Who's Lying to Leveson?...

Kate McCann's diary... modern day plague, capable of extreme violation and mental rape - but only in the English language it would seem.  The diary entries previously made the front pages in Portugal, without so much as a whimper from the McCanns.

So where did the diary come from and who did or didn't give permission for its extracts to be printed in the News of the World.  Despite the newspaper sitting on the story for some time, Mr and Mrs McCann and their spokesman deny all knowledge of it's then impending print.  The main players at the News of the World maintain every authorisation was given to go to print, and that emails and transcribed phone calls exist giving permission.

The important job of tracking down, translating and forming a story on the diary was given to intrepid reporter Daniel Sanderson, in his own words... the most junior reporter on the paper.  He was originally unaware of the ultimate source although when repeatedly pressed by Counsel, contradicted himself and said it could have come from the Portuguese police.  He was reassured that the story would not run without the green light and express permission from the McCanns. 

Former Legal Affairs Manager for News International, Tom Crone played some part in clearing it up afterwards, his understanding was that the representative of the McCanns had given permission to the head of the news desk to run the diaries.  Mr Crone claims there are supporting emails.

Former News of the World editor, Colin Myler is adamant that the paper had permission to print from Clarence Mitchell (the man paid to speak on behalf of the McCanns).  During his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, he stressed over and over that Mr Mitchell had given his utmost assurance that permission was granted.

...it was absolutely clear from the Friday to the Saturday that that assurance had been given to him (Ian Edmondson) and given again to me.

Because I was given an absolute categoric assurance that Clarence knew what we were doing.  Ian Edmondson was probably at that stage almost in daily contact with Mr Mitchell.  What conversations had taken place, I don't know. But I know that they had a very close relationship and a very close working professional relationship.

...Ian Edmondson had assured me on more than one occasion that Clarence was aware of what we were intending to do and had said, "Good".  I think it was very clear from Mr Edmondson's point of view how he'd spelt out what he was doing,

Mr Edmondson, given the number of times I asked him for the assurance to make sure that there was absolute clarity and understanding, had no view that there was anything ambiguous in what we were going to do.

Daily contact... very close relationship?...  Mr Myler and the McCanns also had a very close relationship.  Until Mr McCann accused Mr Myler of being irate and berating him on the telephone, that is. Something which disappointed Mr Myler to hear and which he categorically denies. 

A 4-page transcription of a phone call between Mr Edmondson and Mr Mitchell was submitted to the inquiry.  Mr Mitchell last night issued a denial and described the phone call as brief...

At no point in the one brief call that I received from Ian Edmondson on the Friday evening before publication did he spell out categorically that he had purchased a version of Kate’s diary that had been leaked by the Portuguese police and that they were planning to publish it in as big a way as they subsequently did.

Brief = 4 pages?  Perhaps the caller forgot to hang up and all that was transcribed was background noise. Or the dialling tone.  Ding dong. Interesting that Mr Mitchell contradicts himself by saying that he had no knowledge of the purchase of the diary, yet he was also unaware they were planning to publish it in as big a way as they subsequently did... Were the News of the World planning to simply translate the original Portuguese press reports?  If so, where did the other extracts come from?

The jungle drums are already beating on McCann supporter sites, thanks to Counsel to Inquiry, Robert Jay QC's persistent references yesterday to the diary's original source as being the Portuguese police.

Did Mr Edmondson tell you clearly that he had told Mr Mitchell that a copy of the diary had been obtained via the Portuguese police...

I think it was a woman journalist, but it's not going to matter.  Made clear to you that the Portuguese police had translated the diary and therefore they remained in Portuguese.

Were you concerned by the fact that the diary had been obtained from the police in some way?

But were you aware of some of the background which comprised this: that the police had obtained the diary, having seized it from Dr Kate McCann, and then there was an order by the Portuguese judge for the diary to be returned, but I think a copy by then had been taken?

But it was clear to you that the ultimate source -- the proximate source was the journalist, but the ultimate source was the Portuguese police.  That much was clear, wasn't it?

