McCann Media - Journalism Gone Wild or Scotland Yard Orchestration?
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| Gerry and Jez Didn't See Them Either |
Sure, there are lots of erroneous and tabloid-trash reports in the media all of which can be taken with a grain of salt. However, there are three glaring media stories which have everything to do with Scotland Yard wanting them to be public: one, Crimewatch. two, the recent searches, and three, the suspects.
Let's start with Crimewatch. This was not a journalist's take on what happened. This was a piece of media designed and delivered by Scotland Yard to a good portion of Europe.It was a propaganda piece with the intent of planting the abduction theory solidly in the minds of the public. Research done, the second part of the plan is action; developing, in stages,what happened to Madeleine, so that by the time a theory is concluded upon by Scotland Yard and disseminated to the public (thereby administratively closing the case; there is never going to be a criminal case), the public will already have the scenario in their brains as they have been fed, scene by scene, what happened on May 3, 2007.
First, we have the Scotland Yard approved crime reconstruction. The public got to see, in living color, what happened that night at the Tapas, at the McCann vacation flat, and on the streets of Praia da Luz. This scenario is not one made by an independent media outlet or by the McCanns or by some individual like Gonçalo Amaral or Pat Brown, but by Scotland Yard....Scotland Yard with its professional crime analysts and two years worth of researching all the facts of the case. This is a powerful piece of propaganda. It sets the stage for Scotland Yard's future theory.
And then we have that illuminating moment! Andy Redwood has eliminated Tannerman! In one stroke, he has proven both Jane Tanner and the McCanns to be truth tellers, and this is very important, for the public must not think there was collusion on the part of the Tapas 9. Also, we can't have two choices of suspects with the abductor going two separate directions. We must have one to carry the scenario forward. So we must have Smithman and this is the crux of how Scotland Yard and Andy Redwood will twist public thinking. Clearly, the Smith sighting is hugely damaging to the McCanns which is why they did everything in their power to hide and downplay it. It is an issue that must be resolved. The only way this can be done is to find a suspect that matches well enough in looks to replace Gerry (and it doesn't have to be all that close - the Smiths aren't going to be brought back into the public eye) - and become Smithman. This suspect has to have some reason to be seen in that area by the Smiths and so he must fit the crime scenario movements. I strongly believe Scotland Yard already had the burglary theory and multiple suspects in mind before they did Crimewatch. Although Andy Redwood then orchestrated another video bit with "Smellyman" as a suspect slipping into vacation flats across the Algarve, I think this was done to allow for the abduction theory to appear well investigated (along with the many other suspects mentioned in the media). The public needs to believe that this is a long and exhaustive investigation so that when a conclusion is reached, it doesn't appear to be something just tossed out to get it over with.
Finally, with the shout-out to the public for tips - how the public loves to be included and respected when it comes to solving crime - Scotland Yard can always also claim they got new information via Crimewatch that supports their theory, the source of which cannot be released.
So, the first piece of Scotland Yard media has been accomplished. Now, the second piece. The massive search of Praia da Luz. The media did not make this up or misconstrue it. The search was painstaking and thorough, orchestrated entirely by Scotland Yard....and totally ridiculous if one is following the evidence. But, if one is developing a scenario, it makes sense. As soon as the first search began, I stated I believed the location was selected because it was someplace a suspect frequented or near where he lived or worked. Sure enough, this was what was behind the locations. Since none of any of the present suspects have any true links to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, why would any police agency spend a fortune searching land before anything solid had been established as to the suspects committing the crime? Because it establishes that Maddie is dead (because they proved that by searching with cadaver dogs) and that someone who is Smithman (but not Gerry) carried her body across that land and did something with her remains. That someone is someone who lives in or near Praia da Luz, that someone is a local criminal. They also may have done this so that they could say Maddie's body was not buried (at least not permanently), that it was put aboard a boat and taken out to sea. So, we have a local conspiracy, but not one of the Tapas 9.
