The purpose of this site is for information and a record of Gerry McCann's Blog Archives. As most people will appreciate GM deleted all past blogs from the official website. Hopefully this Archive will be helpful to anyone who is interested in Justice for Madeleine Beth McCann. Many Thanks, Pamalam

Note: This site does not belong to the McCanns. It belongs to Pamalam. If you wish to contact the McCanns directly, please use the contact/email details campaign@findmadeleine.com    

2007: September key Events - Days (121-150) *

MCCANN FILES HOME BACK TO GERRY MCCANNS BLOGS HOME PAGE PHOTOGRAPHS
NEWS REPORTS INDEX MCCANN PJ FILES NEWS MAY 2007
 
First forensic test results received. Kate and Gerry made official suspects and immediately return to UK. Clarence Mitchell appointed as family spokesperson. 

All the key events from September, with video and pictures
July 2007 (Days 59-89)
August 2007 (Days 90-120)
September 2007 (Days 121-150)
October 2007 (Days 151-181)
November 2007 (Days 182-211)
December 2007 (Days 212-242)
January 2008 (Days 243-273)
February 2008 (Days 274-302)
March 2008 (Days 303-333)
April 2008 (Days 334-363)
May 2008 (Days 364-394)
June 2008 (Days 395-424)
July 2008 (Days 425-455)
August 2008 (Days 456-486)
September 2008 (Days 487-516) 
October 2008 (Days 517-547)
November 2008 (Days 548-Date)
Date
Day
Event
Saturday 01 September 2007
121
Portugese police receive 'significant' results from forensic tests carried out in Britain. Sources say a key piece of DNA was found in 'an area where it should not have been'. 
 
Kate's family leave first thing in the morning.
 
Kate and Gerry take the twins to a local zoo.
 
Sunday 02 September 2007
122
Gerry's mum and sister arrive after Kate and Gerry's regular morning visit to church.
 
In the afternoon all the family go to a friend's house, with a pool, and Kate and Gerry manage to enjoy a short run before they all have a swim.
 
Monday 03 September 2007
123
Gerry is contacted by Portugese police and told that both he and Kate will be required for further questioning. 
 
After dropping the twins off at kids club, Kate and Gerry pop into church for 10 minutes to pray for Madeleine.
 
The rest of Gerry's day is spent with the family and going through mail, e-mails and making calls.
 
Tuesday 04 September 2007
124
Kate and Gerry do their first interview for a French publication today.
 
In the evening they are invited, with the children, to a friend's house for dinner. The twins enjoy playing in the paddling pool and 'especially enjoyed the banana splits with extra child friendly toppings!'
 
Wednesday 05 September 2007
125
Gerry remarks in his blog that he is 'surprised to find increased media presence in Praia da Luz again today. We were followed down to church, then to the shops and back to our accommodation which is very unusual'.
 
At lunchtime, Kate and Gerry go for a run along the coast.
 
In the afternoon, they go to visit a friend of Kate's who is on holiday in a nearby village with her family.
 
Thursday 06 September 2007
126
Madeleline: DNA is found Sunday Mirror
 
Arrest expected 'in 48 hours'
 
Exclusive by Martin Fricker & Jon Clements 6/09/2007
 
Police in Portugal are refusing to tell Madeleine McCann's parents the results from DNA tests on blood and other scraps of forensic evidence taken from their flat.
 
Detectives were given the test results yesterday morning - but last night they had still not bothered to get in touch with Kate and Gerry.
 
The couple only learned of the results after news was leaked to the media of a "significant breakthrough" by British scientists who painstakingly analysed the tiny evidence fragments.
 
Last night it was claimed Portuguese police are now likely to make new arrests within the next 48 hours.
 
Sources said the DNA of a potential suspect had been among the material from the holiday flat. It is thought it was found in an area where the individual should not have been.
 
The news last night caused Madeleine's great aunt to collapse with shock. Janet Kennedy, 68 - who paid tribute to Kate and Gerry at a prayer service five days ago - fell ill at her home in Rothley, Leics.
 
A neighbour said: "Janet suffers from high blood pressure and the wait for results of the blood samples are too much for her.""
 
Janet's husband Brian, 69, was last night at her hospital bedside. He said: "We've been anxiously waiting all day for an announcement from Portugal. We thought police were going to say the results were inconclusive but we don't know. Now Janet's taken a turn for the worse."
 
A friend of the McCanns last night said Gerry was furious that police had not got in touch to tell them the test results had arrived from the UK.
 
He and Kate learned the news when an aide interrupted their afternoon run. The friend said: "Gerry was upset that detectives had not bothered to let them know about the results.
 
