A lot of people believe that when a homicide occurs, that law enforcement and the judiciary system have a remit to pursue justice for of the victim, to do everything possible to avenge the loss of life on behalf of a person who cannot do so for himself as he is no longer on earth. I am not sure what fanciful words are used in the UK and Portugal, but when a crime occurs in the US, any effort made by police or prosecutor is done so in "the interest of the state." What exactly does that mean? Most believe that since the state represents the citizens, it must mean "in the interest of the citizens" - in the case of a homicide - for the victim, who was a citizen, for the family who are the living victims, and the community who has a dangerous perpetrator still in their midst who may well strike again.In reality, what this remit means is, a crime is pursued in accordance with how important it is to those in power. This does not mean that there are not detectives and prosecutors out there who are working passionately to get justice for the family and get killers off the streets; there certainly are. But, in the end, what it may come down to is how important it is to those who run the state, not the people of the state.
The more important the citizen, the more effort put into the case. The more media received, the more attention the case receives. If the truth about the crime, the criminal, or the handling of the case is damaging to the state, there may be some sort of cover-up, small or large. If it benefits the state to put someone away and close the case regardless of his guilt, so be it. If it serves the state to fudge evidence or lie, it may well be done. Why? Because there a people called politicians out there and they have the power to have things their way.
I have long tried to help people pursuing justice for Madeleine to understand that this whole case is far bigger than one little girl. It stopped being about Madeleine on May 3 because, after that, it became about the parents, the friends, the UK, Portugal, police, politicians, media, egos, careers and international political issues.
Ever since there was UK interference on a high level, it was clear this case had gone south and that there were interests to the state that had nothing to do with supporting the Portuguese police investigation. When the McCanns returned home to England and the Portuguese shelved the case, this was the second nail in the coffin of justice; it was clear the Portuguese state had some interest to protect far beyond justice for a small child. When Scotland Yard was given the green light to do the review, there were only two possible reasons; the McCanns were innocent or the McCanns and Company (whoever they are) were confident that Scotland Yard had a remit to only address an abduction theory and that it was ironclad. This Scotland Yard remit was evidence that there were some interests to the state that were quite major because it was an unprecedented move to have a UK police force intervene in a case in another country that they had not been invited to participate in and to start the case by limiting, from the start, the scope of the review.
Next, we see a police force spend an insane amount of money and time and manpower on one case, a case that is unlikely to see any results if the parents were not involved, because it is a fact that, if it were not the parents' crime, then Madeleine was dead by May 4 at the hands of a pedophile and her body tossed or buried years ago; hence, Scotland Yard was not rushing in to save a life. And Scotland Yard certainly showed no urgency because they took years mulling over the files and doing god-knows-what instead of getting straight to work analyzing the crime scene and suspects and getting the job done. I have never seen a more bizarre state of affairs than watching this crack team of more than three dozen detectives use more money than than the entire annual budget for criminal investigation for some small countries in the world and come up with absolutely nothing credible in a "simple case of child abduction." Friends, this is politics, not proper police work.
And now we have the ruling. Some are already trying to see a silver lining in this catastrophic legal loss of Gonçalo Amaral; the judge disallowed certain points, the McCanns only got a partial payment, Gonçalo still has an appeal. Make no mistake, if the coffin hadn't been nailed shut with the Scotland Yard investigation, this is solid evidence that there is collusion between the Portuguese and British governments, that there was pressure on the judge to rule in favor of the McCanns and against freedom of speech in Portugal. And, in doing so, this readies the ground for the lowering of the coffin into the ground, for Scotland Yard to follow suit and declare the McCanns innocent of any wrongdoing (other than mistakenly thinking their children were safe alone in the vacation flat), to close the case with "we tried our best to cooperate with the Portuguese but we sadly can no longer spend millions on a case we cannot bring to prosecution; but we can assure the public that we know who the abductor is and he is no longer a threat to anyone as he is a) deceased or b) already in prison."
This devastating ruling pretty much puts angel wings on the backs of Kate and Gerry McCann and adorns Gonçalo Amaral with horns and a pitchfork, and gives the media yet more fodder for pro-McCannism. Since Scotland Yard has declared the McCanns are not being investigated, stated that Madeleine was abducted, and has spent years chasing one lowlife after the other and one pedophile/burglar theory after another, there is no way that Scotland Yard is suddenly going to do an about face and arrest Madeleine's parents, and if anyone thinks this is still going to happen, I have both swamp property and a London Bridge to sell you.
It hasn't been about Madeleine. It has been and is about the state. This is the way the world works. When there are no compromising issues like incompetence, misconduct or corruption, killers are caught, cases are properly closed, and the community is safer. When it goes awry for whatever reasons, the state and whoever controls it will make sure they don't go under because of one unfortunate situation.
A lot of people have not wanted to believe my take on this case. Personally, I would rather not believe my take on this case! It was my hope early on, even though I saw the signs of political interference, that there might still be some chance of the Portuguese police reopening and solving this case properly; that they would fight back against the UK pressure. When I wrote my profile on the case and, even when I went to Portugal, I still had some very faint glimmer of this case somehow turning around. But, when Scotland Yard started in with all the suspects and digging, I knew, for sure, it was a done deal.
What has been my interest in all of this? To promote good deductive criminal profiling and proper handling of missing persons and homicide cases. I would have been ecstatic to see Scotland Yard assist in the arrest the McCanns; my profile would have been validated, I would be vindicated, and, we could have a wonderful example of a police agency willing to return to the evidence and, in spite of the unpleasant prospect of have to charge parents of a missing child with a crime, follow the evidence to the proper conclusion. Happy day!
