Was Gonçalo Amaral fair game given the content of his book?

[Carana]

A further point is that the initial forensic team seemed to have concentrated on:

- the passageway to both doors,
- the kids' bedroom (floor and hairs, even though some of those were lost),
- the inside of the window in the kids' bedroom,
- the outside of that shutter,
- prints on the sliding door.

They don't seem to have checked the parents' bedroom, areas of the lounge not considered to be in a fleeting exit scenario, the wardrobes, the bathroom, kitchen, nor the external vicinity.

The forensics people no doubt did the best they could with whatever resources they had in an emergency situation, but it could hardly be described as a thorough examination.

[pegasus]

Yes when Mr Amaral in his film shows the child actress walking and carrying the cat, it is based on assuming villa signals are of cat.
IMO the film should instead show the child actress walking but leaving cat behind on bed (IMO villa signals are not of cat).
Re 4th May forensics yes they seem to concentrate more on assumed entry/exit points, and less on internal spaces.

[Carana]

Yes when Mr Amaral in his film shows the child actress walking and carrying the cat (based on signals in villa being of cat).
IMO the film should instead show the child actress walking but leaving cat behind on bed (IMO signals in villa were not of cat).
Re 4th May forensics yes they seem to concentrate more on assumed entry/exit points, and less on internal spaces.

That wouldn't have tied in with his theory that CC, discovered next to (or held with) a dead child was replaced on the bed after the grievance period of a few seconds or minutes of a much-loved first-born (as some seem to assume that one does), in order to set the scene for his theory of a faked abduction.

[pegasus]

That wouldn't have tied in with his theory that CC, discovered next to (or held with) a dead child was replaced on the bed ...

Precisely.
Amaral suggests cat was carried from bed into another room by child, then cat was returned to bed by adult.
I suggest child walked into another room but left cat behind on bed (and so the cat was not staged).

[Mr Gray]

As I understand it, the injunction that was deemed not valid was the injunction banning Dr Amaral's book and the on going trail is a civil matter about compensation, not libel.

I'm sure someone will point out my mistake, should I have made one though.

I think you are listening to too many posters trying to spin the facts...this IS a libel trial....

[xtina]

Amaral standing by what he thinks happened to maddie...no regrets

http://videos.sapo.pt/11onQvrULT3GzrYFv07K


To: Gonçalo Amaral

Q: Do you regret anything?

“I would do exactly the same [today that I did then], with a small difference: I would not leave the Polícia Judiciária. It could be a problem for the Polícia Judiciária. I did think about it then, shall I leave or not, if I stay with the police I’m a problem for the police, or if I leave, I have all of the other problems.”

“I don’t regret what I did, I did it with conviction, I did it to defend the investigation model, what a criminal investigation is supposed to be. Earlier, you spoke about the politically correct, the politically correct policeman. It is my understanding that criminal investigations cannot be politically correct, because they can’t be concerned with politics. And what happened, and continues to happen, is that we have to be politically correct, subordinate to the English power. That happens, it happened on the 2nd of October [of 2007] at the Lisbon Treaty, there were discussions between José Sócrates, then prime minister, and Gordon Brown, the English prime minister, who told the newspapers that he had asked the Portuguese prime minister about the [Maddie] case. So even before that it was already a political case. And when politics intrude into a criminal investigation, nothing will end well, whether the criminal investigation relates to a homicide, a burglary, a disappearance, or corruption.”

“Going back to the beginning of the question, I don’t have any regrets. I don’t have regrets because although principles and values don’t fill the fridge, I feel rich in another way.”


[... content removed as it is opinion not supported by any proof ...]

[Eleanor]

If Amaral regrets leaving The PJ does this mean that he regrets writing his Book, which The PJ would not have allowed him to do?

[The Singularity]

Reading that interview with Snr Amaral I can't help but have some pity for him. He's clearly a broken man and no doubt suffering ill health. Snr Amaral has been criticised for a great many things, but you can't question his passion once he has made his mind up about something no matter how inconceivable his conclusions are. I don’t think he was ready nor wanted the world media attention that fell upon him very suddenly.

However he remains staunchly and somewhat inexplicably narrow minded on the case even when faced with the fact that leads being followed up by Scotland Yard and the Portuguese review team are providing more realistic avenues of investigation. We could just put this down to pride, I imagine after the beating he has taken professionally in the press and his torrid personal life, all he really has left to cling on to is his pride.

