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The 3 Burglars
« on: January 13, 2014, 01:28:57 PM »
3rd January 2014

Daily Mail

By STEPHEN WRIGHT

Police identify three prime suspects for abduction of Madeleine McCann following analysis of mobile phone data.

Data suggests a burglary gang was operating near time of disappearance

Suspects made an 'unusually high' number of calls hours after Maddie was reported missing

Police believe thieves carried out one raid in resort, disturbing a child

Portuguese police attached no significance to the break-in days before

British detectives described oversight as a 'disgrace'

'Main line of inquiry' suggests burglars panicked and kidnapped Maddie


Three prime suspects for the abduction of Madeleine McCann have been identified by Scotland Yard officers.

Analysis of mobile phone data suggests a burglary gang was operating very near to where she vanished in Portugal in May 2007.

The three men made an unusually high number of calls to each other in the hours after Madeleine was reported missing from her holiday flat in the Algarve.

Police believe the thieves, including at least one Portuguese man, had already carried out one raid in the resort of Praia da Luz, disturbing a child.

That child's parents, who had been drinking outside the property, rushed inside to find the intruders had fled.

During their bungled investigation Portuguese police attached no significance to the break-in, which came a few days before Madeleine disappeared.

British detectives said this oversight was a 'disgrace'.

Following the Yard phone breakthrough, informal discussions have taken place about arresting the three burglars and searching their homes and other sites.

It is believed background checks have taken place into their criminal history, their circle of friends and relatives and the vehicles they have used.

British detectives believe the burglars may have panicked after they woke Madeleine up by mistake and decided to take her away with them.


An informed source said: 'After all the far-fetched theories about what may have happened to Madeleine, there may be a far more simple explanation: that a burglary went horribly wrong.

'It is the main line of inquiry for British police.'

But Scotland Yard's hopes of early arrests have been thwarted by the reluctance of the Portuguese authorities to agree to a formal joint investigation.

Because none of the burglars is British, the Met cannot arrest them in Portugal and will need the full cooperation of local police to pursue the inquiry.

Behind the scenes, highly sensitive diplomatic discussions are taking place to resolve the issue so that British detectives can be based in Portugal. Home Secretary Theresa May is being briefed regularly.

Yard detectives have dismissed the idea that a local man who died in a tractor accident four years ago was responsible for Madeleine's disappearance.

Portuguese police regard the 40-year-old, a former employee at the Ocean Club holiday complex the McCanns stayed at, as their prime suspect.

Met officers disagree with their reasoning and are concentrating on the burglars.

The compelling mobile phone 'cell site analysis' – which has helped solve a number of major crimes – has strengthened suspicions about the gang.

A major appeal based on 'substantive' new information – including descriptions of possible suspects – was broadcast on the BBC1's Crimewatch in October. Days before the appeal, senior detectives revealed mobile phone records may hold the key to solving the case.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the inquiry, said officers were examining data from thousands of mobiles thought to belong to people who were in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

The data suggests the men were involved in a burglary a few days before Madeleine's disappearance during which they woke a another child.

Madeleine McCann went missing from her apartment in The Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz in 2007.

Police are trying to identify the owner of each phone to build up a picture of exactly who was in the area.

More than 3,000 people live in Praia da Luz, while holidaymakers and seasonal workers visit from around the world. 'This is not just a general trawl,' said Mr Redwood. 'It's a targeted attack on that data to see if it assists us to find out what happened to Madeleine at that time.'

Mr Redwood said officers had been unable to identify, six years on, a large number of mobile phones, especially those bought on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The records also contain information on which numbers were dialled and when. It is thought some numbers might appear on police intelligence systems, or be linked to criminals.

According to Scotland Yard, the phone records were looked at by the Portuguese police investigation but in no detail. Scotland Yard announced it was launching an investigation into Madeleine's disappearance in July – after spending two years reviewing the case under the codename Operation Grange.

Madeleine, whose parents Gerry and Kate live in Rothley, Leicestershire, was days away from her fourth birthday when she was abducted.

Earlier this week it emerged that the bill for the Yard's probe has topped £6million. The total is now likely to exceed £10million, with £88,000 having gone on travel costs so far.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533510/Police-identify-three-prime-suspects-abduction-Madeleine-McCann-following-analysis-mobile-phone-data.html
« Last Edit: January 13, 2014, 01:47:14 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2014, 01:32:48 PM »

5th January 2014

Sunday Mirror

By Justin Penrose

Madeleine McCann: Three burglars are prime suspects in hunt for missing girl as police trawl phone records,

Scotland Yard believes Maddie was snatched by a panicked gang who ­accidentally woke her in the family's apartment and took her with them.

