Madeleine McCann Missing-Praia Da Luz, Portugal 3/05/07 #1

[MuffyBee]

Gerry McCann continues his blog:  http://www.findmadeleine.com/

Gerry's Blog/Diary

Day 160 - 10/10/2007

After a few days of ridiculous newspaper coverage in the UK and Portugal it was heartening to hear of the statement this evening from Mr Ripeiro, the National Director of the Judicial Police in Portugal. He has again emphasised that all lines of the investigation, not only Madeleine’s death, are open and that much of what has been written is pure speculation and in some cases misinformation. Scientific reports that we drugged our children clearly fall in to the latter category.

In the coming days and weeks we hope that only factual material is reported, allowing everyone to focus on finding Madeleine and who took her.


Day 155 - 05/10/2007

It has been a quieter week for Kate and I. We did go into the Leicester Mercury on Wednesday to pick up a cheque for Madeleine’s Fund from donations for green and yellow wristbands. We did our first interview since returning from Portugal to say a huge thank you to everyone, especially here in Leicestershire, for supporting us during these last few dark weeks and months. Click here to read the interview. We have talked a little of life returning to ‘normal’ in Rothley. Several photographers are still in the village but otherwise it has been very quiet.

Kate and I will be going through the judicial process in Portugal to try and clear our name as quickly as possible. Obviously it is encouraging that the prosecutor has stated that all lines of enquiry are open. It is likely that we will be ‘arguidos’ for some time since this status remains until charges are brought or up to 8 months if no charges are made. The investigation will have a new coordinator appointed to replace chief inspector Amaral. We are happy to continue cooperating with the Portuguese authorities and in fact as arguidos, we can request that certain investigations are carried out
(snipped)

[SteveDinMD]

Very interesting post Janet! Thanks for you response.
I don't think they should have been excluded from suspicion either...an investigation should start with the parents of a missing child as young as Madeleine, and then broaden in an ever widening circle if the parents are cleared.This was not done with Maddie's case, and I'm afraid it may be too late now.

pdh3:  The kind of sequential investigation you describe would be ill-advised in the case of a possible abduction, like this one, where time is of the essence.  If one were to defer lines of investigation into theories of third party abduction until (and unless) the parents and others more closely affiliated with the missing child had been definitively cleared of any involvement, one would have implicitly discarded any hope of recovery or of aprehending the culprits if such theory were correct.  One's investigation, moreover, would be at risk of being locked in to a presumption of parental guilt as crucial evidence to the contrary would increasingly be lost owing to delays in its collection.  Prudence dictates that ALL avenues of investigation be vigorously pursued simultaneously.  In Madeline's case, NO lines of investigation were seriously pursued until it was too late, and the police were left with no viable suspects (other than perhaps the parents and their friends) and few prospects for developing further leads.  Now we're left with the current state of affairs where the Portugese authorities are, to borrow a phrase, "stuck on stupid," continuously reinvestigating the McCanns -- who are almost certainly innocent -- because police nonfeasance from early on has made it nearly impossible to develop alternate suspects to consider on the basis of evidence rather than conjecture. 

Steve -
This is exactly the kind of investigation that was done in the Susan Smith case by the Sheriff, and is the recommended method of investigation in the US. I did not say other leads would not be pursued, because that was done in Susan Smith's case as well. It all has to do with the age of the children, and the circumstances of the case. You cannot presume that the parents are innocent when the kids are so young and in their direct care. They have to be investigated and cleared while other leads are being pursued. What LE in Portugal did was pursue other leads, then come back to the parents when nothing else panned out, and they were faced with an investigation going nowhere. They did it backwards.
Sheriff Wells was complimented by other LE officials for leading the investigation in Susan Smith's case in exactly the correct manner, and the "ever widening circle" is how his investigation was described at the time. His department investigated Susan while checking out her story, and investigating the possibility of a car jacking. If LE in Portugal had done this, we might know what happened to Madeleine by now, or at least the parents could have been eliminated as suspects, or still be included if the evidence lead them there.
It's not exactly a sequential investigation method, but it is was very effective in that case, and in many others. It is used in most cases of missing children when the children disappear while under the care of a family member or other caregiver. LE must first check out the story given by the person caring for the child, and go from there.

Sheriff Wells certainly seems to have properly investigated the Susan Smith case.  As you indicate above, his investigation did NOT adhere to a sequential, "widening circle" methodology, which would be much more appropriate in the case of a conventional homicide where a body is in evidence.  Sheriff Wells appears to have conducted a simultaneous, multi-track investigation, which is really what is called for when presented with the possibility of an abductee who might possibly be recovered alive. 

