http://steelmagnolia-steelmagnolia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/carolina-santos-hoax-hoax-kate-mccann.htmlMetodo 3:Carolina Santos hoax: A hoax Kate McCann chose not to write about in her book.
The Sun for December 5, where two so-called journalists named Neil Syson and Veronica Lorraine wrote a story under the heading of "Hunt for copy-cat snatcher" saying that;
Blue-eyed blonde Carolina Santos, three, was snatched by a Moroccan-looking man four months before Maddie vanished ... Carolina's parents Abel and Lina offered to help cops two weeks after Maddie, four, disappeared but were never questioned. Now they will meet private detectives from Spanish agency Metodo 3, hired by Gerry and Kate McCann, both 39.
You actually have to read on to discover that actually the child wasn't snatched at all, as the parents of the child supposedly intervened before the worst happened, but still our dear friends Metodo 3 are quoted as having said "This could be relevant."
What this story is telling you is how crap the Portuguese police are for not following up this lead, and how busy Metodo 3 are being in tracking down this overlooked piece of evidence.
But hey, look at this piece from the Diário de Notícias of May 25, 2007 (that's six months previously), telling us that;(link can be found through search archives)
A 30 years old man, from Morocco, threatened to kidnap the three year old daughter of a woman who rents a coffee-shop at Fonte de Luzeiros, between Silves and São Bartolomes de Messines." and that the "kidnap threat was made, last Tuesday".
See how there was no actual attempt at kidnapping Carolina Santos, only a threat, and that it all happened after Madeleine was snatched, not four months beforehand.
But, wait there's more. The Diário de Notícias goes on to say that the woman "filed a complaint with GNR from Silves the next day, and was contacted yesterday by investigators from Polícia Judiciária, to whom she told what happened." The newspaper then said that after "Talking with local residents" they "found that the man in question is a street seller and a well known trouble maker."
So far from "never being questioned" the family was questioned by both the GNR and the PJ, and what's more everyone knows who was responsible for causing the trouble in the first place.
This is just a prime example of the sort of crap we have to put up with in the British press thanks to "Team McCann".
There's nothing here for the Metodo boys and girls to "investigate", just a drunk Moroccan street vendor who got into argument with a local cafe owner, and has no connection whatever to the Madeleine case.
Metodo 3 function was to make themselves available to the British press about how the latest PR stunt might be "crucial", or "relevant".
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I can find no other source apart from the Sun and Scottish Herald and refs to Metodo 3 for the Xmas 2006 attempted abduction
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Herald Scotland
Bid made to snatch Madeleine look-alike last year
MARTIN WILLIAMS
May 25 2007
Police in Portugal have been told of an attempt to snatch a girl similar to Madeleine McCann just half an hour from Praia da Luz, it emerged last night.
Three-year-old Carolina Santos, who is blonde with blue eyes, was found being led away from the family cafe near the town of Silves by a man last year.
Her parents described yesterday how they had left Carolina playing at the front of the roadside cafe in Fonte de Louseiron, a village around half an hour from Praia da Luz on Christmas Day.
"We were busy working in the kitchen and came out to find out she wasn't there," Abel Santos, 40, said.
"I searched around for her and saw her some way away on the road with a man I took to be Moroccan. We started towards them shouting and Carolina stopped and turned towards us. He disappeared around the bend."
His wife Lina, 28, added: "It was very strange because Carolina is usually very shy and doesn't go with strangers. When I asked her what happened she said he told her that he had another little girl for her to play with. There was no other girl. I was so scared.
"If we hadn't come out at that moment I don't know what would have happened."
They reported the incident to police at the time but say they were told they could not make a formal complaint as no crime had been committed.
A spokesman for the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) said attempted abduction was a crime in Portugal and believed the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) - a separate force - would have filed a report.
Three days ago the couple contacted police again after a Moroccan man threatened to take their daughter during a row at the cafe.
Police said yesterday that they were investigating these incidents, but were not linking them to Madeleine's disappearance, because there were too many dissimilarities.
Meanwhile, signs of frustration began to emerge yesterday at the pace of progress in the hunt for Madeleine.
A source close to the McCann family said that while Madeleine's parents were happy with the "overall thrust" of the investigation, they felt frustrated that concerns they had were not being addressed quickly enough.
Madeleine was abducted on May 3 and despite a huge campaign to make her image known across Europe there has been no news of her whereabouts for three weeks.
As the McCanns prepare to embark on a series of journeys in Europe to boost Madeleine's profile, family members added that the couple were as determined as ever.
The source added: "At every stage throughout this they have been feeding their own questions and concerns back to the investigating authorities through British police and the Portuguese authorities.
"While they remain content with the overall thrust of the investigation they hope their questions and concerns are addressed more quickly."
Portugal's unusual "secret of justice" laws prevent the police releasing information about the investigation publicly and also curtail what they can say even to the family concerned.
The source said: "They fully comprehend the restrictions that the Portuguese legal system places on everyone involved but naturally, as parents who want their little girl back, some of the delays that are occurring are frustrating."
Responding to claims of growing frustration a spokesman for the couple in Portugal said: "At every stage along the way Gerry and Kate have worked with the British and Portuguese police to do everything they can to improve the investigation in ways of taking it forward.
"Gerry and Kate ask on a regular basis what they can do to help the investigation.
"Naturally when it appears that things are moving slowly it can be frustrating - the only thing that would really make them happy is Madeleine's safe return and every parent will understand that."