But, this was and is not to be. From years in the trenches, I can tell you that more often than the public has any clue, justice is not served and families and professionals and future victims are often collateral damage in the quest for political expedience. In fact, I have seen cold cases more often "closed" for damage control with lies and fall guys than with truth and justice which is why I refuse to work them any more. When cases go on too long, there is often a good reason; they are broke and can't be fixed. And because things are the way they are, because the world has many good people but is not always good, I choose to do what I can that is positive and might bring the best results for the future. I prefer to focus now on training detectives in deductive criminal profiling so that they can do better analysis of their cases and prevent errors that cause them to go cold. If one can help detectives do a better job, than there it less likely that egos and politics will need to take over a case and cause its demise.
The Madeleine McCann case is truly one of the most fascinating and bizarre cases I have ever run into and it will be a case that will be discussed for many a year. Perhaps, when a few decades pass, we may learn the truth; perhaps, we never will. My hope is that we will learn the right things from this case that help illuminate some grave problems within the system, but my fear is that the politicians and the media have so obscured the truth that the general public will never get a proper understanding. Again, sadly, this is the way the world often works; history is written by the conqueror, and folks, we are not the winners here.
Peace.
Criminal Profiler Pat Brown
April 29, 2015
By Pat Brown
Rating: 
Published: July 27, 2011What 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.
The way of the world.
ReplyDeleteThese things - "justice", "democracy", "society": as history taught us, what goes around, comes around, and history doesn't make mistakes.
Very well written summary of events and how real life differs from the TV shows where the 'bad guy' always gets found out in the end.
ReplyDeleteThe Scotland Yard remit told us right from the start what the result would be.
This is a blow for justice! that poor man! The Uk/media is as bad as it gets, to control the lives of others and let the "disappearance" osfa small child go unpunished is beyond me! Where on earth is the justice? seemingly its not what you know its who you you know.. The Mccanns should be ashamed of themselves!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThere are no lessons to be learnt in policing when political corruption is at work.
Corruption in this case has been deliberate and premeditated, involving the institutions and authorities responsible for the running of nations. The bedrock of which all the general public rely on for been beyond reproach.
Where does that leave society at large who understand what has really transpired with this case ?
To have witnessed the bare faced corruption and destruction of innocent lives to defend lies of such transparency, it beggars belief - all assisted by the mechanism of a Superpower nation...I think that really needs to sink in peoples heads.
Personally I do not think it is to idealistic to be aghast at such ethics in high office and accepting that its a fact of life....means ultimately that people are expected to be happy of the status quo when miscarriage's of justice occur....I don't think that thought would be there in their heads if they were in the role of the patsy.
For me personally, it is to easy to slip into the various aspects of this case and the many talking points that ensue as a result.
Really what is at the foot of this case and the "Wider Agenda" ..is something much bigger than people have picked up on and the doorway to understand many troublesome things in the world today.
I think in the future some of my posts will come alive.
The world will not always be has it is - that I know.
Mojo
Peace.
This decision irritates me to no end. I found it strange that this case had been allowed to proceed in light of the Lisbon Appellate court's ruling which overturned the ban of Mr. Amaral's book and the Supreme court's refusal to consider the McCann's appeal. After having read people's comments who are more familiar with the Portuguese justice system, I concluded that this was just another bureaucratic process, permissible under Portuguese law, that would result in nothing. When I realized that what was transpiring in that court room had nothing to do with libel I became concerned, concerns which were placated with the judge's pronouncements of what had and hadn't been proved. I was fooled.
ReplyDeleteHaving followed the proceedings of this trial the question has to be asked what exactly did the lawyers present in that court room that convinced the judge to render such a decision? As far as I'm concerned this trial was a joke. It seems to me that the judge took it upon herself or was told to invent a reason to find Mr.Amaral guilty, I suspect the latter.
Mr. Amaral will win on appeal, this judge knows that, which probably made this ruling somewhat less nauseating for her, unfortunately the damage has already been done, as was intended. The English media, as expected, is reporting this ruling as establishing that Mr. Amaral lied. Just look at the latest headlines:
"Detective did lie about death cover up claim"
"Cop who tried to frame the McCanns must pay 350k"
500,000 euros in damages plus 109,000 in interest which is growing by the day, not long ago a handful of Portuguese citizens had their eyesight damaged due to medical malpractice one became blind, if I'm not mistaken none got more than 100,000 euros, what must they be thinking?
To all those Britons worried about the amount of money that was spent on this public relations project for this couple, you shouldn't be that concerned. I can't envision 30 or more SY officers being assigned full time to this case. Seriously, what do they do all day, twiddle their thumbs, play Tetris on their computers, read online papers, what?
SY was waiting for this decision and it can now close its innovative investigation and the Portuguese will follow suit by closing its chaperone service. The End.
Yes, that is about right, Guerra. Even if Gonçalo wins on appeal for some reason that politically it is considered allowable at that time, the issue is timing and labeling and that has been accomplished with this verdict.
ReplyDeleteAs for being fooled at any point in this debacle, welcome to a big crowd. One of the things I talk about quite often in analyzing cases is to not overfocus on one piece of evidence or a few pieces of evidence, but, instead, be sure to review the totality of the evidence. The same is tue for how cases are handled; when one considers the totality of the investigation, one can see a clearer picture. Nothing about the investigation/review/investigation since the shelving has show me signs of any true evaluation of the evidence and the civil case and media, Summer &Swan book, and the troll posse have only supported the overwhelming party line of abduction and the McCanns' innocence. However, it is so hard to fathom - especially to people not in the field - that it is hard to believe this kind of thing can happen. It is like accepting the sky is green when you know damn well it is blue and yet, day after day, the government and media and courts are telling you it is indeed green...why don't you get it?
