Der Fall Maddie McCann - Tragen die Eltern eine (Mit)Schuld?

I recently learned from a trusted police source that the Metropolitan Police had officially taken up the Madeleine McCann investigation in London. This new line of enquiry is called Operation Grange.

Today I phoned the Metropolitan Police to ask about their taking over from Leicestershire Constabulary and had this interesting telephone conversation.

SM: Hello, I’d like to speak to someone in connection with Operation Grange please.

Police: I’m not aware of that Operation…just give me one second.

A minute later the operator returned and gave me another phone number to call.

SM: Hello, I’m just calling to ask a few questions about Operation Grange.

Police: What’s the name of that operation again?

SM: Operation Grange.

Police: Ok, what was that?

SM: It’s the Madeleine McCann disappearance.

Police: Oh, alright ok, fine, yeah, we don’t usually use operation names here, what do you need to know?

SM: There doesn’t seem to be anything in the public domain so when did the operation start and what’s the scope of the operation? I just wondered if you can give me some background on Operation Grange.

Police: We haven’t very much talked to the media about the case at all. What we’ve said is we’re providing expertise to the investigators of the case. The Portuguese Authorities, the Portuguese Police retain lead. We’ve not made any suggestion that they’re not capable of investigating but we are assisting them and we have not given any details on it. It’s unusual for us to do that as it’s abroad and another police force is taking the lead on it.

SM: Is there any reason why the Met took over from Leicestershire Constabulary?

Police: I’m not sure we said anything about it at the time – for various reasons. We can’t be seen to criticize any other force. On the 12th of May the Home Office requested that the Metropolitan Police service bring their expertise to the case and on that evening we said that we would.

SM: And is this a full time operation and what size team is working on it?

Police: As I said we wouldn’t provide a running commentary but at the very beginning we said there were 30 officers who would be deployed, er, not continually but various tasks along with workload they have on other cases, er, but we have deployed 30 officers.

SM: In a normal case in Britain it’s not unusual for the police to give an ongoing commentary as to how it’s progressing so what…

Police: …I’ve only worked here 11 years but I would say it’s not common. We give information whilst it’s appropriate to produce but whilst there’s an investigation going on and where it’s potentially murder, we say very little, we say very little. You read a lot in the press but that doesn’t come from us. We deal with about 250 murders a year and all of them are dealt with in exactly the same way in terms of how we deal with the media.

Der Countdown läuft.....


Ich wünsche euch allen einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr,
verbunden mit den besten Wünschen für
Frieden
Gesundheit
Glück und Erfolg

In diesem Sinne
herzlichst euer
J.Watson




Wünsche zum neuen Jahr

Ein bisschen mehr Friede und weniger Streit.
Ein bisschen mehr Güte und weniger Neid.
Ein bisschen mehr Liebe und weniger Hass.
Ein bisschen mehr Wahrheit - das wäre was.

Statt so viel Unrast ein bisschen mehr Ruh.
Statt immer nur *Ich* ein bisschen mehr *Du*.
Statt Angst und Hemmung ein bisschen mehr Mut.
Und Kraft zum Handeln - das wäre gut.

In Trübsal und Dunkel ein bisschen mehr Licht.
Kein quälend' Verlangen, ein bisschen Verzicht.
Und viel mehr Blumen, solange es geht,
nicht erst an Gräbern - da blüh'n sie zu spät.

Ziel sei der Friede des Herzens
Besseres weiß ich nicht.....
(von Peter Rosegger)

Ocelot schrieb:Macht diese Tatsache SY net stutzig? Konzequentes Verweigern der Eltern diese Spur durch Aufnahme auf ihrer Website verstärkt Menschen aufmerksam zu machen. Obwohl SY diesen Unbekannten als höchstwahrscheinlichen Entführer klassifiziert hat...

anonymata Says: April 29th, 2012 at 6:32 pm

If that dialog on the telephone is true, it is quite serious.I hope it was recorded.It bet was because one could not remember everything thet was said.

