BBC Panorama's Richard Bilton: 'Supporters of the McCanns asked me to act as a spy - I declined'

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BBC Panorama's Richard Bilton: 'Supporters of the McCanns asked me to act as a spy - I declined'
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BBC Panorama's Richard Bilton: 'Supporters of the McCanns asked me to act as a spy - I declined'

Richard Bilton, BBC Panorama
3 May 2017 • 11:40am

It is the story I keep returning to. For ten years, I’ve travelled to Portugal; talked to police officers and contacts; followed developments. But the facts have never changed.
Madeleine McCann disappeared ten years ago today, and we still don’t know what happened to her.
I was sent to Praia da Luz in the first days after her disappearance. The village is a collection of modern villas and apartment blocks sat between fields and a golden beach. Apart from the church and the fort, it’s hard to find anything more than 30 years old. It’s built for families like the McCanns. Middle-class Brits who want time in the sun.
I’ve come to view Luz in a different way. The holidaymakers only see the beach and the restaurants. They don’t think of crime. They’re not aware of their vulnerability.
In the weeks before the McCanns arrived in Luz there had been a mini-crime wave. There had been two burglaries in the apartment block where they were staying. British police still think Madeleine might have gone missing during a burglary that went wrong.
I spent much of 2007 in Portugal. It changed from being a missing person story to something else. Something approaching a national obsession.
Those early days were hectic: filming searches, briefings, family statements. I was expecting to be in Luz for a week. But it never stopped. There was always more. I spent much of 2007 in Portugal. It changed from being a missing person story to something else. Something approaching a national obsession.
As a reporter, I’m not often recognised or approached. Now, people were coming up to me at petrol stations or in supermarkets. They all wanted an answer to the same question: What had really happened to Madeleine McCann?
I was offered 'a deal' by supporters of the McCanns. If I spied on the press pack, and passed on any stories I heard about the first suspect, Robert Murat, I’d be given leads from inside the camp. I declined.
I didn’t know then and I don’t know now. But I wanted to know. My relationship with the case was changing. Reporters rarely bring stories home. It’s healthy to leave them in your laptop. But this case was different because I was with it all the time, but there were no answers.
Night after night I’d broadcast live from outside apartment 5a – the last place Madeleine was seen. As I waited in the dark, I’d stare at the windows and doors, turning over the theories. It’s such a bland little flat. It gives up no clues. But something happened in there. A little girl went missing and she has never been found.
There were strange moments. I was offered a deal by supporters of the McCanns. If I spied on the press pack, and passed on any stories I heard about the first suspect, Robert Murat, I’d be given leads from inside the camp. I declined.
The McCann family have 'said' they 'knew nothing about it'. I recently TOLD Robert Murat, who’s long since been cleared. He seemed genuinely upset
There were a few times when it felt like we were close to a breakthrough. I remember racing to a location in southern Spain. We’d been told the police had a major lead. But it was a gang trying to make money. Madeleine wasn’t there.
Over that first summer, suspicion moved towards her parents. The relationship between local and British journalists altered. At one point a Portuguese crew started shouting questions at me. They wanted the BBC’s reaction. My slightly half-hearted, "I don’t think it’s for me to comment" made the evening news.
Reporting facts had become difficult, as there were none. Just lots of demand. UK tabloid newspapers were lifting unattributed leaks from Portuguese papers and running them as headlines.
When the story of blood being found in apartment 5a broke, it was initially based almost completely on Portuguese leaks. I had to do a live update for the BBC News at Ten.
I thought the viewers would expect me to tell it straight: "I know where these stories are coming from, but they’re rumours, and I don’t know if they’re true."
I got calls from colleagues praising my honesty. A cameraman’s reaction was more straightforward: "Great live. What won’t you know about tomorrow night?"
The story continued to twist and turn. By late summer the McCanns had become the main suspects. I’ll never forget the days they were questioned. They were brought to the town of Portimao. The tight streets around the police station were lined with film crews and journalists from around the world. Locals gathered too, and booed when Kate McCann arrived.
The Portuguese case against the McCanns looked weak then. It looks preposterous nowRichard Bilton, BBC Panorama
Later in the day, the family’s spokeswoman breathlessly confirmed to a knot of journalists that the police had accused Kate McCann of involvement in her daughter’s death. They were offering her a deal.
It was an extraordinary moment. I had met Kate and Gerry McCann several times. Could they really have had something to do with their daughter’s death? I couldn’t believe it. The Portuguese case against them looked weak then. It looks preposterous now.
I have no relationship with Madeleine McCann’s parents. As I have examined the case over the years, I have received warning letters from their lawyers, Carter Ruck. But I have never seen anything that makes me doubt their innocence, and I have always felt for them as parents enduring an ongoing nightmare.
Two days after they were questioned, the McCanns returned to the UK. I was told in the middle of the night that they were leaving. I went to their villa at dawn. There were scores of journalists gathered by their gates. As the McCanns headed to the airport they were pursued by a snapping, filming pack. Camera crews hung out of windows and sun roofs. It was as dangerous as it was unedifying. But they were home, and the story had moved to a new stage.
Since that first, mad summer I have returned to Luz many times. The village has tired of the attention. Reporters are no longer welcome. But interest in Madeleine McCann has never dipped. The publication of the PJ Files – the records of the Portuguese investigation – and the appearance of websites dedicated to the case have allowed anybody to study the details. People used to ask my view. Now they tell me theirs.
I have no relationship with the McCanns. But I have never seen anything that makes me doubt their innocence, and I have always felt for them as parents enduring an ongoing nightmareRichard Bilton, BBC Panorama
As a journalist, I have tried to look at the case from every angle. We have made three Panorama programmes. I’ve looked for evidence, witnesses and clues. I’ve spent time with police officers from the UK and Portugal. What’s striking is how little is truly known. After so much police hard work, it’s still theories and ideas. Both forces – here and in Portugal – say they continue to investigate. "It isn’t over", they say. I’m glad.
I would love to report on the resolution of this mystery. To finally know what happened on that night ten years ago. But the truth about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann still seems as far away as ever.

