Cipriano Alleged "Torture"


Conversation regarding Cipriano "torture" case
Maddie Case Files forum  
19 March 2011
(used with permission):

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The British Media versus the Portuguese police / Dr. Goncalo Amaral


These are the first 100 Headlines of Articles archived in the Factiva database regarding Goncalo Amaral. I'll add the rest as time allows; there are over 1000 articles to review.


Headlines are sorted oldest to most recent.
  • Note the number of articles that ran about the alleged TWO HOUR LUNCH. These all sprang from allegations made by a diner at a fish restaurant in Portimao. The diner saw a bottle of wine and what *may have been* a bottle of whiskey on the table.  Since that time, the British press has continued to refer to Goncalo Amaral as the "boozy, bumbling cop."  In my opinion, it is a blatant attempt to sway public opinion.  It is a classic propaganda technique.  Note the highly emotive adjectives used when referring to the McCanns and compare them with the adjectives used to describe Amaral.

  • Note also the number of articles that ran about the Joana Cipriano murder case.  For details about the Cipriano case, see: http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2008/10/cipriano-case-in-past.html (or search Google for the facts of the case regarding incest and the mutilation of little Joana''s body.) This is a photo of Leandro Silva with Leonor. Leandro Silva (common law husband of Leonor) is quoted in many of the articles below.  (One wonders if an investigation into his current finances might be in order.)
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HEADLINES

Govan, Fiona. "The detectives working as the world watches." The Daily Telegraph. 26 May 2007. The Portuguese police have been widely criticised for their handling of the investigation into the abduction.(This article focuses on Guilhermino Encarnação, but mentions Amaral and planted the seed re: the Cipriano case. Note the date - May 26, less than a month after Maddie "disappeared".)

Gammell, Caroline. "Madeleine police 'seen at two hour lunch'." Press Association. 7 June 2007. Portuguese police working on the Madeleine McCann case have defended their reputation after they were seen enjoying a two hour lunch.

Brown, David. "Officers defend two-hour lunches." The Times. 8 June 2007. Senior officers involved in the search for Madeleine McCann have been seen regularly going out for two-hour lunches.
 
Harris, Ed. "Maddy police defend long lunch break." The Evening Standard. 8 June 2007. Portuguese police working on the Madeleine McCann case defended their reputation today after they were seen enjoying a two-hour lunch.
The diner said they had what looked like a bottle of white wine and whisky on the table.
Hagan, Lucy. "Cops' booze shame." The Sun. 8 June 2007. The cop leading the Maddie hunt was blasted yesterday after he and two colleagues spent two hours boozing - at lunchtime.
"When I left, one was still slumped in his chair.".
"Police go on bender." Daily Star. 8 June 2007. Portuguese detectives hunting Madeleine cracked jokes during a boozy lunch as her parents flew across Europe to try to find her. Senior officers laughed as they knocked back wine and whisky as a news programme showed the McCanns in Berlin ...

Brown, David.and Thomas Catan. "Madeleine officers defend their regular two-hour lunches." The Times. 8 June 2007. Police 'laughed at parents on TV news' McCanns told of 'credible call' lead Senior officers involved in the search for Madeleine McCann have been seen regularly going out for two-hour lunches.

Detectives' boozy lunch." The Daily Express. 8 June 2007. Police leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann enjoyed a two-hour lunch on the same day her parents were forced to deny accusations they played a part in the little girl's disappearance, it emerged last night.

Gammell, Caroline. "Madeleine probe policeman charged over attack." Press Association. 10 June 2007. A senior Portuguese police officer working on the Madeleine McCann case has been charged over an attack on the mother of another missing girl, it was revealed today. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Greenhill, Sam. "Chief Madeleine detective charged over 'beating' of suspect in another missing girl case." Daily Mail. 11 June 2007. The detective leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann has sensationally been charged over his conduct in another missing child case. Goncalo Amaral, head of the regional Judicial Police, is one of five officers accused over the beating-up ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano) 
 
(Note the slant. Amaral was not accused of beating Leonor.  Many of these articles also inaccurately report this, or manipulate the wording to infer he was accused of physically touching Cipriano.)

Gammell, Caroline. "Police in Maddie case face charge." Birmingham Post. 11 June 2007. A senior Portuguese police officer working on the Madeleine McCann case has been charged over an attack on the mother of another missing girl, it was revealed yesterday. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Shaikh, Thair. "Detective in McCann case is charged with assault." The Independent. 11 June 2007. A senior detective coordinating the hunt for the abductor of the missing four-year-old Madeleine Mc-Cann has been charged with criminal offences over another missing child case. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Gammell, Caroline. "Madeleine's parents' hunt takes them to morocco." Press Association. 10 June 2007. Armed with appeal posters written in Arabic, Kate and Gerry McCann are taking their search for Madeleine to north Africa today in the last of a series of visits designed to help find ...(Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Gammell, Caroline. "Britain: Time to grieve." Daily Post. 11 June 2007. Parents take Maddy hunt to Morocco, but admit with no new breakthroughs in the hunt for their missing daughter ...(Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Gammell, Caroline. "Madeleine officer accused of assault." Daily Post. 11 June 2007. Police charged over alleged attack on mother who killed daughter A senior Portuguese police officer working on the Madeleine McCann case has been charged over an attack on the mother of another missing girl, it was revealed yesterday. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Edwards, Richard and Fiona Govan. "Madeleine case detective accused of beating suspect." The Daily Telegraph. 11 June 2007. A senior detective investigating the abduction of Madeleine McCann has been accused of beating a suspect in a separate missing child case, it emerged yesterday. (Re: Leonor Cipriano) (Note: This article does not even attempt to slant the story, it clearly prints a lie.)

Brown, David. "Madeleine officer charged over another missing girl." The Times. 11 June 2007. Claims of torture and falsifying papers.  (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Leach, Ben. "Detective in madeleine case on criminal offence charge." The Evening Standard, 11 June 2007. The detective co-ordinating the hunt for Madeleine McCann has been charged with criminal offences over another missing child case.  (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Hagan, Lucy. "New posters appeal." The Sun. 11 June 2007. Maddie..the painful trail to Morocco Missing Maddie's parents flew to Morocco yesterday -before taking time out to grieve for the four-year-old. ("Portuguese police co-ordinator Goncalo Amaral is accused of torturing a confession from Leonor Cipriano -later convicted of murdering her daughter Joana, nine." (Note: This article does not even attempt to slant the story, it clearly prints a lie.)

Lawton, Jerry. "McCanns hunt for clues in morocco." Daily Star. 11 June 2007. Trek to child trade hotbed Madeleine McCann's parents arrived in the child trafficking hotbed of Morocco yesterday. It's the final leg of their desperate journey to find the missing tot. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"North Africa hope as Maddie's parents end their visits." Birmingham Mail, 11 June 2007. Armed with appeal posters written in Arabic, Kate and Gerry McCann took their search for Madeleine to north Africa today in the last of a series of visits designed to help find their daughter. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Madeleine policeman on charge." The Western Mail, 11 June 2007. A senior Portuguese police officer working on the Madeleine McCann case has been charged over an attack on the mother of another missing girl. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Detective's charges stun McCann investigation." Calgary Herald, 11 June 2007. The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was in chaos Sunday night after the detective co-ordinating the hunt for her abductor was charged with criminal offences over another notorious missing child case. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Detective in missing child case faces charges." Ottawa Citizen, 11 June 2007. The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was in chaos last night after the detective co-ordinating the hunt for her abductor was charged with criminal offences over another missing child case. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Policeman in Madeleine case charged." Yorkshire Post, 11 June 2007. A senior Portuguese police officer working on the Madeleine McCann case has been charged over an attack on the mother of another missing girl, it has been revealed. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Pilditch, David. "Madeleine: Police chief quizzed over torture of mother." The Daily Express. 11 June 2007. A Senior police officer investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been charged over a violent attack on the mother of another missing girl. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Maddy officer charged in another case." New Zealand Herald, 12 June 2007. The detective leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann has been charged over his conduct in another missing child case. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Brown, David. "Madeleine officer charged over earlier child case." The Australian, 12 June 2007. The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is in chaos after the detective co-ordinating the hunt for her abductor was charged with criminal offences over another notorious missing child case. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Maddie hunt cop charged." Daily Telegraph, 12 June 2007. The detective leading the hunt for missing toddler Madeleine McCann has been charged over his conduct in another missing child case. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Moroccan welcome brings ray of sunshine for McCanns." Irish Independent, 12 June 2007. Beaming for the first time in 39 days, Kate McCann was embraced by dozens of Moroccan children yesterday as she and her husband Gerry took the search for their kidnapped daughter to north Africa. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Brown, David. "Madeleine's parents take back seat after campaign moves to Morocco." The Times. 12 June 2007. Lack of progress prompts rethink. Couple 'will need time to grieve' (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Brown, David. "McCanns step back from search; Parents of missing Madeleine opt for low profile to grieve." Calgary Herald, 12 June 2007. The parents of Madeleine McCann will take a lower profile in the campaign to find their daughter after admitting they were no closer to discovering who abducted her from their holiday apartment in the Algarve.(Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Child hunt chaos." Northern Territory News/Sunday Territorian, 13 June 2007. Police investigator facing charges : The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is in chaos after the detective co-ordinating the hunt for her abductor was charged yesterday with criminal offences over another ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Reminder: Please note in the articles that follow: The allegations that police were framing Kate McCann were made by the common law husband of a  convicted child murderer, Leonor Cipriano, who killed  her 9 year old daughter, Joana, after Joana caught her having incestuous sex with her brother (Joana's uncle, also convicted of the murder).  Joana was killed, then chopped into pieces by the uncle, stored in a cooler and eventually placed into a car that was driven to Spain and demolished.

