Bungling local Madeleine McCann officers froze me out, says top UK detective who claims 'macho, 1970s culture' of Portuguese police hindered the hunt for suspectHe could have helped while evidence was fresh but his input was unwelcomeOn May 7, 2007, Dr Hill – then a Surrey detective superintendent seconded to the UK’s new Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre – flew to Portugal to lend expert help to the hunt for Madeleine.
Detective Superintendent Hill – who had secured the world’s first conviction based on familial DNA – could have helped while the evidence was still fresh.
But thanks to systemic dysfunction and suspicion of outside intervention by the Portuguese police team – led by detective Goncalo Amaral, who would be removed from the case and publish a book which made false allegations against Madeleine’s parents – his input was unwelcome.
‘It was fraught from the word go. The detectives were very polite and measured but also suspicious of why we were there and what we were seeking to achieve. I only met Amaral on that first occasion and one further meeting. Clearly he felt he did not need my help.’
Dr Hill said he asked every day for information or a meeting with someone connected to the case, adding: ‘I had to do all the pushing. The meeting would be scheduled then, invariably, cancelled.
‘If I asked about search strategies they would simply tell me they were doing everything possible. If I asked about known sex offenders they would tell me it was all in hand. I was kept at a distance. I could offer advice on predatory sex offenders and hope they would show some interest and engage, but they didn’t.
It was several days before they even told him they were focused on a prime suspect – British expat Robert Murat. Dr Hill offered them advice on interview techniques, which was the only time he believes they ever really listened to him, but Murat proved to be completely innocent.
No other suspects were ever mentioned to him. The McCanns only became suspects, or ‘arguidos’, in September – another indication of how the investigation was run badly from the start.
Dr Hill said that had Portuguese detectives been more willing to discuss the case ‘I would have told them the first people they needed to eliminate from the investigation is the parents or a relative’. He added: ‘For the Portuguese to make them suspects months later was complete nonsense.
‘The job had got away from them very early on and they never recovered. It was too big for them.’
After ten days of passive obstruction, Dr Hill returned to the UK.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8416013/Bungling-local-Madeleine-McCann-officers-froze-says-UK-detective.html
