Friday 31 July 2015

BERLIN AND AMSTERDAM part 3


BERLIN:

Gerry’s Blog:
4th June 2007 Busier day today with travel arrangements for Berlin and Amsterdam finalised. Leaving tomorrow night and coming back Thurs afternoon. It will be a very busy schedule similar to Madrid. On Thurs night there is a music festival in aid of Madeleine in nearby Lagos which we will be attending. Tonight, we were interviewed for Crimewatch which will be shown on BBC1 tomorrow night.

5th June 2007 Met with the Portuguese Police today. It is good to talk face to face especially with so much speculation in the media.[..]
Another busy programme tomorrow with TV, press, and politicians to see and then straight on to Amsterdam for more of the same. It all helps in the search for Madeleine.
(McCannfiles.com: Before leaving for northern Europe, the McCanns have a meeting with police detectives at the British Consulate in Portimão.
Sources said the Tuesday meeting was in line with similar briefings given by police in the past, but "within the bounds of Portuguese secrecy laws". The source added that "nothing new" was disclosed during the meeting.
British Consul Bill Henderson told The Portugal News that the Consulate served "as a facilitator" and was providing constant "consular assistance" to the McCanns.)

6th June 2007 Today seemed to go very well with huge interest in our search for Madeleine. There has also been a little bit of criticism in the German press about the amount of media coverage but this did not seem to diminish the level of interest. The German interviewers are a little more direct with their questions but I was still surprised by the question as to whether Kate and I may be involved in Madeleine's abduction! unquote

PAUL HARRIS
Last updated at 12:46 07 June 2007

[..]The McCanns flew into Berlin on Tuesday night in a private Hawker jet, lent to them by the owner on condition of anonymity.

They met British ambassador Sir Peter Torry and the Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit before flying on to their next port of call - Amsterdam.
[..]
When asked what message they would give to Madeleine, there was a long silence before Mrs McCann said quietly: "She knows we love her."
unquote


McCanns defend tour around Europe BBC News  6 June 2007

The parents of Madeleine McCann have said their trip around Europe to raise awareness of their missing daughter is their way of taking positive action.[..]

Mr McCann was speaking in Berlin, where he and his wife Kate are seeking information about the four-year-old abducted in the Algarve 34 days ago.
The couple have already been to Rome to speak with the Pope about their daughter. [..] (in fact a 30 second  public blessing, not a conversation of any king.)
Earlier Mr McCann said that the couple were sure Madeleine is still alive.
"There is an absence of evidence to the contrary," he said.
unquote

A German journalist asked this question during a press conference:
Sabina Mueller: Sabina Mueller, German radio. How do you deal with the fact that more and more people seem to be pointing the finger at you, saying the way you behave is not the way people would normally behave if their child is abducted; and they seem to imply that you might have something to do with it?

Kate McCann: (inaudible aside to Gerry) To be honest, I don't actually think that is the case. I think that's a very small minority of people that are criticising us. Errm... you know, the facts are out there; we were dining very close to the children and we were checking on them very, very regularly. Errm... you know, we are very responsible parents and we love our children so much and I think it's only a very few people that are actually, errm... criticising us.

Gerry McCann: I have never heard before that, errr... anyone considers us suspects in this and, errm... the Portuguese police certainly don't. And, errm... without going into too much detail, errr... about the circumstances, we were with a large group of people, errm... and, you know, there is absolutely no way Kate and I are involved in this abduction.(He then talks at some length about the non-functional state they were in and expert advice which resulted in this tour

Their exit from Berlin is delayed when the Portugese police say they have received some information that they need to be consult the McCanns on. It means they arrive in Amsterdam 3 hours late  (7.30 pm) and miss 2 TV programmes - Gerry later dismisses the information as being 'nothing of interest'.


David Brown in Praia da Luz and Thomas Catan in Madrid
June 7, 2007

Police searching for Madeleine McCann have told her parents that they have received a "credible call" from a man claiming to know what happened to their daughter following her abduction 36 days ago.

