Disgraced Olive Press Editor, Jon Clarke, and his THIRD version of the same story

There is lots more in the google archives, 
But please be careful. Some of it is potentially libellous.
He crossed a number of heavy duty people when he was an "investigative" journalist
and they didn't like it.

Verdi wrote:

Apparently, Garry Peter Leigh, who wrote the above piece posted by Verdi, was killed in a cycling accident in Marbella a few months later.

It's not called the Costa del Crime for nothing - the appellation is well earned.

A haven for immigrants who made their wealth through crime and other quasi-legal activities.

Funnily enough, I found the article whilst searching the Olive Press archives - M. Clarke has certainly stuck a finger or two in some mucky pies over the years. 

Interesting though, in the Olive Press archives there is no report by Jon Clarke about the case of Madeleine McCann, that I could see, prior to the reported nonsense from Barcelona - the year 2010 if memory serves me well.

Certainly an eye opener as to how the press conduct their daily business.  Reportage over the years about Gonçalo Amaral, by way of example, has been scandalous - to put it mildly.

From memory the first OP piece was 28th October 2007 (or September) a suspicious 6 months after he started writing exclusively of the Sun with Lazzeri and Kandohla and others.

Bearing in mind that his own paper the OP was brand new, and he even says so in one o the later articles, it is surprising that he didn't publish stuff there first, and have it syndicated the next day.
So we must deduce that a fairly tightly binding contract existed.
Subsequent to that stuff appeared in the OP and was immediately quoted in the Sun and then syndicated to Mail and Express, and even, sadly, to the Telegraph.

Quite by CHANCE I stumbled across this generous New Year's Greeting on the OP Twitter site

Jon Clarke Editor Of The Olive Press In Spain Scrapes Out FAKE NEWS yet again

ByMario Rissola
JUL 17, 2020  global247news, Jon Clarke Editor Of The Olive Press In Spain Scrapes Out FAKE NEWS yet again, news Spain
Jon Clarke Editor Of The Olive Press In Spain Scrapes Out FAKE NEWS yet again

Once again more “fake news” has been distributed by The Olive Press ex-pat media in Spain.
The Olive Press, edited by Jon Clarke, has a reputation of scrapping up fake news in an attempt to gain ex-pat advertisers operating on Spain’s Costa del Sol & Costa Blanca, although today’s latest claim was a complete “pearler”

Clarke himself, who self proclaims to be an investigative journalist, got his total investigations completely wrong whilst at the same time making libellous comments and accusations.



In a Friday night outburst, Clarke firstly accused us Global247news on a Facebook group known as “Named And Shamed Costa Blanca”, being associated with another title on Spain’s Coast,  The Euro Weekly News.


That was the first fabricated – Fake News by the “investigative Journalist” Jon Clarke.

Under no circumstances have Global247news have any association with the Spanish title, The Euro Weekly News.

In fact, this ridiculous rant by Clarke brought a reply from the CEO of  The Euro Weekly News, Michel Euesden who replied:



“Jon Clarke- more fake news from you- Global 247 News is absolutely nothing to do with the Euro Weekly or its owners. Steve Day has NEVER worked for the Euro Weekly News, Global 247 News is thought to be one of your Sunday Sport journos!”

We were then intrigued who “Steve Day” was in the claim and it was discovered that Day was a reader of Global247news and had posted links into the Facebook group.

Clarke had replied to a group member: ” don’t trust a word of Steve Day or his new “dodgy scraper site”, it’s closely linked to the euro weekly news where Steve has been “scrapper in chief for a year”




Global247news, therefore, decided to investigate properly into this unfolding rant, instead of producing fake news and wild shot claims, we’ve never heard of a Steve day until now, when we contacted our obvious reader.

It turned out the Steve Day mentioned was a businessman with many interests around the globe, ranging from Sports Agencies to Furniture businesses as well as charity operations for the underprivileged.


