Bebo

Madeleine McCann; Missing; OVER A YEAR!!! <SupportingMadeleine>

"MADELEINE MCCANN WENT MISSING ON THE 3RD OF MAY 2007 IN PORTUGAL WHEN SHE WAS ON HOLIDAY."

	Madeleine McCann - GET THE WHOLE STORY (08/04/2008 - 01/05/2008)	586 days ago
	Madeleine: Cops Question 'Key' Witness Martin Brunt Crime correspondent Updated:18:53, Thursday May 01, 2008 Police have re-interviewed a woman who may prove to be a key witness in the Madeleine McCann case. Madeleine has been missing for nearly a year She was quizzed by police in the UK and her new statements passed to Portuguese detectives. The young British woman, whose identity we are not revealing, saw a man "hovering" around the family's Algarve apartment on the morning of May 3, hours before Madeleine vanished. She was asked back for more questioning last week, according to Sky sources. The witness was sitting on a balcony overlooking the holiday complex in Praia da Luz when she spotted the man acting suspiciously. She thought little of his behaviour at the time and returned to the UK later that day. When she heard of Madeleine's disappearance she reported it to her local police force and was interviewed for the first time. She gave detectives a detailed description of the suspect and helped an artist compile a computer-generated image of him. It is not clear whether that image was ever released. The woman was among 60 or so names given by the Algarve detectives last month to Leicestershire police, who are conducting interviews on behalf of the Portuguese authorities. The woman was asked back for a second interview last week in a bid to identify any discrepancies or similarities in witness statements. The McCanns' friends, the so-called Tapas 7, were among those re-interviewed. - - - - - - 'Something Like This Could Destroy You' Updated:17:56, Thursday May 01, 2008 The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann have told Sky News that the disappearance of their daughter has "wreaked havoc" on their family. Two days before the first anniversary of the four-year-old's disappearance, Kate and Gerry McCann told Sky's Dermot Murnaghan that without support something like this "could destroy you". And they told how their "fantastic" twins Sean and Amelie were helping them through the tough times. "You often wonder where we would be if it wasn't for them," Mrs McCann said. Madeleine went missing on May 3 last year, while the family was on holiday in Portugal. The couple say they are now desperate for new leads in the case and they will leave no stone unturned in searching for their little girl. "We need that key piece of information and we believe it is out there," Mrs McCann said. "You cannot give up. Madeleine deserves that. There is no evidence she has come to any harm." The cases of Elisabeth Fritzl and Natasha Kampusch in Austria have also given them hope that Madeleine could be alive - and they can even imagine her growing up in a different place, surrounded by different people, and simply adjusting to her new situation. But they refuse to give up their hunt, injecting new energy into the campaign with a fresh hotline number and a plan to change tactics in their dealings with the media, adding that the past year's coverage is simply "unsustainable". "It led to a lot of rumour, myth and innuendo," Mr McCann said. "What we want is responsible reporting." Madeleine's case sparked an international media storm after she vanished from the family's holiday villa in Praia da Luz. There has been talk of a possible reconstruction of the events leading up to Madeleine's disappearance - but although the McCanns are not ruling out a return to Portugal, they said they are worried about how helpful it would be for the police investigation, given the immense media interest. "How can you do a reconstruction with what will be undoubtedly be a media event?" Mr McCann asked. "It is under discussion. It is back to what additional information will help the search." The McCanns are still considered suspects - or 'aguidos' - by police in Portugal, and will remain so until someone is charged in connection with the case. Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt, speaking after the couple appeared on Sky, said there would now be pressure on the McCanns to take part in any reconstruction. "There will be a big hole in it, if the couple are not in it (the reconstruction)," he said. "People hostile towards them will use it to criticise them, suggesting that they are not helping the police. "I believe they are in a difficult situation. It will cause a problem if they do not go." Speaking to Murnaghan, the McCanns answered several questions sent in by Sky News viewers. And both Kate and Gerry became visibly agitated when asked to explain why they left their children alone in a holiday apartment while they went out for dinner with friends. Slapping her leg and pointing out that she felt the subject was "going over old ground", Mrs McCann said: "I felt it was incredibly safe. "I would never have taken a risk. It was something that was not even a decision - that is how safe it felt." Mr McCann added: "If we thought it was not safe for one moment, if there was any conscious element that somebody was going to go into the apartment and steal your child - of course we would not have done that." :: The new hotline number for anyone with information on where Madeleine might be is 0845 838 4699. - - - - - - May 1,2008 We Won't Give Up On Her - McCanns The parents of Madeleine McCann have told Sky News they are desperate for new leads in the case. Speaking to Dermot Murnaghan, Kate and Gerry McCann describe how they will leave no stone unturned to find her, one year since she disappeared in Portugal. - - - - - - Madeleine: 'My Theories On Missing Girl' Mark Williams-Thomas Child protection expert Updated:13:35, Thursday May 01, 2008 As a criminologist, former detective and authority on paedophile crimes, I have followed the Madeleine McCann case from the very beginning. What happened to Madeleine? What happened to her on that fateful night in May 2007? Where is she now, is she alive or dead? Was she murdered in her parent's apartment, and if so by whom? Was she abducted from where she slept in between her brother and sister who remained asleep throughout? Or did she wander out of the apartment looking for her parents and become the victim of an opportunistic predatory paedophile, who either used her for his own sexual gratification or smuggled