Site admin: Yes, the conversation was recorded.

Ocelot schrieb:na, der Shop ist zurzeit inaktiv oder? Da würd es auch keinen Sinn machen, auf die Tränendrüse zu drücken (ich weiß klingt hart...)

J.Watson schrieb:Leider öffnet sich unter diesem Link bei mir nur ein leeres pdf-Dokument :(. Hab's ein paar Mal probiert - immer das gleiche Ergebnis....

J.Watson schrieb:
Leider öffnet sich unter diesem Link bei mir nur ein leeres pdf-Dokument :(. Hab's ein paar Mal probiert - immer das gleiche Ergebnis....

Disappearance of Madeleine Beth McCann, Praia da Luz, Portugal 3rd May 2007
On 28 December 2013, the Sunday Times issued an on-line "apology for any distress caused" while accepting that its readers may have misunderstood certain aspects of the articles dated 23 October 2013 ("Madeleine clues hidden for 5 years" and "Investigators had E-Fits five years ago", News) with regard to the "Oakley Report" commissioned by “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited”.
The "Oakley Report", including a set of "eFit" images, was commissioned at a cost of approximately £500,000 by “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” which was compiled within a six month period during 2008 and completed in November 2008, by a team of private investigators headed by Henri Exton, former MI5 Undercover Operations Chief, on behalf of Oakley International.
The Sunday Times statement / apology is published here:
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/comment/regulars/corrections/article1357081.ece
“Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” is a private limited company which obtains funding from a combination of public donations and the sale of sundry items such as wristbands, luggage labels etc. Its directors include Madeleine McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, Kate McCann’s uncle, Brian Kennedy, family friends Jon Corner and Michael Linnett and lawyer, Edward Smethurst.
More information about the company can be sought here:
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/06248215/MADELEINES-FUND-LEAVING-NO-STONE-UNTURNED-LIMITED/company-summary (Archiv-Version vom 03.07.2015)
The aims and purposes of the company are published here:
http://findmadeleine.com/support/index.html
The Sunday Times’ statement clarifies for its readers that the set of “eFit” images contained within the Oakley Report, (but NOT the full Oakley Report itself), were in fact passed by the “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” to both the Policia Judicária in Portugal and Leicestershire Police in October 2009.
(At this time both of the above police forces had already shelved their active investigations into Madeleine’s disappearance.)
The eFits were, by implication, therefore, only withheld from the AUTHORITIES for a minimum of 11 months (but possibly up to 17 months, depending on the exact date of the eFits having been obtained).
The eFits were, also by implication, withheld from the PUBLIC by ALL parties, including “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” until October 2013 - a period of about five years.
This was also intimated by DCI Andy Redwood appearing on BBC Crimewatch in October 2013, when he stated very clearly that the eFits used in Scotland Yard’s public appeals during October 2013, had never previously appeared in the public domain until that time, although they had been in existence for some years prior.
The Sunday Times’ statement also clarifies that the FULL Oakley Report commissioned and paid for by “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited”, and compiled by Henri Exton and his team of private investigators on behalf of Oakley International, was only passed by “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” to the Metropolitan Police in August 2011, when Scotland Yard opened a fresh review / investigation, known as “Operation Grange” into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.
The full "Oakley Report" was, by implication, withheld by “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” from the AUTHORITIES for a period of almost three years after it was completed.
To date, the full content of the “Oakley Report” has not been made public, and presumably forms part of the ongoing Scotland Yard investigation, Operation Grange.
It has been made clear, on several occasions by DCI Redwood that the “Smith sighting” and its associated eFits are of crucial significance to Operations Grange’s ongoing investigation. Indeed, the Smith sighting has been described by him as a “revelation moment” in the investigative process.
The Sunday Times, however, NEITHER apologises for, NOR refutes any of the following statements contained within its articles dated October 23 2013("Madeleine clues hidden for 5 years" and "Investigators had E-Fits five years ago", News):
 That the Oakley Report recommended that the Smith sighting eFits should be “released without delay" (November 2008).  That the Oakley Report raised questions about "anomalies" in the statements given by the McCanns and their friends.
 That a source close to “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” said that the McCanns and their friends said that the Oakley Report was “hypercritical of the people involved ... it just wouldn’t have been conducive to the investigation to have the Report publicly declared because ... the newspapers would have been all over it and it would have been completely distracting”.
 That the Oakley Report contained sensitive information about Madeleine's sleeping patterns.  That the Oakley Report raised the possibility that Madeleine could have died in an accident after leaving the apartment herself from one of two
unsecured doors.
 That the Oakley Report stated the Smiths were “helpful and sincere” and concluded that “the Smith sighting is credible evidence of a sighting of
Maddie and more credible than Jane Tanner’s sighting.”
 That “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” wanted to pursue information about the earlier sighting by Tanner, in spite of the
recommendations of the Oakley Report.
 That “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” deemed it too expensive to investigate both the Tanner and the Smith sightings fully.
 That “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” deemed it necessary to threaten legal action against the authors of the Report.
 That “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” had "silenced" Exton and his investigators, by way of a letter from lawyers binding them to confidentiality.
 That “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” prevented Exton and his investigators from handing the Oakley Report to Scotland Yard when requested to by them, without the Fund's explicit permission.
 That the McCanns threatened the Report's authors with Legal Action if the Oakley Report was to be made public.  That the Smith sighting eFits were not included in the book "Madeleine" written by Kate McCann and published in 2011, although the Smith sighting
