December 2007

Main events in December 2007 - with thanks to McCannfiles.com
1/12
It is revealed that Portuguese police are investigating a mobile phone call from Russell O'Brien to Gerry McCann that was made on 10 June 2007. A team of telephone surveillance officers highlighted the call as it is understood to have contained key words that aroused police suspicions.
 
Investigators are concentrating on the exact whereabouts of Dr O'Brien when the call was made. It is understood Gerry McCann told detectives the call was made within a 4km radius of Praia da Luz but technicians working on the mobile phone network have dismissed this after examining records. It is believed the call took place 28km from Praia da Luz.
 
It also emerged that each member of the Tapas Nine were placed under surveillance after British communications experts arrived in the resort at the end of May. Mobile phone records, which leave a trail even when switched off, are believed to have been checked against statements made by guests and staff at the Ocean Club complex.
 
The results of these tests are believed to have been handed to the Portuguese prosecutors last week.
 
There is further press speculation about the 'Exeter connection', based around the fact that, just prior to May 3rd, Robert Murat spent 10 days at his sister's home in Exeter. Her house is less than a mile from the house where Jane Tanner and Russell O'Brien live. Tanner and O'Brien are neighbours of James and Charlotte Gorrod, who were also in Praia da Luz, at the same time as the Tapas Nine.  

2/12It is reported that Portuguese police are investigating a disused barn in the south-east of Praia da Luz following the discovery of a blood stained towel which police believe may turn out to be Madeleine's blood.
 
Fibres on the towel allegedly match fibres from the Renault Scenic hire car the McCanns' hired 25 days after Madeleine's disappearance.
 
It is understood Portuguese detectives discussed the breakthrough when they met British police and a Crown Prosecution Service official last week at a police station in Leicester.
 
It is reported that police are probing the secret summit between the McCanns and their 'tapas group' friends at a hotel near their home. 


The fresh information is believed to have come from mobile phone surveillance police who tracked a signal to the remote and deserted barn. There they found a towel with an Aztec design, which revealed three sites of blood deposits on the edge of the towel. Tests showed there was 'moderate' support to suggest the blood deposits matched Madeleine's blood.
 
The results were not conclusive and are not regarded as being strong enough to be presented as evidence in a court case. However, close analysis of the towel revealed fibres which were not made of the towel material. The fibre fragments were microscopically examined against fibres found in the boot of the McCanns' Renault Scenic hire car.
 
Portuguese police sources say there was 'strong support' that the fibres found on the towel matched fibres found from the boot of the car.

3/12
It is reported that Portuguese police have asked the FSS to carry out further tests on forensic samples collected from the McCanns' apartment and hire car.
6/12
Kate and Gerry will find out within 48 hours if the British Government will let them face a new grilling over their daughter’s disappearance.
They hope the Home Secretary will immediately give the go ahead to the fresh round of interrogations.

7/12
Tycoon Stephen Winyard, who donated £100,000 to help Kate and Gerry McCann clear their names, criticises the Prime Minister for failing to publicly support the couple.
Winyard, who is worth about £30 million and has also offered a £1m reward for the four-year-old's return, said Gordon Brown should have defended the couple after Portuguese police made them "arguidos" - or suspects in the case - three months ago.
The Monaco-based businessman urged Brown to hold a "ministerial level" meeting with Kate and Gerry, both 39, who have faced a barrage of allegations since their return to the UK after Madeleine's disappearance from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz 220 days ago.

8/12
In a series of photos, posted on the social networking website Facebook, nannies from the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz are seen in provocative and sometimes lurid poses - while wearing one of the yellow wristbands sold to raise funds for the Find Madeleine campaign.

9/12
It is reported that police questioning of the McCanns and their group of friends could be delayed until after Christmas. Portuguese detectives are ready to fly to the UK and have prepared letters with questions the couple and their seven holiday friends must answer. It had been thought the interviews by British police with Portuguese officers sitting in could begin this week.
 Finally, the questions must be approved by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

10/12
It is revealed that the McCanns and other members of the tapas group have met for the first time since May 3rd. This was actually reported as an 'exclusive' in November, by Spanish TV station Antena3 but has only just been picked up by the British press.
 
It is said the 'Tapas Nine' had a highly emotional and "deeply sad" reunion at a hotel near Kate and Gerry's home in Rothley, Leicestershire. It is believed to have taken place on Saturday 17 November, the week after news broke that two members of the tapas group wanted to change their statements.
 
A source close to the McCanns said the meeting was kept secret because of the huge interest it would have generated. "It was a show of solidarity under police claims that one or two had wanted to change their stories," said a source.

Under English law such a meeting between the McCanns, who are both suspects, and their key witness friends would be banned during a criminal investigation.
 