While the proximate source is brushed over, the ultimate source has been named over and over as fact.  A very serious allegation to make and something which is against the law in Portugal. Was Mr Jay so sure of his facts today when he questioned Mr Sanderson's thoughts on whether the McCanns put the diary out in some way themselves?  A very pertinent question which should be explored further.

The Portuguese speculation has in turn led to the usual suspect, Goncalo Amaral to be named, shamed and put in the line of fire by supporters of the McCanns.  Smeared yet again, and tied up with a pretty ribbon ready for the libel trial in February?  

[Unlike some, I don't find it easy to lie, neither would I write something which I deliberately knew to be untrue.  Thanks to an excessive amount of muppet froth directed at me, I've been alerted an error on my part and have removed the said error.  My mistake gov, it's a fair cop...  I would like to thank the said muppet for alerting me on this matter, although for speed of correction, it would have been helpful if a comment had been left instead of just whining with Kermit and co.  Thankfully, I never blogged under oath...]

Another claim from Muppetland is if Clarence Mitchell really did know about the diaries being printed, then the News of the World could have cut out the middleman and headed straight to Kate McCann for an original copy of the diary. The only problem with this theory is the price - the diary most certainly wouldn't have been available at the Portuguese snippet price of £20,000.  We have some seriously deluded muppets prancing about, tread carefully.  Side splitting stuff yet again, they really should go back to knitting.

Mr Jay asked...

The newspaper was very supportive of the McCanns, and you wouldn't adopt the stance that other national newspapers had taken by printing malicious stories which had no foundation and emanated largely from the Portuguese press. So that was your position.

Isn't that what the News of the World did, took old news from the Portuguese press and regurgitated it to the gullible British public?  The diary could be described as a British 'exclusive', but the NOTW were really just paying a cut price for old, already printed news.

A week after print and nipping at their ankles, there followed the swiftest of negotiations between the News of the World and Mr Thomson from Carter Ruck.  An apology was given and the McCanns' palms were oiled, with a substantial amount of dosh being paid into their private company, the Madeleline Fund.

All done and dusted within the week.  The way things are looking, the Team could well be commended for pulling a blinder on Murdoch... good play.

And the question remains... who lied under oath?

It's a Fair Cop... and the £1m Lawsuit

Such an appalling, biased report from Sky, let's spin the McSpin...


The £1m lawsuit by bungling parents Kate and Gerry McCann against the lead Portuguese detective in the hunt for missing Madeleine will be heard early next year, it is understood.

The civil case against Goncalo Amaral - who was in charge of the investigation for five months after the McCanns neglected their children - will take place in Lisbon on February 9th and 10th, according to a source close to the couple.

The globetrotting couple, both in their forties have made a fortune hard-selling a book, appearing on many television shows, selling themselves (and their children) to the highest bidder and settling various litigations out of court.

In a 36-page writ, lodge in June 2009, they accuse Mr Amaral of libel and breaching their human rights.

The couple, from Rothley in Leicestershire, are expected to attend court but despite lodging the writ themselves, will not give evidence. Whilst arguidos, the McCanns chose to hide behind the skirts of judicial secrecy. Due to the unscripted nature of a court case, speculation has arisen as to the reasons why their lips will once again be sealed.

"The McCanns have made Amaral's life hell and they have made themselves rich in the process." a source said. "Kate and Gerry just want him to stop quoting from the official police investigation and insisting that justice works in silence."

In their writ, the self-obsessed, manipulative, money-grabbing McCanns describe the now-retired detective as... a self-obsessed, manipulative, money-grabber with no morals.

They claim Mr Amaral's repeat insistence that their daughter is dead discouraged people from looking for her.  Yet the McCanns' own Official Facebook group has over 90,000 followers, all praying and lighting candles daily for the safe return of a live Madeleine.  The private investigator hired by the McCanns, claims there is a constant stream of new information and tips coming through.