her out of the country? With apparent sightings in Morocco, Spain, France and the Netherlands you could easily believe the latter. The most sinister of all these questions was whether Gerry and Kate McCann were involved with the disappearance of their own daughter. In order to establish answers it is necessary to examine the police investigation. The detailed examination of a scene plays a crucial part in any major investigation and after a critical incident like this, all police officers know it is vital to preserve the crime scene, build the foundations, complete forensics and identify possible witnesses immediately. But I saw no evidence of this being done and it was without any doubt, the worst-preserved crime scene I have ever witnessed. This investigation is like no other I have seen before or will hopefully ever see again. For the past year the Portuguese police have had two lines of inquiry: the first, that Gerry and Kate were involved in Madeleine's disappearance and the second, that a stranger abducted her. However, they have focused steadfastly on their first line of enquiry. The public prosecutor's office in the Algarve believes police should keep looking for evidence against the McCanns even though doubt is being raised from other quarters, with officials in the Portuguese government asking for their arguido status to be lifted. The investigation is all but closed and recent interviews with the 'Tapas Seven' revealed no new leads or discrepancies but did allow the police to establish the exact movements of Gerry and Kate both on the evening Madeleine disappeared and on the previous evening. The next major development will be if Portuguese police manage to stage a reconstruction so they can examine the behaviour of all parties concerned - but this would put Gerry and Kate back under Portuguese jurisdiction. It is quite correct for the police to consider the parents as suspects but what evidence do they have against them? The time line is crucial. The last time Madeleine was seen by anyone independently was around 6.30pm with the alarm raised at 10pm, thus establishing a window of opportunity of approximately three-and-a-half hours. However, both Gerry and Kate were with their friends in the tapas bar from approximately 8.30pm, only ever being away from the table for short periods of time. So one or more of the parents did have the opportunity - but what would be the motive? Could it have been an accident or a deliberate act? I don't believe for one minute it would have been deliberate so therefore could she have suffered an accident, causing the parents to panic? At this point they could easily have explained away an accident. But, if the theory is to be believed, they would have had to cold-bloodedly dispose of her body and then return to have dinner with their friends. It is possible as most murdered children are killed by a relative or someone they know. The police are working on this premise although in this particular case this is where the theory falls down. The police believe they hid Madeleine's body and didn't return to the location until five weeks later where - under the watchful glare of the world's media - they placed her by now decomposed body into the rear of their Renault Megane hire car before completely disposing of it. The police have come to this conclusion because they have found partial DNA in the boot of the hire car, which I believe has either come from transfer when they moved Madeleine's clothes and belongings or even from those of her brother or sister. While trafficking of children is a far greater problem than is acknowledged, Madeleine does not fit the profile. Girls are trafficked for two reasons: into the sex trade as prostitutes or for domestic slavery, both with financial gain to the seller and purchaser. Who was to gain from her trafficking? I believe the so-called sightings in other countries, although genuinely intended, are a distraction and prove to be of little value after the initial two weeks. Who is going to openly walk out with the most wanted child in the world? I believe what happened on May 3 was that Madeleine woke up, cried for a short while, realised her parents weren't in the apartment as they had not come in to settle her, so she climbed out of bed and walked around the apartment. She found the back patio door was insecure and partly open so she walked out, went down the small flight of steps and out of the gate, turning right down towards the entrance to the resort and the Tapas bar. It was at this point that she was most likely abducted by an opportunistic predatory paedophile. Interestingly the police dogs first tracked a scent down this exact route. Unfortunately, although it is within range of the supermarket CCTV it was not working. I don't believe a paedophile was watching the apartment nor do I believe an offender entered the apartment - this would be too high-risk. I accept that statistically the abduction of a child is very rare, with approximately six children abducted every year in the UK, but if we look at the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne we can see how my theory stands up. On July 1, 2000, Sarah was playing a game of hide and seek in a cornfield with her sister and two brothers, received a knock on the head and decided to walk back to her grandparents' home. She walked through a gap in the hedge with her brothers' only seconds behind - but by the time they reached the lane, Sarah had disappeared. One of the brothers saw a white van coming down the road towards him, its wheels spinning. The driver seemed in a hurry to get away. Unknown to them, the man behind the wheel had just abducted Sarah. She was taken in a matter of seconds. This is why I believe even with such a small window of opportunity - the distance between the back entrance to the apartment and the 40 yard walk to the Tapas bar - that Madeleine became the victim of an opportunist and predatory paedophile who either lived in or had direct contacts with Praia da Luz. This is not a resort that you would just happen upon. - - - - - - 'The Strain Could Destroy People' Updated:13:13, Thursday May 01, 2008 The parents of missing Madeleine McCann say their ordeal has "wreaked havoc" within their family - and that the strain could "destroy" people. Kate and Gerry, who remain formal suspects in the case, spoke to Dermot Murnaghan. Here is a summary of their comments: Gerry - We have had tremendous support - from