Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann

[Wonderfulspam]

Madeleine McCann: Search to begin on private land

Portuguese authorities have granted permission for one site in the town of Praia da Luz to be examined as part the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance, the BBC understands.

Permission has been granted for a "field operation" to begin on a section of private land, sources have said.

The Met Police, which is leading the investigation, declined to comment.

Met detectives are understood to have left Portugal after spending two days with Portuguese police in the Algarve.

BBC reporter Richard Bilton, in Praia da Luz, said Portuguese authorities had so far granted permission to begin a search on the land, which could begin in "days" or "weeks".

Investigative work

He said he had been told him that British teams want to conduct more searches, but have yet to make an official request, which could take "weeks" to process.

Metropolitan Police detectives have discussed a timetable for investigative work that Portuguese police will carry out for the British team, he added.

The development comes after reports suggested search teams were expected to start excavating sites in the Praia da Luz resort where Madeleine - then aged three - went missing on 3 May 2007.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley this week said "activity" was expected to begin in Portugal "in the coming weeks".

It also comes after Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, posted a statement on the Find Madeleine website on Thursday criticising "media interference" over newspaper speculation in the case.

They warned they were "dismayed" at speculation which could "potentially damage and destroy the investigation altogether".

They added: "There is an on-going, already challenging, police investigation taking place and media interference in this way not only makes the work of the police more difficult."

"As Madeleine's parents, this just compounds our distress," they added.

The seventh anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance was marked on Saturday.

Scotland Yard launched a fresh investigation - codenamed Operation Grange - into Madeleine's disappearance last July.

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

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

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-27343604

[Wonderfulspam]

PJ about to discard English Police strongest lead

Jornal de Notícias

There is no evidence that a predator of English girls has abducted Madeleine. Scotland Yard has asked for aerial photos of places in Praia da Luz and wishes to question eight "persons of interest"

by Marisa Rodrigues
09 May 2014
With thanks to Joana Morais for translation

The Judiciary Police (PJ) is about to discard the lead that has resulted in the reopening of the process in Portugal and that is Scotland Yard's main line of investigation. So far, there isn't any evidence to support the hypothesis that Madeleine was abducted by a sexual predator who attacked English children in the Algarve.

This is the firmly held position of the team of inspectors from the North Directorate of the PJ who has reviewed the investigation process that was archived in 2008.

After naming as probable suspect the late Euclides Monteiro, a former Ocean Club employee, the Portuguese investigators now believe that the intruder - in the cases that were reported to the authorities - might be British and that he does not reside in Portugal, since there were no new reports and those that were disclosed only target children of that nationality. "A sex abuser is someone who acts compulsively. If he only acted in the summer and has never attacked again it's because he does not live here," explained a source close to the process.

Yesterday, the day was marked by an aerial photo-reconnaissance in Praia da Luz of the areas where searches and excavations are planned using a helicopter of the Portuguese Air Force paid by the British authorities, and by a meeting between the police forces of the two countries at the PJ headquarters in Faro.

One of the places where Scotland Yard wants to use the sniffer dogs and the georadar is on the 25 de Abril street, in the vicinity of the Ocean Club and by the church. The area, which the helicopter overflew three times, was undergoing construction works when Madeleine disappeared, seven years ago. If anything suspicious is detected, they will excavate.

Besides the searches, which were already allowed by the Public Prosecutor of Portimão, the letters rogatory also request for eight people to be questioned. Some used to work at the Ocean Club resort whilst are not linked in any way. With all these initiatives, it seems likely that Scotland Yard has more than one line of investigation, of which the latest and most visible action yet indicates the hypothesis that the child was murdered and buried in Praia da Luz. When questioned, in Faro, DCI Andy Redwood refused to speak with the journalists.

Tension between the PJ and the English

The relationship between the police forces of the two countries is rather tense. The Judiciary Police has requested to the English police to stop disclosing information about the ongoing work in Portugal, otherwise they will not proceed with the steps that were requested. Scotland Yard wrote to the newspapers in the United Kingdom asking for "understanding".

[Mr Gray]

Someone needs to tell the Portuguese that you don't need evidence to question someone. Evidence is what you get through questioning

[VIXTE]

PJ about to discard English Police strongest lead

Jornal de Notícias

There is no evidence that a predator of English girls has abducted Madeleine. Scotland Yard has asked for aerial photos of places in Praia da Luz and wishes to question eight "persons of interest"

by Marisa Rodrigues
09 May 2014
With thanks to Joana Morais for translation

The Judiciary Police (PJ) is about to discard the lead that has resulted in the reopening of the process in Portugal and that is Scotland Yard's main line of investigation. So far, there isn't any evidence to support the hypothesis that Madeleine was abducted by a sexual predator who attacked English children in the Algarve.

This is the firmly held position of the team of inspectors from the North Directorate of the PJ who has reviewed the investigation process that was archived in 2008.

After naming as probable suspect the late Euclides Monteiro, a former Ocean Club employee, the Portuguese investigators now believe that the intruder - in the cases that were reported to the authorities - might be British and that he does not reside in Portugal, since there were no new reports and those that were disclosed only target children of that nationality. "A sex abuser is someone who acts compulsively. If he only acted in the summer and has never attacked again it's because he does not live here," explained a source close to the process.

Yesterday, the day was marked by an aerial photo-reconnaissance in Praia da Luz of the areas where searches and excavations are planned using a helicopter of the Portuguese Air Force paid by the British authorities, and by a meeting between the police forces of the two countries at the PJ headquarters in Faro.

