Madeleine McCann's parents win €500k in damages against former police chief.

[jassi]

It certainly was not treated as such before the verdict. Most anti-McCanns saw it as the great white hope that would provide them with their first legal breakthrough in eight years to support their position and to glorify their hero.

Instead it has bolstered the McCanns' profile and sense of innocence and exposed Amaral as someone who abused his Position in an attempt to enrich himself.

How will that have any bearing on the investigations?

[OxfordBloo]

How will that have any bearing on the investigations?

I am less interested in matters assisting the investigation than I am in the right of innocent citizens to live their lives free of interference from harassers, stalkers, abusers, libellers and others.

I do not particularly warm to the McCanns or condone their behaviour, but I do think that they should be as free as possible from attacks like those above.

IMHO they and their legal team together with their OR team have done an impressive job of keeping those opponents in their relative boxes and maintaining their lives and reputations. There may be a few thousand or tens of thousand rather sad people who get their kicks from abusing them in forums and comment columns, but there are millions who have no important opinion of the case.

Gerry McCann's career is progressing as any other consultant's would, the McCanns have stayed together a a family and are doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

I was wrong in one thing; I did think that they might take up the option of moving abroad as many doctors do. This would have minimised the effect that their abusers have, but I believe they doggedly avoided that easy option as they and others might have seen it as an admission of responsibility or a cowardly act.

In the early days the anti McCanns were certain that they would be criminally prosecuted, sued for the fund money, thrown out of their profession, impoverished, imprisoned and generally despised.

None of that has happened. The entire media is on their side an d their rather comfortable middle class life style continues. Their opponents have been the victim of continual failure and humiliation.

Nothing that the anti McCanns predicted has come to fruition.

[G-Unit]

It certainly was not treated as such before the verdict. Most anti-McCanns saw it as the great white hope that would provide them with their first legal breakthrough in eight years to support their position and to glorify their hero.

Instead it has bolstered the McCanns' profile and sense of innocence and exposed Amaral as someone who abused his Position in an attempt to enrich himself.

I don't know what kind of legal breakthrough you mean? It was a civil case whereby the McCanns sought to have compensation awarded to themselves and their children because Amaral's book 'harmed the search for Madeleine' by stopping people from looking for her, and upset the family. The verdict did not find that the search was harmed, or the children hurt. The parents were, but they were already hurt previously.

How would that bolster their sense of innocence? They are no more nor less innocent than they were at the beginning of the case. The truth or falsity of Amaral's accusations were not addressed. The conclusion found that he used his position for material for the book and he broke the terms of his position as an ex policeman when he accused them. There was no ruling on the truth or falsehood of his accusations.

[Mr Gray]

I don't know what kind of legal breakthrough you mean? It was a civil case whereby the McCanns sought to have compensation awarded to themselves and their children because Amaral's book 'harmed the search for Madeleine' by stopping people from looking for her, and upset the family. The verdict did not find that the search was harmed, or the children hurt. The parents were, but they were already hurt previously.

How would that bolster their sense of innocence? They are no more nor less innocent than they were at the beginning of the case. The truth or falsity of Amaral's accusations were not addressed. The conclusion found that he used his position for material for the book and he broke the terms of his position as an ex policeman when he accused them. There was no ruling on the truth or falsehood of his accusations.

perhaps you missed the judge stating that the McCanns were innocent

[OxfordBloo]

I don't know what kind of legal breakthrough you mean? It was a civil case whereby the McCanns sought to have compensation awarded to themselves and their children because Amaral's book 'harmed the search for Madeleine' by stopping people from looking for her, and upset the family. The verdict did not find that the search was harmed, or the children hurt. The parents were, but they were already hurt previously.

How would that bolster their sense of innocence? They are no more nor less innocent than they were at the beginning of the case. The truth or falsity of Amaral's accusations were not addressed. The conclusion found that he used his position for material for the book and he broke the terms of his position as an ex policeman when he accused them. There was no ruling on the truth or falsehood of his accusations.

Someone who has tormented them since day one has been forced to pay them damages and has been banned from asserting their guilt or further misusing information gained in the performance of his duties.

I would say that that is quite a coup. Amaral has his character further called into question after the perjury conviction, is denied his profits from misery and banned from further attacking the McCanns. Should it still take a decade to force the money out of Amaral, that will be the icing on the cake.

The McCanns were magnanimous in not taking Tony Bennett's house of him but settled for gagging him and reminding him every month that he is paying the search fund £125; they could have insisted on him selling his house but money was not their main aim. Limiting libellous comments was then and has been in the case the prime objective.

