And suddenly all this nonsense about 'confidentiality clauses' is knocked neatly into a cocked-hat.
Of course there were confidentiality clauses stopping their agents from making public information willy-nilly, just as the McCanns, themselves, (rightly) didn't feel they could gainsay the police by making public e-fits that came into their possession while there was no live and on-going investigation, at least without say-so of the police.
The McCanns would have been remiss in their duty not to draw up confidentiality clauses preventing their agents from making public willy-nilly arising from their investigations.
Halligen certainly was prosecuted.
The spiel was certainly swallowed hook line sinker and halfway down the rod too.
Remember this? and of course the Mark Hollingsworth article in The Evening Standard.
Secret A-Team in hunt for Maddie Daily Star (no longer available online)
By Jerry Lawton
14th August 2008
Desperate Kate and Gerry McCann have forked out £500,000 on an "A-Team" of former top spooks to find missing daughter Madeleine.
The couple now have "a global operation" of dozens of retired FBI, CIA and even MI5 agents dedicated to solving the mystery of her disappearance.
The top secret team has been given six months to solve the riddle.
Doctors Kate and Gerry, both 40, have vowed to keep up the search for five-year-old Madeleine after the latest sighting at a Belgian bank was ruled out.
And the couple, from Rothley, Leics, have been reassured their new team of private eyes will follow up every lead around the world.
Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "There is a global operation working for Kate and Gerry.
"They are internationally-based with components in Britain, America, Europe and other countries where sightings have been made."
The new team, appointed three months ago, is half way through a six-month contract.
Mr Mitchell explained: "A sum of £500,000 has been committed to them from the Find Madeleine Fund.
"They have been on board for a few months and are on a six-month contract.
"For security reasons we can't go into detail of the experts involved but it would not be wrong to say some are former military and police personnel with a degree of expertise."
