WHY DID UK GOV PROMOTE ABDUCTION STORY?

No-one is pushing the abduction story anymore, not even the parents. Couple of reasons for this I suspect, 1. it doesn't stand up to scrutiny, 2. it is now a huge embarrassment. The biggest problem the British authorities have is explaining how they could have been so incredibly naïve. They bought 'the Lie' hook, line and sinker, while the rest of the world watched in astonishment.  . probably wondering how on earth the British police were ever considered among the top crime solvers in the world.  In a nutshell, the McCanns have made them a laughing stock.  Very few prime suspects can look back and say, they had the full support of their government.  

 

What if Tony Blair had decided Karen Matthews was a good egg, and instructed Yorkshire police to go easy on her? 'Don't bother too much with forensics etc, lads, she couldn't possibly be guilty and there is no need to distress her further'.  And what was it that convinced Tony Blair that Gerry and Kate were above reproach?  He liked the cut of their jib? They were the perfect British family? Professional, 2.4 children, clean cut, smart and erudite, people he could relate to, their popularity was his popularity, an opportunity for him to play the hero on his way out. The rescuer of law abiding Brits abroad. 

But did he rely on his own judgment alone - that is his own inbuilt prejudices and bias?  Or, as PM, did he make full use of all the special services available to him, experts who had perhaps been out to PDL and met with the parents?  Maybe the envoy he sent himself, Clarence Mitchell?  It's hard to imagine him sending a government official to assist the McCanns without a proviso that he report back to him.  Clarence in his day could be very convincing, so what was he telling him?   

Then of course, there were the experts, CEOP especially, who seemed to have taken an active role in the Portuguese investigation.  Asking the public to send their photographs directly to them, for example.  And of course, they played an active role in the events that led to the naming of Robert Murat as the first arguido.   They approached the case from an internet angle - ie. seizing the computers of private individuals would lead to an arrest.  Not forgetting of course the profile they compiled that matched the nearest single male adult in the vicinity

I can't recall off hand how many British police agencies were involved, but Leicester Police took a different approach to CEOP.  The report of Mark Harrison was a game changer - they brought in the dogs.   They were advising the PJ to consider the parents as suspects.  CEOP were pro abduction, and seeking a pervert.  CEOP and Leicester Police must have been offering the PM conflicting advice.  Awkward.  Blair could of course  defend his stance with the McCann supporters' chant of only haters and the bad minded would have suspect the parents, but I am not sure childish naivety is a good look for a former world leader.  That however, is all CEOP have as their own excuse, and an even worse look for experienced police officers and criminal psychologists.  Awkward, times 2 and then some.

If I recollect correctly, it was around mid June 2007, that the first cracks in the establishment support began to appear.  The McCanns were being asked to move out of the resort and find their own accommodation.  Bizarre that Warners had been so hospitable for so long, but I suspect they feared a lawsuit.  And it was around this time that Clarence seemed to be out of the loop.  His 'off the record' remarks to Vanity Fair that they were unable to get a get a meeting with a Minister - 'all they were offered was mid-consular level',  signalled the end of the special relationship. No more chummy calls from Blair, Brown etc.

New Labour I'm sure, really wanted the McCann case to go away.  Alan Johnson, then Home Secretary, sat on the report from Jim Gamble and probably would have continued to do so, if there hadn't been a change of government, who then also sat on it, until May 2011.  Of course, since then we have had Leverson, and we are now familiar with how incestuous the relationship is between our leaders and the 'free press'. We all underwent a high speed GCSE Course in Media Studies, and we all collectively, breathed, 'ah so that's how it all works', as we watched Gerry and Kate in hammy Shakespearian tragedy mode, Rebekah supressing her inner Lady McBeth, Tony Blair who is no longer a real boy, and Rupert Murdoch getting a custard pie in the face.  Can you imagine the atmosphere back stage?  Who cared about the McCanns, was TB really having a fling, with Rupert's feisty wife?  Ooer. 

It was of course, all theatre for the masses, an illusion of a free press out of control, causing pain and distress to ordinary people (Gerry and Kate), and the desperate need for privacy laws and more draconian measures to be taken against newspapers and journalists, including imprisonment.  Yes, journalists were imprisoned.  Take note of the date folks 21.4.18, our descendants will laughing at us like the funny little aliens in the old 'Smash' adverts.  Even the divine Rebekah Brookes was threatened with jail.  I'm not sure if I like or dislike the charismatic RB, but if I had a daughter I would say 'be like her honey', OK, maybe not so much, but you get you get the gist.  There is something inherently wrong with a society that imprisons journalists.  And Privacy Laws?  Wtf, is someone doing that they need actual legislation to keep it private? 

The McCanns it must be said, have been used by others who are even higher up in 'the Lie' than they are.  People who have used their tragedy for political and financial gain.  On the official front, the government could be said to have been off the hook from June 2007.  That when signing of the Lisbon Treaty in December 2007, they were neutral on the Madeleine investigation and the case was now exclusively in the hands of the Portuguese.  Does anyone believe that?  Or is it more likely, the very diplomatic Gordon Brown had a quiet word in ear of Jose Socrates, maybe something along the lines of, 'listen we totally f*cked up on this, it would cause us huge political embarrassment, could you just bury it and we'll do ...................... for you'.  Purely hypothetical of course.  I don't think the Portuguese rolled over, completely, but they did shelve case when the time limit for arguido status ran out, 8 months I believe. 

