Author Topic: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann  (Read 1470094 times)

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Offline Admin

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4140 on: December 15, 2014, 06:10:48 AM »
Madeleine McCann police quiz rapist pig farmer for 6 hours


Dec 09, 2014 22:44
By David Collins, Gerard Couzens

Scotland Yard officers interviewed convicted rapist for six hours and eight more are set to be interviewed.



(left) Jose Marques (pig farmer) and inset DCI Redwood and Mario Marreiros (laundryman)

A convicted rapist was interviewed for the third time yesterday over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Scotland Yard detectives spent more than six hours talking to dreadlocked pig farmer Joaquim Jose Marques.

Marques is among 11 men and women who this week are being interviewed by British and Portuguese officers probing the mystery.

Madeleine, from Leicestershire, vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007, days before her fourth birthday.

Marques was first questioned by police 20 days after she disappeared.

It is understood he was ruled out of the Portuguese police inquiry after giving an alibi. He was questioned again after the release of a sketch by an FBI-trained artist based on descriptions by British tourist Gail Cooper.

She told police a “creepy man” came to her villa asking for donations for an orphanage days before Madeleine went missing.

Yesterday Marques was spoken to as a witness and not as a “person of interest” to the police. Marques, who at the time was living with a British hairdresser girlfriend and their three-year-old daughter, was identified then as a convicted rapist by Portuguese press. He was sentenced to five years in jail in 1996 for raping his British teenage victim in Praia da Luz in 1995.

Marques threatened reporters with a gun outside his Algarve farm in January 2008.

Looking dishevelled yesterday, he threw a punch at a cameraman as he left a police station in Faro.

As he returned after a quick lunch, he threw a bottle of water at another. Police yesterday also talked to Mario Marreiros, 48, the former laundryman at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz where Madeleine was staying. He was also treated as a witness by police.

He revealed last year how he told police he saw a man wearing sunglasses lurking in a stairwell near her apartment 24 hours
before she vanished.

He told a newspaper he had never been spoken to by British police and insisted: “My theory is that guy must have been involved.”

Twice-divorced Mario, who lives near Praia, blamed a secrecy order imposed by a Portuguese judge for preventing him from speaking sooner.

The potential suspect he identified is understood to have been ruled out after turning out to be a tourist.

A third unidentified man interviewed by police refused to talk to reporters as he arrived at Faro Police Station.

The interviews arranged for this week, following a fifth international letter of request from Britain, are the first since four men were quizzed as “arguidos”, or persons of interest, at the start of July.

British police believe Madeleine was snatched during a bungled burglary.

They have reportedly supplied over 250 questions for the Portuguese authorities to ask the 11 witnesses. Parts of the resort were dug up in June at Scotland Yard’s request. However, the dig failed to yield any clues.

The British investigation, with officers from Scotland Yard led by DCI Andy Redwood, is understood to have so far cost around £8million. DCI Nicola Wall, from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command Unit, will lead the investigation when Mr Redwood retires on December 22.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-police-quiz-rapist-4779612?mobile=false
« Last Edit: December 15, 2014, 06:15:18 AM by Admin »

Offline Eleanor

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4141 on: December 15, 2014, 06:14:19 AM »

I don't like the look of any of them.

Offline Admin

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4142 on: December 15, 2014, 06:53:38 AM »
Maddie case: Murat's responses postponed


Report by Pedro F Guerreiro, Rui Pando Gomes and Tiago Griff
11 December 2014



Robert Murat's wife, Michaela Walczuch was questioned by the PJ for eight hours in Faro while SY officers looked on.

