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 (01/05/2008 - 29/05/2008)	569 days ago
	UK Release Of Toddler Abduction Film Matt Smith Entertainment correspondent Updated:08:58, Thursday May 29, 2008 A film that was shelved because of its likeness to the Madeleine McCann case is finally getting a UK release. Plot centres on abducted child The fictional tale of an abducted four year old, 'Gone Baby Gone' was pulled last September because it was thought too sensitive for British audiences. The story centres on a girl who gets kidnapped from her bed after her mother leaves her alone in the house. Madeleine McCann, also four, vanished from a holiday apartment in the Algarve on 3 May 2007 while her parents ate at a nearby tapas restaurant. It was that similarity that led bosses at Disney to cancel its UK release until now. The film's director is former actor Ben Affleck. Although frustrated at the delay, he backed the decision to postpone the release. "I frankly felt proud to be involved with a company that made a tasteful choice rather than a crass choice. I figured people can eventually see the movie. "That's not quite as important as making a choice based on discretion, good taste and being respectful," he told Sky News. In the thriller, two detectives - played by Affleck's younger brother Casey and Michelle Monaghan - search for the abducted girl after she vanishes in Boston. Ben Affleck directed the film Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris also star in the drama, which was produced, directed and co-written by Affleck. At the time of the film's delay, Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann publicly thanked Ben Affleck for postponing the film - even though it had no connection with their daughter's disappearance. The film and the book it was based on were both produced before Madeleine went missing. Casey Affleck told Sky News: "The movie was filmed two years ago, way before anything ever happened so obviously it has no bearing, it wasn't based on the case at all." The film has already been a critical hit in the US - now it has been decided the time is right for British audiences to finally see it. It goes on release across the UK on June 6. - - - - - - Film Held Up By McCann Case Released A film that was shelved because of its similarity to the Madeline McCann case is finally getting a UK release. The fictional tale of an abducted four year old, 'Gone Baby Gone' was held back from cinemas last September. Sky's Matt Smith reports - - - - - - Madeleine Reconstruction Called Off Updated:23:44, Tuesday May 27, 2008 A reconstruction of the night Madeleine McCann disappeared has been scrapped after members of the so-called "Tapas Seven" refused to take part. Missing: Madeleine McCann Portuguese police had invited Gerry and Kate McCann back to Praia da Luz to take part in the event later this week along with the friends they were dining with when Madeleine vanished on May 3, last year. The McCanns' spokesman said the decision had been taken by all of the couple's friends. Clarence Mitchell said: "The friends had a number of serious questions about the value of the reconstruction and what it would do to help find Madeleine. "After some discussion, they have informed the Portuguese authorities that they do not intend to go back." He added: "Gerry and Kate have not refused to go back. They were aware of their friends' view and they are now not needed for the reconstruction." Mr Mitchell said there were questions over the usefulness of a reconstruction more than a year after the event and how it would help find the four-year-old if it was not to be televised. "Frankly," he insisted, "the police and the authorities in Portugal did not answer the simple question: What will this do to help find Madeleine? And that is why this proposal did not have legs." It is the second time it has been put off and the McCanns have always been reluctant to take part. The couple are still considered official suspects or 'arguidos' in the case. Sky's Martin Brunt said: " It was only a request from the Portuguese police, not a demand. "The McCanns felt that many months ago their own suggestion of a reconstruction had been turned down. "They felt that there would only be a good reason to hold such a reconstruction if it was used as a widely televised appeal for help and information." - - - - - - May 27,2008 Madeleine Reconstruction Scrapped Portuguese police have abandoned plans for a reconstruction of when Madeleine McCann went missing because some of the McCanns' friends who were in Portugal that night have been unable to take part. Martin Brunt has more - - - - - - Police Delay Release Of Madeleine Papers By Paul Harrison Sky News reporter Updated:14:29, Thursday May 15, 2008 Kate and Gerry McCann say a three month delay in the release of details of the investigation into the disappearance of their daughter does nothing to help find Madeleine. McCanns: Delay does not help Details of the case were set to be released On May 15, but under pressure from prosecutors in Portugal, the state attorney has agreed to extend investigation 'secrecy' until August 15th. McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said "Kate and Gerry McCann's lawyers in Portugal have not even been officially told. We are of course aware of the media reports about the three month extension, and we are not at all surprised." "The issue is, does this judicial secrecy help the