friends, family and the public - but there's no doubt something like this could destroy you. It has wreaked havoc within our family. Kate - Our other children are fantastic - we wonder where we would be today without them. They're very happy, well adjusted, they have a normal life, they're fantastic. Kate - Must not lose sight that a crime has been committed. The person's still out there and Madeleine's still missing. Gerry - With hindsight, with the abduction, it's seen in a very different light now. The worse thing about going over and over and over this is we can't change this. Kate - (On Madeleine asking 'where were you when I cried last night' on the day of her disappearance). She asked it and then moved on. It was a passing remark, we thought she doesn't usually wake up and that she must have fallen back asleep. Wouldn't have thought of the comment again without abduction. Gerry - No reason to think there was any danger. Making regular checks, dining nearby. We would never have left her if there was. Kate - Answered this so many times but I felt it was incredibly safe (to leave her alone). I cannot love Madeleine more than I love her, would never have taken a risk. Gerry - You remain arguido (suspect), which is similar to being interviewed under caution in UK, until someone is charged or file no longer under judicial secrecy. Normal situation in Portugal. We want to know what's been done, what hasn't, who has been eliminated from investigation and why. We need to know. Gerry - Reconstruction in Portugal under discussion. What additional information to help the search for Madeleine would be gained by it? Gerry - We want responsible reporting. There's too much rumour, myth and innuendo. Kate - No text book on what to do when child gets taken. Would have liked to stay out of media but we have to do this. You don't see the bad side of what can come and all the horrible press. Gerry: She could easily have been moved out of Portugal. Amber Alert system saves lives. Gerry: Number of children have been recovered when people have given up. Can't give up until know who took her and why. Kate - Nothing to say Madeleine not out there. Many children found years down the line - we cannot give up, Madeleine deserves that. Madeleine needs us to find her. Gerry - For us to rest we need to know, to make sure everything's being done. Want to ask people to call in on new hotline number with any information. Desperate for leads, we cannot give up. Kate - Only one reason why we're in the media and that's to appeal for information. A year on but she's still missing. - - - - - - 'Why Didn't We Take The Kids That Night?' Alex Watts Praia Da Luz Updated:12:08, Thursday May 01, 2008 Kate McCann has revealed that it was a last minute change of plan which meant she and her husband left their children in their apartment on the night Madeleine disappeared. She and Gerry had initially planned to take Madeleine and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie to the Millennium Restaurant, around half-a-mile from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, southern Portugal. But because the children were tired they changed their minds at the last minute and decided to feed them at the flat and dine instead with friends at the tapas bar- a far closer restaurant in the Mark Warner complex. Kate, 40, told a TV documentary of her anguish and heart-break over the change of plan. She said: "We were all going up to the Millennium again, with the kids, which is what we did on the first night. "But the Millennium was a good walk away and we didn't have a buggy with us. "It didn't open till half-six and our kids usually go to bed around seven, so they were really tired and they were walking. Praia Da Luz Is Quieter One Year On "So we ended up trying to carry three of them between two and we decided we couldn't do that again. It wouldn't have been good for anybody." She told ITV1 programme Madeleine, One Year On: Campaign For Change that although she wanted to stay strong, when she returned home to Rothley, Leicestershire, without her daughter, she fell apart. She said: "I didn't cook a meal, just couldn't do it. How can I hang up washing when my daughter's not here?" Kate also spoke of her disgust as their statements to Portuguese police were leaked on the day they went to Brussels to campaign for a Europe-wide missing child alert system. The leak was that on the morning of the day Madeleine vanished, she asked her mother: "Mummy, why didn't you come when we were crying last night?" She added: "I've persecuted myself over and over again about that statement because you think 'Why didn't I just hold her and say what do you mean?' Why didn't I say 'Why did you cry?' And why didn't we go to the Millennium?" - - - - - - Live Interview With The McCanns On Sky Updated:09:20, Thursday May 01, 2008 The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann are to be interviewed live on Sky News two days before the first anniversary of the four-year-old's disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann will be interviewed by Sky's Dermot Murnaghan at 12 noon today. The broadcast comes as the couple admit they are still tormented by their daughter's disappearance while on a family holiday in Portugal on May 3 last year. Now for the first time, Sky News viewers and online readers will be able to put their questions and comments direct to the McCanns. The plight of Madeleine sparked a media storm around the world after she vanished from a holiday villa in Praia da Luz as her parents dined with friends at a tapas bar nearby. Many people were furious that Madeleine had been left asleep in bed with her younger brother and sister, twins Sean and Amelie. But some parents sided with the McCanns, saying they had done what countless other holiday families had done. "I think if there'd even been one second when someone had said 'Do you think it's going to be ok?', it wouldn't have happened," Kate McCann revealed in a new interview to mark this weekend's first anniversary. "I mean there's absolutely no way, if I'd had the slightest inkling that there was a risk involved there, that I'd have done it." Kate and Gerry McCann are still official suspects in the case, as is Robert Murat - the British ex-pat named an 'arguido' on May 14 last year. And in a separate interview with Hello! Magazine, Kate McCann said she tries not to look too far into the future. "It's best to take one day at a time," she said. "I