Petition re Madeleine McCann on Prime Minister's website

[Carana]

Are SY limited to what they can say due to the Portuguese

I can think of numerous potential issues as to why they may be limited in what they can say.

[G-Unit]

You assert that:

- you have evidence that it's a sham;

- that it was "only allowed to investigate 'the abduction'."

What are you basing those assertions on?

The original remit was to investigate the abduction as if it happened in the UK.

I would have thought the remit would have said they should investigate the disappearance.

Because the remit said 'abduction' does that mean  that only one possible cause of Madeleine's disappearance was to be investigated?

[slartibartfast]

Steady on! when I used the term slush fund on the self same topic a fair while ago the supporters piled in like it was a game of British Bulldog 

That's different.

[Brietta]

According to whom?

I think assumptions are made without letting the facts get in the way.

If a modicum of common sense were used  it would be apparent that Operation Grange is only a step in the process of the inquiry into Madeleine McCann's disappearance and not the genesis.

The police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance was shelved in 2008.  It took her parents two years to get anywhere near towards having her case reviewed with the purpose of having it reopened.

One really positive outcome from the libel action taken against Goncalo Amaral was the revelation by Ricardo Paiva that information which had continued to be submitted to the Policia Judiciaria had been filed by him as "not relevant to the inquiry".  All of it ???

A lot of work went on to get to where we are today in the search for a child that officialdom hasn't seemed too keen to look for.  Which makes the constant chipping at it when the long overdue investigation is at last in progress all the more remarkable.  It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would wish to do that.



Home Office launches secret review into Madeleine McCann's disappearance
The Home Office has secretly begun a review that could lead to a fresh police inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

By Robert Mendick 9:00PM GMT 06 Mar 2010

The move follows the release of 2,000 pages of evidence last week which Portuguese detectives are accused of having failed to fully investigate.

According to sources close to the McCanns, Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, has ordered officials to examine the 'feasibility' of British or Portuguese detectives looking afresh at all the evidence.

Kate and Gerry McCann met with Mr Johnson last year to plead for help in their search for Madeleine, who vanished without trace in May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

The couple have also met with John Yates, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, who has headed up a number of high profile inquiries in recent years.

He is said to be "sympathetic" and to have made "general offers of assistance".

The source said: "The latest we have heard from the Home Office is officials are undertaking a 'scoping exercise' to look into the possibility of a review of the case.

"They are looking at all the options. It is basically a feasibility study.

"Kate and Gerry met with Alan Johnson to request a review is done. Hopefully any political intervention can unlock obstructions that might be in the way."

Pressure is now being put on Portuguese authorities to agree in the first instance to a three-day review of the case that could be held at Interpol's headquarters in Lyon in France.

The McCanns will hope the Home Office can persuade their Portuguese counterparts to co-operate in a case review.

The review – were it to go ahead – would involve British police working with Portuguese counterparts as well as experts in child abduction across other European forces.

The Portuguese police have been heavily criticised for their handling of the case which led to detectives naming the McCanns, both doctors from Leicestershire, as arguidos – or suspects – in the case and accusing them of involvement in her disappearance.

Their arguido status was subsequently lifted and the police investigation shelved.
But with the senior officer in charge Goncalo Amaral now widely discredited and facing financial ruin after being sued for libel by the McCanns over a book he wrote, it may become harder for the Portuguese to refuse the request for a thorough review.

The revelation that possible leads – many passed to Portuguese police by the McCanns' own private detectives – had apparently been ignored will add to the clamour.

Last week, details emerged of a series of possible sightings of Madeleine, who was just three when she vanished.

Guilhermino Encarnacao, who was in charge of the Policia Judiciaria in the Algarve, died two weeks ago from stomach cancer.

Mr Encarnacao was convinced Madeleine had died in her parents' apartment and was a major source of a series of off the record briefings to journalists against the McCanns.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that the Home Secretary had a private meeting with Kate and Gerry McCann.

"Leicestershire Police stand ready to co-ordinate and complete enquiries if further information comes to light in the UK; or if requested to do so by the Portuguese authorities, who continue to lead on the overall investigation."

