Media Mayhem - MCCANN MEDIA NONSENSE OF THE DAY

Airdate: Madeleine: Her Parents’ Story

May 1st, 2008 By David Knox




Nine will air a special in which UK parents Kate and Gerry McCann talk about the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine, one year on.

National Nine News Special: Madeleine: A Year of Mystery: Her Parents’ Story will air on Wednesday May 14.
It airs for one hour at 8:30pm, except in Victoria where it airs at 9:30pm. The difference in start times is due to Hell’s Kitchen, already differing in timezones because of Underbelly programming.

This Saturday marks one year since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal.

After a year of frantic searching and painful allegations, Kate and Gerry McCann talk openly about their daughter Madeleine’s disappearance.

Hell’s Kitchen remains uninterrupted in all states on May 14.

https://tvtonight.com.au/2008/05/airdate-madeleine-her-parents-story.html

Madeleine's DNA was found in Murat's house, police claim

Last updated at 18:06 24 October 2007

Detectives searching for Madeleine McCann have told a Portuguese newspaper she WAS at the home of official suspect Robert Murat.
Officers claim traces of the missing four-year-old's hair and body fluids were found in at the Briton's villa.
The new allegations come as Mr Murat was due to be removed from the suspects' list after detectives failed to provide enough evidence to charge him.



But according to sources quoted in the newspaper 24 Horas DNA samples found in his house was Madeleine's.

Detectives claimed they matched traces found in the hire car rented by the Kate and Gerry McCann 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.

Mr Murat,33, an Anglo-Portuguese who lives at his mother's rambling walled villa Casa Liliana, was arrested two weeks after the youngster vanished from her parents's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, 60 yards away.

He became the first and only official suspect in the case until Kate and Gerry, both 39, were named by Portugal's Justice Ministry six weeks ago.

Sources alleged Mr Murat did not return to the house after his arrest on May 14 on suspicion of havimg been involved in Madeleine's disappearance.

The tell-tale traces were reportedly discovered during searches between June 10 and August 4.

They explain why Portuguese police are refusing to drop their theory that Madeleine died in her parents' apartment and her body was hidden nearby until it could be removed from the area.

But Mr Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete insisted his client was innocent and would fight to clear his name.
He said: "My client is accused of a virtual crime.

"All he has done is to be a suspect in the early stages of the child's disappearance.

"I have read the statutes and there is no such crime."

Mr Murat will have a chance to clear his name next month.

Under Portugal's new penal code suspects cannot be held for more than six months without knowing details of the evidence against them.

Meanwhile new claims have been made that Gerry McCann organised a game of tennis in the days after his daughter Madeleine disappeared.


In an allegation likely to infuriate the McCanns, a waiter at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Laz said Gerry and Kate were "very cool" after she vanished and seemed less upset than their friends.


The waiter said: "What we found really strange was Gerry, days after the little girl disappeared, calmly playing tennis. He played with an old couple from England.

"I thought that everybody else in the group seemed more upset and stressed and bothered than the parents.

"They were so cool about it. I never saw them cry or anything. They played tennis and went jogging.

"They didn't seem as distraught as their friends. If my kid disappeared I'd go insane. I wouldn't be able to function. They'd have to lock me away."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-489408/Madeleines-DNA-Murats-house-police-claim.html
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A classic case of what you don't know - invent!

“All we can do is try and keep public awareness high – and try and reach as much of that mountainous region outside the resort as we can.”
No actual searching then?
No interrogating the mccanns and chums even if the mccanns are your employers?

oh deary me, someone forgot how to copper.

Posted by algarveresident on May 17, 2007

The rule of Secrecy of Justice explained

By: JOÃO TABORDAHead of the litigation departmentNeville de Rougemont e Associados, Sociedade de AdvogadosTHE DISAPPEARANCE of four-year-old Madeleine McCann from her bed on Thursday, May 3, has touched us all in the past week.

Much has been said about the Polícia Judiciária’s (PJ) investigation, the searches conducted by the police and the rule of Secrecy of Justice.The principle of Secrecy of Justice and the role of the PJ can be better understood if we put them in the context of the Portuguese criminal legal system.Thanks to American television, most of us are familiar with the system of criminal investigation in the US, in which state criminal prosecutions are conducted by the District Attorney’s Office.This office has at its disposal a department of criminal specialists in investigation, who prepare the court case, gather information, interview suspects and witnesses and prepare the People’s case against the Defendant, which will eventually be distributed to a selected prosecutor to prosecute in court on behalf of the People.InvestigationIn general, this system is similar to the Portuguese one. In Portugal, when a crime occurs, it is reported to the police authorities, either the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) or the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR).The criminal complaint, once received by the police, is investigated briefly and on a preliminary basis by the PSP or GNR and then it is immediately referred to the local Public Prosecutor’s Office.

From this moment on, the public prosecutor’s office takes full charge of the proceedings (much in the same way as the District Attorney’s Office in the US) and is assisted in its investigation by the PJ.The PSP, GNR and other security services can, in turn, be instructed by the PJ to assist in the investigation by, for example, conducting searches.No line of investigation or enquiry or search is performed by the PJ without the knowledge of the Public Prosecutor’s Office or without its permission or instruction.

A Criminal Investigation Judge supervises all these proceedings and authorises, judicially, all the acts and orders given by the Public Prosecutor to the PJ namely where an arrest or search warrant is necessary.The Secrecy of Justice rule applies only during the investigation of the crime. Article 86 of the Portuguese Criminal Procedure Code states that all parties to the investigation are bound by a duty of secrecy. This duty of secrecy applies to all those connected to the investigation and to all those who have obtained knowledge of the investigation from the commencement of the investigation to the moment that the proceedings become public.

Traditionally, the rule of Secrecy of Justice aims to guarantee the effectiveness of a criminal inquiry and a fair investigation and trial.More recently, this rule has been defended on the basis of the rights to privacy, to a good name and reputation of victims, defendants or other parties involved in criminal proceedings, and also on the basis of the presumption of innocence. For these reasons, the Portuguese Constitution includes under the chapter of Basic Rights the “Right to the Secrecy of Justice”.

The rule can also be justified on the basis of protecting the gathering of evidence. Third parties knowing of prospective police action in gathering evidence could lead to its destruction or to the tampering with such evidence.MediaThe rule allows the investigation to follow its course undisturbed and prevents witnesses being coerced by the suspect or material evidence being compromised; therefore it is extremely important at the initial stage of investigation.The principle of secrecy, to a larger or lesser degree, is in use in police forces around the world including the British police.

However, differences may lie in the way that other police forces, particularly in the US and the UK, use the media as a vehicle for spreading information with the objective of bringing new evidence to the investigation.The PJ, with authorisation of the Criminal Investigation Judge (JIC), can provide information to the media.  In addition, provision is made in Article 86 of the Portuguese Criminal Procedure Code for the PJ to provide the press with summary reports regarding the ongoing investigation specifically in order to prevent crime.ProtectiveAlso, it is not unusual for the PJ to ask for information through the media in particular cases.

However, each police investigation is unique and requires more or less secrecy to gather evidence and make arrests. This does no mean that the PJ is failing to release information to the public for the sake of it - it only means that some information must be gathered more discreetly than other information.Care must be taken that information which is released would not, for example, compromise an investigation by alerting perpetrators of the PJ’s intentions or potential course of action.Although the physical search for Madeleine has been scaled down, the detective work is still ongoing.

