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

[Brietta]

You mentioned the money being paid into the fund, not me. I just pointed out that it may take a while.

I have pointed out that I consider Mr Amaral to be 'yesterday's man' ... which will probably trouble him as much as when the award which will be paid directly to Madeleine's fund is handed over.

NB I am entitled to mention whatever I please in my posts without having to parrot you or anyone else ... and it has been declared that the award to Madeleine McCann's parents will be paid into Madeleine's Fund, did you object to my mention of that?

[Jean-Pierre]

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.

According to reports Dr Amaral is living in straightened financial circumstances and nees to resort to "supporters" to fund his lifestyle and his legal bills.

Why does he not go out and get a job, like any normal person would?

[Alfred R Jones]

According to reports Dr Amaral is living in straightened financial circumstances and nees to resort to "supporters" to fund his lifestyle and his legal bills.

Why does he not go out and get a job, like any normal person would?

His job for the last few years, apart from being a "best selling" author, has been as a rent-a-gob for PT TV sofa-based news & current affairs programmes.  I wonder if the work will dry up now as a result, or perhaps he will be more in demand than ever...? &%+((£

[OxfordBloo]

According to reports Dr Amaral is living in straightened financial circumstances and nees to resort to "supporters" to fund his lifestyle and his legal bills.

Why does he not go out and get a job, like any normal person would?

I suspect it may be an inflated sense of entitlement. He probably shifts all the blame for his misfortunes onto the McCanns. He can hardly blame the Portuguese legal system that he has served all his life.

He took a punt on quitting his steady job and becoming a rich author but now knows this was unlawful. All his finances are sequestered and he has barely enough to live on, owes the McCanns half a million and remains responsible for his court costs.

He has a choice- take responsibility, man up and get a job, or rely on supporters to allow him to remain at leisure.

He has made his bed and must lie on it.

[OxfordBloo]

His job for the last few years, apart from being a "best selling" author, has been as a rent-a-gob for PT TV sofa-based news & current affairs programmes.  I wonder if the work will dry up now as a result, or perhaps he will be more in demand than ever...? &%+((£

He can say anything be wants save accusing the McCanns of criminality- that would be to compound the felony so to speak.

[Jean-Pierre]

He can say anything be wants save accusing the McCanns of criminality- that would be to compound the felony so to speak.

So that's his TV career b**gg**ed then. 

[DCI]

According to reports Dr Amaral is living in straightened financial circumstances and nees to resort to "supporters" to fund his lifestyle and his legal bills.

Why does he not go out and get a job, like any normal person would?

He,s on a pension of €2039 a month pension,  minus a sixth each month.

[G-Unit]

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

In your opinion

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.

Both sides have posted terrible things

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.

Neither can you I just said they were two different things.

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.
Who are they then?

Answers in bold.

[OxfordBloo]

He,s on a pension of €2039 a month pension,  minus a sixth each month.

That's pretty close to minimum wage.

[Jean-Pierre]

He,s on a pension of €2039 a month pension,  minus a sixth each month.

The average gross salary for a family with two children in Portugal is E17435 (2014 figure).

So Amaral, even after the deduction of the court order to settle his previous debts, has a pension income some 17% higher then the average.

Well I suppose diamond earrings dont come cheap.........

[Brietta]

Answers in bold.

I wonder why there are 'sides' in the case of a missing child and why it was necessary for her parents to take legal action against the author of a book which was written using restricted information obtained illegally and in which he denied them their right to the presumption of innocence. 

[sadie]

I wonder why there are 'sides' in the case of a missing child and why it was necessary for her parents to take legal action against the author of a book which was written using restricted information obtained illegally and in which he denied them their right to the presumption of innocence.

I wondered that too,


.... but I think that I now know why.

[G-Unit]

I wonder why there are 'sides' in the case of a missing child and why it was necessary for her parents to take legal action against the author of a book which was written using restricted information obtained illegally and in which he denied them their right to the presumption of innocence.

There clearly are 'sides' if you look at twitter. If you don't know why you haven't been paying attention. Please don't forget that a private citizen could have written the same book and no award would have been made against them. The award was made against the author because of who he was, not what he said.

[Mr Gray]

There clearly are 'sides' if you look at twitter. If you don't know why you haven't been paying attention. Please don't forget that a private citizen could have written the same book and no award would have been made against them. The award was made against the author because of who he was, not what he said.

a private citizen would not have had the information nor would their opinion been of as much interest as  a member of the pj

[Brietta]

a private citizen would not have had the information nor would their opinion been of as much interest as  a member of the pj

Not just any member of the PJ either ... the lead detective and co-ordinator of the case ... can't get a weightier opinion than that one I would have thought.