The spokesman refused to discuss what talks took place at the meeting or whether there was the chance of a review of the evidence at Interpol.

The spokesman added: "We are not going to comment on the outcome of any private meeting with the McCanns."

Mr Yates was unavailable for comment. He led the cash for honours investigation and was also involved in a new inquiry into the murder of Julie Ward, who was murdered in Kenya in 1988.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/7384911/Home-Office-launches-secret-review-into-Madeleine-McCanns-disappearance.html

https://madeleinemccannthetruth.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/remember-this-november-2010/

[Alfred R Jones]

Steady on! when I used the term slush fund on the self same topic a fair while ago the supporters piled in like it was a game of British Bulldog 

cite?

[slartibartfast]

Snip

One really positive outcome from the libel action taken against Goncalo Amaral was the admittance by Ricardo Paiva that information which had continued to be submitted to the Policia Judiciaria had been filed by him as "not relevant to the inquiry".  All of it ???

Snip

To all intents and purposes they appear not to have been.

[Alfred R Jones]

A review which demonstrated the incompetence of initial investigation would perhaps have also demonstrated that the PJ were wrong to suspect the parents.

April 2008

Kate and Gerry are also calling for a full probe involving the FBI into Portuguese cops’ handling of the case.

They want a panel of missing children experts, including former US and Met police, to look at how the inquiry team handled itself.

Officers have been accused of bungling the investigation since Maddie, four, went missing from Praia da Luz last May.

Last night their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: “We believe Portuguese police have been found wanting. We are asking the British Government to call for such an inquiry. It’s important for Madeleine and other missing children.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/madeleine/1037189/News-Maddie-Madeleine-McCann-The-McCanns-want-an-FBI-probe.html

It might also have had the opposite effect - bit of a risky game to be playing, eh?

[G-Unit]

I think assumptions are made without letting the facts get in the way.

If a modicum of common sense were used  it would be apparent that Operation Grange is only a step in the process of the inquiry into Madeleine McCann's disappearance and not the genesis.

The police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance was shelved in 2008.  It took her parents two years to get anywhere near towards having her case reviewed with the purpose of having it reopened.

One really positive outcome from the libel action taken against Goncalo Amaral was the revelation by Ricardo Paiva that information which had continued to be submitted to the Policia Judiciaria had been filed by him as "not relevant to the inquiry".  All of it ???

A lot of work went on to get to where we are today in the search for a child that officialdom hasn't seemed too keen to look for.  Which makes the constant chipping at it when the long overdue investigation is at last in progress all the more remarkable.  It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would wish to do that.



Home Office launches secret review into Madeleine McCann's disappearance
The Home Office has secretly begun a review that could lead to a fresh police inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

By Robert Mendick 9:00PM GMT 06 Mar 2010

The move follows the release of 2,000 pages of evidence last week which Portuguese detectives are accused of having failed to fully investigate.

According to sources close to the McCanns, Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, has ordered officials to examine the 'feasibility' of British or Portuguese detectives looking afresh at all the evidence.

Kate and Gerry McCann met with Mr Johnson last year to plead for help in their search for Madeleine, who vanished without trace in May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

The couple have also met with John Yates, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, who has headed up a number of high profile inquiries in recent years.

He is said to be "sympathetic" and to have made "general offers of assistance".

The source said: "The latest we have heard from the Home Office is officials are undertaking a 'scoping exercise' to look into the possibility of a review of the case.

"They are looking at all the options. It is basically a feasibility study.

"Kate and Gerry met with Alan Johnson to request a review is done. Hopefully any political intervention can unlock obstructions that might be in the way."

Pressure is now being put on Portuguese authorities to agree in the first instance to a three-day review of the case that could be held at Interpol's headquarters in Lyon in France.

The McCanns will hope the Home Office can persuade their Portuguese counterparts to co-operate in a case review.

The review – were it to go ahead – would involve British police working with Portuguese counterparts as well as experts in child abduction across other European forces.

The Portuguese police have been heavily criticised for their handling of the case which led to detectives naming the McCanns, both doctors from Leicestershire, as arguidos – or suspects – in the case and accusing them of involvement in her disappearance.