Enter the next major media exposure....the suspects, the whole motley bunch of them. Suspects nobody really likes, suspects people can believe could have done something criminal and stupid. They are questioned and the cadaver dogs are even brought (unsuccessfully) to Malinka's old vehicle. Once this final phase of the media propaganda is rolled out, it doesn't really matter if anything is proven or even clearly pronounced by Scotland Yard and Andy Redwood. The show has already come to an end. The four suspects don't have to really admit anything...it can always be alluded to that one of them gave relevant information that has led to understanding what happened to Maddie that night and where her body was put (my guess will be at sea...can't be found). Or, nothing much more may be said about his group, Tractorman, Smellyman....whoever.....because when Scotland Yard says they have done all they can, that they have run down all investigative leads, and they have a pretty good idea what has happened which they have told the parents, they do not even need to elaborate (they might well give a full final scenario, but they may forgo that). They don't need to "prove" anything or even give absolutes because of this:
I have already myself envisioned how this group of men did something to Maddie that night. I can see them planning their robberies, one or two of them entering the flat and Maddie screaming. I can see one of them putting his hand over her mouth and realizing that he held it there to long. I can see the man carrying Maddie away, past the Smith family to one of the other burglar's houses, lying her on the sofa. I can see the men discussing what to do, phoning each other, setting up a couple of look-outs and spiriting Maddie's body away, to bury or to dump at sea. Alternatively, I can see smelly man doing something to Maddie. I can see both these scenarios in my head in spite of the facts of the case, in spite of the fact I have read the police files and been to Praia da Luz to investigate, in spite of the fact I wrote a book detailing a scenario involving the McCanns, and despite the fact I believe Maddie was buried west of Praia da Luz by Gerry.
And if I can imagine an stranger scenario like this so easily, how much easier will it be for people not so familiar with the case to conjure up that picture in their minds? Add to this the future media commentary, and you have a home run. Like watching a crime series, week by week the scenario has been built up in living color and at the end of the season, the story will have an ending, and ending that is fitting to all the chapters of the story that have led to the conclusion. I don't know if we are seeing the very end of the "investigation" or we will see a bit more leads followed before it all dwindles down to silence, but I believe it will end with the libel trial.
Scotland Yard has been playing the media, not the other way around. That many of the detectives are only dutifully carrying out their assignments and may even believe they are doing a proper investigation does not mean those running the show aren't in the know; Andy Redwood knows full well what he is doing and what he is doing is what he has been told to do. Come the fall, I think we are going to see the end of the show, there will be a solid round of applause from the McCanns and the media, Summers new book will come out and Kate and Gerry will finally move on with life, probably in a way which will make us here physically ill.
The media has always been at the beck and call of the powerful. At times, it gets away from them, but, most of the time, it serves their purposes quite well.
Pat Brown
July 3, 2014
Published: July 27, 2011
What really happened to Madeleine Beth McCann in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007? Was she abducted as the Gerry and Kate have claimed or did something happen to Madeleine on May 3 in the vacation apartment and the incident covered up? Criminal Profiler Pat Brown analyzes the evidence and takes the readers through the steps of profiling, developing a theory that is intriguing and controversial.
45 comments:
All that should be a good chance to Portuguese police conclude the case on their own. As it goes, Scotland Yard will present the world their version and conclusions for all this. The portuguese should then do the same. But they won't do that, unfortunately. Why? Portugal has always been under British rules politically. It is once again and it will do nothing to change this ridiculous situation. The political authorities in Portugal do not have (nave had) such a "willing".
Can you imagine if Scotland Yard concludes that the McCanns are innocent and it is a stranger homicide that Portugal is then going to demand the McCanns come back and stand trial?
I see hell freezing over.
Well, Portugal can do that right now, don't they, Pat? The Mccanns let their child go missing when she is under their supervision. That is crime yet, isn't it?
They (the portuguese) won't do nothing to fight England. They never did ...
The burglary theory was mentioned in 2007 Pat, and also in Mr Amaral's book. It's not a new theory. I don't know how it could fit with the rest of the 2007 evidence but it's not impossible I guess.
We were urged yesterday in a comment to be less certain in our thinking, and whoever it was who left that comment has a point.
We're not certain about what happened to Madeleine. If we are, we shouldn't be. In all the millions of words spoken and written about the case with so many parallels - the Ramsey case - including books crammed with evidence written by police, other investigators and respected writers, still nobody can be certain.
We should not underestimate just how difficult a job the police were given. I don't think DCI Redwood has acted as you believe. I believe he (and Hamish Campbell before him) were handed the most difficult of cases.
