Maddie top cop faces jail over mum's torture

Maddie top cop faces jail over mum's torture
Emma Wall
21 April 2008
Daily Star

He 'lied to help pals'

A Portuguese police chief who led the hunt for Madeleine McCann could face jail over allegations of the torture of a child murder suspect.  Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral will stand trial for perjury after claims he lied to protect brutal officers.  (Note: The officers were found not guilty.)

They are said to have abused a mum to make her confess to killing her missing 10-year-old child.

The senior policeman is thought to have made Kate and Gerry McCann, 40 and 39, suspects in their daughter's case. (See: Wikileaks Cable dated 28 September 2007)

Joana Cipriano vanished four years ago from the village of Figueira, a few miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine disappeared.  No body was found but her mum Leonor and her brother Jaoa were convicted of murder and caged for 16 years. She later claimed a confession had been beaten out of her.  The indictment against Amaral claims she was hit with a cardboard tube, punched, kicked and forced to kneel on glass ashtrays. 

It also says Amaral knew about the beatings but kept quiet.  (As the officers were found not guilty of the beatings, there were no beating to "keep quiet" about...)

He faces a up to three years in jail if convicted. Three others have been charged with torture.

Continue Reading... Labels: Cipriano case, Goncalo Amaral, Gonçalo Amaral, Joao Cipriano, Leonor Cipriano, Policia Judiciaria, WikiLeaks

Tale of how Maddie was dumped at sea infuriates McCanns

Police chief's tale of how Maddie was dumped at sea infuriates the McCanns
Vanessa Allen
19 March 2008
Daily Mail
Madeleine McCann's body was dumped at sea, a former Portuguese police chief claims in a novel about the case.

In Paulo Cristovao's fictional account the little girl's disappearance is never solved.  But Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman accused the ex-inspector - who never worked on the case - of trying to profit from the couple's misfortune, saying his claims were 'hurtful and distressing'.

Cristovao's novel, The Star Of Madeleine, follows two fictional police officers as they attempt to unravel the mystery.  They end their investigation staring out at the Atlantic Ocean and the case remains unsolved - an outcome the McCanns have described as their worst nightmare.  Cristovao has been a constant critic of the McCanns, and previously called for them to be arrested for leaving their children alone in their Algarve holiday apartment on the night Madeleine vanished in May last year.  At the novel's launch in Portugal, he made no apology for the anguish the story might cause, saying: 'I am sure Madeleine's parents will not like the book.'

Cristovao stopped short of accusing the couple, of Rothley, Leicestershire, saying: 'In their shoes, I'd behave in exactly the same way as they did during the investigation.  'I would defend myself with all the weapons that I could use. The difference in this world is that some have more weapons than others.'

But their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said:

'It is a great pity that people still feel the need to profit out of Madeleine's disappearance.  'That is very distressing for Kate and Gerry. The efforts that people are putting into this kind of profiteering would be better spent helping the investigation to find Madeleine.  'If Mr Cristovao feels he has any information relevant to that search then we would ask him to help with that investigation. Beyond that we won't dignify these so-called books with a comment.'

Cristovao said his book was 'pro-Portugal' and it contains thinly veiled criticism of Britain's political involvement in the case.  In the novel the police officers face pressure from British diplomats as they try to unravel the mystery.

In reality, Portuguese police have criticised Gordon Brown's decision to raise the investigation in meetings with his Portuguese counterpart, and have hit out at political interference.  Cristovao worked for the Policia Judiciaria for several years, on cases including the hunt for missing nine year old Joana Cipriano, who disappeared in 2004, from Figueira, just seven miles from Praia da Luz.

Her body has never been found. Her mother Leonor was later accused and convicted of her murder, but has since claimed that police beat her into making a confession. Cristovao and three others have been accused of torturing her.

The disgraced former head of the Madeleine inquiry, Goncalo Amaral, has denied claims that he covered up the torture.  Cristovao, who left the force following the case, has also written about a book about it, called The Star Of Joana.  Mrs Cipriano, 36, and her brother Joao were jailed for 16 years for the murder but her lawyer hopes to overturn the conviction at the European Court of Human Rights.

There have been several books published in Portugal about Madeleine, who vanished days before her fourth birthday.  The majority have been critical of the McCanns' decision to leave their children alone in their holiday apartment while they dined with friends.