Three burglars have been ­identified as prime suspects in the hunt for Madeleine McCann after detectives trawled through thousands of phone records.

Scotland Yard believes Madeleine was snatched by a panicked gang who ­accidentally woke her in the family's holiday apartment and decided to take her with them.

Mobile phone analysis shows the men made an unusually high number of calls to each other in the hours after she disappeared aged three in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

British officers now want to arrest the men but need the Portuguese to agree to a formal joint investigation as UK detectives cannot swoop on foreign suspects.

Yesterday a source close to parents Kate and Gerry said: "It could be a major breakthrough.

"Kate and Gerry are buoyed up by this latest development. Whilst they don't want to build up their hopes too high they are feeling optimistic.

"They felt it was only a matter of time before new clues came to light."

Officers believe the burglars had carried out a raid in the resort days before Madeleine vanished in May 2007, disturbing another child. That youngster's parents were outside and rushed in to find the intruders had fled.

During their bungled probe Portuguese police attached no ­significance to the ­break-in. But the Met is thought to have made checks into the men's criminal history, their friends and any vehicles they have used.

Scotland Yard, which refused to comment, also ruled out Portuguese officers' prime suspect – a man who had worked at the resort where the McCanns, of Rothley, Leics, stayed.

A Crimewatch appeal aired in October and police, led by ­Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, revealed mobile records could be key. Yesterday Kate was at Everton's FA Cup tie against QPR to help raise awareness for missing people.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-three-burglars-prime-2989712
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2014, 01:36:27 PM »
5th January 2014

Sunday Express

By: James Murray

EXCLUSIVE: Madeleine McCann police are urged to hunt Ocean Club thief

SCOTLAND Yard detectives hunting Madeleine McCann’s kidnapper are being urged to trace a former worker at the Ocean Club holiday villa complex from where she disappeared.

A criminologist who has spent years analysing Portuguese police files has discovered information about the man, who had previously been caught stealing.

He lived close to the spot where a man was seen carrying a child, who detectives believe was Madeleine, at the time of the abduction.

Madrid-based Heriberto Janosch has written to Scotland Yard's Operation Grange detectives with details of his findings.

The revelation comes after it was reported that Scotland Yard officers have identified three "prime suspects" in a burglary gang after analysing phone data around the time of the abduction on May 3, 2007, at Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve.

The report claimed there were a high number of calls between the group after Madeleine vanished. It also suggested the gang was responsible for two earlier raids at neighbouring apartments, one of which was foiled when they were disturbed by an elderly resident.

Now Yard chiefs are involved with discussions with counterparts in Portugal on how and when to arrest the trio, one of whom is ­Portuguese.

Mr Janosch said that the individual he is interested in was not ­working at the Ocean Club during the evening when Madeleine disappeared. He said: "When I read the information in the Portuguese police files I felt it was important to contact Scotland Yard to make sure they were aware of it.

"Now I understand that the Yard is concentrating on three suspected burglars and I wonder if this man I am interested in is one of them.

"The investigation is reaching a very important stage and hopefully the police are on the verge of a breakthrough.

"I have investigated this case for a long time and it is my belief that Madeleine was taken by burglars and there was no planned kidnapping.

"She just happened to come across them when they were in the apartment."

The move came as Kate McCann, an ambassador for the charity Missing People, and husband Gerry yesterday attended the FA Cup tie between Everton and Queens Park Rangers at Goodison Park.

Everton supporter Kate went to the game to raise awareness of the charity and to cheer on her team.

A film about the plight of missing people was shown during the half-time break.

Writing in Everton's match programme yesterday, chairman Bill Kenwright, said: "We have a strong tradition at Everton of working with, and supporting, our community and because of that we wanted to use today's game to help raise awareness of those who, for whatever reason, are currently missing."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/452079/Madeleine-police-are-urged-to-hunt-Ocean-Club-thief
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2014, 01:41:25 PM »

12th January 2014

Daily Mirror

By David Collins

Madeleine McCann cops to make first arrests: Three burglars who 'made many phone calls' after her disappearance wanted in Portugal


The Crown Prosecution Service has sent an International Letter of Request to ­Portuguese police seeking permission to arrest the trio.

British police are poised to make the first arrests in the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann.

The Met want to quiz three burglars who carried out raids in the Portuguese resort when the three-year-old vanished.

Officers were last night preparing to fly to the Algarve to make their first arrests since the force set up Operation Grange in 2011 to review the ­kidnapping.

They hope to speak to the thieves after mobile phone records showed the men made numerous calls to each other in the hours after she disappeared.

The Crown Prosecution Service has sent an International Letter of Request to ­Portuguese police seeking permission to arrest the trio.