Mendick, Robert. "Police 'framing Maddy mother'; Detective in charge 'jailed my innocent wife for child killing'." The Evening Standard, 8 August 2007. Kate McCann is being set up Portuguese police to take the blame over Madeleine, it was claimed today. The husband of a woman serving 16 years in another missing child case in the Algarve said: 'I am worried Kate will be framed for a ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Mendick, Robert. "Maddy police 'framed my wife and are doing the same to the McCanns'." The Evening Standard, 8 August 2007. Kate McCann is being set up the Portuguese police to take the blame over Madeleine, it was claimed today. The husband of a woman serving 16 years in another missing child case in the Algarve said: 'I am worried Kate will be framed for ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Sanderson, David and Yepoka Yeebo. "The police are conducting a smear campaign against Kate McCann, says friend." The Times. 9 August 2007. Fears that Madeleine's mother is being set up. Confidentiality means parents can't speak out. A close friend of Madeleine McCann's parents said yesterday that a "hurtful and ludicrous" smear campaign was being conducted against the ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Lawton, Jerry. "Fear for Kate." Daily Star. 9 August 2007. Madeleine McCann's mum is being set up Portuguese police to take the rap for her daughter's disappearance, it was claimed last night. The husband of a woman serving 16 years in a Portuguese jail in a similar missing child case said he ...(Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Moult, Julie. "Cops 'smearing Maddie parents'." The Sun. 9 August 2007. Friend hits out at wild reports on missing tot ONE of Gerry and Kate McCann's holiday friends yesterday said Portuguese police may have leaked "untruths" over the kidnap of the pair's missing four-year-old Madeleine.(Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Pilditch, David. "Madeleine." The Daily Express. 9 August 2007. Police intercept parents' phone calls and spy on their emails The parents of Madeleine McCann have been bugged by police investigating the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter, it was sensationally claimed last night.(Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"McCann case highlights danger of media hype." Canberra Times, 10 August 2007. The parents of Madeleine McCann are reported as having found recent speculation in the press about their daughter, and the possibility that she is dead, to have been hurtful. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Fricker, Martin. "Blundering police chief under the microscope." Mirror, 10 August 2007. THIS is the bungling police chief leading the shambolic hunt for missing Madeleine McCann. Guilhermino Encarnacao, 59, dubbed Inspector Clueless, has presided over an astonishing list of blunders during the 13 week-long investigation. (Re: Leonor Cipriano) Note:  This article describes Guilhermino Encarnacao as: bungling, Inspector Clueless, a "desk strategist", experience of abduction cases was limited, reputation for having long lunches with other detectives in charge, McCanns friends were "less than impressed" by him, he was EMBROILED in controversy over the Cipriano case and he refused to speak in English even though the majority of the media present were from the UK. The investigation was described as: a shambolic hunt, astonishing list of blunders.

Edwards, Richard. "Madeleine police say she may have died accident." The Daily Telegraph. 23 August 2007. Detectives leading the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are focusing on the theory that she suffered an accidental death in the apartment on the night she disappeared.

Edwards, Richard. "'Maddie died in apartment on night she disappeared'." Evening Herald. 23 August 2007. Accidental death: abduction is no longer the main lead and accidental death is the strongest theory that the authorities are now working on in the missing girl's case 

Fricker, Martin. "Cops: we have the evidence." Mirror. 23 August 2007. The three senior detectives leading the Madeleine McCann investigation insist they have evidence to show she died in her parents' flat. Guilhermino Encarnacao, Goncalo Amaral and Luis Neves made their claim at a meeting with Portuguese ...

Fricker, Martin. "Madeleine cops: 'She died accident in the flat'." Mirror. 23 August 2007. Senior detectives have told prosecutors they believe Madeleine McCann was killed accidentally in her holiday flat.

Evans, Martin. "Was she killed accident?." The Daily Express. 23 August 2007. Police probe new lead on Madeleine. Detectives investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance are working on the theory she was killed accidentally on the night she went missing.

Note: In the articles that follow the naming of Kate as a suspect in September 2007, Leonor's common law husband Leandro Silva was interviewed.  The timing of this is noteworthy and it is unlikely that Silva sought the media out.  I'd add also that he is amazing articulate, given what is known about this background.

Walsh, Tim. "Madeleine detective faces charges over attack on suspect." Press Association. 7 September 2007. Kate McCann's naming as a suspect in her daughter Madeleine's disappearance comes after the detective leading the investigation was charged over an alleged attack on the mother of another missing girl. (Re: Leonor Cipriano) 

"Beyond belief; Sun says." The Sun. 8 September 2007. The Portuguese police investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been shambolic. Failure to secure evidence, forgetting to close borders and keeping secret vital information that could have helped track down the missing...

Harvey, Oliver. "I fear for Kate...these cops framed my wife for murdering her child; Interview; Leandro Silva." The Sun. 8 September 2007. Husband's warning after case with chilling parallel to Maddie The husband of a Portuguese woman jailed for the murder of her child spoke last night of his fears for Kate McCann. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Leading detective charged." The Scotsman, 8 September 2007. 194 Kate McCann's naming as a suspect in her daughter Madeleine's disappearance came as the detective leading the investigation was charged over an alleged attack on the mother of another missing girl. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Detective in charge faces claims of assaulting female suspect." Yorkshire Post, 8 September 2007. Kate McCann's naming as a suspect in her daughter Madeleine's disappearance comes after the detective leading the investigation was charged over an alleged attack on the mother of another missing girl.

"McCann detective charged." Evening Express, 8 September 2007. The detective leading the McCann investigation was charged over an alleged attack on the mother of another missing girl. Goncalo Amaral is one of five men accused of "scenes of aggression" against Leonor Cipriano. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Johnson, Andrew. "Portuguese police framed my wife." Independent On Sunday, 9 September 2007. The husband of a woman jailed in Portugal for killing her child in a case with uncanny similarities to that of Madeleine McCann has spoken of his fear that Madeleine"s parents may be framed for their daughter"s ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Johnson, Andrew. "'Portuguese police framed my wife'." Belfast Telegraph, 10 September 2007. Leonor Cipriano, 36, is serving a 16-year jail sentence following the disappearance of her daughter, Joana, nine, in September 2004, just seven... (Refers to Leandro Silva / Leonor Cipriano)

Rajanin, Amol. "Controversial past of policeman leading the McCann investigation." The Independent. 11 September 2007. As the Portuguese press continued to round on the McCanns yesterday, newspaper columns remained pointedly silent on a separate investigation into the police officer leading the hunt for ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Senior Maddie cop in witness abuse probe." Evening Herald, 11 September 2007. As the Portuguese press continued to round on the McCanns, newspaper columns remained silent on a separate investigation into the police officer leading the hunt for Madeleine. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Rajan, Amol. "Controversial past of policeman leading the McCann investigation." Belfast Telegraph, 11 September 2007. Despite the recent furore surrounding Kate and Gerry McCann being made suspects in their daughter's disappearance, Goncalo Amaral – head of the... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Marsden, Sam, and Tim Walsh, Press Association, 14 September 2007. Portuguese police appeared to take a step back from charging Madeleine McCann's parents today after a senior officer said they had 'nothing concrete'' to implicate them in her ...

Marsden, Sam and Vicky Shaw. "Mixed messages on missing Madeleine." Press Association. 14 September 2007. Mixed messages are coming from the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance, eight days after her parents were named as suspects.

