January 2008
2/1Last night Murat’s
lawyer, Francisco Pagarette, claimed that detectives now believe he is innocent
and are preparing to lift his arguido status tomorrow – exactly eight months
after Madeleine vanished.
3/1
Gerry
returns to work
Gerry
McCann returns to full-time work today - exactly eight months after his
daughter Madeleine disappeared.
The
McCanns hire a new detective
It
emerged today the McCanns have hired a detective who investigated a 7/7 suicide
bomber. Noel Hogan is conducting a "cold case" review. The former Met
detective superintendent, who runs the agency Hogan International, in Farnham
said: "I have been reinterviewing witnesses that were out in Portugal at
the time." It is understood these include friends of the McCanns
3/1
From
VERONICA LORRAINE in Praia da Luz
Published:
03 Jan 2008
PRIVATE
detectives hunting for Madeleine McCann are to quiz an Irish family who may
have been the last to see her alive.
7/1
Claims
that blood traces were definitely Madeleine's
It is
claimed that blood traces discovered in Kate and Gerry McCann's hire car were
from Madeleine. A Portuguese newspaper alleges that tests conducted at the
FSS in Birmingham show conclusively that the blood is that of the
four-year-old.
O'Brien
and Tanner named as two who wanted to change story . Dr
Russell O'Brien and his partner Jane Tanner are named as the two friends
reported last year to have told police they wanted to change their account of
that evening.
8/1
Madeleine:
The MovieIt is reported that Kate and Gerry McCann are in talks to turn the
story of their missing daughter Madeleine into a movie. They are negotiating
with one of the world’s largest talent and entertainment agencies, IMG, over
the film in a deal which could be worth millions. The couple are also
considering a book deal and selling interviews to television broadcaster with
all proceeds going to the Madeleine Fund, the body set up to finance the search
for the girl. It is understood the enormous costs of funding the continued
search for Madeleine is proving a strain on the fund. There are fears that the
£1.2 million raised from public donations will soon run out. A source close to
the McCanns said: "We would only get involved with something done
sensitively and considerately." The team that made Touching The Void, an
award-winning drama-documentary about the fight for survival of two British
climbers lost on a mountain, are the most likely to be involved in the Maddy
film project.
It will
be discussed at a meeting of the fund's directors, including Gerry, tomorrow
night at the McCanns' home in Rothley, Leicestershire. It is reported that the
meeting tomorrow follows the resignation of key board members, including the
fund's spokeswoman Esther McVey.
9/1
Madeleine's
Fund running out of money? It is
reported that the search by Gerry and Kate McCann for their missing daughter
may be grinding to a halt by the first anniversary of her disappearance because
the Find Madeleine fund is running out of money. The fund, currently at
£600,000, is spending £50,000 a month, mostly on the private detective agency
Metodo 3.
As we
know from the post here: Socratic questioning of the methods of Metodo, parts
one and two, Metodo weren’t exactly getting that amount. What appears to be
true however, was that they followed instructions. 1)
17/1
Concern
mounts over delay by British authorities
- Concern is mounting in Portugal over the time British authorities are
taking to respond to official requests to interview the McCanns' friends and
seize the couple's personal items, including 39-year-old Kate's diary.
French
website, SOS Madeleine McCann, claims that an internal source from the
British Home Office confirmed yesterday that the letters of request from the
Portuguese authorities, calling for the interrogation of several British
citizens, including friends of the couple McCann, indeed arrived, but the
Secretary of State for the Interior, Jacqui Smith, had decided not to grant
them an immediate response.
25/1 McCanns accused of wasting Madeleine's Fund
money
Kate and
Gerry McCann were accused today of wasting ''astonishing'' sums of money raised
by public donations by looking for their missing daughter Madeleine in Morocco.
26/1
McCanns
in talks for £1million chat show deal
The
parents of Madeleine McCann are in talks to strike a £1million deal with two of
America's biggest chat show stars. Kate and Gerry McCann are at the centre of a
bidding war between Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters.
Both
celebrities are desperate to land an exclusive deal for the couple to talk
about their missing daughter. If it goes ahead, it will be the largest
publicly-known amount ever paid for a broadcast interview.
The
McCanns, both 39, say they have been forced to consider the bids because their
£1.2million Find Madeleine appeal fund is expected to run dry by June. But the
move, expected to earn them £1million, will horrify those who have already
accused them of cashing in since their daughter, then three, vanished from
their holiday apartment in Portugal last May.
The
couple's representatives have already met with producers to discuss turning the
eight-month investigation into the disappearance into a film and could earn up
to another £1million from selling the film and book rights. Earlier this month,
they faced widespread criticism over their decision to give an interview to
glossy society magazine Vanity Fair.
Last
night, their spokesman Clarence Mitchell confirmed that representatives of Mr
and Mrs McCann had held talks with producers from both shows, which attract
huge audiences in the U.S. But he denied they were selling their story to the
highest bidder and said money would not be the deciding factor. The couple will
appear on the show which can best help to search for Madeleine, he insisted.
