[Sunny_01]

British Police Involved In Madeleine Case
Updated: 22:31, Wednesday September 12, 2007

British police are reportedly preparing to seize items belonging to Kate and Gerry McCann, Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt has learned.

Diary thought to hold clues Brunt said the Portuguese judge considering evidence in the case of their missing daughter Madeleine had signed a warrant giving British detectives the right to take a number of items from the couple.

These included Mr McCann's laptop computer and various correspondence, he added, saying that Leicestershire Police officers were likely to attempt to seize the items tomorrow.

Portuguese prosecutors are reported to have asked the judge to sign the warrant because they believe the items could hold vital clues to the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine.

They are already believed to have a copy of Mrs McCann's private diary after asking the judge to sign a similar order.

Sky's Andrew Wilson said he understood that Judge Pedro Miguel dos Anjos Frias had responded to the prosecutors' request to seize Mrs McCann's diary and that "at least a copy" was now in their hands.

The McCanns' spokesman David Hughes earlier refused to comment on the diary as he left the family house in Rothley, Leicestershire.

He faced the media circus waiting outside the couple's home shortly after the family returned from a trip to a nearby park.

Earlier, it was reported the police wanted to confiscate Madeleine's toys, including her favourite Cuddle Cat.

Mr McCann's sister, Philomena McCann, said the possibility that police might seize the toy was a "disgrace".

"It would be extremely distressing for Kate because she has seen it as a symbol of her daughter since she went missing," she added.

She went on: "Why on earth do they ask for the toys now? Why didn't they think of this before?"

The judge is also sifting through a 4,000-page police dossier as Madeleine's parents face an agonising wait to learn if they will be charged over her disappearance.

He has 10 days to consider the contents - said to be stored in 10 lever arch files.

It is not known if prosecutors are recommending charging the McCanns over their daughter's disappearance.

Lawyers in Portugal say it is more likely he wants to carry out fresh searches, conduct more interviews, or impose stricter bail conditions.

According to Portuguese newspapers police on the case officers are planning new searches in Praia da Luz, from where Madeleine went missing on May 3.

Mr and Mrs McCann were declared "arguidos", or formal suspects, in the case during police questioning in Portimao last Friday.

They flew out of the country to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, two days later.

[Sticks]

I was wondering if the company that hosts the Madeline website should pull it, in light of the fact that the McCanns are being investigated for killing their daughter and that the website might be an elaborate deception.

Anyone know who does the hosting?

Also Pay Pal should be informed that they might be involved in obtaining money by false pretences. That account should at least be suspended.

The Daily Star's headline "Maddies Toy will Nail Killer" show that the red tops are finally cottoning on that they may have been duped by the McCanns all this time.

Not all of us have been fooled.

[Sticks]

From the Sun

Cops think Kate killed Maddie

From JULIE MOULT
in Praia da Luz
September 13, 2007

COPS in Portugal are confident they have a watertight case against Kate and Gerry McCann to prove their involvement in Maddie’s death.

But what is in the 1,000-page dossier handed to a judge that makes them so convinced?

Here we examine the evidence — some of it ridiculously far-fetched.

Cops find it difficult to understand why Kate and Gerry left their three children alone in an apartment to join friends for dinner.

The tapas restaurant is not within earshot or clear sight of where they sat with pals.

And they chose not to take advantage of a free baby-sitting service offered by respected holiday company Mark Warner, explaining they did not want to leave the youngsters with a stranger.

But perhaps, police believe, Maddie may have already died by this stage.

They allege Kate and Gerry concocted an incredible plan which meant they were prepared to accept criticism for neglecting their kids by leaving them alone, in order for an “abduction” to take place.

Cops are of the opinion there was an accident in their apartment some time after Maddie was last seen alive.

Their theory is that Kate either slapped Maddie and she banged her head and died, or she had a reaction to sedatives dispensed by her GP mum to help her sleep — or even took an overdose of prescription medication left lying around the apartment.

Either way, cops suspect panic set in when they realised they could not revive her.

They say the McCanns were fearful of going to prison in a foreign country, having their other children taken away and losing their livelihoods.

So the parents are said to have hatched the unlikely plan to cover up her death and move the body, possibly with the help of others.

Details of the hour or so they spent dining with their friends are hazy and police say they have never been fully established.