Brown, David, Steve Bird and Patrick Foster. "Portuguese police to extend their inquiry to Leicester." The Times. 15 September 2007. Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are preparing to travel to Britain to carry out further inquiries, amid concerns that her parents are under an intolerable strain.

"Nothing concrete to implicate McCanns, senior officer reveals." Aberdeen Press and Journal, 15 September 2007. Portuguese police appeared to take a step back from charging Madeleine McCann's parents yesterday after a senior officer said they had "nothing concrete" to implicate them in her disappearance.

Lamb, Christina. "Police leaks, gossip and a clash of cultures engulf the McCanns." The Sunday Times, 16 September 2007. Portuguese hostility towards the McCanns grows with every twist... The two men in dark suits coming out of the Portimao restaurant adjusted their ties and jackets after what had clearly been a ...

Rose, David. "Maddie police torture trial." The Mail on Sunday, 16 September 2007. The senior Portuguese detective jointly in charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is set to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up involving another missing girl.

Rose, David. "Lies, beatings, secret trials: the dark side of Portugal's Life on Mars police." The Mail on Sunday, 16 September 2007. According to his friends, Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral of the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria, co-leader of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from the Mark Warner Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, is a dedicated and ...

"A week on the roller coaster." Sunday Tribune, 16 September 2007. SUNDAY The McCanns arrive back in England, and Gerry says he and Kate are "entirely innocent". "In terms of what Kate knows about me, I was away from her for just 10 minutes," he says.

Rose, David and Charles Miranda. "Maddie detective accused of child-kill confession cover-up. Cop torture claim." Herald-Sun, 17 September 2007. The top cop in the Madeleine McCann case has been accused of covering up evidence that police tortured the mother of another missing girl into confessing to murder. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Rose, David. "Senior police under suspicion - Maddie cops face torture investigation." Daily Telegraph, 17 September 2007. The senior detective jointly in charge of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann disappearance is to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up involving another missing girl. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Portuguese police in turmoil." Daily Mail. 17 September 2007. The official police spokesman in the Madeleine case has quit over the way the McCanns were treated, it emerged last night. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa resigned in disgust at the way fellow officers were briefing 'friendly' Portuguese ...

"Senior police under suspicion - Maddie cops face torture investigation." Daily Telegraph, 17 September 2007. The senior detective jointly in charge of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann disappearance is to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up involving another missing girl. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Parsons,Tony. "End this witch hunt and find Madeleine." Mirror. 17 September 2007. The real crime and the real tragedy is that nobody is looking for Madeleine McCann anymore. That little girl is out there somewhere, either dead or alive, but all of the energy of those Keystone cretins, the Portuguese police, are being ...

Townsend, Mark. "Maddie case police: we blundered." The Press (Christchurch), 17 September 2007. The McCann family releases new pictures and announces a fresh campaign as police admit that confusion and infighting wrecked the early days of the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

Narrandes, Nidha. "More controversy as Maddie case official walks out." The Star, 17 September 2007. The official police spokesperson in the Madeleine case has quit over the way the McCanns were treated, it emerged last night. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa resigned in disgust at the way fellow officers were briefing “friendly” ...

Gammell, Caroline. "Detective accused in case of missing girl." The Daily Telegraph. 17 September 2007. The disappearance of Madeleine McCann is not the first high-profile case of a missing girl that the Portuguese police have had to investigate - and not the first time they have been criticised over their handling of the situation. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Evans, Martin and David Pilditch. "Let me speak out, demands judge." The Daily Express. 17 September 2007. He may be set to press charges on Madeleine The judge examining evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann has asked for consent to speak out. Judge Pedro Daniel Dos Anjos Frias has applied to override Portugal's strict secrecy laws and discuss ...

Hunt, Liz. "At least DCI Hunt had sound instincts." The Daily Telegraph. 19 September 2007. If I were DCI Gene Hunt, I'd sue. The beyond-parody inquiry by Portuguese police into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is likened to an episode of Life on Mars, the acclaimed cops and robbers TV drama of which Hunt is the star-turn.
Under the circumstances, I do not find it surprising that Gerry McCann has taken to briefing the British press himself, something for which he has been criticised. What other opportunity does he have of counteracting the tidal wave of accusations still flooding out of the Portuguese media courtesy of the sieve-like PPJ? Yes, it means that hurtful, distasteful and often quite incredible theories are reiterated in print and on air here in Britain. But it also ensures that the flaws and errors inherent in them can be exposed and addressed, too. Apparently, Portuguese law takes "prejudicial'' reporting very seriously. You'd never have guessed it, would you?
"Portuguese police also under the spotlight." The Daily Express. 21 September 2007. I was shocked and dismayed to read that one of the leading Portuguese detectives on the McCann's case, Goncalo Amaral, along with four other detectives has been reportedly charged with serious offences in connection with a strikingly ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Fricker, Martin and Ryan Parry. "McCanns tell police: Charge us or clear us." Mirror. 22 September 2007. Kate and Gerry McCann last night made a desperate plea to Portuguese police - charge us or clear us. They are furious the search for four-year-old Madeleine is on hold while they remain suspects.

Thornton, Lucy and Ryan Parry. "My daughter's girl vanished just like Maddy. The police beat her until she falsely confessed." Mirror. 22 September 2007. Jailed Leonor Cipriano was facing her mother in a prison waiting room... when she began weeping for Kate and Gerry McCann. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Wickham, James. "'Police beat me up'." Daily Star. 22 September 2007. Russian computer expert Sergei Malinka last night alleged that police investigating Madeleine's disappearance beat him up. He was questioned because of his links to British ex-pat Robert Murat, 33, who was named as an official suspect ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Follain, John. "Madeleine police tortured me, says mother behind bars." The Sunday Times, 23 September 2007. The senior detective leading the Madeleine McCann investigation is facing calls to step down after a woman jailed for the murder of her daughter claimed that his officers tortured her into confessing. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

"Madeleine inspector under fire." Ottawa Citizen, 23 September 2007. The senior detective leading the Madeleine McCann investigation is facing calls to step down after a woman jailed for the murder of her daughter claimed that his officers tortured her into confessing.  (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Follain, John. "Maddy investigator faces criminal hearing over torture claims." The Australian, 24 September 2007. The senior detective leading the investigation into missing British girl Madeleine McCann is facing calls to step down after a woman jailed for the murder of her daughter claimed that his officers tortured her into confessing. (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Randhawa, Kiran. "Detective has only been on two child murder cases." The Evening Standard, 24 September 2007. The detective leading the Madeleine McCann inquiry has investigated only two child murders in his 26-year police career in Portugal. Goncalo Amaral, head of the regional Policia Judiciaria, has already faced criticism for his handling of ... (Re: Leonor Cipriano)

Evans, Martin and David Pilditch. "Ex-SAS men join the hunt." The Daily Express. 24 September 2007. The parents of Madeleine McCann have hired a security firm which employs ex-SAS men to find their daughter. They have taken this dramatic step because police are no longer hunting an abductor.

Hodgson, Grant. "He has 3-hour boozy lunches, works only four hours a day and has openly accused Kate & Gerry of killing their daughter.. this is the cop leading the hunt for Madeleine.. It's just sickening." The Sunday Mirror. 30 September 2007.Exclusive the search for Madeleine day 150. Puffing on a cigarette and knocking back beers, the man leading the world's biggest missing child inquiry enjoys yet another long, boozy lunch.

"McCanns to answer 4O 'key' questions." Daily Post. 1 October 2007. The parents of missing Madeleine McCann were last night waiting for police to ask them 40 "key" questions about the disappearance of their daughter. (Note: the 40 questions grew to be 48 questions and Kate McCann refused to answer any of them.)

Bonnici, Tony and David Pilditch. "Madeleine: she is in Morocco" The Daily Express. 1 October 2007. I saw her, says reliable new witness . . . but police say she fell down steps (Note: the "reliable new witness" led to the media hounding an innocent Moroccan family whose daughter the "reliable witness" had photographed.  Controversy over this false lead remains to date - 2010.)

Hatton, Barry. "Portuguese official removed after chiding UK police over Madeleine McCann investigation." Associated Press Newswires, 2 October 2007. A Portuguese detective investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was removed from the investigation Tuesday after scolding British police, saying they were being misled by the girl's parents...

"Portuguese police accuse Madeleine's parents of hindering inquiry." Agence France Presse, 2 October 2007. A senior Portuguese detective has accused the parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann of misleading British police investigating the case, a report said Tuesday.