The Daily Mirror reported that the man Crimewatch said was the one JT saw was in contact with police in 2007. The story is more complicated than you say here.
I agree politics and politicians are involved, but I think you're going too far by saying Redwood has always known what he was doing. I think the opposite is true. It possibly still is true.
I am certain that the parents disposed of their daughter's body. I am certain that Scotland Yard's purported investigation was planned to coincide with the so called libel trial against Mr. Amaral. I am certain that Scotland Yard is conducting a media campaign to disparage the conclusions of the original investigators.
Yep. The only thing we know for sure is that Madeleine (an infant) was left alone by her parents. That should be enough to SY (or the portuguese police) do something about. But they don't ...
Are you certain about that, guerra? :)
Colin,
I agree that in theory the burglary theory COULD be true; not probable but possible, IF one ignores all the evidence.
Yes, a burglar could have been confronted with a screaming child, tried to shut her up with an arm over the face, and she died accidentally (this happened in a kidnap case in Canada where the kidnapper ended up with a dead child he couldn't bargain with). Then, the burglar, fearing leaving DNA on a dead child, ran out with her and disposed of the body. I don't have an issue with that possibility. Weird stuff happens during crimes; one of the reasons sometimes it is so difficult to analyze. Serial killer plans to rape woman, she screams, he strangles her, hears a vehicle pull up, runs off. Now we have a crime police do not realize is a sexual homicide because the woman is neither naked nor raped. So, yeah, one must take all possibilities into account.
However, when the evidence does not support a particular crime, then one must not continue to investigate that lead. When all evidence points to one scenario, one must stop investigating all others unless something changes. This is how real police investigations are handled.
Let's look at the McCann case. In the beginning, the PJ erred. They completely failed to consider the parents and only considered a stranger abduction. Suspicion fell on Murat; they investigated him. Then, evidence failed to support either Murat's involvement or an abduction; in fact, the evidence now pointed to the McCanns. So they investigated them until they fled the country. The PJ made mistakes, but, they came around to the right road with the evidence. IF at some point, certain evidence was found to be improperly analyzed or interpreted and/or other evidence came to light, then another avenue might be investigated. This is in theory why the PJ reopened the case, although I have seen no evidence to support this.
Now, to Scotland Yard. They started out by stating the McCanns were not suspects which was unprofessional from the get go. They should have stated no one has been eliminated as suspects as we have not yet even begun to review the case.
After reviewing the case, Scotland Yard then went public with a bizarre Crimewatch, casting the parents as innocent without evidence to eliminate them. Next they have been investigating suspects and land areas based on a theory that has no basis in evidence. It would seem the only evidence that they have used to support their theory is a bunch of phone calls made around the time Madeleine went missing which constitutes a big stretch. A flurry of phone calls can be made for a number of reason which has nothing to do with Maddie. Should these phone calls be considered of interest? Sure, no problem with that except that this means they are totally ignoring the evidence pointing to the McCanns which they are doing nothing about (and I will stand by that in spite of not knowing everything being done behind the scenes).
So, what we have is the original PJ acting like a real (if flawed) bunch of investigators, and the new PJ and SY acting as though they are conducting faux investigations.
As always, in investigations, follow the evidence. In political machinations, follow the money.
I think that, whichever way it ends, the leitmotif of the whole case from the first hour has been that the McCann are *totally untouchable* (apart for the brief interlude where G Amaral was just doing his job irrespective of whose toes he was stepping on.....).
I think that the English people need to know why they are so untouchable, which, incidentally, may also lead to the real solution of the case, but that's beyond the point now.
I think that the whole thing has been and continues to be an offence and an insult to the intelligence of the English people and a deliberate assault on the taxes they pay through their work.
I truly think the English people shuld *demand* to know *what* and/or *who* is behind the absurd, grotesque, in-your-face level of protection these couple has enjoyed since the first minute or this sorry, pathetic saga.
V
Guerra,
«I am certain that the parents disposed of their daughter's body. I am certain that Scotland Yard's purported investigation was planned to coincide with the so called libel trial against Mr. Amaral. I am certain that Scotland Yard is conducting a media campaign to disparage the conclusions of the original investigators.»
Amen to that. Word by word.
