The Collected Works of Mccanns Pte Detectives (so far.........)

Since there isn't a comprehensive thread about the Mccanns private detectives, I feel a thread dedicated to this topic would help cast light on the "search" the mccanns claimed they were, and still are, continually pursuing. .

Far as I know there isn't any record in the public domain about how and when they were hired, who hired them, who paid them (as in did the Fund trustees or directors paid them directly, or were they paid via a third party)? Incidentally did any third party contribute to the PIs fees. If so, did the mccanns ever apprise the public about it (that they've had other "additional" financial help in private) ? If not, why not?

More importantly, bearing in mind the end objective, what had their 4 or 5 sets of competent private detectives delivered to date; and
which of the significant leads reported in the Press was followed up, checked out, and what of its outcome.

The disparity between the"public" soliciting of Fund vs the "private" search is glaring obvious -- as wide as the divide of north and south poles. Surely, the donating or contributing public are entitled to know " why is their Fund raising so PUBLIC, that every one in the world (almost) gets to hear about it, yet their search is so PRIVATE, that no one gets to hear the results of it. Surely, they owe at least that to the kind and good hearted public, to whom they claimed they were grateful for their financial and moral supports.

Of course their "Fund" lawyers, Wells Braithwaite, and the "Fund" auditors Hays Macintyre will know all the details, and will also have done full background searches, or "due diligence" on every one. Won't they ?
If they didn't, this amounts to professional negligence.

Here's the first set of hire from Kate's bewk.

Our first investigators, the Spanish company Método 3, began working for us in October.

With private investigations technically illegal in Portugal, we felt the closest we could get would be a firm from somewhere on the Iberian Peninsula, which would have the advantage of familiarity with local systems, culture and geography and the best network of contacts in the region. M3 also had links to the Spanish police, who, in turn, had good connections with the Portuguese police.

We assembled all the source material we could for the investigators, passing on my detailed chronology of events and the research we were compiling, making endless lists of potential witnesses – some of whom we knew the police had interviewed, many more we suspected they had not – and reported sightings of little girls who could have been Madeleine.

As a result of the huge publicity the case had been given, the police and press had been overwhelmed by such reports from the outset.
Sometimes ‘Madeleine’ has been seen in different countries, thousands of miles apart, on the same day. These tip-offs needed to be sifted and any credible information followed up. We have no doubt that M3 made significant strides, but unfortunately, in mid-December, one of their senior investigators gave an overly optimistic interview to the media. He implied that the team were close to finding Madeleine and declared that he
hoped she would be home by Christmas. Gerry and I did not pay much heed to these bullish assertions. While we believed they’d been made in an attempt to cast the search in a positive light, we knew that such public declarations would not be helpful. Credibility is so important. That glitch apart, M3 worked very hard for us and, just for the record, their fees were very low: most of the money they were paid was for verified expenses. Although we went on to employ new teams, we maintain good relations with M3 today. We had the sense that they genuinely cared about Madeleine’s fate, something that, sadly, we have found we cannot take for granted.

Date of Hire and Reason for Selection
In a nutshell, Kate tells us M3 was hired in Oct 2007, chosen not because of their expertise in that field of tracing “missing” person, but because they happened to be located in the Iberia Peninsula and has links to the Spanish Police and by extension to the Portuguese Police. This hire is made in spite knowing that parallel investigation is illegal.

Scope of Duty and Fee
She also tells us they paid M3 literally peanuts (“low” is the word kate used to describe the pittance sum paid to M3, with the bulk of that being “verified expenses”).
When you pay peanuts you get monkeys, but that is OK, since the mccanns didn’t give them any scope of duty.

We assembled all the source material we could for the investigators, passing on my detailed chronology of events and the research we were compiling, making endless lists of potential witnesses – some of whom we knew the police had interviewed, many more we suspected they had not – and reported sightings of little girls who could have been Madeleine

From the horse’s mouth, M3 had their work literally all cut out, and done for work for them by the mccanns.
As highlighted in the bolded “we” where kate states they provided M3 with source material, detailed chronology of events, research material, and most pivotal of all “an endless lists of potential witnesses” plus “reported sightings of little girls who could have been Madeleine.”

Blimey heck, no wonder M3 accepted the job. It’s not bad getting paid for doing nothing, even though it’s not much money supposedly.

