Visits to the play area after tea. What is the truth?

[G-Unit]

So his genuine police sources were feeding him lies then as the McCanns suspected, in your view?

He had no police sources, he relied on Portuguese journalists who said they had police sources.

snip/
The aspect that made the case truly unusual was the wall of silence and lack of guidance to journalists from police both in Portugal and the UK.

31, In the absence of these critical sources or official comment that could be attributed to a named police source or authority, I took steps to obtain the relevant information by the best available route. ~ approached news/TV reporters who had solid contacts within the Portuguese police for information on the investigation and relied on the services of Mr Mitchell as a third party spokesman for Drs McCann.
http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-Statement-of-David-Pilditch.pdf

[Vertigo Swirl]

He had no police sources, he relied on Portuguese journalists who said they had police sources.

snip/
The aspect that made the case truly unusual was the wall of silence and lack of guidance to journalists from police both in Portugal and the UK.

31, In the absence of these critical sources or official comment that could be attributed to a named police source or authority, I took steps to obtain the relevant information by the best available route. ~ approached news/TV reporters who had solid contacts within the Portuguese police for information on the investigation and relied on the services of Mr Mitchell as a third party spokesman for Drs McCann.
http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-Statement-of-David-Pilditch.pdf

Then we’re back to him telling lies to the Leveson Inquiry then, is that what you’re saying?  What about the source who was a translator working for the police, is that a lie too?

[G-Unit]

Then we’re back to him telling lies to the Leveson Inquiry then, is that what you’re saying?  What about the source who was a translator working for the police, is that a lie too?

It's not what I'm saying, the reality is there in his words. He had no police sources. Perhaps he just did what the other journalists did and frequented Hugo Beaty's bar;

Every day there starts the same way shortly after it opens at 9am, with an informal briefing to the foreign Press by a locally resident British woman who normally makes a meagre living acting as an occasional interpreter – for the Policia Judiciaria.

Every morning, the woman – who asked me not to publish her name – goes through the Portuguese tabloids and translates their ever-more febrile articles.

Every afternoon, the foreigners – almost none of whom can speak more than the most basic Portuguese, nor claim a single, genuine source inside the police investigation – recycle the tales for consumers abroad.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/lies-beatings-secret-trials-the-dark-side-of-police-handling-madeleine-case-6622113.html

[Vertigo Swirl]

It's not what I'm saying, the reality is there in his words. He had no police sources. Perhaps he just did what the other journalists did and frequented Hugo Beaty's bar;

Every day there starts the same way shortly after it opens at 9am, with an informal briefing to the foreign Press by a locally resident British woman who normally makes a meagre living acting as an occasional interpreter – for the Policia Judiciaria.

Every morning, the woman – who asked me not to publish her name – goes through the Portuguese tabloids and translates their ever-more febrile articles.

Every afternoon, the foreigners – almost none of whom can speak more than the most basic Portuguese, nor claim a single, genuine source inside the police investigation – recycle the tales for consumers abroad.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/lies-beatings-secret-trials-the-dark-side-of-police-handling-madeleine-case-6622113.html

You’re saying he had no police sources, he told Leveson his police sources were genuine and included a police translator. Either you’re mistaken or he’s lying - which is it?

[Brietta]

Best laugh of the year so far.

The year is in its infancy ... I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities to have numerous laughs over the coming months should we all be spared to indulge in them 😁

[G-Unit]

You’re saying he had no police sources, he told Leveson his police sources were genuine and included a police translator. Either you’re mistaken or he’s lying - which is it?

He told them who his sources were; two Portuguese journalists and one interpreter. Which of those can be described as 'police sources'?

[Vertigo Swirl]

He told them who his sources were; two Portuguese journalists and one interpreter. Which of those can be described as 'police sources'?

Well let’s see, the interpreter interpreted stuff for the police for a start so would have direct access to police statements correct?  But you would not say that was a police source?  OK then, clearly you believe the man lied to Leveson then. 

[Brietta]

Pilditch admits that he had no contact with the Portuguese police; he simply believed Portuguese journalists when they told him they had such contacts.

He certainly had other sources; the McCanns, their family and friends and Clarence Mitchell were regular contributors to his stories.
http://newsoutlines.blogspot.com/2012/01/articles-by-david-pilditch-re-madeleine.html

Pilditch made absolutely no secret of his sources none of which were illegal and underhand ...

Snip
“In the absence of these critical sources or official comment that could be attributed to a named police source or authority, I took steps to obtain the relevant information by the best available route.

I approached news/TV reporters who had solid contacts within the Portuguese police for information on the investigation and relied on the services of Mr Mitchell as a third party spokesman for Drs McCann.”

WITNESS STATEMENT OF DAVID HAMILTON PILDITCH to the Leveson Inquiry
http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-Statement-of-David-Pilditch.pdf


What Goncalo Amaral did on the other hand was illegal.

[Brietta]

Pilditch admits that he had no contact with the Portuguese police; he simply believed Portuguese journalists when they told him they had such contacts.

He certainly had other sources; the McCanns, their family and friends and Clarence Mitchell were regular contributors to his stories.
http://newsoutlines.blogspot.com/2012/01/articles-by-david-pilditch-re-madeleine.html

Despite Sandra Felgueiras being involved in reporting on Madeleine's disappearance from the word go using the most impeccable of sources there possibly could be available to her ... I do not think she was one of the informants referred to by Pilditch.