Not wanting to disrespect Mr Bilton and the work he has undertaken but Richard fails to mention.
Martin Grimes and his dogs,Eddie,Keela?
Journalists tend to skip away from the FSS conclusions,15;19 markers,80% belong to who?
Sandra Felguarese,"Ask the Dogs Sandra",Gerry McCann?
Sandra Felgaurese, "Do You know Robert Murat"cough I'm not going to comment on that?
Richard Bilton,The "McCann's,wanted me to Spy for them" then declares them of "No Doubt of Innocence" in regard to their daughter Madeleine's disappearance,that's a Bold statement Richard?

willowthewisp wrote:Not wanting to disrespect Mr Bilton and the work he has undertaken but Richard fails to mention.
Martin Grimes and his dogs,Eddie,Keela?
Journalists tend to skip away from the FSS conclusions,15;19 markers,80% belong to who?
Sandra Felguarese,"Ask the Dogs Sandra",Gerry McCann?
Sandra Felgaurese, "Do You know Robert Murat"cough I'm not going to comment on that?
Richard Bilton,The "McCann's,wanted me to Spy for them" then declares them of "No Doubt of Innocence" in regard to their daughter Madeleine's disappearance,that's a Bold statement Richard?

Maybe, the next time the Mcs 'sue' somebody in a UK court, they will ask all these 'journalists/ex cops/'experts' etc to give 'evidence', on their behalf, and swear, 'under oath' that 'Madeleine was abducted'?

Ala IM, Carter Fluck 'lawyer', 'Bennett vs McCanns'

jeanmonroe wrote:

willowthewisp wrote:Not wanting to disrespect Mr Bilton and the work he has undertaken but Richard fails to mention.
Martin Grimes and his dogs,Eddie,Keela?
Journalists tend to skip away from the FSS conclusions,15;19 markers,80% belong to who?
Sandra Felguarese,"Ask the Dogs Sandra",Gerry McCann?
Sandra Felgaurese, "Do You know Robert Murat"cough I'm not going to comment on that?
Richard Bilton,The "McCann's,wanted me to Spy for them" then declares them of "No Doubt of Innocence" in regard to their daughter Madeleine's disappearance,that's a Bold statement Richard?

Maybe, the next time the Mcs 'sue' somebody in a UK court, they will ask all these 'journalists/ex cops/'experts' etc to give 'evidence', on their behalf, and swear, 'under oath' that 'Madeleine was abducted'?

Ala IM, Carter Fluck 'lawyer', 'Bennett vs McCanns'

Hi Jeanmonroe,Why hasn't Richard Bilton asked what has happened to the LCN-DNA taken by the Portugal PJ,that the FSS had in their possession,did they destroy this DNA?
If they did destroy this DNA,suerly that is a first even for Scotland Yard to willingly/knowingly to remove DNA Material from their storage system?
Ask anyone who has had their DNA taken and are innocent of any Crime,will the Police destroy the DNA pertaining to that person and I think the answer will be an emphatic,No it cannot be removed.
Yet if your Name is Madeleine and you have been reported missing for Ten Years, the UK Police will follow guidelines to destroy on"Health Grounds"LCN-DNA that had an 80% percentage linkage to Madeleine?

jeanmonroe wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

BBC Panorama's Richard Bilton: 'Supporters of the McCanns asked me to act as a spy - I declined'