While the PJ may not have a media liaison department on the scale of the UK or US police, it has a good record in missing persons cases.The rule of secrecy of justice not only protects those who have been interviewed in the course of the investigation, particularly in such a high profile and emotive case such as this, but it also protects Madeleine’s parents from public scrutiny.

http://portugalresident.com/the-rule-of-secrecy-of-justice-explained

Well well well, here's an excuse I've heard many a time - lost in translation..

Madeleine McCann: Possible translation errors


Robert Murat was an official police translator in the first week



By Fiona Govan in Praia da Luz
2:16PM GMT 12 Nov 2007

Inconsistencies in the statements given by the McCanns and the group of friends who were dining with them at the time of Madeleine's disappearance may have been caused by errors in translation, it emerged today.

Portuguese detectives investigating the case of the missing four-year-old have admitted that they are reassessing the original witness statements to look for inaccuracies in their translation.

"In the early days of the investigation there were dozens of statements being given at what was a very confusing time," a police source said.

"Obviously the police acted in good faith in their selection of translators but given all that has been said about the various contradictions in the versions of events, detectives are now re-examining the possibility that there may have been some problems," he said.

The admission came as police undertake a thorough review of the case under the new head of the inquiry, Portugal's second most senior policeman Paulo Rebelo, 45.

He was brought in to take over from Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, 47, who was sacked at the beginning of October, following a swathe of criticism that the police investigation had been flawed from the start.

Detectives are now said to be questioning the decision to use Robert Murat, 33, as an official police translator in the first crucial week after Madeleine disappeared.

The British ex-pat, who is bilingual, was made an arguido - or formal suspect - on May 14.

He was reportedly under police surveillance for at least a week during which time he was repeatedly called in to translate the statements of key witnesses, including staff and guests at the Ocean Club Resort in Praia da Luz.

Mr Murat's lawyer confirmed that his client had translated for police during that time.

"My client, on the request of police participated in various operations and was directly involved in the investigation," Francisco Pagarete told Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas.

"He swore a commitment of honour in Lagos court to do the translations. The reports that my client translated are being considered by the court and they were done under oath," he said.

It is unclear whether Mr Murat was directly involved in translating the statements of any of the so called Tapas Nine - the name given to the McCanns and the seven friends who dined with them on May 3 at their Algarve holiday complex.

Speaking about the development the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We will not comment on anything that goes to the heart of the investigation."

But he welcomed a police evaluation of the translation process.

"The translation of the statements during Kate and Gerry's interviews took a long time and it made the process far longer than it would otherwise have been.

"Whether there are mistakes or not, if the fact that police are re-evaluating this issue now is a sign they are thoroughly reviewing the case then we would welcome that.

"Kate and Gerry have always said there are innocent explanations for any alleged inconsistencies in their statements because they are innocent."

Mr Mitchell also issued a strong denial that there was "a pact of silence" over what happened that night following claims that some of the Tapas Nine had felt pressurised by the McCann lobby.

A Spanish newspaper yesterday reported that a lawyer representing one of the friends of the McCanns said his client had felt he had to "keep quiet".

The unnamed lawyer told El Mundo: "My client feels obliged to keep silent about what he can do to help the investigation, and not because of the Portuguese secrecy laws."

"It's not that he is scared of the McCanns, but the economic and political lobby surrounding the couple is truly frightening to anybody," he said.

The lawyer said he had been asked by his client to contact Portuguese police to arrange to be re-interviewed.

"The intention of my client is to bring to light the truth of this sad story, without any concern for who might be implicated," he allegedly said.

But Mr Mitchell dismissed the report as "speculative" and "utter rubbish".

"All of Kate and Gerry's friends speak as one, they have one lawyer and he has certainly not put out any statements on their behalf.

"None of the group have asked to change their stories and none have expressed any worries about being suppressed.

"From the very start they have said they would be willing, in fact keen, to discuss their statements with the police, and they remain so.

"To suggest that there is some kind of political pressure on the group to stay quiet is outrageous," he said.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569143/Madeleine-McCann-Possible-translation-errors.html

Judge extends Madeleine secrecy

14th May 2008

A Portuguese judge overseeing the Madeleine McCann inquiry has extended judicial secrecy by a further three months, court officials have confirmed.


The files would otherwise have been open for consultation from Thursday by those involved in the case, including Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry.

They are formal suspects, as is Briton Robert Murat, but all deny involvement.



Kate and Gerry McCann and were officially named suspects in September


Secrecy rules loosened

The decision by the judge, which was widely expected, follows a request from prosecutors in the case.

It means that neither the formal suspects in the case nor other interested parties, including the media, can gain access to details of the investigations until mid-August.

Most Portuguese legal experts are reported to believe that legislation that took effect last year, loosening Portugal's strict secrecy rules, will not permit yet another extension.

The McCanns were officially named suspects, known in Portugal as being given "arguido" status, in September.

They launched a new campaign for information ahead of the first anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance.

They had also called on Portuguese detectives to open their files, so they could find out what leads were being pursued.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7400416.stm