It is all hypothetical of course.  Logistically, it just wasn't possible for the PJ to pursue the case vigorously.  The main witnesses had left the country, and all were lawyered up.  It was just another one of those cases that frustrate detectives the world over.  Left to gather dust unless something significant comes along.  Advances in science and technology, a witness changing their story, or new evidence.  I'm going with new evidence, because the Portuguese were adamant they would not re-open their files without it.

As Operation Grange was launched, with great fanfare, the Portuguese got their own files down from the shelf.  Coincidence?  Unlikely, but who opened their files first?  British or Portuguese?  Arguably, Gerry and Kate's biggest mistake was campaigning for a Review.  But it coincided with the Madeleine Fund running low.  It was all about the fund raising of course, and demonstrating how determined they were never to give up.  They were aiming for 100,000 signatures on their Petition, an unrealistic target, but enough to cause a news flurry.  I have always thought this was one of those 'be careful what you wish for, you just might get it' moments. 

I am not sure if I am being unfair about the MCanns' acting abilities, they went into full book tour mode and pretended to be happy about David Cameron's benevolent decision.  They didn't seem in the least perturbed by it, but they weren't celebrating their victory, the Review they were asking for.  Beyond common courtesy, there isn't anything to suggest this tory government would invest money and their reputations on an embarrassing international incident that had nothing to do with them. Why would they?  When Blair, Brown, Alan Johnson et al, were all clearly in the frame for interfering in another country's criminal investigation.  Sadly, it is yet another revelation as to how seedy Blair and his inner circle had become.  If they could sex up a student's thesis to make a case to go to war, the disappearance of one small missing child should never have been a problem.  Unfortunately for them, one of those small, niggly problems that always have the potential to explode into a major news story, without a tight lid kept on it.  Of sorts.  Given human nature however, my money is on them 'thinking about it tomorrow', a la Scarlett O'Hara.  Tony Blair already had his sights set on bringing peace to the Middle East, what did he care.  Little Madeleine, I would imagine, is way down on the list of Blair's dodgy dealings and matters that cry out for public Inquiries. 

Theresa May can fund Operation Grange until it reaches a result, safe in the knowledge that her party played no part in any obstruction of justice.  There is not very much that I like about old British conservatives, apart from their 'wat ho, just not cricket old chap' sense of noble justice.  An innate sense of fairness that formed the basic ideology of the Empire.  Something the socialists, in the form Blair, Brown, New Labour, ran roughshod over with their tacky attempts to jump on the popular Madeleine bandwagon.  Cash in first, explain later, or not at all.

Madeleine was not just a missing child, she was multimillion pound baby, Her sweet angelic face brought funding to police agencies, charities, purveyors of crisis management companies and makers of cctv cameras.  Not since the big bad wolf and the bogey man, had there been a greater danger to small children tucked up safely in their beds.   Any explanation other than an abduction,  would put an end to all the thriving new industries that sprung up out of Madeleine's disappearance.  And an end to New Labour's hopes for compulsory ID cards, a national DNA database and stricter border controls. 

I can't see this case ending in any other than a sea of red faces, at the very least.  Imagine Cherie Blair phoning Karen Matthews and telling her to hang on in there.  When you apply the special treatment of Gerry and Kate to any other case you can see how totally inappropriate it was.  The Blairs and the Browns can blame their advisors and their own compassion. The compassion will probably work for all those interviewers and breakfast TV presenters who gave them such an easy time.  But for the British police and the British secret services, it is beyond embarrassing. I can't help but think there may be grudges in play, a determination to bring the real culprits to justice.  That is far more likely and reflective of human nature than a 7 year quest to hide the truth. 

 

 

HOW MADELEINE WENT GLOBAL

 

On my last blog a poster commented that there was a history of child trafficking in Portugal and Europe.  This surprised me because in all the years I have watched the Madeleine mystery, I have never heard of any child trafficking rings being raided or arrested.  Significantly, I have never heard of any missing children being rescued from child traffickers.  

 

The McCanns blame the Portuguese police for not responding quickly enough and for not closing the borders, sea ports and beaches presumably. Why their first thought was that she was being taken out of Portugal is bizarre, sadly most stolen children are found close to where they were taken and not alive. Travelling with an abducted child would be an absolute nightmare, especially a near 4 year old who could blurt out anything. Abductors of children and adults, ‘get rid of’ their hostages as soon possible for fear of being caught.  

 

Strangely on the night of Madeleine’s abduction, the McCanns were already focused on taking the search away from PDL, statistically the most likely place Madeleine would be found, and where the police and volunteers were already out searching. The idea that Madeleine may have been taken to another country may have been comforting for the parents, but it is not realistic.  It simply never happens.  Couples desperate to adopt a child have limitless legal means to do so, and let’s not forget, Madeleine was sharing a room with two babies, a boy and a girl, why would a potential adopter push past the babies to reach the 4 year old?  

