Madeleine McCann Missing-Praia Da Luz, Portugal 3/05/07 #2

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/maddie/2579100/McCanns-new-hope-at-Maddie-lead.html#comment-rig

By ANTONELLA LAZZERI

Published: 10 Aug 2009

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McCann ‘hope’ at new leadBy ANTONELLA LAZZERI

Published: 10 Aug 2009
 
THE hunt for a Posh Spice lookalike has boosted hopes Madeleine McCann will be found at last, the little girl's gran said last night.
Susan Healey said Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry were "usually very measured about new evidence but this has given us all renewed hope.

"It would be so wonderful if it helps us to find Madeleine," she told Hello! magazine.

Private detectives leading the hunt for Maddie, three, who vanished in Portugal in May 2007, are searching for a Victoria Beckham double.

They received 800 calls and emails after an appeal last Thursday.

The Aussie woman told a man at a Barcelona bar: "Are you here to deliver my new daughter?"


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/maddie/2579100/McCanns-new-hope-at-Maddie-lead.html

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Millionaire socialite 'devastated' as her £3m superyacht is linked to hunt for Madeleine McCann


A millionaire socialite whose luxury yacht has been linked to the latest clue in the Madeleine McCann hunt has offered to help the two-year investigation.

Relatives of Rhonda Wyllie said today that she would do all she could to help Kate and Gerry McCann's detectives, after it emerged that her £3million superyacht could be linked to the mystery.
Investigators revealed last week that a new British witness had come forward with information about a woman he spotted in Barcelona's Port Olimpic marina on May 6, 2007 - three days after Madeleine's disappearance.

He said the well-dressed woman spoke with an Australian accent and said she asked him: 'Are you here to deliver my new daughter?'

Mrs Wyllie's 105ft Sunseeker was the only Australian-registered vessel moored in the Spanish marina that night and the private investigators now hope to speak to its captain.

There is no suggestion that Mrs Wyllie, a 52-year-old widow, is connected to Madeleine's disappearance.

But detectives will want to speak to crew who could have been aboard the boat, and to check if they hold any information which could provide new clues in the search.

Relatives of the Australian socialite said she would do all she could to help the worldwide hunt for the missing child.

Her brother Wayne McGrath told the People newspaper: 'I have spoken to my sister and she is absolutely devastated. She doesn't know anything about this.'

He added: 'She is happy to co-operate with and help any investigation.'

The British witness described the woman he saw as slim, glamorous and around 5ft 2in tall with short spiky brown hair.

She was described as resembling celebrity Victoria Beckham and was said to be aged between 30 and 35.
 Clarence Mitchell holds up a photofit of the woman police want to speak to regarding Madeleine's disappearance
The yacht's former skipper, a British man who asked not to be named, confirmed the Willpower was moored in the marina on May 6, but said there were no Australians onboard.

He said: 'There is absolutely no link between the boat and Madeleine... I'm afraid this is a total red herring.'

He added: 'The owner and her guests had left for the South of France a day or two previously. The only people onboard were myself, my girlfriend, who is blonde and as British as they come, and an American couple who were working as crew.

'I am happy to speak to the private investigators and will do anything I can to help the investigation. I completely understand that the McCanns want to follow up every lead, no matter how tenuous.'

Investigators unveiled an artist's impression of the woman spotted in the marina and have received up to 600 calls about her.

But one Australian woman named as a match for the image said she had not left Australia for years.

Judith Aron, of Glen Iris in Victoria, was said to bear a striking resemblance to the woman but said: 'I'm 53 years old and I certainly don't look like a Spice Girl.
'I'm totally shocked anybody may have thought I have some connection to the case. I have been looking after my sick father and I haven't left the country since 2000.'

Madeleine vanished from her family's rented holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz just days before her fourth birthday.

There has been no confirmed information about her since then, despite a worldwide publicity campaign which has triggered countless potential sightings.

Her parents Mr and Mrs McCann, 41, have vowed never to give up their search for their missing daughter.

Their investigators were said to be willing to speak to Mrs Wyllie and the yacht's captain, but sources said they believed the boat's presence in the marina was 'a bizarre coincidence'.

McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell refused to comment about Mrs Wyllie, but said the McCanns were grateful for any offers of help to the investigation.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1205365/Owner-3m-yacht-centre-Madeleine-McCann-hunt-vows-to-help-investigation.html#ixzz0NjhMU4Iz

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http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25910569-5000117,00.html



Susie O'Brien

August 11, 2009 12:00am

WHY did a British man wait two years before coming forward with possibly crucial evidence about missing Madeleine McCann?

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/6003884/Madeleine-McCann-tycoons-family-perplexed-by-investigation.html


Madeleine McCann: tycoon's family 'perplexed' by investigation
Rhonda Wyllie and Melissa Karlson, the widow and daughter of an Australian property tycoon, have said that they are "perplexed" by reports linking their luxury yacht to the Madeleine McCann investigation.
 

Published: 11:35AM BST 10 Aug 2009



 Melissa Karlson's mother owns the £6million vessel, Willpower  Photo: SPLASH 

(continued)

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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4_iSZEIHA-k&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/4_iSZEIHA-k&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0810/1224252312918.html

Monday, August 10, 2009
Australian woman denies Madeleine McCann link

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http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/93296/We-ll-help-you-find-Madeleine/


11th August 2009
By Jerry Lawton

DETECTIVES hunting missing Madeleine McCann are to quiz the skipper and crew of a £6million superyacht.

The move came after its millionaire owner Rhonda Wyllie, 52, and daughter Melissa Karlson, 31, vowed to do all they could to help.


The 105ft yacht was spotted in a Barcelona marina three days after Madeleine disappeared in 2007.


She vanished from a holiday apartment 880 miles away in Portugal days before her fourth birthday.


The vessel – flying an Australian flag – was moored close to where an Aussie “Posh Spice lookalike” approached a Brit stag-night reveller and muttered: “Are you here to deliver my daughter?’’


The boat, called Will Power, was the only vessel unknown to port authorities to enter or leave the marina around the time.


The Wyllie family were hundreds of miles away in playground-of-the-rich Monaco and detectives have ruled them out.


The Will Power was taken to Barcelona by its Brit-based captain and crew.


Detectives working for Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann, both 41, now want to talk to them, with Mrs Wyllie’s permission.


Brother Wayne McGrath said: “My sister is happy to co-operate.’’


One theory is that Madeleine was taken from Portugal to Barcelona by sea.


The yacht’s then skipper, who asked not to be named, said: “The only people on board were myself, my girlfriend, who is blonde and as British as they come, and an American couple who were working as crew.


“But I will do anything I can to help.”

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/6020791/Australian-millionaire-cannot-help-with-Madeleine-McCann-investigation.html


Australian millionaire 'cannot help with Madeleine McCann investigation
An Australian millionaire socialite and her daughter are unable to provide any ''relevant assistance'' to investigators searching for Madeleine McCann, they have said.

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 McCanns to sue over leaflet distributed in their OWN VILLAGE blaming them for Madeleine's disappearance
By Tamara Cohen
Last updated at 5:30 PM on 15th August 2009
Comments (77) Add to My Stories
 Hate campaign: A leaflet blames Madeleine McCann's parents for her disappearance
The parents of Madeleine McCann were last night said to be devastated by a hate campaign suggesting they were responsible for their daughter’s disappearance.

A leaflet entitled ‘Ten reasons to suggest that Madeleine McCann was not abducted’ was distributed to 10,000 residents of the village where they live and the surrounding area.
A source told MailOnline the couple intend to pursue legal action and may even bring in the police.

It was even sent to residents of the street in Rothley, Leicestershire, where Kate and Gerry McCann, both doctors, live with their four-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

The leaflet was not delivered to the McCanns’ home.

The Madeleine Foundation, which distributed the leaflet, was set up by former lawyer Tony Bennett, 60, who has previously tried and failed to bring a private prosecution against the couple for child neglect.

He and his supporters have produced a 64-page anti-McCann book entitled ‘What really happened to Madeleine McCann? Sixty reasons to suggest that she was not abducted’.

Like the leaflet, it is emblazoned with a picture of the missing girl, who was aged three when she disappeared from her parents’ holiday apartment in the Portuguese  resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007.