As for assuming the McCanns to be above suspicion, that has never been my viewpoint, but clarification of my position might be in order.  I believe that when investigating possible crimes, the police should view all witness testimony with a skeptical eye.  This is sound practice, but does not imply that the police should as a matter of policy categorically reject the testimony of those reporting crimes.  It's not their job to serve as a "Victims' Inquisition."  Who in his right mind would want to seek their help otherwise?  It is also inappropriate for the police to ceaselessly attempt to incriminate victims simply because they lack other viable suspects, especially if such lack is due to their own incompetence or willful nonfeasance, such as is the case in Portugal.  If, on the other hand, the evidence reasonably tends to inculpate the alleged victims, investigation into their possible complicity is well justified. 

Finally, your mention of the Susan Smith case brings up an important point.  The Smith case is routinely mentioned by those seeking to justify persecution of the McCanns.  I think, though, it's important for people to recognize that the reason why Susan Smith captured the world's attention and earned universal oprobrium is because her actions were so unusual, in fact unprecedented.  Despite her guilt, it's really inappropriate to view all criminal investigations through the warped prism of her experience.  People need to step back and conduct a reality check.  First, probably fewer than 10% of the population is responsible for over 90% of crime, with a far greater disparity in the case of violent crime.  Second, parents aren't routinely killing their children.  Even "bad" parents almost universally want their children to survive.  Third, the prisons aren't overwhelmingly populated with respected physicians and other successful, educated people from good families.  Though the TV program 'Law and Order' has conditioned a generation of veiwers to imagine that most crimes are committed by malevolent geniuses, plotting their evil from the comfort of their Park Avenue lairs, the truth is far less dramatic and entertaining.  If one were to take a survey, one would find the typical violent offender to be an improperly socialized, poor, uneducated mental defective, most likely with a drug dependency.  Though there are exceptions, the exceptions don't make the rule, and they certainly don't substantiate allegations against the McCanns, who make extremely poor criminal suspects, statistically speaking.  When you get right down to it, Susan Smith, herself, made a far liklier suspect, being young, poor, uneducated, and emotionally troubled.  Though the probability that the McCanns were involved in Madeline's disappearance is technically non-zero, it is nevertheless infinitessimal, judging from all indications.  We would all do well to remember this. 

[SteveDinMD]

What about this guy? 
Madeleine: 'Arguido' Murat breaks his silence as police bring in CSI-style murder expert
Last updated at 09:59am on 13th October 2007
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=487354&in_page_id=1811
(snipped)
"Five months down the line, he hasn't heard from the police for three months, and there's no evidence against him," she said.

"He hasn't seen his daughter for over five months.

"He has no finances now, all his savings are gone and he needs to rebuild his life, I mean, his life is on hold."
Mr Murat, whose father was Portuguese, was taken in for questioning by police 11 days after the four-year-old disappeared on May 3.

Police searched the family home Casa Liliana, and its garden using specialist sniffer dogs after suspicions were aroused over his interest in the case.

Mr Murat, 33, had earlier offered his services as a translator to police working on the case and became a familiar sight around the crime scene in the days after Madeleine's disappearance.

After his first night of questioning at the local headquarters of the Policia Judiciaria in the town of Portimao he was declared an arguido.

Although they took him in for further questioning later and carried out new searches over the summer, he has never been formally arrested or charged.

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate were themselves declared arguidos last month after tests on DNA samples found in their hire car were taken as suggesting Madeleine's body had been transported in the vehicle.

Like Mr Murat, they strenuously deny any involvement.
---------------------------------------------------------
If he is taken off the list of suspects, will anyone help him?  No rally's, no Pope, no benefactors?  Maybe he's collateral damage?  Will the McCann's use some of the money collected to help him with his expenses?  Yes, the McCann's daughter is missing and I am so sad about it.  I don't know yet how, why or who did this.  But what about this guy?

Murat is probably innocent, judging from PLE's obviously defective criteria for establishing "arguidos," but I have no factual basis for a determination one way or the other.  Murat's having gone out of his way to so closely affiliate himself with the investigation is what probably raised suspicions about him, and made him a convenient police target.  His actions were strangely reminiscent of Richard Loeb's seeking out newspaper reporters to "theorize" about and "investigate" the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924, when it was Loeb, himself, aided by his friend Nathan Leopold, who were famously guilty of the heinous crime.  Unfortunately for him, even if innocent, Murat makes a less sympathetic figure than the McCanns.  After all, HIS daughter isn't missing and presumed dead.  His experience, though, is further evidence that Portugal is a place best avoided. 