 

The astonishing part of this (imaginary) happy ever after fairy tale, is the fact that the government, the British police and the media ran with it. That such an abduction has never happened before in the history of the world, was brushed aside as the search for Madeleine went global.  Jim Gamble and CEOP even released an aged progressed 'Asian' Madeleine. And in the early days, an innocent Moroccan family were targeted simply because their small daughter had blonde hair. As if a poor and struggling family in Morocco could or would sponsor an international crime to acquire another mouth to feed. But the McCanns were selling and the papers were buying, pouncing on an innocent Moroccan family may have been ludicrous, but it sold papers.

 

The Portuguese Authorities approached the investigation with calm and logic.  Most missing children turn up safe and sound.  The parents, not unnaturally, were frantic, as any parents in such a situation would be, but their unwillingness to leave it to the professionals, simply added more suspicion.  We can only imagine the astonishment of Goncalo Amaral and his team watching Gerry and Kate visit the Pope and tour Europe.

 

Making the search for Madeleine global, was of course a masterstroke in marketing, and unique, most parents of abducted children don't claim they have been taken out of the country.  Madeleine, bless her, was special I'm sure, but no child is special enough for someone to arrange an international kidnap.  She was too old to blend into an existing family, and too recognisable to be seen in public.  None of which would have been a problem if they had taken one of the babies. 

 

I can understand why people would want to comfort the parents by agreeing that their hopes of rescuing Madeleine are feasible, but is it really a good idea to feed an obvious delusion?  And what kind of sick minds came up with an image of Madeleine with brown skin? 

 

There were of course a lot of benefits in taking the search for Madeleine worldwide.  Not least it distracted from the actual search in PDL and jammed the police switchboards.  But it also boosted the Fund.  I believe they received over 50m hits in the first few days.  The idea that Madeleine could so easily have been shipped away, took hold as they visited Morocco (why?), and Kate, or one of her relatives, had a vision of a boat. 

 

Unfortunately, every abduction theory leads eventually to the ludicrous.  An organised international kidnap? Seriously?  A random opportunist? body would have been found. Burglar? Among the more ridiculous and from SY to boot.  A Gang? Would the police, both Portuguese and British allow them to carry on for 11 years uninterrupted?  An adoptive family? Given the publicity, there was never any hope of a normal life. A monster with a basement? Dear God, let's hope not. 

 

It is very unlikely that poor Madeleine ever left PDL, even if she had been taken by an abductor.  Yet Gerry and Kate never searched the area around them.  Looking back at the campaigns of Gerry and Kate, even from the earliest days, they have taken their search everywhere but Portugal, yet it is the last place they saw their child.  

 

It is hard not to be cynical about the parents motives for taking the search for Madeleine worldwide.   It was an almighty distraction, not only to the search in PDL, but also to the tricky issue of the child neglect and the suspicions of the Portuguese police.  How could these parents who were working so hard to publicise their daughter's disappearance, possibly be involved?  It is assumed that the guilty hide away lest they be caught, but often the opposite happens, they, like the lady, doth protest too much.   

 

Without knowing the fate of their daughter, they embraced the cause of missing children worldwide, especially in the USA where the huge NCMEC has it's own TV network and specialist centre for tracking down missing children.   It's TV host, John Walsh, the father of a child taken and murdered many years ago.  CEOP by comparison, were the poor relations, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Gamble had big plans for it.  For whatever reason, the non charismatic JG thinks he's great on the telly, and would have had a permanent spot, with good public speaker, hmm, Gerry in the John Walsh role. 

 

Children in reality, very rarely get abducted, and the best source for that statement is Wiki's list of global kidnappings.  If abduction is rare, taking a child across borders is rarer still, it has simply never happened.  The parents were miffed because the PJ simply wouldn't support their bizarre appeals in countries all over Europe.  John McCann said in an interview, they would continue their private investigation, but are happy if the police wanted to join them.  I'm trying to think where that would come on an arrogance scale, but the summer of 2007 was a summer of madness and it has much to compete with. 

 

Those of us unfortunate enough to become entrapped by this mystery, remember all too well the hysteria and lunacy this high profile crime unleashed.  The idea that Madeleine could be found literally anywhere in the world caught on.  Week in, week out, the tabloids ran stories about sightings, in fact the sightings continued for years, right up until Scotland Yard opened Operation Grange, and they stopped.  So too did the appeals and so too the fundraising.  It would of course, be disrespectful to the British police to act independently of them whilst a live investigation is underway, but they had no qualms about doing it to the PJ.  They held press conferences, they put out appeals, they staged faux police briefings.  Clarence was always with them, but never a serving or even ex, police officer from the PJ endorsing them.   

 

John McCann gave a lot away in a self congratulatory interview, though many of us didn't realise it at the time.  He confirmed, with glee it must be said, that not only had Team McCann gone rogue, but they expected the PJ to praise them for it, a tick in the 'shows initiative box'.   The McCanns had already decided that the PJ weren't up to the job, so they would do it themselves. 

 

Bizarrely, the McCanns conducting their own investigation, never attracted the comment it should have.  Instead of being criticised for taking the law into their hands, they were praised by the British establishment and media as heroic.  As if suspects looking for a stranger to pin the crime on, and not co-operating with the police, was the most the natural thing the world, rather than the obstruction of justice that it was.