A spokesman for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry said: "The letter is a significant development. It is necessary for British police to request the ­Portuguese authorities allow them to operate on their turf.

"It means they have the intention of arresting and interviewing X, Y or Z. We don't know who they have their sights on but it's likely it is the burglars.

"Whether the Portuguese will co-operate remains to be seen. It is a very sensitive issue with differences they have had.

"Police want to be given a chance to arrest key suspects. It doesn't prove they have Madeleine but it will rule them in or out of the investigation and that is i­mportant.

"Kate and Gerry don't want to build up their hopes too high but they realise it could be a significant new lead."

Days before Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz in May 2007 aged three, the gang raided another holiday flat there, disturbing a child. The ­youngster's parents interrupted the burglars who fled.

An inquiry source said: ­"Portuguese police attached no ­significance to the burglary at the time. British officers regard this as an oversight."

Met Police have so far been unable to arrest the men as their Portuguese ­counterparts are reluctant to carry out a joint investigation, instead preferring to follow their own lines of inquiry.

Diplomatic discussions are going on to try to secure agreement for UK detectives to be based in Portugal. Six local officers are working with the Met’s team, making enquiries on their behalf.

The latest development follows a first International Letter of Request allowing Operation Grange to access mobile phone data.

Scotland Yard said: "We can confirm a second International Letter of Request has been sent to the Portuguese authorities by the Crown Prosecution Services."

No formal arrests have ever been made in the hunt for Madeleine. Early on former GP Kate and heart doctor Gerry, both 45 and from Rothley, Leics, were given the status of arguido. It meant they were formal suspects but they were cleared in 2008.

British-born property consultant Robert Murat was also made an arguido but he was exonerated alongside the McCanns.

Operation Grange has 37 officers and has so far cost taxpayers £4.5million.

In October, a BBC Crimewatch special, featuring a reconstruction and an e-fit of a new prime suspect, sparked 3,500 calls and emails. Two viewers gave the same name for the man seen carrying a child.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-cops-make-first-3016414

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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2014, 01:43:06 PM »
Madeleine: Police identify burglars as prime suspects after phone calls clue.

THREE burglars have been identified by Scotland Yard as potential major suspects in the hunt for Madeleine McCann.

Daily Express

By: John Twomey
Published: Mon, January 13, 2014

Detectives in London are understood to have urged the Portuguese authorities to track down the men and detain them.

The Yard is believed to have appealed for the thieves to be arrested in an international letter of request sent to Lisbon last week.

In what could be a breakthrough in the inquiry, detectives focused on the three men after a painstaking trawl through mobile phone records.

It is understood there was significant phone traffic between them around the time three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the McCanns’ holiday home in the Algarve in May 2007.

One theory is that the burglars raided the apartment in Praia da Luz and were panicked into snatching the little girl when she woke up and started crying.

The Yard cannot discount the possibility the men are not linked to Madeleine's disappearance but it is vital they are "traced, interviewed and eliminated" as an important step in the inquiry.

Burglars were active in the area in the days before Madeleine was kidnapped and the small but significant increase in the number of break-ins has been a major focus in the Yard's inquiry.

Shortly before Madeleine was snatched, an apartment was raided and another child was disturbed.

The youngster's parents were nearby but the intruder or intruders had fled when they rushed back inside.

Identifying the burglars as possible major suspects in the hunt for Madeleine is a key part of the Yard's investigation, codenamed Operation Grange.

A source close to her parents, Kate and Gerry, said: "It could be a major breakthrough. Kate and Gerry are buoyed up by this latest development.

"Whilst they don't want to build up their hopes too high they are feeling optimistic. They felt it was only a matter of time before new clues came to light."

In a moving radio interview recently, former GP Mrs McCann, 45, said: "Six years ago my little girl Madeleine was stolen. I cannot describe the impact that awful night had on our family. It’s a horrible pain we live with every day.

"[The charity] Missing People call it living in limbo and until Madeleine is found, we are in this nightmarish limbo too.

"Missing People never gives up hope, never stops looking. They are there when it counts, supporting each family for as long as it takes. For families like mine, they are a vital lifeline."

Authorities in London and Lisbon are working to set up a joint investigation team which would take advantage of European law to speed up cross-border inquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, head of Operation Grange, has revealed that mobile records could be key to the mystery. But there are many other possible lines of inquiry.