have my bad days but at the same time, I find myself wanting to know what happened. It is the not knowing that is particularly difficult." - - - - - - 'I Refused To Be Railroaded By Cops' Updated:14:31, Wednesday April 30, 2008 Kate McCann has told how she refused to be "railroaded" by Portuguese police when they first accused her of being involved in Madeleine's disappearance. Kate breaks down in tears Speaking a year after her daughter disappeared, aged three, she said in a TV documentary that she reacted angrily as detectives declared her and husband Gerry "arguidos" - formal suspects - in the case. The McCanns are banned by Portuguese judicial secrecy laws from speaking about what happened inside the police station. But she came close to openly addressing claims that police tried to press her to say she accidentally killed Madeleine to face a reduced sentence. She told ITV: "There was no way I was going to be railroaded into something. "It felt like you're in the middle of a horror movie really, a nightmare." Thinking back to the realisation they might be implicated, Mrs McCann said: "It just hit home - 'they haven't been looking for Madeleine'. "I just felt yet again my daughter's had such disservice... I just thought she deserves so much better than that, and I thought I'm not going to sit here and allow this." She went on: "When I was going in to become arguido, because I felt angry, I felt strong. "I wasn't scared. I felt like I was going to fight the world to be honest. My daughter was worth more than all that and I would do whatever it took to fight for justice and truth." Mr McCann tells of his fears he and his wife could even be charged - and all that would mean for the family. "The speculation takes you to the worst places," he said. "And at that point you know the worst place would have been being charged, potentially being put in jail, certainly being detained to face charges that could have taken, I don't know, years to materialise - being separated from Sean and Amelie. "These sort of things were going through your mind and you're... because it's a system that you're unfamiliar with, you don't know what could happen." - - - - - - - Madeleine Resort Hit By Fall In Trade Alex Watts In Praia da Luz Updated:20:18, Tuesday April 29, 2008 Tourist numbers have slumped in Praia da Luz this year following the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Praia da Luz resort is quiet Almost a year after the girl went missing, the beach is nearly empty, the bars and restaurants are quiet, and the shop owners seem to be scratching around for business. Traders estimate that visitors to the Algarve coastal resort in southern Portugal are down at least 10% - some say the figure is much higher. Holidaymaker Rosalind Jones, 32, from Guildford, Surrey, believes the town is tainted by the Madeleine case and is worried about the safety of her child. The mother-of-one told Sky News Online: "We wanted to come away for a nice villa holiday and wanted a nice town in the Algarve - because we've been to Portugal before. "But I didn't realise it would be Praia da Luz! And I'm sure they didn't mention it in the advert. I only found out about a week ago. "When I realised I wasn't very happy - I wouldn't have come here if I'd known, especially with my eight-month-old daughter." Officials from the Algarve's tourist board say visitor numbers are down in the whole region by about 12% but say it is not because of Madeleine but the pound's fall in value against the euro. But that should not affect Portugal too badly because it is much cheaper than some other holiday destinations in the euro zone - and spending money goes much further. Also a lot of Britons have property in the country and come back year after year. Most people in Praia da Luz are reluctant to talk about the Madeleine case but when they do, they admit it has had a bad effect on trade in the town. Manuel Ferreira: 'It's a mystery' Manuel Ferreira, 34, a decorator who works in Luz, said: "It's quieter this year. There are less people than before. Someone has to say something - the problem is with the missing girl - it's a mystery. "People are a little bit scared for their children, for everybody. I have two young children, and I have to be careful - I look after them. "The tourists don't come back because of the missing girl - they think Praia da Luz is not safe for the children. The beach is usually busy, but now there are few people." Anne Santley, a cleaner at The Bull pub, said: "It's a bit quieter definitely. There seems to be the people who come out on a regular basis still coming though." But Sean Tipton, a spokesman for UK travel organisation Abta, said: "The tour operators I have spoken to have said that numbers travelling to the resort are about the same as last year and have not gone down. "You can't ignore something as upsetting as the McCann case, but do people see Portugal as an unsafe country? No, they do not." - - - - - - Madeleine Suspect Fears Case 'A Mystery' Alex Watts Sky News Online Praia da Luz Updated:15:41, Tuesday April 29, 2008 The first suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann says he hopes the case is solved soon so his name can be cleared. First suspect: Robert Murat But Robert Murat fears the little girl's fate will remain a mystery. While the one-year anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance approaches, it is a date 11 days later that will stick in Mr Murat's mind. His lawyer Francisco Pagarete has told Sky News Online: "It's almost a year since all this started for him... Robert's anniversary is on May 14." That will be the day Mr Murat says his life was ruined - when police named him as the first suspect in the case. Speaking to locals and ex-pats in Praia da Luz, the name that never comes up is Murat. The Luz folk believe he was just unlucky to be caught up in one of the most overwhelming news storms that ever hit a sleepy town. Mr Pagarete says his client does not know what happened to Madeleine - plus, it is a police matter. "The only thing we can do is help them (with their inquiries) and that we have already done," the lawyer said. But he adds that they have had no contact with police for weeks. "We were with them last month, when I went with Robert to the police station for the things they took from the house," he said. It is the same for the McCanns - who say they do not even know if police are still looking for Madeleine. When quizzed on when