt with. Don't worry. Concentrate on the support element for the search for Madeleine. Leave him. The McCann's knows what to do, I'm sure. Who would you believe Guys? McCanns obviously. I never doubted them for a second. I feel i understand them after reading the book. My heart just goes out to them all. Just one clue is all we need to bring the nations little princess home Keep up the Support for Kate and Gerry I believe that Jesus is looking over Madeleine and taking care of her and he will lead her home shortly Concentrate on the support element for the search for Madeleine. Kate and Gerry have had a gutful of negatives, and on here we are positive for them. I will try not to think about it, and keep praying for little madeleine The day maddie walks back into your home very soon we all pray everybody should b given day of work 2 celebrate and party 2 this fab news beats any bank hpliday hands down They should NEVER be kept in the dark again We pray over her photo on my study wall I was asked recently who inspires me and the first people who came to mind were Kate and Gerry McCann Just by supporting on here you are doing a lot. Your prayers are what Madeleine, Kate and Gerry NEED Im the forgiving type but I hope that all those who opposed you and tried to stand in your way feel the wrath of God. you are amazing. truly inspirational. Supporting you and behind you every step of the way. If you really believe thay are no longer looking you are being deceived. You are listening to, and spreading lies. Will be promoting the book at school today. In a gentle way. so I just declare Madeleine found and returned safely to her family now in Jesus Name.... I demand an end to this anguish and suffering..... devil you leave this family alone and give them back their daughter now in Jesus Name!! I come against every negative report and word spoken out against Madeleine and the McCann Family and I break them in Jesus Name. For Kate and Gerry. You have written a book which, in itself, is a work of Art. What it contains is your whole sacrifice for your missing and longed-for daughter. I am so inspired by you two. And these are the words spoken by the two child neglecting prophets directly from Rothley Mountain, read and weep in the face of utter wisdom and suffering: Wanted to let you all know we are in the process of updating our luggage tags. The updated tags should be on our Web site by the end of the week. We hope you will use these tags when you go on holiday. Thank you for continuing to keep Madeleine's profile high. ♥

CCTV too costly to save tots like Madeleine McCann, 12 June 2011

CCTV too costly to save tots like Madeleine McCann Daily Star Sunday By Jonathan Corke 12th June 2011 BRITISH children on holiday in Portugal's Algarve are still "wide open" to another Madeleine McCann-style abduction because authorities refuse to install CCTV. Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry have long believed a camera network in the region may have helped prevent her disappearance or helped in the search. Despite a campaign to have a CCTV network covering the Algarve holiday resorts, officials say they cannot justify the cost. Now there are fears that without the deterrent another child could be snatched. Former Algarve tourism chief Antonio Pina said: "For many years I have been fighting for CCTV in the Algarve as this would help the situation of increasing the police presence and creating a better feeling of security. "Unfortunately, I have found that those in authority have a very small mentality when it comes to introducing this measure. "This is a simple answer and it is crazy that it has not already been brought in." In the UK there are more than 4.2million CCTV cameras capturing each person up to 300 times a day. Portugal's lack of cameras has meant that in the four years since she vanished from Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, Madeleine has not been caught on film once. Doctors Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leics, believe their daughter, who was just three when she disappeared, may have been found had there been greater CCTV coverage. The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry would welcome the idea of greater surveillance in areas like that where families are on holiday."

Privacy, Lies and Videotape, 13 June 2011

Privacy, Lies and Videotape Joana Morais blogspot By Astro 13 June 2011 A small - and personal - clarification about a recent article in the British press: In their apparently ceaseless effort to prevent British subjects from ever setting foot in the Algarve again, the McCanns (conveniently) forget that the main reason that there are no cctv cameras in any public places, on Portuguese soil, is a Constitutional safeguard: the very same safeguard that they (conveniently) used to justify their attempt to silence former Judiciary Police coordinator Gonçalo Amaral. The absence of cctv cameras covering public areas in Portugal is due to our strict privacy laws, which protect our citizens' personality and private life, and rule out any type of unauthorized capture of image and/or sound in public areas. Naturally, there are some people in Portugal who would be prepared to give up some of that privacy, if indeed the presence of cctv cameras would help reduce the crime rate, acting as a factor to dissuade potential criminals. But it seems that there is no guarantee that this would be the case - as abundant examples, precisely from the UK, seem to indicate. The debate about cctv cameras in public areas will continue in Portugal, independently of the opinion of prominent couples in England and their obedient newspapers. It is not a debate about cost; it is a debate about moral values and ethics. It is a debate about fundamental principles that many are not ready to sacrifice.