Yesterday, a Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed an international letter of request was sent to the Portuguese last week but declined to discuss the contents.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/453500/Phone-calls-clue-leads-to-burglars-becoming-chief-Maddie-suspects
« Last Edit: January 13, 2014, 05:16:30 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2014, 05:03:23 PM »
13th January 2014

The Guardian

by Haroon Siddique


British police 'preparing to make arrests' in Madeleine McCann case

Police are ready to arrest and interview suspects over girl's disappearance in Portugal, says parents' spokesman


British police are reportedly preparing the ground to make the first arrests in their investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

A spokesman for Madeleine's parents told the Daily Mirror that police were ready to arrest and interview "key suspects". Scotland Yard confirmed that it had sent an international letter of request to the Portuguese authorities but would not elaborate on its contents.

However, the Mirror said officers were preparing to fly to the Algarve on Sunday night to speak to three burglars who carried out raids in the Portuguese resort where Madeleine, then three years old, vanished on 3 May 2007.

The Metropolitan police launched its own investigation into her disappearance in July last year and in October, when new developments in the case were put to air on the BBC Crimewatch programme, officers said they were seeking to track down the people behind a series of burglaries around the Ocean Club complex, mainly in the early months of 2007. There was also an incident almost exactly a year before the abduction when children in a ground-floor apartment saw an intruder break in through a patio door and stare into a travel cot, stealing nothing.

Earlier this month, the Mail reported that analysis of mobile phone data suggested that a burglary gang was operating very near to where Madeleine vanished and made an unusually high number of calls to each other in the hours after she was reported missing.

The spokesman for Kate and Gerry McCann said: "The letter is a significant development. It is necessary for British police to request the Portuguese authorities allow them to operate on their turf.

"It means they have the intention of arresting and interviewing X, Y or Z. We don't know who they have their sights on but it's likely it is the burglars."

He said Madeleine's parents did not want to get their hopes up but "realised it could be a significant new lead". He also said it was not a formality that the Portuguese authorities would co-operate.

Portuguese police, who once falsely treated the parents as suspects, reopened their investigation in October last year, more than three years after it was shelved. Their investigation is running in parallel with the Scotland Yard inquiry but the Met police commissioner has called for the two forces to join together as one team.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/13/madeleine-mccann-british-police-arrests-portugal
« Last Edit: January 30, 2014, 12:36:21 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2014, 12:19:53 PM »

23rd January 2014

Daily Mail

Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine McCann case move a step closer to making arrests with official bid to interview three suspects

Portuguese Attorney General received formal request for access

UK prosecutors have asked to interview three prime suspects


The prospect of arrests over Madeleine McCann's disappearance moved a step closer today after Portugal's Attorney General's office confirmed it had received a formal request for help from UK prosecutors.

A spokesman for the country's top law officer confirmed it was in receipt of an International Letter of Request thought to ask for access to three 'prime suspects' - but declined to discuss its contents.

The spokesman said the letter would now be forwarded to a court in the Algarve resort of Portimao tasked with investigating the newly-reopened case in Portugal.

Authorities declined to give a timescale on when the letter would be sent or actioned.

Scotland Yard are understood to want to question three local burglars blamed for a string of break-ins in Praia da Luz where Madeleine was snatched in May 2007.

Portuguese detectives acting on a first International Letter of Request sent by Britain last July discovered the men were very close to the scene of Madeleine's disappearance and made an unusually high number of calls to each other in the hours after her abduction.

Portugal's Attorney General's office announced last October the Madeleine McCann inquiry, shelved nearly six years ago, was being reopened at the request of police in Porto who have spent the past three years reviewing the case.

Jose Magalhaes e Menezes, the public prosecutor in charge of the original investigation, is overseeing the reopened inquiry.

He was damning of the original probe pointing the finger at Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry and claimed officers under disgraced former police chief Goncalo Amaral achieved "very little" during their 15 month investigation.

Amaral has claimed in a book which is the subject of an on-going libel trial that the McCanns covered up their daughter's death in their holiday apartment.

Scotland Yard detectives are conducting their own separate criminal inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance called Operation Grange.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Met operation, has said he continues to believe Madeleine is still alive.

Operation Grange was first launched as a review in 2011 following the intervention of David Cameron in the case.

A spokesman for Madeleine's parents has described the International Letter of Request as a significant development.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544750/Scotland-Yard-detectives-investigating-Madeleine-McCann-case-step-closer-making-arrests-official-bid-interview-three-suspects.html
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2014, 12:24:31 PM »
24th January 2014

Daily Mirror

By David Collins

"A significant development": First arrests in Madeleine McCann case move nearer

A source close to missing Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry McCann said: "It is an important and significant development."


The British police investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance moved a step closer to making arrests yesterday after Portuguese authorities received a letter of formal request for help.

Portugal's Attorney General's office confirmed they were in receipt of an International Letter of Request - a "significant development," according to a source close to Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann.

The contents of the letter are believed to ask for access to three prime suspects.