Kate and Gerry McCann were asked if they were prepared to speak to the man after he told police that he wanted to talk directly to Madeleine's parents.  
Information provided by the anonymous man yesterday afternoon convinced British police officers, who are liaising with the Portuguese-led inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance, that it was necessary to inform the McCanns immediately and to ask them to speak to the caller. 
[..] 
The contingency plan involved the McCann's flying back to Britain where they were to be met by a specialist team of advisors to oversee their talks with the source. But when efforts to re-establish contact with the caller failed the McCanns were finally advised to proceed to Amsterdam as planned. They took off bound for Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport at 7.30pm, three hours later than planned.
unquote

Gerry found time to enter this in his blog on the 6th June: 
We had to delay our onward flight to Amsterdam because of some information received by the police, which we needed to be consulted on. We diverted to the embassy in Berlin but it turned out to be nothing of interest. We unfortunately had to miss 2 TV programmes as we arrived in Amsterdam 3 hours late. unquote


AMSTERDAM


BBC News  Wednesday, 6/7/2007
They then go straight on to Amsterdam where the couple lived in 2004[..] This will be the first time they have gone back and they expect it to be a highly emotional visit.

BBC News  Thursday 7/6/2007
McCanns appeal to Dutch in search Gerry and Kate McCann held a press conference in Amsterdam on the final leg of a two-day trip in Europe raising awareness of Madeleine's disappearance. [..]
They then go straight on to Amsterdam where the couple lived in 2004, leaving when Madeleine was just a year old [..]
Friends in the Netherlands have been working behind the scenes since Madeleine was taken and 500 billboards bearing her face are being put together ahead of the trip.

Thursday 07 June 2007
McCanns  giving a Press Conference in Amsterdam, 7 June 2007, five weeks to the day after they reported Madeleine missing:
1 minute 59 seconds: a quick confab  with Clarence behind the pyjamas whilst Kate describes the garment.
2 minutes 40 seconds: a journalist asks the McCanns why they seem to be so in control of their emotions. Kate glares at the man.
Soon after that Clarence allows only two more questions. 
3 minutes 49 seconds: to the question ‘is the main focus on Morocco, is that your hope?’ 

After the scheduled meetings, Gerry catches up with 'a friend of mine who was attending a medical conference in Amsterdam'. It is speculated that this was Matthew Oldfield (2nd from right) who is believed to have been attending the Euromedlab 2007 event in the city at that time. (McCannfiles.com)


They return to PdL in the early evening. Presumably with the private jet lent to them by someone who wishes to remain anonymous. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In short: 

Tuesday 5th June - McCanns fly to Germany in private jet
Crimewatch is aired with the McCanns holding up a pair of pyjamas which are similar to those Madeleine is said to have worn. 
A press report  is worded to give the impression they had private talks with the Pope. 

Wednesday 6th June - Press conferences and TV appearance  in Berlin.
Their exit is delayed when the tiresome Portuguese police needs to consult them about a call they have received. 
Gerry dismisses it as ‘nothing of interest’  in his blog. An golden opportunity for ‘anguish and despair’ of parents waiting for news totally missed. 
Gerry’s unique logic dictates that absence of evidence is the same as evidence of absence.
A German journalist asks questions and at a later date a German psychologist publishes his analysis of the McCanns:

Thursday 7th June Having arrived in Amsterdam at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, the McCanns give a press conference where once again a journalist asks the wrong question. 
Clarence Mitchell does not appear to have been present in Berlin. The publicity results in several sightings, one of which was promoted by the McCanns in 2008 to highlight the ‘incompetence’ of the PJ. ( see Stam sighting below)
A Dutch journalist asks an unwelcome question but at least Clarence is on hand to provide much needed behind the safety screen of the pyjamas.
Gerry meets with an ‘old friend’ - Matthew Oldfield: another of the Tapas 7 who said he only met them this holiday. 

Stam Sighting: 
Following on from the press conference on the 7th of June, a sighting is reported on the 13th of June to the Amsterdam police. This particular sighting was selected out of thousands by the McCanns for a publicity drive highlighting the ‘incompetence’ of the PJ.  