 

There was never any real possibility that Madeleine had been taken out of PDL, but the idea that she might have been, sold millions of newspapers and planted an irrational fear among the public, that will never go away. The case of missing Madeleine has demonstrated just how rare child abduction is, if anything it proved there was no necessity for a specialised team of child rescuers on standby should such a similar abduction occur in the future.  A dream of Jim Gamble, who is sure he could have done so much more.  

 

Making Madeleine's search global was a major achievement for the marketing arm of Team McCann.  They somehow convinced the watching world that they too should be looking for Madeleine, even if they lived thousands of miles and several continents away.  Holiday makers were urged to put up posters wherever they travelled, and the truly devoted bought holiday packs with prayer cards and luggage tags.  

 

There is a sadness about parents looking for their lost child, parents who return again and again, to the place their child went missing.  Still putting up posters. still showing photographs and still begging the police for information.  But other than the first few weeks, that never happened with  Gerry and Kate.  They rely on others to put the posters etc, up for them.  Do they phone the PJ regularly to see if there are any updates?  Do they return to PDL, out of sight of the media?  do they have masses said in the small church that became their sanctuary?

 

Some might still say, Gerry and Kate were right to be wary of the Portuguese police, some might say they had good reason to be hostile towards them, but ultimately, they were the McCanns best hope of getting their daughter back.   Refusing to cooperate with the detectives searching for your daughter, is unfathomable to most people, they would put the fate of their child above any fears they may have for themselves.  

 

Madeleine being taken out of the country was actually the least likely scenario, but for Gerry and Kate it was the most likely - on the night she disappeared and in the weeks that followed.  What parent goes on a European tour, leaving their toddlers in the same place their older sister was taken from, and knowing the body of their child could be found at any time in the place they just flew out of? 

 

A global search was never necessary, yet Gerry and Kate convinced the world it was.  11 years on, we can see how bizarre the actions of the parents were in their conviction that Madeleine had been taken out of the country, and how blaming the police for not closing the borders is just about all they have to blame on the police.  Their allegations of incompetence, dressing badly and having long boozy lunches are not the reason for the first investigation coming to a halt. 

 

The first investigation ended because it couldn't go any further without the co-operation of the main players, ie, the McCanns and their tapas friends.  The search for Madeleine in Portugal was officially over.  The worst result possible for parents of missing child.  Not for Gerry and Kate however, who could now officially take over the investigation, and feed the press anything they wanted.  They even demanded the files of Leicester police, but happily their demands were thrown out by a Judge. 

 

Despite the fact that Gerry and Kate could at any time, have asked for the Portuguese to re-open their files, they chose not to.  Instead they appealed directly to the British Prime Minister for a Review, not by the sardine munching Portuguese police, but by a panel sympathetic to their good characters, their professions and their British and Celtic roots.  A panel that would lift the horrible little cloud of suspicion left by the disgruntled ex Detective.  

 

I suspect for the Portuguese Judiciary, the opening of the British doors with Operation Grange, offered them a way to re-open that interrupted investigation.  The Tapas group were out of their jurisdiction, safely home in the UK and out of their reach - they couldn't interrogate them, nor could they put pressure on them, only a British force could do that.   

 

ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES - MCCANNS HIT BACK

Eleven years on and the only people brave enough to comment on and indeed question, the ongoing search for missing Madeleine McCann are two people with missing loved ones of their own. No politician, no celebrity with a platform, no newspaper columnist and no breakfast TV presenter.  All are united in keeping it zipped when it comes to criticizing the £12m costs and unlimited police resources that have been poured into this one case. And all are gushingly sympathetic to the parents, not for one moment questioning the neglect, their failure to co-operate with the police, or their vendetta against the former police detective.  

 

Suspecting the parents is as taboo as it ever was, those few celebrities who have said anything remotely critical of Gerry and Kate, have quickly seen their careers nosedive.  We have been living a twilight zone, where we all have to play an elongated game of pretend with the parents as innocent victims of the corrupt Portuguese justice system.  No-one dare ask why the Madeleine case continues to get special treatment and why funds for her search are seemingly limitless.  Kerry Needham was right to point out the vast difference in the way Madeleine's disappearance has been treated, and the father of a man missing since 2015, complained that he and many others with missing family members are told by the police nothing more can be done.  Kerry and Paul, are probably the only people able to ask these questions, without being stamped on by the McCann media monitoring machine.  With family members missing themselves, they are above reproach. 

 

The same can't be said of the media and members of the public who are freethinking enough to opt out of the game of pretend.  Any sign of dissent is struck down with great vengeance and furious anger, no newspaper or broadcaster can look beyond the headlines for fear of being labelled as 'haters'.  A nasty little word that crept into our lexicon in 2007, commonly used by those without answers, explanations or the ability to debate.   

 

I happen not to believe Scotland Yard and Operation Grange are part of some great big scam to cover up the crimes of the guilty.  I also happen to think they are operating under Portugal's laws of judicial secrecy. It is often forgotten that the Portuguese have the lead in this case and it is up to them to prosecute, or not.  The 'or not' isn't an option.  Those of us who have been around a while will remember how stubbornly the PJ refused to re-open their files.  They were insistent that there had to be new evidence and they were not playing games. 

 

Several years ago, Alison Saunders, the outgoing head of the CPS travelled to Lisbon for talks with her Portuguese counterpart.  Both must have agreed the investigations were worth pursuing and both must have agreed on the role the British police would play.  Even if the British police say absolutely nothing about their investigation and their findings, all will be revealed when the Portuguese police files become public.