The leaflet says her parents’ version of events on the night she disappeared is a ‘sheer impossibility’. It suggests it is more likely that Madeleine died in the apartment and that they covered up her death.
Enlarge    Devastated: Kate and Gerry McCann are aid to be considering legal action over the Madeleine Foundation leaflet campaign
Residents of Rothley last night expressed outrage at the leaflet, an extract of the book, which calls for the case to be reopened.

One resident, Patricia Ball, said: ‘It sent a shiver down my spine. I did not like it at all, it had a nasty feel about it.

‘There is still a candle on the green, so every time you go into the centre of Rothley, you pass the candle and it always reminds you of Madeleine.’
A copy of the original book was sent to the McCanns’ home several months ago, causing them great upset.
A family friend said the couple were were ‘devastated’ by the campaign and may sue for libel.

Their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: ‘We do not wish to dignify the actions of the so-called Madeleine Foundation with any response. We do feel it is important, however, to make the general public aware that the foundation has no connection whatsoever with our family or those helping us find Madeleine or any law enforcement agencies.

‘We strongly believe the actions of this organisation do not have Madeleine’s best interests at heart. If anything, it is hampering our efforts to find Madeleine and achieve justice on her behalf.’

Last year, the McCanns expressed anger at the foundation, which they described as a fee-paying club dedicated to blaming them for Madeleine’s disappearance – members pay £10 to join.

Mr Bennett’s attempt to bring a private prosecution against the couple two years ago was thrown out by Leicester magistrates on the grounds that they had no jurisdiction over the case because she disappeared abroad.

Mr Bennett said at the time: ‘We are a group of people who want to get to the truth of what happened to Madeleine.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206719/McCanns-tormented-leaflet-campaign-blaming-Madeleines-disappearance.html

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Maddie villagers get ‘McCanns did it’ letterBy ANTONELLA LAZZERI

Published: Today
THE parents of Madeleine McCann were angry and upset yesterday after neighbours were sent leaflets claiming they were to blame for her death.
Vile campaigners put copies of the four-page publication though every door in their home village of Rothley, Leics.

Produced by the "Madeleine Foundation", it included "Ten Reasons Why Madeleine McCann was Not Abducted".

Maddie vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 when three. The leaflet says if she died in the family's holiday flat those who caused or allowed the death "got away with it".

The group, which claims wildly that Kate killed Maddie and Gerry helped hide the body, added "Reasons Why Her Parents Should Be Prosecuted."

The McCanns, both 41, were said to be "totally horrified".

A source close to them said: "This is an evil, despicable act. These people are self-obsessed, self-absorbed individuals."

The group claims on its website it is dedicated to combating child neglect.
 
Its secretary is disgraced solicitor Anthony Bennett whose bid to bring a private prosecution against the McCanns last year was thrown out of court.

The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We don't wish to dignify the actions of the so-called Madeleine Foundation in any way."

Foundation chairwoman Debbie Butler denied harassing the McCanns. She said: "We were perfectly within our rights to distribute the leaflets."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/maddie/2589609/Maddie-villagers-get-McCanns-did-it-letter.html

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So why did Madeleine McCann detectives ask so few questions after major breakthrough?
By Tom Worden, Martin Delgado and Andrew Chapman
Last updated at 1:25 AM on 16th August 2009

Private detectives leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann faced questions last night after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed apparent shortcomings in chasing a ‘strong lead’.

The detectives failed to make even rudimentary inquiries before announcing a ‘significant’ development in the worldwide search for the six-year-old.
At a Press conference in London, lead investigator David Edgar appealed for help in finding a ‘bit of a Victoria Beckham lookalike’ whom a British tourist saw looking agitated outside a dockside restaurant in Barcelona three days after Madeleine disappeared.
Retired Cheshire Detective Inspector Mr Edgar said it was possible that Madeleine had been smuggled into the Spanish port by yacht from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, where she vanished on May 3, 2007.

The agitated woman, thought to be Australian, made a remark to the tourist which suggested she was waiting for the arrival of a child.

Mr Edgar, 52, told the 50 journalists from several countries: ‘It’s a strong lead. Madeleine could have been in Barcelona by this point. The fact the conversation took place near the marina could be significant.’