[pdh3]

Steve - I do not think the McCann's are guilty of anything but using very poor judgement in leaving their children alone in bed in a foreign country. I can't see that they'd have a motive for murder, or the opportunity to hide the body. I've stated that before. I just disagree with the way the investigation has been conducted.
But I do think they should have been considered suspects EARLY in the investigation, cleared, and then LE should have focused all their resources on finding the person or persons who took Madeleine. They should have pursued the abduction scenario in conjunction with investigating the parents.
I realize Susan Smith was a different case, with different elements, but the same protocol could have been used by LE in Portugal, and we might have a few more answers.
Time and resources have been wasted, and now that little girl may be gone forever.
This is just my opinion, which doesn't matter to the Portuguese in the least.  I'm just disappointed and dismayed by the ineffective investigation that has more than likely cost a child her life, and it looks like the perpetrator may never be caught.

[NYC_lover]

Murat Pleads With Portuguese Police
Updated: 09:01, Saturday October 13, 2007

The first person to be named an official suspect over Madeleine McCann's disappearance has broken his silence.
Robert Murat remains an 'aguido'Robert Murat, an "arguido" for five months, has pleaded with Portuguese police to finally clear him of suspicion. But his brief admission in a television interview may land the British expat in trouble with the authorities. Police restrictions on the 33-year-old include a ban on interviews with the media.

Mr Murat, who lives with his mother Jenny Murat less than 100 metres from the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing, spoke only briefly. "It's five months, my savings have gone. Mum is doing what she can. It is just very, very difficult," he told the BBC.

The property consultant gave the interview with family members by his side, in a direct plea to the Portuguese Police to finally clear his name.
 
Gerry and Kate McCannMr Murat's cousin, Sally Eveleigh, who runs a local guesthouse, said normal life has been impossible since being taken in for questioning by police 11 days after Madeleine disappeared on May 3.
She urged Portuguese police to finally remove Mr Murat's formal status.

"Five months down the line, he hasn't heard from the police for three months, and there's no evidence against him," she said. "He hasn't seen his daughter for over five months. He has no finances now, all his savings are gone and he needs to rebuild his life."

After his first night of questioning at the local headquarters of the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) in the town of Portimao Mr Murat was declared an arguido. Although police took him in for further questioning later and carried out new searches over the summer, he has never been formally arrested or charged.

Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate, were themselves declared arguidos last month after tests on DNA samples found in their hire car were taken as suggesting Madeleine's body had been transported in the vehicle.
Like Mr Murat, they strenuously deny any involvement.

[Rob]

Well, those of us following the case and posting about it have some areas of agreement and disagreement.

I would like to know who you think at this juncture who is most likely responsible for Maddy's disappearance.

We all know who is responsible for the neglect that lead to the current situation. But who do you think committed the crime(s)?

- me personally - I'm still at child abductor. Possibly and most likely still unknown.

To me it looks like the case of a stealth operator. Someone way under the radar. I go back to the mystery DNA found to belong to a 6th person that has still not been identified.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2606477.ece
Mystery DNA found in Madeleine's bedroom
By Caroline Gammell, PA Chief Reporter in Madrid
Published: 02 June 2007

DNA from a mystery "sixth" person was found in the bedroom where Madeleine McCann was abducted, it was claimed today.

The Portuguese police, Policia Judiciara (PJ), have handed the sample to the national forensic laboratories, the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal, according to local newspaper 24 Horas.

It does not match the DNA of Mr and Mrs McCann or their three children, the paper said.

Neither does the DNA match that of the only named suspect in the case, property developer Robert Murat, the paper added.

It quoted a source from the laboratory who said: "There is a new suspect, there is DNA which does not correspond to the family.

"It is an important step in the investigation but the truth is that the DNA collected does not have a name.

"In other words we cannot make any connection between the material collected and the suspects which we already have."

The newspaper said the DNA would be compared to all the evidence gathered by the PJ to see if a match could be found.

-snipped-

This mystery DNA could be from anyone.

[MuffyBee]

Madeleine: Bloody footprint found in McCanns' apartment
13.10.07
http://tinyurl.com/2nzrdu
A bloody footprint was found in Kate and Gerry McCann's apartment, matching a print on their hire car, according to a forensic report shown to The Mail on Sunday.