Original Source:   PEOPLE: SUNDAY 13 MAY 2007

13 May 2007 Rachael Bletchly In Praia Da Luz

MUM & DAD'S VIGIL FOR SNATCHED HOLIDAY TOT LOCALS APPLAUD THEM ON DAY SHE TURNS FOUR   MISSING Madeleine McCann's parents put on brave smiles yesterday as an emotional church service helped them cope with their agony. At times during the weekend, distraught mum Kate clutched a rag doll she had bought for the tot's fourth birthday - but never got the chance to hand over. And dad Gerry spoke of a "tidal wave" of devastation caused by her abduction ten days ago. What should have been a day of joy was agony as her family waited for news on the kidnapped little girl. Maddie should have been blowing out candles on her Dr Who cake. But the only candles flickering were at sombre vigils for her. Kate and Gerry, both 38, drew huge comfort from mass at the church in Praia da Luz, Portugal, where they were on holiday when Maddie vanished. Gerry told villagers who have given heartwarming support: "We are looking forward to the day when Madeleine returns to us as a joyous one. We believe that we will see Madeleine soon and she will be safe and well and we will continue to hope."   As they left they were greeted by children holding balloons and a crowd of villagers, who applauded them. Mr McCann told the congregation: "Today we should be celebrating the fourth birthday of our daughter Madeleine. "Instead we have had to remember what a normal, beautiful, vivacious, funny, courageous and loving little girl that we are missing today. "I like to think about the effects of Madeleine's abduction from us nine days ago like a tidal wave. The devastation which was tremendous was greatest for Kate and me." And he added: "The devastation affects everyone we meet here in the resort and has affected this community. "The tidal wave did not stop here, it has travelled many miles across Europe, across the sea to Glasgow, Liverpool, Leicester, Ireland, America, Canada, New Zealand and continental Europe, where we have many friends and family." Gerry also spoke movingly of the "tremendous outpouring of warmth" from people in Portuguese. GP Kate has lost almost a stone in weight since Maddie was abducted and is unable to eat properly or sleep without sedatives. She looked frail, gaunt and haggard yesterday. At an earlier service, the couple followed a Portuguese tradition of wearing green and carrying green branches to the 16th Century church as a sign of hope. Local mechanic Pedro Melo, 25, explained: "We want Madeleine's parents to know how much we care. We feel like crying for them. Their pain must be so great."   A picture of Maddie, whose face can be seen on lamp posts and in shop windows across the town, was pinned near the altar - set in a red heart. As the service neared its end, a single piece of green string was passed through the crowd right to the back of the church until everyone was holding it - uniting them with the McCanns.   Back in the UK Maddie's relatives and family friends were also anxiously awaiting news. A party in Glasgow planned for her birthday by uncle and aunt John and Philomena was put on hold. John, 48 said: "There was no point in having a birthday party without Madeleine - but the party has only been postponed, not cancelled.   "We are going to have it when she comes back and then it will be a massive party." Philomena, 43, spent the day handing out 15,000 posters to football fans outside Glasgow's Celtic Park ground, hoping to jog the memory of supporters who may have visited Portugal.   Maddie's grandparents in Liverpool, Brian and Susan Healey, told last night how they were "storming heaven" for her. Susan, 61, said: "Please God she will be back to blow her birthday candles out. She loved to blow out candles. "It is hard for everybody but with the help of our friends it's possible to keep going. We have to keep Madeleine in the spotlight, we have to have Madeleine brought home."   Brian, 67, pleaded to Maddie's kidnappers: "Please just bring her home. The support we have had is immense. We are storming heaven trying to find her." Friends in Liverpool have tied yellow ribbons and pink balloons to their fences. The village square inRothley, Leics, where the McCanns live, has become a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of people wanting to show support. The war memorial has been decorated with a thousand yellow ribbons. Next to it stands a 3ft pink and white rabbit, flanked by dozens of teddy bears. Among the hundreds of scrawled notes were many from children, not much older than Maddie.   One from Alex, eight, and Cameron, five, read: "We are thinking about you on your birthday and hoping you will come home safely. Hope you get to cuddle the teddy soon."   Staff at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital, where Gerry is a cardiologist and at Kate's GP surgery in Melton Mowbray have held vigils.   The McCanns arrived back at their resort apartment at 4pm yesterday after spending the day with their twins Sean and Amelie, two, in a brave bid to carry on as normally as possible. Amelie was carrying a red balloon. Kate hugged Sean, who was carrying a green balloon. Gerry smiled and paused for photographs and kissed Amelie gently as they walked into the apartment. Last night Kate arrived for Mass clutching a blanket from her missing daughter's bed. She was wearing shorts and a yellow top and held Maddie's Cuddle Cat tightly as she held her husband's hand. Green and yellow ribbons have been tied to the church doors - green the Portuguese symbol of hope and yellow in remembrance of missing Maddie.   Chancellor Gordon Brown expressed his sympathy for Maddie's parents. At a meeting in Gillingham, Kent, the PM-in-waiting said: "Every parent will be sympathising in their hour of need." Hundreds of ex-pat Brits gathered in Praia da Luz yesterday to tie yellow ribbons wherever they could in support.   The railings in front of their holiday complex were covered in the colourful tributes, alongside bunches of yellow flowers and cuddly toys. Claire Borges, originally from Banbury, Oxfordshire, said: "We feel like we've been hit in the stomach. Every day you pray for good news." Today is a Portuguese religious holiday known as Miracle Day - in which the faithful pray for lost causes.

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Related link: http://textusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/mystery-of-rag-doll-by-ironside.html

Madeleine McCann 'forgotten in Portugal'

By Sophie Borland and Duncan Hooper
6:53PM GMT 08 Dec 2007

Almost all signs of the appeal for Madeleine McCann have now been removed from the Portuguese resort where she disappeared after posters were taken down from the town's Catholic church.

The priest of Our Lady of Light in Praia da Luz, where Kate and Gerry McCann prayed frequently for their daughter’s return, has also removed candles dedicated to the missing toddler.



Jose Manuel Pacheco, who presides over the small white-washed building, had become a close friend of the McCanns as they attended services every week.

The devout Catholics made the Church a focal point of the Find Madeleine campaign. In May, they even travelled to Rome to receive a blessing from Pope Benedict XVI

Billboards and shop windows in the town have already been cleared of the pictures and ribbons which sprang up everywhere as part of the massive search for news of Madeleine.

Meri Hanlin, a Canadian who runs the Harmony health food shop in the town, told the Daily Mail: "It's not that the locals don't care about what happened but they just want to get the village back to how it was.

"It's so many months on now and when it happened it just ruled everything here. For the locals it just got a little too much."



Kate and Gerry are striving to keep Madeleine's memory in the public eye as they approach Christmas without her. Their campaign is convinced that high-profile publicity is the best hope for bringing about their daughter's safe return.

They have made a new appeal for witnesses after it emerged that police had still not traced every holidaymaker who was in Praia da Luz on the night of her disappearance.

However, Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said: “The posters have been coming down at different stages over the past few months. There is no suggestion that the town has turned its back on Madeleine.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1572363/Madeleine-McCann-forgotten-in-Portugal.html

Original Source: SUN: MONDAY 24 DECEMBER 2007  By VERONICA LORRAINEin Praia da Luz  Published: 24 Dec 2007

A MISSING blue tennis bag could hold the key to Madeleine McCann's disappearance, a TV documentary will claim tonight. The bag - big enough to carry a small child - belonged to Maddie's dad Gerry, the programme says. It is claimed Portuguese cops have been hunting for the holdall, which disappeared at the same time as the four-year-old girl. The bag emerges as a potentially vital new clue in a Sky News investigation entitled The Madeleine McCann Mystery. Yet, bizarrely, the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell yesterday denied it existed - saying Gerry did not own such a bag and never had done.   Sky's crime reporter Martin Brunt stood by the documentary's claim last night. Former detective Tony Rogers, one of Britain's most experienced police officers, will be seen saying: "If it's a bag of a size that could be taking away from the flat a child, that would be of great interest to the investigating officer." The development came as Gerry and wife Kate, both 39-year-old doctors, faced their first Christmas without Maddie - who vanished on May 3 in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. Yesterday, a family friend demanded that the "fundamentally flawed" case against them be DROPPED immediately by Portuguese police. The call came over fresh doubts about the validity of DNA tests. It is thought the Maddie probe has involved the same process of so-called "low copy number" DNA testing used in the Omagh bombing case - thrown out of court after a judge ruled it "potentially unreliable". Tonight's documentary also claims Portuguese detectives have failed to find and quiz a British paedophile with links to the Algarve. He was among 52 British sex offenders with similar connections whose details were given to police by UK cops. It is not known if he was the man who, in September, was at the centre of the hunt for the tot after witnesses picked him out from photos of 100 perverts. Nor can he be definitely linked to another suspect - the 32-year-old son of expat Brits who is said to have "groomed" and sexually assaulted a girl of 12 in the resort two years ago. That man is thought to be hiding somewhere in the UK. Brunt told The Sun a British source close to the probe said Portuguese cops had "worked very hard" to find the 52 and rule them out. But he added: "There is still one man they are concerned about." The documentary quotes top forensics consultant Professor David Barclay. He said Portuguese police had "looked at" paedophiles in the Praia da Luz area. He added: "They didn't check up on other people staying in the apartments." The new call for the McCanns to be cleared followed the storm over low copy number DNA testing - a technique allowing results to be interpreted from samples containing just a few cells. The pal said: "If the leaks from the police to the Press are true that low copy number testing is involved then we would demand the reliability of these tests is absolutely pinned down before it is used in cases such as ours. "It is ridiculous to form a case against someone using evidence that is fundamentally flawed." Gerry and Kate went to church in Rothley, Leics, yesterday with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. v.lorraine@the-sun.co.uk

[Acknowledgement pamalam at gerrymccannsblog.com]

December 2007 again?