investigation in any way? We would say not." "We're not saying anything further until the family's lawyer in Portugal is told about the extension." Portugal's penal code states secrecy can only be imposed on an investigation for eight months. Then, if no-one if charged, details of interviews and evidence are made public. But in exceptionally complex cases, this period can be extended. Speaking to Sky News, the spokesperson for Portugal's state attorney confirmed a three month restriction on divulging information concerning the case had been agreed, but wouldn't say if further restrictions were likely. "The public prosecutor requested and the judge agreed that the time of the period of secrecy should be extended for three months." said Paula Lima in Lisbon When asked if the period of 'secrecy' would end after the three month extention on August 15th or be extended even further, Ms Lima said: "I cannot talk about what will happen afterwards, I'm sorry". But Portuguese law specialist Lita Gale said the McCanns may have to wait even longer for details of the case to be released: "The period of secrecy can be extended only if new evidence comes to light or there's sufficient reason to do so. It's quite possible that on August 15th another three month extension could be put in place. "But if there aren't sufficient grounds, then the investigation would be forced to close. It's not in anyone's interest to prolong this unneccesarily." - - - - - - 'Disturbing Similarities' With Madeleine Alex Watts Sky News Online Updated:12:48, Monday May 12, 2008 The family of a girl who vanished just seven miles from the Portuguese resort where Madeleine McCann disappeared are convinced the cases are connected. On the day of Madeleine's fifth birthday, Joana Cipriano's relatives have urged detectives to investigate links between the two disappearances - saying there are too many disturbing similarities for the evidence to be ignored. Joana, eight, was sent to buy some groceries from a village store near her home in Figueira, at around 8pm on September 12, 2004. She bought a tin of tuna and some milk from the Ofelia store, and was last seen by a neighbour walking back near the village church, some 200 yards from her home. Joana never returned and, like the McCanns, her mother Leonor mounted a campaign to find her. Like them, she and her brother Joao became suspects. The case, which ended with the pair being sentenced to 21 years, made Portuguese legal history - it was the first murder trial where a body was never found. Police officers are due to go on trial later this year for allegedly beating and torturing Leonor to make her confess. Joana's relatives told Sky News Online the pair are innocent and believe whoever took the girl is also behind Madeleine's disappearance, seven miles away in Praia da Luz. The family, who do not want to be named, said: "This sort of thing doesn't happen in Portugal - child abductions are very rare. "Whoever took Joana took Madeleine too, the distance is too small. And the police ignored everything we told them, they just wanted to solve the case quickly. "They didn't look at any of the things we told them about." Paper published photo of Leonor's bruised face after allegations They said the most crucial bit of evidence was a white and brown camper van, parked near Joana's home in the days before she was abducted. The vehicle, with German number plates, disappeared around the time she vanished. They added: "There was a man living in there, but he hardly left the van. A week later the van was found abandoned in farmland in Praia da Luz. We told the police to investigate it, but they didn't listen to us." She said the man had short, curly brown hair and was about 40 years old. A suspect in the Madeleine case, spotted acting suspiciously near the apartment where she vanished on May 3 last year, was described as between 35 and 40, with long, straggly hair. Joana was last seen near church Criminologist and child protection expert Mark Williams-Thomas believes there are far too many similarities between the two cases for it not to be a strong line of police inquiry. He says that because of the huge doubts over the Cipriano convictions, whoever abducted Joana is more than likely to be behind Madeleine's disappearance. Like Madeleine's case, the police investigation got off to a bad start, with officers failing to seal off the house where she was last seen. Leonor alleges police beat her to make her confess. A photograph of her heavily-bruised face was published in Portuguese newspapers. Goncalo Amaral, a senior detective who was sacked from the Madeleine case, is one of the five officers charged in connection with extracting the confession. The indictment reportedly alleges that they kicked her, hit her with a cardboard tube, put a plastic bag over her head, and made her kneel on glass ashtrays. Amaral faces charges of negligence and perjury, another officer is accused of fabricating a document, and the three others are charged with torture. - - - - - - May 12,2008 Sky Man Returns To Praia Da Luz Almost a year on from Madeleine McCann's disappearance, Sky News Online's Alex Watts has been to the apartment from where she vanished to try to understand what might have happened on that night. - - - - - - Madeleine Reporting Coming To An End Alex Watts in Praia da Luz Updated:06:06, Monday May 05, 2008 Kate and Gerry McCann will soon get their wish of stepping out of the public