Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann

[Mr Moderator]

Madeleine McCann search to enter 'substantial phase' of activity

Police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance say "a substantial phase of operational activity" will begin within weeks.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the activity would be led by Portuguese police with the involvement of British officers.

Madeleine was three years old when she went missing from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.

Scotland Yard launched a fresh investigation last July.

Credible possibilities

Mr Rowley did not give details about what the next phase would involve, but said officers were working through every credible line of inquiry as part of the "slog of a major investigation".

He said: "It's something that you would expect in any major inquiry.

"A thorough serious crime investigation works systematically through all the credible possibilities, and often in an investigation you will have more than one credible possibility.

"Therefore just because we're doing a substantial phase of work in the forthcoming weeks doesn't mean that it's going to immediately lead to answers that will explain everything."

Intruder

The Metropolitan Police's relationship with officers in Portugal was working well, he added.

Scotland Yard's investigation - codenamed Operation Grange - came two years into a review of the case.

In March, British police said they were seeking an intruder who sexually abused five girls in Portugal between 2004 and 2006.

Detectives say the attacks happened in holiday villas occupied by UK families in the Algarve.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27514800

[VIXTE]

http://news.sky.com/story/1266772/madeleine-investigation-enters-major-phase

Madeleine Investigation 'Enters Major Phase'

UK detectives in Portugal say "all the credible possibilities" are being worked through as the police inquiry develops.12:49pm UK,

Thursday 22 May 2014


Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will enter a "substantial phase of operational activity" in Portugal in the next few weeks.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said detectives could not promise answers, but were checking every credible line of enquiry in the search.

"In the forthcoming weeks we are going to be going to a substantial phase of operational activity on the ground in Portugal," he said.

"It's something that you would expect in any major inquiry.

"A thorough serious crime investigation works systematically through all the credible possibilities, and often in an investigation you will have more than one credible possibility.

"Therefore just because we're doing a substantial phase of work in the forthcoming week doesn't mean that it's going to immediately lead to answers that will explain everything."

UK officers are currently running their own investigation into what happened to Madeleine, who vanished at the age of three from Portuguese holiday resort Praia da Luz in May 2007.


Kate and Gerry McCann have called for media restraint
Portuguese police have also reopened their probe into the disappearance, and while they are working with Scotland Yard, detectives have refused to set up an official joint investigation.

Mr Rowley echoed Madeleine's mother Kate McCann's calls for restraint in media coverage of the case.

He said: "I want to be able to go back to Kate and Gerry at some stage in the future and tell them we've got to the bottom of this, or second best is to go back to them and say we've turned over every stone and we can't get to an answer sometimes."

A number Met Police officers hope to be involved in the latest phase of activity.

"The activity in Portugal is led by the Portuguese, that's absolutely crystal clear in law," Mr Rowley said.

"We have some officers who would like to be helping with that on the ground in Portugal, doing some of the work we anticipate. We are putting the finishing touches to the plans to the Portuguese in the coming weeks.

"I anticipate a substantial phase of activity in forthcoming weeks including Portuguese and British officers, but the detail of that is still being finalised with Portuguese colleagues and it will all be under Portuguese leadership."

One line of enquiry for Scotland Yard is a lone male paedophile who staged a series of sex attacks on young British girls while they were on holiday in the Algarve.

Hundreds of people have already made contact with police in response to appeals to try to find the attacker.

[Wonderfulspam]

Madeleine McCann: British police preparing to interview suspects and begin digging in Portugal

Scotland Yard detectives are prepare to join their Portuguese counterparts to start a major operation on the ground in Praia da Luz

British police hunting Madeleine McCann missing Madeleine McCann will begin quizzing suspects and digging for clues within weeks.

Scotland Yard today announced “a substantial phase of operational activity” as officers prepared to join Portuguese counterparts at the resort where the three-year-old vanished in 2007.
 
Met Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said the activity would be led by local police with the involvement of UK officers.
 
British police have said they are seeking an intruder who sexually abused five girls between 2004 and 2006 in villas occupied by UK families in the Algarve. They will sit in as any potential suspects are interviewed by local officers.
 
Forensic teams will use ground-penetrating radar to examine sites where earth has been disturbed. They will then bring in diggers.
 
Detectives are said to be focussing on two areas near the apartment where the McCanns stayed.
 