11/12
The McCanns are said to have used the reunion to, in part at least, "talk tactics" in the search for Madeleine.

12/12
El Mundo quotes a Foreign Office document, dated May 17 - The paper reported: "An internal document, sent by the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom, orders British diplomats 'to avoid offering support' to Robert Murat, one of the suspects in the Maddie case, unless charges are presented against him."
16/12
The Times runs an article by David James Smith, which gives details of the events of May 3rd.

23/12

It is revealed that police want to trace a blue tennis bag allegedly taken from Kate and Gerry McCann's apartment on the night Madeleine went missing. Detectives think the hold-all could have been used to carry Madeleine as she was taken away, or even to transport the three-year-old's body. It belonged to the girl's father but has not been seen since the night of May 3, according to a Sky News documentary due to be broadcast on Christmas Eve.
Expert Tony Rogers, who reviews unsolved cases for British police and worked on the Soham investigation, said: "If it's a bag of a size that could be used to take a child away from the flat, that would be of great interest to the investigating officer." But McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell flatly denied that Mr McCann had lost a bag during the family's holiday. He said: "As far as Kate and Gerry are concerned, there is no missing tennis bag. They came back from holiday with everything except of course, tragically, Madeleine."
Mr McCann told friends yesterday that he did not take any tennis equipment to Praia da Luz, and did not own a blue tennis bag. But Sky News stood by its story, which it said came from sources who had travelled to the resort after Madeleine's disappearance.
Portuguese newspaper Diaria de Noticas reports that the Policiaria Judiciaria have been searching for months for a blue tennis bag, with sufficient size to carry a small child, which belonged to Gerry McCann. The story, advanced by Sky News, adds that Gerry McCann assured PJ investigators at the time that the bag had been "stolen". 

24/12
Sky TV airs Martin Brunt's documentary 'The Mystery of Madeleine McCann' in which he reviews the case and reveals details of the missing sports bag, as reported yesterday.

24/12
Kate McCann is reported to be suspicious about Robert Murat's alibi for the night her daughter Madeleine vanished. It is said that she has confided to friends that she believes there are questions about the British expat that need to be answered.

How much was CM paid for coming out with delights such as this ?

"As far as Kate and Gerry are concerned, there is no missing tennis bag. They came back from holiday with everything except of course, tragically, Madeleine

they did what everyone does at the end of a holiday, checked everywhere in the apartment, wardrobes, cupboards, chests of drawers, everything accounted for...
except for their first born, obviously, who is linked to things....not people. Disgusting.

russiandoll wrote: How much was CM paid for coming out with delights such as this ?

"As far as Kate and Gerry are concerned, there is no missing tennis bag. They came back from holiday with everything except of course, tragically, Madeleine

they did what everyone does at the end of a holiday, checked everywhere in the apartment, wardrobes, cupboards, chests of drawers, everything accounted for...
except for their first born, obviously, who is linked to things....not people. Disgusting.

I find it amusing that Gerry's bad luck with having things stolen started that early. According to Brunt and the PJ - Gerry assured them it had been stolen.
Clarrie found it much better to say it never existed in the first place - despite all evidence to the contrary. Like a photograph.
The very same tennis bag that DP also said, did not exist - nor any bag big enough to hide ---a tennisracket.

24/12
Sky TV airs Martin Brunt's documentary 'The Mystery of Madeleine McCann' in which he reviews the case and reveals details of the missing sports bag, as reported yesterday.

Carter Ruck.....Note Martin Brunt's documentary aired on Sky TV has the word 'mystery' in it

TUESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2007

Tapas group met in secret with McCann legal advisers

The group of people that was with the McCann on the night Madeleine disappeared could not agree on the idea of a picture of the meeting being send to the Press, as advisers from the McCann couple have promised to some British newspapers. After it emerged that two of the Tapas nine sent new statements to Portuguese Police, through a London lawyer's office, Clarence Mitchell called all the members of the group, to question them about who gave those new statements and to prepare a meeting of all the group. Initially, the meeting was scheduled for a date very close to Christmas, but as the investigation moved ahead, it was anticipated. Members of the McCann legal team and other advisers were present and participated in the discussions held by the group, who are to be questioned again, soon, by British Police, about the events of May 3.

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El Mundo (*) December 3: Phone records incriminate Gerry McCann and Russel O'Brien

Police has new evidence, apart from DNA samples, that give consistency to their main line of inquiry, in Madeleine's case, according to El Mundo's edition from December 3. The recent meeting at Elderby, Leicester, between police and forensic experts from both countries, brought more details that could help PJ to find an answer to the basic question, since August 11: where is Madeleine's body. Videos, pictures and phone records are among the material Portuguese police received from their British counterparts and allowed them to advance further in the investigation.

