Condensed timeline September 07 - April 08.

September/October are replete with media reports on the recent sensation. The 'anti-foreign’ angle is used in many articles.

Amaral is moved to other duties on the 2nd october. Rebello takes over.

New result from FSS supports the previous findings - material was taken from 5a, the car and other parts of the MW complex. McCanns have hired own forensic team.

A sighting in Morocco near the end of the month is probably set up by Metodo3.

The mortgage payments from the fund are discussed by CM on BBC radio.

Gerry gives an interview to Vanity Fair in September - incriminating answers and statements are of interest here. The McCanns and CM are most annoyed about the transcript but can do nothing about it.

Gerry returns to work at the end of October to work part time.

In short: it seems it’s still very early days and the tactics to be employed are not decided as yet. It may be that the legal position of the McCanns is being explored behind the scenes to see what can be done.


November 2007
Carrier bag found with DNA links to Maddie.
Blue fleece jacket, adult jeans, shower curtain, green child’s t-shirt etc.
Newspaper headline that 2 Tapas are seeking to provide fresh statements.
Brian Kennedy meets with PJ and shortly afterwards has a meeting with Murat in Burgau .

Tapas 9 meeting in a hotel nr. Rothley. They claim that none of the 9 will change their statements and that 3 will indicate that Murat was in the area before and after the alarm. The nanny Cat Baker is also visiting this month and in contact with the McCanns

Panorama programme is screened 58 mins. see transcript.
Jane Tanner says that she now believes she saw Madeleine.

In short: the serious damage limitation has now taken off. FSS bring out ‘an inconclusive report’, the meeting of the witnesses and a visit of the nanny all point to an effort to bring everybody into line. BK visits Murat, and has two meetings with him.

December 2007
Portuguese police are investigating a mobile phone call from Russell O'Brien to Gerry McCann that was made on 10 June 2007 and are investigating a disused barn in the south-east of Praia da Luz following the discovery of a blood stained towel which police believe may turn out to be Madeleine's blood.
Portuguese police sources say there was 'strong support' that the fibres found on the towel matched fibres found from the boot of the car. 
.
It is reported that police are probing the secret summit between the McCanns and their 'tapas group' friends at a hotel near their home. 

Police want to trace a blue tennis bag allegedly taken from Kate and Gerry McCann's apartment on the night Madeleine went missing.
Sky TV airs Martin Brunt's documentary 'The Mystery of Madeleine McCann' in which he reviews the case and reveals details of the missing sports bag, as reported yesterday.

In short: December is a rather quiet month, usual Fund web activity and general appeal to the public re first Christmas without Maddie.
(not quite correct as she wasn’t there Christmas 2005 either).


January 2008

Gerry returns to work full time.
 
New detective Noel Hogan is hired. The Smiths family are contacted by ‘private detectives hunting for Madeleine’.
The reservoir at the Arade Dam is investigated.


Blood is definitely Maddie’s according to media.
Tanner and ROB are named as the two who wanted to change their story.
Murat is now said not to be the abductor.

Meanwhile the media still publish more or less what they like. The Vanity Fair incriminating interview is published.

Meanwhile at this early stage discussion on making a film and a bidding war between to US talk shows are begun. One million is mentioned.
A second TV documentary is also proposed with the McCanns asking for a ‘donation’ to the Fund which is said to be running low.

The PJ is concerned at the delays by the British authorities.

In short:
Things have been happening behind the scenes. Despite the leak on ROB and JT, papers are kept busy with Arade dam affair. The Smiths are contacted on TM’s behalf. Enough distractions for the press and the start of their ‘new life’ the original purpose of the ‘abduction’:
money to be made from film, talk shows and documentary. Murat absolved but no definite new target selected.

February 2008
Media report Kate stops work (although in fact she hasn’t worked since 4/07) to concentrate on working for children’s charities.
The word ‘ambassador’ is mentioned again. Amber Alert System and Missing Children Europe as well as International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and CEOP are all mentioned frequently in the media.

Despite the statements in December, Metodo3 contract is renewed.

In short: the drive to obtain some kind of official position as ambassadors for children’s charities is at the forefront here. Whilst no doubt negotiations and further damage limitation goes on behind the scenes. The McCanns are becoming more secure - in effect a firewall is being created.

March 2008
From the start of the month the McCanns make official complaints about the Express group through Carter Ruck.
From the 12th of March journalist of that group are forbidden to write about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
By the 19th a pay out of 550.000 is agreed.