Richard Bilton, BBC Panorama
3 May 2017 • 11:40am

It is the story I keep returning to. For ten years, I’ve travelled to Portugal; talked to police officers and contacts; followed developments. But the facts have never changed.
Madeleine McCann disappeared ten years ago today, and we still don’t know what happened to her.
I was sent to Praia da Luz in the first days after her disappearance. The village is a collection of modern villas and apartment blocks sat between fields and a golden beach. Apart from the church and the fort, it’s hard to find anything more than 30 years old. It’s built for families like the McCanns. Middle-class Brits who want time in the sun.
I’ve come to view Luz in a different way. The holidaymakers only see the beach and the restaurants. They don’t think of crime. They’re not aware of their vulnerability.
In the weeks before the McCanns arrived in Luz there had been a mini-crime wave. There had been two burglaries in the apartment block where they were staying. British police still think Madeleine might have gone missing during a burglary that went wrong.
I spent much of 2007 in Portugal. It changed from being a missing person story to something else. Something approaching a national obsession.
Those early days were hectic: filming searches, briefings, family statements. I was expecting to be in Luz for a week. But it never stopped. There was always more. I spent much of 2007 in Portugal. It changed from being a missing person story to something else. Something approaching a national obsession.
As a reporter, I’m not often recognised or approached. Now, people were coming up to me at petrol stations or in supermarkets. They all wanted an answer to the same question: What had really happened to Madeleine McCann?
I was offered 'a deal' by supporters of the McCanns. If I spied on the press pack, and passed on any stories I heard about the first suspect, Robert Murat, I’d be given leads from inside the camp. I declined.
I didn’t know then and I don’t know now. But I wanted to know. My relationship with the case was changing. Reporters rarely bring stories home. It’s healthy to leave them in your laptop. But this case was different because I was with it all the time, but there were no answers.
Night after night I’d broadcast live from outside apartment 5a – the last place Madeleine was seen. As I waited in the dark, I’d stare at the windows and doors, turning over the theories. It’s such a bland little flat. It gives up no clues. But something happened in there. A little girl went missing and she has never been found.
There were strange moments. I was offered a deal by supporters of the McCanns. If I spied on the press pack, and passed on any stories I heard about the first suspect, Robert Murat, I’d be given leads from inside the camp. I declined.
The McCann family have 'said' they 'knew nothing about it'. I recently TOLD Robert Murat, who’s long since been cleared. He seemed genuinely upset
There were a few times when it felt like we were close to a breakthrough. I remember racing to a location in southern Spain. We’d been told the police had a major lead. But it was a gang trying to make money. Madeleine wasn’t there.
Over that first summer, suspicion moved towards her parents. The relationship between local and British journalists altered. At one point a Portuguese crew started shouting questions at me. They wanted the BBC’s reaction. My slightly half-hearted, "I don’t think it’s for me to comment" made the evening news.
Reporting facts had become difficult, as there were none. Just lots of demand. UK tabloid newspapers were lifting unattributed leaks from Portuguese papers and running them as headlines.
When the story of blood being found in apartment 5a broke, it was initially based almost completely on Portuguese leaks. I had to do a live update for the BBC News at Ten.
I thought the viewers would expect me to tell it straight: "I know where these stories are coming from, but they’re rumours, and I don’t know if they’re true."
I got calls from colleagues praising my honesty. A cameraman’s reaction was more straightforward: "Great live. What won’t you know about tomorrow night?"
The story continued to twist and turn. By late summer the McCanns had become the main suspects. I’ll never forget the days they were questioned. They were brought to the town of Portimao. The tight streets around the police station were lined with film crews and journalists from around the world. Locals gathered too, and booed when Kate McCann arrived.
The Portuguese case against the McCanns looked weak then. It looks preposterous nowRichard Bilton, BBC Panorama
Later in the day, the family’s spokeswoman breathlessly confirmed to a knot of journalists that the police had accused Kate McCann of involvement in her daughter’s death. They were offering her a deal.
It was an extraordinary moment. I had met Kate and Gerry McCann several times. Could they really have had something to do with their daughter’s death? I couldn’t believe it. The Portuguese case against them looked weak then. It looks preposterous now.
I have no relationship with Madeleine McCann’s parents. As I have examined the case over the years, I have received warning letters from their lawyers, Carter Ruck. But I have never seen anything that makes me doubt their innocence, and I have always felt for them as parents enduring an ongoing nightmare.
Two days after they were questioned, the McCanns returned to the UK. I was told in the middle of the night that they were leaving. I went to their villa at dawn. There were scores of journalists gathered by their gates. As the McCanns headed to the airport they were pursued by a snapping, filming pack. Camera crews hung out of windows and sun roofs. It was as dangerous as it was unedifying. But they were home, and the story had moved to a new stage.
Since that first, mad summer I have returned to Luz many times. The village has tired of the attention. Reporters are no longer welcome. But interest in Madeleine McCann has never dipped. The publication of the PJ Files – the records of the Portuguese investigation – and the appearance of websites dedicated to the case have allowed anybody to study the details. People used to ask my view. Now they tell me theirs.
I have no relationship with the McCanns. But I have never seen anything that makes me doubt their innocence, and I have always felt for them as parents enduring an ongoing nightmareRichard Bilton, BBC Panorama
As a journalist, I have tried to look at the case from every angle. We have made three Panorama programmes. I’ve looked for evidence, witnesses and clues. I’ve spent time with police officers from the UK and Portugal. What’s striking is how little is truly known. After so much police hard work, it’s still theories and ideas. Both forces – here and in Portugal – say they continue to investigate. "It isn’t over", they say. I’m glad.
I would love to report on the resolution of this mystery. To finally know what happened on that night ten years ago. But the truth about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann still seems as far away as ever.