V
Great post Pat. I absolutely agree, as soon as I saw Crimewatch I felt sure this was going to be a whitewash. I know lots of people disagree but I just can't see it any other way myself.
The sad thing about your scenario is that it's really quite believable to a certain extent (though not if you're aware of ALL the evidence).
As Nietsche once said 'there's no such thing as truth, only interpretatons'.
Hi Pat
Can't disagree with much of what you are saying there.
In my opinion there has not been any credible useful evidence unearthed since the original PJ Investigation. Simple as that for me
I'm afraid.
Since the case was filed in Portugal all that has happened is a plethora of could be's and would be's. This is known as speculation not unearthing evidence.
This is not going anywhere near a Court as you say and because it never will DI Redwood will never be asked the name of the 9.15 Bundleman which I think is a pure invention.
I do think that the patsy routine will not stick either simply due to the Portuguese Judiciary themselves not believing it.
As far as I've read the latest PJr's think that it was a British person who commited a one off crime and is now baCk in the U.K.
If that's their best parting shot to the British then we know where this is going. So there is a child killer supposedly back in the UK and the U.K. media either A) don't believe it or B) don't care.
A strange state of affairs.
With no credible evidence found since archiving and only PJ and SY
theory ( both now agreeing the probability of death) this is all going to be re-archived and the propaganda of innocence ( as opposed to guilt by evidence and trial) will yet again as you say be put before the Court that really counts these days. The Court of Public Opinion.
Finally despite what many believe there is no pincer movement operating between the PJ and SY and
no traps are being set. Redwood has his Tannerman and he will never need to produce him as a witness. Ditto the Smith Family.
A sad state of affairs but Justice and the truth are not always one and the same.
@V.
I agree with your sentiments and at times get angry and frustrated over the injustice we have witnessed over the last 7 years.
I am an Englishman and just want to say I am ashamed of the level of lies, deceit and corruption the United Kingdom has sunken too.
We have had the "English" ...speak out.. and nearly be imprisoned in the process, instead he was left with a mill stone of debt.
There have been campaigns, calls the general public have made to voice concern ... neglect implications of the case alone caused outrage with the public.
The media are oppressing and corrupting truth.....please don't tell me you haven't observed the PR image operations at work....there's been enough of them....surely you haven't forgot the lead role in this movie....he loves his pink shirts... he does you know.
People have tried to express their feelings, but such is the grip on official channels that no vehicle is accessible, and with all due respect this case is only the tip of the iceberg of what has been going on in the UK over the last few decades....concerns that affect people more directly always will have president...its just the way it is.
I am by no means been pedantic but with this case a better term would be the United Kingdom as reference, partly and factually because of the connections to Scotland and Ireland been so prevalent.
Anyway I guess what I am getting at is that short of a revolution nothing is going to change in the UK... yet...
What I hope this case is demonstrating to people is how these lies can be perpetrated, using the media propaganda to attempt to shape people....for people who can already see this happening,.... what should be a particularly interesting aspect is how the machine can reach its tentacles out across other sovereign European nations.
join the dots ...wink wink ..nudge nudge
In some ways the positive parts of the case is hopefully the awakening some will have had ......from acorns grow mighty oak trees.
mojo
It's true I think in the UK that there has been some level of corruption in government witnessed though also imo it is slightly too early to make a call on this. I'm thinking about the Iraq war, The Sun and the News of The World hacking telephones and links to government/police, MPs expenses, GCHQ's surveillance of the internet etc... also I think this particular trend is evident in the US too. Another thing to bear in mind is that this corruption may have always been there and it's only since the internet and increased communication that these things become more obvious and are also brought under greater scrutiny. It could be argued that government/police is actually less corrupt now.
Ironic isn't it that this odious couple, who I understand did not participate in the search for their child on the night she went "missing", should be suing Amaral for ostensibly hampering their efforts to find Madeleine alive.
From the outset, their actions as parents have been so at odds with the behaviour one would expect under such appalling circumstances as a child abuction.
Mojo,
«please don't tell me you haven't observed the PR image operations at work....»
we all have in Portugal.
it is so obvious, so in-your-face.
i wonder what will happen when the twins are old enough to think for themselves, one day.
i really wonder what will happen, if they will accept the conventional version or a little place of doubt inside their heads will spur them to maybe try to find out the truth buried underneath all the rubbish.