 05th August 2008 
A little girl calling herself 'Maddie' and claiming to have been taken from her mother on holiday was seen in Amsterdam at the time Madeleine McCann disappeared, the case files show. [..]

Ms Stam was at the back of the shop when the young girl approached her and asked in English without an accent: "Do you know where my mummy is?"
The shop assistant answered that her mother was a little further back in the store but the child replied, "She is not my mummy," and added:

'She is a stranger, she took me from my mummy."
 When Ms Stam asked the girl where she last saw her mother, she said: "They took me from my holiday."

The Dutchwoman went on: 'I asked where that holiday was but the little girl was incapable of telling me. [..]
The girl had dark brown hair in a ponytail, "huge" green-brown eyes and a pale face which showed "little or no emotion", she said.

Ms Stam said she thought the child looked "very much like" Madeleine apart from the colour of her hair.
unquote

PJ files: ApensosV, Vol I. File 01. Documents 55 to 66 
The facts are: 
The girl was seen on the 6th or the 8th of May.
Ms. Stam went to the police on the 13th June.
The child had brown hair and no coloboma.
The conversation with the child as reported is highly unlikely.
Reports - after checks by Dutch police - were sent to Portugal on the 17th or 18th June.


Considering that these people said they ran a small circus in France - tracing such a circus working in France in 2007 is not impossible  one might think.  But did the McCanns  instruct their detectives to go to work on the best clues they’d had so far? Apparently not - it is never mentioned again.  

Tuesday 28 July 2015

PART 2: FIRST THE VATICAN - THEN THE WORLD..


The European Campaign:

‘Rome is already preparing itself...’

‘Clarence spoke to us about a possible visit to the Vatican. Rome is already preparing itself.’
(Kate McCann’s diary - 27th May)

SKY helpfully tells us: 
Madeleine McCann's parents are in Rome for their audience with the Pope who has been kept up to date on the search for the four-year-old.
 (29/5/07)unquote

The McCanns are greeted  on arrival by the British Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Campbell, and a representative of the Catholic Church. They are to stay at the British Residency in  the centre of Rome. 
‘Audience with the Pope’  conjures up a vision of the McCanns being received by the Pope in the same way heads of state are pictured in the press:  the Pope and his visitors in a large and splendid reception hall inside the Vatican.


Kate McCann’s diary tells us: ‘Clarence spoke to us about a possible visit to the Vatican. Rome is already preparing itself. Francis Campbell was spoken to’. -  This would more accurately translate as: ‘Clarence managed to shoe-horn us into a group of people who are each to be blessed by the Pope. Blessings take about 30 seconds each but Clarence thinks he can stretch ours to as much as a minute.’ 

Not so much an audience as a quick blessing then and only one couple amongst several dozen.  The press were as good as gold, giving the impression that it was an exclusive audience, photographs  giving the impression it was just the McCanns, Clarence  and a bunch of security men as a cordon sanitaire cropped out of most photographs.  
The  same day the British Embassy is the venue for a Press Conference by the McCanns.  Another brilliant move from Clarence. Only important people give press conferences, up to now the McCanns have been interviewed, not the same thing at all. Problem is that one has to answer unexpected questions. A few of the more interesting answers below. 

Unknown: "I'm (inaudible) from Swedish daily Aftonbladet of Stockholm. Errr... I heard some voices that you might go to... over to Sweden, is that true? 
Gerry McCann: "We have no immediate plans to go to Sweden and we hope and pray that this will be over before we get to Scandinavia.

Unknown: "Yes, I just have a very short question. This toy that you have on your table, was it Madeleine's? And how would she call it? 
Kate McCann: "Errm... It was Madeleine's, yes. She took... she takes it to bed with her every night or if she's upset or something she'll have it. It's... it's actually called 'Cuddle Cat' - not very inventive, sorry. It was... it was actually the name of that... that... that it already had."
Gerry McCann: "It is a cat though. Ha, ha.

