Timeline May 2008

This month the we will/ we won't go to the reconstruction is still playing. The lifting of the arguido status, getting hold of the PJ files (well in advance of their publication) a fairly subdued anniversary - no presents for Maddie that year. ITV teams up with Expresso, documentary is sold and aired. Arguido status still a bugbear, T&T magazine taken to court by TM. Very busy with the European amber alert.
A more interesting month than I thought.


1st.May:2008
McCanns' drive needs more support MSNUK News
pa.press.net - 01.05.2008 05:22
Kate and Gerry McCann's campaign for a Europe-wide missing child alert system has so far received less than one third of the support it needs from Euro-MPs.


2/5.Anniversary appeal is our last chance, say Kate and Gerry McCann Timesonline
David Brown
May 02, 2008 (First published online: May 01, 2008)
 
Kate and Gerry McCann admitted that their publicity drive this week was the "last chance" to promote the international search for their missing daughter, Madeleine.

1/5 24 horas
How the anniversary of Maddie's disappearance will be marked

Masses in Portugal and in England
Kate and Gerry will also light candles in memory of their daughter at 21,15 approximately at the same hour that they believe their daughter was abducted from the room were she was sleeping in the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz.


McCanns fear Madeleine could be held against her will for years like Fritzl's secret family Daily Mail
 
Last updated at 14:44pm on 1st May 2008
 
Madeleine McCann's parents fear she could end up like the secret family Josef Fritzl kept captive in an underground dungeon in Austria, they revealed today.
(In an appearance on Sky News the McCanns were asked if the shocking case gave them a glimmer of hope, as proof that it was possible for someone missing so long to still be alive.
Mr McCann replied: "It's an interesting concept isn't it? And of course Austria has had the other case of Natascha Kampusch who was missing for eight years.")


Madeleine: Cops Question 'Key' Witness Sky News
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.....
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.
 
Police chief rules out alert system   Ananova
01 May 2008 
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Bryan said there is no need for UK forces to adopt the American system of immediate information broadcasts.
 
The officer, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) lead on missing people, said forces already operate an effective "child rescue alert".
 
Parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann appeal to kidnappers: Call us
MSNUK News
Published online: May 01, 2008 at 21:40
The parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann have appealed to her kidnappers to return their daughter on the one-year anniversary of her disappearance from a Portuguese resort.
 
Kate and Gerry McCann have begun a new phase of their search for Madeleine with the launch of a telephone hotline they hope will produce new information.
 [..]
 The couple have produced a documentary and are conducting interviews as part of a new media offensive to mark the anniversary.


SIC TV  1/5
18 Interviews

Yesterday, Maddie's parents gave 18 interviews to the media.
Note: Expresso (newspaper) and SIC (TV channel), belong to Pinto Balsemão.
 
ITV and SIC made a deal, in which ITV sold the 'Maddie, One Year On: Campaign For Change' documentary to SIC as an exclusive, if certain conditions were met.
 
It was therefore unsurprising that the McCanns' subsequent interview with SIC was very sympathetic, whereas the RTP interview, with Sandra Felgueiras, was hard hitting.

If the police can't find Madeleine, we'll do it ourselves, vow Kate and Gerry McCann Daily Mail
 



By VANESSA ALLEN
Last updated at 11:24am on 2nd May 2008 
Kate and Gerry McCann have said that if the police fail to find their missing daughter Madeleine they will carry on the search alone.
Madeleine: Kate and Gerry McCann to mark first anniversary of her disappearance with a church vigil.

McCanns ask supporters to light a candle for Madeleine one year on      Timesonline
 
May 3, 2008 (First appeared online May 2, 2008)
Supporters of the McCann family around the world have been asked to light a candle, shine a torch or turn on a porch lamp tonight between 9.15pm and 10pm - the time the couple believe that Madeleine was abducted - to show they have not forgotten her.


The PJ waits for 9 months for the complete tests      Jornal de Notícias
Alexandra Serôdio, Maria Rodrigues and Nuno Miguel maia
(Thanks to 'Li' from the3arguidos forum for translation)
 
A year after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and nine months after the collection of biological vestiges, the sophisticated and prestigious forensic lab of Birmingham, in England, did not send yet to the PJ the final reports of all the analysis.[..]
Apart from the results of the analysis made to the vestiges, the PJ has several depositions. An Irish that spent holidays with the family at Praia da Luz, in May last year, guaranteed to the PJ that he saw a man with a child in his lap in the night of 3rd of May. Later he said informally that that man seemed to be Gerry McCann.
[..]
The investigators opted to listen again to the witnesses but decided that the depositions would be made through rogatory letters sent to the Leicester police.
Before this step was fulfilled, in April, this family was contacted by detectives of Método 3. The JN discovered that since that contact the certainties of the Smiths ended.


Police continue Madeleine probe     The Press Association
 Posted online 11:40, 03 May 2008
Alipio Ribeiro has told the Portuguese news agency Lusa that officials have not yet decided whether to bring charges or drop the investigation.



