Was Gonçalo Amaral the author of his own demise with his off-the-record comment?

[AnneGuedes]

Things are said off the record, once they're on the record, it's too late, you can't deny them.
That's what happened to Gonçalo Amaral, he wasn't expecting the journalist to repeat that the British were manipulated by the McCanns.

[Lyall]

Things are said off the record, once they're on the record, it's too late, you can't deny them.
That's what happened to Gonçalo Amaral, he wasn't expecting the journalist to repeat that the British were manipulated by the McCanns.

It's not that controversial a comment on its own. Doesn't he think there were other factors involved also?

[AnneGuedes]

It's not that controversial a comment on its own. Doesn't he think there were other factors involved also?

It was controversial, not published in a kind of tabloid like the Correio da Manha, but in a serious newspaper.
The question is, was or wasn't the journalist aware ? Was he himself f... up with the saga ?
I'm not sure (I could check this) whether it's the same journalist who wrote, on the 5th, that the McCann story was a badly told story. Portuguese medias (see Panorama) felt that the McCanns were performing for the media.

[Lyall]

It was controversial, not published in a kind of tabloid like the Correio da Manha, but in a serious newspaper.
The question is, was or wasn't the journalist aware ? Was he himself f... up with the saga ?
I'm not sure (I could check this) whether it's the same journalist who wrote, on the 5th, that the McCann story was a badly told story. Portuguese medias (see Panorama) felt that the McCanns were performing for the media.

I remember it. But doesn't Mr Amaral think the decision may have also had something to do with other factors like witnesses or the direction the case was taking? He thinks the decision was political doesn't he? So the interview may just have been used as a convenient excuse?

[AnneGuedes]

I remember it. But doesn't Mr Amaral think the decision may have also had something to do with other factors like witnesses or the direction the case was taking? He thinks the decision was political doesn't he? So the interview may just have been used as a convenient excuse?

Had Alipio Ribeiro pointed to him the diplomatic gaffe, they could have rectified it, it wasn't as enormous as that.
Therefore I think that the occasion was there and was seized to have him away. It was very clear from the very beginning that the McCanns would never be sued in Portugal, since nobody thought they had murdered their daughter. There was nothing to gain but problems. Amaral risked to go too far, obsessed by finding what happened to a little girl for whom he cared, without having a global view of the situation. I think MeM had GA in mind in the AG report when he mentioned The Pledge. Requiem for the police novel of Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

[Lyall]

Had Alipio Ribeiro pointed to him the diplomatic gaffe, they could have rectified it, it wasn't as enormous as that.
Therefore I think that the occasion was there and was seized to have him away. It was very clear from the very beginning that the McCanns would never be sued in Portugal, since nobody thought they had murdered their daughter. There was nothing to gain but problems. Amaral risked to go too far, obsessed by finding what happened to a little girl for whom he cared, without having a global view of the situation. I think MeM had GA in mind in the AG report when he mentioned The Pledge. Requiem for the police novel of Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

That all makes sense to me.

[Lyall]

Are you ? I think he was used for proxy.

How do you mean Anne?

[Carana]

Had Alipio Ribeiro pointed to him the diplomatic gaffe, they could have rectified it, it wasn't as enormous as that.
Therefore I think that the occasion was there and was seized to have him away. It was very clear from the very beginning that the McCanns would never be sued in Portugal, since nobody thought they had murdered their daughter. There was nothing to gain but problems. Amaral risked to go too far, obsessed by finding what happened to a little girl for whom he cared, without having a global view of the situation. I think MeM had GA in mind in the AG report when he mentioned The Pledge. Requiem for the police novel of Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

My impression is different. The diplomatic gaffe criticising an overseas police force that had provided as much support as possible may well have been the last straw. A broader issue, building up to that, is that Ribeiro would no doubt have been aware (or could have worked out) that the team was leaking half-truths like a sieve, all intended to sway public opinion against a family, while in reality the team was wildly out of its depth. For a country in which judicial secrecy is supposed to be respected, and in which the media spotlight was on the competence of the investigating team, a public professional fault could have been an opportunity to halt what may have been felt as an escalating national embarrassment.

Like any human being, I've no doubt that he would have been proud to have found Madeleine, however I feel less convinced than you that he was obsessed by finding out what really happened to her as opposed to pursuing a hypothesis requiring such leaps of logic that, in view of the plethora of alternative "parentswhatdunnit" theories, even his fans don't seem convinced of how it could have been feasible in practice. Trying to shoehorn a seriously flawed understanding of numerous aspects (to put it generously) to fit his hypothesis doesn't come across to me as someone who is truly concerned with discovering the truth.

[Benice]

My impression is different. The diplomatic gaffe criticising an overseas police force that had provided as much support as possible may well have been the last straw. A broader issue, building up to that, is that Ribeiro would no doubt have been aware (or could have worked out) that the team was leaking half-truths like a sieve, all intended to sway public opinion against a family, while in reality the team was wildly out of its depth. For a country in which judicial secrecy is supposed to be respected, and in which the media spotlight was on the competence of the investigating team, a public professional fault could have been an opportunity to halt what may have been felt as an escalating national embarrassment.