Mojo,
that was me at 4:17 AM , forgot to sign...
V
Pat,
Thanks for all your contributions here. I see people are still shooting the messenger in the hope of changing the news.
If you're wrong, then time will tell as much. And guess what, I think we'll both be happy to find as much.
The 'pros' have frequently been referred to as a cult. You know a cult not so much from it's settled aspect but from it's response to having it's ideas challenged.
There is now another cult. Fully fledged.
For myself, I'm leaving it for time to tell!
Thanks again for this forum...Joana too (if reading)! X
I just do not see that burglar(s) would remove madeleine's body if she had died by accident while they were in the apartment.
Only people who might have reasons to dispose of a body - thereby disposing of any proof of drugs in Madeleine's body - and it's so obvious it's right there in front of their faces.
Burglars my eye! Burglars burgle.
and burglars don't tidy up after themselves!
@ There is no confirmation, if these
men questioned, were part of any e fits?
It was originaly stated, there was over a hundred leads?
Then it appears there is around 200 misleading statements?
Question is, did they have anything at all?
New Years Honours List 2015. "Arise Sir Andy."
@ There is also the suggestion the portugal police were used for resource, and become subsurvient in the investigation?
I do agree that redwood should of stated the maccanns were not excluded, until his investigation was complete?
Since the case is only based on theory, until real evidence, concludes diferent to eliminate them fully?
I agree this is a media trial, not a court trial, and yes its aimed to close this case in one direction only to ruin amaral.
Anonymous at 7:32 AM
Regarding Portugal's subservience, you may be right. As a Portuguese, I would prefer to think that the Portuguese authorities are merely going along, neither actively disrupting the investigation nor being actively involved in it. Just cooperating.
After all, the third pillar of the European Union itself is *all* about policel and judicial cooperation between Member States.
V.
SY will never declare that the McCanns are innocent or not because this issue isn't part of their mission (and luckily for their fame they have no authority on this case, they just attempted to "help").
Why should the Portuguese fight the UK about this miserable case ?
The ex-victims then arguidos were aware that, without their contribution, the investigation was meant to end.
In this little detail the devil goes on concealing himself incognito.
@Anon 2:53 PM
Was the McCann child or her body left alone on the 3rd of May ?
We're very lucky that, before starting to review, DCI Redwood answered a journalist that the McCanns and their acquaintances weren't not concerned by their search, they were looking for an abducted Madeleine, at the time very possibly alive. They were kind of saviours.
From chance of being alive, the child passed to chance of being dead, but the abduction aspect hasn't changed and can't change since it's at the core of the search.
It was clear from day 1 that SY would by no mean investigate the case, they only would attempt to find Madeleine and bring her back to her family.
Now they will have to conclude that in spite of many efforts their salvation search produced no result and no comment.
@ Thomas Baden-Riess
Actually what Nietzsche said is "There are no facts, only interpretations".
Old Friedrich wouldn't be a good prosecution witness.
Pat, you are overlooking I believe the involvement of lawyers in the case. Their private activity can explain both DCI Redwood's language in the early days, and aspects of October's Crimewatch.
Other aspects of Crimewatch can be explained by Redwood - after two years of review and three or so months of investigation - having nothing whatsoever new to show the large TV audience. He needed the huge spin that both preceded and followed the broadcast.
According to the media yesterday cell phone calls between the four who they are questioning appear to coincide with apartment 5a being watched.Well surely these "burglars "would be aware of all the checks being done by the parents and their comings and goings that night.From 8.30 to 10 pm there was quite a lot of traffic back and forth to the apartment.What are the chances of someone continuing with a burglary under these circumstances when other apartments were empty.Reports were made that charity collectors had knocked on doors who may have been opportunist burglars prior to May 3rd.Well seems to me the so called burglars Mo would be to knock on doors and wait to see if anyone's in.What opportunist possibly drug dependant possibly mental health suffering burglar leaves no trace of himself in 5a?lNot forgetting a burglary gone wrong where panic sets in and mistakes are made .
Redwood - after two years of review and three or so months of investigation - having nothing whatsoever new to show the large TV audience
Thinking about it, that is evidence that appears to strongly support you opinion.
Is it credible that after all that time they'd have nothing?
Hmmm..