Preparations and slow negotiations with Jaqui Smith enabled the PJ to finally set a date for the Rogatory Interviews. The McCanns are not part of the RI and will not be required to answer 40 questions which still haven’t been answered.

In short: Eventually a total of 11 newspapers were sued by Murat, the T7 and the McCanns.
The media published almost only favourable reports on the McCanns from then on. As by that date the public were almost hypnotised by the ever recurring photograph of Maddie, the newspapers didn’t suffer financially.


April 2008

The Rogatory Interviews take place in London. The PJ attend most of these.
During the time these interviews take place the McCanns are in Brussels, promoting their ambassadorial ambitions re Amber Alert. Despite the fact that this scheme was already under discussion in 2006 and several countries had signed an agreement, the media reported this as an initiative of the McCanns. CM in full flow it seems.

Early in the month the result of the Arade dam search is prominent.
Amaral comes in for a lot of bad press as do the PJ in general. The media now have only one thing to report, the saintliness of the McCanns.
The McCanns are asked to take part in a reconstruction. Returning to Portugal may be ‘dangerous’. The press agrees.
The crying episode is leaked to the press, which infuriates the McCanns.
Newspapers are full of articles on Kate’s emotional state, the Amber Alert and demands by TM to have the FBI investigate the ‘botched’ work of the PJ. Near the end of the month the run-up to the inevitable ‘first year’ remembrance performance is widely published.
The anti-PJ publicity is at its height. Articles on PJ leaking information to ‘smear’ the McCanns. Amaral resigns from the PJ. The xenophobic press is having a field day.

By Lori Campbell
April 27, 2008
 
Anguished Kate and Gerry McCann are to write a book about their year of hell since little Madeleine disappeared.
The couple are desperate to tell the truth of their ordeal and plan to publish a tell-all book with the help of a ghost-writer - with all proceeds going to the Find Madeleine Fund.


In short: by the end of the first year the hatches are battened down, the McCanns are more secure. Amaral is gone but the bad news is that he is publishing a book. The immediate reaction is to write a book themselves.


So at this fairly early stage - from January on we have plans for:
a full feature film
a second documentary
a US talk show
a book - all these with hefty price tags.

Security:
the media are gagged - a payment of 550.000 by Express Newspapers is agreed.
no interviews of the McCanns by the LP or the PJ will take place
witnesses and ‘friends’ have been brought into line.

Career:
Kate has ‘given up work’ to be ‘ambassador’ for children’s charities.
Gerry is working full time - although taking a full and active part in the presentation of Amber Alert Europe in Brussels. There is still hope that the ambassadorial roles for both the McCanns will eventually be realised.

All the above comments are entirely my opinion.

Wow, impressive.

I bet even the mccans didnt counter for things to go so well for them - from expecting the worst to happen, to be able to spin it around to their advantage.

What would they have done without CM? plus not forgetting BK behind the scene holding it all together for them.

Those two are right up to their thick necks in shit creek together with the mccanns.

I went through all this bumpf because it does show that the protection they had in Portugal simply consisted of stopping the odd leak on the good ship TM. When they hit the iceberg some people in the UK must have been both shocked and very worried, imo. From then on stopping the leaks was far more difficult and the legal aspects of the case were far more complicated.

So from this synopsis it looks that the serious work on this began in October and by the end of March they were virtually home and dry.

I'm convinced they meant to stay in Portugal and become ambassadors/celebrities - this ambition could not be rescued, but it's interesting that they are picking it up with almost indecent haste - whilst they are still official suspects!
The PJ also stated during that period that if they answered the 40 questions and no glaring inconsistencies resulted - they would be cleared.
So why did the McCanns choose not to do so?

Untangling them from the arguido status took a few more months - but consider: parents suspected of having caused the death of their child (by neglect or otherwise) were lecturing the European Parliament on Amber Alert. They must have felt very safe by then.

tigger wrote:
Untangling them from the arguido status took a few more months - but consider: parents suspected of having caused the death of their child (by neglect or otherwise) were lecturing the European Parliament on Amber Alert. They must have felt very safe by then.

Had the "place" been searched but nothing found ?

@tigger

'from then on stopping the leaks....' I see the point you're making regarding stopping the leaks but I feel Team Mccann and their supporters will not be able to plug the dam forever and it will eventually burst. The pressure they are under must be immense with every word and body sign analysed and the SY Review. They dare not slip up. The same can be said about the Tapas friends. Makes you wonder if the Mccanns are still in contact with their holiday friends.

sammyc wrote:@tigger

'from then on stopping the leaks....' I see the point you're making regarding stopping the leaks but I feel Team Mccann and their supporters will not be able to plug the dam forever and it will eventually burst. The pressure they are under must be immense with every word and body sign analysed and the SY Review. They dare not slip up. The same can be said about the Tapas friends. Makes you wonder if the Mccanns are still in contact with their holiday friends.