I have seen similar stuff in other cases just not on such a grand scale. Even if the McCanns were innocent, I would still say this is the most bizarre handling of a missing person's case I have ever seen.
There was a meeting on March 13 of this year, unreported in the British press as far as I can tell, between Portuguese authorities, DCI Wall, someone from the British Attorney Generals office, and THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/nacional/portugal/detalhe/pgr_recebe_ingleses.html
This verdict was due in March. Many people commented on the curious delay. Now this, after THAT meeting? This stinks to high heaven and if I were Snr. Amaral I would raise quite a commotion about it and demand to know what went on in that meeting.
Intriguing stuff Pat but, what is the main reason for the rapid involvement of the UK government on what was a missing person case? Kids are often found quite quickly but the government machine was in overdrive so quickly. Why would the Portuguese government allow involvement from the UK government so soon? For the Portuguese to stand by and let the pompous British continually rubbish their efforts and to find an uncooperative pair of parents, why would the towel be thrown in so easily? I assume you have some answers given the thrust of your arguments?
ReplyDeleteKarmo, I do not know and I don't want to rehash all the theories that are rolling around. I believe the evidence points to an accidental death that occurred on May 3 with a subsequent hurried cover-up. As to why the McCann received such help, I do not know...that is a bigger mystery to me. I do know that sometimes connections can cause strange things to happen, for politics to spin out of control, and for everything to get very complicated. Sometimes the connection can be to something very concerning and other times it can be something as simple as egos and incompetence. One case I worked in the US was originally administratively closed with a dead fall guy (with zero evidence) because the victim's family knew the son of the then president. A phone call was made to the state's attorney who quickly "solved" the case. All I can think in that case was either the state's attorney thought that case could backfire on him and his desires for judgeship if he didn't take care of it quickly or he was just trying to do a favor for the prez. I believe it was the former. I have seen people think there is a huge conspiracy in cases where there was simply incompetence that no one wants to admit to because it brings bad publicity and kills funding. As to the McCann case, it will remain a mystery until such time as true evidence of comes to light.
ReplyDeleteDear Pat
ReplyDeleteCan you please stop talking as if you no longer have an opinion on the case. Otherwise you've ended up exactly where the McCanns, SY, UK media and the Portuguese judge want you to be.
Getting people to refrain from pointing out the obvious anomalies in the dissapearence of the little girl is exactly the purpose of this verdict.. and that scam posing as a SY investigation.
It's all theatre for the masses.
Dreadful decision, and now we have to witness the smug McCanns saying it's not about the money, and it will help the 'search' for Madeleine. Come on... they've never searched for her. They've used the fund to sue anyone who disagrees with them (26 libel cases and counting), and now they receive even more money. Madeleine is the gift that keeps on giving. I hate injustice, and child neglecters, and can only hope that their protected status doesn't last forever.
ReplyDeleteEddie, I never said I didn´t have an opinión on the case nor am I pretending not to have one today. What I stated a while back was I was not going to continue to spend my time on running commentary for a case that is dead in the water. I have spoken out on occasion when I felt there was something worth addressing. have never andt am not being manipulated by anyone in the media or the government. It is not my duty to spend hours everyday talking about the case for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteNot all things in life go our way. Human beings get killed in wars and have lives devastated through those in power. We should fight when it is worth doing but stop when it no longer serves a purpose and move on to something that we have more of an impact on. We only have so much time in our lives.
I have made my choice to put more effort into training detective and I leave all my analysis on this case in public view so my stance on the case doesn´t disappear.
On the plus side, the McCanns now have another enormous sum of money to put towards the continuing search for Madeleine. It will be very interesting to see what they do with this money this time, when the SY investigation is wound up. Their ability to now continue to search, with their new financial resource, must mean that they will have to remain in the public eye. And the more they keep talking, the more we stand a chance of finding out. And, however unlikely, of course with more money with which to search there is still the hope that she may be found.
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:04 I am not sure I think there is any plus side. Simple fact, no body, no case and no amount of money is going to make a body turn up. Usually, if the body still exists in a case like this, luck is required; a hiker trips over it in the mountains or the earth is churned up to build a housing collection where once there was just barren land. I believe it may well be that only Gerry knows where Maddie's body is and he is not the kind to ever confess to anything. And, even with a body, there needs to be a link back to the McCanns to prosecute. Some cases just are not going to end well and this is one of them. I personally think the McCanns will go fairly quiet once Scotland Yard ends their review and the case is shelved again. They got what they want which is a stamp of innocence by the major media, Scotland Yard, and Portugal. That doubters live on through the Internet is likely annoying but one can live with it when you know you have the big guns on your side.
ReplyDeleteNot only do these events have nothing to do with Madeleine McCann, they might also have precious little to do with her parents.
ReplyDeleteThis isn`t to propose any great theory about shadowy missing links etc, but just to state the obvious: we have come so far down the road, and we have seen too many compromised reputations.
Operation Grange has always struck me as being about closure. I believe that was once Redwood`s own point.
We don't need indications of the parents belonging to any kind of inner "loop", or even that they are being fully briefed. Would it surprise anybody in the least to discover that the parents themselves might have become odious even to those charged with pursuing this remit? It wouldn`t surprise me in the least.
But all that was ever required was that remit. And it came from the Home Office.