The existence of the two marks, which has never been revealed until today, is apparently at the heart of renewed suspicion that the couple were involved in their daughter's disappearance.

New tests carried out at the Forensic Science Service laboratory in Birmingham show there is a 'moderate' chance that the blood belonged to Madeleine. But the results are inconclusive.
(snipped)
----------------------------------

Here is another article, but again consider the source/sources.

[bleachedblack]

Well, those of us following the case and posting about it have some areas of agreement and disagreement.

I would like to know who you think at this juncture who is most likely responsible for Maddy's disappearance.

We all know who is responsible for the neglect that lead to the current situation. But who do you think committed the crime(s)?

- me personally - I'm still at child abductor. Possibly and most likely still unknown.

To me it looks like the case of a stealth operator. Someone way under the radar. I go back to the mystery DNA found to belong to a 6th person that has still not been identified.

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2606477.ece
Mystery DNA found in Madeleine's bedroom
By Caroline Gammell, PA Chief Reporter in Madrid
Published: 02 June 2007

DNA from a mystery "sixth" person was found in the bedroom where Madeleine McCann was abducted, it was claimed today.

The Portuguese police, Policia Judiciara (PJ), have handed the sample to the national forensic laboratories, the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal, according to local newspaper 24 Horas.

It does not match the DNA of Mr and Mrs McCann or their three children, the paper said.

Neither does the DNA match that of the only named suspect in the case, property developer Robert Murat, the paper added.

It quoted a source from the laboratory who said: "There is a new suspect, there is DNA which does not correspond to the family.

"It is an important step in the investigation but the truth is that the DNA collected does not have a name.

"In other words we cannot make any connection between the material collected and the suspects which we already have."

The newspaper said the DNA would be compared to all the evidence gathered by the PJ to see if a match could be found.

-snipped-

This mystery DNA could be from anyone.

Rob,
I am not understanding why finding unknown DNA in a place that is a rental unit is suprising? I know you have been following the case much more closely than I, so if you would kindly explain it a little further? All I can imagine is the likely tens maybe one hundred different DNA samples one might be able to locate if a random hotel room were to be  tested.

[Rob]

BB- it's not surprising in the fact that there is all kinds of DNA in a rented flat. It must be DNA from the initial round. When they first went over the apartment. Not when the sniffer dogs were called in. If you check the date, it indicates June 2. That just means that the samples were taken around the time Maddy was abducted and the results came back about 4 weeks later.

It is just the earliest DNA samples taken and they don't match anyone known. That's all.

[Puzzler]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487591&in_page_id=1770

Madeleine police to search remote reservoir after mobile phone 'clue'
By VANESSA ALLEN - Last updated at 22:36pm on 14th October 2007

