The Diplomatic Corp

Having had personal experience of the function of a British Ambassador and regional Consulats, I have many times in the past been very vocal about the unprecedented involvement by the diplomatic corp placed in Portugal, in respect of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Suffice to say at this late stage, in the year 2007 it just didn't happen - or rather should never have happened.  It totally contravened all diplomatic protocol existent at the time.

This is what Kate McCann had to say in her book 'madeleine' published in May 2011 - four years after her daughters alleged abduction..

We were grateful for the support of the British consul for the Algarve, Bill Henderson, and the proconsul, Angela Morado, who met us at the police station. Although there was little anyone could say or do to ease our pain, they were both warm and extremely sympathetic. I especially appreciated Angela’s reassuring presence – she was roughly the same age as me, a mother herself and, most importantly, strong, and I felt those common factors would help her to understand a little of what I was going through. At one point, the British ambassador, John Buck, came down from Lisbon to see us. He was pleasant and obviously concerned.


I recall Bill Henderson telling me there had been several recent cases of men getting into bed with children, but no known abductions. I’m not sure why this didn’t ring a million alarm bells or sicken me to the core. As it was, it remained locked away in the dungeons of my mind for many months. At the time my brain simply couldn’t connect such cases with Madeleine’s disappearance. These were abuse victims, and as awful as such crimes were, Madeleine’s situation was much worse. Our child had been stolen. We didn’t know where or how she was.
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So there you have it - Kate McCann's personal account of how they were assisted by the British diplomatic corp - if I might add, flying in the face of the official Portuguese police investigation and breaking every rule in the book into the bargain.

Did someone say not a cover-up - did someone say Operation Grange or some other arm of the Metropolitan Police are closing in?  Pull the other one!

 When exactly did Bill Henderson and Angela Morado meet the McCanns at the police station?  

When an abduction was being investigated?
When the McCannns were under suspicion?
When they were made formal suspects?

What were these people doing at the police station anyway? Could they have not met elsewhere?

The reference to the presence of the consul and pro-consul at the police station is contained within the book chapter 'Friday 4th May'.  The implication is therefore that they were present at the station when the McCanns were taken to give their witness statements on the Friday. 

The station must have been bulging at the scenes.

Ambassadorial/Consular assistance does not, I repeat not, extend to personal attendance and/or interference in a police investigation.

British Ambassador John Buck and Algarve Consul Bill Henderson media conference May 4 2007

except if you are an instrument of that very government.

Latest News - June 2019

Over the next three days of his state visit, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, will be staying at the US Ambassador's residence Winfield House in Regent's Park

The Independent.
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Archived News - June 2007

It was pretty late by the time we arrived at the ambassador’s residence, where we would be spending the night.

madeleine by KATE MCCANN

That was Casablanca in June 2007.
They also 'did' the Ambassador's residence in Rome overnight on the Pope trip in May.

Why didn't they roll out the red carpet while they were at it?

Doug D wrote:That was Casablanca in June 2007.
They also 'did' the Ambassador's residence in Rome overnight on the Pope trip in May.

There lies a mystery.

The British Embassy is at Rabat not Casablanca.

Kate McCann, according to her version of the truth, doesn't appear to know whether they landed in Casablanca or Rabat, so traumatiszed was she by the flight on board a pre-war military aircraft.   She says in her autobiographical novel 'madeleine,' that they were received on arrival by the British Consul - who is situated in Casablanca.  I see no reason why the Consul would travel to Rabat just to welcome the McCanns on Moroccan soil.

Frankly I believe the whole scenario was romanticized to boost their public persona.  Not doubting they took the trip to Morocco but the detail leaves a lot to be desired.

Photographic images even shows Gerry McCann at the airport armed with a box of 'leaflets'.  No doubt the same leaflets used by the children they infamously used for a photoshoot.

Disgraceful charade.

Media hype by the hand of  Clarence 'ludicrous' Mitchell Esq.

The Truth of the Lie by Gonçalo Amaral

Chapter 3.

THE VISITS BY THE CONSUL AND THE AMBASSADOR; INFORMATION IS TAKING A LONG TIME TO COME FROM GREAT BRITAIN

At ten in the morning, twelve hours after the disappearance, the British Consul to Portimão goes to the Department of Criminal Investigation. We inform him of the actions taken up to then and the next stages being considered. He doesn’t seem satisfied. Someone hears him on the telephone saying that the police judiciaire are doing nothing. Now, that’s strange! Why that untruth? What objective does he have in mind? Giving another dimension to the case? Perhaps, I don’t know a thing about it, but this is not the time for conjecture; we have to concentrate on our work, of finding the little girl.

We’re not getting any response from Great Britain. We’ve had no reports on the subject of the couple, their children and their friends, which doesn’t help us to tighten up the investigation. We would like, for example, to know if Madeleine was adopted by the couple, which would allow us to eliminate the hypothesis of parental abduction. If the information is not reaching us, it’s obviously reaching the British Ambassador. We are astonished by this prompt mobilisation of the English authorities. So, who are the McCanns? Who are their friends? We don’t need diplomatic intervention: what we would like, is answers to the questions sent to the British police authorities by Glen Power.