Kate McCann's heartbreaking Christmas message to Madeleine: 'Be brave sweetheart'

Friday 21 December 2007

Kate McCann sent her missing daughter a heart-rending Christmas message last night, telling her: "Be brave sweetheart.

"Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again and we're hoping and praying that that will happen. Love you Madeleine."

Her face lined with exhaustion and despair, 39-year-old Mrs McCann also made an extraordinary appeal to any abductor holding the four-year-old girl, begging them to end "all this despair and anguish".

She struggled to control her emotions as she said: "You hold the key. At this time of year, when so many families are coming together, we beg you to help us be reunited with Madeleine.

"Please do the right thing and come forward."

The televised appeal came as Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry, also 39, prepared for what they called "the hardest Christmas imaginable."

The couple must try to hide their pain over Madeleine, who has now been missing for almost eight months, and make Christmas as joyful as possible for their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

Last night they released touching new photographs and video footage of their daughter taken at Christmas last year.

In one, she carries her present to her baby brother Sean. Another shows her standing on the family's kitchen table, excited by the celebrations. Poignantly, a third photograph shows her opening a present - the pink bag she took with her on the Portuguese holiday from which she never returned.

The contrast with this year's "very quiet, private Christmas" could not be greater.

Speaking directly to her daughter during the televised appeal, Mrs McCann said: "Madeleine, it's Mummy and Daddy here.

"Just know how much we love you, Madeleine. We all miss you so much. Sean and Amelie talk about you all the time, every day.

"We're doing everything we can, Madeleine, to find you and there are so many good and very kind people helping us. Be brave sweetheart.

"Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again and we're hoping and praying that that will happen. Love you Madeleine."

In his internet blog Mr McCann said the twins had asked "if Santa will be bringing Madeleine home".

"It just about broke our hearts," he added.

The couple have given few public interviews since they were named as official suspects in Madeleine's disappearance from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May. But they allowed a friend to film them at their home in Rothley, Leicestershire.

Surrounded by the trappings of the season, including a tree and presents for the twins, they told of their heartbreak at facing Christmas without Madeleine.

Desperate: Kate and Gerry McCann have pleaded with Madeleine's abductors to end their nightmare

Mr McCann said: "Clearly for us and the rest of our family it's going to be the hardest Christmas imaginable without Madeleine here."

"Since Madeleine was taken from us on May 3, someone knows what happened to her and may well know where she is now.
"That person has it within their power to show us the compassion to end this terrible ordeal for us."

The couple said they cannot face spending Christmas Day in the house where they celebrated with Madeleine last year, so they plan to visit relatives.

They have been deluged with gifts for all three children from wellwishers across over the world.

The McCanns said they have been "immensely touched" by the gestures of support.

The next stage in the couple's ordeal will come in the New Year, when they begin the fight to end their status in Portugal as arguidos - official suspects.

They have both strenuously denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance and insist she was abducted while they ate dinner with friends nearby.

But their lawyers have warned them they could face a protracted battle through the Portuguese courts and might even have to go to the European Court of Human Rights to clear their names. Friends say they fear privately that they could remain suspects "for ever".

Portuguese police will wait until after Christmas before asking British police to reinterview the McCanns and their holiday friends.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/kate-mccanns-heartbreaking-christmas-message-to-madeleine-be-brave-sweetheart-6660883.html
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The Beat Goes On

Sonny and Cher

The beat goes on, the beat goes on
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da

Madeleine McCann kidnap photo shock

DETECTIVES have been given a photo which appears to show Madeleine McCann with an abductor.

James Murray - 20th January 2013




The Sunday Express was passed the picture independently but Scotland Yard appealed to us not to publish it while it continues sensitive global investigations into the missing girl.

Officers were happy for us to describe the potentially key evidence which shows a healthy fair-haired girl aged three or four in pink trousers, a green top and a blue hat.

The child is walking along a road, possibly near a port or airport as there are many people with suitcases in the area. It is sunny with a palm tree in the background.

Clarence Mitchell wrote:This is a matter for Scotland Yard and I am sure they will get to the bottom of it. Kate and Gerry have confidence in Operation Grange.

The photograph was allegedly taken in Brazil in June 2007, a month after Madeleine, three, was snatched from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve coast.

The girl is holding the hand of a swarthy foreign-looking man aged about 50 with long dark hair and a beard. He is wearing cut-off jeans and a green T-shirt.

Nearby, another man in checked shorts and a black T-shirt is pulling a red suitcase. There is no sign of a woman and the child looks out of place with the older men.

If the picture is genuine, it would be the biggest breakthrough in the case to date.

A Portuguese speaking man living in Brazil forwarded the photo to a detective on Operation Grange, the Yard squad trying to find Madeleine by reviewing thousands of documents.

The man suggests paedophile Raymond Hewlett, who died of throat cancer, aged 64, in Germany in 2010, was involved with others in the abduction.

Hewlett was staying on a Portuguese camp site when Madeleine was taken. In a deathbed letter to his estranged son Wayne he claimed to know what happened to her.

The man in Brazil has also sent the Yard a picture of a market scene, apparently shot in Portugal, purportedly showing Hewlett standing near a white van used in the abduction.

Hewlett denied taking Madeleine but later mysteriously said she had been “stolen to order” by gipsies. In an e-mail to the Yard, the man writes in Portuguese: “The London police holds in its hands the real opportunity to rescue Madeleine. I know how.”

He wants to be flown to London to give officers the “entire route taken by the bandits”.

The man says he is not a policeman, is not seeking money nor fame and wants to remain anonymous. He adds: “I am sending you more photos of the bandits taking Madeleine McCann and running from the police.

“Unfortunately, we have to break the normal investigation rules, only for this specific case. Your presence, together with me, and also your investigators, we will rebuild the bandits’ entire action.”

Giving his phone number and address he provides details of a flight from Ibiza to Munich in which one witness saw a girl looking like Madeleine “with the bandits”. Scotland Yard and the McCann investigators are used to dealing with letters from cranks, but are taking this more seriously because of the photographs provided.

We can also reveal the man has been in contact with Isabel Duarte, Kate and Gerry McCann’s civil lawyer in Lisbon.

Mrs Duarte told the Sunday Express: “It is an interesting picture but you cannot say it is Madeleine.

“I communicated with him by e-mail because I wanted to know where the picture was taken and who took it and who the men are.

“He was not prepared to tell me but said he would talk to the police. I don’t know exactly what this guy wants but it needs to be checked out. It is a matter for the police to look into.”

Last week she sent all details of her correspondence with the man to Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry in Leicestershire.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: “An image has been passed to us and it is being assessed.”

The Yard may send the picture to FBI imaging experts in America for an opinion.

This week the Yard is expected to ask detectives in Brazil to interview the man before considering whether to fly him to London. Officers want to know what he knows about Hewlett, who was jailed for abduction, attempted rape and assault of girls aged six, nine and 14.

Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said: “This is a matter for Scotland Yard and I am sure they will get to the bottom of it. Kate and Gerry have confidence in Operation Grange.”

Operation Grange was launched in May 2011 at the request of Home Secretary Theresa May.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/371953/Madeleine-McCann-kidnap-photo-shock

Verdi wrote:Madeleine McCann kidnap photo shock

DETECTIVES have been given a photo which appears to show Madeleine McCann with an abductor.

James Murray - 20th January 2013




The Sunday Express was passed the picture independently but Scotland Yard appealed to us not to publish it while it continues sensitive global investigations into the missing girl.

Officers were happy for us to describe the potentially key evidence which shows a healthy fair-haired girl aged three or four in pink trousers, a green top and a blue hat.

The child is walking along a road, possibly near a port or airport as there are many people with suitcases in the area. It is sunny with a palm tree in the background.

Clarence Mitchell wrote:This is a matter for Scotland Yard and I am sure they will get to the bottom of it. Kate and Gerry have confidence in Operation Grange.

The photograph was allegedly taken in Brazil in June 2007, a month after Madeleine, three, was snatched from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve coast.

The girl is holding the hand of a swarthy foreign-looking man aged about 50 with long dark hair and a beard. He is wearing cut-off jeans and a green T-shirt.

Nearby, another man in checked shorts and a black T-shirt is pulling a red suitcase. There is no sign of a woman and the child looks out of place with the older men.

If the picture is genuine, it would be the biggest breakthrough in the case to date.

A Portuguese speaking man living in Brazil forwarded the photo to a detective on Operation Grange, the Yard squad trying to find Madeleine by reviewing thousands of documents.

The man suggests paedophile Raymond Hewlett, who died of throat cancer, aged 64, in Germany in 2010, was involved with others in the abduction.

Hewlett was staying on a Portuguese camp site when Madeleine was taken. In a deathbed letter to his estranged son Wayne he claimed to know what happened to her.

The man in Brazil has also sent the Yard a picture of a market scene, apparently shot in Portugal, purportedly showing Hewlett standing near a white van used in the abduction.

Hewlett denied taking Madeleine but later mysteriously said she had been “stolen to order” by gipsies. In an e-mail to the Yard, the man writes in Portuguese: “The London police holds in its hands the real opportunity to rescue Madeleine. I know how.”

He wants to be flown to London to give officers the “entire route taken by the bandits”.

The man says he is not a policeman, is not seeking money nor fame and wants to remain anonymous. He adds: “I am sending you more photos of the bandits taking Madeleine McCann and running from the police.

“Unfortunately, we have to break the normal investigation rules, only for this specific case. Your presence, together with me, and also your investigators, we will rebuild the bandits’ entire action.”

Giving his phone number and address he provides details of a flight from Ibiza to Munich in which one witness saw a girl looking like Madeleine “with the bandits”. Scotland Yard and the McCann investigators are used to dealing with letters from cranks, but are taking this more seriously because of the photographs provided.

We can also reveal the man has been in contact with Isabel Duarte, Kate and Gerry McCann’s civil lawyer in Lisbon.

Mrs Duarte told the Sunday Express: “It is an interesting picture but you cannot say it is Madeleine.

“I communicated with him by e-mail because I wanted to know where the picture was taken and who took it and who the men are.

“He was not prepared to tell me but said he would talk to the police. I don’t know exactly what this guy wants but it needs to be checked out. It is a matter for the police to look into.”

Last week she sent all details of her correspondence with the man to Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry in Leicestershire.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: “An image has been passed to us and it is being assessed.”

The Yard may send the picture to FBI imaging experts in America for an opinion.

This week the Yard is expected to ask detectives in Brazil to interview the man before considering whether to fly him to London. Officers want to know what he knows about Hewlett, who was jailed for abduction, attempted rape and assault of girls aged six, nine and 14.

Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said: “This is a matter for Scotland Yard and I am sure they will get to the bottom of it. Kate and Gerry have confidence in Operation Grange.”

Operation Grange was launched in May 2011 at the request of Home Secretary Theresa May.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/371953/Madeleine-McCann-kidnap-photo-shock

The photo was proven to be fake.
The reason the photo couldn't have been taken in Brazil, was because it was taken at Ibiza airport in June 2007

Exploitation of children in the extreme - and just look how they laugh (the McCanns, not the children).  Live in fear oh child of mine - tomorrow you could be abducted by the bogey man.

I came across this rather dated article in an unexpected location today and as it touches on the Tapas 7 and the possibility that they might have been crumbling slightly, thought it worthy of reproduction.  It looks as if they're practically 'fireproof' -  courtesy of the UK government.  What can it be that gives them such strong protection?   Doctors, young children,top politicians, top policemen  -  there has to be some connection.

---

The Rothley-Deal

On 28 October 2007 the Mail published the following story:
McCanns 'are hiding a big secret', former police chief claims
Kate and Gerry McCann are hiding a “big secret” about the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine, according a former police chief claims. John Stalker, who headed a famous inquiry into whether suspected IRA men were killed by RUC officers, is suspicious of their silence. The former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police told the Sunday Express:
“My gut instinct is that some big secret is probably being covered up. I have watched the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case drag out for six months. One thing above all worries me: Why have the McCanns and the seven other members of their group – the Tapas Nine – remained so silent? Unlike other high-profile cases I have worked on, not one of them has been prepared to break ranks or really come out and support each other. After all this time and pressure, I cannot believe that nobody wants to speak. I have a real suspicion that we are not being told the whole truth. There is something else there, some issue that members of the party are embarrassed about”
Until this time British tabloids often where very critical gainst the McCann's. This changed dramatically in the following months. The question remains, why?, as evidence never changed since and every open question the Tapas Group didn't like to answer remained unanswered too. The Rothley Meeting mid-November 2007 was a secret meeting. It came to public just through the then still investigative work of some British journalists.
From evidence we know that for sure at this time it was under supervision of “spokesman” Clarence Eden Mitchell. From evidence of Leicestershire Police we know (see Freedom of Information Act, 13. Feb. 2009), that the case was already covered under the term “National Security”. Besides the close link to Downing Tsr. No. 10 it is also obvious that Mitchell has to be suspected to be an MI5/MI6 Agent.
Shorthly before the meeting seemingly two of the Tapas-Group were close to surrender and confession. Now at the Rothley Meeting all the main witnesses who are aware of a cover-up were “invited” to Rothley, even at least one of the former child carer at the Ocean Club. Seemingly they will have been told that they have to obey National Security. That means that here all the witnesses were required, under threat of significant penalties, on their silence. The other part of the deal but seemingly was: In addition, obviously with the paid help by Carter-Ruck professionals, the whole group where guaranteed an individual Super-Injunction, which means, no British tabloid will be allowed to publish, investigate or interview anyone of them any more. The deal obviously was the status of Untouchables versus Silence.

Daily express had had a supplement on Sunday bragging about their
100yrs of press freedom,I sent them a mail asking why they had
let the McCanns tell them what to print, I know I they won't answer 
but what a load of balder dash.ps i don't read any newspapers after
They all succumbed to McCanns wishes.