Their arguido status was subsequently lifted and the police investigation shelved.
But with the senior officer in charge Goncalo Amaral now widely discredited and facing financial ruin after being sued for libel by the McCanns over a book he wrote, it may become harder for the Portuguese to refuse the request for a thorough review.

The revelation that possible leads – many passed to Portuguese police by the McCanns' own private detectives – had apparently been ignored will add to the clamour.

Last week, details emerged of a series of possible sightings of Madeleine, who was just three when she vanished.

Guilhermino Encarnacao, who was in charge of the Policia Judiciaria in the Algarve, died two weeks ago from stomach cancer.

Mr Encarnacao was convinced Madeleine had died in her parents' apartment and was a major source of a series of off the record briefings to journalists against the McCanns.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that the Home Secretary had a private meeting with Kate and Gerry McCann.

"Leicestershire Police stand ready to co-ordinate and complete enquiries if further information comes to light in the UK; or if requested to do so by the Portuguese authorities, who continue to lead on the overall investigation."

The spokesman refused to discuss what talks took place at the meeting or whether there was the chance of a review of the evidence at Interpol.

The spokesman added: "We are not going to comment on the outcome of any private meeting with the McCanns."

Mr Yates was unavailable for comment. He led the cash for honours investigation and was also involved in a new inquiry into the murder of Julie Ward, who was murdered in Kenya in 1988.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/7384911/Home-Office-launches-secret-review-into-Madeleine-McCanns-disappearance.html

https://madeleinemccannthetruth.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/remember-this-november-2010/

I don't remember any evidence being released in 2010?

[Carana]

The original remit was to investigate the abduction as if it happened in the UK.

I would have thought the remit would have said they should investigate the disappearance.

Because the remit said 'abduction' does that mean  that only one possible cause of Madeleine's disappearance was to be investigated?

Did Operation Grange have a different name when it was just a review, as opposed to when it became an investigation?

[G-Unit]

Did Operation Grange have a different name when it was just a review, as opposed to when it became an investigation?

No. I have attached the remit.

[G-Unit]

I think assumptions are made without letting the facts get in the way.

If a modicum of common sense were used  it would be apparent that Operation Grange is only a step in the process of the inquiry into Madeleine McCann's disappearance and not the genesis.

The police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance was shelved in 2008.  It took her parents two years to get anywhere near towards having her case reviewed with the purpose of having it reopened.

One really positive outcome from the libel action taken against Goncalo Amaral was the revelation by Ricardo Paiva that information which had continued to be submitted to the Policia Judiciaria had been filed by him as "not relevant to the inquiry".  All of it ???

A lot of work went on to get to where we are today in the search for a child that officialdom hasn't seemed too keen to look for.  Which makes the constant chipping at it when the long overdue investigation is at last in progress all the more remarkable.  It is difficult to comprehend why anyone would wish to do that.



Home Office launches secret review into Madeleine McCann's disappearance
The Home Office has secretly begun a review that could lead to a fresh police inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

By Robert Mendick 9:00PM GMT 06 Mar 2010

The move follows the release of 2,000 pages of evidence last week which Portuguese detectives are accused of having failed to fully investigate.

According to sources close to the McCanns, Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, has ordered officials to examine the 'feasibility' of British or Portuguese detectives looking afresh at all the evidence.

Kate and Gerry McCann met with Mr Johnson last year to plead for help in their search for Madeleine, who vanished without trace in May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

The couple have also met with John Yates, the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, who has headed up a number of high profile inquiries in recent years.

He is said to be "sympathetic" and to have made "general offers of assistance".

The source said: "The latest we have heard from the Home Office is officials are undertaking a 'scoping exercise' to look into the possibility of a review of the case.

"They are looking at all the options. It is basically a feasibility study.

"Kate and Gerry met with Alan Johnson to request a review is done. Hopefully any political intervention can unlock obstructions that might be in the way."

Pressure is now being put on Portuguese authorities to agree in the first instance to a three-day review of the case that could be held at Interpol's headquarters in Lyon in France.

The McCanns will hope the Home Office can persuade their Portuguese counterparts to co-operate in a case review.

The review – were it to go ahead – would involve British police working with Portuguese counterparts as well as experts in child abduction across other European forces.