Greenwood, Chris. Press Association. 2 October 2007. The Portuguese detective in charge of the Madeleine McCann inquiry today accused her parents of manipulating British police.

"The Portuguese detective in charge of the inquiry into missing Rothley girl..." Press Association. 2 October 2007. The Portuguese detective in charge of the inquiry into missing Rothley girl Madeleine McCann has accused her parents of manipulating British police.

"Chief investigator in missing Madeleine case dismissed." Agence France Presse. 2 October 2007. The detective leading the inquiry into the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal was dismissed Tuesday over his criticism of the British police, media reports said.
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Money Bytes: Marcos Aragão Correia


Money Bytes:
Marcos Aragão Correia, Public Ministry, Portuguese Bar Association versus Gonçalo Amaral
2 July 2009
Joana Morais


Marcos Aragão Correia
Legal Complaints
  • Marcos Aragão Corrreia
    • Leonor Cipriano's psychic lawyer
    • filed 2 complaints in October 2008
    • requested 500.000 Euros as compensation from Gonçalo Amaral over Amaral's request that Correia be "interned" (sent to psychiatric hospital)
    • requested 500.000 Euros as compensation from Gonçalo Amaral to compensate Leandro da Silva (suspected of raping Joana Cipriano) over "torture, defamation and false statements" during investigation into Joana's disappearance.
    • complaints quickly advanced by Public Ministry
    • leaked documents and photos to which had access as lawyer
    • Quote: ''Target was hit, Gonçalo Amaral was convicted''
  • Gonçalo Amaral
    • filed criminal complaint against Marcos Aragão Correia for defamation, libel and slander in April 2008
    • complaint apparently stalled at Public Ministry
FULL TEXT:
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Maddie cop rap


Maddie cop rap
2 July 2009
The Sun

Leandro Silva and Leonor Cipriano


The disgraced ex-boss of the Madeleine McCann probe has been charged with torturing a witness in another missing child case.

Goncalo Amaral, 49, is accused of punching and slapping Leandro Silva - who wants £430,000 compensation - during the 2004 hunt for Joana Cipriano, eight.

Mum Leonor, 36, girlfriend of Leandro, was jailed for killing the girl in Figueira, Portugal, just miles from Praia da Luz where Maddie disappeared.
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Cipriano Case: Joana's Stepfather Leandro Silva statement to press


Joana's Stepfather
Leandro Silva statement to press
29 October 2008


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Detective has only been on two child murder cases


Detective has only been on two child murder cases
by Kiran Randhawa
24 September 2007
The Evening Standard


The detective leading the Madeleine McCann inquiry has investigated only two child murders in his 26-year police career in Portugal.  Goncalo Amaral, head of the regional Policia Judiciaria, has already faced criticism for his handling of the inquiry.

In one of the two other cases, Mr Amaral, 47, was accused of concealing evidence that the mother of an eight-year-old girl who vanished in the Algarve town of Figueira three years ago, was tortured by police into confessing to the killing.  Leonor Cipriano confessed after almost 48 hours of interrogation, but retracted her statement. She is now serving 16 years in jail for the murder of her daughter, whose body was never found.

The second child murder case was that of a two-year-old girl kicked to death by her father. He is serving 18 years in jail after confessing.
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Madeleine police tortured me


Madeleine police tortured me, says mother behind bars
23 September 2007
John Follain in Portimao
Sunday Times 

[Note: Article also appeared in The Australian on 24 September 2007] 

Leandro Silva and Leonor Cipriano

The senior detective leading the Madeleine McCann investigation is facing calls to step down after a woman jailed for the murder of her daughter claimed that his officers tortured her into confessing.

Leonor Cipriano, 36, told for the first time how she was forced to kneel on glass ashtrays with a bag over her head as police repeatedly hit her during almost 48 hours of non-stop questioning.

She is now serving a 16-year sentence for the murder of her eight-year-old daughter Joana, even though the body has never been found and she has since retracted her statement.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, who is jointly leading the Madeleine case, is to face a criminal hearing for allegedly concealing evidence that three of his colleagues tortured Cipriano. The hearing could be as early as next month.

Joana Cipriano disappeared from her home in Figuera, near Portimao on the Algarve, in September 2004, not far from where four-year-old Madeleine disappeared in Praia da Luz 143 days ago. Leonor Cipriano was arrested at 8am on October 14 and confessed after almost 48 hours of continuous questioning.

She retracted her statement a day later when she had access to a lawyer but was still charged and convicted of murdering her daughter.

Speaking from Odemira prison in west Portugal, she told a relative:
"The police put a bag on my head, but I didn't see what I was hit with. It was something like a baton. They made me kneel on two glass ashtrays and then they hit me. I couldn't see who hit me because of the bag. "It's not true I fell down the stairs -the police hit me. I said it (the confession) because they beat me."

A friend saw Cipriano shortly after the alleged attack. She said:
 "Her head was swollen, while she had huge bruises under the breasts, on the thighs and the legs."
Amaral is accused of concealing evidence supporting allegations that three of his colleagues tortured Cipriano. The four detectives and a fifth, who is accused of fabricating evidence, deny the allegations and say Cipriano was injured when she threw herself down a flight of stairs.

Roy Ramm, a former Scotland Yard commander, said:
"It is extraordinary that a man accused of an unresolved, serious complaint like this is still handling a high-profile inquiry. You would expect him at best to be in a desk job."
Carlos Garcia, vice-president of the trade union for Portuguese police, which is defending Amaral and his colleagues, said:
"They utterly reject the allegations."
Cipriano's boyfriend Leandro Silva, 41, a car mechanic, claims that he, too, was beaten when he was taken in for questioning in Faro in October 2004.
"One officer grabbed me from behind, spun me round, then hit me in the stomach with a closed fist," he said. "They also hit me from behind with a phone book. When they questioned me, a senior officer said, 'You ate Joana's body'. I couldn't believe it. Then he said, 'You cooked her and you ate her'. I thought they must be crazy - it was like something out of a horror movie."
Silva is considering making a formal complaint.
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Madeleine inspector under fire


Madeleine inspector under fire
Citizen News Services
23 September 2007
Ottawa Citizen


The senior detective leading the Madeleine McCann investigation is facing calls to step down after a woman jailed for the murder of her daughter claimed that his officers tortured her into confessing. Leonor Cipriano, 36, told for the first time how she was forced to kneel on glass ashtrays with a bag over her head as police repeatedly hit her during almost 48 hours of non-stop questioning. She is now serving a 16-year sentence for the murder of her eight-year-old daughter Joana, even though the body has never been found and she has since retracted her statement. Chief Insp. Goncalo Amaral, who is jointly leading the Madeleine case, is to face a criminal hearing for allegedly concealing evidence that three of his colleagues tortured Ms. Cipriano.
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We blundered


Maddie case police: We blundered
Mark Townsend and Ned Temko
17 September 2007
The Press (Christchurch)


The McCann family releases new pictures and announces a fresh campaign as police admit that confusion and infighting wrecked the early days of the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Ned Temko in Praia da Luz and Mark Townsend report.

Portuguese police have admitted that confusion and disagreements in the early stages of the Madeleine McCann investigation mean that they could find it "very, very difficult" to prove their suspicion that her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were somehow involved in the girl's disappearance and death.

And The Mail on Sunday has learned that the senior Portuguese detective jointly in charge of the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance is set to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up involving another missing girl.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral has been accused of concealing evidence that the mother of eight-year-old Joana Cipriano, who disappeared in the Algarve three years ago, was tortured by police into confessing she had killed her daughter, whose body was never found. The senior officer, who heads the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, the nearest town to Praia da Luz from where Madeleine vanished, could appear before the secret hearing as early as next month.

The McCanns have strongly and repeatedly denied any involvement, yesterday launching a fresh advertising campaign aimed at finding their daughter.

The sources said that potentially crucial evidence about what happened to Madeleine, aged four, on the night of May 3, had been lost by the time the first local police arrived, due to the presence of "the McCanns, their friends and others" in the holiday flat from which she disappeared.

In the days that followed, there was growing tension between the Algarve force, which took the lead in the investigation, and senior officers from Lisbon, who were particularly sceptical about the decision to focus on a British local resident, Robert Murat, as a suspect nearly two weeks after Madeleine's disappearance, following a tip-off from a British journalist.

The source -- in the most detailed explanation yet of the reasons behind the naming of the parents as "arguidos", or formal suspects -- also told The Observer that Portuguese investigators were now united in their conviction that the McCanns' accounts of what happened on May 3 "never rang true".