Day Tonight In Somerset
Day told us ” So that prat Jon Clarke is publishing more nonsense is he? – no surprise really, I’ve seen it all before”

He went onto to explain ” The only connection I have personally with either of the papers, is that I used to advertise my furniture business with both of them www.oaklandfurniturespain.com, oh and maybe my other business did www.luxurybritishbeds.com but I would have to check with my chief executive officers, I recall from memory, my digital business did some SEO work back last year for the Euro Weekly News, but I don’t really get involved with that, I leave it to my IT managers”



“Although these claims are quite a libellous statement to me, I will pass them on to my lawyers M&M Solicitors when I get to Cardiff tomorrow, maybe that clown Clarke can ask for donations again to cover his legal costs” he laughed.

“Truth be told, Clarke’s always been a bit miffed since my manager in Spain caught him printing advertisements in his paper after they had been cancelled, trying to charge for them, we never had that issue with the Euro Weekly News, Clarke was always paranoid about the Euro Weekly News owners, constantly attacking them for no reason, I had lunch with him once, found him very creepy, the lunch was even ruined as he slipped cash to an investigative journalist who was off to spy on someone, it all seemed very unsavoury”

“Maybe he should leave the investigations to his staff – clearly he isn’t capable – so now I own a news site hey!” Day burst out laughing.

“I don’t read his rag when I’m in Spain, it’s full of fake news or scraped news from the Spanish media, one of the reasons I started reading Global really to see what’s happening when I’m away from my Spanish home”

“I’m glad Michel Euesden replied though, she’s a great girl her, always makes me laugh, hard-working lass”

“Clarke sent me some stupid accusations last year, I offered him a white-collar boxing fight for charity, but he bottled it- I wasn’t surprised, he just a keyboard sniper, I’m glad he’s been named and shamed again punching out fake news, I see he even made that award up from google – that was hilarious”



” You should sue him, it’s about time his fake claims and news are dealt with” ” I will get my brief  to have a look at the named and shamed group too, I couldn’t reply tonight on there as they refused to accept my comments, how can you run a group like that and not allow the right to reply?”

” I know one thing, none of my businesses would ever advertise with him again, the results were awful and the tactics shocking, the results always came from the EWN, he hated that fact, maybe that’s why he’s as poisonous as he is?”

“Clarke’s just a little rat, this time maybe he will get a hard lesson of what happens when you print fake news and make libellous statements” finalised Day.

As Global247news reported last week, one of the main reasons for entering the European ex-pat market was due to the flood of complaints about the trash reporting in Spain by certain organisations such as demonstrated here, and their shocking behaviour.

CEO Mr Seth Jutan commented:

“The appalling reporting of some of the Expat news quarters in Spain was clearly evident and thus the main reason we entered the market, clearly it has upset Mr Jon Clarke, who clearly doesn’t like competition.”

“Mr Clarke’s latest spurious claims will be investigated by our attorneys on Monday morning and the appropriate action taken”


Spain’s British Expat Journalism Set To be Exposed – Coming Soon!

Disgraced Olive Press Editor, Jon Clarke, and his THIRD version of the same story

Then came the book with a Fourth version
and yesterday I was alerted to another outlet, where Clarke has come up with a FIFTH version.

It is going to take some working out, but I'm on to it.

The fourth version is a strange amalgam of Nos 1 and 2, and is not possible
The FIFTH version is totally different from versions 1,2,3 and 4, and is also ludicrous,
and directly contradicts versions 1,2,3 and 4.   

As it would
More later
For those who follow these things, Chapter 45 is now published.
https://whatreallyhappenedtomadeleinemccann.blogspot.com/2016/08/chapter-45-my-search-for-madeleine-jon.html

I think we are now up to the fifth or sixth version of the time of this mysterious 'phone call to Jon Clarke from one of Britain's top media, with the offer of pots of money for covering 'a meaty story', I guess it would be very interesting, in the cause of full disclosure and transparency, if Jon Clarke would disclose the amounts and dates of any bank transfers etc that he has been paid by any media (or others) for covering the Madeleine McCann story.

