Re: Portuguese prosecutor releases files of sightings

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:10

New Zealand police have defended their lack of action over a possible sighting of missing British girl Madeleine McCann, saying they were never asked to do anything.

Inspector David Campbell said all details of the December 2007 sighting were passed to Interpol and no instructions came back for a follow-up investigation.

A girl matching the description of the then four-year-old Madeleine was seen entering a supermarket in the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin five months after Madeleine disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal.

Details of the incident emerged Wednesday when British newspapers reported that a dossier from Portuguese police, containing a series of sightings from around the world that were never investigated, had been released to the media following an application to a Portuguese court.

The files included security camera footage of a girl "very like" Madeleine being led into the supermarket by a "portly man in shorts".

The man's behaviour aroused the suspicions of a security guard who approached the girl to establish whether she was British.

Although the girl said her name was Hailey, the security guard was convinced she was Madeleine and informed the police.

Inspector Campbell, the regional police commander, said police took the footage of the child - who had the appearance of Madeleine - and the family with her and forwarded it to Interpol.

"The lead jurisdiction, in this case Portugal, directs how the case progresses and it has not asked NZ police for any follow-up to date," Inspector Campbell said, adding that the NZ file remained open.

The dossier released to British newspapers showed information which police in the United States, Europe and North Africa considered important was also discarded.

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate were reported to be "gutted" and "incensed" that their private investigators were not given access to the information, The Daily Mail reported.

"There are instances where information which we think is very credible and worthy of information has not been actioned," Kate McCann said.

by justagrannynow 1 03.03.10 12:12

Inyx wrote:No, I agree Justagran.
Most of these sightings are probably rubbish.
But what if one of them isn't? Wouldn't you hope it's been properly investigated?

That would be tragic, but it isn't clear from the media reports whether or not they had been investigated before being put into the irrelevant box. At this stage there is no way of knowing if the PJ investigated the Portuguese sightings, but to suggest that the NZ and French police would not investigate such reports is, IMO, insulting to the police involved. The point I was trying to make was that even if the witness genuinely believed the child was Madeleine, the local police would surely have investigated and not just sent a report to Portugal. The way the media are reporting this, we are being pressured into believing that no action was taken, and I cannot accept that.

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:13

"Inspector Campbell, the regional police commander, said police took the footage of the child - who had the appearance of Madeleine - and the family with her and forwarded it to Interpol.

"The lead jurisdiction, in this case Portugal, directs how the case progresses and it has not asked NZ police for any follow-up to date," Inspector Campbell said, adding that the NZ file remained open."

by justagrannynow 1 03.03.10 12:16

vaguely1 wrote:Why would you phone the McCanns hotline with details about a child with a gun to their head? I would imagine that the person giving the information would presume it would be looked in to.

The issue really isn't the quality of the information.....it's the fact it was filed away and never looked at again because the police force were stuck looking in one direction only.

Hi vaguely, see my reply to Inyx above.

I cannot believe that police in NZ, France etc, would hold back an investigation in their own country until they were given the go ahead by the PJ, who, stuck in Portugal, would have no way of knowing if it was Madeleine or not. Surely the PJ cannot instruct the police force of another country to take no action on their own soil? It doesn't make sense.

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:19

No, but if the NZ had forwarded the information ......they obviously thought it worthwhile doing it.

and then it just sat there, ignored.

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:21

They gathered the information - with photo etc - then sent it to Portugal.

by bunnie1 03.03.10 12:24

justagrannynow 1 wrote:
vaguely1 wrote:Why would you phone the McCanns hotline with details about a child with a gun to their head? I would imagine that the person giving the information would presume it would be looked in to.

The issue really isn't the quality of the information.....it's the fact it was filed away and never looked at again because the police force were stuck looking in one direction only.

Hi vaguely, see my reply to Inyx above.

I cannot believe that police in NZ, France etc, would hold back an investigation in their own country until they were given the go ahead by the PJ, who, stuck in Portugal, would have no way of knowing if it was Madeleine or not. Surely the PJ cannot instruct the police force of another country to take no action on their own soil? It doesn't make sense.

Beggars belief - but seems to be the usual answer - we passed it on and heard nothing.

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:25

Will there ever come a point when people can agree that the investigation has been a tad disappointing?

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:27

No - because it will always be the Mccann's fault. Even if she is found now it will still be the Mccann's fault. Some people never get past that.

by WOODWARD 03.03.10 12:29

Because it was their fault

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:30

Instant confirmation.

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:31

The astonishing CCTV footage from New Zealand shows a girl very like Madeleine being led into a supermarket by a portly man in shorts - seven months after her disappearance.

