Just posted on Twitter - Libel trial update

worriedmum wrote:So Gerry will go to Portugal in furtherance of a libel claim, but will not go when the wasteland of Praia Da Luz is being dug up in an attempt to discover what has happened to his three year old daughter?
Unbelievable.

I would almost have placed money on Gerry not turning up on the 16th June, probably a big phew from the camp of Team McCann. 

Both police investigations have moved on considerably since the last day of trial when Gerry made his request to appear as a witness - and who knows what the present digs will unearth (no pun intended).  If Gerry still thinks there is a few bob to be squeezed out of this case, he might take the risk. However, their defence that 'the public would not search for Madeleine if they believed she was dead' sounds pretty hollow, while major excavation works looking for her body are taking place a few kilometres down the road.  

Totally agree with your point though - Kate was there on day one trying to get an Order as to where Goncalo Amaral hid his money, and to state that she was there for Madeleine, not the £1m+ plus they were claiming from the former detective.  Gerry too put in an appearance that week, as did Ma Healey and the ever accommodating sister Trish and Media Monitor and devoted cousin Michael Wright.  

Yet on what could be the eve of their daughter being exhumed from her lonely resting place, neither the parents, nor any one of them have the respect and decency to be out there.  Explain that one Lorraine and all those whose hearts go out to the tragic parents.  

The way I see it, Gerry has absolutely got to appear in person to take the stand, not a question of choice.
How can he not show up when he appealed against the Judge's decision ( denying permission to all parties involved the chance to speak) and won his appeal.
If he should chicken out because of recent development he's going to piss the Judge off and it won't look good for him or his case.

Yes Cristobell, ''Yet on what could be the eve of their daughter being exhumed from her lonely resting place, neither the parents, nor any one of them have the respect and decency to be out there.  Explain that one Lorraine and all those whose hearts go out to the tragic parents.  ''

 
And bizarrely, in the interview with Fiona Bruce on 1st May 2014, Kate admitted to going back to PDL twice a year, to 'feel close and look for answers'.

Seems to me that the investigation the Mccanns lobbied for is doing what she asked for and more--so why isn't she there now,feeling close and looking for answers ?

aiyoyo wrote:The way I see it, Gerry has absolutely got to appear in person to take the stand, not a question of choice.  
How can he not show up when he appealed against the Judge's decision ( denying permission to all parties involved the chance to speak) and won his appeal.  
If he should chicken out because of recent development he's going to piss the Judge off and it won't look good for him or his case.

I don't think they can force Gerry to attend - its his case, and it was his request, effectively, he would only be letting himself down.  I think the case is already lost, the motley bunch of witnesses did not nothing to prove the McCanns and their children deserved £250,000 each* in compensation from Goncalo Amaral and the other defendants.  

Having had a child taken from them in the most traumatic circumstances imaginable, it is hard, if not impossible, to believe that a book written by the former detective in charge of the case, caused them more mental stress than the initial event.  They were always onto a hiding with that one, and the bunch of shysters who spoke on their behalf did nothing to strengthen the McCanns' case, and in fact hindered it, as the learned Judge must have wondered why the upstanding McCanns could not get a legitimate, qualified psychologist to speak on their behalf.  

Gerry's request to appear on the last day was a last ditch attempt to turn the tide.  Whilst the narcissistic Gerry is happy to delegate, he believes only he, can do things properly.  He believes his persuasive powers (which have served him remarkably well thus far) are far superior to those of everyone else. Perhaps that moment in the witness box would have been, or still will be his finest hour. 

Normally when I speak about raving lunatics reaching the top of their profession, I refer to tyrants and despots such as Hitler, but having watched the Saville and Broadmoor Panorama last night, it appears a pervy old DJ can be given the top position and access to all area keys, of the UK's most 'secure' mental institution based on his charismatic personality and powers of persuasion.  Gerry, I believe, thinks he has that same power, and in many ways he has, he might be an odious little twerp (as was Saville) but he had a proven track record of getting things done.  His type are not popular in the workplace, but the bosses love them.  Gerry's greatest achievement of course, was raising £4m plus for the Madeleine Fund. However, as most of it is probably gone and unaccounted for, it must bug the hell out of him not being able to brag about it.  Neither he nor his equally odious wife, have achieved anywhere near those dizzying fund raising highs of Summer 2007, and her lacklustre performance as an ambassador for Missing People is embarrassing at best.  

Will he appear?  Oooh, I don't know, but I will bet you Aiyoyo a cyber cappucino, that he will NOT appear.  However, I would happily buy you that cappucino, because I hope he does - it might be his last chance to address a world audience and it could well be quite memorable, especially if Her Honour has the cheek to interrupt him!



*Isabel claimed when the case started that they were claiming £1.25m - £250,000 'and they are FIVE' she said.  Having said that, I may be wrong on the currency, it could have been Euros, but in any event 250,000 each.

For the record: the McCanns are seeking damages of £435,000 for Madeleine, £86,000 for each of the twins, and £215,000 for each of themselves.

The ongoing libel trial was scheduled to commence on 24 January 2013 but, on counsel for the McCanns expressing their wish to negotiate an out of court settlement with the defendants, it was adjourned for 6 months.   No settlement having been reached, the trial commenced in September 2013 with the hearing of witnesses for both sides.  

A date for closing arguments was set for early January 2014 but, prior to this date, counsel for the McCanns sought a delay for reasons which have not been made public and counsel for Dr Amaral asked the court to 'evaluate the Wardship;' which has resulted in the judge's recent ruling and which brings us to the now postponed date of 16 June for hearing statements from Gerald McCann and Goncalo Amaral followed by closing arguments.

ultimaThule[color=#cc0000] wrote:For the record: the McCanns are seeking damages of £435,000 for Madeleine, £86,000 for each of the twins, and £215,000 for each of themselves.