The Mirror has previously reported how British police are braced to make the first arrests ever in case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

The letter will now be forwarded to a court in the Algarve resort of Portimao tasked with investigating the newly-reopened case in Portugal.

Authorities declined to give a timescale on when the letter would be sent or actioned.

Scotland Yard are understood to want to question three local burglars blamed for a string of break-ins in Praia da Luz where Madeleine was snatched in May 2007.

Portuguese detectives acting on a first International Letter of Request sent by Britain last July discovered the men were very close to the scene of Madeleine's disappearance.

They are thought to have made an unusually high number of calls to each other in the hours after her abduction.

Portugal's Attorney General's office announced last October the Madeleine McCann inquiry was being reopened at the request of police in Porto who have spent the past three years reviewing the case.

Jose Magalhaes e Menezes, the public prosecutor in charge of the original investigation, is overseeing the reopened inquiry.

He was damning of the original probe pointing the finger at Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry and claimed officers under disgraced former police chief Goncalo Amaral achieved "very little" during their 15 month investigation.

Scotland Yard detectives are conducting their own separate criminal inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance called Operation Grange.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Met operation, has said he continues to believe Madeleine is still alive.

Operation Grange was first launched as a review in 2011 following the intervention of David Cameron in the case.

A source close to Maddie's parents said: "It it the next step forward in what is proving to be a slow but very thorough process.

"Met Police want to be given the opportunity to arrest key suspects.

"They are keeping Kate and Gerry informed of all developments.

"We understand the International Letter of Request was received by the Portuguese authorities last week.

"It is an important and significant development.

"But it is too early to say, at this stage, if the powers that be in Portugal will co-operate."

The McCann's official spokesman Clarence Mitchell said last night: "Kate and Gerry do not comment on any aspect of Operation Grange."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-first-arrests-move-3056123#.UuJIYklFDIU
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2014, 12:28:54 PM »
 
28th January 2014

Daily Mirror

By Tom Pettifor

Madeleine McCann's parents 'on tenterhooks' as Scotland Yard detectives fly to Portugal to arrest three suspects

Madeleine McCann's parents were said to be "on tenterhooks" as Scotland Yard detectives looked set to swoop on three suspects after flying to Portugal.

Anxious Kate and Gerry were being kept "fully informed" of events after learning of the dramatic breakthrough in the bid to solve the six-year riddle of their missing daughter.

A source close to the couple said: "Clearly the fact that the police are out there is significant. Kate and Gerry will now be on tenterhooks as they wait for any potential developments.

"The Met are being very pro-active and this is good news in the search for Madeleine and her abductor."

The source revealed that Kate and Gerry, both 45, of Rothley, Leics, were cautiously hopeful about the latest move. He said: "It is necessary for British police to request the Portuguese authorities allow them to operate on their turf. It means they have the intention of arresting and interviewing X, Y or Z.

"Whether the Portuguese will co-operate remains to be seen. It is a very sensitive issue with differences they have had.

"Kate and Gerry don't want to build up their hopes but they realise it could be a significant new lead."

After arriving in the Algarve yesterday the Yard team held a secret four-hour meeting with senior Portuguese officers and prosecutors. The discussions are believed to have centred on getting local officials to sanction the arrests and subsequent questioning.

The breakthrough follows a cold-case UK review involving a painstaking trawl through mobile phone data.

It has pin-pointed three men who are said to have been very close to the scene when three-year-old Maddie was snatched from her family's holiday apartment at the resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007.

The records also indicate the suspects, believed to be a burglary gang, made a high number of calls to each other in the hours following her abduction.

Det Chief Insp Andy Redwood, who is leading the UK hunt, arrived at police headquarters in Faro just after 10am clutching two bulging box files.

He was accompanied by three colleagues for the meeting with Luís Mota Carmo, the director of the Polícia Judiciária.

Mr Carmo heads a team of six Faro detectives who have been carrying out work on behalf of Scotland Yard.

The Mirror revealed earlier this month that the Crown Prosecution Service had sent an International Letter of Request to Portuguese police seeking permission to question the new suspects. Portugal's attorney general’s office confirmed last week that it had received the letter.

An insider said of yesterday's talks: "It's the first time the UK and Portuguese police have met since the request was made."

He added: "The investigation is at a sensitive stage and it remains to be seen what action will be taken by the Portuguese police."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-crimewatch-reconstruction-e-fits-2368473
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #9 on: January 30, 2014, 12:47:13 PM »

30th January 2014

Daily Express

By David Pilditch


Police fly in to Portugal arrest three suspects in Madeleine McCann hunt

POLICE probing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann were closing in on three suspects last night.

Hopes of a breakthrough in the form of arrests were raised after a Scotland Yard team arrived in Portugal.