itself was cited and seven OTHER eFits were included in the book.  That “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” have stated that “all information privately gathered during the search for Madeleine has been fully acted upon where necessary” and had been passed on to Scotland Yard.
In light of the above omissions from the Sunday Times’ apology to its readers, one has to assume that, at this point in time, the Sunday Times is standing by the content of its articles dated October 23 2013 ("Madeleine clues hidden for 5 years" and "Investigators had E-Fits five years ago", News), and that the apology refers only to the fact that readers may have been misled into thinking that the eFits may have been withheld by “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” from the authorities for a period of longer than eleven months.
Discussion
At first glance, the Sunday Times apology may appear to the undiscerning as a “retraction” of its articles published on 23 October 2013. However, it is very far from that.
The apology is only to the newspaper’s readers who may have misunderstood that, although the Smith sighting eFits were NOT PUBLICISED by any party, including “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” for almost 5 years after their production, they were passed to police authorities in the UK and Portugal after 11 months.
Neither of the two police authorities was actively investigating Madeleine’s disappearance at the time they received the eFits and the eFits were only eventually made public by Scotland Yard in October 2013.
The Sunday Times makes no apology or retraction regarding any other issues raised or statements made in the articles.
It now transpires that Scotland Yard deems that these Smith sighting eFits are of crucial significance to their investigation of Madeleine’s disappearance, which leaves one to wonder why there were not publicised “without delay” in November 2008, on Exton’s recommendation.
It appears that “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” believed that following the Smith sighting lead would prove too expensive; yet, at the very least, it would have only been a maximum of half a day’s work for the webmaster of FindMadeleine.com to add the eFit images with a paragraph of explanatory text to the website; i.e. not so expensive for a Fund whose net worth in 2008 was over £1 million, one would have thought.
“Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” also believed that the publications of the Smith sighting eFits would prove distracting to the ongoing search for Madeleine and preferred to pursue information relating to the Tanner sighting.
Yet, it transpires only this week in the media (Mirror), that Leicestershire police may well have identified the “Tanner Sighting” man as an innocent tourist carrying his own daughter as long ago as 2008, as a result of questionnaires that were sent out to tourists who used the Ocean Club “night crèche” facility during the week the McCanns were on holiday there.
One has to assume that these questionnaires were sent out before Leicestershire police shelved their active investigations, and therefore well before “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” passed the eFits to them in October 2009.
Scotland Yard has also since confirmed that the man in question has now been formally identified, interviewed and photographed, and that they also believe that Jane Tanner’s sighting should be disregarded.
To date (30 December 2013) the “Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited” official website, is still displaying artist’s impressions of the Tanner sighting: http://www.findmadeleine.com/campaigns/unidentified_people.html
Although the Smith sighting eFits were displayed on the website from late October 2013 until just before Christmas, they have now been replaced by a Christmas message from Kate McCann.
So, as ever in this most bizarre of cases, one is left with the rather unpleasant sense that someone, somewhere has been trying very hard over a very long period of time to hinder the investigation leading to the true facts behind the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from being known.
One can only hope that, in time and for the sake of Madeleine herself, missing now for almost 7 years, the full facts will be known very soon, and that those responsible for her disappearance will finally be brought to justice.
Additional notes:
The Smith family, who originally sighted a man carrying a child similar in appearance to Madeleine McCann down a street in Praia da Luz at about 10pm on 3rd May 2007, made formal statements to the Policia Judicária in Portugal on 26 May 2007, about 3 weeks after Madeleine went missing.
Mr Smith’s initial statement was followed up by an additional statement to his local police force in Drogheda, County Louth, Eire in September 2007, which highlighted some physical similarities between the man he had seen and Madeleine’s father, Gerry McCann.
These statements have been in the public domain since August 2008 and can be read in full here:
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARTIN_SMITH.htm
The chief detective initially investigating Madeleine’s disappearance in Portugal was Gonçalo Amaral. Amaral became aware of the significance of this sighting early on in the investigation and was in the process of arranging for the Smith family to return to Portugal in late September 2007 to provide eFits of the man they had seen. However, Amaral was removed from the case on 2 October 2007, 12 days after Martin Smith’s second statement, and the Smith family were not re-interviewed by the Policia Judicária.
Ironically the McCanns are currently suing Amaral for libel in Lisbon over the publication of his book, which is largely based on the police files that have been in the public domain since August 2008. It is their belief, among other issues, that the publication of the book may have hindered the search for their daughter, Madeleine.
The final day of the trial is due to take place on 7 January 2014.
It is perhaps a moot point at this stage that the Smith sighting eFits were not publicised until very recently, more than six and a half years after Madeleine went missing.
Just like the man Jane Tanner saw that night, the man the Smith family saw may well also have been an innocent resident or tourist carrying his own child home after an evening out or at work.
It is also possible however that the child he was carrying could have been Madeleine. Operation Grange has not to date released any updates specific to this matter to the public.
Further reading: McCann PJ Files: http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/ McCann Files: http://www.mccannfiles.com/ (Archiv-Version vom 30.12.2013)

