Even more mud-slinging by McCann-believers

by **Tony Bennett** 25.07.10 23:33

There have been at least two more provocative questions asked on Yahoo Answers which has all the hallmarks of a McCann- and Clarence Mitchell-inspired campaign to attempt to discredit me and The Madeleine Foundation.

Here's the latest attack...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100725132234AAR75Pa

And my reply:

Hallo, it's Tony Bennett, Secretary of The Madeleine Foundation, once again today, reacting to the third attempt today by devotees of the McCanns to decry the work of The Madeleine Foundation (to view our aims and view our articles, please visit www.madeleinefoundation.org.uk)

It's true there is no connection between Parents' Aid Southern Essex (PASE) and The Madeleine Foundation.

As regard this comment from PASE: "We understand that our name may have been attached to its literature without our permission" - this is an entirely incorrect statement. Here is a very brief recital of the facts:

1. Back in 1980 I bought 10 International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs). This was because of my first venture into publishing, the publication of 'Guide for Parents with Children in Care". It was the first-ever guide to the rights of families with children in care and was published at a time when parents' rights regarding children had been badly eroded by the 1975 Children Act.

2. The book became an unexpected best-seller, with tens of thousands of copies being ordered by Social Servicves Departments across the country. The booklet was also translated into several ethnic minority languages, notably by The London Borough of Hounslow. .

3. The booklet was published in 1980 under the imprint of Parents Aid. It has since been revised and reprinted five times and is now in its sixth edition, with.a different title: "Your Child and Social Services: A Guide to Your Rights" On the last two occasions it was updated by PASE itself and not by me. Previously I had updated other editions as the legislation changed during the 1980s.

4. I had some spare ISBNs from my original 10 and used one of those to publish a book which was sceptical about the McCanns' claim that Madeleine McCann was abducted. This was called: "What really happened to Madeleine McCann? - 60 reasons which suggest she was not abducted". It was published in December 2008 and I elected to print it under the imprint of The Madeleine Foundation [ISBN 978-0-9507954-7-8].

5. Unfortunately those who process ISBNs and circulate new book titles published, incorrectly, that the title had the imprint of 'Parents Aid'.

6. The '60 Reasons' book, as it came to be known, was very successful, and was translated into three languages - German, Spanish and Dutch/Flemish. However, on 27 August 2009, the McCanns' libel lawyers, Carter-Ruck, wrote to me claiming the book was libellous, and threatened to bring what could have been ruinous High Court proceedings against me if I didn't stop selling it. On 25 November I signed a High Court undertaking to no longer sell or distribute it.

7. PASE is a very worthwhile organisation that does good work amongst families that need help. I am proud to have founded Parents Aid and become its first Secretary in 1979 and I'm delighted that PASE continues in South Essex the work we began when Parents Aid was founded in Harlow. PASE was contacted last year by devotees of the McCanns who are hostile to anyone who questions in any way the accounts given by the McCanns and their 'Tapas 9' friends. These people gave PASE incorrect information. Neither I nor The Madeleine Foundation attached the name of PASE to our book without PASE's permission. The mistake was that of the ISBN authorities who should have catalogued that our book was published by The Madeleine Foundation. Instead they incorrectly ascribed it to 'Parents Aid', a now defunct organisation, although PASE carries on its work in another name,

Tony Bennett, Secretary, The Madeleine Foundation

by Judge Mental 25.07.10 23:55

@ Tony Bennett

One understands why you have replied to this serious attack. One realises that people without brains in their heads could possibly be deceived by these latest rantings, so it needs nipping in the bud. The people who support justice will wave this aside as yet another desperate measure taken by a small group of people who have started to realise they do not have a leg to stand on.

by aiyoyo 26.07.10 1:46

TB, Could you not report the abuse to Yahoo?

by **Tony Bennett** 26.07.10 1:54

aiyoyo wrote:TB, Could you not report the abuse to Yahoo?

I have also done that, aiyoyo, but Yahoo Answers are very slow to respond, especially on a Sunday.

Making a response as well is a sort of 'belt and braces' job.

by **Jill Havern** 26.07.10 7:31

I see muratfan has claimed responsibility Even more mud-slinging by McCann-believers 816671

How did we not guess it was him in the first place? Even more mud-slinging by McCann-believers Icon_rolleyes

by aiyoyo 26.07.10 9:06

jkh wrote:I see muratfan has claimed responsibility

How did we not guess it was him in the first place?

The thing is he's chicken who works in the dark with a phoney name while TB is in he open with his old real identity. It's a uphill struggle tackling mental case like Muratfan.

He'd better not be found related or associated to the mccanns or the mccanns will have lots to answer for condoning their people to harass and mental abuse TB, while they are the ones practising double standard by suing ann and sundry for merely repeating info in public domain.

If his slurs and libellous mails to TB are compiled and given to the police, surely there must come a point the police can approach site providers to Muratfan like JATYK and other sites to yield up his details. Surely his IP address is enough to narrow him to an area, and Internet provider will be able to narrow it down to a specific household. Even a proxy can be traced if the police work on it.

Unleashing CR on site providers who hahour him should do the trick. Maybe CR will consider no win no fee.