So what was left for M3 to do? Were they instructed to check or follow up?
So far no one heard anything about their follow up - so, is it a case of they didn’t deliver on their duty, or simply they were not instructed to do anything with the data handed to them? Not such a difficult multiple choice question is it?

As an aside, how did the press end up printing a large sum of money changed hands? Something like M3 was paid a quarter of a million, and that’s definitely not a paltry sum, in fact it’s a handsome sum! So, where did the Press pluck the figure from?



M3 Performance

We have no doubt that M3 made significant strides, but unfortunately, in mid-December, one of their senior investigators gave an overly optimistic interview to the media. He implied that the team were close to finding Madeleine and declared that he
hoped she would be home by Christmas.

Here kate tells us M3 made “significant strides, but didn’t have the gumption or guts to tell us what those strides were!
On second read, it is just a general starting point to introduce the next point which is the crucial bit ie they discredit M3 “home by Xmas” story. Which, incidentally they did not rectify with a Press statement because Kate said "we knew that such public declarations would not be helpful. Credibility is so important." That is such a self defeating and contradictory statement, as, if credibility is SO important as Kate claimed, why then did she think public declaration of the truth would not be helpful. Not helpful to who?

Kate puts that down to a "glitch", not incompetent or intent to deceive, but a “glitch” as if talking about impaired computer function. Effectively, in sum total M3 delivered one "empty promise" and nothing else, but that was good enough for the mccanns.
In other words, they were satisfied with M3 works, as Kate said they worked very hard and made significant strides (but no result to show for them), apart from the "glitch" obviously!

Epilogue
Depsite M3's diabolical performance, compounded by one “glitch” ( that the mccanns had them quickly replaced by another set of detectives) kate also states they remain friends today as evidenced by this statement of hers “ we maintain good relationships with M3 today”.

So no asking for refund, no condemnation (apart from empty Xmas promise) that they were useless – the mccanns were happy to part with their money, got nothing in return, and at the end of it all “ they were still pally pally”.
Where is Madeleine in all this? And, this is supposed to the about the “Search” for Madeleine using "Fund" contributed by the public.

The next detective agency, I believe, is a OMO (one-man-office) Kevin Halligen, though I have not clue how he was selected, who selected him, when he was hired, or how much he was paid etc etc.... What he did, or rather didnt do or deliver, we all can guess at judging by his past records and reputation.

Then we have who next? Dave and Edgar? This pair I know even less about apart from a handful of sightings they sprout.

M3 Performance

We have no doubt that M3 made significant strides, but unfortunately, in mid-December, one of their senior investigators gave an overly optimistic interview to the media. He implied that the team were close to finding Madeleine and declared that he
hoped she would be home by Christmas.

Surely this must have been the glitch as TM knew better !!

Could not stomach a second reading of the book, but the more excerpts I read on ths forum, the more I am convinced that Gerry had massive input. Neither of them are particularly articulate, nor do they have a good command of English, but this snippet has Gerry all over it imo. I can visualise him in an interview saying just those words.
The book was his idea and his baby imo, and whatever Kate wrote would have had a guiding or controllig hand.

The point is kate's statements are full of forensic linguistic.

tuom wrote:M3 Performance

We have no doubt that M3 made significant strides, but unfortunately, in mid-December, one of their senior investigators gave an overly optimistic interview to the media. He implied that the team were close to finding Madeleine and declared that he
hoped she would be home by Christmas.

Surely this must have been the glitch as TM knew better !!

And from Wells Braithwaite, solicitors for the "Fund" in a letter to me -

"We are advised by our client that reports in the media purporting to be from the investigators, which made claims as to when Madeleine would be found are inaccurate and misrepresentations of their views.
Our client has every confidence in the investigators who continue the search for Madeleine".

They lied to me, or their clients lied to them, or they were all lying.

I am guessing they are all telling porkies, for different reasons.

A poster on MM has said that he/she has heard that Dave Edgar is no longer working for the McCanns.

Joana Morais‏@xklamationReply
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@JerryLawton Is there any truth about Dave Edgar 'abandoning' the #McCann investigation or is it just a rumour? Thanks in advance.

But Metodo3 was allegedly paid 50.000 pounds a month and in November/December 2007 according to Philomena 'the shot their mouth off' not litt. quote but something like it by promising Maddie would be 'home by Christmas'. (where have I heard that before?)

The papers report TM as not inclined to renew their contract when the 6 months are up. But the contract is renewed in February/March 2008.

One of the Metodo3 'detectives' said they didn't in fact get anything like the amount published.