"It's bad enough not telling them what the results are, let alone not telling them they even have the results. As the parents you would expect the police to let you know of major developments.
 
"They have Gerry's mobile number and can call him at any time but he was not called by the police before he found out from the media. That's frustrating. They used to have a good working relationship with the police. Not any more."
 
Gerry and Kate's spokeswoman Justine McGuinness confirmed: "The Portuguese police have not phoned the McCanns and have not told them about the tests results."
 
Evidence taken from the McCann's flat in Praia da Luz during a review of the investigation by UK police was sent to Birmingham's Forensic Science Service laboratory a month ago.
 
It included blood flecks discovered by British sniffer dogs on the wall in the bedroom where Madeleine was last seen alive on May 3.
 
The FSS experts obtained at least one DNA profile from some of the samples using a sophisticated technique called Low Copy Number analysis. It allows scientists to find a genetic fingerprint from a tiny sample by "growing" it into extra copies suitable for repeated testing.
 
But it takes several weeks to produce a definitive result compared to as little as eight hours for a standard DNA test. Sources say a large volume of material sent to the UK is still being examined. But experts made the breakthrough after focusing on material most likely to show results.
 
Tests for the presence of four-year-old Madeleine's blood, saliva and hair were carried out first. Experts also searched for forensic traces that would link potential suspects to Madeleine's disappearance. A source linked to the investigation said any developments made by the FSS were passed on to Leicestershire police immediately.
 
That information was then given to the Portuguese authorities. The source said: "The FSS has been in close liaison with Leicestershire police.
 
"Information is always being fed back which Leicestershire police then pass on to the Portuguese authorities. On something so important, any information would not be sat on.
 
"The Portuguese are leading on the investigation and they have to be the ones to act on any information. What happens now is up to them, but people should be keeping a very close eye on events over there in the next few days."
 
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, the man leading the Portuguese inquiry, last night refused to say if they had received the test results.
 
He said: "The lines of investigation are the same since the beginning - they are all open. "We said the results are important for one of the lines, the one that considers the hypothesis of the little girl being dead.
 
"At this moment we are taking special attention on the hypothesis of death."
 
British ex-pat Robert Murat, 33, remains the only official suspect in the case. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
 
A spokeswoman for the FSS said their tests on the blood were "ongoing". She added: "There has been a lot of speculation. But the tests are ongoing. There has been no change in that. It's a live investigation and we are working with the police."
 
The Low Copy Number technique was developed by British scientists about five years ago.
 
A source said: "The scientists have had to take their time before sending any results over to Portugal because the Low Copy Number technique is very delicate and much more difficult than normal DNA testing. This kind of thing is only done when there are no more tests left to do. It is often requested by cold case review detectives investigating a crime decades later."
 
The technique has helped catch some of the world's most notorious killers. It helped British police investigating the "Trophy Rapist" attacks around the M25 motorway identify Antoni Imiela as their prime suspect.
 
And FSS tests on the handties used to bind Joanne Lees in the Australian outback gave police the DNA profile of killer Bradley Murdoch.
 
Meanwhile, the McCanns will take part in a major religious festival in Praia da Luz on Saturday. The couple, from Rothley, will attend an ecumenical service in the village church of Nossa Senhora da Luz as part of the Festival of Our Lady of Luz. The family spokeswoman said: "The church community has given them a lot of support."
 
*
 
Portuguese police start interviewing Kate McCann, as a witness, in the presence of her lawyer.
 
Gerry states in his blog: 'The suggestion that Kate is involved in Madeleine's disappearance is ludicrous. Anyone who knows anything about the 3rd May knows that Kate is completely innocent. We will fight this all the way and will not stop looking for Madeleine'.
 

Kate arrives at Portimao for questioning
Kate arrives at Portimao for questioning
Kate arrives at Portimao for questioning

Friday 07 September 2007
127
Kate McCann leaves the police station in the early hours of the morning after 11 hours of questioning. She is instructed to return for further questioning hours later.
 
 
 
John Corner, a close friend of the McCanns, describes how he is stunned by the way the enquiry is going. Interviewed whilst Kate was being interviewed for second time.
 
 
After shorter second interview, Kate is declared an official suspect, 'arguida', in the disappearance of her daughter.
 
 
 
Gerry fails to make an entry in his blog for the first time since 22 May 2007.
 
Fox News in America discusses the rights the McCanns now have under Portuguese law. Transcript here
 
Following Kate, Gerry McCann is interviewed and also named as an official suspect, 'arguido', in the disappearance of his daughter.