Detectives will scour a ten-mile area around Praia da Luz and a reservoir surrounded by forests as the search for Madeleine McCann gains new intensity this week.
In the first large-scale searches for more than three months, Paulo Rebelo, the new head of the investigation, has not ruled out using divers at the 2.5mile wide reservoir.
Mr Rebelo has overseen a fresh look at the McCann holiday apartment and has ordered a root-and-branch review of the five-month investigation.
The Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias said the new search areas were linked to mobile phone calls made by the McCanns and their friends while they were in the Algarve.
It was not clear whether the calls had been traced to the areas, or if police believed they had been discussed by the McCanns during their phone conversations.
The area around the reservoir, known as the Barragem da Bravura, or Wilderness Reservoir, is a remote, isolated spot which would not rank highly on a normal family holiday itinerary.
The man-made lake, near the village of Odiaxere, lies near the main road from Lagos to Portimao but is not a tourist attraction.
It is surrounded by forests and Mr Rebelo was said to feel it had not been examined properly in May, when up to 300 officers carried out searches for Madeleine.
He has ordered his team to pay 'special attention' to the reservoir, but they will also search sites around Praia da Luz and neighbouring Burgau for any sign of the child.
Portuguese police have faced widespread criticism that they did not search properly for Madeleine in the days and weeks after she disappeared from her parents' apartment in the Ocean Club complex on May 3.
Mr Rebelo has brought in four new officers to boost the investigation, including two murder specialists, and has told them to reconsider every aspect of the case.
He has also drafted in two data analysts known as 'The Cleaners' because of their forensic approach, who will study every decision made by the previous leaders of the search.
Mr Rebelo, Portugal's second most senior detective, has also made a request via Europol for British police to investigate Kate and Gerry McCanns' background, including their university days.
Friends of the couple said they hoped Mr Rebelo's meticulous approach would lead to them being eliminated as suspects.
A friend said: 'Any widening of the search area is encouraging and we would welcome that. It does sound as though there is more vigour in that aspect of the inquiry which is good.'
He said it would be 'a tragedy' if Madeleine's body was discovered by the searchers, but added that the McCanns recognised that it was a possibility.
'If she is dead then she is dead but not by their hand,' he said.
Robert Murat, the first official suspect in the case, also hopes to be eliminated.
The British ex-pat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete said he could be ruled out of the inquiry on November 14 - exactly six months after he was questioned.
Mr Pagarete said: 'It's possible that in the next four weeks his status will be cleared because we will have reached six months since he has been a suspect in this case.
'It could be more but it depends on how the District Attorney sees it.
'In some complex cases it can up to a year before suspects are cleared. However, if they consider that the situation with regards to my client has already been resolved then his status will be lifted and he can get on with his life.'
This week will see the inquiry reach a crucial stage as the new searches are carried out and the McCanns finally learn the results of forensic tests carried out on samples taken from their apartment and hire car.
The results could be handed over to Portuguese police tomorrow but will probably have to go via two government ministries because of the political sensitivities of the case.
A friend of the McCanns claimed detectives in Portugal were told of the main findings of the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham over the weekend, but would not be formally given the results until later this week.
He said the couple, who have always vehemently denied any involvement in their daughter's disappearance, had not been told any of the results.
'They haven't heard a word about these latest findings and don't have a clue what's going on,' he said.
'Despite being made the focus of the investigation and accused of playing a part in their daughter's death, they seem to be among the last people to be told anything.'

[Rob]

Interesting post from the Mirror Board about Lenor Cipriano.

[Rob]

Puzzler, thanks for the article. I *thought* I remembered the McCanns not having any cell phones. And I know they didn't have a car until they hired the car under scrutiny now.

I'll have to look and see what I can find on that.

[Puzzler]

Rob, you're welcome.  Tomorrow is the day the "DNA results" are to be available.  Should be an interesting day "if" we're told the results.  However, I'm not holding my breath for anything definitive to be made public.  "Speculation" is that the results are on the way to Portugal as we speak and that they will show that the McCann's are definately involved....like I said...still speculation.

[Tamikosmom]

Rob, you're welcome.  Tomorrow is the day the "DNA results" are to be available.  Should be an interesting day "if" we're told the results.  However, I'm not holding my breath for anything definitive to be made public.  "Speculation" is that the results are on the way to Portugal as we speak and that they will show that the McCann's are definately involved....like I said...still speculation.

Puzzler

Speculation may be based on the words of Gerry McCann and Justine McGuinness ... words that convey what the McCanns' attorney has knowledge of in regards to what is taking place within the invetigation.

While in Portugual the McCanns hired "Bell Pottinger crisis management consultant Alex Woolfall, Sheree Dodd, a former spokeswoman for the Government, and former treasury special advisor Justine McGuinness".


Janet

++++++++++++++++++++


September 8, 2005
Now we're fighting for our lives
By Sara Nuwar

The McCanns now fear the cops may be about to arrest and charge them. Gerry told us: "Our lawyer said the weight of it is that, under the Portuguese legal system, they've got enough to move forward against us."

Then he revealed they may consider flying in a crack legal team from the UK to assist their Portuguese advisor.

<snipped>

"We'd have to be patient but ultimately we'll have the opportunity to have all of the evidence examined and discover the whole picture about what happened.

"And that's what's sustaining me. At least now we've got a clearer view of what we're up against whereas what we had before was smear and innuendo.

"We know what we have to fight now. The problem is we DO have a fight, but before I wasn't quite sure.

"You get paranoid when there's a political shift. Because of the amount of pressure there's been on the Policia Judiciaria, and all the criticism, you always wonder how far they'll go.

"Now I've seen what they've got I'm actually clearer in my mind why they've shifted and treated us so differently.

"I'm still concerned with their perception of the evidence, but that's for us to sort out with legal support."

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0909_maddie.shtml



Parents of Missing British Girl Madeleine McCann Want to Leave Portugal
Saturday, September 08, 2007

But police said new forensic tests done on evidence gathered months after the girl vanished found traces of blood in the couple's car, said Justine McGuinness, a spokeswoman for the family.
 