Some have suggested they could have been involved in Madeleine's disappearance. (See: Wikileaks Cable dated 28 September 2007)

Continue Reading... Labels: Cipriano case, Clarence Mitchell, Daily Mail, DISGRACED, Goncalo Amaral, Gonçalo Amaral, Joao Cipriano, Leonor Cipriano, Paulo Pereira Cristóvão, Policia Judiciaria, WikiLeaks

Police chief's tale of how Maddie was dumped at sea infuriates the McCanns

Police chief's tale of how Maddie was dumped at sea infuriates the McCanns
Vanessa Allen
19 March 2008
Daily Mail

Madeleine McCann's body was dumped at sea, a former Portuguese police chief claims in a novel about the case.

In Paulo Cristovao's fictional account the little girl's disappearance is never solved.

But Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman accused the ex-inspector - who never worked on the case - of trying to profit from the couple's misfortune, saying his claims were 'hurtful and distressing'.

Cristovao's novel, The Star Of Madeleine, follows two fictional police officers as they attempt to unravel the mystery.

They end their investigation staring out at the Atlantic Ocean and the case remains unsolved - an outcome the McCanns have described as their worst nightmare.

Cristovao has been a constant critic of the McCanns, and previously called for them to be arrested for leaving their children alone in their Algarve holiday apartment on the night Madeleine vanished in May last year.

At the novel's launch in Portugal, he made no apology for the anguish the story might cause, saying:

'I am sure Madeleine's parents will not like the book.'

Cristovao stopped short of accusing the couple, of Rothley, Leicestershire, saying:

'In their shoes, I'd behave in exactly the same way as they did during the investigation.

'I would defend myself with all the weapons that I could use. The difference in this world is that some have more weapons than others.'

But their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said:

'It is a great pity that people still feel the need to profit out of Madeleine's disappearance.

'That is very distressing for Kate and Gerry. The efforts that people are putting into this kind of profiteering would be better spent helping the investigation to find Madeleine.

'If Mr Cristovao feels he has any information relevant to that search then we would ask him to help with that investigation. Beyond that we won't dignify these so-called books with a comment.'

Cristovao said his book was 'pro-Portugal' and it contains thinly veiled criticism of Britain's political involvement in the case.

In the novel the police officers face pressure from British diplomats as they try to unravel the mystery.

In reality, Portuguese police have criticised Gordon Brown's decision to raise the investigation in meetings with his Portuguese counterpart, and have hit out at political interference.

Cristovao worked for the Policia Judiciaria for several years, on cases including the hunt for missing nine year old Joana Cipriano, who disappeared in 2004, from Figueira, just seven miles from Praia da Luz.

Her body has never been found. Her mother Leonor was later accused and convicted of her murder, but has since claimed that police beat her into making a confession. Cristovao and three others have been accused of torturing her.

The disgraced former head of the Madeleine inquiry, Goncalo Amaral, has denied claims that he covered up the torture.

Cristovao, who left the force following the case, has also written about a book about it, called The Star Of Joana.

Mrs Cipriano, 36, and her brother Joao were jailed for 16 years for the murder but her lawyer hopes to overturn the conviction at the European Court of Human Rights.

There have been several books published in Portugal about Madeleine, who vanished days before her fourth birthday.

The majority have been critical of the McCanns' decision to leave their children alone in their holiday apartment while they dined with friends.

Some have suggested they could have been involved in Madeleine's disappearance.

Continue Reading... Labels: Cipriano case, Clarence Mitchell, Daily Mail, DISGRACED, Goncalo Amaral, Gonçalo Amaral, Joao Cipriano, Leonor Cipriano, Marcos Aragao Correia, Paulo Pereira Cristóvão, Policia Judiciaria

Murat motor bugged

Murat motor bugged
Victoria Ward
17 March 2008
Mirror

Marcos Aragão Correia

Marcos Aragão Correia

• Marcos Correia
• dragged a reservoir looking for Madeleine because he had dreamed she was dumped there
• his divers found a bag of animal bones which he then claimed could be a child's fingers
• Clarence Mitchell

• "Wild assumptions do not help the investigation."

[Note:
Correia originally claimed underworld criminals were source of his information re: Madeleine.
Clarence Mitchell originally welcomed Correia's tip. Quote: "The lawyer concerned has acted appropriately by making contact with the authorities and our investigators and clearly the matter is now in their hands."]