As a result of his appeal for information and the issuing of an e-fit image of the woman, the search switched to Australia, where a woman in Sydney made a statement to police claiming to know the identity of the mystery female seen in Barcelona, although this apparently came to nothing.


The Mail on Sunday, however, has established that members of Mr Edgar’s team who had visited Barcelona:

Failed to speak to anyone working at the seafood restaurant near where the agitated woman was seen at 2am.
Failed to ask the port authority about movement of boats around the time Madeleine disappeared.
Failed to ask if the mystery woman had been filmed on CCTV.
Knew nothing about the arrival of an Australian luxury yacht just after Madeleine vanished until told by British journalists, who gave them the captain’s mobile phone number.

Failed to interview anyone at a nearby dockside bar where, according to Mr Edgar, the mystery woman was later seen drinking.
Failed to ask British diplomats in Spain for advice before or during the visit.
Also, Spanish police could not confirm that they had been contacted by the British investigators.
Last night Mr Edgar said: ‘We are not above criticism and I take responsibility for any shortcomings. If somebody has not done what they should have done, that’s my job to deal with that.’
 Conversation: The bar belonging to Jose Luiz Lopez where the key conversation between a tourist and an Australian woman allegedly took place
He was hired by Kate and Gerry McCann after Portuguese authorities shelved their investigation last year.
According to the Find Madeleine Fund website, ‘the majority of the fund money has been and continues to be spent on investigative work to help to find Madeleine’.

The McCanns, doctors living in Rothley, Leicestershire, originally hired Barcelona-based detective agency Metodo 3 to look for Madeleine in 2007 as they were convinced that Portuguese police had given up the search.

Metodo 3 reportedly charged £50,000-a-month and its director, Francisco Marco, was criticised after making a series of boasts about his team’s ability to find Madeleine.

In December 2007, he caused a sensation by claiming he knew who had kidnapped her and hoped to have her home by Christmas.

Metodo 3’s six-month contract ran out in January 2008, although it has continued to help with the search.

The Mail on Sunday’s inquiry by a Spanish-speaking reporter in Barcelona last week has exposed worrying gaps in the British detectives’ strategy, including failure to question several people who might have vital information.
 Appeal: Clarence Mitchell, left, and David Edgar with their e-fit of the 'Victoria Beckham lookalike'
Jose Luis Lopez, owner of the El Rey de la Gamba restaurant where the
mystery woman was seen, said: ‘The private detectives did not make any enquiries at my restaurant.

‘I am almost always here when the restaurant is open and my staff would have informed me if anyone had approached them about such an important matter. You are the first person to ask about this Australian woman.’

The manager of the bar next door, Kennedy’s Irish Sailing Club, where the woman was later seen drinking, said: ‘You are the first person to ask about this Australian woman or the Madeleine case. If someone came into the bar asking questions about Madeleine, I would hear about it very quickly.’

Barcelona port director Joan Guitart said: ‘Nobody has been here asking questions about Madeleine or this Australian woman. This is the first I have heard about any possible link to the port. We would be happy to help the investigation in any way possible.’
 Riddle: Was Madeleine taken to Barcelona marina?
A senior port authority worker added: ‘There are several security cameras monitoring the port but we have not been approached about footage from the night in question.

‘The footage is not available, as it was over two years ago that this conversation is said to have taken place. But I would have expected anyone carrying out the investigation to at least have asked about it.’

A source at the British Embassy in Madrid said: ‘The detectives did not inform us or the consulate in Barcelona that they were coming to Spain, nor request any assistance in their investigation.’
Jewellery designer Hannah Tait, 35, from London, who lives on a 34ft yacht yards from El Rey de la Gamba, said: ‘This place is like a small village so news travels very fast.

Nobody has been here asking about Madeleine or the Australian woman.

‘The first I heard was when I read about this on the internet. If someone had been investigating something so important here in the port, I would have heard about it.’

A Barcelona-based private detective with more than 20 years’ experience of missing persons cases said: ‘I cannot understand why the Madeleine detectives would have released this story and e-fit to the public without first making their own investigation in the port.

‘It beggars belief that they did not even speak to the owner of the restaurant or the port authorities.’

