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Original Source:
MAIL: WEDNESDAY 09 MAY 2007 |
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9th
May 2007 |
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The night that Madeleine McCann was abducted was not the first time that her
parents had left her alone while on holiday, according to reports in Portugal.
The newspaper Correio da Manha says that the McCanns had left their children
alone before during their holiday in the Algarve - a routine that, while
normal at Praia da Luz, may have made it easy for her kidnapper to plan the
abduction.
"Police have reconstructed the holiday routines of the McCanns and have
come to the conclusion that the children were left alone on other
occasions," the newspaper says.
It reported that throughout the week the McCanns and their friends made a habit
of suppers by the pool while the children - Madeleine, her twin siblings, and
three other children - slept alone in the apartments. The night she was
abducted, Madeleine's parents had been checking on her roughly every half hour.
Statements to police from employees at the resort said that neither the McCanns
nor other parents had demonstrated any worry about leaving the children alone.
Employees also said this was normal behaviour at Praia da Luz.
The nightly routine, if observed by the kidnapper, would have made it easy to
plan the kidnapping.
Last night two "Cracker-style" criminal behaviour experts from Britain flew into the Algarve to join investigators.
An appeal for help in the search has also gone out over the world wide web,
with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre issuing a statement in
English, Portuguese, and Spanish. An e-poster with Madeleine's photo,
reportedly created by her aunt Philomena McCann, is also circulating on the
Internet.
A senior detective with experience of child abduction cases and a behavioural
expert on paedophiles flew out after Portuguese authorities accepted an offer
of help.
Portuguese detectives have no clear description of the suspect they are hunting
over the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann.
The desperate state of the investigation was underlined today as it emerged
that the e-fit had no facial features and lacked details of any sort.
Today one man who has been shown the portrait ridiculed its quality, describing
it as "nothing more than an egg with a side parting".
Simon Russell, 40, revealed that officers even admitted the e-fit was useless.
The experts were called in as police in the UK privately declared astonishment
at the "hopeless" Portuguese handling of the case.
The British ambassador to Portugal
has defended the police search for Madeleine, who went missing from an Algarve holiday
resort six days ago.
John Buck said he had been assured by the Portuguese authorities that
"everything possible" was being done to ensure the girl's safe
return.
His comments came after police said they had stepped up their efforts.
After visiting Madeleine's distraught parents Gerry and Kate, John Buck emerged
to say that the couple appreciated the Portuguese efforts and said specialists
from the two countries were working well together.
Mr Buck said: "This is, and must remain, a Portuguese police
investigation.
"As you know, the Portuguese police operate under Portuguese law, and
Portuguese law puts constraints on what they can say publicly and the
information they can release."
He added: "I, and I know Kate and Gerry, with whom I've just been speaking
for the past hour, are very grateful for their efforts."
He also revealed he had been in touch with Portuguese cabinet ministers and the
office of the Prime Minister.
Mr Buck, who has visited the couple repeatedly throughout their ordeal, said
after his latest visit: "I wanted to assure myself personally that the
necessary links between British and Portuguese experts here on the ground were
working well, and they are."
It is six days since Madeleine, from Rothley in Leicestershire, was snatched as
she slept in the family's Mark Warner holiday apartment in the Algarve resort
of Praia da Luz.
Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs McCann have been left "in the dark", about the
investigation, said a family friend. Jill Renwick said: "They know as much
as any of us know."
In the family’s home village of Rothley, near Leicester,
Madeleine’s great-uncle Brian Kennedy said: "The family are holding up
with difficulty. They are very frustrated with the lack of information."
Leicestershire Police has sent three liaison officers to help the McCanns, both
38, but it is understood that they too have been "banging their heads
against brick walls" with their Portuguese counterparts.
They have not expressed their frustrations publicly for reasons of diplomacy,
but a source said: "They have been putting questions on behalf of the
family but getting zero response."
The family released a new statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying: "We
are grateful to everyone searching for Madeleine. We are channeling our efforts
into the search for her and continue to remain positive."
The family did not single out the police for their efforts.
Police in the UK have
supplied detectives in the Algarve
with a list of known child abusers who have moved to the region or are known to
travel there.
Detectives in Leicestershire are also gathering statements from holidaymakers
who were at the Mark Warner resort in Praia da Luz around the time Madeleine
vanished and have now returned home.
Despite the McCanns’ frustration, Portuguese police have repeatedly hidden
behind a law which they say prevents them revealing any details and keeping
even the family, let alone the media, fully informed of any developments.
In fact, though the Penal Process Code does silence them while an investigation
is ongoing, there is a provision for the rule to be broken if the public is in
danger, or if media reports need to be corrected.
Portuguese legal experts say there are grounds for using either or both
exceptions to allow police fully to involve the press and public in the search.
Last night Portuguese police defended their operation, giving out details of
their searches and revealing that 350 people have now called with suspicious
sightings.
For the first time in five days, Chief Inspector Oligeario Sousa offered some
concrete information, disclosing that 500 apartments had been searched, as well
as ten miles of fields and rivers. He said 100 foreign nationals had been interviewed. |
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