So just to stick to Metodo3 - they did 'work' in PdL by finding the odd witness to 'creepy men' . They apparently hassled Murat by sticking tracking devices to his car and were particularly helpful in tracking sightings in Marocco - for some reason the favourite country of destination/origin of the said creeps.

Metodo3 were 'found' by BK?

Is there a list anywhere - chronological - of the detectives TM hired? - Benny Hill isn't even in it!

From the McCanns' website today

"Sadly, there is still no law enforcement agency in the world proactively looking for our daughter.

Fortunately though, we have a small team of very committed and experienced people working hard to help us find Madeleine.

Dave Edgar is the ‘Senior Investigating Officer’ (SIO) leading our independent investigation. Dave served as a police officer for 30 years, working in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (in the so called ‘bandit country' of south Armagh) followed by the Cheshire Police force. He is an accredited SIO and has managed many homicide and serious crime investigations. These include high profile cases such as the murders of ‘Shafilea Ahmed' and ‘Gary Newlove', being commended by the Judge in the latter case.

Dave has a full-time Portuguese speaker as part of the team who also helps with administrative tasks, and a part-time data inputter. He also has access to specialist teams who he can call on to assist when necessary.

In addition, there are several individuals and organisations with invaluable marketing and advertising skills (as well as highly motivated family members and friends) who help with the general campaign to find Madeleine.

Of course probably the biggest and most valuable resource we have in our search for Madeleine is the eyes, ears and minds of the general public. Thank you to everyone who has, and continues to help us with our efforts to find her. Please keep going!"

But as you see from the top statement in bold this is not updated regularly

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EXCLUSIVE: NEW CLUES LEAD MCCANN PRIVATE EYES TO AN OLD DESERTED SHACK

ABOVE: Private detectives say Madeleine may have been kept in a shack
4th March 2010 By Jerry Lawton
MADELEINE McCann was snatched by “gipsies” and disguised with a black wig, it has been claimed.

Private detectives say she may have been kept in a shack.

And they claim she could have been held for months just 30 miles from the spot where she was abducted.

Investigators homed in on an isolated orange grove after mounting a surveillance operation on a woman cleaner.

She was said to have been spotted by a Brit holidaymaker outside the McCanns’ apartment hours before Madeleine, then three, disappeared.

Another UK tourist claims she saw the same woman 16 months later in the nearby resort of Carvoeiro on Portugal’s Algarve, holding the hand of a girl she was “100%’’ sure was Madeleine.

The child’s locks were hidden by a black wig.

Jean Godwin, from Widnes, Cheshire, said: “It was a short wig cut in a bob style and was very thick."

“The wig was shiny and unnatural-looking and out of keeping with her very pale complexion and fair eyebrows."

“What I saw really concerned me and I could not sleep that night."

“I had my husband take me back to look again."

“I am convinced that the little girl I saw that morning was Madeleine."

“I have been asked how certain I am. I will say I am 100% certain.’’

Detectives identified one of two “gipsy looking” women with the girl as holiday home cleaner Yvone Albino, who has no young children.

They followed her to an abandoned shack in an orange grove near Silves, 30 miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine disappeared in May 2007.

There they found a white Citroen Berlingo van owned by Jorges Martins and Alice Silveira, with a rag doll on the front seat.

Disguised as fruit pickers, detectives staked out the shack and secretly watched as Albino met up with Martins, a teacher.

They grew suspicious when they allegedly saw Martins, who also has no young children, looking at shoes for a little girl.

Brit holidaymaker Jeni Weinberger, 38, claimed she had seen the teacher and the cleaner together near the McCanns’ apartment around the time of the abduction.

The private eyes, hired by Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry, both 41, passed the information to Portuguese police but they found no sign of a child at the deserted shack.

Albino denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

Martins said the doll seen in his car had been given to him by his pupils several years ago.

Portuguese police said they could find no evidence linking the pair to the investigation.
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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Maddie sightings - media madness

Written by Len Port
The McCanns complained last weekend of “injustices that we continue to be subjected to.”

This was widely reported in the UK and Portuguese press and referred to a Wikileaks disclosure that had “led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and in Portugal in particular.”
A modest group of people in Portugal also have been subjected to unfounded allegations, injustices and smears in connection with the Madeleine McCann investigation, but they have had no channel for complaint so their side of the story has gone totally unreported - until now.