 Identified: The Mail on Sunday discovered Rhonda Wyllie's yacht Willpower was in the marina at the vital time in 2007
One of the most significant pieces of information about a possible Barcelona connection to Madeleine’s disappearance was uncovered by British journalists.

Later, The Mail on Sunday gained access to port records for the key dates of May 6 and 7, 2007.

They revealed that nine boats arrived in the marina in the 48-hour period, only one of which was unfamiliar to harbour authorities.

It was the £6million Sunseeker powerboat Willpower, owned by the Australian multi-millionairess Rhonda Wyllie.

When the then captain of the boat was eventually found, he said he had not been approached by any British detectives.
Although he has since been contacted by Mr Edgar’s team, the investigators are in the embarrassing position of having to explain why it was left to reporters to discover the boat’s presence in Barcelona and trace its former captain.

There is no suggestion that Mrs Wyllie, widow of property tycoon Bill Wyllie, is connected in any way with Madeleine’s disappearance.

The Barcelona stage of the inquiry was led by Mr Edgar’s assistant, former Merseyside Detective Sergeant Arthur Cowley, and an interpreter.

Mr Cowley, 57, is sole director of Alpha Investigation Group, based in Flintshire, North Wales.

He declined to discuss the details of his visit to Barcelona.

Asked last night why Mr Cowley and his colleague had not spoken to the port authorities, Mr Edgar said: ‘My instructions were that they couldn’t get through security at the marina at the time. I’ve got to take that at face value. We are a small team. We are dealing with finite resources and will have to manage with that.’

He said Mr Cowley’s company had no connection with the Madeleine investigation. ‘I am employed by the McCann family and I pick my staff,’ he added.
Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday flat while her parents dined with friends in a nearby restaurant.

Last night the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell  said: ‘The private investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance is being conducted entirely professionally and thoroughly under the direction of Dave Edgar.
 In the dark: Jose Luiz Lopez, the bar owner who was not spoken to by private detectives
‘Upon receipt of the new witness information, two members of the investigative team travelled to Barcelona to conduct preliminary inquiries during a brief initial visit.

‘This included identifying the exact marina where the witness had been and all relevant locations within it. At that stage, the precise bar involved had not been identified by the witness. Nevertheless, inquiries were conducted at a number of bars, with staff members being interviewed.
‘However, not all of the bars were open during the investigators’ visit. Because of the transient nature of bar work, it was also found that many of the workers who were spoken to were not present at the marina in May 2007.

'Other relevant personnel in the area were also interviewed, although we will not
discuss the detail of who was spoken to for operational reasons.

‘The information, once gathered, including photographs, was brought back to the UK for witness confirmation. Both British and Portuguese police were kept fully informed of the investigators’ visit to Spain.

‘The news conference was then held for the simple reason that public assistance was needed once the e-fit had been drawn up from the witness account. The public appeal does not preclude further enquiries being conducted in Barcelona as appropriate.’

He declined to say how much the private detectives were being paid, adding: ‘We will not discuss contractual matters concerning the investigation costs nor the investigator remuneration.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206842/Why-did-Madeleine-McCann-detectives-ask-questions.html

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UK NEWSTHE MCCANNS' STALKER 



CALLING FOR LEGAL HELP: The McCanns want Butler stopped
Sunday August 16,2009
By James Murray A woman leading a leaflet campaign about Madeleine McCann has left the girl’s parents distraught.


The couple spent yesterday with lawyers and may call in police after Debbie Butler visited the road where they live in Rothley, Leicestershire, to deliver highly inflammatory leaflets to neighbours suggesting that Madeleine was not abducted.

“Angry and upset” Kate and Gerry McCann are consulting their lawyers about how to react to last week’s extraordinary late-night leaflet drop which involved 10 people.

As well as discussing an action for libel, the McCanns want to know if there are grounds to pursue a harassment action and are considering calling in police.

Although single mother-of-two Ms Butler, 45, decided not to post the leaflet through the couple’s letterbox, a copy was sent to Kate’s aunt and uncle, Brian and Janet Kennedy, who live just a mile away in the same village.