Snip
The relationship between the RTP journalist and Maddie's case has been linked since the first day. Sandra Felgueiras followed this story, was in the Algarve for three months, did long hours of direct and countless «controversial, at the time» interviews with the McCann couple, both in Praia da Luz and in England.

____________________________________________

The dogs gave a signal at the child's parents' room and in the car's trunk at the same time. In view of this evidence, Gonçalo Amaral, the first operational coordinator of the investigation, takes this signaling given by the dogs as an "unequivocal" clue. Maddie had died behind the sofa by accident and her parents had carried her in the trunk of the Renault Scenic minivan.

For this operation performed with the help of dogs to be valid, it must be supported by scientific analysis. Gonçalo Amaral's thesis needs confirmation by the pending analyzes in the Birmingham laboratory. When the preliminary results arrive, the inspector informs Sandra Felgueiras that "there was correspondence to Maddie's DNA". «In 20 possible alleles, five had been detected in the apartment and 17 in the trunk of the car». The journalist confirmed, with coroners, that in view of this result the probability of corresponding to Maddie was viable. "Everyone said yes, that the probability was high."

Sandra Felgueiras advances. «Based on this information, which Gonçalo Amaral gave me, and he knows he did, I trusted him», he says, and gave the news

In July 2008, however, the journalist has access to the process that, until then, was a secret of justice. «When I go to see the preliminary result, which Gonçalo Amaral told me about, and which led him to constitute the McCanns as defendants, I see that the last paragraph said that, despite there being 17 alleles in 20, the sample was so insignificant and small that there were several people in the laboratory with the same genetic identification. Therefore, this evidence could not be considered relevant », he explains. Sandra Felgueiras feels «deeply deceived».

This paragraph was instrumental in undermining everything that had been done before. «At no time did Gonçalo Amaral tell me that the sample was so small and criminally irrelevant», he stresses.
https://www.impala.pt/noticias/portugal-e-o-mundo/sandra-felgueiras-maddie-mccann/


In my opinion a damning statement from Sandra Felgueiras detailing the manner in which the case co-ordinator manipulated and released inaccurate information to suit his own ends and to set the stamp on how Madeleine's case is still viewed by some even at this remove.

[Brietta]

He had no police sources, he relied on Portuguese journalists who said they had police sources.

snip/
The aspect that made the case truly unusual was the wall of silence and lack of guidance to journalists from police both in Portugal and the UK.

31, In the absence of these critical sources or official comment that could be attributed to a named police source or authority, I took steps to obtain the relevant information by the best available route. ~ approached news/TV reporters who had solid contacts within the Portuguese police for information on the investigation and relied on the services of Mr Mitchell as a third party spokesman for Drs McCann.
http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Witness-Statement-of-David-Pilditch.pdf

I think you are flogging a dead horse here in trying to defend Amaral ... Sandra Felgueiras ????

[G-Unit]

Well let’s see, the interpreter interpreted stuff for the police for a start so would have direct access to police statements correct?  But you would not say that was a police source?  OK then, clearly you believe the man lied to Leveson then.

A civilian employed by the police isn't a police source.

[Brietta]

A civilian employed by the police isn't a police source.

In my opinion a journalist primed by the case co-ordinator is a conduit for the opinions of that individual and was cynically used and abused to get the message over.

She realised the depth and reality of that when the case files were released in 2008 ... but being exceptionally good at her job the damage to Madeleine's case by the wrong focus was already accomplished.

In my opinion there is real criminality here both from the individual role and in his official capacity:  he spat on his country's constitution in his eagerness to spit on the innocents he had decided (as detailed in his book) were the perpetrators of a heinous crime.

Snip
The McCanns' early success with the press can be put down, in part, to the media experts they found working alongside them. The Mark Warner company, whose holiday apartments they had been staying in, already had a deal with PR company Bell Pottinger. That meant that Alex Woolfall, the company's crisis management head, was in Praia da Luz the day after Madeleine disappeared. When Woolfall left 10 days later, the Foreign Office stepped in. Media handlers arrived from London. They included former Daily Mirror journalist Sheree Dodd and, later, former BBC man Clarence Mitchell. Both Woolfall and Mitchell are remembered by reporters as key and immensely helpful sources as the McCann phenomenon took off.

After they left, however, things started going wrong.
Portuguese newspapers started to publish unsympathetic stories at the end of June.

As Portuguese journalists caught the mood music from police the relationship disintegrated further.

Sandra Felgueiras, a feisty state television journalist obsessed by the family's supposed use of Calpol, became a particular bete noire.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/sep/17/mondaymediasection13


The police leaks given to and promulgated by Sandra Felgueiras were wrong and were proved to be wrong but who will ever be able to assess the damage caused by them.

[Vertigo Swirl]

A civilian employed by the police isn't a police source.

So when Plditch said his police sources were genuine he’s lying then, according to you. 

[G-Unit]

So when Plditch said his police sources were genuine he’s lying then, according to you.

Did he say he was in contact with these police sources?

[Vertigo Swirl]

Did he say he was in contact with these police sources?

This is what he said, now point out the lies.

19: In their evidence the McCanns. referring to the press in general terms, said that many stories had been "made up" and that they did not believe "police sources" were genuine.
In the case of every story I wrote, the police sources I quoted were genuine.
I had three sources in Portugal who provided me with information.
Two were Portuguese journalists who were in daily contact with the most senior officers investigating Madeieine McCann’s disappearance.
The third was a translator who worked for the Portuguese Police and translating and interpreting in the Portuguese legal system.