As Jon Clarke has publicly admitted that he was 'in Praia da Luz' at 1.30am on Friday 4 May, and knowing that the journey time from his home near Ronda would take five hours at a minimum, we must assume that the 'phone call from the press with a lucrative offer to cover a 'meaty story', which he has so frequently mentioned, must have been received at, or possibly well before, 8.30pm on Thursday 3 May 2007. 




That amounts to a very strong indication that one or more British news media were aware of the plans by the McCanns to stage an abduction of Madeleine McCann that night. That being so, surely his evidence in this respect would be of major interest to both the Portuguese Police and Operation Grange? It might even be enough to change the remit of Operation Grange?


.

Let's not forget he also wrote this on page 22 of his book:

As I drove, my mind turned to my daughter’s second birthday that coming Sunday and my wife’s that we had celebrate [sic] a few days before at a new restaurant that had recently opened in Ronda. I was excited about our pending move into the main part of the ancient farmhouse that we had nearly finished renovating after a year of builders and dust … and thankful, I guess, to have some decent work to pay for it all – in pounds from the UK. (p. 22)

PeterMac on Facebook:

So now we can start to add together his apparent admission in the ABC article that he received the phone call by about 8pm on 3/5/7 [long BEFORE the alleged events and the reporting of them] and arrived about 1:30am on 4/5/7; that he knew it was going to be a "Meaty Case"; and that he knew that he was going to make a lot of money from it. [Both extracts from his own book]
Against these frank admissions, in his own words, is the strangely pathetic plea that he thought it might be over by the time he got to PdL.
That does not fit with his thoughts about the amount of money he was going to make.
Does not fit AT ALL.
But is DOES fit with a death earlier in the week; with an elaborate but ill thought-out plan to simulate an abduction; with the sudden but coordinated lapses of memory about specific dates and times and activities; With the WayBack machine evidence; with the cadaverine odour in the apartment: and with so much more.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/disgracedjournalistjonclarkeolivepress.debunked/posts/449349626905050/

I've noticed that Olive Press editor Jon Clarke is somewhat addicted to using colourful, if not extremely unpleasant comments about members of CMOMM in his book, and other writings: 'warped', 'creepy', 'disgusting', 'vitriolic',  'libellous', 'filth', 'obsessed', 'stalker', 'trolling' etc.

I am not a qualified psychologist, but I noted on a Psychology site this description of the not uncommon phenomenon of 'projection':  

"Projection is the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection - attributing one’s own unacceptable characteristics or feelings onto another".

Could this apply to Jon Clarke?

well, most are not even that bad. it is not very eloquent i must say. i know all those words too! and i'm not even english.

all wordings with a low count in scrabble also. vitriolic is the best one, i like it as a word. a bit dated maybe. but i wouldn't mind if it came back in fashion again. 

libellous is a bit over the top, it told us itself in its own paper, libel never was a problem in spain.
it certainly made it itself to good use. 

also so much words, while; you(=us) old scumbags of a misfit, could take it just in one go, we would not have a problem understanding that, but we are of course quite clever people. 
must have been during its writers block, having a bad memory and such. we have at least to agree it must have been very difficult for this it(sorry, modern times, we have to stay woke, i do not have any knowledge of wich gender it thinks it is, and we would not want to make that choice for it of course. that would not be polite.) to even write a book. i mean, take alone all versions of its arrival it had to decide to start its story with this time round. 
i do not think we also can talk it into a bit odd between the ears. it must be of an age to have figured that out all by itself, by now, don't you think.

sorry had to edit some, i was not woke enough!

He is a Gutter Press supermarket-wrapping-paper Tabloid journalist, and as such adopts the morals and uses the language of the Gutter.