[/color]The ongoing libel trial was scheduled to commence on 24 January 2013 but, on counsel for the McCanns expressing their wish to negotiate an out of court settlement with the defendants, it was adjourned for 6 months.   No settlement having been reached, the trial commenced in September 2013 with the hearing of witnesses for both sides.  

A date for closing arguments was set for early January 2014 but, prior to this date, counsel for the McCanns sought a delay for reasons which have not been made public and counsel for Dr Amaral asked the court to 'evaluate the Wardship;' which has resulted in the judge's recent ruling and which brings us to the now postponed date of 16 June for hearing statements from Gerald McCann and Goncalo Amaral followed by closing arguments.

Is this just from GA alone or from the other defendents as a group?

Such postponement, the dragging on, isn't that damaging Amaral due to prolonged seizure of his goods and monies? Or would there be any procedural method to get rid of some of that, while the trial is lagging?
 
For instance, the part that is claimed on behalf of Maddie, which seems to be unlawfully made up. 
And, what happens to Amaral's seized goods in a, hypothetical, event of a McCann's bankruptcy in connection to a criminal trial, if this libel trial, which feels to me like a weapon of libel itself, has still not been concluded at such point?

candyfloss wrote:

ultimaThule[color=#cc0000] wrote:For the record: the McCanns are seeking damages of £435,000 for Madeleine, £86,000 for each of the twins, and £215,000 for each of themselves.

[/color]The ongoing libel trial was scheduled to commence on 24 January 2013 but, on counsel for the McCanns expressing their wish to negotiate an out of court settlement with the defendants, it was adjourned for 6 months.   No settlement having been reached, the trial commenced in September 2013 with the hearing of witnesses for both sides.  

A date for closing arguments was set for early January 2014 but, prior to this date, counsel for the McCanns sought a delay for reasons which have not been made public and counsel for Dr Amaral asked the court to 'evaluate the Wardship;' which has resulted in the judge's recent ruling and which brings us to the now postponed date of 16 June for hearing statements from Gerald McCann and Goncalo Amaral followed by closing arguments.

Is this just from GA alone or from the other defendents as a group?

As far as can be ascertained, the request for the court to 'evaulate the Wardship' was made by counsel for Dr Amaral and he alone appears to have borne the cost of obtaining the necessary documents for the judge to rule on the matter, candyfloss, but I consider it unlikely that this request was made without prior consultation with the other defendants.

Following the late request from Gerald McCann to be allowed to speak to the court Dr Amaral made a similar submission, both of which were refused by the judge. , Having subsequently ruled that she will hear McCann, it would seem she has agreed to Dr Amaral's appeal to speak and, from the transcripts, it would also seem that none of the other defendants have applied to be heard at any stage in the proceedings.

Cristobell wrote:

I don't think they can force Gerry to attend - why did you see me saying he can be forced to attend ?

its his case, and it was his request, effectively, he would only be letting himself down. - not as simple as that ! That's just a simplistic view point.

No one can force him to appeal, but the fact is, he did.  
The rest of them also refused permission by the Judge to speak did not appeal, they respected the Judge's decision.

If he should now suddenly decide not to attend because (development is such that) it no longer suits his convenience --  after having gone behind the judge's back to have her decision overturned so that he could have his say in court only to not show up --  his absence will be mal vu.
He will show himself up as a man whose words cannot be trusted - also as a man who is sneaky, agenda loaded and manipulative.

If he chooses to risk his credibility on the line, then so be it, he will be doing himself no favour.

Either way he's in a lose lose situation.
If he attends, he is bound to make a fool of himself, no matter what he has to say (given the development of the criminal case)
If he does not attend, he will be shown as a bigoted game-playing-idiot.

Posted by portugalpress on June 03, 2014 McCanns suffer setback in million euro libel suit against Maddie cop As Praia da Luz is once more dragged into the media spotlight, Kate and Gerry McCann have suffered a legal setback in their long running campaign to sue the former police chief Gonçalo Amaral who originally led investigations into their daughter’s disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann instituted legal proceedings for €1.2 million worth of damages after Amaral wrote the book “The Truth of the Lie”, in which he set out all his reasons for believing that Madeleine was dead. It is a belief that now seems to be shared by the police teams painstakingly searching scrubland outside the village from which Madeleine went missing seven years ago. But at the time they began their legal fight, the McCanns were adamant that there was no proof that their daughter was dead. They claimed they suffered “permanent anxiety, insomnia, lack of appetite, irritability and an indefinable fear” as a result of Amaral’s book. They further described themselves as “irreparably damaged and totally destroyed from a moral, social, ethical, emotional and family point of view” and thus the lawsuit, which finally came to court in September last year after endless delays. Now, a tactical attempt by Amaral to query the McCanns’ power to represent their daughter in the court action has been upheld by a Lisbon judge. It now means that the McCanns effectively have to get permission from the British High Court to represent their daughter in any legal action. Nonetheless, the Lisbon court has said that a final session can go ahead on June 16 - although all the lawyers involved have been given notice that they can “suggest alternative dates”. The final court session will include a statement from Madeleine’s father and “the presentation of closing arguments from all sides”. As Amaral’s defence lawyer has told the press on numerous occasions, information that formed the basis of “The Truth of the Lie” can be found in police records of the original investigation. - See more at: http://portugalresident.com/mccanns-suffer-setback-in-million-euro-libel-suit-against-maddie-cop#sthash.qX6SnbcZ.dpuf