Chapter 5.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH POLICE

On Monday May 7th, we start to welcome our English colleagues from Leicestershire, the county where Madeleine and her parents live.

When we requested the collaboration of the English police, our request was passed on, according to practice, via the liaison officer of SOCA* We thought that a case of abduction was within the jurisdiction of Scotland Yard, who are much more experienced than others in the fight against violent crime. We learned that in Great Britain, investigations are consigned to the sector where the victim resides. Nevertheless, Scotland Yard will intervene later on.
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Tell me - what chance did the PJ ever have of conducting a routine police investigation?

They weren't bungling incompetent sardine munching booze swilling yokels as portrayed by the UK media.  They were a professional competent police force trying to solve the mystery of Madeleine McCann's alleged disappearance, hampered time and time again by outside interference in the guise of the beer swilling, burping, fish and chip munching UK establishment.

Touché !!!   :en garde:

Physician heal thyself ....

I don't know how it works in the UK but are you allowed to have two different active passports at the same time as Gerry seem's he had in May 2007?
Is it possible that the second passport was a diplomatic passport?

NickE wrote:I don't know how it works in the UK but are you allowed to have two different active passports at the same time as Gerry seem's he had in May 2007?
Is it possible that the second passport was a diplomatic passport?

Gerry McCann seems to have had two passports?

Where does that information come from?

No, it's not likely he had a 'diplomatic' passport.

Verdi wrote:

NickE wrote:I don't know how it works in the UK but are you allowed to have two different active passports at the same time as Gerry seem's he had in May 2007?
Is it possible that the second passport was a diplomatic passport?

Gerry McCann seems to have had two passports?  

Where does that information come from?

No, it's not likely he had a 'diplomatic' passport.

His passport number in the PJ files starts with "7" and ends with "1".
In the car rental contract from May 2007, his passport number starts with "6" and ends with "6".
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NickE wrote:

Verdi wrote:

NickE wrote:I don't know how it works in the UK but are you allowed to have two different active passports at the same time as Gerry seem's he had in May 2007?
Is it possible that the second passport was a diplomatic passport?

Gerry McCann seems to have had two passports?  

Where does that information come from?

No, it's not likely he had a 'diplomatic' passport.

His passport number in the PJ files starts with "7" and ends with "1".
In the car rental contract from May 2007, his passport number starts with "6" and ends with "6".
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Good bit of sleuthing but I don't think it signifies.

This is what Sandy Cameron had to say on the subject of the Renault Scenic hired car, during his rogatory interview in April 2008.

On the 27th of May of 2007, Gerry was handed a rental vehicle in the Mark Warner tourist complex; a Renault Scenic with plate number 59-DA-[27. I met with the representative of the car rental agency at Gerry's request, and as such, my name was also on the rental contract so that I could also drive the vehicle; to drive the children and to go shopping. These were things that Gerry was too occupied to carry out himself. I was the habitual drive of the vehicle and used it daily.

In all probability the number identified on the car rental agreement was Sandy Cameron's passport number, not Gerry McCann.

I'm in no doubt, if there was anything untoward going on, like Gerry McCann having one official and one fake passport (he wouldn't have two unless one was fake), the PJ would have picked-up on it.

Good shot but no coconut.

Ireland never seems to be very far away from the mystery of Madeleine McCann's disappearance and now that of Nora Quoirin.  The north and south have both played a significant part in reportage and a whole lot more.

Any other case of a missing child would  be yesterday's news in less than a week but here, in both cases, the news goes on and on and on and on ....

Considering the emphasis placed on the lawless hills of Morocco, in addition to the lawless hills of Portugal, by team McCann - I found this from the Irish department of foreign affairs and trade to be of interest..

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sharonl wrote: When exactly did Bill Henderson and Angela Morado meet the McCanns at the police station?  

When an abduction was being investigated?
When the McCannns were under suspicion?
When they were made formal suspects?

What were these people doing at the police station anyway? Could they have not met elsewhere?

They met at the Police station on Friday 4 May

crusader wrote:NickE makes a very interesting point regarding Mccann`s passport. The car hire documents are all in Gerry`s name, his passport number and his driving license number. When Gerry has hired the car with no additional driver, the passport number is the one beginning with 6 and ending with 6. That passport is valid 1/1/07 to 1/1/17,the passport in the PJ files that begins with 7 and ends with 1 is valid 2/9/04 to 2/9/14. So he has 2 passports with overlapping dates.

Already covered up-page ^^^.

Gerry McCann would not have had a regular passport and a diplomatic passport.

Apart from that the subject is off topic.

crusader wrote:I didn`t say he had a diplomatic passport, I don`t even know what a diplomatic passport is. The fact is he produced 2 passports, one to the car hire company and one to the PJ.

See up-page ^^^.

crusader wrote:Going to have to differ on this one Verdi, additional drivers only need to produce a drivers license. It`s the person who hires the vehicle that need to produce a passport. On 27th may, Michael Wright was also named as additional driver complete with his driving license number.

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