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296150,00.html

[bleachedblack]

BB- it's not surprising in the fact that there is all kinds of DNA in a rented flat. It must be DNA from the initial round. When they first went over the apartment. Not when the sniffer dogs were called in. If you check the date, it indicates June 2. That just means that the samples were taken around the time Maddy was abducted and the results came back about 4 weeks later.

It is just the earliest DNA samples taken and they don't match anyone known. That's all.

Thanks you Rob for taking the time to try and explain to me the significance of the DNA finding in the McCann's flat , appreciate it.

[Puzzler]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/17/nmaddy117.xml

McCanns accept Madeleine is probably dead

[NYC_lover]

Madeleine: Brown Meets Portugal PM
Updated: 19:54, Thursday October 18, 2007

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is discussing the case of missing Madeleine McCann with his Portuguese counterpart Jose Socrates tonight.
 
Madeleine still missingMr Brown is in Lisbon for an EU Summit where he told reporters: "I'm meeting the Portuguese Prime Minister later and we will discuss this issue.

"I have discussed this issue with him before, to assure myself that the police authorities are taking the actions that are necessary."

He also wanted to make sure "there's proper cooperation between the British and Portuguese police."

The PM has received regular briefings on the case since Madeleine's disappearance on May 3.

Mr Brown has in the past had telephone contact with missing Madeleine's parents.

But direct contact ended when the couple were named as suspects last month, it was reported.

Mr Brown spoke to the Portuguese premier about the case in early July, where he thanked him for his help in the efforts to find Madeleine.

The four-year-girl has not been seen since disappearing from a holiday complex in Praia da Luz in Portugal.

[Rob]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=488654&in_page_id=1770&ito=newsnow

Why Portugal is a haven for paedophiles - the disturbing backcloth to the Madeleine case
By ANDREW MALONE and VANESSA ALLEN - More by this author » Last updated at 23:42pm on 19th October 2007 

A ferrari engine makes a deep, distinctive sound.

When the children at Portugal's most famous orphanage heard the sports car roaring down the driveway, fear swept through the dormitories.

The noise could mean only one thing: the man known as The Doctor was coming to call.

Yet this medical practitioner had no intention of adhering to the ancient Hippocratic Oath.

Instead, arriving at Casa Pia (House of the Pious), a 17th century Lisbon orphanage where more than 4,000 children are cared for each year behind high stone walls, the doctor would summon selected boys and girls from their beds for examinations one night each week.

Where possible, he chose deaf-mutes.

After checking that the children were not suffering from any sexual infections, the doctor was joined by the orphanage caretaker, known as Bibi, who ushered the unfortunate children outside to a waiting van.

With the doctor following in his red Ferrari, Bibi drove the van to the prestigious homes of some of the leading members of Lisbon society - ranging from Portuguese government ministers and high-ranking diplomats, to famous television stars and members of the judiciary.

There, the children were repeatedly sexually abused. Some were allegedly drugged to make them compliant; others were plied with alcohol.

This continued for years. Assaults were filmed; pictures of one attack were subsequently found at the home of a suspected paedophile in Paris.

According to medical records, the victims' injuries were horrific - and consistent with serious sexual assault and rape. In witness statements, many were able to describe in minute detail the homes where they were taken and identifying marks on the bodies of their abusers.

The existence of this so-called "magic circle" of the Portuguese establishment, allegedly involved in an international paedophile ring using boys and girls from Casa Pia, was last week likened to an earthquake waiting to shake Portugal to its foundations.

New allegations about the scale of the network will be put before the country's highest court within the next few weeks.

Amid rumours of links to other paedophile gangs across Europe and the U.S., international experts on child sex crimes and murders are expected to be in court when the case re-opens, four years after a group of victims broke a silence lasting more than 30 years.

But what relevance does this have to the disappearance 170 days ago of four-year-old Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, about 280km from Lisbon?

And what does it mean for Kate and Gerry McCann, who have not only had to cope with losing their child, but have also been subjects of a vicious campaign in the Portuguese press to smear them?

It is crucial for two reasons; first because it proves what international crime agencies have long suspected: that Portugal has become a magnet for predatory paedophiles from around the world, using the country's lax laws and preying on the high numbers of poor, abandoned children.

And second, because Paulo Rebelo, an urbane, methodical detective who led the Casa Pia paedophile inquiry, was last night finishing his first week as the new chief of the investigation into the disappearance of the British child.