New aerial photographs are likely to be taken and officers will hunt for changes in vegetation, rock disturbance, odd depressions or piles of soil

Hi-tech tools can detect changes in magnetic fields caused by disturbed earth and changes to soil resistance caused by a body.
 
Mr Rowley said officers were working through every credible line of inquiry as part of the “slog of a major investigation”.
 
He went on: “A thorough serious crime investigation works systematically through all the credible possibilities and often in an investigation you will have more than one credible possibility.
 
“Therefore, just because we’re doing a substantial phase of work in the forthcoming weeks, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to immediately lead to answers that will explain everything. What you will see is normal police activity.
 
“Similarly, this should not be seen as a sign that the investigation is nearing a conclusion.
 
“The very fact that we are in the position of moving towards substantial activity shows the relationship between the Met and its Portuguese colleagues is working.”
 
Mr Rowley said Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate would be kept up to date throughout the activity led by the Met’s Det Chief Insp Andy Redwood

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-british-police-preparing-3590958

[Admin]

Madeleine McCann News: £6m Investigation May Still 'Draw A Blank', Warn Police.

As the search for missing Madeleine McCann steps up, a senior Scotland Yard officer has warned the investigation may still “draw a blank”.

On Thursday Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley announced a “substantial phase of operational activity” was due to begin in Portugal.

Vowing his officers would work through every credible line of inquiry in the search, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley stated: “I want to be able to go back to Kate and Gerry at some stage in the future and tell them we’ve got to the bottom of this, or second best is to go back to them and say we’ve turned over every stone and we can’t get to an answer sometimes.”



He also cautioned that despite sifting through all lines of inquiry, the £6m investigation might yield no further clues.

"There's lots of potential lines of inquiry," he said. "If we didn't think there were any potentially fruitful lines of inquiry, we wouldn't be where we are today; we would be saying there's nowhere to go with this investigation.

"There are many potential fruitful lines of inquiry and the only way you get anywhere is to work through them all systematically.

"Within that may be the answer and the case may be potentially solvable.

Read more...

[Admin]

Correio da Manhã

CMTV reports that searches and digs in the the Madeleine McCann case due to start in June.

http://cmtv.sapo.pt/detalhe.aspx?channelID=34F5E1B7-BABF-4C08-83FC-20AF9E097CDA&contentID=4D5F8E68-5BDC-47CB-BECD-C884C8824621

[pathfinder73]

Madeleine McCann private eye breaks his silence on the hunt in a new Channel 5 documentary

THE private investigator behind the 2008 operation to find Madeleine McCann will speak for the first time about his search for the youngster.

By: John Chapman
Published: Tue, May 27, 2014

Kevin Halligen will break his silence in an exclusive Channel 5 interview for a documentary, The McCanns And The Conman.

The 53-year-old set up Operation Omega after being commissioned by parents Kate and Gerry McCann to find Maddy, who vanished at the age of three while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

Halligan, a Surrey-based Irishman, promised to use his MI5, MI6 and CIA “contacts” to try to track down the girl.

The security consultant signed a six-figure contract – but questions were later raised over exactly how the money was spent.

Now Halligen, who also claimed to have FBI and White House connections, has agreed to tell his side of the story.

The documentary, due to be screened next week, reads like the plot of a spy movie.

It is an extraordinary tale of covert surveillance, sting operations and the bugging of a key witness through the twists and turns of the hunt for a man who was then a prime suspect, code-named “George”.

Halligen’s final report is said to contain significant leads that now form part of the current Scotland Yard investigation, including the crucial e-fits based on the so-called “Smith sighting”, which was aired on Crimewatch last October.

But it transpired that Halligen was an audacious conman, who led people into believing he was a spy.

He was arrested in 2009 and jailed in the US for defrauding an unrelated client on a previous kidnap and ransom case.

He has recently been released from prison.

Channel 5’s Emma Westcott said: “This is the extraordinary story of one man’s audacious claims, and how he fooled the intelligence community.”

• The McCanns And The Conman, Channel 5, June 4, 9pm.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/478406/Madeleine-McCann-Private-eye-to-break-silence-on-hunt

[John]

Convicted fraudster Kevin Halligen, the man behind Red Defence and Oakley International,
the PI firms which headed up the search for Madeleine in 2008.

[Mr Gray]

Madeleine McCann News: £6m Investigation May Still 'Draw A Blank', Warn Police.