Ivone Albino, a Portuguese woman who makes her living as a part-time house cleaner, was shattered to learn in April this year that newspapers in the UK were running sensational stories directly linking her with the alleged abduction of Madeleine McCann three years earlier. She was the latest victim in a tidal wave of misinformation and false “sightings” that began soon after Madeleine's disappearance from a holiday apartment in the village of Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Mrs Albino's name was buried in a “secret” 2,000-page dossier containing information about Madeleine “sightings” that had been brought to the attention of the Portuguese criminal investigation police, the Polícia Judiciária. The existence of the dossier emerged after it was referred to by a police witness during a Lisbon court hearing considering the ban on a book by the former lead detective in the Madeleine case, Gonçalo Amaral.

When the judge in the hearing ordered the dossier's release, it was eagerly seized upon by Kate and Gerry McCann, their advisers and the British press. It was brandished as yet more evidence of the “incompetence” of the Portuguese police in their search for Madeleine.

By then, Britain's mainstream media seemed to have accepted the McCanns' insistence from the very start that Madeleine had been abducted and that she might still be alive. They ignored or viewed with hostility the alternative theory, the one most prevalent in Portugal and the main thrust of Gonçalo Amaral's book, namely that Madeleine had died in the apartment and that her parents were somehow involved.

Referring to the Polícía Judicária dossier and in line with the abduction theory, British (though not Portuguese) newspapers named Mrs Albino as one of two “gypsy women” seen by a British holidaymaker dragging Madeleine along an Algarve street in September 2008. The little girl was wearing a “black wig” but the holidaymaker was “100 per cent sure” it was Madeleine. The same reports revealed that a rag doll had been found at a house repeatedly visited by Mrs Albino. According to the reports, Madeleine “may have been held prisoner” at the house.

A source close to Madeleine's parents was quoted as saying: “This is one of the strongest leads there's been in the hunt for Maddie.”

It wasn't. The “lead” merely gave rise to yet more sensational nonsense in the British press, causing deep humiliation and distress to Mrs Albino and two other entirely innocent people with no connection whatsoever to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

This whole silly episode began in September 2008, eighteen months after Madeleine's disappearance. A 56-year-old retired home care worker from Widnes in Cheshire, England, phoned the 'Find Madeleine' hotline that had been set up by the parents of the missing child. She reported seeing two women with Madeleine in the beach-side village of Carvoeiro, 30 miles east of Praia da Luz.

“This was a young girl, in the middle of the two women and holding the hand of each. Her eyes were wide open and I was attracted to the large irises,” said the Carvoeiro witness.

“The child was wearing what was clearly a black wig. It was short, cut in a bob style and very thick. The wig was shiny and unnatural looking and out of keeping with her very pale complexion and fair eyebrows. I would say she was about 3ft 1in tall and about five years of age. She was very thin and I would describe her as malnourished. Her cheeks looked gaunt. I think she had a bump on her nose. I am convinced the little girl I saw that morning was Madeleine. I have been asked how certain I am. I will say I am 100 per cent sure.”

The Carvoeiro witness described the first of the two women as “obese, size 30, in her mid to late 40s, with “dirty and unkempt” red hair. The other woman was around 60, with unwashed brown hair, and even fatter. The witness claimed that when the women realised she was looking at them, they hid the little girl's face. She recognised Mrs Albino as the red-haired woman with Madeleine in Carvoeiro. The second woman was never identified.

Another unrelated British witness, from Salisbury in Wiltshire, said she saw a woman resembling Mrs Albino outside the McCanns´ apartment the day Madeleine disappeared. In both cases the identifications were made from photographs. A much earlier report of a woman passing a child wrapped in a blanket over a fence to a man next to two parked vehicles in Silves two days after Madeleine's disappearance added spice to these later reports.

The “sightings” prompted private investigators employed by Madeleine's parents to zero in on Mrs Albino and follow her to “an isolated farmhouse” in an orange grove near the town of Silves where she lives. In a surveillance operation, private investigators saw her making several visits to the house and meeting there with a couple called Maria Alice Silveira and Jorge Martins. The couple's movements were deemed to be “suspicious” by a top detective employed by the McCanns.

Suspicions heightened when investigators found and photographed a child's rag doll on the seat of a Citroen Berlingo van parked at the house. “Was this the rag doll given to Maddie by her captors?” wondered The Sun in a headline spread over half a page. The question was promptly answered in the first sentence in the story that followed: “This little girl's rag doll could have been given to Madeleine McCann by those who snatched her, investigators believe.”