Original Source: EXPRESS:  - 01 - 02 - 03 -SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER 2007 Sunday October 28 2007 By John Stalker With thanks to jjp  for copying text from Screenshots

MCCANNS 'ARE HIDING A BIG SECRET' Sunday October 28 2007 By John Stalker   I have watched the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case drag on for six months.   One thing above all worries me: Why have the McCanns and the seven other members of their group - the Tapas Nine - remained so silent?  My gut instinct is that some big secret is probably being covered up.   Unlike other high-profile cases I have worked on, not one of them has been prepared to break ranks or really come out and support each other.  After all this time and pressure, I cannot believe that nobody wants to speak.   Their answer has always been no comment but there is surely some division between them.  So what are they hiding?  I have a real suspicion that we are not being told the whole truth.   There is something else there, some issue that members of the party are embarrassed about.   While they continue to refuse to talk it is unlikely that we will find out what it is for a very long time but one thing is certain - it will eventually come out.   The sad fact is that we still have a missing girl and I believe the investigation will be focusing on the theory that she is dead.   The likeliest scenario is that her abductor panicked when he realised the attention the case was creating and killed her days after snatching her.   My fear now is that unless we find her body or her killer strikes again we will never know what really happened to that tiny child.   My instinct, based on years of policing similar cases, is that we are looking at an abduction where the child was targeted in the days before her disappearance.   On the night she vanished it is likely that her abductor simply spotted his opportunity and struck while he could.   I have been horrified by the abject failure of the Portuguese detectives to adhere to basic principles of policing.   The investigation does not seem to have taken a step forward from where it was in the first week after she went missing.  I cannot believe that the Portuguese only sent selected DNA samples to the forensic science lab in Birmingham.   There is absolutely no sense in that whatsoever.  To fully evaluate poor-quality DNA traces, as we believe these were, forensic experts need to see the whole picture.   In the past, when I have dealt with traces of bodily fluids, it is very difficult to establish how they got to be where they were.   All DNA is highly transferable and that is the most likely explanation for the alleged traces found in the McCanns' hire car and on her mother's clothing.  Robert Murat, the other suspect, was seen close to the apartment the day after Madeleine disappeared and freely admits having helped police as a translator.   If he was in that apartment, or anywhere near it, ther is no doubt he would have transferred some of Madeleine's or the twins' DNA on to his clothing.   I don't believe for one minute that Kate and Gerry McCann or their friends are capable or guilty of having murdered the four-year-old.   All the criticism of Kate and Gerry and their friends has been completely out of order.  They are extremely intelligent and articulate people and, just because they have never visibly cracked in public to the extent that they are beaten, does not mean that they are guilty of anything sinister.   Yes, they have had more doors opened for them than other people would have in similar circumstances, but their main aim is to discover what happened to Madeleine.  That should be the aim of all concerned.   But my gut instinct still forces me to wonder: What is the secret that the Tapas Nine are so carefully hiding?

....................
Another wannabe - how many more?

Aww bless him. I am sure people feel much safer in their beds buying the tyres he advertised and then there is the sun awning advert....look it up on you tube.

aquila wrote:Aww bless him. I am sure people feel much safer in their beds buying the tyres he advertised and then there is the sun awning advert....look it up on you tube.

Hi aquila,even "Stalker" uses, Abductor scenario,with No evidence?

The main point is the"Super Injunction or 100 year D-notice" attached to Madeleine's case,so even the UK Police cannot investigate it,Operation Grange!

Detectives say Madeleine McCann could have been snatched by slave traders for rich family

Investigators have told of fears the missing youngster was smuggled into Africa by slave traders who “snatched her to order” for a wealthy family

25th April 2017

Madeleine McCann may have been snatched to order by slave traders and sold to a rich family, it is feared.
A former Scotland Yard detective has called for an investigation into fears she could have been taken by ferry to Mauritania in west Africa.

Colin Sutton said the suggestions “needed to be looked at” after Madeleine vanished almost a decade ago.
Slavery was only outlawed in the nation in 2007, the year Madeleine vanished, aged three, during a family holiday in Portugal .

“If someone wanted to get a three-year-old child into Africa it’s the obvious route.

“The infrastructure and contacts for people smuggling are clearly there.”

It was not known if police probing Madeleine’s disappearance had looked at links to Mauritania.

But private detectives hired by the McCanns believe there are “strong reasons” to think she was taken to Morocco, a route into the country.

Their claims were based on sightings and the proximity of Praia da Luz, where she went missing on May 3 2007, to the town of Lagos, where boats regularly depart for Africa.

It is also just a four-hour drive to the Spanish port of Tarifa, where ferries cross to the Moroccan port of Tangier.

Kidnappers could have smuggled Madeleine from Praia da Luz into North Africa in just five hours using the ferry.

Portuguese police failed to seal the border with Spain – just an hour from the resort – in the hours after she vanished.

When the Mirror re-traced the most likely route an abductor would have taken, checks on the Tarifa-Tangier ferry were virtually non-existent.



There were no searches carried out on vehicles boarding the boat.

An abductor could easily have hidden Madeleine in the back seat or boot of a car and boarded the ferry with a £24 ticket.

In Tangier, they could have taken her to a safe house or moved her unhindered into another African country.



Interpol detectives in Gibraltar received a tip in August 2007 that a man was seen carrying a child resembling Madeleine in Tangier.

The informant said the girl seemed “unhappy, ill-tempered and did not speak” as the man tried to buy her shoes.

Soon after her disappearance a traveller told Crimestoppers they saw a girl resembling Madeleine on the Tarifa-Tangier ferry in a dark blue Portuguese-registered saloon car on May 7, four days after she went missing.

Two days after that sighting, a girl “identical” to Madeleine was seen with a man at a petrol station next to an Ibis hotel in Marrakech, in the most credible sighting so far.

Tourist Mari Olli noticed a blonde girl on Avenue Abdel Krim Khattabi, a key route through the busy city and the direct road from the port.

Locals claimed the road was often used by smuggling and trafficking gangs.

Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann of Rothley, Leicestershire, were so concerned about links to North Africa they went to Morocco the month after she disappeared.

Trafficking gangs are known to operate between Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania.

The US State Department’s annual trafficking report in 2015 warned girls were being trafficked for sex in the Middle East.

It warned: “Mauritania is a source and destination country for women, men and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. Women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking in the country or the Middle East.”

Mrs Olli and British husband Ray Pollard, who live in Spain, had not heard of Madeleine’s disappearance when they saw the girl they believe was her.

It was only when they returned home and saw the news that they made the chilling connection.

Mari said the youngster she saw, who was wearing blue pyjamas, looked “sad” and asked: “Can we see Mummy soon?”

The petrol station’s footage was deleted before it could be checked for clues.

But on the same day an unnamed British man also spotted a girl he believed was Madeleine outside a hotel in the city.

Mrs Olli alerted Portuguese and UK authorities and gave a statement to Scotland Yard detectives, who promised to call back – but she claims they did not.

In desperation she emailed Leicestershire Police, describing the moment she saw who she believes was Madeleine at around 10am.
She wrote: “I saw the girl inside the shop. She was wearing clear blue pyjamas.

“Some pattern on the top, trousers little darker.

“Don’t think the trousers had any pattern. She was very small. Under one metre. She was with a man. She was standing alone, the man about a metre from her.

“I looked back at her, she was very sweet. It was a strange situation because the man didn’t look like her father.

“And it was very strange to see a blonde small girl standing alone in Marrakesh.