SCOTLAND Yard’s bill for its probe into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has topped £6million, The Sun can reveal.
In the last three months a major public appeal for information has pushed the cost of Operation Grange up by £1.64million — and the total is now likely to rocket to £10million-plus.

sue_bern schrieb:Kinder haben ist verdammt teuer - mann bracuht 3 Zahnbuersten, 3x Kamm, usw...

NORA PAUL (nee Healy) Year 2007
Kate's aunt (Brian Healy's sister) is Madeleine's godmother. She currently lives in Vancouver, Canada and has given interviews to CTV.ca. "When Madeleine's godmother and great aunt Nora Healy was asked about the Portuguese police operation, she raised her eyebrows and said: "Well, it upped a gear when the British ambassador arrived." She is best remembered for her phone interview where she said,

"There was six of them together, and there was a neurosurgeon, an anesthesiologist, there was six medical professionals. If there'd been an accident, (A) if it was accidental and they were doing something bad, THEY COVERED IT ... could have covered it up. If it was accidental, they'd have taken care of it.."

Nora Paul was visiting her relatives in Skipton from her home in Vancouver when Madeleine went missing. Michael Wright then drove her to Liverpool to meet the Healys and all four flew to PDL on 4th May. Sue Healy and Nora Paul were photographed arriving together at the Mark Warner complex.