Like any human being, I've no doubt that he would have been proud to have found Madeleine, however I feel less convinced than you that he was obsessed by finding out what really happened to her as opposed to pursuing a hypothesis requiring such leaps of logic that, in view of the plethora of alternative "parentswhatdunnit" theories, even his fans don't seem convinced of how it could have been feasible in practice. Trying to shoehorn a seriously flawed understanding of numerous aspects (to put it generously) to fit his hypothesis doesn't come across to me as someone who is truly concerned with discovering the truth.

Excellent post Carana - which I completely agree with.   IMO Amaral thought that if he could get the public to find them guilty - he was almost home and dry - which IMO is exactly what happened in his previous 'missing child' case.   He was hoping for history to repeat itself.

[Eleanor]

Excellent post Carana - which I completely agree with.   IMO Amaral thought that if he could get the public to find them guilty - he was almost home and dry - which IMO is exactly what happened in his previous 'missing child' case.   He was hoping for history to repeat itself.

That's it, precisely.  Trial by public opinion.  It worked the first time so why not again.

But surely the information that Scotland Yard are uncovering was also available to The PJ?  Including the phone pings around certain burglars, enough to be very noticeable.  Right time, right place and lots of them.

But Amaral was far more interested in the phone records of The McCanns and friends.  So by pursuing one aspect of The Phones and ignoring the other, this can only been seen as prejudice, and an attempt to push the investigation in the direction of his theories.

Attempting to interfere with evidence in fact.

[VIXTE]

That's it, precisely.  Trial by public opinion.  It worked the first time so why not again.

But surely the information that Scotland Yard are uncovering was also available to The PJ?  Including the phone pings around certain burglars, enough to be very noticeable.  Right time, right place and lots of them.

But Amaral was far more interested in the phone records of The McCanns and friends.  So by pursuing one aspect of The Phones and ignoring the other, this can only been seen as prejudice, and an attempt to push the investigation in the direction of his theories.

Attempting to interfere with evidence in fact.

Why do you think he never investigated these burglaries?
Is it due to his ego? Due to him thinking he is more clever than others? Why his colleagues all followed him blindly and nobody did the own search? Maybe they never in past investigated the phone data? ( due to PDL and even Portmao being small towns) Why did he not pursue the technology more? ( Maybe the modern policing using technology wasn't his strongest point?) I notice he even did not get the DNA results on the beginning, he mixed up the reference number in his letters.. Maybe this was due to a language barrier? Maybe for number of years he got used to an easy-peasy work style where he pursued things the way his 'police intuition' said.

[Sherlock Holmes]

My impression is different. The diplomatic gaffe criticising an overseas police force that had provided as much support as possible may well have been the last straw. A broader issue, building up to that, is that Ribeiro would no doubt have been aware (or could have worked out) that the team was leaking half-truths like a sieve, all intended to sway public opinion against a family, while in reality the team was wildly out of its depth. For a country in which judicial secrecy is supposed to be respected, and in which the media spotlight was on the competence of the investigating team, a public professional fault could have been an opportunity to halt what may have been felt as an escalating national embarrassment.

Like any human being, I've no doubt that he would have been proud to have found Madeleine, however I feel less convinced than you that he was obsessed by finding out what really happened to her as opposed to pursuing a hypothesis requiring such leaps of logic that, in view of the plethora of alternative "parentswhatdunnit" theories, even his fans don't seem convinced of how it could have been feasible in practice. Trying to shoehorn a seriously flawed understanding of numerous aspects (to put it generously) to fit his hypothesis doesn't come across to me as someone who is truly concerned with discovering the truth.

Amazingly expressed, Carana, if I may say.

[Eleanor]

Why do you think he never investigated these burglaries?
Is it due to his ego? Due to him thinking he is more clever than others? Why his colleagues all followed him blindly and nobody did the own search? Maybe they never in past investigated the phone data? ( due to PDL and even Portmao being small towns) Why did he not pursue the technology more? ( Maybe the modern policing using technology wasn't his strongest point?) I notice he even did not get the DNA results on the beginning, he mixed up the reference number in his letters.. Maybe this was due to a language barrier? Maybe for number of years he got used to an easy-peasy work style where he pursued things the way his 'police intuition' said.

I think he simply wanted it to be a case of The Mother Done It.  Plus he needed help after being made an Arguido in the beating of Leonor Cipriano.

His attitude to women in general is not good.  And his understanding of modern policing techniques is abysmal.  But that doesn't alter the fact that he pursued The McCann phone records while ignoring any others.  This is prejudice.

Many a case has been solved by Mobile Phones being where they shouldn't be, and it was always likely that the abductors would communicate by mobile phone, if there was more than one of them, which I have always believed to be the case.

[John]

New thread.

Was Dr Gonçalo Amaral the author of his own demise after making the off-the-record comment about the British being manipulated by the McCanns?   In reality, was this the opportunity his bosses were waiting for?

[Eleanor]

New thread.

Was Dr Gonçalo Amaral the author of his own demise after making the off-the-record comment about the British being manipulated by the McCanns?   In reality, was this the opportunity his bosses were waiting for?

What on earth could have made Amaral think his remarks wouldn't be repeated by The Media?  Every other thing was.
The only thing different about about this was that a name was put it.

Personally, I doubt that it was serious enough in itsself, so there must have been more to his removal.