FULL TEXT:

Continue Reading... Labels: Clarence Mitchell, Marcos Aragao Correia, Metodo3, Mirror, Policia Judiciaria, underworld tip-off

Marcos Correia based evidence on a DREAM

Maddy kidnap suspect: they bugged my car
Victoria Ward
17 March 2008
Scottish Daily Record

Marcos Aragão Correia

EXCERPTS RE: Marcos Correia

• Marcos Correia
• exposed as a fantasist
• Correia told police he had based his evidence on a "dream"
• divers recovered animal bones and claimed they could be Madeleine's fingers
  
  
• Clarence Mitchell

• "We have never asked Mr Correia to conduct any searches and have good evidence to suggest his leads are not credible.
  
  "The suggestion that the bones could have been a child's is entirely scaremongering and very hurtful to Gerry and Kate.
  
  "Wild assumptions do not help the investigation. We will continue to work on the basis that Madeleine is alive."

FULL TEXT:

Continue Reading... Labels: Clarence Mitchell, Daily Record, Marcos Aragao Correia, Metodo3, Policia Judiciaria

PJ dismisses Marcos Aragão Correia

PJ dismisses lawyer who searches for Maddie
14 March 2008
Translation by "Astro" on Joana Morais Blog
Source: Jornal de Noticías
Marisa Rodrigues

"If we find the body of little Madeleine, we will become part of the history of humankind". 

This is one of the sentences that a lawyer from Madeira uses to conquer ("win"/"acquire")  sponsors for the private searches that he is carrying out in the Arade dam, in Silves.

Marcos Aragão Correia asks for 5 thousand euros, and in return, he promises to publicise the name of the company to all the Portuguese and foreign media that cover the searches.

"The exclusive sponsor benefits from huge, unique publicity", the lawyer guarantees, defending that this is "a wonderful opportunity to put our christianity into action, by helping these parents and this little girl".

One of the firms that were contacted was a local newspaper in Portimão, which didn't even reply to the email. The invitation was finally accepted by a construction firm.

The money allowed the lawyer to pay the diving team that had already been at the dam in January. Operations had been suspended after only four days, for lack of funding.

In the email that he sends to companies, the lawyer presents himself as "the son of one of the major personalities of insular and national culture" ["son of one of the great figures of island culture and national"] and guarantees he has "sponsored the defense of several prominent cases", although he does not name a single example.

He explains that on May 6 (three days after Madeleine disappeared) he received leads that the child had been abducted, raped and murdered, and her body had been thrown into a lake in the Algarve, which he himself concluded, "after thorough investigations" to be the Arade reservoir.

JN knows that he contacted the police.

"What he said was very vague and he never revealed his source, although we insisted on it several times. It was later discovered that his source was a medium, meaning it was not minimally credible", said a source that is connected to the investigation.

During the searches, ropes, a sock and a rock were found.

Correia considers that they indicate the "presence of the body". He delivered them to the Spanish detective agency Método 3, which was hired by the McCann couple.


ORIGINAL ARTICLE IN PORTUGUESE:

Continue Reading... Labels: Cipriano case, Marcos Aragao Correia, Metodo3, Policia Judiciaria

Who is Marcos Teixeira Aragão Correia?

Who is Marcos Teixeira Aragão Correia?
14 March 2008
Joana Morais Blog

Marcos Teixeira Aragão Correia, a lawyer and a PND founding member (New Democracy Party, a far right party allegedly with connections to French Far Right an extreme right political party, lead by the racist Jean-Marie Le Pen – Nova Democracia – has recently been accused of having accepted the adhesion of racist and nazi type nationalists) , says that criminals from underworld contacted him on 6th May and that gave him details about Madeleine's rape and murder.

He further claims that he had given this information to police who ignored it. In the first private search at Barragem do Arade, an isolated man-made lake, Marcos Aragao Correia funded the £1,200-a-day reservoir search himself .

This lawyer has no record, in Portugal, as a Human Rights lawyer. He is not known in relation with any high profile case where Human Rights were at stake.

This is the same lawyer who in November 2007 failed to prosecute* the Correios de Portugal (CTT) because these have not delivered a registered letter to the McCanns. ( Link to the letter sent to the Judicial Court of Portimão- Word file)

The letter, according to the lawyer, provided clues "that are of high credibility" and that could help in the investigation of the disappearance of Maddie.