The investigators, posing as potential buyers of the property, came across a discarded child's drawing. And they spotted Jorge Martins buying clothes suitable for a child of five, the age Madeleine would then have been. They thought all this strange as neither Mrs Albino, Ms Silveira nor Mr Martins had young children of their own. “But surveillance was eventually wound down and the child was never found.”

These observations were passed to Portugal's criminal investigation police, even though the official Portuguese police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance had been closed. By then the police had already considered hundreds of bogus or mistaken “sightings” in about 50 countries ranging from neighbouring Spain to Australia and New Zealand.

On learning of the Silves surveillance “evidence” through the newly released dossier, two of Britain's biggest-selling and most powerful newspapers carried prominent reports complete with separate photographs of Mrs Albino, Ms Silveira and Mr Martins, Madeleine, and the rag doll. They quoted a source close to Kate and Gerry McCann as saying. “There was credible evidence at the orchard that needed proper investigation by the Portuguese – that never happened.”

In fact, the Portuguese police did investigate the “sightings” and the “suspicious behaviour”. They questioned all three people and visited the farmhouse. They soon concluded there was no reason to take their inquiries further. Any reasonably intelligent Portuguese-speaking person who had spent a few minutes talking with Mrs Albino about the matter would have come to the same conclusion. This did not stop the British press from rushing into print with a load of baloney.

The truth that didn't make it into the papers is that Mrs Albino regularly drives through Carvoeiro on the way from Silves to a house she services. She never walks in the village with or without children in tow. “I have never held the hand of any child in Carvoeiro, let alone one with a black wig or resembling Madeleine McCann,” she told me. No villager can be found in Carvoeiro who would dispute that. As for Praia da Luz, Mrs Albino said she had never been there. She admitted somewhat sheepishly that she had only a vague idea of where Praia da Luz was located.

Overweight, yes, but no one who had known Mrs Albino over many years could recall her hair ever being dirty, unkempt or red. Indeed she did visit a somewhat neglected house in an orange orchard. It is on the outskirts of Silves' urban area, not “remote” as the newspapers made out. She visits it daily to feed the property's only occupants: her chickens, rabbits and a large guard dog.

The property had long been owned by the family of Mrs Albino's cousin, Maria Alice Silveira, who lives elsewhere in Silves. She used to own a dry-cleaning shop in the neighbouring town of Lagoa. Her partner ,Jorge, whom she has since married, is a primary school teacher. They drive over to the house in their Citroen Berlingo van from time to time to tend the orchard and collect fruit.

Mr Martins said he found the doll in a roadway, though it was such a minor event that he could not remember exactly where or when. The doll was in good condition so, without much thought he picked it and put it in the van. He agreed that there had been a discarded child's drawing at the house and, yes, he had bought clothes for a young child. Maria Alice had a grandchild of about Madeleine's age.

Although they did not read English, Jorge, Maria Alice and Ivone felt shocked and humiliated when told of the reports and shown their photographs in national British newspapers. Their shock soon turned to anger and anxiety about possible repercussions.

With the start of another summer holiday season in the Algarve, Ivone was concerned that British parents with young families staying in the holiday villas she cleans might view her with suspicion, jeopardising her job.

Maria Alice said she had lost some British customers at her dry-cleaning business because of the press pointing the finger unjustly. Jorge remained deeply disturbed by what he called “the stupidity” of the British reports that falsely insinuated wrong-doing.

All three considered suing to clear their names. But they soon came to realise they did not have either the capital or the connections to take the sort of legal action that resulted in the British press paying out £500,000 in damages to the McCanns, £550,000 to Robert Murat and £375,000 to the so-called Tapas 7. Actually, this humble group didn't want compensation money so much as an apology.
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Weinberger imo is the unrelated 'witness' in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

This is from the topic: jillhavern.forumotion.net/t3956-so-why-did-madeleine-mccann-detectives-ask-so-few-questions-after-major-breakthrough?


Thought I would put this here before it gets whooshed..........


So why did Madeleine McCann detectives ask so few questions after major breakthrough?

By Tom Worden, Martin Delgado and Andrew Chapman

Last updated at 1:25 AM on 16th August 2009


Missing: Madeleine McCann vanished in May 2007

Private detectives leading the hunt for Madeleine McCann faced questions last night after a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed apparent shortcomings in chasing a ‘strong lead’.