Revealing details of the investigation, which were passed in a 4000-page file to the judge last week, he singled out what he termed as contradictions in the "changing versions" of events offered by each parent and their friends in the days immediately after Madeleine went missing. Specifically, he said Gerry McCann had initially told police that he entered the flat in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz from a "locked front door", but later said he had entered through the open back terrace facing the restaurant where the McCanns and their friends had been having dinner.

Kate McCann, he added, at first said the back window was open and the blind raised, while other witnesses disagreed. He also described how a plastic barrier near their restaurant table would have "prevented any clear view of events inside the flat" and that contradictory accounts had raised doubts among the investigators about their claim to have checked on Madeleine and the McCanns' two-year-old twins during dinner.

Yet in an apparent acknowledgment that the police remain far from confident of being able to move on their suspicions concerning Madeleine's parents, the source also raised for the first time the possibility of prosecutors bringing lesser charges -- "notably, the abandonment or neglect of a child" -- against them.

The McCanns insist they checked on their daughter every 30 minutes during the evening of May 3. "It will be very, very difficult, until and unless a body is found -- and with DNA and other evidence so far inconclusive -- to bring a charge of homicide," the source said.

Madeleine's parents, however, insist that their daughter is still alive, and an £80,000 ($NZ225,000) advertising campaign to help find the four-year- old was announced yesterday by Gerry McCann's brother John, who urged the public to remember "lovely wee Madeleine". The campaign is set to launch in two weeks and will involve newspaper, television and billboard adverts in Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe.

John McCann, who is also a fund director, said: "The main objective of the Madeleine fund is to leave no stone unturned in the search for Madeleine.  "I hope the general public will continue to support us in this."

It has also emerged that the McCanns have appointed former government media officer Clarence Mitchell to oversee the campaign, after their spokesperson for the past three months, Justine McGuinness, stood down on Saturday night.

Mitchell was sent to Portugal by the Foreign Office as chief adviser to the McCanns shortly after Madeleine was reported missing, before then returning to the UK last June. He is expected to resign from his post as director of the Media Monitoring Unit in the Cabinet Office this week.

Part of his new brief will involve studying the Portuguese press, amid concern that a recent spate of negative newspaper reports has led the McCanns to believe there has been an orchestrated campaign of leaks to undermine them.

To counter perceptions of an anti-McCann campaign within elements of the Portuguese media, Olegario Sousa, the official police spokesman since the start of the investigation, was moved from the role last Friday.

One police source yesterday referred to "pure speculation in the Portuguese media" ahead of the judge's ruling. He dismissed a local newspaper report, which was picked up world-wide, that police were now increasingly convinced that Madeleine's body had been dumped into the sea.

Particularly upsetting for the family were reports alleging that extracts from Kate McCann's diary suggested she was sometimes impatient with her "hyperactive" children and felt insufficiently supported by her husband.

Yesterday, two of Kate McCann's closest friends stepped forward to defend her, insisting she could not have had anything to do with her daughter's disappearance.  Linda McQueen, 45, and Nicky Gill, 39, who have been known Kate since she was a child, described her as a devoted mother.

"To have these words said about her is just so unfair and hurtful," said Gill. Asked if she had ever doubted Kate's innocence, McQueen added: "Not at all, not a shadow of a doubt. They are the most loving, caring, family-oriented couple that you could ever meet. They are absolutely fabulous. Those three children are the world to them, as our children are to them as well."

Among the issues the judge will decide this week are whether the McCanns should remain as arguidos; what further interrogations, searches or seizure of potential evidence will be authorised; and what charges, if any, should be brought. --Observer
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End this witch hunt


End this witch hunt and find Madeleine
Tony Parsons
17 September 2007
Mirror


The real crime and the real tragedy is that nobody is looking for Madeleine McCann anymore.

That little girl is out there somewhere, either dead or alive, but all of the energy of those Keystone cretins, the Portuguese police, are being poured into attributing guilt to Kate and Gerry McCann.

We are little better. Back home, the search for Madeleine has been reduced to a grotesque who dunnit, adult entertainment of the blackest kind.

The big question is no longer "What happened to Madeleine McCann?" The question now is "Which side are you on?"

Are you still completely convinced of the McCanns' innocence? Or are you one of those sad, spiteful souls - and there are plenty of them - who is asking for a refund of the money you donated to the Find Madeleine fund?

I cannot recall a news story that so totally divides public opinion.

We were told all along that the McCanns were brilliant media manipulators, but I wonder if they truly understand the nature of the beast. The media - like the mob - can turn in a moment.

I would not have thought it possible, but with frightening speed Kate and Gerry McCann have gone from tragic victims to the worst thing in the world - suspected murderers of their own child.

I don't believe for one second that they did it. If they did, then they are the greatest actors who ever lived.

The bewilderment, the grief, the overwhelming sense that their world has collapsed - it was there at the start and it is there now.

Kate and Gerry McCann would need to be better than Streep and DeNiro to play the roles they played in front of the world's media.

They would also need to be criminal masterminds. To kill - accidentally or otherwise - little Madeleine, and then court the attention of all those cameras and reporters, and then dispose of the body under that glaring spotlight. They did not do it.

I do not much care what the Portuguese spoon-feed their tame hacks in the local rags - that man and woman are innocent, and it is an obscenity that the world is playing Cluedo with their lives and the fate of their little girl.

No smoke without fire, right? But there is no smoke.

A lot of the innuendo and propaganda that the Portuguese cops have slipped to their flunkies in the Portuguese press turns out to have absolutely no basis in the real world. We were informed that the woman who lives above the apartment where the McCanns were staying often heard Madeleine crying and "sounds of violence."

Now the real woman - Pamela Fenn, 81 - says that these claims are "absolute rubbish."

Reports of hair in the hire car, blood on the curtains, the 'smell of death' in the apartment - none of these lurid titbits prove that Madeleine McCann is dead, and still less that her parents murdered her.

Forensic experts in this country say that all the evidence stacked up against the McCanns would never lead to a conviction in a British court. We are told Kate McCann "struggled to control" three children under the age of five.

Well, who the hell wouldn't? Most of us struggle with just one.

That doesn't make her any less of the calm, loving mother that she has always appeared to be.

But chuck enough dirt and it will stick. The Portuguese cops seem stupendously stupid - but they are smart enough to understand that.

It is right that the McCanns should be potential suspects. But it should all have been done months ago - not when the Portuguese cops have become a sick joke because of their blundering incompetence.

Those swaggering plods in their dark glasses clearly wanted the media circus to go away from their sleepy, sunny doorstep, and they have been granted their wish.

As the months have dragged on, they must have felt like lumbering yokels, despised by their north European neighbours. They are not the type who would enjoy that feeling.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, the fat, sweaty cop who is co-leader of the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, faces investigation himself for the torture of Leonor Cipriano, the mother of an eight-year-old girl who disappeared in the Algarve in 2004.

Official mug shots show the mother with her eyes battered so badly that she is unable to open them. She allegedly confessed to the crime and is now serving a 16-year-jail sentence.

The missing child has never been found.

That is Portuguese policing in action, and I would suggest that the smear campaign that has been unleashed on the McCanns is just as bad as being given a kicking in a police cell.

The Portuguese plods are not desperate to solve this crime - such a task was way beyond them.

They just want a convenient confession, true or false.

They just want the case of Madeleine McCann to go away so they can salvage what is left of their fragile macho pride and return to their siesta.

And somewhere a tiny child is still out there, whether she is dead or alive, separated from all she ever knew and loved.
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Portuguese police in turmoil


Portuguese police in turmoil
17 September 2007
Daily Mail


THE official police spokesman in the Madeleine case has quit over the way the McCanns were treated, it emerged last night.  Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa resigned in disgust at the way fellow officers were briefing 'friendly' Portuguese journalists behind his back.

Mr Sousa will be familiar to anyone who has followed the case as the sole officer who gave press conferences, his good looks and decent grasp of English making him a natural choice for televised events.  His departure on Friday came at a particularly awkward moment for the police team investigating Madeleine's disappearance.

Another senior detective, Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, is still working on the case despite facing trial himself.  He has been charged after another woman accused of killing her daughter allegedly had her confession beaten out of her by police.

Leanor Cipriano, who like the McCanns made emotional public appeals when her daughter Joana, eight, went missing, was later photographed with her face black and blue after her police interviews.  She has since been convicted and is now serving 16 years for killing Joana whose body has never been found.

Mr Amaral strenuously denies covering up the alleged abuse said to have been carried out by three of his colleagues.

Yesterday it also emerged that the examining magistrate, Pedro Miguel dos Anjos Frias, has made an unprecedented appeal to be allowed to speak publicly about the Madeleine investigation.

