Colin Sutton: Met only interested in proving McCann parents innocent

by **Jill Havern** 03.05.17 6:05

A detective tipped to head up the Madeleine McCann probe was warned he would be ordered to prove she was abducted and ignore other leads.

Colin Sutton said a high-ranking friend in the Met called him and warned him not to lead the case when Scotland Yard announced it would get involved in 2010.

The source warned that he would be tasked with proving her parents Kate and Gerry were innocent and ignoring any alternatives to the abduction theory, he claims.

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Colin Sutton said a high-ranking friend in the Met called him and warned him not to lead the case when Scotland Yard announced it would get involved in 2010

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Speaking to Martin Brunt on Sky News, he said he was warned he would be tasked with proving her parents Kate and Gerry were innocent and ignoring any alternatives theories

Speaking to Martin Brunt on Sky News, he said: 'I did receive a call from a very senior met police officer who knew me and said it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to head investigation on the basis that I wouldn’t be happy conducting an investigation being told where I could go and where I couldn’t go, the things I could investigate and the things I couldn’t.

Asked to clarify what he meant, he added: 'The Scotland Yard investigation was going to be very narrowly focused and that focus would be away from any suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of the McCanns or the tapas friends.'

The Tapas Nine refers to the McCann parents and the seven friends they were out to dinner with when Madeleine disappeared in 2007.

They were interviewed by Portuguese Police, who have always worked on the basis that Madeleine was abducted from her room, but Mr Sutton said other possibilities should be entertained.

Speaking on Searching for Maddie, which looks at the case ten years on from her disappearance, he criticises the narrow focus of both Portuguese and British police.

He added: 'If you are conducting a re-investigation you start at the very beginning. Look at all the accounts all the evidence all the initial statements and go through them and make sure they stack up and they compare.'

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Colin said he would come back here to take part in discussions after the Sky documentary had been aired.

And here's a reminder of the Questions thread for Colin:
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by plebgate 03.05.17 8:24

Well let's hope Colin does come back.

That would not have been easy for him to say to imo and also saying that the re-investigation should have started at the beginning - isn't that what CMMOM members and many others have been saying all along and now a retired British Police Officer also.

by inspirespirit 03.05.17 8:33

I thought he was excellent last night. Very fair. Well done Colin. Maybe some people owe him an apology. They were very quick to judge, even when he asked them to wait and see the Sky docu before forumulating an opinion.

by **Jill Havern** 03.05.17 8:48

Yes, I've been getting good reports about Colin on Sky after getting mixed messages from him with various media reports.

I've also heard that Sky has edited the documentary where Colin was talking.

Let's hope he comes back and puts his side of the story.

by Mirage 03.05.17 8:53

Well, I am relieved to hear this news re CS.

by Sceptic 03.05.17 8:56

I wish to pass on my thank's and admiration to Colin for having the strength of character to disclose what he did last night r.e Operation Grange

by Guest 03.05.17 8:59

Wow, some truth on the MSM. Incredible, lets hope Colin is not subjected to a vilifying campaign of character slurs from the media. I expect they are digging for dirt and making stuff up right now, but keep fingers crossed.

by **Jill Havern** 03.05.17 9:05

Mirage wrote:Well, I am relieved to hear this news re CS.

The only reservation I have about Colin is his association with Jim Gamble and where he really fits in with this case.

Only last week he was in the media singing from the McCann hymnsheet about the most likely scenario for Maddie's disappearance was she was targeted by a trafficking gang.

So, I don't know what to think really $i don\'t know$

I still haven't seen the Sky1 doc (as haven't got Sky) so if anyone knows where I can see it I'd be grateful.

by sallypelt 03.05.17 9:10

I have not watched any tv programme, lately, about Madeleine McCann. I just don't have the stomach for it. I detest lies in any shape or form, it's better for my sanity that I don't watch such programmes.
Like many members on here, I am only interested in the TRUTH. I don't know what happened to Madeleine McCann, but what I do know is, we have been lied to. The T9 KNOW what happened to Madeleine, and so do those who are trying hard to convince us that so "burglary, that went wrong" is the reason MBM went missing. POPPY COCK!
As for Colin Sutton, I have only read what he's posted in this forum, and what others on here, have said about him. From the latest posts about Colin, I have to say, what a brave man, and unlike so many in positions of power, who are involved in this sorry saga, he hasn't sold HIS soul for a mess of pottage.

by Rogue-a-Tory 03.05.17 9:24

In a round about way he answers the question I posed on the other thread, i.e. you need to elimate family, friends & known tos from any missing child enquiry

by sar 03.05.17 9:27

plebgate wrote:Well let's hope Colin does come back.