eye, according to reporters in Praia da Luz covering the one-year anniversary of their daughter's disappearance. Balloons released for MadeleineT he couple believe the coverage is "unsustainable" and hope the attention will fade after Madeleine's fifth birthday on May 12. And so do many members of the press pack that descended on the sleepy Algarve resort at the weekend. The place was swamped by media, with agitated scenes and plenty of jostling outside the church as McCann representatives released balloons. But there was a feeling that, just like the familiar yellow and green balloons, the media frenzy would soon burst too. Britain's national newspapers and TV stations already seem to have lost interest. The Sunday Mirror - which has been as keen on 'Maddie' as any other paper - demoted the anniversary to page 11 in its European edition. And even Portuguese broadcasters and British local media - for whom, of course, it is a far bigger story - think it is on the slide. Portuguese channel SIC built a TV studio on scaffolding outside the McCann flat, and devoted most of their evening news programme to it. But the crew were convinced this would be the last big Madeleine event. One told Sky News Online: "If there's a second anniversary, it won't be anything like this." Robert Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete, who was interviewed on the show, thinks the media helped inflate the Madeleine fascination. He added: "I think it has all the ingredients of a good story. It's a quiet place, a normal family on holiday with their friends and children, and suddenly something like this happens. "But it also happened in the summer months - when you don't have much news." Broadcast journalist Eleanor Garnier, who was covering the event for Leicester Sound radio station, said: "Locally it's massive for us because she's from Rothley, which is on our patch. TV coverage is winding down "But it will definitely die down soon. People here really want to move on, and I think the journalists do too. "I think this is it now. Events will bring it back into the news, but they'll have to be big events." Asked why she thought the story had made worldwide headlines for so long, she added: "A beautiful little girl, a middle class family - they really grabbed the media's attention. "And it was like a vicious circle - as the McCanns kept the story going with events to publicise the search, so the media moved it on too." Pete Fletcher, 58, from Fareham, Hants, who regularly visits Praia da Luz, said the story had been the talk of the bars over the past year and the papers were just giving what the public wanted. He said: "It's because it's very unusual for things like this to happen in this country. Crime is pretty non-existent, and it just seems very out of character from a local point of view." But for some, the Madeleine story is far from over. Reporter Pepa Rovira, from Espana Directo news programme, said: "It's still very big in Spain because exactly the same thing happened with a Spanish girl. "And next year it will be the same, I know. It will still be a big story." - - - - - - Murat Happy For Madeleine Reconstruction Alex Watts in Praia da Luz Updated:06:01, Monday May 05, 2008 British ex-pat Robert Murat says he will happily take part in a reconstruction of the night Madeleine McCann disappeared if asked to do so by Portuguese police. Detectives want to recreate a "Crimewatch-style" event later this month in Praia da Luz, the Algarve resort where the toddler vanished just over a year ago. Her parents Gerry and Kate McCann - who are still considered suspects, or 'aguidos' in the case - have not ruled out a return to Portugal. But the two doctors say they are worried about how helpful it would be for the police investigation given the huge media interest in the story. "It is under discussion. It is back to what additional information will help the search," Mr McCann added. But Mr Murat, the third suspect in the case, confirmed through his lawyer Francisco Pagarete that he would help out if asked. Mr Pagarete told Sky News Online: "If there was a reconstruction, he would take part - he likes having tea with his mother. "That was the exact thing he was doing on the night of May 3, drinking tea, and then he went to bed." Parents Kate and Gerry McCann haven't ruled out Portugal return But Mr Pagarete questioned the timing of the police reconstruction, adding: "In my point of view, it should have been immediately after the event." Locals in Praia da Luz say they are surprised the McCanns have not yet agreed to help the investigation, even if it only has the slightest chance of helping police locate their daughter. It is feared Mrs McCann, 40, would find such a trip too traumatic. A friend of the couple said: "Kate is upset. There's been no sense of concern for her feelings or the anguish it will cause her. "On an emotional level she is not sure she can go through with it." The McCanns have not been back to the resort since returning to England in September. - - - - - - McCanns Hope Attention Will Wane Updated:09:09, Sunday May 04, 2008 Kate and Gerry McCann want to step out of the media spotlight after the first anniversary of their daughter Madeleine's disappearance. McCanns are marking anniversary In one of their final interviews for the one-year landmark, the couple said they had only survived the past 12 months by not blaming each other for what happened. The couple said they hoped