A joint investigation

On January 2008, according to the investigation files from the DVD given to journalists, the PJ detective Ricardo Paiva received a dossier from British police and sent it to Paulo Rebelo, the head of the investigation of Madeleine's disappearance, with an internal communication.

The dossier's first document is an email from Stuart Prior, of Leicestershire Constabulary, with several files attached: MS Word documents with witnesses statements and a PowerPoint (PP) file. Inserted in the PowerPoint file, among other things, there was the sketch of the face of what was called before “The bundleman”, the faceless man' sketch based on Jane Tanner description. The email was sent to Ricardo Paiva and to another Leicestershire police officer, Michael Graham.

Stuart Prior asked Ricardo Paiva, in the mentioned email dated from January 16, 2008 (14:55), to get back to him as soon as possible, with instructions from Paulo Rebelo concerning the action to be taken, about the content of the dossier.

The PowerPoint file, as the Leicestershire police officer explained, was completed by the Mccann and the witnesses statements were taken by UK Police. The second document in the dossier is a short message, also by email, from Gerry McCann to Stuart Prior, dated from January 16, 2008 (13:15), with the subject “sketch”:

“Stuart

As discussed.

Gerry”

The email sent by Stuart Prior explained that, in the attached documents, Jane Tanner's description was taken from the Press and also from the summary of her statement. The witnesses statements attached to the email were from Gail Cooper, Paul Gordon and Trudy Dawkin. There were also files with “tanner description” and a “Summary of second statement of Jane Tanner”. Stuart Prior referred six specific questions, to be answered by Paulo Rebelo, and wrote that there was some urgency around those questions, as it was necessary to take decisions prior to the Gail Cooper artist impression appeared in the UK Press.

Another reason given by Stuart Prior for the urgency was the fact that he needed to get back to Gerry McCann because he asked to be updated about how Paulo Rebelo wanted the new lead investigation to be conducted. Stuart Prior wanted to know what kind of information could be provide to the McCann – who, as he wrote in the email, were very excited by the potential lead revealed in the PowerPoint file and in the enclosed witnesses statements.

A “point of power?”

The PowerPoint completed by the McCann has a title: “Finding Madeleine McCann – Aged 4”. Then, page after page, it has short references about the main points of several witness statement: Gail Cooper phrases about the a male she saw on April 20, 2007, while holidaying in a a villa near apartment A5, who is described as sallow skinned, scruffy, speaking broken English and claiming he was collecting money for an Orphanage in Espiche.

Alfred Schuurmans is another witness mentioned, in the PowerPoint file. He his head of Roscoe Foundation and Brian Kennedy spoke to him on January13, 2008. Alfred Schuurmans confirmed to Brian Kennedy that there are no Orphanages in Espiche or surrounding areas, and no collections were made, as this was illegal in Portugal.

Next page refers to Melissa Little, a qualified police sketch artist who spent many hours with Jane Tanner and Gail Cooper, to produce the sketches. Melissa, according to the PowerPoint file completed by the McCann, stated that there were many similarities between Jane Tanner's man and Gail's description.

On page 13 of the PP file, there is an “Action Plan”, with three points, to launch a worldwide search of the man pictured in the sketch. The last of the 14 pages of PP file has the sketch that Clarence Mitchell would show to the Media, during a Press Conference, on January 20, 2008. Following 11 pages have the transcriptions of witnesses statements, collected by British police.

Brief update to Gerry McCann

Ricardo Paiva replied to the January 16 email of Stuart, on the same day, at 17:52, on behalf of Paulo Rebelo, asking Leicestershire police to re-interview several witnesses and question other persons who were referred for the first time in his message and attached files. On January 17, several emails were exchanged between the two police officers, with details about specific actions and requests, most of them related with witnesses interviews and contacts.

Stuart Prior emailed Ricardo Paiva again on January 18, 2008 (18:57) to send more witnesses statements, in attachment, and inform the PJ Inspector that a brief update was given to Gerry McCann, as discussed between him and Ricardo Paiva. Stuart Prior also refers that he told Gerry McCann there were descriptions different from those of Gail Cooper and Jane Tanner, and evidence that several charity collectors have been “working” in the Ocean Club area, before Madeleine being taken, according to other witnesses.

The Leicestershire Detective Superintendent informed Ricardo Paiva that the sketch based on Gail Cooper description was likely to hit the Media over the weekend (19/20 January, 2008) – making clear that Leicestershire Constabulary was not involved in that in any way at all.