Mr Murat would be cleared, Mr Pagarete says: "I can't answer that." But there is talk that it could be in the next few weeks. The lawyer responds with a laugh: "Then that's great news. "I hope so, but the timetables are not with me, they're with the Portuguese authorities," he adds. With the maelstrom of facts, lies and conjecture, Mr Pagarete said his client was coping better with the trauma of suspicion. "I can tell you he's much better for the last four months than he was in the beginning," his lawyer said. "It was very stressful for him and his family and friends - and things seem to be going well for him now." - - - - - - Has Madeleine 'Abductor' Struck Again? Alex Watts Sky News Online Praia da Luz Updated:12:53, Monday April 28, 2008 Portuguese detectives are investigating the attempted abduction of a Dutch girl by a man who matches the description of a suspect in the Madeleine McCann case. The 15-year-old was walking home from a supermarket in the tiny fishing village of Senhora da Rocha when she was followed by a man in a black Jeep with tinted windows. After a couple of minutes, he pulled up in front of her and opened the driver's door so she could not get past. He then tried to entice her into the vehicle, and when she tried to escape, he grabbed her and tried to pull her in. The girl managed to fight him off, with the attacker driving off when a car approached from the opposite direction. She described the man as about 40-years-old, with long hair in a pony tail and with gold rings on his fingers. This matches the description of the man Kate and Gerry McCann believe snatched their daughter, 30 miles away in the coastal resort of Praia da Luz. He was between 35 and 40-years-old and had long, straggly hair, according to witnesses who saw a man acting suspiciously near the holiday apartment where Madeleine vanished almost a year ago. The four-year-old disappeared from her parents' holiday apartment on May 3 and police were given a description of the man later that month. An FBI-trained artist produced sketches using information from holidaymaker Gail Cooper, who was staying 600 yards away at the time. Search for Madeleine goes on The father of the Dutch girl - who does not want to be named - told Sky News Online: "I am lucky she is a strong girl and managed to break free and get away from the man. "She was walking back from the supermarket as she does on an almost daily basis, at around 6pm, when it happened. "The man in the black Jeep followed her and then stopped a few metres in front of her and tried to get her in the car. "He had his trousers down, and was talking to her. He then grabbed her but my daughter fought him. "Another car arrived and he drove off. I don't know what brand of Jeep he had but my daughter said it had a yellow foreign number plate. "The police are investigating it, and have taken down all the details. "I have heard there was a similar incident in the area, near a primary school." The girl has given officers a detailed description of the attacker, which has been circulated to other police authorities in Portugal. The incident on March 11 was originally being dealt with by the local Lagoa GNR police force but this week was passed to specialist officers in Portimao - the same force investigating Madeleine's disappearance. Portuguese police refused to comment on the case when contacted by Sky News Online or whether they are linking it to Madeleine's disappearance. Villagers are wary of discussing the case over fears it may put off tourists from coming to the area. But some said there was a similar incident recently, involving a young girl on a bus home from school in nearby Armação de Pêra. She told her mother a car pulled up alongside the bus near Alcantarilha and the driver had his trousers down and was exposing himself to her. - - - - - - McCanns: Madeleine 'Is Still Out There' Updated:15:47, Sunday April 27, 2008 The parents of Madeleine McCann have again said they believe she is still alive almost a year after she went missing. McCanns still holding out hope The youngster's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, told a television documentary that they felt more confident about their daughter being found alive after a trip to the US. At the end of last month the McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, visited America to see how the country's Amber Alert system was used to track down missing children. Mr McCann told the documentary: "We've spoken to a lot of people who said this is a country (America) that has more than two stereotypical kidnappings per week and of those only 40% to 50% end up being found dead and, most importantly of all, the younger the child, the less likelihood of serious harm. "And these are people experienced in investigations saying 'I really believe she's out there', and I think, yes, there was a first time where I've thought, I really believe it." Mr and Mrs McCann are still searching for Madeleine, who was three years old when she disappeared from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 last year. During their visit to the US, the couple were filmed meeting Ed Smart, whose daughter Elizabeth was missing for nine months before being found alive and well. Mr Smart campaigned to keep his daughter's case in the media until she was recognised in the street. Madeleine missing since May 2007 At the end of the trip, Mrs McCann said: "I feel more positive about the chances of Madeleine being out there and I feel more positive about the likelihood of being able to implement an Amber Alert system within Europe." But while the couple have not given up hope of finding Madeleine, Mrs McCann said that some days remained "desperate". In a conversation with Mr Smart filmed for the documentary, she said: "We're okay. Some good days and some desperate days still." Mr McCann added: "We're bearing up really, still working away behind-the-scenes and keep plugging away and keep hoping for a breakthrough really." :: Madeleine, One Year On: Campaign for Change, is to be broadcast on Wednesday at 8pm on ITV1. - - - - - - Are Police Still Looking For Madeleine? Updated:09:40, Friday April 25, 2008 Gerry McCann says he has so little contact with Portuguese detectives he cannot be sure if they are still looking for his daughter. He said he and his wife Kate have not been receiving any information on the progress of the Madeleine investigation and have been given no explanation as to why police