A source close to the couple said yesterday: “Kate and Gerry are very upset and angry over these despicable lies. They feel they are being persecuted. This time the group has gone too far.

“They are now considering legal action over the leaflets. It is a clear case of harassment, indirectly if not directly. It must now become a police matter.

“Brian Kennedy thought it was outrageous and immediately contacted Kate. He had lots of calls from confused villagers who had received leaflets, asking what was going on. It caused pain, upset and confusion.”

However, Ms Butler, who admits involvement in the leaflet drop, said last night: “We just want the case reopened. We are not out to persecute the McCanns.

“We haven’t harassed them at all, we have leafleted. We are not harassing the McCanns in any way whatsoever. We are not stalking them. We are getting facts out in the public domain.

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“If anything, we are helping them by putting the facts out there and attempting to get the case back off the shelf. We are assisting the McCanns.”

Ms Butler, of Maidstone, Kent, has a daughter of 23 and an adopted son, aged eight.

She is chairman of the so-called Madeleine Foundation, formed in July last year and works closely with the foundation’s secretary, solicitor Tony Bennett, 61, who lives in Harlow, Essex.

He and the group tried to bring a private prosection against the McCanns for neglect but it was thrown out of court.

In Rothley many of the McCanns’ neighbours said they were disgusted by the insensitive actions of the group.

Sandra Thompson, 51, who lives nearby, said: “It is pretty disgraceful that a group writes that stuff and then sends it to the neighbours of Gerry and Kate.

“It is obviously going to drum up hate for the family and I imagine that they are still going through hell.”

In a statement Kate and Gerry, who are both 41, said: “We feel it is important that the general public are made aware that the Madeleine Foundation has no connection whatsoever with our family or those helping us to find Madeleine, or any law enforcement agencies or child welfare organisations.

“We also strongly believe that the actions of this so-called organisation do not have Madeleine’s best interests at heart.

“If anything, it is hindering all of our efforts to find Madeline and to achieve justice.”

Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007, while her parents dined with friends nearby.

Last night their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: “Libel lawyers acting for Kate and Gerry are very well aware of the Madeleine Foundation and all its activities and continue to monitor everything they do and say.”

Yesterday copies of the leaflet that had been pinned to trees and notice boards in Rothley had all been torn down.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/120885/The-McCanns-stalker

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McCanns drop libel case against Portuguese newspaper
Gerry and Kate McCann have dropped a libel case against the Portuguese newspaper which first linked them to the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.
 
By Murray Wardrop
Published: 7:00AM BST 20 Aug 2009

 Madeleine McCann Photo: PA
The couple were suing weekly the tabloid Tal & Qual over an article in August 2007 headlined "Police believe the parents killed Maddie".

The front page story caused a sensation around the world, as it was the first suggestion that detectives were treating the McCanns as suspects.

This week the couple, from Rothley, Leics, withdrew their defamation action after being advised that the newspaper had a strong defence under Portuguese law.

It could argue the story was published in good faith because senior police officers did at the time believe the McCanns may have been implicated in the case.

A source close to the couple confirmed that the defamation action against the newspaper and two journalists had been dropped.

The source said the McCanns want to concentrate instead on their £1 million case against Goncalo Amaral, the former head of the Madeleine investigation.

They also suspect Amaral may have been behind the story in Tal & Qual, which has since folded.

The source said: "The libel action against Tal & Qual has been dropped for a number of reasons. Firstly, the newspaper went bust some time ago.

"Secondly Tal & Qual could probably have mounted a defence, as they were reporting what a certain police officer believed at the time.

"Kate and Gerry have been advised it is much better to go for the source of the story.

"When the story first came out it was a huge shock for Kate and Gerry and they did not believe it was true."

The Tal & Qual article was published three months after Madeleine went missing during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, on the Algarve.

It claimed that detectives believed the parents had either caused a fatal accident or had given drugs to their daughter.

Lawyers representing the McCanns filed a writ against the newspaper, its editor Emidio Fernando, and reporter Catarina Vaz Guerreiro.

But two weeks later the couple, both doctors, were sensationally named as "arguidos" or formal suspects in the case.

Deluded chief investigator Goncalo Amaral wrongly believed they had covered up their three-year-old daughter´s death, even though there was no evidence to support his theory.