Police were preparing to swoop on burglars pinpointed as being very close to the holiday apartment where the girl was staying with her family in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

After a cold-case review, detectives in London focused on the suspects following a painstaking trawl through mobile phone records.

It is understood there was significant phone traffic between them around the time the three-year-old vanished.

One theory is that the burglars raided the apartment and were panicked into snatching the little girl when she woke up and started to cry. There were reports of several break-ins at the Algarve holiday complex in the weeks running up to Madeleine’s disappearance.

Her parents, Kate and Gerry, were said to be “on tenterhooks”.

The anxious couple, both 45, were being kept “fully informed”.

A source close to them said: “Clearly, police cannot say if arrests are imminent, but the fact that they are out there is significant.

“It doesn’t surprise us, it was only a matter of time. We knew officers would travel over as soon as they got the official nod.

The four hours of talks are thought to have centred on local officials sanctioning arrests and subsequent questioning

“Kate and Gerry are being kept informed along the way and will now be on tenterhooks as they wait for any potential developments.

“The Met are being pro-active and this is good news in the search for Madeleine and her abductor.”

The team from the Yard’s Operation Grange probe is believed to have landed in the Algarve on ­Monday. It is headed by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood. Police in Britain and Portugal yesterday confirmed a meeting had taken place in Faro.

The four hours of talks are thought to have centred on local officials sanctioning arrests and subsequent questioning.

Mr Redwood and three colleagues met Luis Mota Carmo, head of the Policia Judiciaria in the Algarve.

It came after Scotland Yard sent an international letter of request urging the Portuguese authorities to track down and detain the ­burglars.

The formal letter was sent to Lisbon by the Crown Prosecution Service earlier this month.

Burglars were active in the area in the days before Madeleine was kidnapped and the small but significant increase in the number of break-ins has been a major focus in the Yard’s inquiry.

Shortly before Madeleine vanished, an apartment was raided and a child disturbed. The parents were nearby and the intruder fled when they rushed back.

A source close to the investigation said: “The inquiry has reached a sensitive stage. They are not going to give a running commentary on developments.”

Kate told how the couple were buoyed by developments. In a Christmas message, she said: “There have been some very positive aspects.”

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/456906/Police-fly-in-to-Portugal-arrest-three-suspects-in-Madeleine-McCann-hunt
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #10 on: January 30, 2014, 04:03:43 PM »

30th January 2014

Daily Mail

British McCann detectives ask for warrants to search homes of three Portuguese burglary suspects and inspect bank details

 Officers believed to suspect three ex-employees of Ocean Club complex

 Trio linked to burglaries in the building where Madeleine when missing

 On Tuesday Scotland Yard officers held three-hour meeting in city of Faro

 They want Portuguese counterparts to investigate three burglars

 Phone analysis shows they were 'very close' to the McCann's apartment

 Madeleine McCann vanished from holiday flat almost seven years ago

 
ByGerrard Couzens
 
British police suspect three former Ocean Club employees over Madeleine McCann's disappearance, Portugal's biggest-selling newspaper claimed today.
 
Leading daily Correio da Manha said Met officers met Portuguese detectives in Faro this week to ask them to quiz the unnamed trio, search their homes and probe their bank accounts.
 
The three suspects detectives in London have their eye on are thought to have been linked to a string of burglaries at the Algarve holiday complex before Madeleine went missing.

Portuguese police chiefs confirmed a three-hour meeting between Policia Judiciaria bosses and a Met team led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood had taken place on Tuesday - but refused to say what had been discussed.
 
Correio da Manha reported today: 'The British police want the Portuguese authorities to interrogate and search the homes of three former Ocean Club employees.

'They also requested access to the bank accounts of the three suspects to see if there were any large deposits made after the child disappeared."
 
The newspaper said the requests were contained in a second 'International Letter of Request' from British authorities which Portugal's Attorney General confirmed it had received last week and said it would be sending to a court in the Algarve resort of Portimao tasked with the reopened investigation into Madeleine's disappearance.
 
The Mark Warner-run Ocean Club had around 130 Portuguese employees and some 30 British employees when Madeleine went missing on May 3 2007.
 
All the British employees are understood to have left.

Last October it emerged Portuguese police had questioned the family of a former Ocean Club worker with a theft conviction.
 
Former colleagues say Euclides Monteiro, 40, was asked to leave his job at the holiday club where the McCanns stayed after taking tips meant to be shared with other waiters.
 
Portuguese police are said to discovered from mobile phone tracking that he was near the Ocean Club when Madeleine disappeared, even though he was no longer working there at the time and was living in Lagos a 15 minute drive away.
 