files are still being kept secret. Rachael Oldfield, one of the couple's close friends and a key witness in the case, described the situation as "astounding". Interviewed for a documentary, Mrs Oldfield said the couple have had no direct contact with Portuguese detective Paulo Rebelo, the man heading the inquiry. And she accused the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) of "outrageous" leaking and "double standards" over Portugal's strict secrecy laws. Kate and Gerry McCann were declared "arguidos" - formal suspects - in the case in September although they deny any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. Their status makes any contact with the police far less likely but they have received no information on whether it is to be lifted. "I think it's safe to say we're getting very little information," Mr McCann told the programme. "We haven't had any communication in terms of what's been done in the investigation." "We would like to know what is being done to find Madeleine. "We'd like know who has been eliminated from the inquiry and on what grounds and what leads are still being followed. "We've always said we want to leave no stone unturned and to do that we need to know which stones have already been overturned." Mr McCann said he believed his daughter was still "probably alive" and he had seen "absolutely zero" evidence to suggest otherwise. Madeleine vanished in May last year He said hindsight showed he and his wife "made a mistake" in leaving the children alone, but he dismissed suggestions the couple could face charges of child negligence. On the same programme, Mrs Oldfield made a staunch defence of the couple against any suggestion they might have been involved in their daughter's disappearance. She said: "I was there on the night - it was agonising. There was just no way that they were involved in anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance. "Anyone with an ounce of common sense really would be able to see that they couldn't have done it." British expat Robert Murat was the first official arguido in the case. His sister, Samantha, told the programme it was time he was officially cleared of involvement. She said: "No matter what he does in his life now everyone is going to associate him as the suspect in the Madeleine McCann case. "It's been a year now and our family have gone through hell, not to mention what Robert's had to go through on his own." - - - - - - Secret McCanns Files May Be Released Updated:14:40, Monday April 14, 2008 Portuguese police and prosecutors are set to discuss their interviews with friends of Madeleine McCann's parents - which could lead to confidential files being made public. The officials will be debating the future direction of the probe into her disappearance from Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3 last year. One of Kate and Gerry McCann's lawyers said earlier this month that police files could be made public today. But the couple's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, played down this possibility and predicted that the official secrecy period would be extended until the summer. Mr and Mrs McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, remain "arguidos" - or formal suspects - in the case but have not been charged and deny all wrongdoing. Paulo Rebelo, the detective leading the inquiry, flew back to Portugal earlier than expected on Friday. He and his team spent last week in Leicestershire sitting in on fresh interviews with the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared. Mr Rebelo will meet the public prosecutor in the case, Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses, in the Algarve town of Portimao today, Mr Mitchell said. The McCanns' spokesman added: "Rebelo will report back on the interviews that took place last week, and they will then decide on whether the police need more time. Madeleine is still missing "I assume that will come out in the next day or so. "We are hoping that they will do the decent thing, realising that the friends told essentially the same story they told last summer, and eliminate Kate and Gerry from the case." But Mr Mitchell said he believed there was only the "slimmest of slim chances" that this would happen today. "(Today) is technically possible for the lifting of judicial secrecy, but it's unlikely. We think it will run through to the summer," he said. Portuguese law normally provides for an eight-month term during which documents remain secret, and official suspects, police and lawyers are banned from discussing the case in public. - - - - - - Fury Over Madeleine Crying 'Smear' Updated:12:35, Friday April 11, 2008 Kate and Gerry McCann have hit back after the leak of a police interview revealed that their daughter Madeleine had asked why she had been left to cry in the night. Madeleine's question puzzled couple The interview transcript was obtained by Spanish television journalist Nacho Abad, who claimed he could not reveal his source. But Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said the statement would have come from within the Portuguese police and launched a blistering attack on their attempts to "smear" the McCanns. "It is a shameless, brazen and very cack-handed," he told Sky News. "The Portuguese government must now get a grip on whatever element it is within the Portuguese police that is responsible for these leaks and smears." "They have continued since last summer and when the officer in charge of the inquiry, the man brought in to sort it out, is visiting here, off they go again. "We know what they're up to, it is ridiculous and must stop," he said. Mr Mitchell added that the release of the confidential police documents was a "blatant and timed smear campaign", designed to coincide with the McCanns' efforts to promote a child alert system in Brussels. But journalist Nacho Abad denied that he had been party to any deliberate timing over the release of the statements, telling Sky News: "I made them public when I got them." The transcripts show Mrs McCann told police about a conversation she had with Madeleine on the morning she vanished. "While we were having breakfast, Madeleine said: 'Mum, why didn't you come when we were crying last night?'," she said. She added: "Gerry and I talked about it for several minutes and decided to watch over the children more carefully at night." Friends of the McCanns said the couple had been "puzzled" by Madeleine's remark as she had