Five News: "Jon Samuels from Five News. What other plans do you have to visit other countries, possibly in Europe, go to other capital cities to... to spread your message?"

Gerry McCann: "We certainly were planning to do some visits and, errm... this one, errr... came about quicker than we thought, errm... and it was so important to us that we have come here first for spiritual reasons, more than any other. Errm... we are planning a visit to neighbouring Spain, errr... probably with Madrid and although the arrangements are not finalised yet we would also plan trips in the very near future to Germany and The Netherlands as the next two largest, errr... nationalities who, errr... go to the Algarve on holiday."


Vatican Radio: "Susie Hodges from Vatican Radio. What lessons do you give to other parents that have to go through this appalling experience?
Gerry McCann: "I... We hope and pray that no-one ever does go through it again. Errm... I think... I hope that, if it does happen, that there will be some template, errr... from what we have done, as our extended family, that will help raise the awareness for any other missing children and it's possible to such cases. Having spoken, errm... to peop... you know, errr... people around us, then stayed strong and taking control even of small things because you feel totally out of control in those first hours and taking control of this... of this smallest decisions helps you cope and think rationally and influence things around you and that, I think, is the most important thing.
unquote
So: Scandinavia may also be on the itinerary but is for some reason low priority. Even though there are many Scandinavian tourists in the Algarve, the alleged reason why Germany and the Netherlands were selected as first points of call. 
Gerry’s last answer (remember Missing People having launched on the 24th May with yellow ribbons - see part 1)is already raising awareness for other missing children and the ‘template’ created by the McCanns. 

The McCanns return to PdL on the 30th, leave for Madrid on the 31st. It is a little strange that on the 30th Gerry appears not to know that a visit has been arranged. 

Most of the questions are answered by Gerry and both he and Kate lose no time in telling the world what an awful time they’ve had,  the words ‘anguish and despair’ are well and truly embedded in their routine answers. 

Cuddlecat does not appear to have been blessed, although is it now wearing a rosary and the green and yellow ribbon with for some reason ‘Fatima’  (perhaps souvenir from Fatima?) printed on the ribbon. 



By Richard Edwards and Fiona Govan in Praia da Luz
Last Updated: 2:10AM BST 02 Jun 2007
Almost four weeks after Madeleine was abducted, Gerry and Kate McCann flew to Rome after receiving a formal invitation from the Vatican.

Mrs McCann carried with her a small photograph of Madeleine which she will present to Pope Benedict XVI at a general audience in St Peter's Square today. [..] It is believed the Pope will refer to Madeleine "prominently" during prayers. (He didn’t)
They also plan trips to Madrid, Berlin and Amsterdam, where they intend to meet children's charities and government ministers with a portfolio for child welfare.[..]

As honoured guests, Kate and Gerry McCann will sit in the front row, known as the prima fila, normally reserved for heads of state and dignitaries. The Pope will speak to them in English and may also invite them to a private audience afterwards. unquote


The Daily Telegraph  repeats several times that it is a general audience although naming the McCanns in the same sentence as ‘honoured’ and ‘heads of state’  is a neat touch. 
The opening paragraph tells the world that the McCanns clearly did not ask for this honour, it was the Vatican who sent a formal invitation. However, it appears that Clarence Mitchell managed to organise it all in a very short space of time, if we are to believe he did not work for the McCanns before the 22nd May 2007. The Archbishop has his residence in London and it is reasonable to suppose that Clarence Mitchell met the archbishop in order to arrange the Papal blessing. Possibly some time before the 22nd of May 2007.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Westminster, has been instrumental in organising the visit. (http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/may/28/ukcrime.gilestremlett) 

The Rome visit was without a doubt a masterstroke. Approval from the earthly representative of God  - leader of about 14% of the world population -  is certainly  helpful in establishing one’s reputation. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29th - McCanns leave in Sir Philip Green’s private jet for Rome 
30th -  at 10.30 AM the McCanns have an  audience with the Pope 
30th -  they arrive back in PdL (a sighting in Morocco is in the news)
31st -  they leave for Madrid
1st June -  McCanns have a very busy day in Madrid, taken up with meetings with government and non-government agencies concerned with child welfare and various TV interviews and a ‘well attended press conference. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Madrid:

The European campaign continues in Madrid, with a packed press conference, a live broadcast on Spanish TV and a meeting with Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba. 