Kate leaves police station after first questioning
Kate arrives for second round of questioning
Kate leaves after second round of questioning

Gerry arrives for questioning at Portimão
Before

Gerry leaves Portimao station as an 'arguido'
After

Saturday 08 September 2007
128
 
The Times reports that 'beneath his unflinching exterior, Gerry was in a state of turmoil and fury. "We are being absolutely stitched up by the Portuguese police," he had told a friend after his wife Kate had earlier been named a suspect after hours of interrogation. "We are completely f*****, we should have seen this coming weeks ago and gone back to Britain."
 
 
Friends and family are shocked by the news that the couple have been named as official suspects.
 
 
Kate McCanns' mother, Susan Healy, describes how Kate 'fought her corner' with the Portugese investigators.
 
 
John McCann, Gerry's brother, welcomes the move to name Kate and Gerry as formal suspects as he believes it will speed up the investigation.
 
 
Sunday 09 September 2007
129
Kate and Gerry make a hasty departure from Portugal, leaving their rented villa in Praia da Luz at 7.00am in order to head back to England. Sky News state that the large press gathering were there at the invitation of the McCann's.
 
On arriving back in the UK, Gerry reads a prepared statement on the tarmac of East Midlands Airport:
 
"Today, Kate, Sean, Amelie and I have returned home as we planned a while ago.

We are returning to Britain after careful thought.

We want the twins, as much as is reasonably possible, to live an ordinary life in their home country and want to consider the events of the last few days which have been so deeply disturbing.

While we are returning to the UK, it does not mean we are giving up our search for Madeleine.

As parents, we cannot give up on our daughter until we know what has happened.

We have to keep doing everything we can to find her.

Kate and I wish to thank once again all those who have supported us over the past days, weeks and months.

But we would like to ask for our privacy to be respected now that we have returned home.

Our return is with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and police.

Portuguese law prohibits us from commenting further on the police investigation.

Despite there being so much we wish to say we are unable to do so, except to say this: we played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter, Madeleine."

 
 
Kate and Gerry are being advised by Michael Caplan QC, who visits them at their home in Rothley but goes unrecognised by the huge number of photographers present.
 

The McCann's leave their rented villa in Praia da Luz
Kate and Gerry leave for England with the twins
Kate and Gerry arrive home in Rothley

Monday 10 September 2007
130
Police papers detailing the inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance are passed to Algarve-based prosecutor, Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses. In Leicestershire, police and social services meet to discuss the case.
 
 
 
 
Gerry confirms, in his first blog since 06 September 2007, that they have appointed solicitors to advise them and assist their Portugese lawyer in preparing their defence against any possible charges.
 
Tuesday 11 September 2007
131
The Maddy File Sunday Mirror

EXCLUSIVE: Dramatic new blood sample evidence Cops 'tapped' couple's phone for clues

By Jon Clements And Ryan Parry In Praia Da Luz 11/09/2007

Key forensic tests back police suspicions that Kate McCann accidentally killed her daughter Madeleine and the body was then moved by car, it was claimed yesterday.

Experts found differences in Madeleine's blood traces taken from the family apartment in Praia da Luz and the Renault Scenic Kate and husband Gerry rented 25 days after the four-year-old vanished on May 3.

They say specks found on the floor and window sill of the apartment were fresh before they dried.

But blood and other bodily fluids found in the boot lining and interior of the Renault congealed differently, indicating they came from Madeleine's body at a later time.

The samples reportedly had a "full match" with Madeleine's DNA.

Police have since commissioned further tests and analysis of samples based on answers given by Kate and Gerry during interviews. They suspect Gerry helped cover up his daughter's death by disposing of her body then lying about events.

The results from Britain's Forensic Science Service emerged as detectives prepared to give prosecutors a dossier calling for Kate to be charged with "accidental homicide", the Portuguese equivalent of manslaughter in British law.

A source said: "The feeling is that the forensics support the theory that Madeleine died accidentally inside the apartment on the night she vanished, and she was then moved.

"These are sensitive tests but they have been carried out by some of the best scientists in the world. Detectives believe they fit into a wider pattern of evidence which points to the McCanns.

"There has been talk of 70 or 80 per cent matches. The FSS doesn't do that. It's either a match or it's not. It's either significant or it's not. In this case, it's significant."

Last night it was also believed phone taps may have been used. Unlike Britain, covert recordings are allowed as evidence in Portuguese courts.

Yesterday officers in Praia da Luz began a fresh search of the villa the McCanns rented after leaving their holiday apartment. They are looking for more traces of blood, fibres and other bodily fluids which may be linked to Madeleine.

Further searches at other nearby sites will be carried out. One place under scrutiny is in the nearby town of Lagos where officers will check drainage systems and construction sites.

Fishermen have reported being asked to search coves along the Algarve coast for bin liners.