I am sorry but all liars inevitably and involuntarily slip up. They can't control that.
Body language is not something they can control even if they trained themselves. Their words whether they like it or not will be analyzed and there is no cosy pockets they can tuck away lies for safety reason. Lies are the most transparent thing that no one can keep a lid on them for ever.

I was talking only about the situation at that time. It would take a new topic to see how it has all been unravelling since.
I didn't follow the affair much in 2008 to 2010 - only when the book was imminent did I really start to look.
2008 they were as safe as they would ever get - perhaps a topic on the slow disintegration of TM over the years up to now might be of use.

E.G: The PJ evidence published on DVD and online - did they know that was going to happen? I'm pretty sure that cannot happen in the UK.
Perhaps they thought it was only going to be in Portuguese.
That alone must have been a severe blow and it also tells us that whoever was pulling strings for them, wasn't capable of stopping that happening.

Why were the 'ambassadorial' jobs not offered? Shoe-horning yourself into existing missing children charities doesn't count.
When did the celebrity support start to fail?

When did the various websites so full of explained data begin to frighten them so much they wanted them taken off the internet? CmoMM being a very large thorn in TM's side.

tigger, evening and must say you are pulling out all the stops.

It is so refreshing to pick up on someone who allthough a die hard sleuth on this case, can distance themselves enough to see all angles and without malice.

this is my que to put it out there that this case was simply a case of our times. Upwordly mobile ME's given the impression that they can rise up the ladder if determined enough and greedy enough to bypass the system. Under T Blairs use and abuse of WE THE UK PUBLIC, it was a case of anything goes so long as it fits in with the agenda at hand i.e. Murdochs empire.

I hear that Kate made much reference in her bookie wookie about an invite to dinner early on whilst in Praia, in fact she was boasting about it. Ask yourself this, why would the Mc's want to expose their private meets with Murdocks empire?

Basically because they're not very bright? Moving in those circles was their ultimate ambition, yet they're more Essex than Cotswolds and so it could never work in the long term.
For Murdoch they were little more than cash cows. Imo of course.

mira2 wrote:tigger, evening and must say you are pulling out all the stops.

It is so refreshing to pick up on someone who allthough a die hard sleuth on this case, can distance themselves enough to see all angles and without malice.

this is my que to put it out there that this case was simply a case of our times. Upwordly mobile ME's given the impression that they can rise up the ladder if determined enough and greedy enough to bypass the system. Under T Blairs use and abuse of WE THE UK PUBLIC, it was a case of anything goes so long as it fits in with the agenda at hand i.e. Murdochs empire.

I hear that Kate made much reference in her bookie wookie about an invite to dinner early on whilst in Praia, in fact she was boasting about it. Ask yourself this, why would the Mc's want to expose their private meets with Murdocks empire?

Great concise summary Tigger. I think they never reckoned the Murdoch Empire would suffer so many casualties when they aligned themselves with it. They were riding high with the wave, but like every wave it has to come crashing down sooner or later.

As recent discussions showed, there are gaps to be filled in the timelines. I didn't do a specific timeline for October 2007 - but recent posts elsewhere highlighted the 'bloody footprint/biting dog' story which surfaced that month. 

We're now six years on and it would perhaps be of use to look at the overall picture. Starting a long timeline  including the long run-up to Tony Bennett's trial in February this year, the Amaral trial in Portugal, the jailing of their detectives, the SY review and so on. 

If members here would just 'throw in' any event such as mentioned above,  memorable statements, actions taken by the McCanns, appointments made (Kate becoming ambassador for missing people,  nominated as woman of the year, a prize for the book, Panorama documentaries etc.)  we can then divide the long timeline into six shorter ones which may give clues to the way the 'affair' is going? 

tigger

Thank you for a "peek" into your files!

It is amazing when it's chronicled like you have done that they survived the pace.

I think it would be good to do a long timeline and if I do have any info I would like to contribute. I do have some info but it's not collated as yours must be so it would be of minimal help but if I can help I will.

Hi Angelique, just throw things in as and when you come across them, then I'll put them in order. 
It's always useful to go over old ground because when it's seen in context things become clearer imo. 