McCanns take search to Spain BBC News video


The parents of abducted Madeleine McCann are in Spain to continue publicising her disappearance.

01 June 2007
Transcript by Nigel Moore

Steve Kingstone: (voice over) "After Rome on Wednesday, Kate and Gerry McCann have now visited two European capitals in 48 hours. Here they appealed for help from the public and action from the Spanish authorities."

Gerry McCann: "I would like some reassurance, in Spain, that there has been some proactive, errm... investigation regarding Madeleine's disappearance and I think it is at least worth exploring the possibility that Madeleine's disappearance should not be considered in isolation."

Steve Kingstone: (voice over) "As the couple see it, that means cross-referencing this inquiry with other missing children cases throughout Spain and Portugal.[..]

"This afternoon the McCanns met Spains's interior minister to discuss a broader approach to child abduction.


It appears that Gerry McCann is already employing political speech patterns, demanding reassurance from Spain. Surely they hadn't reneged on a previous agreement? 
Once again we are already looking for other missing children, although Amber Alert has not yet been mentioned in the press.
Kate's image makers are doing a great job. Perfect highlights, good haircut and the cute ponytail for the Pope - here the pink cardigan with little ruffles. A picture of innocence. 





Monday 27 July 2015

TRIPS HOME AND ABROAD - THE EARLY DAYS 

This will probably end up as a two- or three parter so I will post it in bits over the week.


Comment  posted on Pat Brown’s blog just before  she visited Praia da Luz herself  on 6th February 2012.

Anonymous said...
Pat. Please follow this clue. Gerry Mccann returned to the UK just 3-4 days after Maddie was abducted. All evidence to this has been erased from the internet. He returned ostensibly to get a good photo of Maddie for publicity purposes (they had a camera full of photos with them!!). Internet forums discussed this but it has been erased and people have short memories. Gerry came back alone, was met at the airport by local police, they drove him to the house, he was there for about 30 mins and went back to Portugal immediately. To reiterate this was 3-4 days after the disappearance. What did he do at home? who was with him to ensure that nothing incriminating in the house was flushed down the toilet? Was there a cupboard full of children’s sleeping medication. or something else?? Please investigate
unquote

The next trip (if this first trip did happen) was from 20th May: 
Daily Mail 20 May 2007
Seventeen days after his four-year-old daughter disappeared, Gerry McCann flew back to an empty house that is still fresh with her memory.
[..]
He will trawl through four years of family albums and videos to select new pictures of her for his 'Find Madeleine' website. Then he will prepare to return to the Algarve to continue the search.
The visit was the first time Mr McCann has been apart from his wife Kate and their two-year-old twins since Madeleine vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3.
unquote

Madeleine's father returns to UK BBC New Monday, 21 May 2007, 11:12 GMT 12:12 UK

A spokeswoman for the family in the Algarve, said Mr McCann was returning "to deal with some personal matters and he will be talking to the people who are organising the fund".
She emphasised he was returning to Britain for "very practical reasons" and would return as quickly as he could.
Mr Kennedy said Madeleine's relatives were aware of Mr McCann's "brief, private visit home" which "was mainly regarding legal matters".
Unquote