Monteiro, an immigrant from Cape Verde, died in a tractor accident in 2009.
 
The three new suspects the Met Police are targeting are said to have had made a number of phone calls to each other around the time Madeleine disappeared.
 
There were reports of several break-ins at the Ocean Club in the weeks running up to her disappearance.
 
One theory is that burglars raided the McCanns' apartment and were panicked into snatching the youngster, then three, when she woke up.
 
The Policia Judiciaria and Portugal's Attorney General have both refused to comment on the content of Tuesday's meeting at the PJ's Faro HQ.

A spokesman for the PJ, the force investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance in Portugal, said in a statement: 'The PJ confirms a meeting has taken place in Faro between British and Portuguese authorities within the framework of the execution of an International Letter of Request.
 
'However the PJ will not be commenting on the content of this meeting.'
 
Almeida Rodrigues, the PJ's National Director, added: 'We cannot say anything else because when we cooperate with our British colleagues within the framework of an 'International Letter of Request', we are bound by professional secrecy.'
 
The McCanns' lawyer in Portugal, Rogerio Alves, said he was aware Scotland Yard wanted to question three suspects but played down reports arrests were imminent, describing the idea as 'improbable.'

The Met Police team flew back to the UK yesterday afternoon declining to comment.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2548690/British-McCann-detectives-ask-warrants-search-homes-three-Portuguese-burglary-suspects-inspect-bank-details.html
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2014, 02:45:41 PM »
31st January 2014

Daily Mirror

Madeleine McCann cops want to raid homes of three prime suspects who were working at holiday complex

British officers believe the men would have known the layout of the Ocean Club at Praia da Luz and been aware of the best escape routes for anyone taking a child.

Police hunting for missing Madeleine McCann want to raid the homes of three prime suspects and examine their bank accounts in the hunt for clues into her disappearance.

British officers plan to quiz the trio , who were working at the holiday complex in Portugal where the three-year-old was snatched from her bed.

They hope to look at their bank records to see if any large sums of money were placed in their accounts – which could indicate payment for a crime.

The three men would have known the layout of the Ocean Club complex at Praia da Luz and been aware of the best escape routes for anyone taking a child.

It would also have been possible for them to watch the movements of Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry’s on the night their daughter went missing in May 2007 as they ate tapas with friends near their ­apartment.

Detectives believe the suspects were behind a string of burglaries in the area in the weeks before the youngster vanished.

One of the flats burgled at the Ocean Club is owned by a former British expat. It is in the same block as the one the McCanns rented.

The man, who is in his 50s and wishes to remain anonymous, said yesterday: “They’d taken two mobile phones, a camera and some cash. There was no sign of forced entry.

"I was convinced they had a key to get inside. I spoke to my neighbours, many of them expats, and I’d say around 90% of them had experienced the same thing… valuable items going missing out of their ­apartments.

“I brought these complaints to the ­attention of the Ocean Club but they were pretty much ignored. Nothing was done.

“This was about four weeks before Maddie went missing.”

The expat was interviewed 18 months ago by Scotland Yard detectives – meaning officers have long suspected burglars could be ­responsible for Madeleine’s kidnap.

One theory is that burglars raided the McCanns’ apartment and were panicked into snatching her when she woke up.

Nelson Rodrigues, who worked as a barman at the Ocean Club at the time the child, from Rothley, Leics, vanished, said it was “possible” former workers had ­something to do with the kidnap.

But he added: “In my opinion, it’s not likely.

“I don’t know what happened to her that night, but I would be very surprised if any of the workers had anything to do with it.

“There were quite a few staff who had access to keys.

"Reception staff, the cleaners, and the maintenance men could all get into rooms. Waiters and barmen did not have access to keys.

“I remember at the time things belonging to guests went missing now and then.

"Mobile phones, cash, anything valuable lying around.”

Reports in local media said the Ocean Club had around 130 Portuguese employees and 30 British staff when Madeleine went missing.

Nelson also told how he joined the frantic hunt for Madeleine when her parents raised the alarm.

He added: “I looked ­everywhere for her. Around the pool, inside apartments, in the streets.

"I kept looking until five in the morning, when my boss said, ‘OK, it’s time for you to go home’.

“I saw Kate. She looked very upset. I heard her say, ‘I need a priest’.”

Scotland Yard officers flew to Faro in Portugal this week to meet with local police where they discussed the probe into the three ex-staff who are now suspects.

British police first became suspicious of the staff after analysing mobile phone data.

They discovered a high number of calls made by the three men in the hours leading up to Madeleine’s disappearance.

Operation Grange, set up to reopen the case, has sent a second International Letter of Request to their ­Portuguese ­counterparts which addresses developments in the probe

 It deals with issues surrounding formal questioning of the men as well as searching their homes and looking into their bank accounts.