“She was very small and normally you would hold her in your arms or at least her hand.

“And he was turning away from her. She looked sad. I looked at her face, she looked at me.

“Then she turned to the man and said something that sounds like: “Can we see Mummy soon?”

Mrs Olli, who lives in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, said she blamed herself for not stepping in to challenge the man with the girl.

“I’m still questioning it, of course I am.

“Even after all this time I still think about what I saw.

“I can’t handle it to be honest, it’s so difficult to talk about that I just start crying.

“I try not to think about what I could have done.

“The one thing I’m still convinced about is that it was Madeleine.

“I could kick myself for not doing more.

“If I’d known then that Madeleine had been taken, then of course I would have done something.”

Portuguese police files made public in 2008 revealed British police passed on the email to their counterparts in Portugal.

But Mrs Olli claimed she was never spoken to by Portuguese officers and believes they made no attempt to trace the girl.

Portuguese police in turn complained about lack of co-operation from Moroccan authorities.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/uk-world-news/detectives-say-madeleine-mccann-could-12936292

The Daily 'intelligent tabloid' Mirror #makesyouthink - investigative journalism at it's finest, aided and abetted by a former Scotland Yard cop - the ever vacillating Colin Sutton.

Madeleine is not in North Africa the poor girl is no more,the only
hope is finding her remains so she can have a decent Christian
burial so we can say,RIP beautiful little girl.

Portuguese police to probe 'Madeleine dumped at sea' - Daily Mail [article no longer online]
 
14th October 2007
 
Portuguese police are becoming increasingly convinced that Madeleine McCann's body was dumped at sea.

Detectives are believed to be keen to re-interview a British nanny who claims she saw a mystery boatman kicking at something in the middle of the night two days after Madeleine McCann disappeared.

Former Mark Warner nanny Charlotte Pennington said she spotted the man in a small dinghy just off the Praia da Luz seafront. She claims he was kicking at an object stored in the boat's hull.

When she moved closer to investigate, the man - whose name she has given to Portuguese and British police - stooped out of sight then hurriedly rowed away.

Portuguese police are taking the sightings seriously and Miss Pennington, 20, and are looking to interview her once again.

She was working in the Ocean Club's creche on May 3, the night Madeleine disappeared. She is the only person to have given a full, public description of the events of that evening.

She told police how she heard Kate McCann scream: "They've taken her" on the night of May 3, when Madeleine vanished, and that she saw the first official suspect Robert Murat standing outside the Ocean Club that night.

Miss Pennington said the man was wearing a reflective yellow jacket with a hood but she could not make out his face.

One police source today described the sighting as 'credible'.

Miss Pennington said: "I'm pleased they are taking this seriously as it means they aren't just looking at the McCanns as suspects."

Miss Pennington's account potentially tallies with repeated suggestions that Madeleine was smuggled out of the Algarve on board a boat, or that her body was dumped at sea.

It also tallies with a second report today claiming new evidence proves that Madeleine was alive when she was taken from her bed.

Police have been told Kate McCann knew instantly her daughter had been snatched because the bedclothes were in exactly the same position, raised above the mattress as if they were still lying over the little girl.

Friends of the McCanns believe this prove she was taken and did not just wander off, which would have ruffled the bedclothes.

The Daily Mail has a tendency to re-write and overwrite its articles. The article reproduced above was a re-write of a previous article that was published on 27 September 2007. A section of the original article was removed from the subsequent re-write and is reproduced here:

'Former Mark Warner nanny Charlotte Pennington said she spotted the man in a small dinghy just off the Praia da Luz seafront at 11.30pm. She claims he was kicking at an object stored in the boat's hull.

When she moved closer to investigate, the man - whose name she has given to Portuguese and British police - stooped out of sight then hurriedly rowed away.

Portuguese police are taking the sightings seriously and Miss Pennington, 20, has twice spoken to Leicestershire detectives about her evidence.

Yesterday Miss Pennington said the man was wearing a reflective yellow jacket with a hood but she could not make out his face.

However the following day she was shocked to see a man - whom she had come to know over the preceding week - wearing exactly the same distinctive jacket as the man in the boat.'
....................


[Acknowledgement:  Nigel Moore of mccannfiles at pamalam's gerrymccannsblog]

Exclusive: I feel like I'm cursed Madeleine aunt opens heart for first time on boyfriend's brutal murder

Original Source: NEWS OF THE WORLD SCOTLAND : 03 JUNE 2007

James Mulholland & Jacqueline McGhie 3 June 2007

SHATTERED Jacqueline McCann fought back tears last night as she spoke about her secret trauma and admitted: I feel there's a jinx on me.
 
The aunt of missing tot Madeleine McCann bit her lip as she told how she found lover Alan Saunders dying in a pool of blood after a vicious hammer attack.
 
And as she revealed for the first time the secret agony that still haunts her, the 46-year-old said: "I'll never get the image of Alan lying there out of my mind.
 
"I still haven't got over losing him. Now this has happened to Madeleine I can't take it all in - I feel like I'm cursed."
 
Accountant Alan, 39, was battered to death by evil junkie Scott Anderson just yards from the home he shared with Jacqueline.
 
And last night the traumatised Scot told us: "It was horrific. I told myself it wasn't happening, it was the only way to cope.
 
"Now I can't work because I'm severely depressed, my concentration is gone. It's all too much."

She has a special bond with four- year-old Madeleine - who has been missing for 31 days - because they share the same May 12 birthday.
 
Her disappearance has rocked the entire family - and now devastated Jacqueline is struggling to come to terms with the second heartache.
 
She told us: "I don't know how much more I can take. They have to find Madeleine, I can't cope with losing someone else so close to me."
 
Jacqueline and boyfriend Alan had been dating for seven years
 
before he was cruelly taken from her on March 16, 2003.
 
She explained: "We were really happy together, Alan was a lovely person and so good to me. He was my boyfriend and best friend.
 
"The only problem we had was the neighbours."
 
Heroin addict Anderson, now 39, and his girlfriend Diane Ledgerwood, 38, made life hell for everyone living in their quiet street in Busby, Renfrewshire.
 
The louts blared music day and night as they partied with junkie pals. And the druggies left hypodermic syringes and bags of rubbish strewn in the road.
 
Jacqueline, who still lives in the street, told us: "We couldn't get any peace and I was really scared. I'd had trouble previously with break- ins and nightmare neighbours at another house. To go through it again was too much to bear."
 
After months of silence, mild- mannered Alan snapped as he passed the yobs' drugs den.
 
Anderson shouted abuse from an open window - and it was the last straw for Alan, who yelled at him to clear out of the street.
 
The strung-out junkie flew into a rage and ran downstairs to rugby-tackle stunned Alan to the ground. Vile Ledgerwood also ran out and joined in, raining down blows on the cowering victim.
 
Cowardly Anderson then battered Alan on the head five times with a hammer before he and Ledgerwood ran off, leaving him to die.
 
Neighbours called the police, who broke the horrifying news to distraught Jacqueline.
 
She told us: "I was taken along the street to identify him.
 
"It was one of the worst moments of my life, to see the man I loved dying in the road.
 
"I wasn't ready to say goodbye, I went into total shock and was unable to process what was happening.
 
"There is so much more I'd have said that night if I'd known that was the last time I'd see him. But he was only going a few streets away to visit his mum, how could I have known?"
 