He was later taken off the case, which was eventually archived and remains unsolved.

In July 2008 the McCanns were cleared of any wrongdoing in a formal report by Portugal´s Attorney General Jose Pinto Monteiro.

They have always believed their daughter was abducted.

Mr Fernando said: "I had total faith in the source and was certain the police were looking at the couple.

"It's not a victory, because I never saw this as a war. I was, as I am today, totally calm about what I wrote."

Gerry and Kate McCann´s spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "This is a matter for Kate and Gerry´s lawyers in consultation with Kate and Gerry, of course."

Amaral, 49, went on to make more than £1 million by writing a book repeating his outlandish claims.

The McCanns are suing him for at least £1 million for defamation and for breaching their human rights.

They have employed one of Portugal´s leading libel lawyers, Isabel Duarte, in a case expected to be heard in Lisbon next summer.

If they win they will use the money to continue the search for Madeleine, who would now be six.

The Find Madeleine Fund, set up to finance the couple's worldwide search for their daughter, is expected to run out of money by the end of the year, it was reported this week.

The McCanns also plan to sue the group behind a leaflet blaming them for Madeleine´s disappearance.

The couple were "deeply upset" by the fliers, produced by a group called the "Madeleine Foundation", which has accused them of neglect.

The leaflets were received by 10,000 people in the McCann's home village of Rothley.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/6057918/McCanns-drop-libel-case-against-Portuguese-newspaper.html

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thanks for the info and the articles on Madeleine...

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Man questioned over Madeleine McCann lookalike step-daughter
A fire protection officer was questionned over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann after being spotted in a petrol station with his step-daughter, who looks like the missing girl.
 
Published: 10:38AM BST 04 Sep 2009

 Jon Hazelhurst with his daughter Lauren who was called into a police station after she was mistaken for missing girl Madeleine McCann Photo: SWNS
Jon Hazlehurst and eight-year-old Lauren were at home when officers arrived at their doorstep and asked them to go to a police station.

A member of the public had seen the pair at a petrol station the day before and thought blonde Lauren was missing Maddie.

The concerned witness had noted down Mr Hazelhurst's car registration plate and immediately notified police.

Officers then visited the family home and Jon and Lauren were taken to a police station for an identification process.

Mr Hazelhurst, of Kingsbridge, Devon, said he thought it was a ''prank''.

He said: ''I was surprised more than anything. My first thought was that it was someone pulling a prank on me before I realised that they were quite serious.

''I've never been called into a police station as a possible kidnapper. The police were very polite and I understood that they had to follow up the lead, even if it didn't come to anything.

''There's always a chance a tip-off like that might lead them to Madeleine.''

Mr Hazelhurst and Lauren pulled in for petrol on their way back from walking their dog at nearby Slapton beach on Sunday.

The following morning officers knocked on Mr Hazlehurst's door asking him and his step-daughter to come to Kingsbridge police station.

The pair went with the officers but were later released after they were identified and it was proved that she was not Maddie.

Sgt Paul O'Neill, of Kingsbridge Police, said Lauren did bear a resemblance to Madeleine McCann - except for a different eye colour.

He added: ''I thank the lady for bringing it to our attention. She did well to spot the little girl and inform us. Fortunately, the parent was more than willing to help.''

Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007 while on holiday with her parents and twin siblings in the Algarve region of Portugal.

She went missing a few days before her fourth birthday and would be six years old now.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/6137830/Man-questioned-over-Madeleine-McCann-lookalike-step-daughter.html
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News News Topics Jaycee Lee DugardMadeleine McCann's parents inspired by Jaycee Lee Dugard case
The parents of Madeleine McCann said today that the reappearance of child kidnap victim Jaycee Lee Dugard 18 years after she disappeared ''only makes us more determined'' to find their daughter.
 
Published: 11:18AM BST 28 Aug 2009

 Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 Photo: PA
Jaycee Lee Dugard was abducted at the age of 11 from her home in California in 1991 but has now been reunited with her mother after walking into a police station with her alleged captor and the two children he fathered by her.

Kate and Gerry McCann said: ''Once again this shows that children can sometimes disappear off the radar only to be found years later alive.