Anon @ April 29, 2015 at 1:22 PM. Exactly. Whatever the purpose of that meeting (my own guess was that it might be to formalise a joint statement of closure from both jurisdictions?), if this is not a political undertaking then why the representation of British interests in the shape of an ambassador? Were the legals and detectives, those constitutionally charged with getting to the truth, not enough?
Agnos
Hi Pat
ReplyDeleteI have only become interested in this case on more than the usual superficial level in the last couple of days, as an indirect result of the McCanns action against Mr Amaral (for whom I have the deepest respect).
I and everyone I have ever mentioned this case to (or had it mentioned to me) finds the McCanns behaviour bizarre from start to finish and believes they are hiding something. In most cases that they know what happened to Madeleine.
Having looked at the evidence for the first time, I find yours and Mr Amarals suggested theory much more credible than the McCanns version of events.
However there is one thing I can't get off my mind. The blood.
As a mother myself I know young children are actually pretty resilient. I can accept that falling off the back of a sofa could cause a freak head injury or broken neck, especially if, as there are hints of evidence for, Madeleine had taken drugs. But even that would be a highly unlucky freak in my experience as kids are actually very resilient.
But so much blood that it splattered on the walls and ran under the tiles?
The Portuguese police theory that she may have fallen down the patio steps could explain there being blood.
But there was none found by the steps, and the amounts of blood suggested by the evidence would surely have to be from someone whose heart was still beating.
Likewise the blood in the boot of the hire car which I understand was a 99.9% match for Madeleine.
For even traces of blood to still be being left by a corpse more than 24 days old would surely suggest there having been copious amounts originally?
I would be very interested for any suggested theories you have about this as I believe you have looked very closely at all the evidence available
It is haunting me and making the whole thing seem perhaps more sinister than I hope you can reassure me the evidence actually suggests.
I give up i have lost faith in the justice system in the whole court system and in humanity = thank you for all your comments and commonsense as well as an experienced and highly educated assessment of the real story My hope is in the future the children will remember something that triggers a memory and those dispicable things will be held accountable
ReplyDeleteHi again Pat.
ReplyDeleteThere is also one other much more minor thing which puzzles me.
Should the theory suggested by Mr Amaral and yourself be the correct one it seems likely that the Smith sighting may have been Gerry McCann carrying the dead Madeleine.
In that case I find it a little strange that Eddie the cadaver dog picked up a scent on Kate McCanns clothes but not Gerrys, although I realise there could be many explanations for this.
It must be a burden for you being used as agony aunt by people like me who are going through the first stages of shock and disbelief having actually looked at the evidence in this case for the first time.
Thanks so much to you and Mr Amaral for being honest about the evidence which exists and refusing to be gagged like so much of the media (although not all!).
I have managed to get both your books. I won't say how as I don't want to attract the lawyers!
I considered starting my own petition to send to the government after the May election to get the case re opened.
Sadly I'm not as brave as Goncalo Amaral and yourself and can't bring myself to put my neck on the line.
The McCanns have made themsrlves so rich and high profile they are untouchable for a reason.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteI just wanted to give a short answer to Maggies speculations about why Gerrys clothes had no smell of death. Not to start a new discussion of the case here. I am sorry that I wrote wrong topic.
DeleteApologies Pat, I put my comment on the wrong topic below, so I've copied it over.
ReplyDeleteThe judgement is completely at odds with the interpretation of the findings I read. If this is correct it pushes manipulation to the highest level in my eyes.
The McCann's and their mates will be scrubbed so clean they will be unrecognisable.
I am wondering now if it's all a complete hoax.
A
A YEAR OR SO AGO I read someone's view on this McCann affair. They said that firstly, there was a high echelon 'Club' of pedofiles, who were willing to pay huge sums for their privilege. Madeleine was offered, but something went wrong and she died. The 'importance' of the male person concerned resulted in a huge 'official' cover-up (and probably compensation payment!) It would seem that Mr. Amaral may possibly be aware of these facts, but does not want to pursue this angle.
ReplyDeleteAgnos, you may well be correct that it is little about the McCanns either at this point. What I find in these cases is when something goes wrong, politics becomes so convoluted that the reasons for what is being done can morph over time. For example, one case I worked started with a battle of egos between the sheriff and prosecutor. Then, with two possible suspects, a police psychic was brought in (no kidding). That police suspect described the crime with one of the suspect's physical features and behaviors. (get this; it was clear he read the police files because he used exact descriptors of the scene, the exact words from the files). Then, an FBI profiler was brought in who agreed that this was the right suspect in spite of the evidence). It went to court and was thrown out because the smart judge said there was zero evidence against this man outside of a cooked up non-evidence based theory by a criminal profiler and a police psychic. Then, the prosecutor's office locked up the case files. For the next twenty years, even the police were unable to access the case! I came in to work the case and with what remaining information and crime scene photos I could come up with (long story on how I got that), found the evidence pointed to the other suspect (the woman's ex), The sheriff agree with me, but still the case was frozen. When my book came out with this case in it, suddenly the case was reopened, the prosecutor's office declared some tiny bit DNA evidence (a drop of blood that may have nothing to do with the actual crime) matched the original suspect (although no one ever saw the proof of that) and, since the case would have been double jeopardy if it went to court again, simply reclosed the case administratively with the statement, "We have been vindicated (I assume from my profile)." Meanwhile, the killer has gotten away with it, an innocent man now has been labeled a brutal murderer, and no one knows the truth except me, the sheriff and the man's defense attorney.