The Portuguese police have been heavily criticised for their handling of the case which led to detectives naming the McCanns, both doctors from Leicestershire, as arguidos – or suspects – in the case and accusing them of involvement in her disappearance.

Their arguido status was subsequently lifted and the police investigation shelved.
But with the senior officer in charge Goncalo Amaral now widely discredited and facing financial ruin after being sued for libel by the McCanns over a book he wrote, it may become harder for the Portuguese to refuse the request for a thorough review.

The revelation that possible leads – many passed to Portuguese police by the McCanns' own private detectives – had apparently been ignored will add to the clamour.

Last week, details emerged of a series of possible sightings of Madeleine, who was just three when she vanished.

Guilhermino Encarnacao, who was in charge of the Policia Judiciaria in the Algarve, died two weeks ago from stomach cancer.

Mr Encarnacao was convinced Madeleine had died in her parents' apartment and was a major source of a series of off the record briefings to journalists against the McCanns.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that the Home Secretary had a private meeting with Kate and Gerry McCann.

"Leicestershire Police stand ready to co-ordinate and complete enquiries if further information comes to light in the UK; or if requested to do so by the Portuguese authorities, who continue to lead on the overall investigation."

The spokesman refused to discuss what talks took place at the meeting or whether there was the chance of a review of the evidence at Interpol.

The spokesman added: "We are not going to comment on the outcome of any private meeting with the McCanns."

Mr Yates was unavailable for comment. He led the cash for honours investigation and was also involved in a new inquiry into the murder of Julie Ward, who was murdered in Kenya in 1988.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/7384911/Home-Office-launches-secret-review-into-Madeleine-McCanns-disappearance.html

https://madeleinemccannthetruth.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/remember-this-november-2010/

This article refers to a dossier obtained by The Sun of sightings allegedly ignored by the PJ. It was referred to during the injunction hearing against Amaral's book. The McCanns were not amused at the release of the dossier apparently, nor of the publication of it's contents by The Sun;

Maddie's 41- year old parents Kate and Gerry, of Rothley, Leics, said in a statement: "Disclosing such information greatly jeopardises the search and puts witnesses and innocent members of the general public at risk, as well as causing them great anxiety.."Release and publication of information in this manner also potentially compromises future investigations. It is difficult to see how anyone benefits from these actions.".....
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id314.html

The Sun, however, said;

Their lawyer Isabel Duarte then applied for a copy of the dossier. And after studying it, she told us: “It is a disgrace that none of this information was given to Kate and Gerry. “Some of the photos are shockingly similar to Madeleine.”

Angry Gerry said recently of the filed treasure trove of leads: “We’re gutted. If you don’t investigate information, you won’t solve it.” Yesterday a source close to the McCanns said: “They are extremely angry that this file has been sitting in an office collecting dust. It’s an outrage and a disgrace.”  Spokesman Clarence Mitchell added: “They’re incredibly frustrated this file was sitting there being disregarded by the Portuguese police. “They were shocked when they saw the scale of the information and the lack of action taken.
“There are potential leads in the file that are now being followed up by our own investigators.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2875942/A-2000-page-file-provides-stark-evidence-of-shocking-Portuguese-failings-in-the-hunt-for-Madeleine-McCann.html

So the dossier was given to The Sun or applied for by Lawyer Duarte. The McCanns were angry at it's release and publication or horrified that so many sightings weren't investigated. Take your pick.

It could, of course, have been part of an orchestrated campaign to pressurise UK authorities to set up a review to look into the failings of the Portuguese investigation. Of course when the review arrived it's remit was not to look at the failings of the PJ.

[Brietta]

Ricardo Paiva's admission in court must rank as one of the most extraordinary relevations to emerge in the case of a missing child.

From 2008 until 2010 the lead authority in the case ... was systematically ignoring all information being received over that period ... despite the fact that new, credible evidence might have been sufficient to have enabled the case to be reopened.

What is it about this child that allows actions of this kind to be condoned?  What kind of justice system is it that allows its officers to behave with such, in my opinion, deliberate dereliction of duty ...