Lets hope so, not like Dr Kelly going for a walk, Robin Cook???, Jil Dando, Lady `d, the mi5 op who locked himself into a bag from the inside?? Wow!!

by JRP 03.05.17 9:41

I haven't seen the Sky doc either, but if what Mr. Sutton says is true, it adds credibility to what many of us have said about the remit of Operation Grange.

I find it worrying that somebody can manipulate our police, and watch them set up patsy's. While we mock Operation Grange for not investigating the parents, these coppers who are on our payroll would haul some innocent person in for this crime, if they could make some of their sloppy evidence fit.
I bet the local skips and PDL are full of purple sweaters, cardigans and such like this week, just in case plod calls around to see what they were up to in 2007.

I don't know if Mr. Sutton is a genuine seeker of the truth or not, but my guess would be that if he genuinely wanted to be a whistle blower he could have done so ages ago. But like all these coppers who secretly back the truth, or make payments to back GA's legal cases, or post Tweets saying they know there is a cover up, non of them have the bottle to stand individually or better still, collectively, and tell the full truth to a waiting public.

by pennylane 03.05.17 9:51

So now cuddlecat is out of the bag re Operation Grange's corrupt Remit, how about someone from the now defunct Birmingham Forensic Science Services explaining why their initial forensic test results hung the McCanns out to dry, and then they suddenly did a jaw-dropping U-turn!

by sallypelt 03.05.17 9:58

Could this be the beginning of "The Emperor' s New Clothes"? Let's hope so, and very soon there will be a crescendo like that seen in Les Miserables.

“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against" - Malcolm X

by JRP 03.05.17 10:07

"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything".

Malcolm X

Assassinated 21/02/1965

by RosieandSam 03.05.17 10:21

The Sky1 documentary with Brunt and Colin Sutton certainly drew attention to the limited remit of Operation Grange, that is, it was only to focus on 'an abduction as if it had happened in the UK'. Clearly, that will be 'news' to some people who don't follow the case as closely as we do.

Having said that, there were enough interviews with people saying that the McCanns were declared innocent to fudge the entire message.

There was great emphasis on the leaked, secret' report that Brunt was wafting around in front of the camera - he kept repeating 'secret report'. However, when he interviewed Jim Gamble, it was clear that it was Jim Gamble's scoping report written for Alan Johnson (Home Secretary at the time). JG referred to 'I' a lot when discussing the main points and conclusions. There was also a close-up of the report which had the CEOP heading on it. It didn't take a genius to work it out.

No prizes for guessing who 'leaked the report' ........... winkwink

by **sandancer** 03.05.17 10:23

I did watch last night , though I almost turned off immediately when Krugel and his " magic machine was wheeled out first .

I was pleasantly surprised that Colin was allowed to say what he did .

So come on Colin get back on here please and tell us some more .

by ChippyM 03.05.17 10:48

Well done to Colin for speaking out like this.

To be fair when he spoke to the media about theories ( such as trafficking) he did say they might apply IF the parents were ruled out.

It was the paper that decided on how much emphasis would be put on certain things and gloss over others.

by MRNOODLES 03.05.17 11:00

I just don't know what to make of it TBH. (I did watch it)

SKY let an ex-copper appear on TV and allow him to say. OG's remit was bogus AND cast doubt over OG's claim about crech-man.

Plus take into account how did Brunty get hold of that report?

*Head scratcher*

by MRNOODLES 03.05.17 11:12

After scratching my head a skeptic might say...