The police dossier of evidence against the McCanns contains hundreds of pages of interview transcripts, witness statements, forensic reports and analysis by detectives.

It will be handed this morning to Jose Cunha de Magalhaes de Menezes who will decide if the couple, both 39, have a case to answer.

Mr de Menezes is expected to wait for a further update from British scientists before announcing if Kate and Gerry should face trial.

Police spokesman Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa said yesterday: "At the moment the inquiry is being prepared to be handed to the prosecutor. He will analyse it then make his decision."

Hunt leader Guilhermino Encarnacao added: "The theory of the death of Madeleine is progressively gaining more consistency. The investigation continues with all means."

A source close to the inquiry said all major results had been handed to British police and the Portuguese authorities. The insider added: "We have reached the tail end."

There were claims that the prosecutor would have charged the McCanns last week. But it is thought he was pressured into waiting by the Portuguese Attorney General.

Police believe the implications of a botched trial for relations between Portugal and the UK, and the effects on tourism, played a part.

The prosecutor now has three options - to bring charges, rule no action should be taken, or return the papers to police requesting more evidence. Under Portuguese law the McCanns have to be notified of any impending prosecution in writing.

It could mean months of waiting for the heartbroken couple who vehemently insist they had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance and believe their daughter was abducted.

Relatives say it is ludicrous to think Kate and Gerry could have hidden a body for 25 days then moved it while constantly in the public eye.

One witness believes she saw a mystery man carrying a child near the McCanns' apartment on the night Madeleine disappeared.

Furious relatives accuse the police of attempting to frame Kate and Gerry. Other supporters have even suggested crucial evidence has been planted to avoid accusations of a bungled inquiry.

Madeleine's aunt, Philomena, said: "All I can suggest is that the Portuguese police are clutching at straws to get this case cleared up.

"Kate and Gerry have been a thorn in their sides for a long time. What better than to cast them as villains ?" The McCanns were named as suspects last week after being questioned as witnesses.

Detectives told Kate during questioning that if she confessed to accidentally killing Madeleine she would get a reduced sentence of two years.

The couple were not set bail conditions and were allowed to return home to Rothley, Leics, with twins Sean and Amelie, two, on Sunday.

They insisted they were not running away and would continue to co-operate.

They have since hired top barrister Michael Caplan QC, an expert in extradition law who represented Chilean dictator General Pinochet in 1999.

He will be instructed by solicitor Angus McBride who defended actor Chris Langham, convicted of downloading child porn.

A family friend said the McCanns were being advised on "much more than just extradition" but would not give any further details.

Kate and Gerry now have the headache of meeting hefty legal bills to try to prove their innocence.

So far more than £1million of donated money has flowed into the fund set up to find Madeleine. But using fund money is not an option.

FORENSIC EVIDENCE

Analysed by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Kirkham, former Scotland Yard murder squad investigator

Clue: Blood on window sill of apartment at Ocean World resort which matches Madeleine's DNA profile

Dci Kirkham says: "She could have reached this herself which means it is not necessarily suspicious. She could have cut herself or bumped into it so it is of interest but not significant on its own."

Clue: Blood on floor of apartment at Ocean World resort which dried fresh and matched Madeleine's DNA profile

Dci Kirkham says: "Children can fall over and bump themselves and it's unlikely that they do themselves a lot of harm. The significance of this depends on how much and the spray or pattern it forms."

Clue: Police teams still searching for Madeleine in surrounding and wider area of Portugal

Dci Kirkham says: "To find a body in any murder is absolutely crucial even after several months. It moves an investigation forward a million miles with new leads. There are soil samples to examine, other forensic traces to detect and items to examine. Without a body, you are at step one, with a body you are at step nine."

Clue: Blood, hairs and other bodily fluids in interior and boot lining of Renault Scenic

Dci Kirkham says: "This is much harder to explain away innocently. If there is more than a few spots that suggests something sinister. If there is bodily fluid from a decomposing corpse it is almost impossible to come up with an innocent explanation."

Clue: Search of the nearby villa which Kate and Gerry McCann rented after they left Ocean World Resort

Dci Kirkham says: "If the police believe a corpse has been moved they will ask, 'Where was it wrapped?' If there are traces in the car there would have been traces on clothes. If there were traces on clothes they could have been transferred to the villa."

Clue: Cuddle Cat, which Kate says she left with Madeleine but she says was found on a shelf afterwards

Dci Kirkham says: "This was given as evidence that Madeleine did not wander off. But Portuguese police will not take it at face value now Kate is a suspect."

*

Portuguese police play down reports that DNA evidence with a 100% match to Madeleine was found in her parents' hire car.