Rebelo has replaced Goncalo Amaral, the "oafish" local police chief out of his depth in a case that has captured unprecedented world attention, with millions fascinated by the story of the girl snatched from her bed on holiday while her parents ate with friends 200 yards away.

The sight of the sweaty, corpulent Amaral in restaurants and cafes near the Portimao police headquarters had become commonplace since Madeleine disappeared.

While the McCanns were warned repeatedly they faced jail for speaking about the case, he was been overheard, during his daily three-hour lunches of wine and shellfish, accusing the couple of killing their daughter.

In one conversation with Portugal's ex-Formula One racing driver Pedro Lamy, Amaral revealed he was convinced the McCanns drugged their daughter and accidentally killed her. "The police case is we are sure the parents killed Madeleine. They are both doctors and know about drugs.

"We are confident in our case," he said.

In an effort to make up for lost time following Amaral's dismissal, Rebelo has recruited his own men from Lisbon. To the fury of the original officers, he has lost little time in sidelining them, bringing in two child sex experts from the Casa Pia case as well as homicide specialists and computer analysts - known as "the cleaners" due to their reputation for leaving no stone unturned.

According to senior police sources, he also launched a furious private attack on the 100 officers involved in the original inquiry, which he has now cut back to 40.

At a meeting, he accused some officers of having "closed minds" about who was guilty, saying that "pre-conceptions should be challenged".

In addition, he oversaw Operation Predator - raids on more than 70 suspected paedophiles, whose computers were searched last week for images of Madeleine or other evidence of criminal sexual acts. Although by last night Rebelo had failed to make a breakthrough, sources say it is a clear sign, along with reports that Russian child traffickers may be involved, of a strand of his current thinking.

In a Lisbon café, an associate of Rebelo told the Mail: "The Casa Pia case had a deep affect on Paulo. You come across things that are appalling and cruel. But you get a feeling that there are some seriously bad people in the world, and some of them are here. He does not rule anything out."

So, after enduring months of soul-destroying leaks from the Portuguese police - from claims that they drugged Madeleine and then disposed of her body, to allegations that Gerry was not even her real father - the McCanns are no longer the sole focus of the Portuguese police investigation.

But the nightmare goes on. A group of officers loyal to Amaral are still leaking smears to the Portuguese press.

The latest?

That bodily fluids from Madeleine's corpse were found in the boot of the couple's hire care and that "background checks" were to be carried out on Gerry McCann's laptop. And then the police "sources" claimed that Kate killed Madeleine without telling Gerry, and that the body was "refrigerated" before being dumped up to 25 days later.

His career in tatters and now back on desk duties in Faro, Amaral faces a criminal hearing in the case of another missing child, Joana Cipriano, after being accused of concealing evidence that the girl's mother was tortured into confessing to her murder.

Amaral and his colleagues face countless unanswered questions about mistakes in the original police investigation into Maddie's disappearance, such as failing to ensure the McCanns' apartment was sealed off for forensics. (This did not happen until the next day, by which time the McCanns, their friends, resort staff and detectives had traipsed through, destroying potentially vital evidence.)

They also failed to seal off the Mark Warner Ocean Club resort. No roadblocks were set up and police on the Spanish border - two hours' drive away - were not alerted for 12 hours. Staff were only quizzed 60 hours later. And the CCTV footage from a busy main road was never studied. The list of mistakes goes on.

While the shift in the investigation may ease the intolerable pressure on the McCanns, it will do little to console them.

As well as growing fears that Madeleine was abducted by a paedophile ring, they can have little hope of justice when leading Portuguese figures are allegedly involved in covering-up their own child sex scandal.

Both cases - the two highestprofile criminal investigations in the country since the end of the Portuguese military dictatorship in 1974 - have been riven by allegations of compromised police officers, high-level interference and vicious, virulent attacks on key witnesses.

Pedro Namora, a former Casa Pia orphan who witnessed 11 rapes on fellow orphans, during which they were tied to their beds, sympathises with the McCanns. He believes elements in the force have conspired to suppress both scandals, fearing damage to the country's reputation.

"Portugal is a paedophiles' paradise," said Mr Namora, now a lawyer campaigning on behalf of the Casa Pia victims. "If all the names come out, this will be an earthquake in Portugal. There is a massive, sophisticated network at play here - stretching from the government to the judiciary and the police.

"The network is enormous and extremely powerful. There are magistrates, ambassadors, police, politicians - all have procured children from Casa Pia. It is extremely difficult to break this down. These people cover for each other, because if one is arrested, they all are arrested. They don't want anyone to know."