Murderers of 'Madeleine McCann of Israel' jailed for life, 13 June 2011

Murderers of 'Madeleine McCann of Israel' jailed for life Metro The grandfather and mother of a four-year-old girl whose dismembered body was found dumped in a river have been jailed for life over her murder. Pisam, right, and Ron have been sentenced to life in prison for murdering the toddler (Getty) Fred Attewill 13th June, 2011 Ronny Ron, who was having an affair with his daughter-in-law, Marie-Charlotte Renault-Pizem, found his grandchild, Rose, difficult to handle and killed her in a fit of rage, a court heard. He dumped her remains in a suitcase in Tel Aviv's Yarkon river, not far from his home in the coastal resort of Netanya in May 2008. Rose's disappearance sparked a nationwide hunt and she was often referred to as the 'Madeleine McCann of Israel' as the case bore similarities to that of the missing British three-year-old. Police divers found her body last September and the lovers were arrested – triggering a debate on child welfare. Renault-Pizem, 26, who was convicted of plotting her daughter's murder last month, had moved to Israel from France with her husband, Benjamin, in 2004 to be nearer his family. However, the couple divorced the following year after Mr Pizem discovered his wife was having an affair with his 48-year-old father. Mr Pizem took Rose back to France but after a custody row she was returned to Israel in 2007. ----------------------------- Previous reports: Is Rose Israel's Madeleine? The Jerusalem Post Lianne Merkur 08/26/2008 00:40 The sad saga of the missing little girl known publicly only as Rose is reminiscent of another recent high-profile mystery. And while a gag order prevents publication on details of the Rose case, it is hard to avoid recalling the case of Britain's Madeleine McCann. There are few who don't recognize the face of Madeleine. On May 3, 2007, just days shy of her fourth birthday, she was left unsupervised in a ground-floor apartment at a vacation resort in Praia de Luz, Portugal, while her parents enjoyed dinner in a nearby restaurant. When her mother, Kate, returned to check on the sleeping child two hours later, she found Madeleine's bed empty and her bedroom window open. Despite hundreds of leads, the McCann family has not heard anything of Madeleine since. In the months that followed the disappearance, the Portuguese police mounted an investigation, the details of which were for the most part kept private in keeping with Portuguese law. With little knowledge of what was being done to determine their daughter's fate, the McCanns waged a public relations campaign to ensure that Madeleine's picture was never out of the public eye in the hope that someone, somewhere would recognize the little girl. But almost 16 months on, neither these efforts nor those of the Portuguese police and the private detectives hired by the McCanns have proved fruitful. During the police investigation, a local man, Robert Murat, was declared a suspect by Portuguese inspectors and both Madeleine's parents were also formally identified as suspects. All three were cleared of their incriminating status on July 21, 2008, when the Portuguese attorney general closed the case. Despite the closure of the official investigation, the McCanns have refused to abandon hope. Shortly after the case was closed, lawyers acting on behalf of Madeleine's parents combed through the 20,000 files of information related to the disappearance accumulated by police. The files revealed that the Portuguese police failed to identify the apartment from which Madeleine was taken as a crime scene until two months after her abduction and that reported sightings of Madeleine, last summer, in Amsterdam and the Algarve province from which she vanished were not properly followed up. Similar claims had previously been examined by investigators, but did not lead to any substantive breakthroughs. On Sunday, it was announced that Oakley International, a private detective agency hired to continue the search, would not have its six-month, £500,000 contract renewed. The decision, was made by the Find Madeleine Fund, a charitable organization established to resolve the abduction, support the family and extend assistance to similar cases. They cited Oakley's "high expenses and low results" as