Tragic Alan was rushed to nearby Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride, but died a few hours later.
 
Police swooped on the junkies' grotty home where Anderson - who had 26 prior convictions, including one for armed robbery - confessed.
 
In May 2004 he pled guilty to murder at the High Court in Glasgow. He was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years and is now in Shotts Prison, Lanarks. Charges against Ledgerwood were dropped.
 
Jacqueline was still struggling to rebuild her life when her beloved niece went missing on May 3.
 
She said: "There was no way I could even think about my birthday on May 12 with Maddie gone.
 
"It's a difficult time anyway, just after the anniversary of Alan's death, but I have to stay strong.
 
"I've been through so much already, I just have to hope and pray that our Madeleine is found."

Dec 23 2010 Exclusive by Annie Brown


 
IN the window of Patricia Cameron's porch is a photo of her niece Madeleine McCann with the caption, "Still missing, still missed, still looking."


Another Christmas is about to pass, the fourth since Madeleine disappeared in May 2007, leaving only pain and longing behind.



Patricia said: "Christmas is one of the toughest times. But every family occasion is marred because there is a little person who is not there.


"It doesn't get any easier. If anything, it gets harder."



This week, Patricia became a family representative for the charity Missing People, who help with searches and support those left behind.


She wanted to take on the role to highlight the plight of the many left with a void in their life - the parents, the children, the sisters, the brothers, the uncles and the aunts of the missing.



The organisation are asking the Government to give families of missing people the same rights as victims of crime, access to legal and financial assistance and emotional support.


It hurts Patricia deeply to watch her little brother Gerry and his wife Kate grow emotionally and physically weaker because of the loss and endless searching for Madeleine.


Patricia said: "Gerry is the baby of the family. I feel very protective and it hurts me to see him looking so tired. They are both just exhausted. They have so much on their plate.



"They are overwhelmed by trying to be breadwinners, investigators and parents. That's why I support the Missing Rights campaign. People need all the help they can get."
 
Madeleine was snatched from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, as Gerry and Kate dined nearby.



For the McCanns, there was a desperate need for funds to pay for legal advice and a worldwide search.



Patricia said: "It is so hard to watch Kate and Gerry push themselves constantly. When Madeleine first went missing, family and friends had to step in to help them pay the mortgage.



"Money is constantly tight but they have to keep going. They will never give up looking and that costs money. Families of the missing still need to pay bills while they search but there is no right to any financial help."



After Madeleine disappeared, Patricia took on the role of babysitter for Kate and Gerry's twins, Sean and Amelie, now five, while their parents searched.


As a result, there is a close bond between Patricia and the children.


She bathes the twins when she visits the McCanns and chats to them about Madeleine and her memories of her.



Patricia said: "Kate listens sometimes. It is always nice for her to hear someone else's memories of Madeleine, something more of her little girl."


There are treasured photos of Madeleine as a toddler, with her aunt holding her in her arms. Patricia was Madeleine's godmother and there was a special bond between them.



When Patricia and her mum, Eileen, visited her son, Paul, who was studying medicine at Cambridge, she would pick Madeleine up from the nearby McCann family home and take her on a special day out.


Patricia said: "She would say to the twins they were too little to come and so it was just her. That made her feel grown-up.



We would have lunch and feed ducks in the park. Not expensive things, just precious memories.



"There were times she had my mum and I in stitches. She was so sharp and funny."


And Patricia remembers vividly a holiday in Ireland with 46 extended family and friends, and playing rounders on the beach.


Patricia said: "Madeleine was a little daredevil. She was the only one who would go in the water. It was the Atlantic and it was freezing. She was a determined little thing."


Madeleine's grandparents suffer terribly. Eileen and Kate's parents, Susan and Brian Healy, fear they'll never see her again.



Patricia said: "My mum and Kate's parents have become very close. They understand each other and what they are going through.


"It is hard for them. They think about Madeleine all the time and have some terrible days. A friend of my mum's died recently.



When she was sick, she told my mum she would send her a sign from heaven to let her know if Madeleine was there."


Eileen calls the twins her bonny lassie and bonny laddie, and carries one under each arm.



Patricia added: "They are crazy about their granny."


Christmas cards from the McCanns are still signed with the names of all three children.


And there are still Christmas presents in Madeleine's room ready for her to come home.


In the meantime, Kate is exhausted juggling family life with writing a book she hopes will help finance the continued search for her daughter.


It is expected to be in shops next April, to coincide with the fourth anniversary of her disappearance.



Patricia is a nurse and the hands-on carer in the family.


Perhaps that's why it is unusual for her to take on a task like this for Missing People. The lobbying and the campaigning have always been roles for Gerry and Kate.


But they are just too busy. Patricia spent a few days with them last week to give them a break before Christmas.



She said: "Gerry has changed. He is more serious and is always exhausted. It breaks my heart to see him like that.


"Kate has always been thin but they have just had the cold and she looks even thinner now.


"They are both drained emotionally, psychologically and physically.


"They are on a treadmill. They are trying to do their best for their wee daughter who is missing and they are trying to do their best for the wee twins in front of them.


"That's why organisations like Missing People are vital. I wish at the beginning we had used the kind of support they offer."



Patricia will never give up hope that Madeleine will be found.


She said: "There are cases of people being hidden and kept for years and those cases give you hope. You have to think like that.


"She could be alive. We just haven't found her."



There were over 40,000 incidents of people going missing in Scotland last year.


Missing People have caring, highly skilled staff and volunteers working around the clock all over the UK.


The role of Family Representative is the first of several planned new volunteer opportunities available in Scotland, and involves acting as a spokesperson to the media and local community.


See www.missingpeople.org.uk



Three years of heartbreak

TIMELINE
May 3, 2007 Madeleine disappears from Praia da Luz, days before her fourth birthday.

May 7, 2007 Police release a description of the kidnapper.
May 10, 2007 Police question Kate and Gerry about why their kids were alone in the apartment.

May 11, 2007 Search of local area called off.
May 12, 2007 Madeleine's fourth birthday.

May 15, 2007 Local resident Robert Murat is named as an official suspect.
Late May 2007 McCanns enlist help of private investigators.

May 30, 2007 McCanns meet the Pope in Rome.

June 17, 2007 Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa claims vital clues may have been destroyed.

September 7, 2007 Gerry and Kate named as suspects.

September 9, 2007 Gerry and Kate return home.

September 16, 2007 Sir Richard Branson donates £100,000 for McCanns' legal bill.

October 2, 2007 Policeman in charge of inquiry is removed from case and demoted.

November 1, 2007 Gerry returns to work as surgeon.

July 21, 2008 Robert Murat and Kate and Gerry McCann have official suspect status lifted.

July 21, 2008 Portuguese attorney general archives the case. It can be reopened if new evidence comes to light.

May 1, 2009 A projected photo of Madeleine aged six is released.

May 22, 2009 Convicted paedophile Raymond Hewlett denies anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance.

December 21, 2009 Facebook page claiming to be created by Madeleine's kidnapper is removed.



January 28, 2010 On 1000th day since disappearance, McCanns host a £150-a-head fundraising dinner.



November 2, 2010 McCanns launch online petition calling for joint review of the case by Portuguese and UK governments.


November 3, 2010 McCanns appeal for cash as Find Madeleine Fund, which once topped £2million, runs dry.