But as far as can be confirmed by the police, Gerry checked on the children at 9.05pm. Next friend Matthew Oldfield left the table at 9.30pm to check on the kids.

Crucially, instead of going into the bedroom Maddie was sharing with two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, he just listened at the door.

Fifteen minutes later, another friend Jane Tanner, saw a man walking away from the Ocean Club resort carrying a child in pyjamas. The clothing matched those worn by Maddie. Nobody else has come forward to say they too had seen this person.

For weeks, the McCanns enjoyed a close relationship with the police. But by the beginning of August the relationship turned frosty.

That coincides with the time when police began to tap the phone calls and emails between Kate, Gerry and their pals.

Detectives believe they picked up evidence from the surveillance pointing to the McCanns knowing that Maddie was dead.

Around the same time, UK cops brought in forensic teams and sniffer dogs which located areas of blood and bodily fluid in both the apartment and the Renault Scenic rented 25 days after Madeleine went missing.

A few days after reports on the samples came back, Kate and Gerry were quizzed and named as suspects.

Cops say Madeleine’s blood, bodily fluid, and a mass of blonde hair was found in the boot.

They claim there is too much material for it simply to be explained away as having rubbed off on the car from Madeleine’s belongings.

Toxicology reports are also described as significant. This could indicate whether Maddie was sedated — which Kate and Gerry deny.

If police can prove the presence of a sedative, they can also prove the McCanns have lied.

[Sticks]

Latest from the BBC

The inventor of DNA fingerprinting has offered to act as an expert witness in the Madeleine McCann case.
Sir Alec Jeffreys said DNA matches alone did not establish guilt and all Madeleine's genetic characters would be found in at least one family member.

Gerry and Kate McCann, suspects in their daughter's disappearance, are considering commissioning independent tests on a Portuguese hire car.

But the Madeleine's Fund board will not allow money to go on legal expenses.

It has been reported that DNA evidence with a 100% match to Madeleine was found in the car, but this has been played down by Portuguese police.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Newsnight programme, Sir Alec said there could be a potential problem in assigning a profile to Madeleine given that all other members of her family would have been in the car.

"DNA testing seeks to establish whether DNA sample A from a crime scene, came or did not come from individual B," he said.

"So if you get a match there's very strong evidence that it did come from B.

"It is then up to investigators, the courts and all the rest of it to work out whether that connection is relevant or not.

"DNA doesn't have the words innocence or guilt in it - that is a legal concept. What it seeks to establish is connections and identifications."

Earlier John McCann said his brother Gerry thought the Portuguese police had "gone up a cul-de-sac".

He told BBC's The One Show that Gerry had said they had "lost track" of what they were doing and urged the police to be straight with them.

"If they have got something that suggests Madeleine really is dead then for goodness sake tell the family who have the strongest feeling for this."

He added that had the police done a better job early on in the investigation then Gerry and Kate would not be suspects now.


Asked if he doubted their innocence at all, he said: "If you know the people, and you look at the whole situation, you look at it and think this is ridiculous."

Both parents deny vehemently any involvement in their four-year-old daughter's disappearance.

The McCann family were on holiday at a resort in Praia da Luz in the Algarve when they reported Madeleine missing from their apartment on 3 May.

They returned to their home in Rothley in Leicestershire at the weekend and are currently waiting for a judge to decide if they face charges.

It is understood the couple are planning their own forensic tests amid suspicion about claims made by detectives in interviews with Kate McCann.

We stress that Gerry and Kate have not asked for these costs to be paid

The McCanns appointed lawyers in Portugal and Britain after being named as formal suspects - but they will not be paid out of money donated by well-wishers.

A statement made by Esther McVey from the board of Madeleine's Fund said payment of legal defence costs would be legally permissible so long as they were repaid in the event of a guilty conviction.

However, she said the fund's directors recognised the spirit in which the generous donations were given and decided not to pay for the McCanns' legal costs.

"We stress that Gerry and Kate have not asked for these costs to be paid," she said.

So far donations totalling £1,036,104.17 have been received for Madeleine's Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned, according to the official campaign website.

[Sunny_01]

I just wonder why the Portugese police did not do any of this in the early days. Why wouldnt you consider the parents as suspects at the beginning? if it were my child I would expect to be closely asked about what had happened and expect a full DNA testing of the room, toys etc...