Portuguese police 'ignored Madeleine McCann leads'

Portuguese police have ignored hundreds of potential new leads in the Madeleine McCann case because of their belief that she is already dead, it has been claimed.

By Fiona Govan in Lisbon7:30AM GMT 12 Feb 2010

Details of possible sightings from across Europe have been forwarded to Portuguese investigators by local forces but no effort has been made to follow them up.

Kate and Gerry McCann, both 41, learnt of the existence of the dossier of new information, including tips offs, license plate numbers and even photographs of children who could be their daughter, during a court hearing in Lisbon that ended Wednesday.

"They were shocked at what was in it and, even worse, what little had been done to follow any of it up,” said Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCann family.

"Kate and Gerry have consistently known that potential fresh information was not being properly followed up, if at all.”

The potential new leads date from July 2008 when the case was officially shelved by Portuguese police after they failed to find any evidence of the missing girl.

The confidential dossier contains hundreds of statements that could prove useful in solving the mystery of Madeleine’s disappearance from an Algarve holiday apartment on May 3, 2007.

The McCanns’ legal team became aware of the file during court proceedings as part of a libel trial brought by the couple against the former detective, Goncalo Amaral, who led the initial investigation.

The McCanns’ Portuguese lawyer, Isabel Duarte, accused current Algarve police chief Ricardo Paiva of deliberately ignoring the leads because they did not fit in with the theory that Madeleine’s parents were involved in her disappearance.
Last month he appeared in court as a witness in support of former colleague Mr Amaral, who has written a book alleging that the girl died in the holiday apartment and her parents fabricated a tale of abduction after hiding her body.

"Every piece of information (in the dossier of potential new leads) was treated the same way - Ricardo Paiva writes on it 'this is not relevant to the investigation',” Mrs Duarte said from her office in the Portuguese capital on Thursday.

“He believed and to this day still believes that Madeleine is dead. I asked him: ‘How can you find a person when you are not looking for them?’”.

She said some of the leads seemed credible, including a cluster of sightings by independent eye witnesses in northern Italy, and had been forwarded by police forces in the UK, Spain, France and Italy but ignored by their Portuguese counterparts.

Copies of the files would now be passed to the McCanns to be followed up by private investigators hired to search for their daughter.

"But I am angry because it is the Portuguese investigative police who should be doing this job,” Mrs Duarte, added.

"They have the power and capability to do it. It is they who should be doing it not and not my clients."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/7215353/Portuguese-police-ignored-Madeleine-McCann-leads.html

[Carana]

No. I have attached the remit.

Thanks. So Op Grange was the term used prior to the launching of the investigation.

I also found this:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-22918857

There had been a lengthy review prior to launching the investigation.

That review presumably involved clearing the ground under their feet as far as possible (including the forensic timeline) in the event that any of the T9 had been involved.

PT had also launched a review, then relaunched its own investigation.

To date, there have been various leads to follow (whether old ones that hadn't been thoroughly considered, or new ones). None appear to involve the T9.

[Brietta]

Thanks. So Op Grange was the term used prior to the launching of the investigation.

I also found this:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-22918857

There had been a lengthy review prior to launching the investigation.

That review presumably involved clearing the ground under their feet as far as possible (including the forensic timeline) in the event that any of the T9 had been involved.

PT had also launched a review, then relaunched its own investigation.

To date, there have been various leads to follow (whether old ones that hadn't been thoroughly considered, or new ones). None appear to involve the T9.

I think the logical conclusion is that the groundwork had been completed to ensure there was no complicity of either her parents or their friends in Madeleine's disappearance.

Don't tell me that Theresa May ... who possibly sees herself as future prime ministerial material ... was going to lend her name to any such endeavour without it having been thoroughly checked and without making certain sure that all the boxes had been ticked.

[stephen25000]

I think the logical conclusion is that the groundwork had been completed to ensure there was no complicity of either her parents or their friends in Madeleine's disappearance.

Don't tell me that Theresa May ... who possibly sees herself as future prime ministerial material ... was going to lend her name to any such endeavour without it having been thoroughly checked and without making certain sure that all the boxes had been ticked.

So Theresa May has not been involved in any cock-ups then in government ?

Or when things go wrong, does she blame her civil servants ?