The man's behaviour aroused the suspicions of a female security guard in the shop in Dunedin on the South Island and she approached the girl to establish she was British.

Although the girl said her name was 'Hailey', the security guard was convinced the girl was Madeleine and reported the incident to police.

Interpol in Wellington then sent the images to police in Portugal who promptly deemed it 'not relevant'.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254997/Madeleine-McCann-suspect-photo-files-kept-secret-Portuguese-police.html#ixzz0h7GApfg4

HOPEFULLY, the man or his family will come forward straight away. They will easily be able to identify themselves from the CCTV footage.

by WOODWARD 03.03.10 12:32

ABSOLUTELY ,TOTALLY THE RESULT OF RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THEIR CHILDREN

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:32

WOODWARD wrote:Because it was their fault

So if she is found in the hands of a stranger......that stranger shouldn't go to prison? They've committed no offence?

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:35

vaguely1 wrote:
WOODWARD wrote:Because it was their fault

So if she is found in the hands of a stranger......that stranger shouldn't go to prison? They've committed no offence?

Completely irrelevant - it is the Mccann's fault.

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:35

WOODWARD wrote:ABSOLUTELY ,TOTALLY THE RESULT OF RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THEIR CHILDREN

Yeah, in fact the police should refuse to look for her, because that'd teach the McCanns a valuable lesson.

roll

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:36

vaguely1 wrote:
WOODWARD wrote:ABSOLUTELY ,TOTALLY THE RESULT OF RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THEIR CHILDREN

Yeah, in fact the police should refuse to look for her, because that'd teach the McCanns a valuable lesson.

Now that's more like it.

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:36

thank you.

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:38

vaguely1 wrote:thank you.

You have to accept the fact that it is known that Madeleine is dead. Have you ignored all the evidence and recent court case which proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt?

by bunnie1 03.03.10 12:40

vaguely1 wrote:
WOODWARD wrote:ABSOLUTELY ,TOTALLY THE RESULT OF RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THEIR CHILDREN

Yeah, in fact the police should refuse to look for her, because that'd teach the McCanns a valuable lesson.

Good God - probably right in certain quarters - sadly.

by WOODWARD 03.03.10 12:41

VAGUELY i have enjoyed sparring with you ,you are unfailingly polite and I apologize for my caps lock outburst but as soon as I saw chinagirl posting I officially declared this yet another pro site and as such not aplace I wish to stay as Idont beleive for one nano second in the contortionist bogeyman pre-planned opportunist swarthy abductor who chose the moment when the area in an around the apartment was awash with tapsniks as the perfect moment to NOT break into the apartment but to go in thru the open patio door and open a window just for fun-and I never will,even if they manage to frame a dozen patsies. Enjoy chatting to chinagirl,she thinks Amaral dragged the corpse of a dead baby around the apartment to trigger cadaver odour for those dogs that cant detect it. Bye Jill SORRY YOUR FORUM WAS OVERRUN BY THE USUAL SUSPECTS

by jmbd 03.03.10 12:42

Vaguely - for further reading I refer you to the excellent analysis by Tony of why the court decision was wrong. (he didn't even need to see the court transcript it was so obvious), and also to the truth seeking/reporting morais blog.

by Cath 03.03.10 12:43

There's no evidence she's dead and any decent Police officer wouldn't even think about filing leads without a proper investigation.

It's a disgrace the person who was in charge in December 2007 didn't instruct the NZ Police to do a follow up. Unless the information was hidden from him by one of the lower ranked officers.

by bunnie1 03.03.10 12:45

An absolute disgrace - and not the only one ignored - we can be pretty sure of that.

by vaguely1 03.03.10 12:45

WOODWARD wrote:VAGUELY i have enjoyed sparring with you ,you are unfailingly polite and I apologize for my caps lock outburst but as soon as I saw chinagirl posting I officially declared this yet another pro site and as such not aplace I wish to stay as Idont beleive for one nano second in the contortionist bogeyman pre-planned opportunist swarthy abductor who chose the moment when the area in an around the apartment was awash with tapsniks as the perfect moment to NOT break into the apartment but to go in thru the open patio door and open a window just for fun-and I never will,even if they manage to frame a dozen patsies. Enjoy chatting to chinagirl,she thinks Amaral dragged the corpse of a dead baby around the apartment to trigger cadaver odour for those dogs that cant detect it. Bye Jill SORRY YOUR FORUM WAS OVERRUN BY THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Thank you Woodward, we all have a capslock moment every now and again.

I hope you'll have a cuppa and a TV break and be back.....soon?

:flower:

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