Groundhog Day? What if anything can we agree about?

[stephen25000]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043759/Fresh-heartache-McCanns-police-say-Belgian-sighting-NOT-Madeleine.html

I am sure this reminder will help Sadie.

[mercury]

I am sure this reminder will help Sadie.

hopefully, but was put up for briettas benefit as well, seeing as she asked and Im  always glad to help

[Carana]

Sadie is correct. The bank sighting was in Molenbeek, Brussels.

http://themaddiecasefiles.com/topic14809.html

[stephen25000]

Sadie is correct. The bank sighting was in Molenbeek, Brussels.

http://themaddiecasefiles.com/topic14809.html

However, yet again, it wasn't Madeleine.

[Brietta]

With thanks to posters for their assistance.

This was indeed the tabloid information to which I referred in my initial post. 

quote ... All I have ever seen dismissing the sighting of the little girl outside the bank in Amsterdam (MOLENBEEK ST JOHN in Brussels) as not being Madeleine was a statement to from the child's father that she was his daughter and not Madeleine.   end quote

It does not address the question I asked which was if official confirmation had been released, and as we all know too well, tabloids are useful reference points but when it comes to being an official source, I am afraid they do not quite cut the mustard.

Did the Belgium police accept this man's word without further diligences being carried out?  More was needed by our antipodean cousins than a father's word and possibly a birth certificate ...

**snip
Even Kate and Gerry McCann could not tell from CCTV footage whether the girl was their long-lost child. Previously they have always known immediately it was not her.

But now Belgian police have said a man has come forward to say the girl is his daughter and that she was out with her nanny.

Lieve Pellens, spokeswoman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office, said: 'He saw this picture and obviously for him it was very easy recognising the girl accompanied by a woman in a veil.

'It's her nanny - she is a young Moroccan woman who is qualified to look after children and works in a care centre.'

The McCanns had been treating the sighting as a priority and the confirmation it is not Madeleine will bring fresh heartache for the couple.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043759/Fresh-heartache-McCanns-police-say-Belgian-sighting-NOT-Madeleine.html#ixzz3g2tDEVWY

[faithlilly]

With thanks to posters for their assistance.

This was indeed the tabloid information to which I referred in my initial post. 

quote ... All I have ever seen dismissing the sighting of the little girl outside the bank in Amsterdam (MOLENBEEK ST JOHN in Brussels) as not being Madeleine was a statement to from the child's father that she was his daughter and not Madeleine.   end quote

It does not address the question I asked which was if official confirmation had been released, and as we all know too well, tabloids are useful reference points but when it comes to being an official source, I am afraid they do not quite cut the mustard.

Did the Belgium police accept this man's word without further diligences being carried out?  More was needed by our antipodean cousins than a father's word and possibly a birth certificate ...

**snip
Even Kate and Gerry McCann could not tell from CCTV footage whether the girl was their long-lost child. Previously they have always known immediately it was not her.

But now Belgian police have said a man has come forward to say the girl is his daughter and that she was out with her nanny.

Lieve Pellens, spokeswoman for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office, said: 'He saw this picture and obviously for him it was very easy recognising the girl accompanied by a woman in a veil.

'It's her nanny - she is a young Moroccan woman who is qualified to look after children and works in a care centre.'

The McCanns had been treating the sighting as a priority and the confirmation it is not Madeleine will bring fresh heartache for the couple.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043759/Fresh-heartache-McCanns-police-say-Belgian-sighting-NOT-Madeleine.html#ixzz3g2tDEVWY

The McCanns were interviewed by SF and asked whether they thought at any time  that any of the sightings had been Madeleine. They didn't mention the Brussels sighting. I think that tells us all we need to know.

[Benice]

Sandra is the only one who really questions them. The UK interviewers are frankly embarrassing. Look at smirker here about sightings. 22 seconds and taking the absolute piss!

Sceptics should really make their minds up.

First it's claimed that the McCanns are Oscar winning actors who have used their brilliant acting skills to dupe all and sundry including SY etc.     Then it's claimed that they can't even conduct an interview without their masks slipping in seconds  - and revealing what rotten actors they both are.

Curiously it is only sceptics who ever notice any of these 'damning'  moments.

Too daft for words imo.

[Carana]

Before this thread finishes, may I suggest that there is one thing that we might all agree on, and that is that Portuguese law is so different, so convoluted and so alien to us that we have all had difficulty at times in understanding what the hell was going on? 