If you investigate the parents at the beginning you can categorically clear them earlier. And if you cast doubt on crech-man again. He's back in the frame for being the abductor.

by **Jill Havern** 03.05.17 11:43

This Sky documentary will be on Sky News tonight at 8pm.

by Guest 03.05.17 11:44

Question: Are there any unsolved cases across the world that you would be interested in tackling?

Answer: Not now, I am too happy being retired! But had the Madeline McCann review come my way before retirement I would have stayed to complete that; it is the greatest mystery of our generation, and despite its obvious difficulty I would have been unable to resist the opportunity to try to help solve it.

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Call me a cynic but does that gel with the claim that a senior police officer warned him off the case? Or is he being misquoted again.

[size=32]COLIN SUTTON INVESTIGATIONS[/size]

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I am available for consultancy and investigation, as well as media commentary on crime and criminal justice matters.

by Guest 03.05.17 11:52

plebgate wrote:
.... also saying that the re-investigation should have started at the beginning - isn't that what CMMOM members and many others have been saying all along and now a retired British Police Officer also.

That's also what ex-DCI Andy Redwood said of Operation Grange ..

"Primarily what we sought to do from the beginning is try and draw everything back to zero if you like. Try and take everything back to the beginning and re-analyse and reassess everything, accepting nothing,"

Crimewatch Madeleine McCann Special October 2013

Famous last words?

by **Nina** 03.05.17 11:58

JRP wrote:I haven't seen the Sky doc either, but if what Mr. Sutton says is true, it adds credibility to what many of us have said about the remit of Operation Grange.

I find it worrying that somebody can manipulate our police, and watch them set up patsy's. While we mock Operation Grange for not investigating the parents, these coppers who are on our payroll would haul some innocent person in for this crime, if they could make some of their sloppy evidence fit.
I bet the local skips and PDL are full of purple sweaters, cardigans and such like this week, just in case plod calls around to see what they were up to in 2007.

I don't know if Mr. Sutton is a genuine seeker of the truth or not, but my guess would be that if he genuinely wanted to be a whistle blower he could have done so ages ago. But like all these coppers who secretly back the truth, or make payments to back GA's legal cases, or post Tweets saying they know there is a cover up, non of them have the bottle to stand individually or better still, collectively, and tell the full truth to a waiting public.

Maybe they, the police who are genuine truth seekers, have to wait until they retire before they whistle blow.
Whistle blowers often find it necessary to leave their jobs after blowing the whistle. Some to find real difficulty in then getting another job.
I really do hope that Colin returns.

by **Jill Havern** 03.05.17 12:10

Nina wrote:
JRP wrote:I haven't seen the Sky doc either, but if what Mr. Sutton says is true, it adds credibility to what many of us have said about the remit of Operation Grange.

I find it worrying that somebody can manipulate our police, and watch them set up patsy's. While we mock Operation Grange for not investigating the parents, these coppers who are on our payroll would haul some innocent person in for this crime, if they could make some of their sloppy evidence fit.
I bet the local skips and PDL are full of purple sweaters, cardigans and such like this week, just in case plod calls around to see what they were up to in 2007.

I don't know if Mr. Sutton is a genuine seeker of the truth or not, but my guess would be that if he genuinely wanted to be a whistle blower he could have done so ages ago. But like all these coppers who secretly back the truth, or make payments to back GA's legal cases, or post Tweets saying they know there is a cover up, non of them have the bottle to stand individually or better still, collectively, and tell the full truth to a waiting public.
Maybe they, the police who are genuine truth seekers, have to wait until they retire before they whistle blow.
Whistle blowers often find it necessary to leave their jobs after blowing the whistle. Some to find real difficulty in then getting another job.
I really do hope that Colin returns.

I haven't heard DCI Andy Redwood's whistle yet.

by polyenne 03.05.17 12:21

I believe Colin meant that he would have loved to have been involved from the start. It was a poisoned chalice coming in at such a late stage with a clear direction being dictated.

It was with trepidation that I watched the documentary last night fearing the usual heavily pro-McCann mood but I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised at how comparatively balanced it was, helped by Colin's statements.

Is the worm turning ?

by **Nina** 03.05.17 12:22

Get'emGonçalo wrote:
Nina wrote:
JRP wrote:I haven't seen the Sky doc either, but if what Mr. Sutton says is true, it adds credibility to what many of us have said about the remit of Operation Grange.