After eight hours on the premises of the Judicial Police of Faro, Robert Murat left without answering any questions. The examination as a witness of the British-Portuguese - who was first suspected by the Portuguese investigation of the Maddie case but later cleared - was postponed until tomorrow.  Postponing the Murat inquiry is related to the legal question raised by his lawyer, because he was found not guilty by the Portuguese police, and over time the inspectors were slow to hear the woman, Michaela Walczuch, who was extensively questioned.  Yesterday, Sylvia Baptista, who had responsibility for staff development and who actively participated in the searches to find the English child was heard. Today will be heard three more witnesses. CM can reveal it will be the manager of the Ocean Club, John Hill, and his wife, both British, and a Portuguese man. It is recalled that in the hours after the disappearance on May 3, 2007, while Maddie's parents insisted that there had been a kidnapping, John Hill stated that the child could have disappeared because the window was open.  "The alarm was raised shortly after 22: 00. We started soon to look for the child, with the help of guests and locals. We searched the resort, beach, streets, gardens and even cars. The GNR arrived at 22.45 and efforts continued, but without success, "said Hill in 2007.

The new leader of the British investigation, Nicola Wall, will meet this morning with the director of the PJ in Faro, Luis Mota Carmo. The UK authorities have suggested a list of 253 questions to be asked by the Judicial Police to eleven people.

www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/respostas_de_murat_adiadas.html
« Last Edit: December 15, 2014, 03:04:22 PM by Admin »

ferryman

  • Guest
Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4143 on: December 15, 2014, 09:30:15 AM »
This is perfectly reasonable and is exactly what kate did

Except that, if Murat was questioned as an informal witness, he is legally obliged to answer questions.

Equally, if he is questioned as an informal witness, Portuguese law does not permit that he be asked leading or incriminating questions.

His status would have to change to arguido for that to happen.

Offline Kazcutt

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4144 on: December 15, 2014, 04:40:45 PM »
Pig man shaved his hair off just after 3/5/07 remember him pointing the gun at Sky reporter
He has bad dodgy past
« Last Edit: December 15, 2014, 05:56:30 PM by Kazcutt »

Offline John

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4145 on: December 16, 2014, 03:17:56 PM »
Maddie case: English want to come back

British will ask for more time after enquiries produce no results.



By João Mira Godinho, Pedro F. Guerreiro
13 December 2014



Robert Murat departs PJ headquarters in Faro after several hours of questioning as a witness.

Having spent eight hours on the premises of the PJ in Faro without answering any questions, Robert Murat was eventually questioned for about four hours. The questioning of the Portuguese Britain – the first to be accused the investigation of the disappearance of Maddie from Praia da Luz in Lagos, in 2007, but later exonerated – was the last of the eleven made in four days.

However, the enquiries have not produced any new arguidos or unearthed any relevant clues. The British should now need to send a new rogatory letter in order to pursue further enquiries. Robert Murat was summoned to give evidence by the PJ on Wednesday, as was his wife, Michaela Walzuc, also a witness. But only she answered the questions of the authorities that day, because the lawyer of Murat, Francisco Pagarete, eventually raised a legal issue as his client had already been subjected to interrogation on the same facts, and having been cleared. So yesterday, he answered about 200 questions prepared by Scotland Yard, later leaving accompanied by his lawyer in a PJ car, putting an end to this round of the investigation.

The CM found that none of the eleven new witnesses were designated arguida, having not come up with any given new evidence as a result of enquiries made since Tuesday. Detective chief inspector Nicola Wall, who replaces Andy Redwood as head of the investigation from the end of the month wasn't at the PJ yesterday. But she is the one who will now decide what new steps are required in order to unravel the disappearance of Maddie.

www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/ingleses_querem_voltar.html
« Last Edit: December 18, 2014, 05:05:58 PM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline jassi

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4146 on: December 16, 2014, 03:25:18 PM »
So what were they expecting, a breakthrough ?
I believe everything. And l believe nothing.
I suspect everyone. And l suspect no one.
I gather the facts, examine the clues... and before   you know it, the case is solved!"

Or maybe not -

OG have been pushed out by the Germans who have reserved all the deck chairs for the foreseeable future

ferryman

  • Guest
Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4147 on: December 16, 2014, 03:31:46 PM »
Maddie case: English want to come back



Robert Murat departs PJ headquarters in Faro after several hours of questioning as a witness.



British will ask for more time after inquiries produce no results.