Now 44, Mr Namora watched as friends sank into alcoholism, drug addiction and death after their traumatic childhood experiences at Casa Pia. "I was the only one who made it," he said. "What could I do? I couldn't keep silent."

He has received death threats and warnings about what will happen to his own children, after taking up the case when an orphan called "Joel" approached him, saying prominent paedophiles were using Casa Pia as a "supermarket for children".

Mr Namora has been threatened after fighting on behalf of the abused children he grew up with.

After being telephoned by a stranger offering to pay off his mortgage, he was told the exact movements of his own three children, and warned that they and their father would come to a grisly end unless he shut up.

An open, warm man, Mr Namora makes an unlikely conspiracytheorist-But he believes the case, which he brought to light in 2003, will underscore Portugal's growing attraction for paedophiles, which has seen six children disappear in recent years.

One reason for this attraction is that the law was quietly relaxed last year, ahead of the forthcoming trial, meaning that repeat offences against the same child would merit only a single charge - and a lesser sentence.

In echoes of the McCanns' ordeal, the initial investigation was badly handled when allegations of abuse were first made at Casa Pia in 1982. Carlos Silvino, the man known as Bibi, was linked to rapes and assaults, but police "lost" pictures showing prominent Lisbon politicians with him and the children.

He was only charged after dozens of children came forward in 2003. They also accused Jorge Ritto, a former Portuguese ambassador, of child abuse. Ritto, it transpired, had also once been sent home in disgrace from a posting in Germany after an incident involving a young boy in a park.

The conspiracy did not end there. Teresa Costa Macedo, a former secretary of state for the family, has revealed that she knew about the attacks in the early Eighties - and that she had alerted General Antonio Ramalho Eanes, the then Portuguese president, about the allegations.

Mrs Costa Macedo, who remained silent for two decades after being warned she would be killed if she spoke, now says that the caretaker "was just one element in a huge paedophile network that involved important people in our country. It wasn't just him [the caretaker]. He was a procurer of children for well-known people who range from diplomats and politicians to people linked to the media".

While still a government minister, Costa Macedo handed police "photographs, an account of the methods used to spirit children out of the orphanage and testimonies of a number of children". Many of the photographs were found at ex-ambassador Jorge Ritto's house. Police reportedly found four children locked up who had been missing from Casa Pia.

Under armed guard at a safe house last week, Bibi could count himself a lucky man. He originally faced allegations that he had sexually assaulted more than 600 children. That has since been reduced to 30. Silvino has hinted at the high-level of the conspiracy, saying: "They can't touch me - there are too many people involved."

Following Ritto's arrest, the police questioned Carloz Cruz, known as Portugal's "Mr Television", and Joao Diniz, a high- society doctor and driver of the red Ferrari. The network allegedly went further. Paulo Pedroso, a government minister, was arrested and quizzed about 15 cases of child sexual abuse.

Amid allegations that paedophile networks have become endemic in Portugal - the European police force Interpol has named the country as one of the worst offenders in Europe - there are fears that the Casa Pia scandal will come to eclipse Belgium's notorious Marc Dutroux case, in which the arrest of a notorious paedophile and child murderer revealed a sordid picture of judicial and political corruption.

Of course, the Casa Pia case may have no direct link to the disappearance of Madeleine, but the culture in which such a serious child abuse network was allowed to operate is the same culture that pervades the whole of Portugal. Was it this attitude that led to the bungled initial investigation in the McCann case?

Perhaps the appointment of the man who exposed the Casa Pia scandal will give the parents of Maddie hope that a proper investigation will now discover the truth.

[ldstlou]

Thank God they have this new guy taking over the case!!! FINALLY, I believe, Maddie may have a chance to be found. This guy seems to have the heart and soul to go after the truth and not stop until he finds her.

[klaasend]

DANA PRETZER TONIGHT - SPECIAL LIVE SHOW

Scared Monkeys Radio Special Presentation! “Take Back The Night” March, Broadcast Live from Carbondale, Illinois

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2007/10/19/scared-monkeys-radio-special-presentation-take-back-the-night-march-broadcast-live-from-carbondale-illinois/


On tonight’s special edition of Scared Monkeys Radio, we’ll be simulcasting the Take Back The Night rally, with keynote speaker Jacque Hollander. Other guests include Ami Lilley, Rape Crisis Services Program Coordinator for The Women’s Center, Inc.