McCanns Hope Attention Will Wane    Sky News
 Updated: 08:28, 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.


Almeida Rodrigues is the successor to Alípio Ribeiro in the Polícia Judiciária Publico 
06 May 2008
Almeida Rodrigues is the successor of Alípio Ribeiro as director of the Policia Judiciaria. It is the first time that the PJ is led by a career investigator.

Amaral lawyer    24horas 
thursday 8/5/08
PJ's inspector is going to make an internship after finishing the book about Maddie
As soon as he finishes writing the book on the Maddie case, the former coordinator of the PJ, Gonçalo Amaral, plans to practice Law.


McCanns' status as suspects in Madeleine's disappearance 'will be lifted by August'    Daily Mail 
Last updated at 15:20pm on 9th May 2008
Rogerio Alves said that by August at the latest the couple's status as suspects, or arguidos, will be lifted.

Website A Big Hit  
Daily Record 9/5/08
In the last week alone, the online store which sells T-shirts and wristbands to raise money for the Madeleine campaign received 500 orders and thousands of messages have been left on the site.



McCanns ask for police files to help in search for Madeleine  Irish Independent 
By Allison Bray Saturday, May 10, 2008
Portuguese police probing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann were urged last night to hand their files over to private investigators if they wind down their investigation, following the resignation of the force's police chief who was leading the inquiry.

(Mitchell is in Dublin, as keynote speaker at the Public Relations Institute of Ireland’s annual conference).

Kate and Gerry hold quiet birthday vigil for Maddy Sunday Express  
By Tracey Kandohla
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Missing Madeleine McCann's fifth birthday tomorrow will be marked by a small family gathering, but withour presents and cards.
 

Portuguese police refuse to give collected material to Método 3    24horas
The case is in secrecy of justice and the McCanns cannot gain access to the collected evidence
Text Carlos Tomás and Luís Maneta
The McCanns will have to wait at least till 14th of July to gain access to the process of the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.
[..]
24horas discovered that the PJ continues to analyse the several depositions of the persons that were in Praia da Luz on the day Maddie disappeared and that are being gathered by the Leicester police.

Portuguese extend secrecy order on Madeleine probe: agency AFP
Published: Today, 13 May 2008 at 22:40pm
LISBON (AFP) — The Portuguese state attorney Tuesday announced a further three-month restriction on divulging information concerning investigations into the case of missing girl Madeleine McCann.
 
The restriction was scheduled to end on Thursday but would now continue until August 15, the press agency Lusa quoted the state attorney's office as saying.

McCann advances against "T&Q"    24horas
Former director and journalist of the extinct weekly newspaper were formally constituted as arguidos
Text: Joaquim Eduardo Oliveira 
May 16, 2008 (Thanks to 'Li' and Joana Morais for translation) 
 
Kate and Gerry McCann believe that the publication of the headline "PJ believes that the parents killed Maddie" put public opinion, world-wide, against them.
(Interesting article, well worth a read - this must be the second run-in with the press, Portuguese this time which I believe wasn’t succesful financially as T&Q folded - so that’s two down. T&Q and NoTW)




McCanns: It's still no to a rerun       The People
By Marc Baker
18 May 2008
Defiant Kate and Gerry McCann have rejected a new plea to help re-create the night their daughter Maddie vanished.
 
The couple had a tense showdown with Portuguese cops last week.
After refusing to fly back, they have now been told to reply "within days" to yet another request for them to attend a reconstruction in two weeks.
But sources say they will again say no.
Police want Kate, 40, and Gerry, 39, and their Tapas Seven pals to return.
But the couple have "grave reservations" about cops' motives.
 
They fear police aren't interested in finding Maddie and only want to charge them with neglect over the disappearance of Maddie, now five, in Praia da Luz last May.
 
Spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "They're still considering what to do."



SOS Maddie (French language site)
Duarte Levy
Enhanced Google translation, 23/05/2008
 
According to a senior British police officer from Enderby, in Leicestershire, "Kate and Gerry McCann have established an agreement with their seven friends to prevent the realisation of the reconstruction request by the Portuguese authorities."

McCanns back new tracing scheme The Irish Times
Last Updated: 24/05/2008  08:55
The parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann are backing a scheme to trace missing children using the social networking websites Facebook and Bebo.
Kate and Gerry McCann have welcomed the initiative by charity Missing People, which will mean Facebook users can view details of missing youngsters on their own page.

Wednesday, 28 May 2008
This is the first judiciary dispatch that is not covered by the judicial secrecy, that assumes that the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann contains the suspicions of crimes of homicide, exposure, abandonment and concealment of a cadaver.
Edited transcript of the judgement Timesonline

Timesonline
Edited judgement from the Tribunal da Relacao de Evora in the investigation of Madeleine McCann
David Brown
May 28, 2008
 
Judge: Ribeiro Cardoso
1. In the case files pending in the Public Prosecution Services in which they are investigating the disappearance of M.M. and the eventual carrying out of the crimes of abduction, homicide, exposure or abandonment of a child and concealment of a corpse, the prosecutor in charge of the case under investigation

The Penal Procedural Code, promoted, amongst other operations, a request of the 3 national mobile telephone operators (TMN, Vodafone and Optimus) for digital support (CD or DVD) of the complete listings of telephone traffic to calls received and made in the period of time between April 28 2007 until September 9 2007, including cellular location and trace-back, as well as all calls on roaming and SMS and MMS messages and their respective content, for the following telephone numbers: (Ten telephone numbers follow)

Telephone number as yet unidentified which during May 2 2007 sent 14 written SMS messages to G.M. and another 4 on the day following M.M.’s disappearance.