He bought his house with the proceeds of an egregious libel on Nicole Kidman and Jude Law [on his own admission in his book] and may have profited greatly from the libel on Robert Murat, who received over £600,000 in damages. [also in his book]

His moral compass may have been placed too close to the magnet of money, and is no longer functioning correctly

Tony Bennett wrote:I've noticed that Olive Press editor Jon Clarke is somewhat addicted to using colourful, if not extremely unpleasant comments about members of CMOMM in his book, and other writings: 'warped', 'creepy', 'disgusting', 'vitriolic',  'libellous', 'filth', 'obsessed', 'stalker', 'trolling' etc.

I am not a qualified psychologist, but I noted on a Psychology site this description of the not uncommon phenomenon of 'projection':  

"Projection is the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection - attributing one’s own unacceptable characteristics or feelings onto another".

Could this apply to Jon Clarke?

  YES!!

Posting it here as well
The SAT1 publicity blurb includes this photo and direct speech from JC



In translation BACK into English it reads
"That evening I saw the parents up close for the first time and realised how traumatised they were and how much they were grieving.'

read that again

THAT EVENING . . . FOR THE FIRST TIME
So NOT in apartment 5A, NOT in apartment 4G, NOT 'as they were leaving', NOT later that day
He didn't speak to them AT ALL.  EVER.
Which is why they refused to have anything to do with him later as he explains in his book

he just need, let's say about four next episode and he gets into telling he did all just by himself.

i must have escaped him saying that in person, because of the mix up moste live streams did, and maybe they were right in that, florence is a beautyful city. 

it was quite strange sitting before a screen to look at the screening of the screen of sat1, to jutta on screen talking to a witness that was on screen with jc who had that person also on a screen we could not look at.

HANG ON EVERYBODY
don't run away with this.
Alleged event 10pm Thursday 3rd May

JC arrived either 0130 / early hours of the morning / 0900 / 0930 / 0945-1015 / noon / later that day – depending which of HIS versions you want to follow up – on FRIDAY 4th May. 
McCanns to Portimão Police station for statements 1000 Friday 4/5/7
McCanns return to PdL 2030 Friday 4/5/7
Press conference in time for world news bulletins, "Live from PdL" 2200 Thursday 4/5/7

JC now reports on SAT-1 that he saw the McCanns "up close for the FIRST TIME" at that news conference.

Which implies – He didn't speak to them on his arrival in Apt 5A,  nor as they left, nor any other time, or he would by definition have been "up close" to them.

He merely SAW THEM at the press conference.  ON Thursday 4/5/7

Surely we've got photos of JC hanging around the OC car park with Len Port and others just before the Mc's set off to Portimao Police Station on the Friday morning?

Doug D wrote:Surely we've got photos of JC hanging around the OC car park with Len Port and others just before the Mc's set off to Portimao Police Station on the Friday morning?

indeed. Lots of them.
He was there by 1000 4/5/7
We know that.
But by then the Apartment was taped off and the forensic girl was working there
The McCanns were with the Paynes in 5H, and left down the stairs, exiting via the stairwell and straight out onto the 
road where they were taken to Portimão.
JC is filmed squinting at them as they left. 
Len Port takes photos.

The question is was he there form the early hours of the morning, or specifically at 0130.
And if so, why, and what did he do between then and 0950.
There is a good chance it is just yet another untruth, abut that he did not realise the difficulty it would cause the McCanns and the Official Story

If JC was there at 1.30 (or maybe much sooner, a day or so maybe) where was he staying? Did he book into a hotel? How long did he stay?

I can't imagine that he drove almost 5 hours through the night, hung around until 10am and obviously long after to get his story (assuming he didn't already have his story all ready written up in advance. What time was his first publication on the case?) then driving 5 hours back, with no rest.

He stayed for a long time, only going home for a birthday party, during which time Lori Campbell stole his thunder and named Robert Murat without reference to him. 
He was furious and tells us so in his book.

The fact that between them they organised and instigated the grossest of libels on Mr Murat, for which he received 
£ 600,000 in damages is conveniently omitted from the book . Reasons of space, you understand.