[gracie24]

Didn't Kate wash the toy anyways shortly after Madeline went missing? Surely it really isn't of any evidence towards to police.

Notice how The Sun say its 4,000 page dossier and someone else says it's 1,000 - quite a big difference!

I think having Gerry's laptop will conclude to him being questioned again if not leading to anything more serious.

[Sunny_01]

washing the toy will not eliminate DNA or blood etc... if they have soaked into the toy.

I think that we will never know the full facts of the Portugese police unless they make it public, everything is speculation.

[sexy_leigh]

the police are only questioning the parents because they have nothing else to go on, because why would they all of a sudden want to question them NOW as they couldv'e done it at the beginning of the investigation!

[Sunny_01]

They have been watching and investigating the Mcanns for a long while as would be the case in any missing child case, it just appears that they now have "alleged" evidence to say they "may" have been involved.

If they did not investigate the parents they would be failing in their jobs, like Sticks pointed out in an earlier post statistically a huge number of children die at the hands of a family member. They can not be excluded from this investigation, they should never have been simply because they are her parents.

[Sticks]

Originally posted by gracie24
I think having Gerry's laptop will conclude to him being questioned again if not leading to anything more serious.

At least it will stop him putting more propaganda on that website of his

[bananarama]

Just heard the Mc'Canns have met social services to discuss the twins.....

Unless the portuguese police are holding some ace cards up their sleeve the evidence thus far is weak and full of holes.

Seems the latest requests for diary and laptop are just clutching at straws. Trying to make a circumstantial case to back up a weak forensic case.

The latest I heard is that they have a maximum of 88% DNA match. They still do not confirm what the DNA is from.

Another incompetent move by the portuguese police letting them out of the country before they had obtained relavent material property from the Mc'Canns. How can one trust anything such a buch of amateurs come up with..Guilty or inoccent..

[Sticks]

From what I have read elsewhere people are now coming around the the belief that the McCanns are guilty of killing their own daughter. On one site it is reported that two rich donors that were helping them financially have now washed their hands of them.

The Portuguese press has also turned against them and is towing the official line of the Portuguese police, backed up by British sniffer dogs and Britsh forewnsic evidence.

The wheels are finally coming off of the McCann band waggon and public opinion is tipping in favour of the Portuguese authorities.

[Jackie]

Yeah maybe but i say innocent till proven guilty.

[bananarama]

Originally posted by Sticks
From what I have read elsewhere people are now coming around the the belief that the McCanns are guilty of killing their own daughter. On one site it is reported that two rich donors that were helping them financially have now washed their hands of them.

The Portuguese press has also turned against them and is towing the official line of the Portuguese police, backed up by British sniffer dogs and Britsh forewnsic evidence.

The wheels are finally coming off of the McCann band waggon and public opinion is tipping in favour of the Portuguese authorities.

Well I heard on Sky news that new doners are coming forward to help the Mc'Canns with defence costs.

Like everone else I don't know if they are guilty or not. What we see with the press and public reaction is typical bandwagon mind sets that human nature is well known for.......

Thus far the reality is a lot of the so called evidence is speculation built on private decisions and then reported as if it were factual. We only have snips of details of which are often later contradicted or changed in severity.

The devil is still to be found in the detail. Detail thus far we have none that is reliable...

[bananarama]

It has been reported that the chief investigator of the Mc'Canns enquiry is being investigated himself for beating up a Potuguese woman to try and get a confession regarding another crime......

Also reported that Richard Branson is donating £100,000 to the Mc'Canns legal defence fund. Also a hint of some portuguese press back tracking on the evidence supposedly against the Mc'Canns.

[Sticks]

Originally posted by bananarama
It has been reported that the chief investigator of the Mc'Canns enquiry is being investigated himself for beating up a Potuguese woman to try and get a confession regarding another crime......

I know an ex policeman who is not impressed by this claim. Criminals always try and put in a complaint to prevent an officer from finding the truth. Remember John Stalker and what happened when he was conducting the "shoot to kill" policy in Ulster?.

This allegation is being made by the husband of of someone convicted of first degree murder to try and get her off. Take this one with a massive sack of salt.