I love Mira2's comment on page one, Blair babes - puts it in a nutshell.

tigger

thumbs up smily.

Yes Kate made use (under Ger's direction IMO) of any and all opportunities.

I still think that all the media grabbing and insinuating themselves into mainstream news was approved by HM Government and had/is having a twofold effect making them horrendously untouchable simply because they drew in so many people, but that that was HM's intention. If you see what I am trying to say.

I have also found a link via SteelMagnolia of Gerry's visit to America. I didn't realise he got as close as Laura Bush!

Snip:

http://steelmagnolia-steelmagnolia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/mccann_29.html

McCann Back In Washington August 24th - Then Watch Again HiDeHo's Latest Video - Plan's On Leaving Kate FAR Behind ?
August 24th 2007 

McCann in the U.S.

Before he left, he had a tearful goodbye to his wife Kate, who is still in Portugal with twins Sean and Amelie.

Gerry is in the U.S. to learn more about how the country works to prevent children from becoming victims of trafficking and sexual abuse.

Heart Specialist McCann, according to Sky News, among other things, met America's first lady, Laura Bush. He will also meet with several senators and congressmen, reports Sky News.

He didn't get to meet Laura Bush but her deputy in the end. The director of the NCMEC is now in trouble for fraud. Gerry was away for four days, Kate spins out of control. Gerry returns and now even controls Kate's dreams. Only he can tell what she can dream?

22 July 2007
Gerry spends the whole day travelling from the Algarve to Washington, USA with their Campaign Manager. They take a Virgin plane with the tickets donated by Richard Branson.
Gerry is upset by a headline in a British newspaper suggesting that they face prosecution for leaving their children unattended.
23 July 2007
Gerry, and Justine McGuinness, spend most of the day at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). They meet US Attorney General Gonzales at the Justice Department.
Gerry finishes the day off with an interview for America's Most Wanted programme, which boasts 12 million viewers.
24 July 2007
Gerry starts interviews at 6.15am for the five major US TV networks.
Late morning Gerry, and Justine McGuinness, visit the White House where they meet with the First Lady's deputy chief of staff Sarah Armstrong.
After lunch they move on to Capitol Hill for meetings with politicians.
In the evening Gerry manages to meet up with a friend from Glasgow, who is also a cardiologist, and working in the Washington area for a 'bite to eat'.
25 July 2007
Gerry manages an early morning run around Washington.
After a round of meetings during the day and a visit to the British Embassy, Gerry takes an evening flight from Washington as he heads back to Portugal.
26 July 2007
Gerry spends most of the day travelling and gets back to Praia da Luz late afternoon.
unquote from McCannfiles.com

On his return he does not go direct to PdL but takes an apparently pointless route via Villa Bispo and Budens (where there is a golf course). Between Budens and PdL there are some 25 minutes unaccounted for after travelling time is subtracted.

tigger

Thank you for correction, so one could say Sky News were doing a bit of " spinning" afore the meeting which turned out not quite as impressive but like they say, once it's out there it's affect can be felt. Gerry in freight train mode - all systems go!

Tigger

Another thing which is dancing around my head is your event:

"After lunch they move on to Capitol Hill for meetings with politicians.
In the evening Gerry manages to meet up with a friend from Glasgow, who is also a cardiologist, and working in the Washington area for a 'bite to eat'."

I had read this before a long time ago, it may even have been your timeline. I wondered why he would meet up with a friend (also a cardiologist) who just happened to be in the same occupation, let alone the same country. Yes I suppose it's possible acquaintances do take posts in distant places. But it reminded me of an ex-boss I worked for who did a world tour with wife. I got the full run down when he arrived back and it struct me as odd that he knew so many people in each of the countries he visited with whom he stayed while seeing the sights. then it clicked. He didn't really they were fellow Masons. Not that it think that this "friend" was a Mason - but also, did it really happen or is it "colouring in" by TM?

Angelique wrote:tigger

Thank you for correction, so one could say Sky News were doing a bit of " spinning" afore the meeting which turned out not quite as impressive but like they say, once it's out there it's affect can be felt. Gerry in freight train mode - all systems go!

I think the spin was TM's. the fact that he didn't meet Laura Bush wasn't broadcast. That's classic PR, don't tell a lie just don't give the correction.
I think he'd actually hoped to meet Bush. Who must have had advice to the contrary.

Yes, that friend in Washington might a a mason too.
Q: Why didn't he at a later date check on Halligen for TM?
A: Because Halligen was doing exactly what he was paid for...?