One of the places where Scotland Yard wants to use the sniffer dogs and the georadar is on the 25 de Abril street, in the vicinity of the Ocean Club and by the church. The area, which the helicopter overflew three times, was undergoing construction works when Madeleine disappeared, seven years ago. If anything suspicious is detected, they will excavate.

Besides the searches, which were already allowed by the Public Prosecutor of Portimão, the letters rogatory also request for eight people to be questioned. Some used to work at the Ocean Club resort whilst are not linked in any way. With all these initiatives, it seems likely that Scotland Yard has more than one line of investigation, of which the latest and most visible action yet indicates the hypothesis that the child was murdered and buried in Praia da Luz. When questioned, in Faro, DCI Andy Redwood refused to speak with the journalists.

Tension between the PJ and the English

The relationship between the police forces of the two countries is rather tense. The Judiciary Police has requested to the English police to stop disclosing information about the ongoing work in Portugal, otherwise they will not proceed with the steps that were requested. Scotland Yard wrote to the newspapers in the United Kingdom asking for "understanding".

Constantly asking 'British' to stop talking to the media but constantly talking to media themselves.

It seems the PJ's biggest worry would be the offender being Portuguese ;)

[Wonderfulspam]

So Scotland Yard want to dig up private property behind the church ?

Is that suggestive that they are considering the cadaver dog's alerts were accurate,  and that Madeleine 's dead body was subsequently hidden  ? 

I mean the McCanns have direct connections with that church  ...  even had their own key to it

Conversely,  I can't think what connection that church might have to any  abduction theory

Is it a Catholic church?

[Cariad]

No

Well I'm glad you went in to such depth to explain your reasoning why the Mccann/church/digging theory can be dispelled.

You well thought out and exact argument certainly leaves no room for doubt!


Oh wait.... 

[Cariad]

So Scotland Yard want to dig up private property behind the church ?

Is that suggestive that they are considering the cadaver dog's alerts were accurate,  and that Madeleine 's dead body was subsequently hidden  ? 

I mean the McCanns have direct connections with that church  ...  even had their own key to it

Conversely,  I can't think what connection that church might have to any  abduction theory

This is how I see it too. I don't know if that's just conformation bias though. I'm waiting for someone to supply an alternative that is vaguely realistic.

I have no idea where this is going. We have SY endorsing the use of cadaver dogs by using cadaver dogs, digging next to apartment 5a, yet also saying that the Mccanns need some resolution and to know what happened to their daughter in the same breath.

I wouldn't place money on anything at the moment.

[Mr Gray]

This is how I see it too. I don't know if that's just conformation bias though. I'm waiting for someone to supply an alternative that is vaguely realistic.

I have no idea where this is going. We have SY endorsing the use of cadaver dogs by using cadaver dogs, digging next to apartment 5a, yet also saying that the Mccanns need some resolution and to know what happened to their daughter in the same breath.

I wouldn't place money on anything at the moment.

I would certainly put a lot of money on the parents not being involved

[Alfred R Jones]

I don't see there being any contradiction in the SY using "cadaver" dogs now, and not treating the McCanns as suspects.  I know some people believe that every time dogs have been used since 2007 by the police it has been a coded message to the world that the McCanns "dunnit", but I don't believe that to be the case.

[stephen25000]

I don't see there being any contradiction in the SY using "cadaver" dogs now, and not treating the McCanns as suspects.  I know some people believe that every time dogs have been used since 2007 by the police it has been a coded message to the world that the McCanns "dunnit", but I don't believe that to be the case.

We shall see.

[Mr Moderator]

Members should take care when posting since there are three live threads which potentially deal with the proposed digs in Praia da Luz.

* Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann.

* Scotland Yard about to commence digs in and around Praia da Luz.

* Could a child really be buried so quick and never be found?


It is important that you post on the correct thread.  Your cooperation in this would be greatly appreciated.

[Cariad]

I don't see there being any contradiction in the SY using "cadaver" dogs now, and not treating the McCanns as suspects.  I know some people believe that every time dogs have been used since 2007 by the police it has been a coded message to the world that the McCanns "dunnit", but I don't believe that to be the case.

This is just rubbish. I have never claimed that SY using Evrd's is a 'coded message' . My post was perfectly reasonable. To use EVRD's in this  case reinforces the previous use of them as legitimate.

Trying to make me out to be some kind of conspiracy nut won't actually change that.

[ferryman]

The fact that dogs are utilised by every single police force in the universe kind of puts paid to the "dogs are crap" argument.

Serious question marks over the way the dogs were deployed in PdL does not reflect on the dogs.

[Wonderfulspam]

Oh God, the Mirror has exhumed Raymond Hewlett.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-metropolitan-police-investigating-3519393

[Silkywhiskers]

Oh god, the Mirror has exhumed Raymond Hewlett.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-metropolitan-police-investigating-3519393

Ha!

To question 8 of his body parts separately?

The POI has been a gypsy, no make that a family of gypsies, no make that a pedophile from the UK, oh wait a TEAM of pedophiles, scrap that it's a team of burglars - no wait, it's Euclides who is now deceased...!

So it's gone from one individual to several, to 3, to one again, then 8 of them, now it's back to Hewlett thanks to the Mirror.

It would be funny if it weren't so ridiculous.

Sell those papers Rupert!