As the search for missing Madeleine McCann steps up, a senior Scotland Yard officer has warned the investigation may still “draw a blank”.

On Thursday Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley announced a “substantial phase of operational activity” was due to begin in Portugal.

Vowing his officers would work through every credible line of inquiry in the search, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley stated: “I want to be able to go back to Kate and Gerry at some stage in the future and tell them we’ve got to the bottom of this, or second best is to go back to them and say we’ve turned over every stone and we can’t get to an answer sometimes.”



He also cautioned that despite sifting through all lines of inquiry, the £6m investigation might yield no further clues.

"There's lots of potential lines of inquiry," he said. "If we didn't think there were any potentially fruitful lines of inquiry, we wouldn't be where we are today; we would be saying there's nowhere to go with this investigation.

"There are many potential fruitful lines of inquiry and the only way you get anywhere is to work through them all systematically.

"Within that may be the answer and the case may be potentially solvable.

Read more...

So all those who think the digging is based on strong intelligence may be very disappointed

[Wonderfulspam]

EXCLUSIVE: Madeleine McCann bogus super-spy 'will crack case'

A BOGUS super-spy hired by Madeleine McCann’s parents could solve the case.

A new TV shock documentary tells how he identified the prime suspect in the mystery.

A year after the then three-year-old's 2007 disappearance, Irishman Kevin Halligen, 52, signed a £500,000 deal to locate her.

Boasting of connections with MI5, MI6, the CIA, FBI, and the White House he planned to use hi-tech surveillance techniques.

But his contract was terminated after organisers of the public fund set up to find the youngster decided he had failed to honour their agreement.

Halligen was then arrested and extradited to the US where he was jailed last year for 44 months after admitting defrauding a different client out of $2.1m.

Madeleine's doctor parents Kate, 46, and Gerry, 45, were understood to be considering suing Halligen over his Operation Omega probe into their daughter's disappearance.

But according to a new Channel 5 documentary Halligen's operatives may end up solving the mystery. They identified as the prime suspect a man seen heading towards the beach in Praia da Luz, Portugal, clutching a sleeping blonde girl around 10pm the night Madeleine vanished.

Halligen's investigators convinced the Irish family who saw her to help produce an e-fit. That man is now the Metropolitan Police's No1 suspect.

Detectives believe he may be a serial sex attacker who targeted a string of other Brit girls on the Algarve.

In the documentary, The McCanns And The Conman – due to be screened on June 4 – recently freed Halligen will speak for the first time about his theory.

A spokesman for Channel 5 said: "The McCanns trusted Kevin Halligen to bring her home."

Halligen was allegedly spending significant amounts of the cash meant to help find Madeleine on his luxury lifestyle.

Channel 5's Emma Westcott said: "This is the extraordinary story of one man's claims, and how he exploited the nightmare of a missing child."

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/380792/EXCLUSIVE-Madeleine-McCann-bogus-super-spy-will-crack-case

[Wonderfulspam]

Madeleine McCann private eye breaks his silence on the hunt in a new Channel 5 documentary

THE private investigator behind the 2008 operation to find Madeleine McCann will speak for the first time about his search for the youngster.

Kevin Halligen will break his silence in an exclusive Channel 5 interview for a documentary, The McCanns And The Conman.

The 53-year-old set up Operation Omega after being commissioned by parents Kate and Gerry McCann to find Maddy, who vanished at the age of three while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

Halligan, a Surrey-based Irishman, promised to use his MI5, MI6 and CIA "contacts" to try to track down the girl.

The security consultant signed a six-figure contract – but questions were later raised over exactly how the money was spent.

Now Halligen, who also claimed to have FBI and White House connections, has agreed to tell his side of the story.

The documentary, due to be screened next week, reads like the plot of a spy movie.

It is an extraordinary tale of covert surveillance, sting operations and the bugging of a key witness through the twists and turns of the hunt for a man who was then a prime suspect, code-named "George".

Halligen's final report is said to contain significant leads that now form part of the current Scotland Yard investigation, including the crucial e-fits based on the so-called "Smith sighting", which was aired on Crimewatch last October.

But it transpired that Halligen was an audacious conman, who led people into believing he was a spy.

He was arrested in 2009 and jailed in the US for defrauding an unrelated client on a previous kidnap and ransom case.