the reason for their decision. Anyone with information on Madeline's disappearance should contact the McCanns at www.findmadeleine.com. ------------------------ Fears the 'Israeli Madeleine McCann' has been killed by her own mother and grandfather Daily Mail By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 4:58 PM on 27th August 2008 Israeli police fear a 4-year-old French girl who disappeared three months ago has been murdered by her grandfather and her own mother. In a sick twist, police said they believed Rose Ron died at the hands of her grandfather, Roni Ron and his daughter in-law lover, Marie Pisam who is the girl's mother. The partial lifting of a court-imposed gag order surrounding the case uncovered a shocking tale of child abuse and death spanning three generations. At its heart lies the bizarre love triangle in which little Rose's grandfather fell in love with his son's young bride and fathered two more daughters with her. Police say the grandfather has admitted killing the child and dumping her in a river, but no body has been found and there is no forensic evidence proving her death. Ilan Ben-Shalom, head of the police team investigating Rose's disappearance said  her mother, Marie, was arrested two weeks ago with her ex-husband's father Ron, following a tip-off. Ron's own mother called police after revealing she had not seen the child for several months. Ron's lawyer, Revital Swid, said her client admitted hitting Rose in a burst of anger but didn't mean to hurt her. 'He was under pressure, panicked, was very worried about his partner's likely reaction, and as a result took action to conceal (the body),' she said. The case has absorbed the Israeli media since police on launched a public appeal for information on Rose's whereabouts, but any mention of a murder investigation was barred by the court order until yesterday. Once the floodgates opened, a picture began to emerge of a tragic child from a deeply dysfunctional family. Police investigators said Rose's father Benjamin was the illegitimate offspring of a brief relationship between Roni Ron and a French tourist, and the boy grew up in France without knowing his own father. Benjamin met Marie in France, and after Rose's birth the teenagers got married and visited Israel to explore Benjamin's roots. But after meeting Ron, Marie fell in love with him and stayed on in Israel after Benjamin and Rose returned to France. A child custody battle ensued, amid suspicions of abuse of Rose by her father. A French court awarded custody to Marie and she came back to Israel with the child, where she set up a home with Ron and gave birth to two more daughters, now one and two years old. The two girls are now in the care of welfare services. Both Ron and Pisam deny having anything to do with Rose's death or disappearance. ----------------- 'Sick twist': World media plays up story of 'Israeli Madeleine McCann' Haaretz Major European papers heavily cover Rose Pizem's murder, saying it resembles Madeleine McCann case. By Adi Schwartz, Haaretz Correspondent Published 00:00 28.08.08 Italy's largest newspaper, Corriere della Sera, featured the headline "Shock in Israel: Rose was murdered by her grandfather" prominently on its Web site Wednesday. Although it does not usually mention foreign criminal cases, the paper covered Rose's story in detail. A picture of a tearful Rose also starred on the Web site of the French Le Parisien, which had published details of the affair before it was released in Israel. But the subject was most extensively covered by the British media, which dubbed Rose "The Israeli Madeleine McCann," after the British 4-year-old girl who disappeared in 2007 while on a trip with her family to Portugal. Sky News reported that Rose was "the victim of Israel's worst case of domestic violence in history." Times newspaper, under the headline, "The sad life and death of Rose," said that the affair "scandalized the Israeli public." "Police called the case one of the most shocking in recent history," Times said, citing a police officer as saying "I have handled many investigations, but I can't recall a single other investigation that turned all of our stomachs." The Daily Mail tabloid said that after "a sick twist," police believe Rose died at the hands of her grandfather and mother.