[G-Unit]

Someone who has tormented them since day one has been forced to pay them damages and has been banned from asserting their guilt or further misusing information gained in the performance of his duties.

I would say that that is quite a coup. Amaral has his character further called into question after the perjury conviction, is denied his profits from misery and banned from further attacking the McCanns. Should it still take a decade to force the money out of Amaral, that will be the icing on the cake.

The McCanns were magnanimous in not taking Tony Bennett's house of him but settled for gagging him and reminding him every month that he is paying the search fund £125; they could have insisted on him selling his house but money was not their main aim. Limiting libellous comments was then and has been in the case the prime objective.

I think your bias is leaking lol. When someone starts using emotive words like 'misery' 'attack' and 'torment' it all becomes clear.

[OxfordBloo]

I think your bias is leaking lol. When someone starts using emotive words like 'misery' 'attack' and 'torment' it all becomes clear.

My only bias is that I despise bullying, vigilantes, cowardly defamatory statements from individuals, anonymous or otherwise.

I do not believe that citizens, no matter how unlikable, should be used as fodder for the amusement of internet gossipers or be attacked by police officers, or have libellous articles and books written about them.

My bias is freedom and respectability.

The McCanns have been subjected to attacks, torment and open to misery because of the actions of many individuals.

Happily we live in a society where such victims have rights to contest defamation and avoid harassment.

[G-Unit]

My only bias is that I despise bullying, vigilantes, cowardly defamatory statements from individuals, anonymous or otherwise.

I do not believe that citizens, no matter how unlikable, should be used as fodder for the amusement of internet gossipers or be attacked by police officers, or have libellous articles and books written about them.

My bias is freedom and respectability.

The McCanns have been subjected to attacks, torment and open to misery because of the actions of many individuals.

Happily we live in a society where such victims have rights to contest defamation and avoid harassment.

What this case has taught me is that our media is more unfit for purpose than I thought. They argue that they are guided by public opinion when they choose what to print or broadcast. That is obviously untrue as the reporting on this case has consistently been wrong, whether the stories were pro or anti McCann - both wrong. The only place where a true overview of the case can be found is on the internet. Some people on the internet have attacked the McCanns. Others have counter-attacked. Both are as bad as each other. However, the fact that the McCanns have been attacked has absolutely no bearing on the case itself.

[Alfred R Jones]

What this case has taught me is that our media is more unfit for purpose than I thought. They argue that they are guided by public opinion when they choose what to print or broadcast. That is obviously untrue as the reporting on this case has consistently been wrong, whether the stories were pro or anti McCann - both wrong. The only place where a true overview of the case can be found is on the internet. Some people on the internet have attacked the McCanns. Others have counter-attacked. Both are as bad as each other. However, the fact that the McCanns have been attacked has absolutely no bearing on the case itself.

Perhaps you can point us to whereabouts on the internet a true overview of the case can be found?

[jassi]

I think your bias is leaking lol. When someone starts using emotive words like 'misery' 'attack' and 'torment' it all becomes clear.

Only ludicrous and fury seemed to be missing.

[Eleanor]

Topic, Please.

[OxfordBloo]

Perhaps you can point us to whereabouts on the internet a true overview of the case can be found?

There used to be a wonderful site called the 3As but it seems to have disappeared.

[G-Unit]

Perhaps you can point us to whereabouts on the internet a true overview of the case can be found?

That's the problem. You won't find it all in one place, and you know how much you like researching (not) 

[OxfordBloo]

That's the problem. You won't find it all in one place, and you know how much you like researching (not) 

There is no fair summary anywhere because there are so many views on the issue.

[Brietta]

What this case has taught me is that our media is more unfit for purpose than I thought. They argue that they are guided by public opinion when they choose what to print or broadcast. That is obviously untrue as the reporting on this case has consistently been wrong, whether the stories were pro or anti McCann - both wrong. The only place where a true overview of the case can be found is on the internet. Some people on the internet have attacked the McCanns. Others have counter-attacked. Both are as bad as each other. However, the fact that the McCanns have been attacked has absolutely no bearing on the case itself.

There is nothing on the internet either about Madeleine McCann's case or anything else which gives a 'true overview'.

Rather strange that you equate people who deliberately set out to injure others in any way they can with those who object to such despicable actions.

You can have no idea what influence the character assassination of Madeleine McCann's parents may have had on her case just as you have no idea what the respected views of a man who was case co-ordinator, perpetuating myth upon myth about the case, had in the place where it really mattered, Portugal.

Eight years down the line a Portuguese judge has in her judgement severely called his professional integrity into question and the amount of the award to Madeleine's parents reflects that.
I think people who matter will not have missed the implication of that.