McCanns
try to 'play down' bidding war
Sky News
reports that Kate and Gerry McCann have been approached to appear on the Oprah
Winfrey show and for an interview with American network ABC. The couple's
spokesman confirmed that they had been approached by US TV executives.
McCanns
discuss new documentary
It is
reported that Kate and Gerry McCann are holding talks with broadcasters
about a second TV documentary on their daughter's disappearance, a spokesman
for the couple said on Saturday. The couple would request a ''donation'' to the
Find Madeleine appeal fund in exchange for their involvement.
The
McCanns hope the documentary will put pressure on European countries to
adopt an alert system similar to one used in the United States to provide rapid
notification to all states when a child goes missing. The AMBER system,
standing for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, is named after
Amber Hagerman, a Texas girl kidnapped and murdered in 1996.
29/1
Police
say McCanns hindering investigation
Police
in Portugal claim Kate and Gerry McCann are hindering the probe into missing
Madeleine by releasing sketches of the possible kidnapper. Detectives say
officers have checked out several sightings of the "creepy" stalker
that came to nothing, wasting their time.
Portuguese
police accuse Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of stalling the investigation
Home
Secretary Jacqui Smith was yesterday accused of stalling the Madeleine McCann
investigation. Portuguese police said the nine-month case had reached "a
stalemate" because the Home Office had failed to respond to a list of
demands sent almost a month ago.
Investigators
sent a formal letter of appeal to Whitehall on January 7, asking that the seven
friends who dined with Kate and Gerry McCann on the night of May 3 should face
fresh police interrogations. Three weeks have passed and the Home Office has
yet to make any response to the letter, the Portuguese newspaper Correio da
Manha reported.
30/1 McCanns warn over libel action
Madeleine
McCann's parents have not ruled out suing newspapers and websites that they
believe have libeled them.
Fresh blow for McCanns as Portuguese legal advisors rule out
lifting 'arguido' status
Kate and
Gerry McCann have stopped reading the "tittle-tattle" written about
them in the press - but their representatives are keeping an eye on any
"rubbish" printed in the press they believe to be
defamatory.31/1McCanns 'not suspects in UK' according to Clarence Mitchell
British
police do not consider Madeleine McCann's parents suspects in her
disappearance, according to the couple's spokesman. Clarence Mitchell said
officials, including child protection workers, had assured him in private
briefings that they were treating the case as one of "rare stranger
abduction".
Note:
This is what Clarence Mitchell actually said:
'I've
also had briefings privately from the police and CEOP, Child Exploitation
Online Protection Centre', before I went out the first time, that also gave me
complete reassurance that the authorities in this country, certainly, are
treating this as a case of rare stranger abduction - as they call it'.
Notice these private briefings happened
'before I went out the first time' - Clarence is talking about briefings that
happened in May 2007 when most people knew very little of what had actually
happened.
February 2008
Media report Kate stops work (although in fact she hasn’t worked
since 4/07) to concentrate on working for children’s charities.
The word ‘ambassador’ is mentioned again. Amber Alert System and
Missing Children Europe as well as International Centre for Missing and
Exploited Children and CEOP are all mentioned frequently in the media.
Despite the statements in December, Metodo3 contract is renewed.
4/2 Divers search remote
reservoir for Madeleine's body after underworld tip-off
7/2 The letters rogatory for
the purpose of re-questioning the McCanns and their seven friends who dined
with them at a restaurant in the Ocean Club, Praia da Luz, Algarve, have now
been forwarded for the second time to the British Home Office,
9/2 [..]
Police are to give Kate and Gerry McCann the chance to clear
their names over daughter Maddie’s disappearance. The couple, who have been
official suspects in the case for five months, will be asked by Portuguese
detectives to respond to 40 questions. Sources say that unless there are
“screaming contradictions” the couple will be cleared.
17/2 Meanwhile, it is understood Kate McCann is quitting her job as
a locum GP to devote her life to children's charities. Mrs McCann has not
returned to work since Madeleine's disappearance in May and has reportedly told
friends she feels she has a lot to offer charity
organisations.
The couple want to campaign for a Europe-wide alert system for
missing children, like the amber alert system in place in the U.S. The McCanns
attended a lunch for Missing Children Europe last week and they have both met
with officials from the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children
and the Centre for Child Exploitation and Online Protection.
7/3
The McCanns have made official complaints to Richard Desmond's
newspaper group about its coverage in the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily
Star and Daily Star Sunday through London law firm Carter Ruck, which
specialises in high profile libel cases.
12/3
Forbidden to write about Madeleine Jornal de Noticias
The journalists of Express Newspapers, the British media group
that holds four tabloids, are forbidden to write about the disappearance of
Madeleine McCann.
26/3
Kate and Gerry McCann are taking part in an ITV documentary to
mark a year since their daughter Madeleine went missing, it has been revealed.