Those elements were referred to the PJ (Judiciary Police) of Portimão by researchers from Funchal, but had no credibility.

Continue Reading... Labels: Marcos Aragao Correia, Metodo3, Policia Judiciaria, underworld tip-off

Divers restart search for Madeleine in Arade dam

Divers restart search for Madeleine in Arade dam
13 March 2008
Algarve Resident
Cecília Pires

Anything found as a result of the searches being carried out by divers at the Arade dam near Silves will be given to Método 3, the Spanish private investigating company hired by the McCann family to help find Madeleine.

The divers' search of the waters at the Arade Dam started on Monday in a private operation commissioned by the Madeira-based lawyer Marcos Aragão Correia and sponsored by a Portimão-based company named SPEC.

According to Marcos Aragão Correia,"as the Portuguese police have not shown interest in the operation, we will give all the objects we find to Metodo 3 so that they can be analysed".  Any forensic tests needed will be done in Spain and after that "if   anything is found, we will give the results to the Polícia Judiciária", he told The Resident.

*Child's sock*

By the time The Resident went to press on Wednesday, the diving teams were still focusing their searches near the dam's level control tower. "The site is crucial on this search as it is where all the findings have happened", Marcos Aragão Correia said.

On Monday, the teams found a child's sock which is "to be analysed to see if any DNA of Madeleine is found", the lawyer said, adding that "we are certain that this is a sock of a child aged between five and six and its  material is not common in Portugal".

Divers also found four ropes, one of them about five metres long. This will also be sent for analysis.

In response to a report printed in the British press, saying that Gerry and Kate McCann were not happy with this private operation, Marcos Aragão Correia told The Resident that "a contact was made with Metodo 3 to clarify that information and we can say it is false".

He also said that "the family is not sponsoring the diving because they believe Madeleine is alive, but we are receiving support from Metodo 3, which means they are aware of everything".

*Poor visibility*

The search in the Arade Dam is being directed by Martin Falkous, who has five divers from Dive Time, based in Lagos, plus two from the Portimão Bombeiros who have joined the operation in their own time.

Visibility in the water is very poor and the divers are using touch and feel in their search. With mud being between one and two metres deep at the bottom of the water, the colour changed from a dark green to light brown within seconds of the divers beginning the search.

This operation follows a first phase of searches, held in late January and February, when divers found an entrance covered by a metal grate and could not search inside the water tubes leading to the tower.

The search is expected to continue until today (Friday) afternoon and Marcos Aragão Correia has said that if Madeleine McCann's body is found in the Arade dam, he will reveal all the information related to the tip-off that has led to the search. [Note: Although Madeleine's body has never been found, Correia later disclosed that the "tip off" was actually a psychic vision he had experienced rather than information from an underworld criminal.]

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Gonçalo Amaral, Marcos Aragao Correia, Metodo3, Policia Judiciaria, underworld tip-off

Divers search for Madeleine's body in remote reservoir after underworld tip-off

Divers search for Madeleine's body in remote reservoir after underworld tip-off
Daily Mail
Vanessa Allen
05 February 2008


A grim search for Madeleine McCann's body has been launched at an isolated reservoir.

Teams of frogmen began scouring the remote Barragem do Arade amid claims the girl's body was dumped there last May.

The private search - funded by a Portuguese lawyer - came as Portugal's most senior detective admitted that police had rushed into making Kate and Gerry McCann suspects in the case.

Divers have been searching the Barragem do Arade in Portugal for several days after an underworld tip-off that Madeleine's body was dumped there days after she disappeared

Alipio Ribeiro, the national director of the Policia Judiciaria, said his officers had acted with "a certain hastiness" and should have assessed the evidence again before naming the couple as official suspects.

But he defended his men against claims they had acted under political pressure and had failed to investigate properly.

Last night there were calls for him to resign over the comments, as lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia revealed he was forced to fund the £1,200-a-day reservoir search himself because the police had refused.

Lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia has paid thousands of pounds for the private search at Barragem do Arade dam

The human rights lawyer said he was convinced the massive man-made lake was "the perfect hiding place" for an abductor to conceal a body.