The couple also describe the pain and anguish they say Mr Amaral has caused them by repeatedly smearing them - saying the slurs "totally destroyed them"...

"...totally destroyed."

The McCanns are seeking at least £1m in damages from the ex-policeman, and if they win the case, the money will be transferred directly to their own private company, Leaving No Stone Unturned, of which they are both directors.

Mr Amaral's book titled 'The Truth of the Lie' was translated into six languages and has sold more than 330,000 copies worldwide.  It was also made into a 50 minute documentary.  The McCanns failed in their bid to ban and prevent the book from being sold and despite again being available for sale, they have also defied a court order and failed to return confiscated copies of the book to Mr Amaral.

Madeleine vanished into thin air on May 3rd 2007 only days from her 4th birthday. Despite vehemently denying any involvement in her disappearance, the McCanns managed to mark the occasion of that sad day by appearing in person at the local church in Praia de Luz.

9 days missing...
McCanns mark Madeleine's birthday

The 3 year old had apparently been left alone with her younger twin siblings in their rented holiday apartment while her parents joined friends at the local Tapas Bar.

View of apartment - as the crow flies

The country's attorney general Jose Pinto Monteiro shelved the case in July 2008 and declared that it should be reopened when further credible evidence arose, with the status of the arguidos being temporarily lifted and reinstated if any such point was reached.

A New Search for Maddie

'No law enforcement agency is looking for Madeleine'...

Over four years ago, the arguidos in the missing Madeleine case allowed the Portuguese police to controversially shelf and put on hold the investigation due to insufficient evidence.  The fact that certain suspects and witnesses failed to co-operate didn't help.  The PJ and the British Police continue to work in the background but will only reopen the case if any new credible information arises.

Now, criminal profiler Pat Brown has created her own independent Maddie Search Fund. The fund, which promises to be transparent, has been created thanks to sales of the ebook, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The book is available to buy online from Barnes & Noble and Smashwords at a snippet of $2.99 - 50% of sales will go direct to her own Maddie search fund.  Please click to buy, your book will be electronically delivered within minutes.

Pat has confirmed that there is no conflicting ongoing search for Madeleine in Portugal and has purchased her ticket for travel to Lisbon on 6th February 2012. The search will begin shortly after, concentrating in and around Praia de Luz for starters.

Please follow Pat on Twitter, or visit the Official Criminal Profiler Pat Brown's Maddie Search Fund page on Facebook for updates on the fund and search.  I would urge you to support and like this page, as she has bizarrely (but not surprisingly), taken a horrendous amount of abuse from supporters of the McCanns for her well intended actions.

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, this can only be beneficial for the most important person - Madeleline.  Pat Brown is doing something that the majority of us would dearly love to do... travel to Praia de Luz to search.  Credit where it's due, I wish her the very best of luck and success and hope she has rewarding findings which will either lead to Madeleine being found or help with the investigation.  I would urge Pat to take the utmost care if she stumbles across any lawless villages on her travels.

And here's hoping that she has more success than the McCanns' own hapless private investigators.  This has gone on years too long, we need a shining light.  Most importantly, Madeleine needs it.

Help find Madeleine.

The Leveson Niggle

Some people sure have a strange, flippant way with words...

"Kate McCann felt 'mentally raped' when diary published."

There are dozens of palatable ways to express the angst felt at having your personal diary made public.  Why this demeaning retort, but no response to the previously published extracts in the Portuguese daily Correio de Manha, translated and read by all months earlier?  The McCanns complained only to the News of the World, who made a large apologetic undisclosed payment to the 'fund'.  No such complaints to Correio de Manha?  Maybe the fact that suing the Portuguese media normally results in nothing more than an apology with little or no monetary gain had something to do with it?  You can't pick and choose when you are "mentally raped".

How did Mrs McCann feel when her personal account of the truth - the book, Madeleine, was made public and serialised by the very same news group?  Opening the door on your sex life and dare I say it... page 129 is not a pleasant thing, especially for the reader.  Maybe the large serialisation fee News International forked out made things a little easier on her poor, ravaged mind.