the attention on them would fade after Madeleine's fifth birthday on May 12. Mr McCann said the media coverage of her disappearance was "unsustainable". He even suggested that it might have led to Portuguese police naming him and his wife as arguidos, or formal suspects, in the case in early September. "You look at where it's led for us, the problems it's created," he said. "I'm sure a lot of that media coverage kicked in to what happened in Portugal, that generates a pressure, and when people get put under pressure, bad decisions are made... Madeleine's birthday is on May 12 "We started a campaign and then a juggernaut was set off and we had no control over it." Mrs McCann said personal details about her and her husband were "totally irrelevant" and distracted people from the search for Madeleine. "The media attention will wane after Madeleine's birthday, and that's a relief," she said. "I'd like to think that's how it will stay. That's why now, we're doing this. Media-wise it could be our last chance, or last opportunity to get all that information in." The couple also revealed that their appeal for new information from the public produced an "absolutely fantastic" response, with their new telephone phone line "overwhelmed" with calls. - - - - - Kate: 'Pray Like Mad For Madeleine' Updated:23:41, Saturday May 03, 2008 Kate McCann has urged people to "pray like mad" for her daughter Madeleine on the first anniversary of her disappearance - as police refused to rule out charging the girl's parents. The four-year-old went missing on May 3 last year from her bed in the family's holiday apartment in Portugal. Prayers for her safe return were said around the world, but there was particular focus on the two villages most affected by her disappearance - Rothley in Leicestershire and Praia da Luz in the Algarve. Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry attended a special service at Rothley's Anglican parish church of St Mary and St John. A tearful Mrs McCann stood up part-way through the ceremony and asked the 250-strong congregation to "keep praying, pray like mad" for her daughter. Her aunt, Janet Kennedy, said: "I am not sure how she mustered the strength to do so. I think it (the service) was a great comfort to them both." Meanwhile, Portugal's most senior detective insisted that police were still gathering evidence in the case, following reports that officers were on the verge of exonerating the McCanns. Madeleine missing for a year The Portuguese weekly Expresso said that the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) were preparing to drop the accusations against the couple. But Alipio Ribeiro, the PJ's national director, said: "At this stage nothing has been determined regarding possible charges or closing the case." The McCanns had wanted to be in Portugal but their lawyers advised them not to return while they remain arguidos, or formal suspects, in Madeleine's disappearance. Instead, four of their relatives - Mr McCann's brother John, his sister Trish Cameron, her husband Sandy, and Mrs McCann's cousin Michael Wright - went to Praia da Luz on their behalf. - - - - - - Anger Over 'Grotesque' Madeleine Doll Alex Watts Sky News Online, in Praia da Luz Updated:13:17, Sunday May 04, 2008 Tempers have flared outside the village church in Praia da Luz over a "grotesque" mannequin of how missing Madeleine McCann would look at 18. The artist and her mannequin The 6ft tall plastic doll was put alongside a wall of Madeleine photographs by a Brazilian artist, who says she supports the hunt for the missing girl. But a row soon broke out as angry locals turned on Josefa Maria dos Santos, and accused her of being "sick" and "grotesque". Nancy Thompson, landlady of The Bull pub opposite the church, shouted at the woman to remove the doll, as passers-by tried to calm the situation. She shouted at her in Portuguese: "It's horrible, who gave you permission to put that there? It's a disgrace! It's sick!" The artist looked shocked, but would not back down. "That is your opinion," she kept saying. The argument took place as members of the McCann family looked on. A clearly incensed Ms Thompson spoke to Gerry McCann's brother John, and asked him what he thought of the doll. Mr McCann, who had flown in from Glasgow to attend a church service on the one-year anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance, tried to pacify the situation. He said: "It wouldn't be my choice, but the lady's intentions are good." But despite the diplomacy, it was clear the family were upset by the doll - which was dressed in a blue and white track suit, with a striped hat similar to the ones worn by the child. It had a blonde wig and its right eye was painted with the same distinctive mark as Madeleine. When they first saw it as they were standing in the church yard, Madeleine's aunt Trisha Cameron looked sickened and shocked. She told Sky News Online: "I hope that's not Madeleine!" The Brazilian artist claimed the doll represented what Madeleine would like when she was 18 or 19-years-old, and said she had put it there to draw attention to the hunt for the missing girl. It has been branded 'grotesque' She had also installed a wall of Madeleine press cuttings and photographs, and claimed the doll - or "boneca" - had been put there with the McCann family's "authority". An explanation in Portuguese about the mannequin read: "It is very important to remember that you cannot exist