Mr Correia, 32, ordered the search after underworld contacts told him Madeleine was raped, murdered and her body dumped within 48 hours of her disappearance on May 3.

He said he believed the abductor killed the child, weighted down her body and then threw it from a pumping tower into the murky water beneath.

His team of six divers have already found a five-metre length of knotted nylon cord, which has been handed in to Portuguese police for analysis.

The remote reservoir is surrounded by dense woodland but a dirt track cuts through it to a bridge which links the water tower to the shore.

Underworld contacts apparently claim Madeleine's body was dumped in the remote reservoir after she was raped and murdered

Mr Correia told the Mail:

"I am convinced this is the place. It's not overlooked, it has easy access by car and if you threw the body from the tower the water is 55ft deep there.  "The divers have already found a cord tied in knots down there, right below the tower. I have given it to the police.  "It's logic that if you throw a body into the water then you would tie it to something to weigh it down."

The lawyer from the Portuguese island of Madeira said he would continue the search until he found proof to support his theory.

He refused to say how much he had paid to finance the trawl, but his team of six British and Portuguese divers were estimated to cost around £1,200-a-day.

They have already been searching for four days and are expected to return today, meaning the operation has already cost about £6,000.

Search coordinator Alan Wilson said the divers were only able to cover a small area in each dive because the murky water meant there was zero visibility once they descended below a few feet.

"Everything's black because there is no light," he said, adding: "The divers are searching entirely by touch, feeling in the silt for anything suspicious that shouldn't be there. It's a long, slow process."

Mr Correia said he was first told about the reservoir on May 6, three days after Madeleine vanished from Praia da Luz, some 40 miles away.

He passed the information to the police but said they ignored it, despite a May 5 witness sighting of a girl resembling Madeleine with a woman in Silves, a ten-minute drive from the lake.

The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said:

"Kate and Gerry are grateful to anyone who feels they have important information in the search for Madeleine.  "If his search produces significant results he must, of course, share that information with both the police and our investigators."

Mr Mitchell also welcomed Mr Ribeiro's admission that police had rushed to make the McCanns suspects in September, and called for their names to be cleared.

In a radio interview, the policeman said:

"Maybe a different evaluation should have been made. I have no doubts about that. There was a certain hastiness."

He pledged to correct any failings in the investigation but insisted police were still working on it, adding: "This whole job is a work of patience."

The couple learned of his comments on Saturday, as they prepared for a party to mark the third birthday of their twins, Sean and Amelie.

Madeleine, then three, disappeared last May during a family holiday in the Algarve

Mr McCann, 39, said the comments could be a much-needed "breakthrough" and added:

"It is fantastic news.
"We still have a long way to go but people in Portugal need to understand what has been happening and what we have been going through.
"We know it will take the police a long time to accept what has been happening is wrong, but it is an important step towards that."

Mr and Mrs McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, were made suspects on September 7 but forensic evidence in the case has proved inconclusive. They have always denied any involvement.

Continue Reading... Labels: Alipio Ribeiro, Clarence Mitchell, Daily Mail, Marcos Aragao Correia, Metodo3, Policia Judiciaria, underworld tip-off

Divers trawl lake

Divers trawl lake for Maddie body
4 February 2008
Evening Herald

Marcos Aragão Correia

Barragem do Arade reservoir search

• Marcos Correia
• funding search - estimated 1,800 per day
• received tip-off from top criminal in area that Madeleine abducted and dumped in the lake
• identified site on Dec 10 2007, told detectives but was ignored

• "This lead is quite credible. I don't believe Kate and Gerry did it. It could have been a single madman or a gang, I don't know."

• Barragem do Arade Reservoir
• 150ft deep in places
• short journey from Silvea - where truck driver claimed saw woman and man with child on May 5 2007
• six 'frogmen' searching by touch alone due to murky water
• sits beside a derelict hilltop diner and car park used as a camping site
• Jeremy Vargas
• went missing in Gran Canaria two months before Madeleine
• Vargas family said police believe cases may be linked
• Clarence Mitchell
• welcomed breakthrough

• "We're grateful to anyone who feels they have important information in the search for Madeleine. "If his search produces significant results he must, of course, share that information with the police and our investigators."

FULL TEXT:

Continue Reading... Labels: Clarence Mitchell, Herald, Marcos Aragao Correia, Policia Judiciaria