Another Madeleine McCann Spreads Fear In The Algarve: Daily Star Spreads Fear, 14 June 2011

Another Madeleine McCann Spreads Fear In The Algarve: Daily Star Spreads Fear Anorak Posted: 14th, June 2011 MADELEINE McCann: The Daily Star’s Jonathan Corke says the Algarve is just waiting for another Maddie to happen. And only CCTV can prevent it: BRITISH children on holiday in Portugal's Algarve are still "wide open" to another Madeleine McCann-style abduction because authorities refuse to install CCTV. She vanished in 2007. There have been no similar vanishing since. Why the fear now? And why only British kids? Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry have long believed a camera network in the region may have helped prevent her disappearance or helped in the search. Indeed. Had cameras been trained on every door and window on the fateful night when the great story began, we may well know more. Despite a campaign to have a CCTV network covering the Algarve holiday resorts, officials say they cannot justify the cost. It's just about the money, then? Now there are fears that without the deterrent another child could be snatched. Why now? Former Algarve tourism chief Antonio Pina said: "For many years I have been fighting for CCTV in the Algarve as this would help the situation of increasing the police presence and creating a better feeling of security. Unfortunately, I have found that those in authority have a very small mentality when it comes to introducing this measure. This is a simple answer and it is crazy that it has not already been brought in." The Daily Star then tells us: In the UK there are more than 4.2million CCTV cameras capturing each person up to 300 times a day. Portugal's lack of cameras has meant that in the four years since she vanished from Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, Madeleine has not been caught on film once. Well, the real Madeleine McCann hasn't been seen on CCTV. At least twice. The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry would welcome the idea of greater surveillance in areas like that where families are on holiday." What if a paedo got a job operating the CCTV cameras trained on the beaches? What then? The thinking seems to be that Portugal is backward in its attitude to CCTV. With CCTV, children do not go missing – and if they do, they get found. And that's odd, because we're often being told that thousands of children go missing in the UK. People like Shannon Matthews. Indeed, it was Corke who told us: An estimated 150 children a year are victims of Madeleine McCann-style abductions in Britain. And we are also told that CCTV doesn't work. It's not cost effective. So. Is it a matter of cash, as the Star says? No. The Portuguese constitution is clear: Everyone is accorded the rights to personal identity, to the development of personality, to civil capacity, to citizenship, to a good name and reputation, to their image, to speak out, to protect the privacy of their personal and family life, and to legal protection against any form of discrimination. Such are the facts...

Maddie: Outlaw from Portuguese prison may be the abductor who the witness confused with Gerry McCann, 16 June 2011

Maddie: Outlaw from Portuguese prison may be the abductor who the witness confused with Gerry McCann O Crime (paper edition) 16 June 2011 With thanks to mariacpois.blogspot for images Text 1: Intelligent fugitive "The Portuguese police, via Interpol, keep active in their pursuit of the recapture of Franz," concluded the same source believing that the national authorities "are doing everything possible to find and arrest the fugitive," whilst acknowldedging that it was, "not an easy job given the intelligence of Franz to outwit his pursuers". ----------------------- German serial killer suspected of murder in Portugal The Portugal News 28/4/2007 A 48-year-old German lorry driver, identified as Volker E. and who is thought to be responsible for the murder of 19 women in various European countries, may also be responsible for a number of unresolved murders that have occurred in Portugal, police revealed this week. Two of the suspect's possible victims were foreign women, shot in Portugal between 1995 and 1999, one of which a 29-year-old Colombian found dead with two shot wounds to the head in São Bartolomeu de Messines, Algarve. Volker E. was arrested in the German city of Cologne last November, by request of Spanish police. Most of his victims are said to have been prostitutes, allegedly shot by the suspect in countries including Germany, France and Spain. While there are, as yet, no ties between the suspect and the deaths in Portugal that occurred nearly a decade ago, police confirmed: "Other murders of the same nature are presently being investigated in other European countries". All of the crimes obey identical patterns and the driver is accused of killing, between 1974 and last year, at least three times in Barcelona (Spain), Planeim (Germany) and Saintes and Reims (France). In a parallel situation though coincidentally sharing the same name, another German national, resident in the Algarve until October 1998, is currently the target of a global arrest warrant after escaping from a prison in Lisbon where he was being held on behalf of a request from German authorities while awaiting extradition. Named as Norman Volker Franz, the 37-year-old resided in the Albufeira area of the Algarve where he had a partner and a child. He fled prison for the first time in 1997, escaping from the Hagen establishment, Germany. Presumed guilty of five murders and presently on the run, Franz is accused armed assaults in the German town of Wiemar, as well as three murders in Halle. During his stay in Portugal the suspect worked in real estate, using fake identities such as Carsten Múller e Michael Stuever. According to German criminologists, Franz came across as a calm and reserved person, but is in fact, "extremely dangerous and violent and kills innocent people to get rich". Reportedly, the German is usually armed, speaks English and Portuguese fluently and keeps close contact with people in Albufeira, Bogotá (Columbia), Florida (USA), Cape Town (South Africa), and Tangier (Morocco). German police have affirmed that "as yet no interesting trails have been found" to lead to the German's capture, though it is suspected he could still be discreetly working in Portugal in the Tourism trade. Edition: 905 ----------------------------- Wanted: FRANZ, Norman Volker Interpol Bundeskriminalamt Wiesbaden bka.de Up-to-date information We are still trying to establish the whereabouts of Norman FRANZ. For almost five years now, nothing has been heard from the wanted person. The police, however, continue to receive information as to his possible whereabouts. In spite of this, we have no firm leads. Norman FRANZ has personal contacts in the following countries: Portugal (Albufeira, Lisbon) Columbia (Bogota) USA (Florida) South Africa (Cape Town) Morocco (Tangier) Norman FRANZ tried to start a new life in Portugal. Information indicates that he last worked in the real-estate business (holiday property) and that Germans were amongst his customers. Before this he worked as an electrician at various tourist hotels in the Algarve, Portugal. He might once again be working in the tourist trade (in a large hotel or on a ship) and leading an inconspicuous life. Norman FRANZ speaks English and Portuguese. He is an electrician and has experience as an investment and real-estate consultant. He used to be athletic and very fit. While FRANZ gives the impression of being calm and reserved, he is, in fact, a thoroughly ruthless and brutal individual who has little respect for the life of others. He has killed innocent people (men with families) for his own personal gain. Norman FRANZ is extremely dangerous ! Who can provide information as to his whereabouts? Thank you for your assistance.