A phone call between Gerry McCann and Russel O'Brien, on June 10, in Portugal, got a special attention from PJ. Gerry has told Police, before, that both of them where close to Praia da Luz but technical data from the mobile antennas indicated that there was a distance of 25 km between the two callers. Searches in abandoned buildings in the area produced a towel with blood stains and fibres that were found also in the boot of the Renault Scenic rented by the McCann family.

The existence of contacts between Robert Murat and the so called Tapas Group was another conclusion of the meeting. Investigations in UK unveiled solid evidence that Gerry McCann and Robert Murat paths have crossed even before the family from Rothley came to Portugal. Questioned by journalists, in May, Gerry McCann refuse to confirm if he knew Murat.

Police will question again, soon, the McCann's friends and the parents of Madeleine McCann. Other developments - a new set of witnesses asked to be questioned and charges being brought - are expected for the first weeks of next January.
(*) From Duarte Levy, published on El Mundo, December 3

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From JD's post:
The existence of contacts between Robert Murat and the so called Tapas Group was another conclusion of the meeting. Investigations in UK unveiled solid evidence that Gerry McCann and Robert Murat paths have crossed even before the family from Rothley came to Portugal. Questioned by journalists, in May, Gerry McCann refuse to confirm if he knew Murat.Unquote

Well, if we can work it out, I'm sure the PJ and LP? have known for a long time. Murat is the key imo. If we know what the connection is - don't forget the mtDNA of both JT and Murat found in relation to the Burgau apartment - a lot more will be clear.

In January Murat ceased to be the main suspect according to the McCanns - who were letting him off slowly. Not the kidnapper but the spotter by then. Very soon after that Murat brought his libel claim.
Kate didn't like him getting far more than anyone else, that would hurt!

6/12
Kate and Gerry will find out within 48 hours if the British Government will let them face a new grilling over their daughter’s disappearance.
They hope the Home Secretary will immediately give the go ahead to the fresh round of interrogations.

In Februari and March there is talk of 40 questions the PJ want to put to the McCanns. The news reports steadily that they are willing to cooperate, then at the end of March it 'is understood' that the McCanns will not be questioned.
The 40 questions are not mentioned again.
The McCanns are out of the country - promoting their wish to be ambassadors for lost children in Brussels - during the RIs of the Tapas 7.

These 40 questions I presume are not the same as the 48 Kate refused to answer. Are we looking at 88 unanswered questions?
More to the point: why should it depend on the British Government whether they face 'a new grilling'? What is the law here?

I think the 40 questions are the same as the 48 questions from the 7th Sept 2007 PJ interview Tigger. And between them they answered 8. Some people interpret them as 40 or 48 depending on the report or discussion. These are some of the questions kate mccann refused to answer...so much leaving no stone unturned and doing everything to help find her missing daughter!!! (yet another mccann lie)

* It is put to her the facts about her, she said she does not wish to make statements.
* Asked, on May 03, 2007, at 22:00, when she entered the apartment what she saw and did, where he looked, and what she touched [handled], she did not respond.
* Asked how much time it took for the search that she made in the apartment after the detection of the disappearance of her daughter MADELEINE, she did not respond
* Asked why she said from the outset that MADELEINE was kidnapped [abducted], she did not respond
* Questioned when she gave the alarm in the Tapas what she said specifically, what words she used, she did not respond
* Asked if any female neighbour offered her assistance after the alarm of the disappearance, she did not respond
* Asked what the expression "we let her down" means, she did not respond
* Asked if JANE told her about having seen a man with a child, on that night, she did not respond.
* Asked how the authorities were contacted and that police force was alerted, she did not respond
* Asked if it is true that during the search she sat on her bed in her bedroom without moving, she did not respond
* Asked if she is aware that her failure to respond to the questions put in the cause of the investigation, which seeks to know what happened to her daughter, she replied that yes, if the investigation so thinks.

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Really helping to find your daughter kate mccann. Can't even answer questions like if jane tanner told her about seeing her abductor man. Really really helping the investigation. What did poor Maddie ever do to have a parent like you, she got really unlucky

If you ever needed prove that there is a cover up to protect the mccanns, then look no further at the fact that LPP did not question the mccanns in the RI's, especially when there were so many very important questions the parents needed to answer. This is not a game but a serious police investigation and the 2 most involved are not even interviewed by LPP!!!

jd wrote:If you ever needed prove that there is a cover up to protect the mccanns, then look no further at the fact that LPP did not question the mccanns in the RI's, especially when there were so many very important questions the parents needed to answer. This is not a game but a serious police investigation and the 2 most involved are not even interviewed by LPP!!!