Thanks for posting the full article jeanmonroe, I was called away mid post. You've even bolded the bits I meant to!

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Thanks for posting the full article jeanmonroe, I was called away mid post. You've even bolded the bits I meant to!
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I'm a 'mind reader' doncha know!

Richard Bilton's,Panorama programme was in the whole,a well made programme.
There was a male person,Heribrito,who showed Richard how it was possible to access through the Window from the Car park into the children's bedroom,where Madeleine was taken from?
The problem with that thesis,was the bed under the window wasn't the Bed that Madeleine was using to sleep in!?
Clarence Mitchell, was once again being his Normal PR mode,quite now how Ludicrous he sounded in 2017 Panorama,that the McCann family where completely unaware of the"Village of the Damned"the Portugal,Ocean Club was in 2006/07,burglaries,Operation Grange theory? 
Richard Bilton pointed out to(RM)it wasn't a member of the McCann Family,that wanted RB to be used to "Spy" on Robert Murat during the covering of the Madeleine McCann case by the BBC,Now that can only leave a certain person who had direct access,Clarence?
Richard Bilton did however,highlight that the McCann Families"Private Investigators"where working in Contradiction to,Portugal PJ,jurisdiction,Ilegal?
Why didn't RB make reference to the Private Investigators,deceptions on the find Madeleine funds?
Why didn't RB show the same phone records used as evidence of Portugal suspects on the Night of Madeleine's disappearance,Tapas 7/9?
According to Simon Foy,the Tapas 7/9 or McCann Family were not suspects of involvement in the Operation Grange Remit into Madeleine's disappearance, when the Remit was drawn UP!?
How the hell did Gerry's mate,big Jim Gamble, suddenly become a DNA,Dog recovery expert?
Then we have the discrepancy over the Operation Grange, 2011,did Theresa know or not know the contents of big Jim's CEOP report 2010? 
What was quite clearly missing from Richard's programme,was how Clarence Mitchell knew of the Time that Madeleine's first reported disappearance was at Midnight 3 May 2007, Daily Telegraph,same time zone,when presumably he did not know of Madeleine's plight whilst working as PR for Tony Blair?

Sorry Richard but if we're supposed to gasp in admiration of your moral rectitude you'll be disappointed. You were asked, you claim, to pass on information you might glean about an arguido, not to the investigating authorities, the P.J. but to supporters of those who were trying to implicate him in a crime. What did you do? Did you alert the authorities to this illegal practice as was your civic duty? No. You merely declined and sat on this information for a decade until you could produce it as a scoop in the Bilton versus Brunt contest for supreme journalist and oracle on all things Madeleine. You should hang your self-serving, self-promoting head in shame if this is true, not expect kudos.

Why didn't he name this person/s? He'd be well within his rights.

Phoebe wrote:Sorry Richard but if we're supposed to gasp in admiration of your moral rectitude you'll be disappointed. You were asked, you claim, to pass on information you might glean about an arguido, not to the investigating authorities, the P.J. but to supporters of those who were trying to implicate him in a crime. What did you do? Did you alert the authorities to this illegal practice as was your civic duty? No. You merely declined and sat on this information for a decade until you could produce it as a scoop in the Bilton versus Brunt contest for supreme journalist and oracle on all things Madeleine. You should hang your self-serving, self-promoting head in shame if this is true, not expect kudos.

Exactly and why not name names or is he afraid of  being Rucked again?

All these Ruck letters being sent out must have cost a small fortune as they are not cheap or does all this come as the no win no fee package?

He says he would be given info. from inside the camp if he had spied.   Err what info. of value would that have been.   If the PJ couldn't get them to talk then why on earth would they give inside info. to a journalist waiting for THE BIG SCOOP?

Not to late to do another docu. Bilton regarding  the Supreme Court ruling.