I find it worrying that somebody can manipulate our police, and watch them set up patsy's. While we mock Operation Grange for not investigating the parents, these coppers who are on our payroll would haul some innocent person in for this crime, if they could make some of their sloppy evidence fit.
I bet the local skips and PDL are full of purple sweaters, cardigans and such like this week, just in case plod calls around to see what they were up to in 2007.

I don't know if Mr. Sutton is a genuine seeker of the truth or not, but my guess would be that if he genuinely wanted to be a whistle blower he could have done so ages ago. But like all these coppers who secretly back the truth, or make payments to back GA's legal cases, or post Tweets saying they know there is a cover up, non of them have the bottle to stand individually or better still, collectively, and tell the full truth to a waiting public.
Maybe they, the police who are genuine truth seekers, have to wait until they retire before they whistle blow.
Whistle blowers often find it necessary to leave their jobs after blowing the whistle. Some to find real difficulty in then getting another job.
I really do hope that Colin returns.
I haven't heard DCI Andy Redwood's whistle yet.

Give it time, he is still in the first flush of golf saturation.
Seriously, I do think that over time there will be more from retired personnel

by jeanmonroe 03.05.17 12:27

Get'emGonçalo wrote:
Nina wrote:
JRP wrote:I haven't seen the Sky doc either, but if what Mr. Sutton says is true, it adds credibility to what many of us have said about the remit of Operation Grange.

I find it worrying that somebody can manipulate our police, and watch them set up patsy's. While we mock Operation Grange for not investigating the parents, these coppers who are on our payroll would haul some innocent person in for this crime, if they could make some of their sloppy evidence fit.
I bet the local skips and PDL are full of purple sweaters, cardigans and such like this week, just in case plod calls around to see what they were up to in 2007.

I don't know if Mr. Sutton is a genuine seeker of the truth or not, but my guess would be that if he genuinely wanted to be a whistle blower he could have done so ages ago. But like all these coppers who secretly back the truth, or make payments to back GA's legal cases, or post Tweets saying they know there is a cover up, non of them have the bottle to stand individually or better still, collectively, and tell the full truth to a waiting public.
Maybe they, the police who are genuine truth seekers, have to wait until they retire before they whistle blow.
Whistle blowers often find it necessary to leave their jobs after blowing the whistle. Some to find real difficulty in then getting another job.
I really do hope that Colin returns.
I haven't heard DCI Andy Redwood's whistle yet.

You mean the bloke who 'spent' 3 1/2 years, investigating, full time, with a 'team' of 38 elite, dedicated Maddie 'cops' and £13 million of UK taxpayers money, ONLY 'looking for' 'blokes/men/geezers' who 'abducted' Madeleine?

When, all along, we're NOW 'told', by MET Police/SY, Andy's 'old paymasters', it was 'a WOMAN wot dunnit, geddit'!

I imagine, when Andy goes down the 'local', the 'traps' use, the 'chorus' goes up, 'hereee's Andy, just back from specsavers! They weren't 'man boobs', Andy!'

by Guest 03.05.17 12:28

Colin Sutton Investigations

Since retirement I have conducted investigations for large companies, public bodies and private individuals.

I have also worked for BBC TV and Radio, Sky News and ITV News, commenting on high-profile crimes such as Madeleine McCann, Tia Sharp, April Jones, Steven Lawrence and Millie Dowler, as well as strategic issues such as police reform and the criminal law. In print, I have written for The Times, The Sun and the Daily Mail, dealing with live cases as well as subjects as diverse as the Kennedy assassination, the case for a universal DNA database and reforms to the probation service.

by jeanmonroe 03.05.17 13:11

CS 'appears' to 'confirm' what I have been, boringly, banging on 'about' for YEARS.

"This investigation is anything but normal, and it has never been normal from the very day that Madeleine McCann disappeared."

'Seems' NOW.....we sort of 'know' WHY!

'Protect' the McS and their 'friends' at ANY/ALL 'costs'!

The £15millon, to date, 'question' is...........WHY?