A statement is made outside the prosecutor's office in Portimao, saying he has received the files detailing the inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance and decided they should go before an instructional judge.

The judge has 10 days to make a decision on the files' contents.

Watch BBC News report here, with link to interview with Father Haynes Hubbard, the Anglican priest, who speaks on his decision to give the McCann's the keys to the local church

Read BBC News report here

Read BBC News report on legal options here

The BBC pick up on Gerry's internet blog, written yesterday, in which he says he and Kate face an "unbearable" situation.
 
 
 
The McCanns consider doing their own tests on the Renault Scenic hire car.
 
 
Portuguese media claim that police believe Madeleine McCann was buried in a roadworks trench outside a church. It is reported the police are planning to launch a dramatic dig in the hope of finding traces of Madeleine.
 
However, they say they do not expect to find the youngster herself, as they do not believe it was her final resting place. According to reports, police believe the couple only buried their daughter outside the Church of Our Lady of Light temporarily.
 
They claim DNA evidence from the family's car, which was rented 25 days later, proves she was later moved. As the massive hunt for Madeleine developed, the McCanns went to the church every day to pray.
 
Wednesday 12 September 2007
132
The board of Madeleine's Fund issue a statement clarifying that money contained within the fund will not be used to pay for Kate and Gerry's legal defence costs.
 
 
 
Portugal’s public prosecutor, Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses, applies to a judge for an emergency order to seize several items – including Gerry's laptop and Kate's diary – within 24 hours.
 
Thursday 13 September 2007
133
A French newspaper reports that Madeleine died from an overdose of sleeping tablets but British forensic experts say that the quality of samples collected is unlikely to be good enough to show this. Gerry hits out at the 'ludicrous allegations' being reported.
 
It is believed the judge, Pedro Miguel dos Anjos Frias, approves the order to seize certain items in the McCann's possession. It becomes apparent the PJ already have a photocopy of Kate's diary but need the original to produce as evidence in court.
 
In a signal that the McCanns are prepared to fight to prove their innocence, they issue a challenge to Portuguese detectives, saying: “Find the body and prove we killed her.”
 
A US film about the disappearance of a 4 year-old girl, called Madeline O'Brien, is shelved in the UK due to similarities with the Madeleine McCann case.
 
Friday 14 September 2007
134
A Porugese police 'source' believes that Kate's diary could hold the critical clue to her daughter's disappearance. Allegedly, the entries, which she regularly scribbled in her black notebook, show her volatile state of mind and how she struggled with her 'hyperactive' daughter, failing to receive any help from Gerry.
 
A police source, commenting on their interest in Gerry's computer, said: “The police want to know what kind of emails Gerry exchanged with certain people. It seems to be more about Gerry than Kate, because they appear to believe Gerry controlled Kate. They want the computer and lots of other objects including Kate’s diary and letters from family and friends.”
 
However, he said police were not looking to seize Madeleine’s Cuddle Cat, as has been reported. Kate has regularly been seen clutching the toy since her daughter went missing on May 3.
 
Papers are expected to be sent to the UK later today asking Leicestershire Police to seize the items so that Portuguese detectives can travel to England to examine them.
 
Saturday 15 September 2007
135
John McCann, Gerry's brother, releases a statement as board member of Madeleine's Fund, that money will be released to support a new range of initiatives in advertising Madeleine's disappearance. The adverts will be focussed on Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe.
 
 
Justine McGuinness ends her work as spokesperson for Kate and Gerry McCann today.
 
Commenting on Justine’s departure, Gerry McCann said: “Kate and I would like to thank Justine for all her hard work over the past 89 days, commitment and professionalism. We will remain friends and wish her all the best in the future.”
 
David Hughes will act as Kate and Gerry McCanns' spokesperson for Sunday 16 and Monday 17 September 2007. It is anticipated that Kate and Gerry McCann will announce details of their new spokesperson shortly.
 
Chief Inspector and PJ Spokesperson Olegario de Sousa quits the investigation amid reports that he was unhappy with the treatment of the McCann's. He later describes this as 'completely false'.
 
Sunday 16 September 2007
136
Exclusive: Brit cops to quiz Kate McCann Sunday Mirror
 
Brit police want Kate to answer ALL 40 questions...
Doubt cast on evidence of dogs that smelt death...
Party did NOT drink 15 bottles of wine at bar
 
Nick Owens and Grant Hodgson in Praia da Luz 16/09/2007
 
Kate McCann will be quizzed by British detectives within the next 48 hours and will again be asked: Did you kill Madeleine and what did you do with the body?

Kate, already under unimaginable pressure, will be grilled by officers from Leicestershire Police on behalf of Portuguese detectives.

