Goncalo Amaral.

[Venturi Swirl]

Yep, judicial secrecy laws at the time. IMO, more juicy than judicious for tabloids.

Mental.  In effect if criminals are never found and charged then the crime never happened as far as the public at large are concerned? 

[Carana]

Mental.  In effect if criminals are never found and charged then the crime hever happened as far as the public at large are concerned?

The law has since changed - judicial secrecy is now the exception (unless the laws have changed yet again).

One well-known journalist said something ages ago to the effect that judicial secrecy was like traffic regulations: everyone was aware of them, but no one took any notice.

The lack of official information is what largely led to unofficial (and often dubious) leaks floating out of PJ windows.

[Jean-Pierre]

A convenient device.  Could be strictly enforced to limit the flow of inconvenient information.  But observed in the breech when it suited the police, with no sanction.

[Carana]

A convenient device.  Could be strictly enforced to limit the flow of inconvenient information.  But observed in the breech when it suited the police, with no sanction.

Hi JP,

Yep. Until the final straw when Amaral got unceremoniously booted.

[faithlilly]

The law has since changed - judicial secrecy is now the exception (unless the laws have changed yet again).

One well-known journalist said something ages ago to the effect that judicial secrecy was like traffic regulations: everyone was aware of them, but no one took any notice.

The lack of official information is what largely led to unofficial (and often dubious) leaks floating out of PJ windows.

And ‘sources’ connected to the parents.

[faithlilly]

Hi JP,

Yep. Until the final straw when Amaral got unceremoniously booted.

And the ‘why didn’t you come when I was crying’ leak on Rebelo’s watch ?

[Brietta]

And the ‘why didn’t you come when I was crying’ leak on Rebelo’s watch ?

And while Leonor Cipriano was being beaten to a pulp and her missing daughter Joanna was having books written about her to line the pockets of 'top cop' Cristovao;  while tourist children were being assaulted in their beds by a predator;  while Amaral was leaking pejorative tales to journalists and taking notes for his book on a missing child ... the likes of Christian Brueckner had set up their own crime waves in which burglary played a big part.

It seems the Portuguese police were too entrenched in the things which were of paramount importance to them such as the leaking of witness statements such as you have detailed in your post or making a big issue of 'THE PACT of SILENCE' from people bound by Portuguese law to silence ... to notice the real criminality going on right under their noses.
Incompetence or what but most certainly a disgrace and the Christian Brueckner investigation hasn't half highlighted it and the world is no doubt taking note of the sort of shambles Amaral and some of his colleagues were presiding over in the Algarve region.

[Carana]

And the ‘why didn’t you come when I was crying’ leak on Rebelo’s watch ?

Yes, that was one of the very few under Rebelo, from memory. Conveniently leaked while he was in the UK for the interviews and the McCanns were in Brussels to promote a missing child alert system.

[G-Unit]

Yes, that was one of the very few under Rebelo, from memory. Conveniently leaked while he was in the UK for the interviews and the McCanns were in Brussels to promote a missing child alert system.

The one which the PJ took the unusual step of issuing a denial, and the details of which bore no relationship to the statements which the journalist claimed he had in his possesion?

[faithlilly]

Yes, that was one of the very few under Rebelo, from memory. Conveniently leaked while he was in the UK for the interviews and the McCanns were in Brussels to promote a missing child alert system.

But nothing to do with Amaral.

[faithlilly]

And while Leonor Cipriano was being beaten to a pulp and her missing daughter Joanna was having books written about her to line the pockets of 'top cop' Cristovao;  while tourist children were being assaulted in their beds by a predator;  while Amaral was leaking pejorative tales to journalists and taking notes for his book on a missing child ... the likes of Christian Brueckner had set up their own crime waves in which burglary played a big part.

It seems the Portuguese police were too entrenched in the things which were of paramount importance to them such as the leaking of witness statements such as you have detailed in your post or making a big issue of 'THE PACT of SILENCE' from people bound by Portuguese law to silence ... to notice the real criminality going on right under their noses.
Incompetence or what but most certainly a disgrace and the Christian Brueckner investigation hasn't half highlighted it and the world is no doubt taking note of the sort of shambles Amaral and some of his colleagues were presiding over in the Algarve region.

The world is battling one of the worst viruses in history, do you really think they give a fig about any of the above ?

Of course people want to know what happened to Madeleine but that’s where their interest ends.

[Mr Gray]

The world is battling one of the worst viruses in history, do you really think they give a fig about any of the above ?

Of course people want to know what happened to Madeleine but that’s where their interest ends.

The  papers seem to think it's important to highlight the failings of the Portuguese and I think people will be and are interested

[faithlilly]

The  papers seem to think it's important to highlight the failings of the Portuguese and I think people will be and are interested

The papers have to fill column inches.

People are much more concerned at this time with the failings of American law enforcement than the Portuguese. To most it’s just ancient history and a subject that didn’t really interest them in the first place.

The unpalatable truth for those who support the parents is no matter what the outcome of this case or who is charged, the public in general will always apportion some blame to the parents as they made any crime possible. Whether that blame is appropriate is an argument that will, I’m sure, rumble on for many years yet.

[Mr Gray]

The papers have to fill column inches.

People are much more concerned at this time with the failings of American law enforcement than the Portuguese. To most it’s just ancient history and a subject that didn’t really interest them in the first place.

The unpalatable truth for those who support the parents is no matter what the outcome of this case or who is charged, the public in general will always apportion some blame to the parents as they made any crime possible. Whether that blame is appropriate is an argument that will, I’m sure, rumble on for many years yet.

It's not an unpalatable truth to a certain extent its a reality. People make mistakes all the time and become victims of crime

[Brietta]

The world is battling one of the worst viruses in history, do you really think they give a fig about any of the above ?

Of course people want to know what happened to Madeleine but that’s where their interest ends.

I can see why you might be a bit miffed that every criticism voiced about Amaral's conduct of Madeleine's case has come to fruition and then some.

Whether or not Brueckner  ever proves to be Madeleine's abductor the published facts about him prove two things to me.  (i) he should have been on Portuguese police radar at some time during his twelve year's residency as a criminal in the Algarve and (ii) he was a burglar; he was a rapist on Portuguese soil; he was in Luz on the night Madeleine disappeared.  In fact he was all the things and more that Amaral said could not have happened and the time he spent persecuting Madeleine's parents it is now shown could and should have been spent looking for Brueckner or someone else with a similar profile with the opportunity and the means to make a child vanish as though she had never been.

I think you may always have had a niggling doubt though ... I always wondered why you never contributed to the private Amaral thread ... seems you may have recognised something way back then and you were not alone as it was one of the shortest threads in history.