Normally, judges and police are bound by Portugal's strict 'secrecy of justice' laws but Mr Frias has requested authorisation from the Superior Magistrates' Council to be allowed to brief the public.  But it is thought he will simply use the opportunity to defend the police action and explain why he is unable to make any more details public.

Chief inspector Sousa, chose to walk away from the investigation in protest at the way it was being handled.  In recent weeks he has been deeply frustrated because he - and the Press - have been misled as part of a strategy to put pressure on the McCanns.

Two weeks ago he issued firm denials when journalists asked him to confirm that the results of DNA tests had come back from a British laboratory. But two days later, after the story had been established beyond doubt from other sources, Mr Sousa was forced to admit on Portuguese television that he had given out false information. Widely regarded as an honourable man, Mr Sousa found the experience deeply humiliating.

He was appointed official spokesman a week after Madeleine disappeared, when the Policia Judiciaria was being bombarded with questions from more than 200 journalists who descended on the resort of Praia da Luz. But he was undermined by his superiors, who briefed Portuguese journalists personally on developments in the case and then either told Mr Sousa nothing or instructed him to deny them. The tactic was understood to have been designed to unnerve the McCanns by letting them know the police were 'on to them' in the hope the couple could be panicked into making a mistake.

Mr Sousa, who is based in Lisbon, has not been answering his telephone since standing down. He has felt several times that his position was being undermined.

On August 15, Mr Sousa told reporters that police were now 'sure' Madeleine died the night she vanished. When that appeared in newspapers the next day, Mr Sousa was told by his superiors he had 'misinterpreted' the information they gave him.  Yet now, a month later, it is clear that this death theory has long been the central plank of their investigation.
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Senior police under suspicion


Senior police under suspicion - Maddie cops face torture investigation
The Madeleine Mystery
David Rose
17 September 2007
Daily Telegraph


The senior detective jointly in charge of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann disappearance is to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up involving another missing girl.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral has been accused of concealing evidence that the mother of eight-year-old Joana Cipriano, who disappeared in the Algarve three years ago, was tortured by police into confessing she had killed her daughter.

The senior officer, who heads the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, the nearest Portuguese town to Praia da Luz from where Madeleine vanished, could appear before the secret hearing as early as next month.

The revelation casts further doubt on the Portuguese police, who have faced increasing criticism about their handling of the McCann case.

In a separate development, Britain's Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that fragments of hair found in the McCann's hire car, said to belong to Madeleine, cannot be matched to the missing four-year-old.  Sources close to the scientists investigating the case say they have concluded the hair could belong to any number of people.  This undermines earlier claims that DNA evidence proved the McCanns used the car to move their daughter's body.

The leaking of these original claims fuelled fears Portuguese police were conducting a smear campaign against Kate and Gerry McCann as they faced increasing pressure for results.

Insp Amaral has been accused of concealing evidence into allegations that three of his colleagues tortured the mother of missing Joana Cipriano in order to secure a confession.

Leonor Cipriano did confess, after almost 48 hours of continuous interrogation but later retracted her statement. She was convicted of murdering her daughter and is now serving a 16-year jail term.

The four detectives, plus a fifth accused of fabricating evidence, deny the allegations and say injuries Cipriano sustained them when she threw herself down police station stairs.

Insp Amaral is not the only accused officer linked to the McCann investigation. Another is recently retired chief inspector Paulo Pereira Cristovao, who has been writing a daily column on the Madeleine inquiry for a Portuguese newspaper that has been reporting sensational stories, leaked by sources close to the police.
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Cop torture claim


Maddie detective accused of child-kill confession cover-up 
Cop torture claim
David Rose and Charles Miranda with Mail on Sunday
17 September 2007
Herald-Sun


The top cop in the Madeleine McCann case has been accused of covering up evidence that police tortured the mother of another missing girl into confessing to murder.

Leonor Cipriano later recanted her confession, but is serving 16 years' jail for the murder of her daughter, who vanished in Portugal's Algarve region three years ago.  The body of Joana Cipriano, 8, has never been found.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, who heads the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao -- the nearest town to Praia da Luz, from where Madeleine vanished -- could appear before a secret criminal hearing as early as next month.  He is accused of concealing evidence over allegations that three of his colleagues tortured Cipriano, over 48 hours' continuous interrogation, to secure a confession. 

All four -- and a fifth accused of fabricating evidence -- deny the allegations.  They say Cipriano was injured when she tried to kill herself by throwing herself down police station stairs.

Portugal's police have faced increasing criticism of their handling of the McCann case.

The Mail on Sunday claims fragments of hair found in the McCanns' hire car -- said to be Madeleine's -- cannot be matched to the missing four-year-old.  Sources close to the forensic scientists investigating the case say they have concluded the hair could belong to any number of people.  This undermines earlier claims that DNA evidence proved the McCanns used the car to move Madeleine's body.

The Cipriano case has been adopted by the public prosecutor. Next month's hearing, which may be the first of several, aims to gather further evidence to help him decide whether to proceed to trial.  Cipriano was unable to pick out any assailants from among the accused officers.

Sources say the prosecutor is now investigating the allegation that police paid outside thugs to beat her up.

One of the police officers accused of involvement in torture in the Cipriano case is recently retired chief inspector Paulo Pereira Cristovao.

He has been writing a daily column on the Madeleine case for a Portuguese newspaper that has been reporting sensational stories leaked by sources close to the police inquiry, some of which have later proved untrue.  He makes it clear he considers the McCanns are probably responsible for Madeleine's death or disappearance.  Like Chief Insp Amaral, he denies all wrongdoing in the Cipriano case.

In Britain, Gerry and Kate McCann are putting $200,000 of their own money into a Europe-wide advertising campaign, featuring Madeleine's face on billboards, TV and newspapers, to try to solve her May 3 disappearance.

It comes as Portuguese police planned to stage a full reconstruction of Madeleine's disappearance.

And British police will quiz Mrs McCann themselves early next week.

Two days ago, Portuguese police declined a BBC offer to film a reconstruction for its successful Crimewatch show. This prompted the McCanns to launch their own campaign.

The McCanns' village of Rothley, in Leicestershire, has been inundated with up to a thousand letters a day from all over the world, many containing money.
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Let me speak out


Let me speak out,  demands judge
Martin Evans and David Pilditch
17 September 2007
The Daily Express


He may be set to press charges on Madeleine

The judge examining evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann has asked for consent to speak out.

Judge Pedro Daniel Dos Anjos Frias has applied to override Portugal's strict secrecy laws and discuss the investigation for the first time.

The sensational development has led to speculation that the McCanns are about to be charged with killing their daughter Madeleine and hiding her body.

The application has been made to the Superior Magistrates Council in Portimao on the Algarve.

Last night there was a suggestion that the judge may be intent on scotching unfounded rumours about the case. One theory was that he may even be about to declare the case against the couple unfounded.

But a legal source in Portugal said last night it was more likely that he would be updating the public and the media on the progress of the investigation.

The judge is working his way through 10 files of evidence in an effort to ascertain whether to charge the couple with any offence.

The move comes as Portugal's ancient secrecy laws undergo a radical overhaul.

The secrecy of justice legislation is to be radically shaken up from today with changes that mean Kate and Gerry McCann, who have been declared official suspects - or arguidos - in the case, may be allowed to see crucial evidence against them.

The Portuguese law was changed on Saturday but comes into force today, the first working day after the weekend. The couple will now have the right to see investigators' files, which run to 4,000 pages.

The documents contain details about the forensic evidence against them and are also believed to have information gleaned from telephone taps and intercepted emails.

It means that for the first time since their daughter went missing on May 3 from the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz, the couple will be able to comment publicly on what actually happened.

However, the public prosecutor maintains the right to impose a ban on the release of information if he believes it could jeopardise the case.

The four-month investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine has been awash with speculation and accusations of police incompetence.

While they are legally prevented from talking on the record about the case, police sources have offered daily briefings to Portuguese journalists.

Some of the more outlandish claims include allegations that the couple are swingers and that they faked Madeleine's birth certificate to hide the fact Gerry is not her real father.

Carlos Pinto de Abreu, the McCanns' family lawyer and a prime mover behind the new legislation, hailed the legal changes as "an important step towards a more open system that will benefit all parties".

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the senior detective in the investigation is to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up in the case of another missing girl.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral, head of Portugal's Judicial Police in the Algarve district of Portimao, has been formally accused of concealing evidence over the alleged torture of Leonor Cipriano by three colleagues.

