Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann

[stephen25000]

As British television networks once again descend on Praia da Luz in the run-up to the seventh anniversary since Madeleine McCann went missing, a local resident has come out fighting.

"It's time to turn things round," she told us. "Every year it is the same ... British journalists arrive and dredge up more nonsense about Luz. We are meant to be overrun with child molesters, burglars, homosexuals, Eastern European child-snatchers ... Whatever next? Will it be the Taliban?

"They are back again now and this time they have interviewed a homeless person and a 'prophet'," the long-term resident told us on Saturday. "They have paid for these interviews. Now, they are apparently looking for a well-known gay man.

"These are the stories the British newspapers are looking for! They are not interested in the views of the real people of Luz - all of whom are fed up to the back teeth with the village being shown in such a bad light."

The "homeless person" - a "perfectly pleasant man, but never sober" - is not a representational figure of local residents, explained the woman, and the "prophet" is someone who wears a turban and "walks around with a pole with a light on the top of it".

"Neither can be considered typical Luz residents, but nor are they in any way threats to the community," she added.

The expat woman, who asked not to be named as she has "no wish to be a hero", said: "It is time Luz had a voice."

"Last year, when the news people were asking questions as they do every year, I went up to the interviewer and said I would like to say a word or two.

"I said I wanted to know why they weren't interviewing the McCanns for gross negligence that had led to a fatal result. He just dropped me because they don't want to hear anything like that. They only want to report about people they can label as "weirdos".

"Quite honestly, I feel it is time Luz turned round and sued the McCanns for slander.

"I would like to stand as a voice for Luz. Who will want to come here after all the negative publicity? The British newspapers paint the village as one full of terrible people. This is grotesquely unfair. It has got to stop!"

As is so often the case, concern over speaking out has left this voice of Luz for now unnamed. She told us "everyone feels the same" - and behind the scenes few would disagree.

A high-ranking staff member at Luz Ocean Club told the Resident earlier this year: "Luz has taken such a battering over the last seven years. It really is time to do something for this community - help it rally round." But, like the anonymous "voice of Luz", the man asked not to be identified.

Meantime, the Ocean Club is one of the prime movers behind a community triathlon event planned later this month precisely to promote the picturesque village "before the holiday season gets underway".

http://portugalresident.com/%E2%80%98please-help-luz%E2%80%99-plea-as-madeleine-%E2%80%9Ccircus%E2%80%9D-descends-on-village-again

Excellent article, on the unheard voices.

Victims of the aftermath of the mccanns behaviour.

[John]

Police follow trail of fraudsters East.

Two men who made fake collections using photos of handicapped children are being investigated.

Since the BBC television programme 'Crimewatch' aired where we saw the reconstruction of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in May 2007 in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, English police have received 250 calls and emails with multiple leads - some being more important than others.  Scotland Yard are now tracking two men with Eastern Europe features who were seen making fake collections for disabled children and disappeared the day after the disappearance of the  three-year-old girl.  The men were seen knocking on doors of apartments in the holiday village.  They presented cards with the photograph of a child in a wheelchair.  They identified themselves using Portuguese names, but did not speak the language well.  The morning after the disappearance, the two men were seen drinking coffee and shots.  Later they disappeared. Police have examined the cards that they used to borrow money and saw that one side was in Portuguese and the other content in English - both languages ​​had several misspellings. These two men are part of a long list of suspects that British police are looking for that may have kidnapped the British girl.

www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/portugal/policia-segue-rasto-de-burloes-de-leste

[stephen25000]

Police follow trail of fraudsters East.

Two men who made fake collections using photos of handicapped children are being investigated.

Since the BBC television programme 'Crimewatch' aired where we saw the reconstruction of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in May 2007 in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, English police have received 250 calls and emails with multiple leads - some being more important than others.  Scotland Yard are now tracking two men with Eastern Europe features who were seen making fake collections for disabled children and disappeared the day after the disappearance of the  three-year-old girl.  The men were seen knocking on doors of apartments in the holiday village.  They presented cards with the photograph of a child in a wheelchair.  They identified themselves using Portuguese names, but did not speak the language well.  The morning after the disappearance, the two men were seen drinking coffee and shots.  Later they disappeared. Police have examined the cards that they used to borrow money and saw that one side was in Portuguese and the other content in English - both languages ​​had several misspellings. These two men are part of a long list of suspects that British police are looking for that may have kidnapped the British girl.

www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/portugal/policia-segue-rasto-de-burloes-de-leste

It would be hardly surprising that con-men disappeared with a large Police presence. Now if they had disappeared the night before, a different ball game.

[Lace]

What do you mean by t
Excellent article, on the unheard voices.

Victims of the aftermath of the mccanns behaviour.his Stephen -


I don't think it was the McCann's who revealed that there were sexual deviants in Luz,   the Portuguese Police  opened their investigation based on the reports of holiday makers that a man assaulted their children in their beds.

How are the McCann's to blame for journalists turning up at Luz?

Don't they want this man found?

I doubt very much if this is the voice of the people of Luz.

[Eleanor]

What do you mean by t
Excellent article, on the unheard voices.