The letter is now being dealt with by a court in the Algarve resort of Portimao. The Policia Judiciaria, the Portuguese force investigating Madeleine's disappearance, and the Attorney General refused to comment on the content of ­Tuesday’s meeting with Scotland Yard.

A Policia Judiciaria spokesman said last night: “The PJ confirms a meeting has taken place in Faro between British and ­Portuguese authorities within the ­framework of the ­execution of an ­International Letter of Request.”

And the force’s director Almeida Rodrigues added: “We cannot say anything else because when we co-operate with our British colleagues we are bound by ­professional secrecy.”

The Scotland Yard team have now flown back to London.

Last October, details emerged of a former worker who had been made a suspect by Portuguese police.

Euclides Monteiro, 40, a waiter who had a conviction for theft, was asked to leave his job after being caught stealing tips.

The immigrant from Cape Verde, died in a tractor accident in 2009.

His family claim Portuguese police are using him as a scapegoat for Madeleine’s disappearance.

Montiero’s close friend Sergio Paulo, 44, said: “Toni was a good guy but had some serious drug problems.

"He became a slave to heroin.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-suspects-cops-want-3095609
« Last Edit: January 31, 2014, 02:49:37 PM by Wonderfulspam »
Free Martin Brueckner

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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2014, 03:45:59 PM »

1st February 2014

Sunday Mirror columnist Carole Malone questions why small-time burglars are suspected by Scotland Yard of snatching the little girl

Scotland Yard detectives ­probing Madeleine McCann’s disappearance are saying she might have been taken by three burglars who’d been robbing apartments in the area.

Seriously? Burglars? I’m sorry, but the kind of crooks who break into holiday lets are looking for a few euros, mobiles and a bit of jewellery.

They don’t see a little girl and think, “Oh we’ll take her instead”. They’d run a mile rather than kidnap a child because they’re small-time.

And while they have contacts who can “fence” baubles and cameras, they’re unlikely to have any who can sell children.

The Met are saying they believe these burglars could have taken Maddie because the night she disappeared they were making lots of calls to each other.

Well they would if they were on the rob in an area where cops had been alerted that a little girl was missing.

And if the Met has to write “request letters” to the ­Portuguese police asking if they can search these men’s homes and access their bank accounts, how close are they to arresting anyone?

Four officers from ­Operation Grange in Portugal last week, are now back in London having made no arrests.

How devastating this must all be for Kate and Gerry McCann – another flurry of headlines, more promises of suspects and arrests... and then nothing. Again!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/carole-malone-madeleine-mccann-madness-3102268

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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2014, 03:55:45 PM »

3rd February 2014

Daily Mail

Madeleine McCann detectives 'probe Portuguese gypsy site 15-minutes away from holiday home where three year-old was snatched in 2007'

'Traveller site' at Meia Praia investigated by police, according to reports

Detectives also believed to be looking into another site 30 miles away

Police have identified three burglars as prime suspects in disappearance



A site believed to be used to travellers close to the holiday resort where Madeleine McCann disappeared is being investigated by police leading the probe into her disappearance, it has been claimed.

According to reports, detectives from Scotland Yard are carrying out investigations at a site in Meia Praia, situated seven miles from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz where Madeleine disappeared from in May 2007.

Earlier this month the Mail exclusively revealed Scotland Yard had identified three burglars as prime suspects.

One theory is that the burglars raided the McCanns' flat and were panicked into snatching the youngster when she woke up.

Analysis of mobile phone data suggests the men were close to the scene of her abduction, at the time she went missing, and were in close contact in the hours that followed.

Last week it was reported the three suspects had worked at the resort where Madeleine disappeared.

Details of the men's alleged links to the Ocean Club resort in the Algarve were revealed in Portuguese newspapers with close contacts with local police.

According to The Sun, officers are now also understood to be investigating a site in the area of Meia Praia along with another site 30 miles away.

A Briton who has a holiday home near where the McCann family stayed in Praia da Luz told the paper officers from Scotland Yard had asked him about Meia Praia.

He said: 'They wanted to know everything that I knew about the people living there.'

Meia Praia is also believed to be home to a group of fishermen who moved into the area about 40 years ago.

Scotland Yard were unable to confirm reports of the two sites being investigated.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2550836/Maddie-McCann-detectives-probe-Portuguese-gypsy-site-15-minutes-hotel-three-year-old-snatched-2007.html
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Re: The 3 Burglars
« Reply #14 on: February 25, 2014, 09:28:10 PM »
Blacksmith believes the 3 Burglar story was released on purpose to help identify a leak.

The suspects are British.