EXTRACT FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES:
By Saturday May 12 – print day – we didn’t have enough to pin anything concrete to Robert Murat. It was frustrating, but we could understand the newsdesk’s requirement for caution, legally, and so we didn’t hamper the police investigation. With the story at something of a dead end, I went home, agreeing to return the following week, if needed. 


I was back in Ronda with my family when Murat got arrested. In a coordinated operation, police raided his home, Casa Liliana, before 6am on Monday, May 14, and by 7am they’d entered his girlfriend Michaela’s house and three other properties that were linked to him. By the time I woke up it was all over the national news networks and Sky reporter Ian Woods was reporting live from outside Murat’s home. It looked like a massive breakthrough so it was frustrating that despite Lori and I [sic] appearing to have almost cracked the case, I was in Spain. I could only flick from channel to channel as Lori appeared on Portuguese and British TV, explaining her theories.

Clarke, Jon. MY SEARCH FOR MADELEINE: One Reporter’s 14-Year Hunt To Solve Europe’s Most Harrowing Crime (p. 49). OP Books. Kindle Edition. 


It is not until page 74 that Clarke grudgingly admits he was wrong

It emerged that his lazy eye was in fact a glass eye, after he lost his in a motorbike accident as a teenager. And what I have also recently discovered is that he apparently did have clearance to work as a translator in Portugal, having worked as one in the UK before, earning £150 a time for Norfolk Police. While this was never confirmed to the press at the time – nor even the McCanns – it appears that behind the scenes he was actually sanctioned by the British Embassy in Lisbon. So, in hindsight, it looks as though Murat is innocent.

Clarke, Jon. MY SEARCH FOR MADELEINE: One Reporter’s 14-Year Hunt To Solve Europe’s Most Harrowing Crime (p. 75). OP Books. Kindle Edition.


[And of course as the whole World knows, – with the exception of Clarke who does not concern himself with things like facts or details or checking information – Mr Murat does NOT have a glass eye. He suffered a detached retina as a youth and lost the sight.  As did Gordon Brown and Lord Horatio Nelson]

you would expect he would not risk a second run for the laurels, and by that ending up in the pockets of the one we also know as cb. 

the 600.000 pounds it was i think, for murat from the british courts, must be a nightmare, if some nice civil lawyer finds a way to see his book as meant to serve the british market for sale. could be the reason he did not do very much promoting inside the uk borders, when cb never get the rank of suspect and told guilty by the courts. 

if of course it is indeed a true story he and lori, instead of lori almost solved this case. and nor him, nor lori did exactly such a thing. 

how he talks it serves a nice insight in his way of thinking, is doesn't matter if the case is solved, or who plays the rol of suspect or perp fitted in his definitions, as long as he had his juicy steak from it,  is all that matters. forget his musings about the holy parents, they are just his material to work from. what child is not important. 
again a book that is about the writer, nothing else to see.

but he must be scared already, and his return of his input in the cb part could hardly made a profit. he is still at risk for pay outs to a criminal, and i can see how this all could escalated into flustering unnamed sources. most people do learn, after a narrow escape, not this one. 

it was quite a lesson to set your bets on the wrong horse, so could we fit his way of doing under the term obsession? 

i must say, in the docu from jutta the editor of that piece knows how to solve a problem named jon clarke, he nmust have had a contract to be in it, so every time we got to see him in a space they normally fit in something as a bit of street life, or a church, we got him. he got a bit like the part the chicken usually plays in the cans of chicken soup, before they want to dipping in, the lid is placed. 
it looks like the ladies around him, knows how to keep their elbow position in place.

I think I get what yo are saying, but Clarke was not involved in the libel action

He and Campbell set Murat up, the PJ acted, then the British Press libelled him and it was the Sun and the Mail and others who had to pay the 600,000
Clarke obviously made a lot of money out of it and his house renovations probably reflect this sudden income.  
Not known what Campbell did with hers.

Clarke had previously made a small fortune from the libel on Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. Against it wasn't him in his paper, so he bought his house, and boasts about it in his book