ReplyDeleteHow is that for justice? But, most people, because the prosecutor's office said so and the media reported it, believe it. So we now have a false view of the case and criminal behaviors and a false history which likely will never be understood to be false. And why? Not because the real killer was anybody; he was just a regular joe. But, because the prosecutor's office had an issue with the sheriff and then with me. Politics and egos.
I don't know what caused the McCann case to become so corrupt. It could be one huge thing or half a dozen smaller things that turned into a huge thing. We may never know the truth because often that is what eventually gets so mutilated one can never be sure. Someday, people may THINK they know the truth but still really have no clue.
History is full of this which is why we have history books come out with complete new takes on certain events: sometime it is because some new evidence appears that causes historians to reevaluate what happened, sometimes it is some new agenda that causes history to be rewritten, sometimes it is changed by whoever is in power. And, we can argue all we want over such things as "Did Lincoln really care about the slaves or was he really just trying to save the union?" and we will never be able to turn back the hands of time and put ourselves in the milieu of exactly what happened. History gets lost to time and so does our understanding of it. Hence, we have to live in the present, accept that we cannot change what we cannot change, and do what we can for the future.
Anon 6:21
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Gonçalo would have been unwilling to investigate any possibility. This big ring of paedo theory has been very popular on the Internet but I myself to do not entertain it because there is zero proof of any such thing and I deal with evidence. Again, I do not want to go into more discussion on the analysis (read my book and blogs), but the evidence points to May 3 and a subsequent hurried coverup.
I believe the big paedo ring theory has emerged because of the high level of interference in the case. The more people can't understand why a case gets twisted like this the more paedophilia and protection of people in high places comes in. I have seen that reaction in dozens of cases, usually with zero evidence to support that.
This doesn't mean it might not be true in the McCann case but there is no evidence (at least at this point) that any pedophilia was occurring). So that is probably why Goncalo didn't go there. He deals in evidence. When we talked he had some other thoughts (not about paedophilia) about the case that were not in his book, but he did not write about those thoughts because he had not been able to investigate them further and find evidence to support them).
A,
ReplyDeleteThe crime was not a big hoax as some suggest on the Internet. No one faked planned a big fake crime to make money or whatever....just too silly. However, I would say the Scotland Yard review is a bit of a hoax because the remit excluded two of the main suspects an tied the hands of the investigators.
Maggie, I don't want to rehash the case here but I will make two points.
ReplyDeleteOne, about blood. Blood can flow copiously from head wounds and nosebleeds. Both of those can be gushers even though they are not actually life threatening.
As to all the evidence; one thing that is true about crime in real life that is different from television is that even when a crime is solved there may be things one can't quite explain, gaps that can't be sewn up, evidence that still is missing or confusing. This is why the totality of the evidence must make sense and be strong enough for conviction. The totality of what one has and can understand. Evidence may be missing or confusing because of the elements (things like weather that destroyed certain things), human intervention at the crime scene (the killer removing evidence or adding evidence, say some hair that isn't his or some semen from a used condom he found lying in a bathroom), by the first responders (like a fireman whose water from the hose forces the murder weapon from one room to another or an officer who inadvertently kicks something or damages something) or even family who change the scene for one reason or another (hanging guy has porn next to him so they remove the porn and change the look of the crime from autoerotic death to suicide). Crime scenes are not perfect pictures of what happened which is why some crimes can be so difficult to solve.
Thank you for your reply and for all the work you have done on this case.
DeleteI understand what you say and I respect that, unlike some, you and Mr Amaral are always professional and never stray from strictly what the evidence implies.
You have helped me put this case in perspective as it has been preying on my mind the last couple of days.
As you say, these cases can be far more political than we often realise.
And here in the UK we are learning a lot of lessons about how some people are too rich and high profile to challenge!
I meant everything on McCann and UK side from 4th May Pat.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably right. Perhaps some has been advantages taken of events and ran with, rather than a single plan.
A
Anon 5:37
ReplyDeleteAlthough some people view me as a quitter on this case and a very negative person because I consider this case dead in the water and have for a long time, others wonder how I keep sane as a profiler when I see so much injustice and corruption while dealing with criminal cases. I can't say it is all a picnic and I have had many disappointments, but I try to keep a realistic view that all of life contains good and bad, fair and not fair, success and failure. And we only have two choices in dealing with it; become bitter and totally hopeless and hide away from the world or do what we can and be content that we at least a bringing some measure of improvement to our neck of the woods in whatever way we can.
Since I have been so frustrated with cold case work and see politics take over these cases leaving them forever cold or closed wrongly, I am now working to train detectives to do better profiling of their own cases in the first 48. Personally, I would prefer to still do cold case work because this is the work I love; I would prefer to go around the country analyzing cold cases and then watching with joy as the detectives bring them back to life and finally arrest the killer. Yeah, I would love that....not happening. So, what then? I would prefer to see a fully and properly trained profiler in every police department. Yeah, maybe in fifty to a hundred years...but they are not ready for this. So, what then? Train the detectives because these are their cases and if they can do a better job, maybe they will never go cold. Will it help? No doubt we will see improvement in case analysis when more detectives have been trained properly. How much will it help? I don't know, but it is better than doing nothing and, maybe, over time, we will see more changes in case handling and analysis coming from more quarters. It isn't a perfect solution, but it is a way to effect change in a positive way.
I see people do good things every day in many different ways from people volunteering to improve the community to strangers helping a person they just suddenly saw needed help. Every little thing people do that is kind and helpful balances out the world; can you imagine if everyone gave up? At least even if we see bad, we also see good and that is something we should never think is insignificant.