Meanwhile, news is out that Mr McCann is due to give evidence at the Leveson inquiry next week. We'll have to wait to hear how he addresses his complaint about the Press Complaints Commission and how it was "hopelessly inadequate" in helping his family fend off media intrusion. Isn't this biting the hand that feeds... by early May it was too late to lock that stable door - the McCanns themselves had romanced the press with their own whirlwind of requests, demands and titillations.  So, just why are the McCanns core participants in the Leveson inquiry?  By Clarence Mitchell's admission, they weren't hacked.  Or were they?  They complain about the press, yet courted and invited the media into their lives from day one.  Are they just jumping on yet another bandwagon, big risk if they are.


Without a shadow of a doubt, this case is a matter of public interest. People have the right to news... after all, the McCanns' private company has, and still is accepting public donations.

Below are a small selection of staged photographs for the press, there are many, many more available for all to see in the public domain.  Mrs McCann writes about such occasions in her book and judging by these pics, a good time was had by all.  I don't see any arms being twisted or physical force being applied in an attempt to get the right pose.  And I certainly don't see anyone trying to fend off any media intrusion.  I do hear an echoing kerching though.

Just too bizarre for words...

Can't have David Hughes spoiling that pic...

Oh how lovely...

and perhaps the most poignant of them all...

We conclude that the applicants voluntarily decided to limit their right to the intimacy of private life, certainly envisaging higher values like the discovery of their daughter Madeleine's whereabouts, but on voluntarily limiting that right, they opened the doors for other people to give their opinion about the case, in synchrony with what they were saying, but also possibly in contradiction with their directions, yet always within the bounds of a legitimate and constitutionally consecrated right to opinion and freedom of expression of thought. 

In the same way concerning the applicants' right to image and a good name : upon placing the case in the public square and giving it worldwide notoriety, the applicants opened all doors to all opinions, even those that are adversarial to them.

Lisbon Appeal Court Decision

14 October 2010

The Appellate Court Judges,

Francisco Bruto da Costa

Catarina Arelo Manso

Antonio Valente

Please click to view the full translated appeal decision on Joana Morais' blog.


The Leveson inquiry can be followed on the Guardian website, with detailed information and links.  General enquiries or information can be mailed to generalenquiries@levesoninquiry.org.uk.

Check your LIKES on Facebook......... Part 2

Confirmed...

Beggars belief - Madeleine groups on Facebook combined into one group with a new, deceptively fake following...

This is why we got up yesterday morning to find unfamiliar posts, comments and updates on our Facebook walls.  This is why we had become followers of a group we didn't join.

It's all good and well providing a welcome, however if these new members referred to above had actually liked the Official Find Madeleine Campaign group page, they would have clicked the LIKE button of their own free will.

Are there any similar unofficial Find Madeleine Campaign group pages around which could genuinely be combined?  I don't think there are... although the poor child may have stood a greater chance of being found if there was.  There are thousands of groups for thousands of subjects... I don't want to go to bed posting on Justice for Caylee and wake up to Casey Anthony's ugly mug.  Would anybody?

Apart from the One Million Likes group, I've never seen Madeleine being subjected to 'online abuse'.  Another appalling and disturbing thought to come from the horse's mouth.  If I did, I wouldn't hesitate to report it. Seems like just another excuse for her parents protect their reputation and avoid criticism by once again attempting to silence people.  The irony of Madeleine needs protected... yes she did, didn't she?

Instead of fannying about online, why don't you just get out there and do what normal people would do - something you've never done yourselves.  Look.  All those followers with their prayers, candles and fluffy words won't 'bring her home', but I'm sure it makes you feel good.

Please check which groups you have joined or liked on Facebook.  This is an appalling invasion of privacy and trust.  I do not wish mingle with blinkered muppets or have their posts invade my wall.  And I also object to the Team having access to my own profile via their Admin privileges. Very disturbing.