Personally if it wasn't for the explanations by a couple of posters (from both sides) I would still be completely confuddled.

Also if the Portuguese are about to change/update/clarify (whatever) their legal system - especially if it means that things don't drag on for years  - then that is an extremely good idea.

Can we at least agree on that?  (fingers crossed)

I more or less agree with that. A large part of the problem doesn't seem to be the theory of the legal system as such, but its application.

I do, however, have caveats on some aspects pending further understanding...

- One is the apparent supremacy of free speech over any hoi poloi accusing others of criminal activity without proof or at least strong evidence.

- The other is the criminal justice system evident in the Cipriano saga - but perhaps practice has improved since then.

[John]

Posters are again reminded to stay on topic.  Wild claims, speculations and off topic posts have been
removed as per usual.  I have amended my post wrt the mistaken sighting of Madeleine in Brussels.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/2545633/Madeleine-McCann-Brussels-sighting-dismissed.html

[Brietta]

I more or less agree with that. A large part of the problem doesn't seem to be the theory of the legal system as such, but its application.

I do, however, have caveats on some aspects pending further understanding...

- One is the apparent supremacy of free speech over any hoi poloi accusing others of criminal activity without proof or at least strong evidence.

- The other is the criminal justice system evident in the Cipriano saga - but perhaps practice has improved since then.

It is the constant repetition of of whopping great fallacies to support erroneous theories which have been debunked but are still pulled out in turn to support Mr Amaral that shows the weakness of the sceptic case.

We have recently heard from Mr Amaral himself of the coffin invasion of the elderly woman due to be cremated ... isn't it about time to recycle the insertion of the child's body into the large dog which was cremated ... we've not had that one for a wee while.  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/body-burned-in-dead-dog-507781

[Carana]

It is the constant repetition of of whopping great fallacies to support erroneous theories which have been debunked but are still pulled out in turn to support Mr Amaral that shows the weakness of the sceptic case.

We have recently heard from Mr Amaral himself of the coffin invasion of the elderly woman due to be cremated ... isn't it about time to recycle the insertion of the child's body into the large dog which was cremated ... we've not had that one for a wee while.  http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/body-burned-in-dead-dog-507781

LOL I'd forgotten about that one.

[Carana]

The McCanns were interviewed by SF and asked whether they thought at any time  that any of the sightings had been Madeleine. They didn't mention the Brussels sighting. I think that tells us all we need to know.

I'm not sure what your point is, Faith. To them, it didn't look like her. End of story.

In some instances, police may have consulted them prior to the media scrambling to get the already discounted scoop.

[Brietta]

LOL I'd forgotten about that one.

There was huge discussion on sceptic fora about the contents of an ornament seen on the McCann mantelpiece about this unlikely theory.

I would not dismiss that it was checked out of hand because I think it was a valid line of inquiry ... but why, oh why was it immediately jumped upon as an indicator of supposed parental involvement and guilt?

I found the photograph attached to an article quite interesting ... but as well as PJ inspectors checking paperwork ... I would have thought it would have been a better idea to have taken forensic technicians as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-482958/Dutch-criminal-quizzed-Madeleine.html

[Brietta]

According to the father of the Madeleine McCann lookalike ...

'It's her nanny - she is a young Moroccan woman who is qualified to look after children and works in a care centre.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043759/Fresh-heartache-McCanns-police-say-Belgian-sighting-NOT-Madeleine.html#ixzz3g3aYbGJh

[Brietta]

I see thirty sightings mentioned in your cite not the one hundred and thirty five mentioned in your post.

It also seems steps were taken to investigate more than one ... which possibly hit the headlines with the release of the attendant CCTV images a picture being worth a thousand words.

However it seems that the lack of experience of the officers involved in the initial search for Madeleine caused some conjecture ...


**snip
“We are extremely grateful to the Belgian authorities for pursuing all these potential leads.

This number of sightings does seem particularly high. But if any one is genuine it is vital the information is checked out.

“Private investigators working for Kate and Gerry McCann in Belgium will be liaising with the Belgian authorities as an absolute priority to see if any of these new sightings are the key to finding Madeleine.”


Most of the Portuguese police officers who looked for Madeleine after her disappearance had no proper training in missing people searches, case files revealed yesterday.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/56450/30-new-sightings-of-Madeleine-in-Belgium-in-a-week