Anon 7:42
ReplyDeleteI have removed your comment, not because you said anything wrong, but I do not want to rehash the analysis of the case here. This post is about the civil and criminal justice system and how cases are handled.
No prob, Anon 9:39. I just try to keep the comments on point so they don't end up on another whole topic, or in squabbling, or ad hominem attacks.
ReplyDeleteThe reason Operation Grange was set in motion is the very reason why Mr. Amaral will win on appeal and any subsequent appeal by the McCanns will be rejected. And that reason is the Lisbon Appellate court ruling and the Supreme Court’s rejection of the McCann’s request to overturn the Appellate court’s ruling, these rulings were never reported in the English media. In my opinion, if Mr. Amaral had been unsuccessful in overturning his book ban there likely wouldn’t have been an Operation Grange. When the McCanns say that this case was never about the money they are being honest because what they really wanted was that symbolic ruling in their favour; they know that in the end Mr. Amaral will keep his money.
ReplyDeleteThe Gaspar statements are not proof of paedophilia but it is interesting that the McCanns have never mentioned the Gaspar statements. Mr. Amaral mentions the Gaspar statements in his book but the McCanns are silent. And what is one to make of parents, who claim their child was abducted by a paedophile, releasing a picture of their daughter wearing makeup striking a pose which one poster in another forum described as being similar the pose of a child in one of the pictures of the convicted paedophile artist Graham Ovenden? Surprisingly, the McCanns were publicly criticized in Britain for the release of that picture; public criticism of this couple is a rare event. There is no proof but I cannot discount that this case, directly or indirectly, has to do with paedophilia, especially when lately there are numerous stories coming out of Britain of police protecting paedophiles of the establishment.
Guerra, I tend to agree with you on operation Grange but I don't see that this has a bearing on Goncalo winning on appeal.
ReplyDeleteAs to Gaspar statements, I wouldn't have addressed them if I were the McCanns either even if I were innocent and believed my daughter had been abducted. The statement lacks credibility and slandering one friends and also giving any kind of fodder for people to further promote the concept of pedophilia within the Tapas 9 would be foolish.
Guerra, further more that they had a clue about that other is questionable and that they thought their a photo of their daughter playing with Mommy's makeup was creepy is also questionable. It is exactly this kind of picking at this and that and assigning meaning to it (like that balloon photo which is just taken out of context) that turns a case like this into a nest of exaggerated theories....this is NOT evidence. Yes, the McCanns had many clear concerning behaviors but, again, we must focus on the totality of evidence and the quantity of evidence to support a theory. There is NO evidence, I repeat, NO evidence that we actually know of to support pedopilia or swinging. This doesn´t mean they couldn´t have happened but there simply is no evidence of it that has surfaced. Likewise, with the Operation Grange theory, there is not yet any evidence of an abduction. We need to stay with what a facts and not créate excessive stuff out of the air.
ReplyDeleteThe whole point of this post, Guerra, is on the Scotland Yard and civil court behavior which DO tell us something; let us not rehash the case.
Pat, you don't see what bearing the Lisbon Appellate court ruling and the Supreme court dismissal have on Mr. Amaral winning a future appeal? The Lisbon Appellate ruling addressed all the issues that were brought forth in this trial and this is why Mr. Amaral deemed it necessary during this trial to inform the public once more about the decisions that the Lisbon Appellate court had rendered. In light of those rulings this trial should have never been allowed to proceed.
ReplyDeleteI never said there was evidence; I just said that that possibility can't be discounted.
Guerra,
ReplyDeleteOh, I understand that. However, while Gonçalo appears to have the right to an appeal, winning it is another animal. The court system is always a gamble and full of opinion and politics which is why there is rarely such a thing as a sure win.
As to certain things being a possibility, absolutely. If I were a detective on a case, I would have to keep an open mind and follow up interesting leads which are not necessarily evidence but are worth checking out as those leads might lead to evidence. The problem I have seen, mostly on the Internet is an excessive focus on "interesting" things that do not really qualify as evidence yet very intricate theories are being developed from them whilst ignoring actual evidence which points to the contrary (like the day of death). While I don't object to anyone airing a theory, I am only concerned when it takes such strong root that it becomes a negative to discussing the case rational and having the world view those who question the McCanns (or question other cases) as nutters. There is a reason certain documentary people and authors do not actually want to present my analysis because it is based on evidence; they prefer to have someone forward a more juicy theory with nothing solid to support it. My theory that was actually presented on Mystery Files was about Jack the Ripper was not so popular with viewers (although, thankfully, the producers were happy with it) because I find the evidence points to a Jewish butcher and not a famous painter or the Prince!
So, nothing wrong with considering alternative theories; just presenting them as if their was truly evidence to support them.
Johanna obviously also silenced by TM
ReplyDeleteunterdenteppichgekehrt.blogspot.com
2015 - Liebe Freunde, Die Zivilklage, die gegen mich vom Ehepaar McCann angestrengt wurde, befindet sich im letzten Stadium und die Entscheidung bzgl. der wesentlichen Tatsachen, die mir recht vorteilhaft erscheint, ist bereits ...
Unterdenteppichgekehrt
ReplyDeleteunterdenteppichgekehrt.blogspot.com/
The civil suit that was filed against me by the McCann couple is in its final stages, and the decision concerning material ...
ReplyDeleteGoncalo Amaral SHOULD fight on and never stop.
It is true he will not beat the criminals operating the system - but what HE can do is expose the lengths of deceit and corruption - the administrations are prepared to go to ...even when innocent children are at the root.
Show the world what we have in charge!