Was Madeleine abducted?, June 2011

Was Madeleine abducted? Town and Village Four years after she disappeared in Portugal, Madeleine McCann has not been found. Kate McCann has written her account of her daughter's disappearance and the aftermath By Enid O'Dowd June 2011 You're meeting seven neighbours, with eight children under four between you, in one of Ranelagh's many restaurants, only 120 metres or so from your homes which you can't see from the restaurant; what do you do about childcare? That was the 'almost' equivalent dilemma faced by Kate and Gerry McCann and their friends on their holiday in Praia da Luz in May 2007 – except they were not on their home patch as you were in Ranelagh. The group, which became known as the Tapas nine and six of whom were doctors, decided to make 30 minute checks. This system, Kate claims, had worked on previous evenings but when she checked at 10 pm on Thursday May 3rd, Madeleine was not there and, despite an international search involving the Portuguese and UK police and private detectives, she has still not been found. Last month Kate McCann published "Madeleine - our daughter's disappearance and the continuing search for her". In the foreword of the book she states that her "reason for writing the book is to give an account of the truth". Isn't that odd phraseology - surely there can only be one version of the truth? All kinds of tales have circulated about Madeleine's disappearance according to Kate, and indeed they have; the publication of this "truthful" book seems to have accelerated the internet debates on the discrepancies in the McCanns' story. The book is actually the story of Kate's life to date. It covers her childhood, her education, her meeting and marriage to Gerry McCann and the births of their three children. The McCanns needed a series of IVF treatments to become parents which makes it all the more odd that they would leave three children under four in an unlocked apartment on the ground floor in a foreign country. According to Kate, all three children were good sleepers. She did not want to use the evening crèche provided by the holiday company; understandable as her children had a routine and were in bed by the time the crèche opened at 7.30 pm. She argues on p. 54 that it would have been unwise to leave the children with someone neither they nor themselves knew. Yet her children were happy in the day childcare facilities and had come to know the staff who were available, at extra cost, to babysit for clients in the evening. She states "we felt so secure we simply didn't think it was necessary (to hire a babysitter) and our own apartment was only 30-45 seconds away". An astonishing statement. Surely security concerns are not the main reason parents organise babysitters? As a GP, she more than anyone, would appreciate that the risks of leaving children alone at night do not relate to "security" but to other factors, like vomiting and choking, waking up from a nightmare, wetting the bed, and febrile convulsions which affect one in twenty children under five. Kate does not mention a witness statement by Pamela Fenn who lived in the apartment above stating that she heard a child crying for 75 minutes on Tuesday May 1st calling for "daddy". This contradicts Kate's statement of 30 minute checks. The book cover proclaims that all royalties are donated to the Madeleine Fund. A company called Madeleine Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Ltd was incorporated on 15 May 2007. According to Kate, over the weekend of 11th, 12th and 13th May she and Gerry had meetings in Praia da Luz with a paralegal from the International Family Law Group and a barrister. The barrister told them "our behaviour (in leaving the children unattended) could not be deemed negligent" and was "well within the bounds of reasonable parenting". The legal pair suggested the McCanns use London solicitors Bates Wells and Braithwaite to set up a company to manage the funds that would be donated. On p.137 she records that this firm drew up articles of association for the fighting fund (limited com and talked to the Charity Commission who ruled that the proposed company did not meet the requirements for charity status as it focussed on one child and did not meet the public benefit test. Hence Kate says, the decision was that "it would be a 'not for profit' private limited company. It was set up with great care and due diligence by experts in the field". From the dates Kate gives, it would appear that Bates Wells and Braithwaite could not have had instructions to act until Monday