He has recently been released from prison.

Channel 5's Emma Westcott said: "This is the extraordinary story of one man’s audacious claims, and how he fooled the intelligence community."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/478406/Madeleine-McCann-Private-eye-to-break-silence-on-hunt

[pegasus]

Correio Da Manha 28 May

"Ingleses escavam em 3 sitios ..."
http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/capa/cm-de-hoje-28052014

"Ingleses escavam em 3 áreas. Buscas para procurar corpo começam para a semana."
http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/exclusivo-cm/ingleses-escavam-em-3-areas

Translated: "English to dig in 3 areas.  Searches to find body begin next week."

[comanche]

I will not share as if u have followed this case since May 3rd one would know it was not Gerry. I have over the years answered many, many questions and I know for a fact The McCanns did not intentionally hurt Madeleine even though they live everyday with knowing they definitely should not have left them alone. They are heartbroken.

[stephen25000]

I will not share as if u have followed this case since May 3rd one would know it was not Gerry. I have over the years answered many, many questions and I know for a fact The McCanns did not intentionally hurt Madeleine even though they live everyday with knowing they definitely should not have left them alone. They are heartbroken.

Who has said on here they intentionally hurt Madeleine ?

They are responsible for what they did and no one else.

It was common sense, never to leave such young children in the first place.

[Wonderfulspam]

English to dig in three areas Correio da Manhã

Searches to look for the body start next week. English defend burglary thesis.

by Tânia Laranjo /Ana Isabel Fonseca
28.05.2014
With thanks to Astro for translation

Scotland Yard wants to dig at three locations, in Praia da Luz, searching for Madeleine McCann's remains. The English have already sent the letters rogatory - requesting two additional searches - but these have not yet arrived at the Polícia Judiciária in Faro. Only then will the dates for the beginning of the excavations be set, although it seems that they will start early next week.

The three grounds are located near the Praia da Luz resort, in Lagos, where the English child disappeared from, on the 3rd of May of 2007. The English believe that the little girl was killed during a burglary at the house and that the body was abandoned near the Ocean Club afterwards.

Dogs that specialise in detecting cadaver odour will participate in the searches. The animals come from England and have already been successfully used in the retrieval of other bodies. The radars that will be used to find out if there is an alien object under ground will come from the same country.

CM knows that the excavations will be carried out by the English police. The Judiciária will be on location just due to bureaucratic issues, given that it holds jurisdiction over the area.

The search warrants that permit the searches have also been issued already - because these are private grounds. Any discovery will be communicated to the Portuguese authorities and will become part of the process, which was reopened late last year, and which presently runs against unknown persons.

CM was further able to establish that the diligence by the English will last for four to six days. The cost of the operation will be fully supported by the English police, which is already arranging for the rental of backhoes and other equipment that is needed for the excavations.

[Mr Gray]

English to dig in three areas Correio da Manhã

Searches to look for the body start next week. English defend burglary thesis.

by Tânia Laranjo /Ana Isabel Fonseca
28.05.2014
With thanks to Astro for translation

Scotland Yard wants to dig at three locations, in Praia da Luz, searching for Madeleine McCann's remains. The English have already sent the letters rogatory - requesting two additional searches - but these have not yet arrived at the Polícia Judiciária in Faro. Only then will the dates for the beginning of the excavations be set, although it seems that they will start early next week.

The three grounds are located near the Praia da Luz resort, in Lagos, where the English child disappeared from, on the 3rd of May of 2007. The English believe that the little girl was killed during a burglary at the house and that the body was abandoned near the Ocean Club afterwards.

Dogs that specialise in detecting cadaver odour will participate in the searches. The animals come from England and have already been successfully used in the retrieval of other bodies. The radars that will be used to find out if there is an alien object under ground will come from the same country.

CM knows that the excavations will be carried out by the English police. The Judiciária will be on location just due to bureaucratic issues, given that it holds jurisdiction over the area.

The search warrants that permit the searches have also been issued already - because these are private grounds. Any discovery will be communicated to the Portuguese authorities and will become part of the process, which was reopened late last year, and which presently runs against unknown persons.

CM was further able to establish that the diligence by the English will last for four to six days. The cost of the operation will be fully supported by the English police, which is already arranging for the rental of backhoes and other equipment that is needed for the excavations.

Well there you are..it was a burglar...mccanns not suspects