It is alleged she was brutally beaten after her nine year-old daughter Joana disappeared in 2004. Joana vanished in the village of Figueira, just seven miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished.

Mrs Cipriano was allegedly tortured by police into confessing she had killed her daughter, whose body was never found. Amaral could appear before the secret hearing next month.

He has been made an arguido or suspect - the same status as Kate and Gerry McCann.

Mrs Cipriano and Joana's uncle Joao were convicted of killing her and jailed for more than 16 years.

Little Joana's stepfather Leandro Silva said: "I am worried Kate will be framed for a crime she did not commit, the way it happened to my wife."

But changes in the legal system mean the McCanns can be remanded in prison only if an investigating judge believes they planned to kill Madeleine.

The McCanns will be allowed to remain on bail in the UK even if they are charged with Madeleine's manslaughter, according to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

The latest legal amendments spare the couple the nightmare prospect of months behind bars in Portugal pending trial.

Under the modified Portuguese Penal Code, an investigating judge can
only remand suspects in prison for crimes punishable by five or more
years' jail.

Murder sentences in Portugal start at eight years but defendants convicted of manslaughter can only be sentenced to up to three years in prison.
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Detective accused in case of missing girl


Detective accused in case of missing girl
Caroline Gammell

17 September 2007
The Daily Telegraph


The disappearance of Madeleine McCann is not the first high-profile case of a missing girl that the Portuguese police have had to investigate - and not the first time they have been criticised over their handling of the situation.

Three years ago, nine-year-old Joana Cipriano vanished from Figueira, seven miles from Praia da Luz, in the Algarve. She has never been found.

In echoes of the Madeleine case, the investigation got off to a false start when the Republican National Guard failed to seal the house where Joana was last seen.

It was only five days later - after relatives had cleaned the house with bleach - that the Policia Judiciaria took over. Joana's mother, Leonore, became a suspect and was eventually convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Cipriano lodged a formal complaint, claiming she had been beaten during interrogation by five officers.

Among those allegedly involved were senior detective Goncalo Amaral, who is also investigating Madeleine's disappearance.

The five officers were charged in June this year with a series of offences including "scenes of aggression'', omission of evidence and falsification of documents.

Mr Amaral, who is in his late 40s, denied the allegations but his connection to the Cipriano case was criticised in the press and greeted with considerable "concern'' by Madeleine's parents.

Meanwhile, the man who became the face of the Portuguese police investigation into the missing British girl is no longer working on the case, it has emerged.

According to the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias, Chief Insp Olegario Sousa left after complaining that he was given so little information he was unable to do his job as spokesman.
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Maddie police torture trial


Maddie police torture trial
David Rose
16 September 2007
The Mail on Sunday


The senior Portuguese detective jointly in charge of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is set to face a criminal hearing into an alleged cover-up involving another missing girl.

Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral has been accused of concealing evidence that the mother of eight-year-old Joana Cipriano, who disappeared in the Algarve three years ago, was tortured by police into confessing she had killed her daughter, whose body was never found.

The senior officer, who heads the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao, the nearest town to Praia da Luz from where Madeleine vanished, could appear before the secret hearing as early as next month, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

The revelation casts further doubt on the conduct of the Portuguese police, who have faced increasing criticism about their handling of the McCann case.

In a separate development, this newspaper has discovered that fragments of hair found in the McCanns' hire car, said to belong to Madeleine, cannot be matched to the missing four-year-old.

Sources close to the forensic scientists investigating the case say they have concluded the hair could belong to any number of people. This undermines earlier claims that DNA evidence proved the McCanns used the car to move their daughter's body.

The leaking of these original claims fuelled fears that Portuguese police were conducting a smear campaign against Kate and Gerry McCann as they faced increasing pressure for results.

Against this background comes the revelation that Chief Inspector Amaral has been accused of concealing evidence into allegations that three of his colleagues tortured the mother of missing Joana Cipriano in order to secure a confession.

Leonor did confess, after almost 48 hours' continuous interrogation, but later retracted her statement. But she was charged and convicted of murdering her daughter and is now serving a 16-year jail term.

The four detectives, plus a fifth accused of fabricating evidence, deny the allegations and say that injuries Cipriano sustained came when she tried to commit suicide by throwing herself down police station stairs.

The case has been adopted by the public prosecutor, and next month's hearing, which may be the first of several, aims to gather further evidence to help him decide whether to proceed to trial.

Amaral is not the only accused officer linked to the McCann investigation. Another is the recently retired Chief Inspector Paulo Pereira Cristovao, who has been writing a daily column on the Madeleine inquiry for a Portuguese newspaper that has been reporting sensational stories, leaked by sources close to the police inquiry, some of which have later been proven to be untrue.

Cristovao makes clear in his column that he considers the McCanns are probably responsible for Madeleine's death or disappearance.

In the Cipriano case, Cristovao is alleged to have been one of those involved in the torture, but not the cover-up. Leonor was unable to pick out her assailants from among the accused officers on an identity parade.

Sources say the prosecutor is now investigating the allegation that police paid outside thugs to beat up Leonor.

Like Amaral, Cristovao denies all wrongdoing.
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A clash of cultures


Police leaks, gossip and a clash of cultures engulf the McCanns
Christina Lamb in Praia da Luz
16 September 2007
The Sunday Times
Portuguese hostility towards the McCanns grows with every twist, reports Christina Lamb in Praia da Luz


The two men in dark suits coming out of the Portimao restaurant adjusted their ties and jackets after what had clearly been a satisfying Friday lunch.

Guilhermino Encarnacao and his deputy Goncalo Amaral are the two Portuguese detectives heading the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann more than four months ago.

But their relaxed appearance belies the weight of international scrutiny their investigation is under -and the role their team has played in contributing to a propaganda war, with Gerry and Kate McCann in their sights. Officially, Encarnacao was quick to condemn the press coverage. "There's been far too much speculation in the press," he said.

However, Jose Manuel Oliveira, who has covered the case since the beginning for the respected daily Diario de Noticias, said: "Who is responsible for all the information and counterinformation? It's the police themselves."

Under Portuguese secrecy laws, police are forbidden from revealing details of an investigation. Yet, as they struggle to cope with the whirlwind generated by "Caso Maddie", they have used a series of daily leaks to Portuguese journalists about supposed forensic evidence, diary extracts and tapped phone calls to insinuate that the couple were involved in the disappearance of their own daughter. Yesterday the police spokesman Olegario de Sousa quit in dismay at such activity.

Some have suspected from the start that Madeleine died accidentally, possibly after being sedated by Kate, and that the couple somehow hid the body despite not having a car at that time.

Last week The Sunday Times spoke to a detective from the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), the local police, who was called to the apartment on the night Madeleine disappeared. "What we found did not seem to be the scene of a kidnapping," he said.

"There were no signs of forced entry, the shutters had not been forced from outside and the apartment had clearly not been broken into." This, he said, was why they did not seal it off. However, the McCanns have always said the french windows to the apartment were left unlocked.

"The thing we found really weird was the twins not waking up," he continued. "We couldn't believe it, there were maybe 20 people coming in and out of the apartment, there was crying and lights going on and off. We kept looking at them. They must have been sedated."

Police suspicions were heightened by discrepancies in interviews with friends with whom the McCanns were dining on the evening of Madeleine's disappearance.

These concerns led the police in late July to review the whole case and bring in the British cadaver dogs, focusing on the McCanns for the first time as possible suspects rather than victims. The police also began tapping the phones of the McCanns and their friends and told journalists they had suspicions about their conversations referring to the night of May 3.

Bodily fluid and hair reportedly matched to Madeleine were found in the family's hire car and traces of blood were allegedly discovered on the walls of the apartment.

But there is a lack of precision in the data yield by the forensics and there has been no plausible explanation of how the parents, who did not have the car at the time of the disappearance, could have hidden a body in the time available before dinner.

At the same time, Encarnacao and Amaral, the men from Portugal's crime squad, the Policia Judiciaria (PJ), are under pressure to justify their decision to treat the McCanns as suspects. They have already been criticised for being slow to seal off the apartment, and for the delays in searching for DNA before those carried out on the McCanns' apartment and car last month.

On top of this, Amaral is facing criminal charges for an alleged cover-up in a previous case of a disappearance of a nine-year-old girl called Joana on the same stretch of coast three years ago. No body was found and Joana's mother Leonor Cipriano was convicted of murder after what she claimed was a forced confession obtained by torture.

One person unsurprised by the direction the McCann case has taken is Cipriano's lawyer, Joao Grade. Photographs of Cipriano after questioning show her with two black eyes and heavy bruising -the police say she tried to commit suicide; she says she was tortured.