as an adult without having been a child. "Return Madeleine please." One section of the wall display, plastered with articles from Portuguese newspapers and magazines, included pictures of the young girl subtitled: "Madeleine photographs from happy days." But Ms Thompson was furious, and told Sky News Online before the argument: "It's absolutely unbelievable! It's grotesque, it's horrible. You wait until catch up with her. "She was banging those posts in at 5.30am in the morning and woke some of the residents up. "She says she's got the family's permission to put the posters up, but who gave her permission to put that doll up? "I've got a good mind to take it down! Or call the police and get them to take it down." - - - - - - May 3,2008 One Year On: Prayers For Madeleine A year since Madeleine McCann went missing, her parents attended a church service in their home town of Rothley. Madeleine's uncle represented the family at another service in Praia da Luz, from where Sky's Jason Farrell reports. - - - - - - Murat Leaves Praia For Anniversary Alex Watts Sky News Online In Praia da Luz Updated:03:30, Saturday May 03, 2008 British ex-pat Robert Murat has left town to stay away from the media glare over the anniversary of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Mr Murat's lawyer, Francisco Pagarete, outside his client's home His lawyer Francisco Pagarete told Sky News Online the 34-year-old was spending the weekend away from Praia da Luz as the world's press descends on the Portuguese resort. Mr Murat, who lives with his mother in the town, has taken her away to an undisclosed spot in Portugal for two or three days until the mayhem over the toddler's anniversary dies down. Mr Pagarete confirmed: "He went away for the weekend to avoid all the confusion with the reporters and photographers and the filming and everything." He spoke of the stress Mr Murat has been under after being named as an 'arguido' in the police investigation into the girl's disappearance. "The first four months were very difficult, afterwards he started to cope better," he said. "It has been very difficult to endure all the pressure, at least the pressure of the first month where he was attacked by a lot of news. "But I think he's feeling stronger, and he's feeling confident that in just a short while all this will be over and he can have his life back." Mr Murat hopes to clear his name Mr Pagarete spoke of his client's fears that the case will remain unsolved. He added: "The maximum time someone can be an arguido, or defendant, is 20 years. After that the case is over. I just hope this ends for Robert soon. "Not just for him, but for his family. He just wants this to be over. We don't want this to be a mystery. We want the police to solve it so there are no doubts." Apart from the TV trucks and satellite dishes, Praia da Luz is scarcely acknowledging the anniversary of the toddler's disappearance, which put it so firmly on the world map. There will be a Madeleine service at the local church, but little else. One resident said: "Why should we have a party for her? All this town ever hears is Madeleine. She is dead. Life goes on!" - - - - - - Madeleine Tourists 'Should Be Ashamed' Alex Watts Sky News Online Praia da Luz Updated:17:46, Friday May 02, 2008 Residents in Praia da Luz have hit out at 'sick' Madeleine McCann sight-seeing tours in the resort town. Scores of people arrive each week to gawp at well-known sites of the investigation into the missing toddler. The most frequent visitors are elderly Portuguese people from the Lisbon area, who arrive in coaches at the weekend and pose for photographs outside the Ocean Club apartment where the little girl was last seen. They then stop and visit the town's Nossa Senhora da Luz (Our Lady of Light) church, where Kate and Gerry McCann prayed for their daughter's safe return. A chef at the Fortaleza da Luz restaurant, opposite the church, said most of the Madeleine sight-seers were elderly Portuguese people and arrived on Saturdays. Some groups are even said to stop outside Madeleine suspect Robert Murat's villa in the town. A worker at the Ocean Club, just 40 yards from apartment 5A, where the McCanns stayed, said she was fed up with the grisly fascination. The woman told Sky News Online: "It's sick what they do. People stop and take photos of each other outside the flat. "If that's how they get their kicks, then they should be ashamed - but that's for them." Manuela Cunha, who works in a nearby gift shop, said she often sees coach parties stop outside the apartment and Ocean Club. She added: "People here are tired of the whole Madeleine thing. They come and take pictures. It's very sad." About 10 minutes after Sky visited the Ocean Club, a van load of British holidaymakers on a golf tour of the Algarve stopped to gawp at the apartment before slowing for a glimpse of the tapas bar. They then stopped off at the Roman Catholic church, which is holding a special service this Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance. A barwoman at The Bull pub, who refused to give her name, said: "They come here and take pictures of the apartment and then stop off for a cup of coffee and then go home. "It seems to be old people from the north mostly - around the Lisbon area. They come in here sometimes - but they're very careful with their money." - - - - - - Madeleine Divers Quit Reservoir Search Alex Watts Sky News Online In Praia Da Luz Updated:10:54, Friday