 

Moving on from the recurring cover up argument,  I see the McCanns, via a pal, have 'hit back' at the armchair detectives.  They seem to have completely forgotten those biblical passages that urge the turning of the other cheek.  Every politician, every celebrity, every comedian and indeed, every writer, knows the golden rule about not attacking your audience.  Even if you are right, dead right, you should never do it.  I'm sure there are many celebrities who would like to say 'listen you bastards' to journalists, photographers and members of the public, but those who do can be found in the 'where are they now' section of YouTube.   Telling people exactly what you think of them gives only momentary satisfaction, but the damage can last a lifetime. 

 

I am astonished that the McCanns have not yet taken in the concept of the Streisand Effect.  Simply mentioning the 'armchair detectives' draws attention to them.  It goes without saying that most can be written off as barmy, but those tempted to look beyond the headlines will find Goncalo Amaral's book.  It's as if the parents themselves want to stay in the news, and they want people to read all that's out there, even the bad stuff!  The Truth of the Lie was on sale for a year before they took legal action. Cynics might say the bigger the audience, the bigger the payout.  Other cynics might say, any case against them is prejudiced by the publicity this case has received.  Ergo, there can be no trial.

 

I think however they were referring specifically to Colin Sutton, the ex-detective who has stuck his head above the parapet to share his expertise.  Calling him an armchair detective is probably a 9/10 on the miaow scale, up there with 'who is he'.  Colin Sutton was of course an actual detective, but putting him alongside Bennett and Hall degrades him.  Among all their critics they dislike real detectives the most. 

 

The pal also added how thankful Gerry and Kate were to the police, and described SY as the world's finest.  Thereby putting aside all and any rumours that they might be suspects.  As it is approaching 7 years and no progress, I can't help but think there was a touch of irony in there.  Gerry and Kate still believe Madeleine is alive and findable, not surprising, but so too do the detectives which is surprising. 

 

Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder if the McCann media machine, opts for controversial statements in the hope of getting more column inches, if not the front page.  Why say something positive when something negative is more newsworthy.  Unfortunately, their whole campaign went downhill when it turned negative.  There are so many things the McCanns could and should have said over the years to keep their supporters onside, instead they are always 'hitting back' or incandescent with rage.  Confident people don't do that, or if they do, they do it in a way that ends the argument. 

 

Until this case reaches a conclusion, it will always be open for discussion by armchair detectives.  That's what happens with high profile crimes.  See OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson's doctor.  The McCanns are victims of a heinous crime, or not, but they are the ones who worked so hard to make their case so famous.  If this were a reality TV show, they would be applauded for keeping the ratings high. Unfortunately, all they have to lash out at for the moment, is internet trolls and armchair detectives. Their vendetta against Goncalo Amaral has a hit a brick wall. They lost. And they daren't criticize the British police because they want to appear as if they are working with and alongside them. Awkward.   

 

The case won't and can't, end without each investigation, British and Portuguese, reaching a conclusion.  Both are financed with taxpayers money and accountable to the public.  Whilst the British police might hold back on the information they give to the public, the Portuguese won't.

WHY OG CAN'T JUMP THE LAST HURDLE

For we onlookers, there appears to be mountains of circumstantial evidence to go to trial, but we are not really au fait with what the police need to go to a prosecution. It is possible that much of what we see could be easily dismissed by a wiley defence lawyer.  This is a case without a body, always difficult to prove, but not impossible, which is why I suspect, the police have not given up.  

 

However, this cover up is not confined to a handful of people, and the crime that was committed on the night. This particular web spreads far and wide, even to the heart of the establishment.    It does actually warrant a Public Inquiry.  There were clear abuses of power.  As clever as the McCanns and their team were, they could not have pulled off such a massive and long lasting publicity ‘campaign’ without assistance from above. The personal phone calls from Blair and Brown for example, went a long way towards giving the abduction story credibility. So too the hands on assistance of Jim Gamble and CEOP.  With the McCanns being vouched for at those high levels, (almost) all criticism of the abduction story became taboo and illegal in the UK.  Illegal in the sense that large news organisations were silenced by the substantive damages they had to pay the parents.  Since then, few if any, have dared to question the fact that Madeleine might not have been abducted.  To this day, the book of Goncalo Amaral has never been published in England.  I believe it was the interference of the UK government that prevented this case from being solved.  ‘They’, whoever they ‘they’ might be effectively perverted the course of justice, ie. a serious crime. 

 

The big question is, how far are Operation Grange prepared to go in order to solve this crime? Will they restrict themselves solely to 3rd/4th May or whatever happened thereafter, the actions of the official bodies who interfered, for example?  Or indeed, all the characters who flew out to PDL to assist.  Who put pressure on the police to go easy on the McCanns and their friends? Who put pressure on the PJ to remove GA from the original investigation?  Who gave those orders?

I think however, that the 'government' assistance began to be withdrawn by the end of June/beginning of July.  That is according to Clarence Mitchell who told Vanity Fair, they were unable to get a meeting with a high level Minister, but by then the damage was done. Much of the evidence had been lost and the witnesses were allowed to collude in order to get their stories straight, Gerry was allowed to sit behind Kate as she gave her one and only interview. 