Madeleine police appeal for holiday pictures Timesonline
Adam Fresco
May 21, 2007
British holiday makers who were in Portugal at the time Madeleine McCann was snatched from her apartment are being asked to send their pictures to police in case they have caught the abductor on camera.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, said that the latest technology will allow them to "build a larger intelligence picture". [..]
"These are the pictures we want and we want you to upload them onto a new website. [..]unquote
Madeleine's father returns to UK Guardian Monday May 21 2007
[..]
Holidaymakers in the town and Portuguese people across the country stood silently today in solidarity with Madeleine's family.
The one-minute silence, initiated by an anonymous chain email circulated around Portugal at the weekend, was observed at midday. In Praia Da Luz shoppers and workers stood still to think of Madeleine. [..]
Gerry McCann, a consultant cardiologist, arrived back last night and was visiting the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, before returning to Portugal, said his brother, John McCann. "I think he's flying back tonight," Mr McCann said’. [..]
Madeleine's great uncle, Brian Kennedy, who is heading a fund launched last week to help find the girl, said today he did not know what Mr McCann would be doing in Britain.
"We were informed yesterday that Gerry intended to make a brief, private visit home but we were not told the reason, other than that it was mainly regarding legal matters. It is probably concerning the fund we have set up," he said.
"We have no information as to Gerry's present whereabouts and we are not sure whether we will see him before he returns to Portugal.
The press was allowed closer to the family over the weekend, as Mr McCann and his wife appeared to accept that a certain loss of privacy was a price worth paying to keep Madeleine's case in the public eye. A press photographer was allowed to take pictures of them playing with their twins. unquote

To recap: the Mail gives his arrival as the 20th, which means Gerry McCann was in the UK for up to three days if he returned on Tuesday 22nd May. Not exactly a ‘lightning trip’. Moreover, I find it hard to believe he did not meet up with his brother, or with Brian Kennedy, as the reason for his visit was given as legal matters, private matters and trawling through 4  years of photographs for the website (which by that time had had 100 million hits). 
Several other points of interest: 
an anonymous email to organise one minute silence. 
the information in several papers that it is his first visit 
 
On the 24th Sky reports: 
:: A large-scale projection on Marble Arch of a new yellow ribbon symbol was due to mark the rebranding of the Missing People charity, formerly the National Missing Persons Helpline.
- and here is Gerry on his 'first' visit back in Rothley: surrounded by yellow ribbons. So when exactly did those green and yellow ones appear? 


Missing Persons - On May 24th 2007, Paul Tuohy re-launched the charity, 'Missing People' (previously known as the National Missing Persons). The event is alleged to have been instigated at the behest of the European Commission, spearheaded by former EC Vice-President and self-appointed 'Guardian Angel of Children', Franco Frattini. The event was attended by John McCann. Paul Tuohy is an ex-colleague of Ester McVey. Tuohy says it is peculiarly ironic that they should launch at the time Madeleine McCann went missing. Patrons include Lorraine Kelly (ITV).

Three weeks after 3/5/07 and they're all there, McVey, Kelly and a political drive to promote the charity - European Commission's former Vice president and Guardian Angel Franco Frattini.  


Possible first trip to UK: between 5th May and 9th May 2007. (Statements to PJ were given on the 4th and the 10th May 2007).
Sunday 20th May - return to UK 
Monday 21st May - family have allegedly not seen him during this trip, neither his brother nor Brian Kennedy profess to know where he is or why exactly he is in the UK
22nd May - return to PdL with Clarence Mitchell - the new spokesman lent to the McCanns by the Foreign Office
23rd May Last photo sent to French Agency 
24th May Last photo released to the world's Press with the mention of the wrong time set on the camera. 
24th May also incidentally the day Missing People launched. (see above) and the date they made a pilgrimage to Fatima. The European trips were already a reality it seems. Clarence must have been working very hard or have been on the job rather earlier than the 22nd of May.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FATIMA
Telegraph:
By Richard Edwards in Fatima
12:01AM BST 24 May 2007

Surrounded by the faith and prayer of thousands of pilgrims, the parents of Madeleine McCann lit candles of hope yesterday at Portugal's most holy site.

Gerry and Kate McCann made a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fatima to pray. [..]

The McCanns are launching a series of trips across Europe to help widen the search for their child.
The couple, both devout Catholics, started their "mission" yesterday in Fatima, north of Lisbon. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1552516/Parents-seek-solace-at-shrine-of-Fatima.html