Jaqui Smith et al - certainly GB imo must have put a stop to the PJ asking the McCann questions. I'll look it up again in the Mccannfiles, but the PJ had stated that if they answered those questions and provided there were no 'screaming' inconsistencies (obviously they take the usual ones in their stride) the McCanns would be cleared.

So we now have a golden opportunity for the McCanns to clear themselves - they say they will cooperate and the British Government has to decide whether they will be questioned at all.

This is not right!!!

As we're getting into December  it's interesting to see what was going on six years ago. Somewhat surprising that even before Christmas the priest cleared the church.

From McCannfiles.com:

11 December 2007

 
The McCanns will be particularly disappointed at reports that Jose Manuel Pacheco, the Roman Catholic priest who befriended them, has ordered every trace of the Madeleine appeal removed from his church of Our Lady of the Light.
 

The tiny white-washed building became a focal point of the Find Madeleine campaign, and was later searched by police looking for the body. But Friends of Fr Pacheco said he could no longer bear to discuss the case.  "Even when his friends broach the subject he immediately changes it," said one. He says it is an extremely unpleasant situation and the McCann family only ever brought him problems. He even told one friend they ruined his life. There are two completely different Pachecos, the one before the McCanns and this shell of a man after the McCanns. He is a nervous wreck." 12 december 2007 The mother of Robert Murat today launched a scathing attack on the girl's parents. Jenny Murat claimed her family was being punished simply because Kate and Gerry McCann left their daughter alone in their holiday apartment. In an interview today, Mrs Murat, 71, also accused the private detective agency hired by the McCanns of allegedly bribing witnesses into changing their stories. Mrs Murat also said friends of the McCanns, who claim to have seen Mr Murat outside the apartment on the night Madeleine vanished seven months ago, were lying. Her allegations have all been vehemently denied. She said the Metodo 3 agency had hired detectives to follow her for a week. "Metodo were getting people to change their statements; following everybody everywhere. They were certainly following me." It is also claimed today that British diplomats were ordered to "avoid offering support" to Robert Murat. The Foreign Office sent a memo to staff with the instruction three days after the 34-year-old was named a formal suspect in the case, it was said. The treatment expat Murat received contrasts starkly with the support Gerry and Kate McCann were offered by the British authorities, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported. Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete said: "He feels he has been abandoned by his own government. This extremely serious order confirms the lack of support which the family has felt since the beginning." El Mundo claims a Foreign Office document, dated May 17, justified the order because of "the specific nature of the case" and because British diplomats "were already helping Madeleine McCann's parents." The paper reported: "An internal document, sent by the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom, orders British diplomats 'to avoid offering support' to Robert Murat, one of the suspects in the Maddie case, unless charges are presented against him."

The post above copied very badly. Hope this is better. 

Christmas Message 2007-Ifind the rare direct address to Madeleine very strange. I don't think I've seen this video - not in full. Possibly made by Jon Corner? 

21 December 2007

Kate and Gerry McCann today sent an anguished public message to their daughter Madeleine telling her: "Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again". In a worldwide Christmas appeal recorded at their home in Rothley, the couple told the 4 year old: "Be brave sweetheart". 


 The video which is being made available to all broadcasters worldwide at midnight tonight, also includes clips of Madeleine filmed last Christmas which have not been seen publicly before. Sitting in front of the Christmas tree with his wife, Gerry McCann speaks of how this will be "the hardest Christmas imaginable".

 

"This special time of year is all about families coming together witih love and peace", Mr McCann says in the 3 minute, 18 second video. "Clearly for us and the rest of our family it's going to be the hardest Christmas imaginable without Madeleine here. Since Madeleine was taken from us on May 3, someone knows what happened to her and may well know where she is now. That person has it within their power to show us the compassion to end this terrible ordeal for us. 

 

Kate then says; "If that person is you, we understand that you may be staying silent because of fear for yourself or through misguided loyalty to other people. But you must understand that you hold the key to ending all this despair and anguish, for both us and Madeleine". 

 

Then in a direct message to her daughter, she says, "Madeleine, it's mummy and daddy here. Just know how much we love you, Madeleine. We all miss you so much. Sean and Amelie talk about you all the time every day. We're doing all we can, Madeleine, to find you and there are so many good and very kind people helping us. Be brave, sweetheart. Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again and we're hoping and praying that that will happen. Love you, Madeleine".

tigger wrote:That person has it within their power to show us the compassion to end this terrible ordeal for us. 

But you must understand that you hold the key to ending all this despair and anguish, for both us and Madeleine". 

***
"us" and Madeleine - in that order ...