She will face detailed interrogation on the 40 questions put to her by Portuguese police who are convinced she killed Madeleine accidentally, then conspired with husband Gerry to cover up the death by faking the four-year-old's abduction.

Plans for the fresh police interview came on another day of extraordinary developments in which it emerged:

PORTUGUESE police want the couple to return there to take part in a Crimewatch-style reconstruction of the night Madeleine disappeared.

A TEAM of up to 20 Leicestershire police officers are said to be looking into the McCanns' private lives on behalf of their Portuguese colleagues.

THE inquiry turned dramatically against the McCanns when two British police sniffer dogs detected the scent of death in their holiday apartment

CURTAINS in the flat - said to have had blood on them - were washed after Madeleine's disappearance

GERRY'S brother John insisted the McCanns and their seven friends did NOT get through 15 bottles of wine the night Madeleine vanished as has been claimed.

McCANN pal Jane Tanner's claim to have seen a man walking away with a pyjama-clad child wrapped in a blanket has been categorically ruled out by Portuguese police as mistaken.

The questions Kate is to be asked will include the ones she refused to answer when she was declared an official suspect in the inquiry on September 7, claimed Portuguese paper Jornal de Noticias yesterday.

It reported that Portuguese judge Pedro Daniel Dos Anjos Frios last week gave investigators in the Algarve permission to make the interview request through Europol - the Europewide police organisation.

That interview with British police could take place as soon as Tuesday, the paper reported.

Kate, 39 - who yesterday remained at home in Rothley, Leics, with the family - is understood to have declined to answer a number of questions 10 days ago on the advice of her Portuguese solicitor.

Portuguese police also want their British counterparts to seize the original copy of Kate's diary, in which the mum-of-three allegedly complains that Gerry, also 39, did not do enough to help her with boisterous Madeleine and their twins, Sean and Amelie, two.

The judge is said to have declared the diary "potential evidence" on Friday in a meeting with police and prosecutors at Portimao court.

Portuguese police made photocopies of the diary while the McCanns were in Portugal in the hope of finding clues about Kate's state of mind.

Unbelievably, Portuguese police now want the McCanns and their group of friends to fly back to Praia da Luz to enable the reconstruction to take place.

Investigators want Kate and Gerry to take part in or advise police on their movements as the event is staged.

It would be filmed and distributed to TV stations in an attempt to jog memories and, possibly, put still more pressure on the couple.

Police are now said to be planning new searches guided by mobile phone satellite technology.

It has enabled them to pinpoint where the McCanns and their friends were from calls they made to each other the night Madeleine disappeared.

The new searches are expected to focus on the McCanns' Algarve holiday complex, The Ocean Club, and the area leading to the sea.

Other searches are thought to be planned in a forested area north of the town of Lagos near to where the McCanns were staying.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Mirror has learned of the dramatic moment which led to Portuguese police turning on the McCanns.

It came when springer spaniels Eddie and Keela - loaned by South Yorkshire Police in early August, 13 weeks after Madeleine vanished - picked up the scent of a corpse in the McCann holiday apartment.

Sniffer dogs allegedly "smelt death" on Kate's trousers - explained by her friends as due to her work as a GP.

But friends of the McCanns were dismissive of the revelations - saying the evidence would be inadmissible in court because it was not corroborated and the scent the dogs were following could have been anyone's.

One friend said: "The police change their tune every day and feed information left, right and centre to try and smear Gerry and Kate. It is quite appalling and distracts attention from the search for Madeleine."

It has also been alleged that curtains behind the sofa had traces of blood which were found to have been washed when they were taken away and analysed.

The dog evidence - combined with the finding of particles of Madeleine's DNA and hair in the McCanns' hire car - led to police declaring Gerry and Kate official suspects.

A police incident room is now in place in Leicester where up to 20 officers are said to be following up on requests from their Portuguese counterparts.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has also spoken to the Chief Constable of Leicestershire, Matt Baggott, twice in the past fortnight about developments in the case.

Our source said: "The police have assured the Home Secretary that the evidence the Portuguese police are gathering is legitimate and the investigation is progressing.

"The British police and the Portuguese are working very much hand in hand each day."

He added: "The Portuguese have told British police that Kate's diary shows she had trouble controlling the children. British officers are therefore being asked to look into Kate's background to see if she had any history of depression or if there are any signs she has struggled to cope with looking after her kids."

This has enraged the McCann family, who say Kate is a brilliant and calm mum.

The source said: "The police have also been asked to locate Kate and Gerry's medical records to see if there are any potential hereditary health conditions which would make it dangerous for Maddy to be given a sedative.

"Officers are being asked to check up on statements given by friends of the McCanns because they are not positive the timings they have been given are right. It is likely many friends will be asked to give new statements within the next few days."