Those errors or influences at the beginning of the investigation have cost two countries millions, and left this 11 year old case unsolved.  What began as a relatively straight forward case of abduction, or staged abduction, quickly turned into a multimillion bestseller, with the government, the police agencies, the charities, the media moguls, the lawyers (a given), the chat show hosts, the child protection army, and last but not least, the spin doctors, all wanted a slice of the action.  Who jumped on the bandwagon, and who gave it a push to keep it going? 
  

WHY CMoMM's LETTER TO PORTUGAL IS NONSENSE AND NASTY

The ‘researchers’ (stalkers) of Madeleine anti McCann website CMoMM have sent a long, detailed letter to the Portuguese police professing to have solved the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Putting aside that it is laugh out loud funny for one moment, it is littered with libel and heinous accusations against people who cannot defend themselves.  I hope it finishes with an International Arrest Warrant for interfering with witnesses.

 

Although I suppose strictly speaking, they have only libeled and slandered the witnesses on social media because anyone they have ever approached have rightly told them to sling their hook. To support their creationist, homophobe and ambulance chasing leader Tony Bennett’s sexed up vision of what happened to Madeleine, they have delved into the private lives of the young nannies and their friends to force some kind of connection with the McCanns.

 

Bennett and CMoMM (mostly Bennett, he bans anyone who disagrees with him), are pointing out to the professional detectives in Portugal that they have got it all wrong.  According to the weather and the early blossoming of the begonias, Madeleine died on the Sunday, err, or the Monday.  But definitely not the Sunday.  For the PJ it must be like having the cavalry come rushing in. Not. But I expect it has given a chuckle.  

 

To prove Madeleine died earlier in the week they claim the crèche records were forged, the deceased Pamela Fenn lied, and so too did the nannies, who due to at least 20 degrees of separation knew the McCanns, and were therefore willing to pervert the course of justice to cover up the death of a child.   And to prove 'Smithman' wasn't Gerry*, they have stalked the Smith family, including their children, online, looking for, and not finding, reasons why the entire family lied.  So they made them up anyway, for 2 years they were stalking the wrong Smiths.

 

But let's move onto the more macabre aspect of CMoMM's wild and libellous accusations.  To believe Madeleine died on the Sunday or Monday, we must believe that the parents, their friends and all the children carried on with their holiday regardless.  That is, with the body of a child hidden in the wardrobe, or behind the sofa, they carried on taking the kids to the crèche, who's staff didn't question Madeleine's absence because they were in on it.  And of course they all carried on playing tennis, going for runs and having lively meals at the tapas each evening as if nothing had happened? 

 

We must accept that this quite ordinary group of holiday makers, who were not criminals, would carry on regardless for 4 days, knowing that a small child had died?  The whole scenario is unthinkable, which is probably why neither Goncalo, OG and the PG have never thought of it.  Those batshit crazy, researchers, criminal investigators, ex police, etc, have thought of everything it would seem, except common sense.

 

They cannot accept the conclusions of Goncalo Amaral, the detective who was there on the ground, and sure as egg is eggs, they won't accept whatever conclusions the police reach.  They are without morals and scruples, they crossed the decency line, years ago.  Their description of themselves as a group of professionals (professional nutcases) is questionable, busybodies, stalkers, trial groupies, prosecutors, judges and juries should have been in there somewhere.  They have put every independent witness they accuse on trial and found them guilty and presented it to the PJ as fait accomplish and signed off,  Your welcome. 

 

Their methods to persuade their readers that they alone have the answer to the Madeleine mystery are despicable.  They don't seem to understand that prying into the private lives of others, may not be illegal, but in the court of public opinion, it is creepy and then some.  Imagine this group of anonymous 'professionals' scouring the FB pages of these young women? Then we get to the Madeleine 'make-up' photos.  And a link to an entire thread filled with revolting thoughts of those looking for sexual behaviour in young children.  The yuck factor should be enough, to discourage anyone from taking their ridiculous claims seriously, but once again they are publicising the findings of their kangaroo courts which just happens to libel and intimidate those independent witnesses.  I sometimes wonder if they dream of a mistrial. 

 

The MSM cannot and will not give Bennett any sort of platform, thankfully, and it's likely his audience isn't above double figures.  Whilst ignoring CMoMM (and I try to), it incenses me to see the good names of these independent witness so publicly trashed online. They are accusing them of helping to cover up a heinous crime. At this point apologies to Ms. Baker, and a note to posters.  Do not libel witnesses on my blog.  

 

The findings of CMoMM are malicious, vindictive and based on wishful thinking.  Where a regular detective would accept only the truth will 'fill a gap', CMoMM make something up. They approach their 'research' with confirmation bias.  That is, they have already reached a conclusion so they only 'study' evidence they can make fit.  They must create connections between witness such as Ms. Baker and the parents, as if knowing a friend of a friend's cousin on Facebook is enough to persuade an innocent young woman to help cover up the death of a child.  The only thing Ms. Baker is guilty of is showing sympathy to the family of Madeleine.  Period. 

 

 

 

*  Smithman.  Why is Bennett so keen to rule Gerry out?  A promise made in a court corridor perhaps? Or another dumbshit error on his part on the wrong Smith family scale.  Having declared Smithman NOT Gerry, he would be too humiliated to go back on it. Words that will never come out of Bennett's mouth 'Sorry, I might have been wrong'. 