And just the day after Clarence Mitchell called the Media to released two sketches of a man the McCann “believe may have abducted the four-year-old”, one of the nannies from Ocean Club, Charlote Pennington, told the Daily Mail she saw Robert Murat talking “to a man who resembled the 'oddball' in the new sketch released by the McCanns”, outside the Batista supermarket. According to the January 21, 2008 edition of the Daily Mail, “Clarence Mitchell said the Madeleine McCann information hotline had been inundated with calls, saying the response had already been 'very encouraging'. Gerry McCann wrote on his blog: 'It is essential that he be traced. We believe many people must know who this individual is. We appeal to anyone who knows him or may have seen him to contact our private investigators. This man may have key information that will help us locate Madeleine."

Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis

More snippets and details about the investigation

Mr. Smith got a call from Brian Kennedy

Mr. Smith, the Irish witness that saw a man carrying a child on the night of May 3, was contacted by Brian Kennedy who asked him to take part in a photo fit exercise, but he refused. On a second statement to Irish police, he said that the particular way as Mr. Gerry McCann turned his head down, when leaving the plane, on his arrival in UK, was similar to what the man he saw on the night of May 3 did. Mr. Smith said he was 60/80 % sure that it was Gerald McCann the man he saw carrying a child. Mr. Smith was considered a genuine person, who is known locally and is a very decent person, was the comment of the Garda police officer that questioned him, on January 2008.

Tracing mobile phone calls

A British CID officer, on holidays near Praia da Luz, was warned by his superiors, after PJ intercepted phone conversations between him and Robert Murat, already an arguido, concerning technical details to trace mobile phones location. The CID officer justified the contacts because he was at Pensão Salsalito, owned by Murat's uncle. They knew he was a policeman, so asked him help about some general information concerning tracing mobile phone calls. Murat wanted to know if police would be able to locate with precision his mobile phone calls, on the night of May 3, as he used it, that night and he believed it could prove that he was at home, with his mother, when Madeleine vanished.

Gerry's fury

When GNR arrived, Gerry McCann walked to them, kneeled down and put both his hands in the ground, in the same position as a Muslim praying, and shouted twice, with rage in his voice, saying something that the witnesses close to them could not understand.

Toscano lies

Antonio Toscano, the alleged expert in child abduction and investigative journalist, was questioned by PJ, on May 27, 2007. Toscano gave dozens of interviews to British and Portuguese newspapers, claiming he knew Madeleine was kidnapped by a paedophile ring, by request, and he knew the man who was behind it. Questioned by PJ, he said that he received a tip from an informer, Frederico, who told him that a Frenchman called Bernard Alapetite, was responsible for the kidnapping. He said also that he could not guarantee Madeleine was with that man, but he believed Bernard Alapetite had the profile to perpetrate acts like that. Toscano said he knew Bernard Alapetite when he managed to be accepted as a member of a paedophile ring, acting as a “mole”, in his work as an investigative journalist.

Pictures of Madeleine

The printer used for the pictures of Madeleine belonged to a British member of the staff of Ocean Club. She brought it from her room to the reception. The pictures were printed using a memory card given to her by Russel O'Brien, around midnight. PJ wanted to check the printer, but she said that her boyfriend took it with him,to France. Anyway, experts from the PJ Laboratory considered that it was almost impossible to get a specific "fingerprint" from the pictures produced by that kind of printers.

Credit cards

On April 2008, Paulo Rebelo informed Stuart Prior that the Public Prosecutor didn't accepted the reduction of the period of time, proposed by UK Central Authority, concerning the request for records of Gerry McCann credit card transactions. That report was never finished.

The failed reenactment (*)

On April 2008, Mr. Paulo Rebelo gave a detailed response to the McCann friends, about their arguments and doubts concerning the reenactment of events from May 3. He made clear that one of the conditions stated – that Gerry and Kate "arguido" statute should be lifted, before – was not possible to be fulfilled, as it was a Public Prosecutor's legal power, not PJ.

About the reenactment, the main problem of the Tapas group was clear: either PJ believed in their statements and the reenactment wasn't necessary, or PJ was trying to get something strange out from that. They wanted to know what were the real intentions of PJ. After a lot of emails were exchanged, through Stuart Prior, the Tapas group remain unconvinced of the utility of such reenactment.

The next answers from the McCann friends put as conditions not only the lifting of the status of "arguidos" of the McCann couple but also a public statement from PJ dispelling the lies churned out by the Portuguese Press and stressing that there were no suspicions over the seven friends.