Bone collectors as anthropologists did not need to be there from Preston as the offer a FREE bone identification service. And the so called finds were known testing shafts by Leicester Police as they were told by the businesses. No real finds were had of any scientific importance as it was a fake set up for the media.
Is it really possible that sniffer dogs could alert to traces of a child who had been in a shop 7 years ago? If so, why would the parents believe that this was proof Madeleine had been there? Two dogs alerted in 5a at the same locations and a hire car but the McCanns got on their high horse and went to great lengths (sent lawyers to the USA) to show that sniffer dogs are unreliable.
The saying 'Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me' comes to mind.
Pat, all that is happening now was anticipated a long time ago in the blog espacioexterior.blogspot.com What do you think about?
digressing ..
Something we should all remember is this...
The case was archived originally in part because of the refusal to take part in the requested...reconstitution of may 3rd.
It is a fundamental "stone" STILL to this day left unturned....it beggars belief really.
So much so that in the archiving closure it was pointed out ...that by refusing to co-operate with the PJ investigation....that it was tantamount to losing the opportunity to prove innocence.
The case was archived because of continual obstructions necessary for a police investigation to proceed.
My opinion is that the case was only reopened by Portugal to allow the UK police into to assist the McCann's case.
As posters have been predicting the case and how it was been played out to affect the libel, many in my view missed the complicity of elements in the Portuguese government making it all possible.
Reading between the lines ..my belief is that the UK government and UK police along with Portugal government officials are against Goncalo Amaral.
I believe the Portugal PJ are defending procedures and Law ....and are only doing as instructed by their Government begrudgingly.
Mojo
Anon 11:54
I can't give any credence to what Gonzalez says as I have never found his analyses to be credible or based on evidence.
Mojo,
I agree that there is complicity between the governments much and the new Portuguese investigation really isn't an investigation at all.
pat what a farse mr redwood was in charge of jill dando murder and he got the wrong man sent to jail for 8 years my god im so mad all that money spent and poor children missing all over the world mr Cameron should be made to stand down hes a disgrace its been farse since day one
Who is Gonzales?
Only in the past few days is historic child abuse by VIPs being investigated again,which has been covered up for decades!.Andy Redwood was in charge of Jill Dandos murder and there is talk that she was killed because she may have had info and was about to expose something.An innocent man went to prison for her murder and the British government still refuse to compensate him,just to ensure there's still a bit of doubt about his guilt in our minds.People do not be naive to cover ups they are nothing new!I hope an innocent person doesn't get stitched up this time.
Exactly. They never searched and said so, or Kate said so.
So many still say they searched.
I guess Kate said in her booked they searched the streets. But a lot of her book to me was taking the know concerns (like drugging the kids) and mentioning them in an attempt to explain.
Like with the drugging...that was something the police suspected....she then tells us she wondered herself if maybe the twins had been drugged too in her book but had she really been concerned about it that night...she would have freaked out when they didn't wake and had them taken to the hospital.
I fear they may never see justice but I will continue to hope.
And it goes beyond these too making bad choices and then having a death. The fact they have gone as far as to sue others shows just how much they put themselves above others.
It reminds me of Lance Armstrong. He lied for years and even sued others for making accusations yet all the while he was lying. The nerve he had sue others for claims that were true.
And that's what we have again.
2 entitled arrogant selfish people who will take money and sue for a crime they committed.
@trustmeIgetit at 10.24
Totally agree. The lack of concern about the twins not waking up.Mothers know their own child and how they normally respond - I would have had a doctor check them out.... Oops, silly me they ARE doctors and they chose to ignore this! Add to this the excuse that "we used the front door, no we didn't - we stopped because it was noisy and we didn't want to wake the children".
They expected the children to wake at the sound of a door openeing but not at 8+people searching the apartment with people crying and shouting?
Right - and the moon is made of cheese.
As an aside - I read her book and Amaral's book (copies of Truth of the Lie are available if you look in the right places) and the one that comes across as most believable and probable is not Kate McCanns. her version is not about Madeleine which is the title but about her and Gerry with elaboration about lifestyle and what they do.
Hogwash and total cr4p. IMO of course...
there isn't any connection to the John McCann who was allegedly believed to have set up weapons trafficking from the Algarve to Ireland is there?
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