The source explained: "Gerry has answered no comment to every question he has been asked and the view among the Portuguese Police is that he and Kate must respond to a number of unanswered questions."

Meanwhile, sources in Portugal agree the McCanns' friends, including Jane Tanner, also face a second round of questioning in the next few weeks.

Last night, Jane was reported to be at the top of the police reinterrogation list.

Detectives are said to have concluded that information she gave them about seeing a man running away from the McCanns' apartment with a pyjama-clad child in a blanket, was false.

The information formed the basis of a police e-fit. However, there is no suggestion the McCanns' friend was deliberately lying.

And last night John McCann defended his brother Gerry and sister-in-law in an interview with Portuguese weekly Expresso.

He said the McCanns and their friends drank only "four or five" bottles of wine the night Madeleine disappeared - not the 15 bottles previously reported.

*
 
Richard Branson offers £100,000 to fund the McCann's legal fight.
 
Kate's friends Linda McQueen and Nicky Gill come out in support of the McCann's.
 
 
Monday 17 September 2007
137
Clarence Mitchell resigns as director of the Central Office of Information's media monitoring unit to become the McCann's media spokesperson.
 
Kate and Gerry's legal team contact American lawyers over a case where sniffer dog evidence was thrown out of court. They hope this will help fight any charges that they were involved in the disappearance of Madeleine.
 
Tuesday 18 September 2007
138
Newly appointed McCann family spokesperson, Clarence Mitchell, makes his first public statement outside the McCann's family home in Rothley.
 
 
Net petition backs McCanns Daily Mirror
 
18/09/2007
 
A petition - called Kate and Gerry Are Innocent - has been launched on the internet to support the couple.
 
Eight hundred people have signed up in just three days.
 
Gerry's sister Philomena McCann - who set it up - said yesterday: "We want people who believe Kate and Gerry are innocent to show their support and sign."
 
Wednesday 19 September 2007
139
Portuguese prosecutors rule there is "no new evidence" in police files to justify re-questioning Gerry and Kate McCann.
 
 
 
Twins Sean and Amelie, 2, are enrolled in their local day care facility, the same one Madeleine attended before she disappeared in Portugal in May. "It was very emotional and distressing for them," says Gerry's sister Philomena McCann.
 
Thursday 20 September 2007
140
Kate and Gerry express their fear that their mobile phones were bugged by Portugese police in the Algarve and since they've returned to the UK.
 
The public prosecutor in Portugal admits the case has hit an 'impasse'.
 
Friday 21 September 2007
141

Gerry McCann believes he may have come within a few yards of his daughter’s abductor when he saw her for the last time, a friend of the cardiologist has said.

 

Gerry has become convinced an intruder was already hiding inside the family’s holiday flat when he left his meal to go back and check on his three children on the night of Madeleine’s disappearance.

 
Kate and Gerry offer to take lie detector tests.
 
Saturday 22 September 2007
142
An Edinburgh-born tycoon has emerged as the mystery backer of the family of Madeleine McCann. Brian Kennedy, who is estimated to be worth £250m, broke his silence to explain why he is supporting the couple. His money is helping Gerry and Kate McCann have access to some of Britain's leading lawyers as well as the backing of a full-time media liaison officer.

He said: "I felt compelled to offer, along with other like-minded businessmen, financial support and the full logistical support of the Latium team. The support is principally our in-house lawyer, Ed Smethurst, and the official spokesman, Clarence Mitchell."

He continued: "This will relieve the McCanns of the daily pressure of coordinating the legal teams which will expedite the clearing of Gerry and Kate's names, allowing all the parties to refocus on finding Madeleine."

British newspapers report on "the missing seven hours" on May 3, the day of Madeleine's disappearance, when it is alleged she was seen by no one except her parents. The clear suggestion was that this was when she was killed and her body disposed of.

Sunday 23 September 2007
143
The mood in the British media changes after journalists are supplied with a detailed version of the day by the McCanns' PR team, constructed through the testimonies of "sources" and "friends" close to the family. This is principally to counter allegations that there were seven missing hours on 03 May, and the allegation that this was when Madeleine was killed and her body disposed of.

The media are also issued with new photographs, which illustrate the McCanns' heartbreak rather than their possible culpability.

It is reported that the McCanns are at odds over the level of cooperation they should offer Portuguese police. "Gerry wants to co-operate with the police but Kate does not trust them so at times they are at cross purposes," said a friend. "Kate is insisting that the police cannot be trusted. She is more cynical but Gerry doesn't care what it takes and is insisting that they need the police."