March 2008:
From the start of the month the McCanns make official complaints
about the Express group through Carter Ruck.
From the 12th of March journalist of that group are forbidden to
write about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
By the 19th a pay out of 550.000 is agreed.
Preparations and slow negotiations with Jaqui Smith enabled the
PJ to finally set a date for the Rogatory Interviews. The McCanns are not part
of the RI and will not be required to answer
the 40 questions which still haven’t been answered.
Eventually a total of 11 newspapers were sued by Murat, the T7
and the McCanns.
The media published almost only favourable reports on the
McCanns from then on. As by that date the public suffered a Pavlovian reaction
– buying a paper whenever the iconic photo was displayed - the newspapers
didn’t suffer financially.
April 2008
The Rogatory Interviews take
place in London. The PJ attend most of these.
During the time these
interviews take place the McCanns are in Brussels, promoting their
ambassadorial ambitions and Amber Alert. Despite the fact that this scheme was
already under discussion in 2006 and several countries had signed an agreement,
the media reported this as an initiative of the McCanns.
Early in the month the result
of the Arade dam search is prominent.
Amaral comes in for a lot of
bad press as do the PJ in general. The media now have only one thing to report,
the innocence and persecution of the McCanns.
The McCanns are asked to take
part in a reconstruction. Returning to Portugal may be ‘dangerous’. The press
agrees.
Newspapers are full of
articles on Kate’s emotional state, the Amber Alert and demands by TM to have
the FBI investigate the ‘botched’ work of the PJ. Near the end of the month the
run-up to the inevitable ‘first year’ remembrance performance is widely
published.
The anti-PJ publicity is at
its height. Articles on PJ leaking information to ‘smear’ the McCanns. Amaral
resigns from the PJ. The xenophobic press is having a field day.
April 27, 2008
By Lori Campbell:
‘Anguished Kate and Gerry McCann are to write a book about their
year of hell since little Madeleine disappeared. (So not a book about Madeleine then…).
The couple are desperate to tell the truth of their ordeal and
plan to publish a tell-all book with the help of a ghost-writer - with all
proceeds going to the Find Madeleine Fund.’
Amaral’s book has not been
announced in the press. As far as I know the first time it is reported is in
July 2008.
In short: by the end of the
first year the hatches are battened down, the McCanns are more secure. Amaral
is gone but the bad news is that he is publishing a book.
At this fairly early stage -
from January onwards there are plans
for:
a full feature film
a second documentary
a US talk show
a book - all with hefty price
tags.
Security:
the media are gagged - a
payment of 550.000 by Express Newspapers is agreed.
no interviews of the McCanns
by the LP or the PJ will take place
witnesses and ‘friends’ have
been brought into line.
Careers:
Kate has ‘given up work’ to
be ‘ambassador’ for children’s charities.
Gerry is working full time -
although taking a full and active part in the presentation of Amber Alert
Europe in Brussels. There is still hope that the ambassadorial roles for both
the McCanns will eventually be realised.
The drive to obtain some kind of official position as
ambassadors for children’s charities is at the forefront here, whilst no doubt
negotiations and further damage limitation goes on behind the scenes - in
effect a firewall has been created.
And finally something so familiar: The Sun’s headlines on 31st
August 2016
maddie
cash crisis
Kate
and Gerry McCann desperate for new donations as search fund is down to last
£46k
More than £4.2million
has been donated since Maddie disappeared in Portugal in 2007. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1701671/kate-and-gerry-mccann-desperate-for-new-donations-as-search-fund-is-down-to-last-46k/
by sam christie
31st August 2016, 12:09 pm
 |
| and so it goes on ... |
1) (from
Amazon comments) Cyr Jimenez Says:
February 8th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I have said that the McCanns NEVER looked for Madeleine because, while their
friends were knocking on doors waking up the dead that evening asking everybody
to look for the little girl that ‘had been abducted’, it was later established
that her parents never moved from their apartment but were busy deleting compromising
calls from their mobiles. (This is on record too).
When it was generally felt that the McCanns were not doing enough to find
Madeleine and no Portuguese detective agency would touch them, they resorted to
a well-known Barcelona Agency to which they paid a substantial sum (€50,000
from memory. It was not their money, was it?). The Agency immediately made a
big song and dance of informing the world that they knew Madeleine was being
held in Morocco and they were going to get her. I was furious.
It took me a while but in the end I managed to speak to the Managing Director
in clear Spanish. I asked how was it that a Detective Agency of their standing
could make such a ridiculous assertion making it known ‘they knew Madeleine was
held in Morocco and they were going to get her’. He tried to wriggle out of it
but in the end he said ‘DON’T ASK ME. THAT’S THE PARENTS STRATEGY’.
I am in no doubt that the truth will be known and Justice will be done IN THE
END. It is doubly unfortunate that the ‘incident’ took place at the start of
the Algarve tourist season so crucial for the Portuguese economy. Otherwise the
Judiciária would have cut out all the pussyfooting from the outset.
Unquote