 ''It emphasises that we should never assume that someone is not alive without any evidence to support this. We should never give up

''This case only makes us more determined to find Madeleine. She is out there somewhere and somebody knows where.''

Miss Dugard, now aged 29, was reunited with her mother on Thursday after revealing during an interview with her kidnapper's parole officer that she was the victim of one of California's oldest unsolved crimes. It was her first known appearance in public since her abduction.

She disappeared when a man and a woman pulled her kicking and screaming into a car at a school bus stop just yards from her home in South Lake Tahoe.

Madeleine went missing without trace from a Portuguese hotel on May 3rd 2003. Despite spending millions of pounds in a continuing hunt her parents are no closer to finding out what happened.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/jaycee-lee-dugard/6104182/Madeleine-McCanns-parents-inspired-by-Jaycee-Lee-Dugard-case.html

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Madeleine McCann's brother and sister start school  By Rod Chaytor 31/08/2009

 
The twin brother and sister of missing Madeleine McCann will start school this week.

Sean and Amelie, now four, are due to enrol at the primary where their sister should also be a pupil. Madeleine had already been accepted at the school and was meant to start lessons four months after she was taken.

Now two years on, parents Kate and Gerry will take their twins for their first day at Bishop Ellis Roman Catholic Primary in Thurmaston, Leics, on Thursday.

It will be a proud day for the mum and dad, but overshadowed by the tragedy of losing their elder daughter. Sean and Amelie will sit in the classroom where Madeleine would have sat.

The seat she was meant to occupy has symbolically been left empty for her. A candle also still burns in her memory in the entrance hall.

A message on the school's website says: "We are sorry that we are not yet able to welcome Madeleine to our school as we had hoped to.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain very much with the McCanns as we continue to pray with them for Madeleine."

A poster shows a picture of Madeleine as she was aged three, when she disappeared, and an "age-progressed" image of how she would look now.

A family friend said:"Kate and Gerry are excited about the twins starting school.

But it is yet another milestone without their daughter. "It will feel strange the twins going to the school Madeleine never had the chance to start

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/08/31/maddy-siblings-to-start-school-115875-21636874/

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Madeleine: New leads in search
UK NEWSMADELEINE: NEW LEADS IN SEARCH 



MISSING: Madeleine has not been seen since May 2007
Sunday September 6,2009
By James Murray PRIVATE detectives looking for Madeleine McCann have returned to Portugal to pursue new leads which could provide a breakthrough in the case,.


Ex-policemen Arthur Cowley and Dave Edgar spent several days speaking to “persons of interest” to the inquiry.

“The investigation has real momentum with definite goals. A vast amount of work has already been done and every new lead is being checked,” a source said.

Meanwhile Kate and Gerry McCann’s twins, Sean and Amelie, have started school near their home in Thurmaston, Leics.

The four-year-olds have been sent to Bishop Ellis RC School – where Madeleine was enrolled before she went missing while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

A message on the school’s website says: “We are sorry we are not yet able to welcome Madeleine to our school as we had hoped to.”

http://www.sundayexpress.co.uk/posts/view/125335/Madeleine-New-leads-in-search

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Portugal orders sales ban on 'Maddie' book
Wed Sep 9, 12:15 pm ET
LISBON (AFP) – A Portuguese court on Wednesday banned sales of a former police officer's book on the disappearance of girl Madeleine McCann, her parents' lawyer said.

In his book "A Verdade da Mentira" ("The Truth of the Lie") Goncalo Amaral claims that the girl, who went missing from an Algarve holiday flat where her family was staying in 2007, is dead and that her parents hid her body.

The decision by a Lisbon court came after a complaint by Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, their lawyer Isabel Duarte told AFP.

Amaral's book has also been adapted for television.

The former Algarve police chief backed up his claim citing the investigation launched into the parents in September 2007.

Amaral was taken off the case a month later and the McCanns were cleared by a Portuguese court. Portuguese police have since said they are no longer actively investigating.

In Wednesday's ruling the court said the publisher and author must not "quote, comment or analyse ... any part of the book or video that defends the assumption of the death or concealment of (Madeleine's) body."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090909/wl_uk_afp/britainportugalcrimemissingbook