By João Mira Godinho, Pedro F. Guerreiro
13 December 2014

Having spent eight hours on the premises of the PJ in Faro without answering any questions, Robert Murat was eventually questioned for about four hours. The questioning of the Portuguese Britain – the first to be accused the investigation of the disappearance of Maddie from Praia da Luz in Lagos, in 2007, but later exonerated – was the last of the eleven made in four days.

However, the enquiries have not produced any new arguidos or unearthed any relevant clues. The British should now need to send a new rogatory letter in order to pursue further enquiries. Robert Murat was summoned to give evidence by the PJ on Wednesday, as was his wife, Michaela Walzuc, also a witness. But only she answered the questions of the authorities that day, because the lawyer of Murat, Francisco Pagarete, eventually raised a legal issue as his client had already been subjected to interrogation on the same facts, and having been cleared. So yesterday, he answered about 200 questions prepared by Scotland Yard, later leaving accompanied by his lawyer in a PJ car, putting an end to this round of the investigation.

The CM found that none of the eleven new witnesses were designated arguida, having not come up with any given new evidence as a result of enquiries made since Tuesday. Detective chief inspector Nicola Wall, who replaces Andy Redwood as head oif the investigation from the end of the month wasn't at the PJ yesterday. But she's the one who will decide what new steps are required in order to unravel the disappearance of Maddie.

www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/ingleses_querem_voltar.html

I don't follow the two parts I underline.

Murat was questioned without answering questions.

Yet he was questioned as an informal witness.

I thought informal witnesses had to answer questions.

Has there been another change to the law?

Another thing that puzzles me is that he was accompanied by his lawyer.

Informal witnesses generally aren't, but arguidos obviously are ...

Offline John

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4148 on: December 16, 2014, 03:37:37 PM »
I don't follow the two parts I underline.

Murat was questioned without answering questions.

Yet he was questioned as an informal witness.

I thought informal witnesses had to answer questions.

Has there been another change to the law?

Another thing that puzzles me is that he was accompanied by his lawyer.

Informal witnesses generally aren't, but arguidos obviously are ...

He attended as a witness but his lawyer intervened since Mr Murat has already provided answers to these questions when he was an arguido.  No doubt several hours later they did a deal and he agreed to answer new questions.

Having his lawyer present might not have been a requirement but somewhat essential in the circumstances, don't you think?
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

ferryman

  • Guest
Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4149 on: December 16, 2014, 03:39:22 PM »
He attended as a witness but his lawyer intervened since Mr Murat has already provided answers to these questions when he was an arguido.  No doubt several hours later they did a deal and he agreed to answer new questions.

Having his lawyer present might not have been a requirement but somewhat essential in the circumstances, don't you think?

I've no objection to him having his lawyer present.

I just didn't think it was allowed ...

Thinking about it, it may be similar to when Kate and Gerry were interviewed.  Interviews with lawyers present, begun of witnesses with informal status, but with arguido status imposed at some point during the interview.

Then again, the account says no arguidos were named.

This is correia de Manaha.

Perhaps best to wait for a more reliable source.
« Last Edit: December 16, 2014, 03:43:21 PM by ferryman »

Offline Eleanor

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4150 on: December 16, 2014, 04:09:50 PM »
He attended as a witness but his lawyer intervened since Mr Murat has already provided answers to these questions when he was an arguido.  No doubt several hours later they did a deal and he agreed to answer new questions.

Having his lawyer present might not have been a requirement but somewhat essential in the circumstances, don't you think?

This is how I see it.  And it makes perfect sense to me.  With all that Arguido stuff about answering or not answering questions, how can he be obliged to answer questions he has already answered?

Unless to trap him, which I don't think they are allowed to do.

Offline Carana

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4151 on: December 16, 2014, 04:57:43 PM »
I've no objection to him having his lawyer present.

I just didn't think it was allowed ...

Thinking about it, it may be similar to when Kate and Gerry were interviewed.  Interviews with lawyers present, begun of witnesses with informal status, but with arguido status imposed at some point during the interview.

Then again, the account says no arguidos were named.

This is correia de Manaha.

Perhaps best to wait for a more reliable source.

The law changed - witnesses are allowed to have a legal representative present, but with a limited capacity to intervene: they can just point out legal issues.