May 14th, yet they were able to incorporate the company the very next day. A day is very little time for the solicitors to have drafted company documents for this proposed company which was not an ordinary trading company, to have agreed the documents with their clients the McCanns who were in Portugal and also to have obtained a ruling from the Charity Commission. And what was the hurry given that Madeleine could have been found at this early stage of the investigation? On p.138 Kate says "everyone agreed that despite the costs involved it (the company) must be run to the highest standards of transparency". To date, three sets of accounts have been filed with the UK Company's office. In the first set going to March 2008 an analysis of expenditure is given though this is not a statutory requirement under UK law. However the accounts filed for the years to March 2009 and to March 2010 give no expenditure analysis. Now this is perfectly legal but not the "transparency" to which Kate referred. In 2009 for example the only expenditure information filed gives the merchandising and campaign costs as £974,786 and the administration expenses as £30,865. Not very informative! When the McCanns were made arguidos (suspects) in September 2007 Kate refused on legal advice to answer the 48 questions put to her. This was her legal right but the refusal fuelled the doubts about her story. It is understandable why she might not want to answer questions in a foreign country with the possibility of mistranslations complicating her difficult situation but surely there is no reason now not to put the record straight by answering the questions in her book. She doesn't do so. British sniffer dogs Eddie and Keela and their handler Martin Grime were used by the Portuguese authorities. These dogs had a 100% accuracy rate in 200 cases and found both blood and cadaver (dead body) traces in various places in the holiday apartment and in the boot of the car rented after the disappearance. Kate says that research Gerry conducted after the Portuguese police showed them the video of the dogs' search revealed that dog evidence is unreliable. She quotes Gerry as dismissing the sniffer dog video as "the most subjective piece of evidence gathering imaginable". She claims that the dogs had merely been trying to please their instructor. If you read this book without having read the other material available which questions the abduction theory, you could not fail to have the greatest of sympathy for the McCanns. However, it is a statistical fact that in the majority of missing children cases, a family member, a neighbour or someone known to the child, is involved. The Portuguese police would have been negligent if they did not consider this possibility. They did not find any forensic evidence of an intruder in the apartment which had been to some extent contaminated by the Tapas group searching the apartment when Kate raised the alarm. Since the book was published last month, Scotland Yard has agreed to conduct a review. A reconstruction of that evening which the Tapas nine initially agreed to do but which never happened would help. Hopefully the review will be independent with the co-operation of all and with no possibilities excluded. The book costs €15.99 in local shops and is published by Bantamress. Relevant Websites www.madeleinefoundation.ie www.jillhavern.ie www.joana-morais.blogspot.com (includes Portuguese police files) www.findmadeleine.com www.mccannfiles.com www.truthformadeleine.com

"Madeleine" book released in Belgium and the Netherlands on June 20th, 19 June 2011

"Madeleine" book released in Belgium and the Netherlands on June 20th Destak 19 | 06 | 2011 17.02H After the launch in England on the 12th of May, and in Portugal on the 23rd of the same month, June 20th marks the launch of "Madeleine" in Belgium and the Netherlands. "There are several countries from which tourists who visit the Algarve originate and, as such, the edition of the book in Belgium and the Netherlands is of great importance. There will be someone, from some country, who will know something about the disappearance of Madeleine and who could help in the solving of this case," said Kate McCann. "And on the other hand, any amount that results from the sales of the book will be spent on the investigation and search for Madeleine. Nothing is more important to us than finding our girl." According to Gerry McCann: "We are hopeful that this book may help the investigation to find Madeleine in other ways, too. 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."

