Brian Kennedy is 'hands-on', says Clarence Mitchell. But not when it comes to supervising Kevin Kalligen

This article, by James Millbank, in 'The People', 17 August 2008, is of interest for quite a few reasons.

For one, it was published days after Clarence Mitchell boasted about the 'big boys' of Oakley International, which we all know was not a firm of 'big boys' but of a big-spending, hard-drinking, serial con merchant and fraudster Kevin Halligen.

It was also published only a couple of weeks before Mitchell admitted that Oakley International hadn't lived up to expectations and were going to be dropped, after their contract expired.

The main 'burden' of the article was how greedy, 'grasping' journalist Duarte Levy, erstwhile partner of Joana Morais, had demanded £50,000 for 24 photos said to have been taken by a Spaniard in the 'Tapas restaurant'. The photos were said to show Dr Kate McCann changing her clothes and other discrepancies in the timeline that evening. Levy was ridiculed good and proper in the article, the rest of which I'll add below.

But the bit of the article I want us to focus on for a moment is this:

QUOTE

He also offered The People recordings he claimed to have of the McCanns' financial backer, double-glazing tycoon Brian Kennedy, in a private meeting with Portuguese police.

Mr Mitchell last night said he did not know if Kate changed her clothes and added: "If she did, so what?" He said: "It is no big deal that Mr Kennedy met the police.

"He is interested in all aspects of the investigation. He is a very hands-on person."

UNQUOTE

This meeting between Kennedy and the police we know from the record took place on 13 November 2007, and I believe it was a significant meeting. We also know from the account we have of it by the Portuguese Police that 'representatives of Metodo 3' were there. My guess would be the boss of Metodo 3, Francisco Marco, and his right-hand man.

Note that within a month of this meeting, the Metodo 3 boss was hawking his claims that his men were 'closing in on Madeleine' and she would be 'home by Christmas'.

Why was Kennedy so keen on meeting with the police then? And why did he bring his 'Metodo 3' men along with him - I say 'his' Metodo 3 men because we all know that Kennedy has masterminded and led this whole three year farce of disreputable private investigators.

Of still greater significance I believe was the meeting Kennedy had either that day, or the day before, with:
* Robert Murat and
* Robert Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete
* His own in-house lawyer, the McCanns' 'co-ordinating' lawyer, Freemason Edward Smethurst
* Robert Murat's mother, aunt and uncle.

Kennedy was dining with a suspect and two lawyers. What was the real subject of discussion, what was the deal?

Now, if we look at the article again, we see that Duarte levy is offering 'The People' a recording of this tete-a-tete between Kennedy and the Portuguese Police.

Actually, that would I think be fascinating, and of course does not appear amongst the files released by the PJ.

Now we can see also that Clarence Mitchell is forced to react to this claim by levy, and is forced to admit that Brian Kennedy did in fact talk to the PJ.

And Mitchell felt he had to explain this away somehow, and used his skills as a Downing Street 'spinmeister' to do so.

What did he say?

He said; "He is interested in all aspects of the investigation. He is a very hands-on person".

You can say that again!

OK, I will then:

Mitchell: "He is interested in all aspects of the investigation. He is a very hands-on person".

You bet!

How hands-on was Kennedy?

Clarence Mitchell claimed he was 'very' hands-on'.

Was he?

Let's see. He...

* appointed Metodo 3

* appointed Red Defence, Oakley International and Kevin Halligen

* personally recuited private detectives and gave them orders

* bought a house in Knutsford from where he has conducted operations for the past three years

* contacted the Smiths and went to interview Martin Smith in Ireland

* got Gail Cooper and her husband to be interviewed by the lady 'FBI-trained' forensic artist and created a convenient story and some dramatic sketches about the shaggy-haired 'George Harrison man'

* (according to Mark Hollingsworth) intimidated witnesses, some of them so much so that they refused to talk to the PJ

* recruited ex-Cheshire cops Dave Edgar and Arthur Cowley

* organised his private detectives to visit Portugal and Morocco - for what precise purpose remains unclear - often accompanied by his son Patrick Kennedy.

So, was Mitchell right to describe Kennedy as 'hands-on'?

Absolutely.

So, in the light of that impressive record of Kennedy having his hands on just about everything else, what are we to make of Kennedy...

1) failing to supervise Halligen?

2) paying Halligen half a million quid without proper monitoring?

3) not following up a single call from the specially set-up 'hotline' in Virginia, U.S.A.?

4) being totally unaware of Halligen's high-living, hard-drinking lifestyle in London, Oxford and New York.

Let me speak plainly.

Did the notoriously 'hands on' Kennedy, who by the sound of it practically had his hands around the throats of potential witnesses to stop them squealing talking to the police, suddenly become 'hands off' when it came to checking what Halligen was doing for six months?

I will leave my question for others to answer.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BELOW: The rest of the 'People' article:


17 August 2008

Maddie McCann's parents are "devastated and furious" over a cruel bid to cash in on their anguish.

Grasping Duarte Levy demanded £50,000 for photographs he claims implicate Kate and Gerry in their daughter's disappearance.

The 23-stone Frenchman said the "dynamite" pictures showed Kate had changed clothes suspiciously the night Maddie vanished.

Despicable Levy also made the ludicrous claim that the 24 photos he was peddling cast doubt on what Gerry and one of the couple's Tapas 7 pals told Portuguese police.

Levy, who said he had close links to the cops, bragged outrageously: "These photos are a bombshell and will force the Maddie case to be re-opened."

The People refused his offers to sell the pictures - and told the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell of Levy's preposterous claims.

Mr Mitchell branded Levy "a con man and fantastist".

He said: "Kate and Gerry are angry and upset that he is seeking to make money out of Madeleine - it is a disgrace.

"They are no longer suspects and he should not be trying to tarnish their reputation. We thank The People for exposing this man."

A People investigator met Levy in a Brussels hotel last week. Levy said: "I will sell the photos to the highest bidder. I got hold of them through my contacts."

Levy - who is in his 40s and claims to have homes in Spain, Belgium and London - said he had sold pictures and stories about Maddie for tens of thousands of pounds.

He said his new photos showed doctors Kate and Gerry, both 40, dining with their friends in Praia da Luz the night Maddie, then three, disappeared 15 months ago.

Levy claimed that Kate and one of the Tapas 7 changed their clothes.

He also alleged: "The photos were taken between about 8.10pm and 10.15pm and they show that the time lines made by Gerry McCann and another Tapas 7 friend are wrong.

They are dynamite." Levy cruelly scorned Kate and Gerry's belief that Maddie is still alive. He said: "I believe she died in that room during an accident and then her body was moved to a flat in the town where it was kept in a freezer."

The claim is categorically denied by the McCanns and police produced no evidence to support the theory. Levy said the pictures were taken by a Spanish tourist whose camera was later stolen.

He claimed a police source tipped him off after officers found the camera, which he then bought legally.

Levy also tried to convince The People that a well-known British legal firm offered him 600,000 euros (£512,800) for the photographs.

Bizarrely, he said he refused because the lawyers would not agree to his demand that the police should have copies of the pictures.

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Why is a double glazing tycoon so important in the disappearance of Madeleine and what happened to the 24 photos Levy had?

Levy has been caught out in many lies but there's one of his statements I'd agree with :

"I believe she died in that room "