McCanns in fury after 14 txts slur Daily Mirror
By Martin Fricker
29/05/2008
Gerry McCann reacted angrily yesterday to claims he received a string of mystery texts the day before his daughter vanished.


The Shields Gazette
Web vote result 30/05/2008
MISSING Madeleine McCann's parents should face child neglect charges, according to our latest online poll.
 
We told yesterday how Portuguese police are considering charging Kate and Gerry McCann with child neglect.
Our poll asked:
 
Are Portuguese police right to consider charging the McCanns with child neglect?
 
The result was: 
Yes: 92 per cent
 No: 8 per cent
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That's it for May, full texts available on McCannfiles.com. Those three posed photos of Kate trying her best to look soulful are such thundering bad taste that I'm surprised she hasn't co-opted Cuddlecat to take it into the realm of the truly horrendous.
Cuddlecat was used on a similar photoshoot in PdL.

The Mccann's are, and, obviously, know, some intelligent and influential people.

What has bothered me, from the start, is that the Mccann's, (who seem very reluctant to admit anything), were prepared to admit that they left 3 vulnerable children alone, on so many occasion's. They must have realised, that they would be seen as, potential monster's, by the majority of parent's around the World, by that action.

It is possible, ( if you believe self preservation is their main aim), that accepting the public fury over their, possible, neglect was actually the lesser of two evil's. Even if you don't agree, it has to be, at least, a possibility. Doesn't it?

If you can get your head around that thought and accept it as a possibility, the question then become's...What could possibly have happened, for them to be prepared to take so much condemnation, and vilification, about their parenting skill's? There must have been lot's of serious implication's, by not doing so.. 

Just a possibility.

Who?What?Where? wrote:The Mccann's are, and, obviously, know, some intelligent and influential people.

What has bothered me, from the start, is that the Mccann's, (who seem very reluctant to admit anything), were prepared to admit that they left 3 vulnerable children alone, on so many occasion's. They must have realised, that they would be seen as, potential monster's, by the majority of parent's around the World, by that action.

It is possible, ( if you believe self preservation is their main aim), that accepting the public fury over their, possible, neglect was actually the lesser of two evil's. Even if you don't agree, it has to be, at least, a possibility. Doesn't it?

If you can get your head around that thought and accept it as a possibility, the question then become's...What could possibly have happened, for them to be prepared to take so much condemnation, and vilification, about their parenting skill's? There must have been lot's of serious implication's, by not doing so.. 

Just a possibility.

Imo it's very likely that they thought the 'neglect' would be a minor factor in the whole scheme.

The reasons were:
1) The 'listening' service of MW in Greece which had been used by some of their friends with no problems. (I've never believed that - if DP and ROB took monitors why not in Greece as well?
It's interesting that DP stated he had a monitor, but for some reason JT and ROB had to pretend they didn't until the rogs)
2) It was like being in your back garden (sometimes even in your neighbour's back garden)  i.e. 'everybody's done that'.
3) they did much better than the above listening service by visually checking
4) they ALL did it  (another point I do not believe - imo none of the T 7 left their children alone in their apartment)
5) they could see the  apartment from the Tapas Bar (only the balcony - the children's room was on the other side)
6) everybody's left their children alone at some time - spreading the blame very wide here.
7) they're doctors! they know what's good for us - they would never put anyone in harm's way.

It's illuminating to read Gerry's comment less than a year later  'it's boring'. In one of the Swedish interviews we're told by Gerry ' ...it was a collective mistake'.

Imo they never thought so much was going to be made of the neglect factor. They must have thought it was a minor hurdle. Their main defence is that MW did it in Greece but MW didn't do it in PdL so clearly it's all the fault of MW.

Poor little babes in the woods, they did what they could - but at worst - as Gerry is fond of telling us they were 'naive'!! There you are again MW's fault for making them think that a listening service is sufficient.

Main information from the above:

The Smiths would have been part of the rogatories - once they were contacted by Metodo3 they were suddenly no longer sure about their fairly detailed statements.

Maddie's fifth birthday was not one where presents were supplied by the twins - that bit of melodrama must have been spun later. By all accounts her room must now be stacked to the ceiling with unopened presents.

The first official document is leaked and published in The Times. It concerns the phone calls.
Those 14 texts 'leaked' from the files have always bothered them, this is the first instance after the leak.

The PJ had to wait NINE months for the complete DNA results.

So when did the present giving on the birthday begin?