As the conditions were impossible to be fulfilled, a final request for a decision was made, from Paulo Rebelo, on an email addressed to Stuart Prior, on April 29. Jane and Russel O'Brien were the first to answer, saying yes, but pending further legal advice. Rachel and Matthew send a similar answer, but said they couldn't be in Portugal between 15 and 17 May 2008.

Diana, Fyona and David Payne also accepted, pending legal advice they were looking for, after the PJ detailed explanations. Jeremy Wilkins was willing to participate, if all other witnesses also came to Portugal.

A new date was decided, by the Criminal Court: 29 and 30 May 2008. But then, Gerald McCann asked for a change of this new date, because his lawyer had another court appointment, in Lisbon, on May 29. The request was denied, as it was not possible to made another change, with so many people involved.

On May 10, Rachel and Matthew Oldfield send an email to Stuart Prior, telling him about their final decision: they would not came to Portugal for the reenactment. Russel O'Brien, also on May 10, told Superintendent Prior that, as they knew Jeremy Wilkins, the Oldfield and the Payne families had decided not to go back to Portugal, there was no need of their presence, as the Public prosecutor said that the reenactment couldn't take place if all witnesses were not present.

On May 23, each one the seven McCann friends sent a formal answer to the Public Prosecutor's request for the reenactment, saying they would not attend it, following advice from their lawyers. The reenactment was cancelled by the Criminal Court Judge on May 26, 2008.

Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis

(*) Information taken from the investigation files made available to the journalists

Gerry McCann used two credit cards

The father of Madeleine McCann used two MasterCad credit cards, according to an information from Detective Inspector Gary Watts, from Leicestershire Constabulary, to Frances Kennah, head of UK Central Authority, a Home Office department in charge of the cooperation with foreign police forces.

The information, dated from May 23, 2008, refers the request by Portuguese authorities, through an International Letter of Request, for the transaction details of the credit cards used by Gerry McCann.

PJ asked for the records of a period of six months, starting on April 1, 2007, but Home Office thought that period to be disproportionate and suggested they could just give information about the days before and after Madeleine's disappearance.

The information from Detective Inspector Gary Watts states that the report concerning the transactions of those two credit cards wasn't finished, following a conversation between Detective Superintendent Stuart Prior and the recipient of the information, Frances Kennah.

A previous report about the financial situation of the McCann couple and their friends, produced by the Economic Crime Unit from Leicestershire Constabulary, found no records of credit cards or loans from Kate and Gerry McCann.

Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis

Version Française

Pre-publication of Amaral's book on Correio da Manhã (III)

DNA profiles, Forensic Science Service and inconclusive results

In the first days of September, Superintendent Stuart Prior, from Leicestershire Constabulary, went to Portimão, taking with him “a first preliminary report” from the results of the analysis of two samples collected at Praia da Luz, obtained with the help of South Yorkshire Police dogs Eddie and Keela, to discuss with PJ investigators how the investigation was developing. During the meeting, Stuart Prior “revealed that he was disappointed with the results of the analysis”, made at Forensic Science Service, in Birmingham, writes Mr. Amaral, according to Correio da Manhã. The Portuguese team of investigators also read the report and they didn't agree with the conclusions of Stuart Prior.

Concerning the first sample, found in the apartment's floor, the report showed “an incomplete DNA profile” with “low quality DNA traces from more than one person. But all DNA components identified coincided with the corresponding components from Madeleine's DNA profile.” The two samples, analysed at FSS, were “blood traces”, according to Mr. Amaral, “because the CSI dog is trained to detect only that body fluid”, a fact that he says is confirmed on a report prepared by “experts Mark Harrison and Martin Grime”, both British police officers assigned to go to Praia da Luz with Eddie and Keela.

After an explanation about the components from Madeleine's DNA profile, the conclusion was that 15 of the19 alleles of Madeleine's DNA profile were found in the analysis to the second sample of blood, took from the boot of the McCann rented car. “According to FSS experts, those 15 (alleles) were not enough to come to the conclusion, with a high degree of reliability, that it was Madeleine's DNA profile, even because the Low Copy Number (technique) found 37 components in that sample.”

Mr. Amaral refers also that the existence of 37 components was justified, in the FSS report, with the fact that, at least, DNA from three different persons “had contributed to that result” and emphasizes what he considers a “bizarre precaution” from the scientist that prepared the report: he explained that “in most DNA profiles of the laboratory experts, the components of Madeleine's DNA profile are also found.” He regrets that “in spite of having found 15 components of Madeleine's DNA profile” in the sample taken from the rented car, “results (of the analysis) were considered not conclusive.”