Soon people will understand there is NO JUSTICE SYSTEM ...ITS ILLUSION.
Even now experienced people in the world of LAW talk about "gambles".
Should there be gambling with LAW, peoples lives? Its a Yes or NO.
Goncalo Amaral is 100% in the right, don't get knocked off track with side issues that lead you into dead ends.
Let me be clear - the case is a BLATANT CORRUPT COVER UP - the governments of both countries, along with their various quangos and institutions, have worked together with the family of the arguidos.. to cover the case up and attempt to re-write History.
That's The TRUTH and you ALL know it....if you don't ...check the fluoride levels in your water.
Let us also remember that people who work for such authorities have helped this happen.
Calling it ones job, does not make it right.
Have no illusion they all know what they have become, they will continue to attempt to rewrite this case so the public at large do not get to see what these people have become.
The lunatics HAVE taken over the asylum(world) and their beady eyes are watching you all...they speak like the case, in Forked tongues and lie with as many teeth as they have in their mouths.
I have no doubt that they all want to blend into the background like a chameleon lizard but all they have achieved is shown their colours.
Goncalo ....Leave no stone unturned.
fight
Mojo
Brilliant posting - as thought-provoking as ever. We could not possibly had phrased it better!
ReplyDeleteZizi
Zizi, many thanks.
ReplyDeleteMojo, Goncalo, bless his heart, will indeed fight on. The stress he must be under is unfathomable because he is a David fighting a Goliath. Whether he wins on final appeal or not, he is a fine example of a human who sought justice at all costs.
He will win on appeal, the Lisbon Appellate Court has already ruled in his favour on these issues so has the Supreme Court, why would it be any different this time. My understanding is that this judge awarded the McCanns damages because Mr. Amaral must have written the book while the case was still active. Mr. Amaral released the book 3 days after the case was archived and she reasoned that no one could write a book in 3 days. This is laughable, basically she is saying that you can't put your thoughts to paper in the privacy of your own home. And how on earth is this damaging to the McCanns? Absolutely ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAs I said before this woman was looking for a reason to find Mr. Amaral guilty, she had to find something and this was the best she should come up with. One can only speculate what motivated her to do this: either someone told her to find the man guilty; or she was influenced by the Scotland Yard investigation; or she feared being targeted by the English media if she ruled in favour of Mr. Amaral or perhaps she is just one of those Portuguese people who prefers to accommodate the English.
On appeal this judge will be severely criticized for her ruling and perhaps for not dismissing the case in the first place, as was the last judge that granted the injunction. Of course it won't surprise me that when Mr. Amaral wins on appeal that the English public is kept in the dark once again.
Guerra,
ReplyDeleteI have no argument for anything you have just written. Sadly, it is so much like Alice in Wonderland it is not very comforting, but, that is the way politics rolls all over the worlds.
Guerra,
ReplyDeleteI have no argument for anything you have just written. Sadly, it is so much like Alice in Wonderland it is not very comforting, but, that is the way politics rolls all over the worlds.
Guerra
ReplyDeleteI have an argument with what's written.
The case is British and Portuguese ...(incidentally Portugal are the LEAD authorities if the country was sovereign, which it seems not with the handling of this case)...you have witnessed it turn on its own citizens who are on the right side of truth.
I am an English man supporting Goncalo Amaral, because he is a Human being in the right and he is been treated shamefully.
It is leaders and elites who keep the people squabbling ....this case should have demonstrated to you what control people really have ...zero.
law does not protect the innocent when political agendas are at work.
Britain consists of more countries than England, and the characters central to this case have strong ties to those other countries.
Do You Agree?
I just wish people would research who are running England - they certainly are not ENGLISH - but aye what does that matter to some peoples pre-conceived notions of a nation.
If you put lipstick on a Lizard ...Its Still a Lizard...and
Putting a Dog in a stable - Does not make it a horse.
Facts are relevant and help people understand the detail of a case - rather than develop carte-blanche outlooks that are WRONG and too generic in their construct.
Mojo
an Englishman.
Dear Pat,
ReplyDeleteDon't thank me! You deserve the compliments.
I very much admire your country for upholding the rights of its citizens no matter what.
I don't think the McCann's powerful tentacles would reach you there the way they reached Joana Morais in Portugal (gagged?) and the other Johanna from Germany (lawsuit and gagged) - not to mention Tony Bennett in the UK - another high profile victim of the McCanns'.
I suspect it must have been Tony's case that has inspired the relatively young Portuguese trainee judge (grapevine) to rule in favour of the McCanns'.
Perhaps she hoped to show the world how advanced her country was in terms of jurisprudence - indeed on a par with Great Britain! (cough) In the process made an ass of her self and her fellow public servant which she should have protected. Melo e Castro is from a "well-to-do" aristocratic family. Gonçalo Amaral is not. In the end it all boils down to class and ideology.It would be comical if it weren't so tragic.
I have one "extra-curricular" question for you.
I know during your diggings in Portugal that you met with both the Portuguese Joana and the German Johanna. Both described their meetings with you. Do you happen to know what really happen to them? Particularly to Joana Morais? We know Johanna has been carter-rucked recently but no one knows for sure what happened to Joana Morais. Has she been gagged as well ???
; ) Keep up the good work and stay loose!
Ziziduarte, according to Joana Morais herself she shut down her blog because she was tired of covering the case. I don't blame her, why spend the rest of your life informing the public about the disinformation that is being disseminated by the mainstream media with regard to a case in which the authorities, like the media, are only concerned about the reputation of the parents, the likely perpetrators of the crime? Why subject yourself to nasty comments from depraved individuals? She made the right choice.