Exclusive: Interview with Madeleine McCann's Parents, 21 June 2011

Exclusive: Interview with Madeleine McCann's Parents Hart van Nederland Nederland, Internationaal Tuesday at 17:32 With thanks to Ines for translation [VIDEO in link above] Maddie's Parents talk to Hart van Nederland Kate McCann, the broken mother of little Madeleine, speaks exclusively to us about the disappearance of her daughter. Kate and her husband Gerry, after four years, have still no idea about where their daughter's whereabouts and they can not live with this. The police still do not have any idea about Madeleine's whereabouts, and even Kate and Gerry were made suspects at a given moment. Right now, the case is still, and this is something that Kate cannot bear. She wrote the book "Madeleine" about the drama, which is still continuing for her. In the early and late editions of Hart van Nederland you can hear her heartbreaking story.

Laura, five, steps out to support Madeleine's Fund, 23 June 2011

Laura, five, steps out to support Madeleine's Fund Wilmslow Express Charlotte Cox June 23, 2011 A little girl has been so touched by the story of missing Madeleine McCann that she's on a solo mission to help find her. It began when Laura Keay, five, saw her mum reading the book, Madeleine, Kate McCann's story of the family's ordeal after her three-year-old daughter disappeared on holiday in Portugal in 2007. Laura's mum Caroline Dumville, 45, said: "She saw the picture of Madeleine on the front and asked me what it was all about so I explained. "In the picture she's a similar age to Laura so it really hit home. "She was very upset. She immediately emptied her piggy-bank and asked me to send the money to help Madeleine." Then Laura, who lives with her mum and dad Andrew, 49, and sister Isla, three, on Grange Park Avenue, Wilmslow, wondered how she could raise more money. "I suggested she do a sponsored walk and try to find people to sponsor her," added Caroline, who runs Primrose Cottage Nursery in Moss Nook. "It's quite thoughtful for someone that age to be bothered. I suppose I relate too, because I have two young girls and if something like that happened it would be a nightmare." So Laura will walk, with her mum, around The Carrs on Sunday, June 26. Styal Primary School pupil Laura said: "I want to help Madeleine. "I want to find her. It's very sad but if I help they will pay for more policemen, because they're all giving up." All the money which Laura raises will be sent to the charity Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned, the only organisation still actively searching for the McCanns' daughter. Laura plans to write to Madeleine's parents when she sends her sponsorship money. To sponsor Laura call 07770 897678.

At last, sad Kate McCann can smile again, 24 June 2011

At last, sad Kate McCann can smile again Daily Express By Daily Express Reporter Friday June 24,2011 FOR once, grieving Kate McCann can find something to smile about. So often pictured as a sad, withdrawn figure, she and husband Gerry burst into laughter as they promoted her book about their lost daughter Madeleine. The couple were in Amsterdam to launch the Dutch edition of the book which they hope will help to boost the search for Madeleine across Europe. The heart-rending memoir has already topped the best-seller list in Britain and Australia, and hundreds of thousands of copies have flown off the shelves. A spokesman for publishers Transworld said: "We hope it will reach number one across Europe and that somebody with important information will read it and be moved to come forward." Copies have been snapped up in Portugal, where Madeleine, then three, went missing from a seaside resort on the Algarve during a family holiday in 2007. The McCanns, both 43, from Rothley, Leics, have been given a boost by the amount which the book has raised towards their fund to back the continuing search for their daughter. They say they have new hope that she will be found after Scotland Yard agreed to review the investigation into her disappearance.