not apparently been crying when they called in for regular 20-minute checks from the restaurant across the pool where they dined each night during their holiday. They said one of the McCanns' friends, Rachael Oldfield, had been in the adjoining flat - on the other side of Madeleine's wall - all evening and heard no crying. The couple also insist Madeleine was not speaking angrily and they did not take it as a reproach. Her reference to "we" is understood to have referred to Madeleine and her younger brother Sean. Friends said they now believe the comment could even be a clue that an intruder was in the flat on the night of May 2 and briefly disturbed Madeleine and Sean before fleeing. The leaked excerpts also reveal that two days before Madeleine's disappearance two workers repaired the Persian blinds of the room where the children slept. On the night Madeleine went missing, Mr McCann said he returned to the apartment by his usual route after his wife raised the alarm. "I looked everywhere, I returned to the children's room and started to think about what could have happened," he said. "To my surprise, I realised that I could lift up the Persian blind without effort and almost without any noise." Mr McCann also reported that the angle of the door had changed earlier on in the evening when he had checked on his children - who were all sleeping. Reporting from the McCanns' home town of Rothley in Leicestershire, Sky correspondent David Crabtree said the McCanns were upset that the transcript leak had caused diversion in their campaign. "They still believe that Madeleine is alive and out there somewhere, and that is what they want to focus on," he said. "They want a full inquiry to be undertaken, not only within the Portuguese police and the judicial system but also by Leicestershire police who have been helping the Portuguese officers." - - - - - - McCanns Call For Child Alert System Updated:13:44, Thursday April 10, 2008 The parents of Madeleine McCann have urged European leaders to implement a missing child alert system throughout the continent - saying it may have helped find their daughter. Amber Alert would see information on abductions - including details of the child and any suspected offender - released to the media within minutes. Details would also be sent to customs, transport and law enforcement agencies. Kate McCann said, if the system had been in place last May when Madeleine disappeared, the chances of her being found "would have been higher". Her husband Gerry said it would also take the onus off parents having to raise the profile of a disappearance at a time when they are traumatised. The McCanns say a Europe-wide scheme is essential because offenders can rapidly cross borders and the quick release of information is essential to stop abductors getting away. They are also frustrated that only four European countries have signed up for a continent-wide missing child hotline. Belgium, Denmark, Greece and Portugal has adopted the facility, whose number is 116 000, which was set up by the European Commission. A charity has applied to run it in Britain. The McCanns gave a presentation to MEPs at the European Parliament in Brussels, providing them with details about how Amber Alert works and the case for introducing it in Europe. Madeleine went missing from the McCann's holiday apartment in the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz, on May 3 last year. Her parents say they will not return to the Algarve to mark the anniversary, which they say will be private. This week, Portuguese police asked them to take part in a reconstruction of the events. The McCanns recently visited the US to see Amber Alert in operation. Police also have the power to commandeer airwaves and television channels in different states if they believe a child has been abducted. The system also allows news alerts, often including the registration number of a suspect's vehicle, to be flashed up on digital signs on main roads. In the US, nearly 400 children have been found through the scheme while a similar system in France has been used five times with a successful outcome in each. - - - - - - McCanns To Argue For Child Alert System Updated:18:31, Wednesday April 09, 2008 The parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann are helping to set up a dedicated information hotline for vanished children that will be available across Europe. McCanns head to Brussels Kate and Gerry McCann are visiting Brussels as part of the campaign to bring in a dedicated alert system for abducted children. The phone number - 116 000 - will work from phones across the continent. Kate, 40, and Gerry, 39, from Rothley, Leics, recently visited America to see the "Amber" alert system. This allows police to commandeer the airwaves and television channels in different states if they believe a child has been abducted. The system also allows news alerts, often including the registration number of a suspect's vehicle, to be flashed up on digital signs on main roads. Tomorrow the couple will give a presentation to MEPs at the European Parliament in Brussels, providing them with details about how the system works and the case for introducing it in Europe. The couple say such a system could have helped find their daughter Madeleine in the crucial hours after she went missing from their apartment in the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on May 3 last year. The move has received cross-party support in the European Parliament and is being sponsored by five MEPs. Madeleine: missing since last May Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, said: "For Kate and Gerry this is an important opportunity to ensure better co-ordination in Europe when a child goes missing to make sure that no other family goes through the anguish that they are continuing to endure. "They hope to get the support of a majority of the Parliament's MEPs and with such a moral authority they hope that the European Commission will ensure that such a system comes in to being." For the proposal to be brought forward, it would have to be signed by a majority of the 785 MEPs within three months. This week Portuguese police asked the couple to return to Praia da Luz to take part in a reconstruction of the events of May 3. - - - - - - Police Begin Interviews With 'Tapas Seven' David Crabtree Sky News Midlands correspondent Updated:12:37, Tuesday April 08, 2008 Police have begun interviewing friends of Kate and Gerry