Victims of the aftermath of the mccanns behaviour.his Stephen -


I don't think it was the McCann's who revealed that there were sexual deviants in Luz,   the Portuguese Police  opened their investigation based on the reports of holiday makers that a man assaulted their children in their beds.

How are the McCann's to blame for journalists turning up at Luz?

Don't they want this man found?

I doubt very much if this is the voice of the people of Luz.

Ah.  It all becomes clear.  Certain factions in Praia de Luz don't want to discuss this sexual predator that was on the loose in their supposedly safe holiday village before The McCanns ever arrived.
It will be interesting to see what The Press makes of this.

[icabodcrane]

Ah.  It all becomes clear.  Certain factions in Praia de Luz don't want to discuss this sexual predator that was on the loose in their supposedly safe holiday village before The McCanns ever arrived.
It will be interesting to see what The Press makes of this.

That's not what the article suggests to me

I would say it is an exasperated expression of   "ENOUGH  already !"  from someone who has had a gutful of being maligned and slandered  ...  but who is fearful of speaking out openly because the McCann Juggernaut is  scarey

I would guess that person sums up the general feeling in that area of Portugal 

That's  how the article reads to me anyway 

[Benice]

That's not what the article suggests to me

I would say it is an exasperated expression of   "ENOUGH  already !"  from someone who has had a gutful of being maligned and slandered  ...  but who is fearful of speaking out openly because the McCann Juggernaut is  scarey

I would guess that person sums up the general feeling in that area of Portugal 

That's  how the article reads to me anyway

The people of Portugal have never been malilgned or slandered to my knowledge.  Only certain elements of their police force have been criticised - and rightly so IMO.  Even their own have done that.

Quote

ANTONIO MARINHO PINTO: (translated) I’m convinced the McCann case will feature in Portuguese judicial history as a bad example. What a criminal investigation should not be.
Unquote 

I have no idea what the general feeling is - I suppose it depends largely on whether the scurrilous lies constantly printed in the Portuguese press about the McCanns and their friends were believed or not.

[pegasus]

It would be hardly surprising that con-men disappeared with a large Police presence. Now if they had disappeared the night before, a different ball game.

An excellent post. Yes if these two men had just commited a extremely serious crime on Thursday evening, I doubt very much they would hang around the town until Friday morning to have a nice relaxing cup of coffee in a cafe.

[sadie]

An excellent post. Yes if these two men had just commited a extremely serious crime on Thursday evening, I doubt very much they would hang around the town until Friday morning to have a nice relaxing cup of coffee in a cafe.

Unusual news !

I agree with Stephen and Pegasus on this !

[pegasus]

Unusual news !
I agree with Stephen and Pegasus on this !

IMO true seekers of the truth, coming from completely opposite initial beliefs, will inevitably converge onto the single and correct solution. 

[icabodcrane]

The people of Portugal have never been malilgned or slandered to my knowledge.  Only certain elements of their police force have been criticised - and rightly so IMO.  Even their own have done that.

Quote

ANTONIO MARINHO PINTO: (translated) I’m convinced the McCann case will feature in Portuguese judicial history as a bad example. What a criminal investigation should not be.
Unquote 

I have no idea what the general feeling is - I suppose it depends largely on whether the scurrilous lies constantly printed in the Portuguese press about the McCanns and their friends were believed or not.

So you respect the opinion of the  Praia De Luz resident quoted in this article  then  ? 

That's good

[John]

The people of Praia da Luz never asked for any of this so no wonder they are bitter.  The bad press which the village has received and continues to receive is appalling. No wonder the villagers feel so hard done by.

[Benice]

The people of Praia da Luz never asked for any of this so no wonder they are bitter.  The bad press which the village has received and continues to receive is appalling. No wonder the villagers feel so hard done by.

I can honestly say that I have never read anything anywhere criticising the inhabitants of PdL or the village itself.   

 

[Benice]

So you respect the opinion of the  Praia De Luz resident quoted in this article  then  ? 

That's good

I'm not sure what their opinion is - are they complaining about the Press or the fact that a little girl disappeared from PdL ?   I can understand the first - but not the second.

[Carana]

That's not what the article suggests to me

I would say it is an exasperated expression of   "ENOUGH  already !"  from someone who has had a gutful of being maligned and slandered  ...  but who is fearful of speaking out openly because the McCann Juggernaut is  scarey

I would guess that person sums up the general feeling in that area of Portugal 

That's  how the article reads to me anyway

Which person who declined to be named? There were two.


A high-ranking staff member at Luz Ocean Club told the Resident earlier this year: "Luz has taken such a battering over the last seven years. It really is time to do something for this community - help it rally round." But, like the anonymous "voice of Luz", the man asked not to be identified.


One would seem to be John Hill who was a key contact helping to organise the triathlon. And why would that quote be a direct reference to Madeleine's disappearance? It no doubt put PdL on the map for unfortunate reasons and the massive media presence during the first months may not be everyone's idea of a peaceful holidy, but there was a serious Euro crisis unfolding as well. Unless the McCanns are also responsible for that...