May 02, 2008 Divers have called off their search of a remote reservoir in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann. The operation, funded by human rights lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, was launched in the belief that the girl was killed shortly after being abducted and thrown in the Barragem Arade reservoir. The hilly area is around 35 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine disappeared almost a year ago. Mr Correira claimed the reservoir tip-off had come from an underworld source, and had promised to hand over any evidence to Metodo 3, the detective agency hired by Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann. But Martyn Falkous, who led the six-strong team of British and Portuguese divers, confirmed the search had been stopped. The 36-year-old, who runs Dive Time, based in Lagos, told Sky News Online: "We have not been asked to do any more searches of the reservoir. If Mr Correira asks us to do more, we will search for him. "We were concentrating on the dam's control tower and a couple of other areas - basically the places where someone could have thrown something into the water." He said a complete search of the reservoir would be a massive task. The bottom has a layer of mud four metres thick, into which a weighted body would sink and disappear. He added: "It's very difficult because there's no visibility down there. It's absolutely pitch black so you have to do everything by touch. "It's 60ft deep in places and has a sheer bank, so it goes straight down." The team found a child's sock, several ropes, and a bag of animal bones. It was the second time the lawyer had paid for divers to explore the reservoir. In December - when Portuguese police refused to act on his claims - he paid around £3,000 for a first search. The McCanns have dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist and believed there was no evidence to suggest any link between their daughter and the reservoir. - - - - - - 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. Kate and Gerry speak to Sky News 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. - - - - - - 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?" - - - - - - 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. - - - - - - 'I Didn't Realise Madeleine Vanished Here' Alex Watts In Praia Da Luz Updated:15:35, Thursday May 01, 2008 A British tourist has described her fears for her daughter after unwittingly booking a holiday in the resort where Madeleine McCann vanished almost a year ago. Suzanne O'Flynn, 32, rented a luxury villa for a week in the Algarve for her partner Paul and eight-month-old daughter without realising it was in Praia da Luz. Although she loves the Portuguese resort and its people, she says the association with the Madeleine mystery has left her feeling uneasy. The HR manager, from Guildford, Surrey, is taking extra security precautions over her daughter Amelie, and says the thought that something might happen to her has made the holiday less relaxing. She told Sky News Online: "We wanted a villa holiday, and somewhere in the Algarve, and just typed in the number of bedrooms, and the proximity to the town and everything, and didn't think too much about it. "And it was only a few weeks after booking that I realised it was Praia da Luz, and felt really annoyed with myself. "It's ironic because it's probably one of the safest towns in the world now. "But we just wanted to go somewhere and relax and kick back for a week, without having to be concerned about anything. She added: "There are lots of external doors in the villa, so we've been making sure they are all locked, and making sure the windows are shut, and keep going in to check on Amelie, and make sure she's still there. "It's a super place here, it's really beautiful and the beaches are amazing, but it's very quiet. "I don't know if it's just because it's the start of the season, but if my emotions are anything to go by then that is probably why it is quiet."
	posted by Madeleine McCann; Missing; OVER A YEAR!!!

5 Comments:

	Squigle said...	563 days ago
	i think its her own parrents fault she went missing . they should of looked after her properly instead of worryin bout a tan. Pfft!
Report Spam
	Bucko said...	557 days ago
	i dont think its the parents fallt because they but them to bed but i think they now who tolk the child and they are not relising it alan
Report Spam
	Sam said...	555 days ago
	Its the parents fault for even leaving the kids alone
Report Spam
	Yummy Mummy said...	552 days ago
	Ah show a bit ov grief its you dont have kids and dont know how hard it is!!! Love you madey x x x
Report Spam
	Jenny said...	541 days ago
	Thank you to everyone for your support and your thoughts. Yes they shouldn't of haven left there kids alone, in an empty apartment. But there is no proof that Mr and Mrs McCann had anything to do with Madeleines Kidnapping or know anything. The truth is theres a little 5 year old girl out there missing, and we shouldnt be blaming anyone! Mr &; Mrs McCann feel awful now and obviously regret leaving there kids in alone, but no one can turn back time, no point in pointing the finger. We should be doing all we can in supporting Madeleines family &; doing everything we can to get her back home and raise the Child Abdutions/Missing cases. Again, thank you to all for your support. Really appriciate it all. Peace, Love &; Light. x
Report Spam