Kate McCann 'renowned for alcoholic binges' at university Daily Mail

Last updated at 11:00 23 September 2007

Hot lips: Kate McCann in more carefree days
Hot lips: Kate McCann in more carefree days

 

Kate McCann was nicknamed 'Hot Lips Healy' during her carefree student days at Dundee University.

Kate Healy, as she was then, was 'renowned for alcoholic binges and dance till you drop nocturnal activities', according to her year book of 1992.

However friends say Kate, was one of the most popular students in the medical department and have spoke of their shock at the allegations made by the Portuguese police.

One former classmate, now a doctor, said: "Kate was great fun, always up for a laugh and a party. She was certainly more interested in going to the pub than she was in her studies. Although she seemed to pass her exams with ease."

Her light-hearted attitude to her studies is illustrated, friends say, by the yearbook entry written by her colleagues at Dundee.

It reads: "Kate 'Scouser' Healy-chops 'ferried' over from Merseyside five years ago and rapidly became the most prominent member of the H.G. Girlies.

"Renowned for frequently indulging in alcoholic binges and 'dance till you drop' nocturnal activities, she immediately led the rest of her fellow colleagues astray.

"Hot Lips Healy maintained a consistent Friday night appearance in the Union throughout the whole of first year."

Monday 24 September 2007
144
Nanny, Charlotte Pennington, speaks for the first time to claim that Kate did scream 'They've taken her', from the balcony of the McCanns' apartment.
 
Gerry writes in his blog that he is encouraged by the fact that the prosecutor has stated that all lines of enquiry are still open.
 
Tuesday 25 September 2007
145
A Spanish woman, Clara Torres, contacts police to report a possible sighting. The woman took a photograph of a girl with a group near the northern town of Zinat, just south of Tangiers on August 31.
 
Wednesday 26 September 2007
146
A photograph taken by a Spanish tourist in Morocco is examined by experts, amid suggestions a girl in the picture could be Madeleine. Within 24 hours, it becomes clear the girl is not Madeleine but is in fact Bouchra Binaissa, a Moroccan three-year-old, from Zinat, travelling with her family.
 
 
 
Thursday 27 September 2007
147
It is announced that nearly £300,000 of the Find Madeleine Fund, set up to help finance the search for Madeleine and support her family, has been spent so far. This represents about a third of the £1,036,104 given by individuals and organisations to Madeleine's Fund, a non-charitable not-for-profit company.
 
The Fund's board of directors met yesterday to decide how to use the money. The exact figures for what the donations are spent on will not be disclosed until the end of the financial year when the accounts are made public, said director Esther McVey.
 
Private investigators, said to be ex-military personnel, are being employed to search for the youngster outside Portugal. They are focusing on countries such as Morocco, where there have been several sightings of Madeleine since she disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3.
 
But the news has infuriated the Portuguese police. Police trade union chief Carlos Anjos said it was "another diversion manoeuvre by the McCanns. It's another strategy by the McCanns, who today say one thing and tomorrow something completely different. Portugal does not have legislation in this area. Private detectives cannot intervene in criminal cases."
 
Friday 28 September 2007
148
Gerry remarks in his blog that the media presence has reduced to a few photographers, although there remains a police presence at the entrance to their cul-de-sac.
 
Saturday 29 September 2007
149
Clarence Mitchell interview with Maria Barbosa published in Expresso. Some quotes:
 
"An outcome similar to Holly and Jessica is possible. I don't want to, and I can't, talk about Robert Murat but some journalists who worked with me in Soham, and that were now in Portugal, saw resemblances between that case and Robert Murat. And I won't say more."

"It was suggested in the press that Kate and Gerry went to Fátima to bury Maddie's body. I went along with them on that trip and I guarantee we didn't bury anyone there."

"I was the head of the government's Media Monitoring Unit. Forty people work there and their function is to control what comes out in the media."
Sunday 30 September 2007
150
The grandmother of missing Madeleine McCann believes the four-year-old was drugged by her abductor to stop her screaming out and raising the alarm. Eileen McCann, Gerry McCann’s mother, said it was the only way a stranger could have snatched her granddaughter as she lay sleeping in her parents’ rented apartment.
 
Speaking on the 150th day since Madeleine went missing and ahead of a renewed publicity campaign aimed at finding her, the 69-year-old told the Belfast Telegraph the family were "going through hell" as the endless stream of police leaks about Gerry and Kate’s involvement in their daughter’s disappearance continued.
 
Mrs McCann, who lives in Scotland and runs a pub, said: "I really believe they (whoever took her) gave her a drug. There is no way they carried her out of there without her awakening. If she was taken when she was sleeping by somebody she did not know, she would have screamed the place down."

With thanks to Nigel at McCann Files

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