Spreading word of Madeleine, 25 June 2011

Spreading word of Madeleine Leicester Mercury Saturday, June 25, 2011 A family is gearing up for a trip around Europe to remind people that Madeleine McCann is still missing. Simon and Michelle Garratt, of Coalville, will be handing out leaflets and posters during their journey, which will see them average 200 miles a day and spend four weeks in a camper van. Starting in France, they are taking their four children, Jake, 10, Niamh, eight, Freya, six, and Eden, three, on the trip. Simon revealed son Jake was the inspiration behind the idea. He said: "It's a mammoth task but we want to spread the word in the hope Madeleine is still out there. "My son told me he wouldn't like to go missing and then be forgotten, and he asked, 'why can't we do anything to help Madeleine?' which got me thinking. "We decided do something a bit challenging and different, and if people listen to us then we will have done a little bit." The determined family are planning to stop off at several holy places on the way and will light candles for Madeleine, who disappeared from her family's holiday flat in the Algarve in May, 2007. During their summer trip, they will be visiting France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Belgium. Michelle admitted she was both looking forward to and dreading nearly a month on the road. She said: "I'm really looking forward to getting around Europe and spreading the word. I'm not looking forward to the practical side of things – like entertaining the kids and the constant travelling. "The main aim is to go to pilgrimage places, but we might do a bit of sightseeing while we're out – the kids will certainly want to!" Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCann family, from Rothley, said: "Kate and Gerry are very pleased that this family are taking the time and effort to help raise awareness of Madeleine's plight. "It's marvellous to do and the McCanns will no doubt want to thank them in due course." The Garratt family are also looking to raise money for charity while completing the trip, and have set themselves a £5,000 target. They are splitting whatever they collect between the Teenage Cancer Trust and Rainbows children's hospice. Anyone interested in sponsoring them can visit their fund-raising page: www.justgiving.com/journeyforhopeeurope2011.

Dozens pose to help search for Madeleine, 27 June 2011

Dozens pose to help search for Madeleine Staffordshire Sentinel Monday, June 27, 2011 DOZENS of people had a collective photograph taken as part of a fund-raising effort to help in the search for missing Madeleine McCann. Julie Hancock arranged for 60 people to strike a pose, which, when viewed from above, spelt out Madeleine's name. In a second photograph, they recreated the girl's distinctive right eye. Three-year-old Madeleine, from Leicestershire, went missing while on holiday in Portugal in May 2007. Julie, aged 39, from Bagnall, believes she saw the child when she was on holiday in Spain, two weeks after she disappeared and ever since has been fund-raising for the search fund. Julie, mum to Matthew, aged 21, 17-year-old Lyrissa and Aiden, aged six, said: "The photograph was brilliant. We had people lying on the floor to cover the ground. We're really chuffed with the picture." The picture, and similar aerial shots, will be compiled into a calendar for 2012 and sold. Other photos have been taken at St Mary's Catholic Primary School, in Norton, and the working men's club in Baddeley Green. Julie said: "We need to raise £650 to cover costs, but I'm confident we can do it." ---------------- My Favourite Recipe: Julie Hancock This Is Staffordshire Saturday, February 20, 2010 Julie Hancock, aged 37, from Wallis Way, Milton, is the owner of the Jue L Control driving school and is involved with fund-raising for the Turning Stones For Madeline Campaign, a voluntary non profit making scheme helping to keep the search for Madeleine McCann in the public eye and raising funds to help with the search. (article continues with recipe) ---------------------- Turning Stones for Madeleine Facebook Description Madeleine McCann was abducted on the evening of Thursday, 3 May 2007, while on holiday with her parents and twin siblings in the Algarve region of Portugal. Madeleine was taken from her bed whilst she slept in their apartment, in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz, a few days before her fourth birthday, and has still not been found Turning stones for Madeleine is a group of people who are leaving no stone unturned in the search for Madeleine. We strongly believe she can and will be found. Our aim is to ensure Madeleine remains in the hearts and minds of people across the world. If you think you can be of any help, please email us. Any negative posts WILL be deleted from this group page. This group is for those people who believe Madeleine is alive and needs to be found. There are other groups for those who do not believe this. ---------------------- Turning stones for Madeleine MySpace 8:24 27 Nov 2009 Turning stones for Madeleine is a group of people who are leaving no stone unturned in the search for Madeleine. We strongly believe she can and will be found. Turning Stones for Madeleine has 2 friends. [as of 05 July 2011]