ReplyDeleteI haven't visited the German Johanna's blog for quite some time so I never knew it had been shut down until I read the above anonymous poster's comment. It is shocking but not really that much of a surprise. She displayed some very convincing theories based on the facts found in the case files so I often wondered why she hadn't been targeted by the McCanns.
The Appellate court overturned the injunction to ban Mr. Amaral's book the Supreme Court upheld the Appellate court's ruling, so why would Judge Maria Emilia Melo e Castro overrule a higher court, why did she overstep her bounds? As far as most of the English speaking world is concerned the McCanns injunction was never overturned. why? Because outside of Portugal and a few other non English speaking countries, it was never reported. So, those who believed the injunction was still in place naturally would expect that if the McCanns were to win the, wrongly labeled, "libel" trial that along with the damages awarded the book would be banned for good. Do you see what I'm getting at? For me this action of banning the book tells me that Judge Melo e Castro was told what to do.
Guerra,
ReplyDeleteDr Roberts would appear to agree (as do I)
If a UK diplomat can influence the direction of a police investigation conducted on foreign soil, there is no reason whatever to believe that 'sweet nothings' cannot be whispered into the ear of a foreign judge..
The full text is here. It is absolutely to the point:
http://onlyinamericablogging.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-word-in-your-ear.html
Agnos
Ziziduarte,
ReplyDeleteI am not sure my country is necessarily so great at upholding the rights of citizens!
As far as the McCanns and Carter-Ruck, I think each of their choices has been made based on the odds of success and who they are going up against. Until recently I had no idea Johanna had been gagged and I don't know the details of it. I know Joana and I both stopped running commentary for the same reason; vicious ad hominem attacks by the ANTIS that just got tiresome. Unfortunately, a goodly number of antis became quite nasty that we believed the Scotland Yard investigation was a fraud and that we did not necessarily jump on board with certain theories. Civil discourse was disappearing and so both of us decided, on our own, to simply stop regularly discussing the case. I also felt that since I believed the case was dead in the water, there was little reason to keep going on about it. I have written the occasional post when I thought it was important to say something when I believed there was a point.
As to the McCanns and me, they have never gone after me with a cease and desist order for anything I have blogged about. Perhaps, they realize that American law might not support they accusations of libel against me. Perhaps, they know I will fight them. So they threatened Amazon because they knew they would cave and they did and that is how they stopped my book from being sold on Amazon. Interestingly, they didn't go after the book on Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. Not sure why...perhaps because they felt the only place of real concern was Amazon, where it came out of the gate with a bang and was showcased right under their book. Amazon is what would do the most damage to them; the others, not so much.
ReplyDeleteIts incredible is it not ..just how much power they have wielded.
I wonder - can it now be seen just how co-ordinated this whitewash has become, and the reach of its tentacles across Europe and beyond.
some machine eh?
Some people might think it is the ghost frame work of a federal Europe beginning to operate.
Just a case of colouring in the characters ...joining the dots so to speak and then you got it realtime.
One love, one world, one people....sounds good? ....what about if their are two peoples.
Mojo
You made a prediction about what was going to happen and it came to pass.
ReplyDeleteHello Pat! Feedback much appreciated. Good to know Joana is well and kicking. Guerra is telling us the same. Great news!
ReplyDeleteMy God! Could the McCanns' have pursued you in the USA if you had written the "Truth of the Lie" say?
I am surprised they could but perhaps they would not go as far as they have done in Portugal.
Would the US ever allow Scotland Yard to stage their blockbuster reputation management productions on their soil?
Take the case of this judge (Maria Melo e Castro) a well-to- do lady of aristocratic descent.
She throws away a previous decision of three senior judges one of which was Prof. Bruto da Costa - a Full Professor of Law at the University of Lisbon, a former minister and now a State Councillor for the President of the Republic of Portugaal and worst, indirectly draws his and her senior colleagues attention (ex-cathedra) to what the European Court of Human Rights might have to say in this respect - if any! Each case is different! Who does she think she is? What a blunder! The mind boggles!
Hey! on a lighter note people are responding well to the Project Justice Gonçalo Amaral. I am informed Amaral reads the blog (and no doubt "others" too) so if you could leave him a comment there I am sure that might boost his morale. ; )
The address in case you didn't know is:
http://pjga.blogspot.co.uk/
Keep up the good work and stay loose!
With my kindest regards
Z.
Hi Guerra! Thanks for taking the time to clarify that for me. Good to know she is fine. I did e-mail her but she did not reply so I imagined her in solitary confinement! (half-joking).
ReplyDeleteI noted with interest the comments you made about the appellate court's decision and its implications which were never taken into account.
One thing I was not aware until very recently was that one of the senior judges at the appellate court that overthrew the ban was no more no less than Prof. Bruto da Costa! Cathedratic Professor of Law at the University of Lisbon, a former minister and now a State Councillor for the President of the Republic! Melo e Castro not only ignores his decision but seems to be lecturing him ex-cathedra by bringing in those examples from the European Court of HR as if each case were the same! Oh dear!
Hey Guerra! Why not bring your intelligent comments also to http://pjga.blogspot.co.uk/ to try and boost Amaral's moral? I understand he reads it now and then. I have just suggested to Pat to do the same. I am sure she will in her own time.
All for now.
Take care!
Z.
Now the UK has Michael Gove as Justice Minister and charged with dismantling the Human Rights Act, the end of any small hope of truth some may have in this case is snuffed out with a hob nail boot in my opinion.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gofundme.com/Legal-DefencePJGA
ReplyDelete