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM - GONCALO AMARAL'S THEORY

In reply to Team McCann's chief publicist overleaf, Goncalo Amaral's theory wasn't disproved by the archiving report and the information contained in the files! In fact the Supreme Court highlighted the fact that the McCanns were not cleared by the archiving report.  You are believing your own propaganda!  

 

The police have never discussed the evidence they have, though both the PJ and OG said they were satisfied with the original investigation, ie. the one led by Goncalo Amaral. They had no need to revisit it. Let that sink in. They had no need to dismantle everything GA had done, and start again. The police files and GA’s book correspond, nothing has been disproved.  You are mistaking your daydreams for reality.  And your bravado about 11 years and no arrests is hollow because the investigations haven't finished. Any arrests will come at the end and we are not there yet.  Until then whoever is responsible for Madeleine's disappearance is still very much on the hook.

 

I should add however, that in 11 years, GA’s theory is the only one that hasn’t fallen by the wayside. Thousands if not millions have been spent on trying to find alternatives, not only by the McCanns but, it would seem, by the UK and Portuguese governments.  Dozens of oddballs and innocent blue collar workers have been plastered over the tabloids as possible abductors of Madeleine, lives wrecked to keep the abductor theory going. People have been invited by Jim Gamble on breakfast TV to inform on their neighbours and friends, anyone they think may be hiding the crime.  Paedophile gangs, people traffickers, deceased paedophiles, tractor drivers, cleaners, laundry workers, soothing couples, men with learning difficulties and the latest from SY’s finest, burglars, have all been offered as alternate theories, but none have stuck.  It takes quite an imagination to believe that an inept burglar has been able to cover up the crime of the century for 11 years, but there we are.

 

Neither the McCanns nor the MSM have ever bothered with the bonkers theories, mostly because on reading them, it quickly becomes apparent that they are bonkers.  The UK MSM have steered clear of GA’s actual theory, just as they have steered clear of (for the present) his toxic book. His theory, bizarrely, is 'illegal' in the UK and several news organisations have paid the penalty. The taking away of Goncalo Amaral’s freedom of speech outrages me, I cannot believe that laws exist that suppress the other side of the story, and deeply ashamed that the UK still practices them.  

 

I celebrated the fact that Goncalo Amaral ultimately won his long legal battle with the McCanns. Justice was served and the truth prevailed.  GA had been publicly accused of bungling the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, there was a vindictive campaign to portray him as lazy and incompetent, and most hurtful, ‘a bad dresser’. He was ‘disgraced’ by the British media, with lazy and incompetent columnists latching onto the racist spitefest with glee.  Who can blame him for wanting to tell The Truth of the Lie, and some might say he had no option.  He had to explain his side for his own reputation and for his family and loved ones.  Former suspects pursuing the detective who searched for their daughter is not a concept that should sit comfortably with anyone, it gags the police and leaves them vulnerable to financial claims from suspects they pursue.  Gerry and Kate wanted GA's family home. 

 

Goncalo Amaral's theory has not been disproved, it remains the ginormous elephant in the room that journalists like Martin Brunt and Richard Bilton skirt around.  In fact it is skirted around by every journalist who interviews them and writes about them, on the grounds that it is unthinkable and offends British sensibilities.  I think if Lorraine Kelly had to interview a guest who was stark naked and told not to mention it, she would do so without raising an eyebrow.  She has avoided the elephant more than most

 

All the McCanns' legal actions against Goncalo Amaral have been prey to the 'Streisand Effect'. But who knows, maybe that is what they were going for. By SE, I mean they have drawn more adverse publicity to the subject they wanted to hide.   Whether they in fact helped sell more copies of GA's book is debateable, but for many years now it has been available free online to anyone who wants to read it.   

 

Until the PJ and OG reach their conclusions, the only credible theory is that of Goncalo Amaral and the original investigation.  As the archiving report pointed out, the McCanns lost the opportunity to prove their innocence.  How they managed to spin the archiving report into 'cleared' and a declaration of innocence, was a feat worthy of some kind of 'Spin Oscar', under the category 'Most Convincing BS', it fooled most of the leading broadcasters.  I wonder if they kicked themselves when the Portuguese Supreme Court deconstructed it [the archiving report] for them? 

 

Nevertheless, GA's theory stands unchallenged, no-one has come up with a more logical or reasoned conclusion, and as mentioned above, it hasn't been for lack of trying.  The bonkers theories, I will deal with in a Part II, they are crying out to be shot down in flames, they have no objective other than to stir up hatred, and they are doing this by fantasising that the crime is far more heinous than it appears.  I find the Madeleine died on the Sunday theory particularly abhorrent. 

 

MORE SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Even after 11 years, the smoke and mirrors continue and no-one is any the wiser than we were 6 or was it 7, years ago when the British police set up a task force to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.  Their objective 'to investigate.....  as if the abduction had occurred in the UK'. The chant of all those who are firmly convinced that Operation Grange are covering up - for whoever. 