The detectives failed to make even rudimentary inquiries before announcing a ‘significant’ development in the worldwide search for the six-year-old.
At a Press conference in London, lead investigator David Edgar appealed for help in finding a ‘bit of a Victoria Beckham lookalike’ whom a British tourist saw looking agitated outside a dockside restaurant in Barcelona three days after Madeleine disappeared.
Retired Cheshire Detective Inspector Mr Edgar said it was possible that Madeleine had been smuggled into the Spanish port by yacht from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, where she vanished on May 3, 2007.

The agitated woman, thought to be Australian, made a remark to the tourist which suggested she was waiting for the arrival of a child.

Mr Edgar, 52, told the 50 journalists from several countries: ‘It’s a strong lead. Madeleine could have been in Barcelona by this point. The fact the conversation took place near the marina could be significant.’

As a result of his appeal for information and the issuing of an e-fit image of the woman, the search switched to Australia, where a woman in Sydney made a statement to police claiming to know the identity of the mystery female seen in Barcelona, although this apparently came to nothing.
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You would think that you hire private detectives, you would get them to man the hotline or at least divert the hotline no. to the detectives' phone wouldn't you, so its strange that reports seem to state that their hotline is not manned.

They are not bothered at all about manning their hotline in case important info like a sighting gets reported in, yet wasted hundreds of thousands pound on detectives for them to muck around looking out for sightings.

One set of bogus detectives after another all in consecutive succession. One is forced to face the cold hard fact that the mccanns are mucking around where it comes to the search for their daughter.

PeterMac wrote:

tuom wrote:M3 Performance

We have no doubt that M3 made significant strides, but unfortunately, in mid-December, one of their senior investigators gave an overly optimistic interview to the media. He implied that the team were close to finding Madeleine and declared that he
hoped she would be home by Christmas.

Surely this must have been the glitch as TM knew better !!

And from Wells Braithwaite, solicitors for the "Fund" in a letter to me -

"We are advised by our client that reports in the media purporting to be from the investigators, which made claims as to when Madeleine would be found are inaccurate and misrepresentations of their views.
Our client has every confidence in the investigators who continue the search for Madeleine".

They lied to me, or their clients lied to them, or they were all lying.

And a little, innocent child, lying on a cold stone slab

How do these people breathe, you wonder.

However, Metodo3 must have done as they were asked ....


Alexandra Serôdio, Maria Rodrigues and Nuno Miguel maia
May 2008: (from the May timeline - I'm looking for the exact date of this quote - sorry)


-- re the Smith’s sighting:

This deposition ended to give credibility to Jane Tanner's words, a friend of the couple, that guarantees having seen a man with a child in the night Madeleine disappeared.
The investigators opted to listen again to the witnesses but decided that the depositions would be made through rogatory letters sent to the Leicester police.
Before this step was fulfilled, in April, this family was contacted by detectives of Método 3. The JN discovered that since that contact the certainties of the Smiths ended.

- and here's another one from the eager beavers of Metodo 3:
The post below is copied from the Amazon website - the comments of readers of the book 'Madeleine'.


Cyr Jimenez Says:
February 8th, 2012 at 12:06 pm

I have said that the McCanns NEVER looked for Madeleine because, while their friends were knocking on doors waking up the dead that evening asking everybody to look for the little girl that ‘had been abducted’, it was later established that her parents never moved from their apartment but were busy deleting compromising calls from their mobiles. (This is on record too).
When it was generally felt that the McCanns were not doing enough to find Madeleine and no Portuguese detective agency would touch them, they resorted to a well-known Barcelona Agency to which they paid a substantial sum (€50,000 from memory. It was not their money, was it?). The Agency immediately made a big song and dance of informing the world that they knew Madeleine was being held in Morocco and they were going to get her. I was furious.

It took me a while but in the end I managed to speak to the Managing Director in clear Spanish. I asked how was it that a Detective Agency of their standing could make such a ridiculous assertion making it known ‘they knew Madeleine was held in Morocco and they were going to get her’. He tried to wriggle out of it but in the end he said ‘DON’T ASK ME. THAT’S THE PARENTS STRATEGY’.
I am in no doubt that the truth will be known and Justice will be done IN THE END. It is doubly unfortunate that the ‘incident’ took place at the start of the Algarve tourist season so crucial for the Portuguese economy. Otherwise the Judiciária would have cut out all the pussyfooting from the outset.
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