Not only have five detectives including Amaral been charged by the public prosecutor over the case but Grade has filed a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights for the case to be reopened.

"It's like in the movies, if they have nothing else, they must have a confession - and it's normal for the PJ to try to get one however they can," said Grade.

"The difference is that with Joana's mother Leonor there was no BBC, no money, she was illiterate with only two or three years' schooling, she had six children by different fathers, so if she 'fell down the stairs' in the police station and ended up in hospital, having confessed, no one was going to ask any questions. Kate is very different."

In Portugal, however, the police suspicions fall on ready ears. England and Portugal are the world's oldest allies but there are some things the two cultures find hard to understand in each other.

This is a country where people eat late and take their children with them. "We can't imagine that anyone would put their children to bed so early, particularly when on holiday, nor that they would just leave them behind," said Maria de Carmo, a shop assistant in Portimao.

A leading Portuguese television journalist went further. "If the McCanns were Portuguese parents they would have been charged with abandono -negligence of their children."

The family-loving Portuguese find it hard to understand that working parents who see little of their children at home would come on holiday then send their children to the Ocean Club creche every day.

Some Portuguese criticise Kate McCann for maintaining her perfect grooming throughout the ordeal and have suggested that she has not behaved as a bereft mother. It is said the police started psychologically profiling the couple, egged on by their wives' comments.

"The way that the parents are dealing with this situation has left all of us, me and my colleagues, perplexed," Maria Jose Goncalves, a child psychiatrist, told the newspaper Publico.

Maria do Sameiro Oliveira, a psychologist who does criminal profiling for the police, said she found it strange "how they function so much as a unit, always holding hands rigidly" and pointed out that normally in cases of child disappearances, "the mother and father start to diverge, one wants to continue the search, the other not". She added: "They show little evidence of suffering. They are very formal."

One of the questions asked by the police was why Kate washed Madeleine's favourite toy, Cuddle Cat, with its precious smell of her lost child.

But under a cool examination, many of these doubts fall apart. One of the leaked reports last week was of extracts from Kate McCann's diary in which she had allegedly admitted she struggled to manage Madeleine's "hyperactivity", and complained that her husband was little help.

But Jose Manuel Oliveira, to whom it was leaked, was told by police the next day that it was untrue. This did not stop the British newspapers, some of whose correspondents rarely venture out of Hugo Beaty internet cafe in Luz, picking it up and running with it a day later without checking with Oliveira.

The absurdity of this disinformation campaign is epitomised by the picturesque church outside which new yellow flowers had been placed yesterday for Madeleine and to which the McCanns had a key.

For the past week television cameras have been stationed outside, waiting for rumoured digging for a body after the cadaver dogs scented death inside. "Of course they scented death," said the GNR detective. "The church is used for funerals."

"The papers are reporting that our catacombs will be dug up and the church doesn't even have catacombs," said Father Haynes Hubbard, the Anglican priest who took over the parish the Sunday after Madeleine's disappearance and got to know the couple well.

He describes the accusations as "ludicrous", particularly over their lack of grief. "I've seen them cry and I know they cry. The fact that they don't cry for the cameras means nothing."

A father of three young children, and wearing a yellow Find Maddy
wristband, he says:

"I don't recognise the people the press are speculating about. "What I know is a man the same age as me and a woman who spent the past four months asking the world to bring back their little girl, who go home and weep, who tell their children Sean and Amelie to pray for Maddy and whose days are unbearably empty, who came as family of five and left as four."
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Controversial past II


Controversial past of policeman leading the McCann investigation
Amol Rajan in Praia da Luz
11 September 2007
Belfast Telegraph



Despite the recent furore surrounding Kate and Gerry McCann being made suspects in their daughter's disappearance, Goncalo Amaral – head of the Policia Judiciara's investigation – has himself been charged over the alleged assault of a woman whose daughter disappeared in similar circumstances to Madeleine three years ago.

Earlier this year, Mr Amaral and four colleagues were made suspects ( arguidos) in the beating of Leonor Cipriano during an interrogation following the disappearance of her daughter Joana, who vanished from a village seven miles from Praia da Luz.

Joana's mother and uncle were convicted of murdering and dismembering her after she discovered them having an incestuous relationship. However, Mrs Cipriano claimed she was beaten up in custody under the watch of Mr Amaral and accused the police of setting her up. She has produced graphic photographs of her face after interrogation which showed heavy bruising around her eyes.

In June, Mr Amaral and his colleagues were charged, three with torture, a fourth with omission of evidence and a fifth withfalsification of documents. It is unclear which offence he was charged with.

Police sources in Portimao, from where the Madeleine McCann investigation is being conducted, refused to comment yesterday but the disquiet surrounding Mr Amaral overseeing such a prominent case has raised questions over his suitability and pitched the British tabloid press against their Portuguese counterparts.

Mr Amaral is widely respected and generally regarded by the Portuguese papers as a man doing a good job in difficult circumstances. But the emergence of Leonor Cipriano's accusations and the serious charges have led to some argue he should not be working on a similar case.

The investigation into Joana's disappearance was marred by the failure to seal off the house in which she was last seen. The police investigating Madeleine's disappearance have also been criticised for allegedly being slack in sealing off the resort where the McCanns had been staying. Local journalists close to the case say the charges brought against Detective Amaral are inconclusive.
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Senior Maddie cop in witness abuse probe


Senior Maddie cop in witness abuse probe
11 September 2007
Evening Herald


Leandro Silva and Leonor Cipriano

As the Portuguese press continued to round on the McCanns, newspaper columns remained silent on a separate investigation into the police officer leading the hunt for Madeleine.

Goncalo Amaral -- head of the Policia Judiciara's investigation -- has been charged over the alleged assault of a woman whose daughter disappeared in similar circumstances to Madeleine three years ago.

Earlier this year, Mr Amaral and four colleagues were made suspects (arguidos) in the beating of Leonor Cipriano during an interrogation following the disappearance of her daughter Joana, who vanished from a village seven miles from Praia da Luz.

Joana's mother and uncle were convicted of murdering and dismembering her after she discovered them having an incestuous relationship. However, Mrs Cipriano claimed she was beaten up in custody under the watch of Mr Amaral and accused the police of setting her up. She has produced graphic photos of her face after interrogation which showed bruising around her eyes.

In June, Mr Amaral and his colleagues were charged, three with torture, a fourth with omission of evidence and a fifth with falsification of documents. It is unclear which offence he was charged with.

Police sources in Portimao, where the Maddie hunt is based, refused to comment yesterday.
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Controversial past


Controversial past of policeman leading the McCann investigation
11 September 2007
The Independent
Amol Rajanin


As the Portuguese press continued to round on the McCanns yesterday, newspaper columns remained pointedly silent on a separate investigation into the police officer leading the hunt for Madeleine.

Despite the recent furore surrounding Kate and Gerry McCann being made suspects in their daughter"s disappearance, Goncalo Amaral - head of the Policia Judiciara"s investigation - has himself been charged over the alleged assault of a woman whose daughter disappeared in similar circumstances to Madeleine three years ago.

Earlier this year, Mr Amaral and four colleagues were made suspects (arguidos) in the beating of Leonor Cipriano during an interrogation following the disappearance of her daughter Joana, who vanished from a village seven miles from Praia da Luz.

Joana"s mother and uncle were convicted of murdering and dismembering her after she discovered them having an incestuous relationship. However, Mrs Cipriano claimed she was beaten up in custody under the watch of Mr Amaral and accused the police of setting her up.  She has produced graphic photographs of her face after interrogation which showed heavy bruising around her eyes.

In June, Mr Amaral and his colleagues were charged, three with torture, a fourth with omission of evidence and a fifth withfalsification of documents. It is unclear which offence he was charged with.

Police sources in Portimao, from where the Madeleine McCann investigation is being conducted, refused to comment yesterday but the disquiet surrounding Mr Amaral overseeing such a prominent case has raised questions over his suitability and pitched the British tabloid press against their Portuguese counterparts.

Mr Amaral is widely respected and generally regarded by the Portuguese papers as a man doing a good job in difficult circumstances. But the emergence of Leonor Cipriano"s accusations and the serious charges have led to some argue he should not be working on a similar case.

The investigation into Joana"s disappearance was marred by the failure to seal off the house in which she was last seen. The police investigating Madeleine"s disappearance have also been criticised for allegedly being slack in sealing off the resort where the McCanns had been staying.

Local journalists close to the case say the charges brought against Detective Amaral are inconclusive.
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