 

I personally don't hold that any words are carved in stone, language like life is fluid, it changes constantly.  Circumstances change, new information comes to light.  Conspiracy theorists unfortunately, have a tendency to ignore that which is directly in front of their faces.  They continue to look deranged rather than admit they might be wrong.  Realistically, what could a British police force do in Portugal, that the PJ couldn't? Particularly with all the language and cultural barriers?  The only reason for a British task force, would be if British citizens were involved.

 

But let's get back to the continuing Smoke and Mirrors.  Last week another McCann related story appeared in The Sun.  Using Kate's 50th birthday, it was reminder of the McCanns' plight. They are down to their last £750k, but set to continue their own search when Operation Grange closes.  A 'pal' told the Sun about Kate's sadness, and other pals volunteered that they were going to try and bolster her spirits. Clarence Mitchell said the parents are extremely grateful to the police for all they have done and are doing in the continuing Search. 

 

All very pedestrian, nothing new here, move along folks nothing to see.  Except.  Gerry and Kate are not the only victims of tragic events, each of whom go through sorrowful anniversaries, milestones and Mothers Days.  Why are they not asked how they feel, or how they are getting on?  And would they want to be? I suspect not.

 

So what was the reason for squeezing a story out the Madeleine case, yet again?  Was it planted by Team McCann?  It's looking that way, 'a pal', 'pals' finishing with CM.  It's unlikely journalists worldwide kept a note of Kate's birthday in their diaries.  I'm sure they have to scrape many barrels while scratching around for a story, but I doubt birthday lists are included.  The Sun of course, didn't have to go with the non story, and that they did suggests it is in their interests to keep Madeleine's parents in the public eye. 

 

The article is intended to garner sympathy for the parents who are going to give the money Kate earned on her book to the Fund. Again, it would seem, as the book carried stickers saying that's exactly where the royalties were going.  Regardless.  If they have £750k available for the Search, why not give it to Operation Grange so they can continue? 

 

I know Clarence says the McCanns are extremely grateful, but I don't sense any enthusiasm there.  In fact I get the distinct impression that the McCanns and Operation Grange have reached different conclusions. Gerry and Kate seem resigned to the fact that OG appear to believe Madeleine is no longer alive.  They, on the other hand, plan to continue their search.  All of which begs the question, if OG are 'covering up' on behalf of Gerry and Kate, why are they not singing in harmony?

 

I've always wondered, given the McCanns' complaining of media intrusion, and the nasty things being said about them online, why they continue to keep themselves in the news.  They, more than anyone, should know when they issue a press release there will be a backlash.  I don't wish to be too harsh, but the definition of stupid, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Even rats in a laboratory learn to stop pushing the button that electrocutes them.  They still employ Clarence? Why?  11 years on, can't they speak to the media and the public directly? It's not as if CM has any great powers of persuasion, even in the early days he was described as 'lying with as many teeth as he has in his head', though sadly I can't at the moment remember who said it.  

 

Clarence effectively said nothing.  He's no Sarah 'not that I aware of' Sanders or Anthony 'let me give you the lowdown' Scaramucci. 'The McCanns are extremely grateful' could have been said by any of the pals who gave quotes for this story, at zero cost.  It's literally one step up from 'no comment'.  They could even have said it themselves.  CM is what remains of a crumbling protective wall.  For me, this protective wall is worrying.  Weird, but worrying.  They seem to believe everyone is out to get them, and that's an unhappy way to be.  Far more than reality suggests.  In Court they claimed they had received threats on social media, but couldn't produce any.  There are no angry mobs out there.  The angry mob leader wanna be, Tony Bennett, has little if no support outside a handful of certifiable sidekicks who are too afraid to reveal their names.

 

The only thing that stops the McCanns communicating is the McCanns themselves.  True, it is horrible to be ripped to shreds online, but not so much that it dictates how you live and prevents you from defending yourself.  Major and minor celebrities are torn to pieces daily.  I once had a 'pro' website spend days/months discussing whether I wore a  wig and they did in fact call me Wiggy.  Far from being traumatised by the discussion (they were hoping it was cancer) I found it hilarious.  I have a lush head full of 'paddy hair', one of my blessings.  Even when my world collapses, my hair always looks amazing!  It's one of my 'constants', and something I hope someone will carve on my tombstone.  'Always had great hair'.  'Also a writer',

Gerry at one time considered himself a man of many eloquent words, and Kate is the author of a book, it must irk enormously that they are not able to defend themselves online.  I suspect the real reason is, there are just too many awkward questions awaiting them.  Even with all the interviews they have given, they have never expanded on their original statements. They haven't veered off onto other memories from the holiday, or any anecdotes or trivial incidents.  Instead they issue statements via a spokesman or pals, the same MO they used when Madeleine first went missing and they were under Judicial Secrecy.  At that time they were putting out negative stories about the Portuguese police via their friends and family, thus getting round the JS.

At one time I would have said every press release issued by Team McCann had an objective.  TM would probably say to raise awareness, as in Madeleine is still missing.    Fair enough.  But basically they are nothing burgers (apologies, lol, presently hooked on US politics), they are not passionate enough to stir up emotions, nor strong enough to convince anyone of anything.  The parents are giving a tepid response to the ending of the official search for their daughter.  And perhaps a sign that OG haven't given them what they wanted.  And they haven't, their daughter is still missing.  Maybe the talk of using the account hopping £750k to continue their search is bravado, but it also says they are not going to accept the conclusions of OG.