McCann about their daughter's disappearance. Madeleine disappeared last May Members of the so-called Tapas Seven are being quizzed by Leicestershire Police with three Portuguese detectives sitting in on the interviews at the force headquarters in Enderby. Jane Tanner is understood to be the first to be quizzed about the night Madeleine vanished on May 3 last year. She says she saw a man walking away from the McCanns' apartment in Praia da Luz carrying a child. Her partner Russell O'Brien is also being interviewed by British officers today. They will be looking for any inconsistencies in evidence given by the group, Sky News understands. The McCann's spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "The friends are quite bullish. They want to get on with these interviews. "We understand the police have concerns about the time-line. There may be some concern that some of the time-lines don't tally but all the discrepancies are explicable." He added: "Kate and Gerry hope that the police will come away from these interviews realising that there is nothing suspicious and that any discrepancies can be explained as wholly innocent. "Kate and Gerry can then be eliminated from the inquiry and then their arguido status can be lifted." The men and women will be interviewed as witnesses, no lawyers will be present and they are free to leave at any time. The McCanns, from Rothley, who remain formal suspects, will not be quizzed. The seven were dining with the McCanns at a tapas bar when Madeleine - who had been left in the family's nearby holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal - disappeared. Mr Mitchell said: "On that night these seven people didn't have mobiles or watches. "During the shock, panic and chaos details may have become muddled. "They and Kate and Gerry welcome the questioning. The McCanns themselves are happy to be questioned also but it has not been requested." Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has followed the case closely, has told Sky News Online the Portuguese detectives are likely to want a challenge to the group's evidence. Particularly, he said, they are likely to be interested in the evidence of Jane Tanner. "She (Tanner) was very specific in her evidence - like what the man looked like, what the child looked like," Mr Williams-Thomas said. He said evidence given by another person present on the night may be considered more "independent" than that given by Ms Tanner. Mr Williams-Thomas also said he believed that the focus of the investigation had changed and that the line of questioning was now interested in the McCanns. But the McCanns believe the arrival of Portuguese police may mark a turning point in the investigation as it nears its one-year anniversary. Under Portuguese law, the McCanns can also put forward names of people they think police should be talking to. Sky News understand there are about 50 names on a list. There had been speculation that diaries and Madeleine's Cuddle Cat toy could be seized by Portuguese officers. However, it is now understood that no property will be searched or taken. It is thought the process of interviewing key witnesses will last several weeks but the Portuguese detectives will return home at the end of the week. On Wednesday, the McCanns travel to Brussels to lobby for better co-ordination between European countries when a child goes missing.
	posted by Madeleine McCann; Missing; OVER A YEAR!!!

5 Comments:

	Chelsey Mowbray said...	553 days ago
	hope that they find that creep hoppe that the new leads held the police xoxoox
Report Spam
	Jenny said...	541 days ago
	So do i. Thank you for your support. x
Report Spam
	Samantha Byen said...	524 days ago
	Q: What's the difference between Madeleine McCann and Pope John Paul II? A: The Pope died a virgin. Q: What's the difference between the McCanns and Gary Glitter A: Gary Glitter keeps an eye on the children! Q: What do Madeleine McCann and bananas have in common? A: Both are flown to England in boxes. Q: What do Maddie and Liverpool have in common? A: Both lost in Europe Q: What do Madeleine McCann and a cheap blow-up doll have in common? A: Both are fucked and then discarded. Q: Knock Knock... Who's There? A: Not Maddie, lol. Q: What's the difference between Madeleine McCann, and Madeleine McCann jokes? A: The jokes will get old. Q: What's worse than asking Michael Jackson to babysit your children? A: Asking the McCanns to take them on holiday. Q: What's the difference between Madeleine McCann and a toaster A: A toaster wasn't raped and then murdered Q: What do Madeleine McCann and submarines have in common? A: Both lie at the bottom of the sea, and are filled with seamen Q: What's the difference between Madeleine McCann and a boomerang? A: A boomerang always comes back. Q: What's the difference between Madeleine McCann and a tan? A: A tan doesn't dissapear until after the holiday. Q: What's the difference between the McCanns and Gary Glitter? A: Gary Glitter comes back from his holidays with more kids than he left with. Q: What's dead and not newsworthy? A: Madeleine McCann. Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: Because Kate Macann wanted to kill it. Q: What's the upside to an expensive family summer holiday in Portugal with the kids? A: A cheap Christmas. [edit] Dead Maddie of Bel-air Now, this is a story all about how Maddy got raped while upside down And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how The McCann's got away with a girls murder. In the United Kingdom born and raised On the playground was where she spent most of her days Sitting and swimming naked in the pool And lookin' all wet for her daddy the fool And Daddie's libido was up to no good Started getting tight in his crotch hood He raped little Maddie then mom got scared She said "We're gonna have to kill 'er and dump her somewhere" They whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror If anything they thought this cab is rare But they said "Aw fuck it, to a ditch somewhere!" I pulled up to the ditch about 7 or 8 And handed the cabby a 50 for him to clamup Then they got an axe, a bag, and chopped their girl up. They looked at the gravesite, finally ready, to pretend they were greiving and get everyone's pity.
Report Spam
	Kirsty F said...	291 days ago
	HUU EVA AS PUT THESE JOKES ON U R FUCKING SICK!!!!
Report Spam
	Sam'S Dick said...	152 days ago
	i agree, that is seriusly out of order!!! and sick minded!!!!!!............
Report Spam