Offline misty

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4152 on: December 16, 2014, 05:02:11 PM »
Were MW & RM the only 2 witnesses who had lawyers in attendance?
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 05:27:52 AM by John »

Offline John

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4153 on: December 20, 2014, 05:22:25 AM »
Five of the witnesses questioned by the PJ last week.









« Last Edit: December 22, 2014, 04:10:20 AM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline Anna

Re: Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann
« Reply #4154 on: December 20, 2014, 08:30:34 PM »
» A new shake-up in the Madeleine case?
Posted by portugalpress on December 19, 2014
A new shake-up in the Madeleine case?
The Operation Grange investigation by the Metropolitan Police into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is said to be “upbeat” and set to continue despite mounting costs, a top resignation and apparently still no breakthrough in sight.
The latest episode in this extraordinary case, with Scotland Yard detectives questioning 10 people in Faro, does not seem to have resulted in any meaningful progress.
The previous high point in the investigation featured British police searching across three sites next to Praia da Luz in the summer. Scorned by sceptics as a ‘whitewash’ and a ‘circus,’ the searches produced no new evidence and gave rise not only to exasperation among local citizens, but also speculation that the investigation was nearing its endgame.
The speculation heightened with news that the cost of the inquiry was approaching £10 million at a time of stringent budget cuts that could have disastrous consequences for police forces across the UK.
The announcement that Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood was retiring from the Met as the head of Operation Grange further invigorated the notion that the case was going nowhere.
“After careful consideration and a full and rewarding career in the Met, the time is right for me to move on,” Redwood said.
A headline in the Mirror declared: “Madeleine McCann top cop quits: This does send a certain kind of message.”
The paper reported that with Redwood’s resignation, “the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann suffered a blow”. It went on to quote a source close to the inquiry: “The investigation has gone on for three-and-a-half years now. However, a lead detective would not typically stand down if they can see a result in the pipeline.”
If this did indeed send “a certain kind of message,” it was somewhat confused by the simultaneous announcement that DCI Nicola Wall was to replace Redwood as leader of the Operation Grange team.
This left some observers wondering if the latest questioning in Faro was a last ditch effort that might soon lead to a formal wrapping up of the investigation. Not so, apparently.
Anthony Summers, co-author with his wife Robbyn Swan of the book Looking for Madeleine, told the BBC Breakfast programme that, according to his sources, the Operation Grange team is “upbeat and believes the case is solvable”.
There is said to be no political pressure, no hidden agenda and no pressure or problem about expenditure.
The team still comprises about 30 officers and support staff, essentially the same number as earlier in the investigation. The expectation is that they will continue ploughing methodically though a vast amount of information.
So, the indications are that although the investigation is taking a very long time with apparently little success, this should not be interpreted as meaning that detectives are pessimistic about the case or about to give up.
It has been known by insiders for some months that Redwood was going to retire. But immediately after the announcement, the Mirror quoted a senior Labour MP as saying: “There are times when public duty must override personal circumstances, and this is one of them. If senior officers were aware of the DCI’s retirement plans, why was he put on to this case in the first place?”
Interesting question, but this is a side issue.
The main thrust is that Nicola Wall has now met the senior Portuguese officials she will be collaborating with after formally taking command of Operation Grange on December 22.
When Inês Sequeira was appointed Portimão’s new public prosecutor in October she was quoted in the press as being “utterly determined” to crack the case.
She has the backing of Portugal’s first woman attorney general, Joana Marques Vidal, Portimão’s PJ chief, Ana Paula Rito, and the Porto-based PJ detective in charge of the Portuguese investigation, Helena Monteiro.
Nicola Wall has served at the Met for 26 years, most recently as head of the Murder Investigation Team in West London. Hitherto she has not had much media coverage, but that’s about to change.
Vogue magazine last year reported that she prided herself on her investigative speed; that she was only partially joking when she attributed her low media profile to the fact “we solve cases so quickly nobody gets involved”.
By LEN PORT
An omen perhaps?
http://portugalresident.com/a-new-shake-up-in-the-madeleine-case

“You should not honour men more than truth.”
― Plato