[Kate..]

i find it hard to beleive that the parents would kill their own daughter and then bring all the police into it.... they would know the risk of being caught

my bet is that it was one of the parents.... i would put my money on the dad but the whole issue is a

[Sunny_01]

Have McCann Police Gone Out On A Limb?
Updated: 09:51, Tuesday September 18, 2007

Portuguese police may have "gone out on a limb" by accusing Madeleine McCann's parents over her alleged death, Portuguese newspapers are speculating.

Kate McCann and Portuguese policeSky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said media in the country where the four-year-old disappeared has started questioning the investigation against Kate and Gerry McCann.

Reporting from Portimao, Brunt said: "(Papers) have been suggesting the Portuguese police have gone out on a limb by making the accusations they have by suggesting the McCanns are involved.

"There are suggestions, hint perhaps, in Portuguese media that, if the Portuguese police are wrong, they are going to be made to look very foolish."

The tide of suspicion against the parents appears to be turning after a judge refused to order Mrs McCann to return to Portugal for questioning.

The Portuguese press had said Madeleine's mother could be called back to the country in the next few days.


Madeleine vanished on May 3But the judge in the case, Pedro Daniel dos Anjos Frias, has now rejected the prosecutors' request, according to a report in the Correio Da Manha newspaper.

Instead, the couple may be interviewed again this week by British police acting on behalf of the Portuguese authorities.

But a source close to the family said no formal request had been made.

The couple's lawyers issued a statement saying they had received no request for new questioning.

But a letter of appeal is expected to be sent to Britain, setting out the new questions Portuguese detectives want to ask the couple.

Portuguese officers are understood to be keen to sit in on any interviews in the UK as observers.

However, an unnamed source told the Correio Da Manha there was only a "very low" probability this would happen.

It is now 138 days since Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.

Mr and Mrs McCann, both 39, returned to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, nine days ago.

[gracie24]

It's still annoying me that the fact that they left Madeline and the twins alone whilst they went out for a meal is being completely ignored!!

People who were at the restaurant said that many people didn't leave the table once they got there and none of the stories told by Gerry and another family friend of part of the family about the night Madeline actually went missing match up.

Did anybody watch the Tonight programme about this last night?

[bananarama]

Sadly many parents if not all parents at some time in their lives take risks with the safety of their children. As I speak a neighbours 5 year old girl is roaming about out of sight of her mother.

I agree it was foolish of the Mc'Canns if that is what happened. That in itself does not mean they killed their daughter. I didn't see the show last night so cannot comment on it. However so much information has been denied us by the portuguese police that all speculation is just that speculation and not secure knowledge.


The fact the portuguese police keep re-interviewing the same people after several weeks have elapsed is asking for discrepencies to manifest. Peoples memories of facts fade with time so each re-interview after weeks have elapsed might well result in a slightly different story due to the fact fresh memories are the only reliable memories.

If a TV program has interviewed people weeks after the event than such interviews cannot be reliable for the reasons mentioned above.....

[Sunny_01]

Originally posted by gracie24
It's still annoying me that the fact that they left Madeline and the twins alone whilst they went out for a meal is being completely ignored!!

People who were at the restaurant said that many people didn't leave the table once they got there and none of the stories told by Gerry and another family friend of part of the family about the night Madeline actually went missing match up.

Did anybody watch the Tonight programme about this last night?

Gracie you echo what many of us have said from day one. It just beggars belief they would leave 3 such small children alone. I still wonder what the press etc.. would have reacted like had it been a single parent that had left their children, I bet they would have been villified from day one.

I didnt see that last night but bet it was really interesting.

[gracie24]

I just hope that that isn't ignored, I will be so annoyed if something isn't done about it.

The programme was quite interesting, it was just giving the 'pros and cons' if you can call it that about the evidence that has come forward which would lead to the McCanns being charged with Madeline's murder.

[Sunny_01]

I have said it before and I have to say again, this is one time in my life that I want my gut to be wrong. I dont want them to have been involved in any way, I want them to be the genuine parents who they appear to be in front of the tv cameras.

Also I doubt they will ever forgive themselves for leaving the children so no law or court could punish them more than I imagine they are punishing themselves.

[Jackie]

Right from the start its never once crossed my mind that the McCanns are involved in this terrible tragically this case is becoming more tainted as the days go by as in todays news it is said"Nappies worn by the twins could clear the parents of any suspicion over lost daughter madeleine it was revealed last night.

[lemon-squeezy]

I live 5 miles from rothley and know it well, even I am inclined to believe the portugese police rather than the Mccans......