I just hope that when Scotland Yard finally track down the people responsible for Madeleine’s disappearance he has not only the courage to admit that he was wrong, but also to apologise to Madeleine’s parents for his, at times, obscene behaviour towards them. I think this is the least he should do.   

[stephen25000]

Reading that interview with Snr Amaral I can't help but have some pity for him. He's clearly a broken man and no doubt suffering ill health. Snr Amaral has been criticised for a great many things, but you can't question his passion once he has made his mind up about something no matter how inconceivable his conclusions are. I don’t think he was ready nor wanted the world media attention that fell upon him very suddenly.

However he remains staunchly and somewhat inexplicably narrow minded on the case even when faced with the fact that leads being followed up by Scotland Yard and the Portuguese review team are providing more realistic avenues of investigation. We could just put this down to pride, I imagine after the beating he has taken professionally in the press and his torrid personal life, all he really has left to cling on to is his pride.

I just hope that when Scotland Yard finally track down the people responsible for Madeleine’s disappearance he has not only the courage to admit that he was wrong, but also to apologise to Madeleine’s parents for his, at times, obscene behaviour towards them. I think this is the least he should do.   

What a load of rubbish.

Leads, what leads. ?

The 'leads' have led nowhere, and no more than just pointless hype.

If SY had a proverbial  clue, the case would have been solved.

As to apologizing, the only people who should be doing that are the mccanns, for their inexcusable arrogance and stupidity, in placing their socializing over their children's welfare, night after night.

[LagosBen]

Pretty obvious that Amaral has to stand by his claims....what else can he do? Admit he failed due to his tunnel vision......deliberate or not.

[jassi]

Reading that interview with Snr Amaral I can't help but have some pity for him. He's clearly a broken man and no doubt suffering ill health. Snr Amaral has been criticised for a great many things, but you can't question his passion once he has made his mind up about something no matter how inconceivable his conclusions are. I don’t think he was ready nor wanted the world media attention that fell upon him very suddenly.

However he remains staunchly and somewhat inexplicably narrow minded on the case even when faced with the fact that leads being followed up by Scotland Yard and the Portuguese review team are providing more realistic avenues of investigation. We could just put this down to pride, I imagine after the beating he has taken professionally in the press and his torrid personal life, all he really has left to cling on to is his pride.

I just hope that when Scotland Yard finally track down the people responsible for Madeleine’s disappearance he has not only the courage to admit that he was wrong, but also to apologise to Madeleine’s parents for his, at times, obscene behaviour towards them. I think this is the least he should do. 

If, SY ever manage to obtain a conviction, a number of people might need to admit they were wrong.

[Carana]

It's the rest of that interview that I find intriguing. Especially his claims about the Smiths, the dogs and the forensic aspects. Oh dear.

[Carana]

Pretty obvious that Amaral has to stand by his claims....what else can he do? Admit he failed due to his tunnel vision......deliberate or not.

If he'd said something along the lines of "put yourself in my shoes at the time" (the pressure, lack of resources, etc., what the thinking was at the time) and had simply left it open as to whether Madeleine could be alive or not, I expect that he would have had an equally lucrative book and wouldn't be in this mess.

[Silkywhiskers]

If he'd said something along the lines of "put yourself in my shoes at the time" (the pressure, lack of resources, etc., what the thinking was at the time) and had simply left it open as to whether Madeleine could be alive or not, I expect that he would have had an equally lucrative book and wouldn't be in this mess.

What "mess" is that?

The Libel Trials which he keeps winning?

The SY investigation which is, bit by bit, confirming his theories?

Now we have confirmation that Madeleine likely died in that apartment that night....just like Amaral said.

There are only two perhaps 9 people in a "mess" and it isnt the ex-CIO!!!!!

[pegasus]

Pretty obvious that Amaral has to stand by his claims....what else can he do? Admit he failed due to his tunnel vision......deliberate or not.

Does "deliberate or not" mean you are not sure whether he was incompetent, or was deliberately steering the original PJ/LP/Met/NPIA/DCIU investigation the wrong way?
I have big admiration for Mr Amaral, however in a sense I agree about the tunnel vision (a tiny example, he locked onto assuming KM opened the window).
In my amateur opinion "branching-tunnel vision" is preferable, the investigation being not a single narrow tunnel, but one which branches, mulltiple branches being investigated at once..