Madeleine McCann: Did the camera hold vital clue?, 07 November 2010

Madeleine McCann: Did the camera hold vital clue? Sunday Express By James Murray Sunday November 7,2010 THE detective who led the initial investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance believes her abductor was caught on camera – but revealed that the film was wiped before detectives saw it. Yesterday controversial figure Goncalo Amaral backed Kate and Gerry McCann's demand for a review and reopening of the investigation. The Sunday Express took Mr Amaral, whose book Maddy: The Truth Of The Lie was banned briefly from bookstores, to Praia da Luz to ask him to reveal where mistakes were made. He walked the route he believes the person who snatched Madeleine took. It begins at apartment 5A of the Ocean Club, from where the three-year-old disappeared on May 3, 2007. Mr Amaral believes the person would have crossed a road leading to a poorly lit road alongside waste ground. Standing at an entrance to the waste ground, Mr Amaral said: "This area was thoroughly searched." He walked a few steps and looked up at a CCTV camera and sighed loudly. The camera belongs to the Estrela da Luz resort hotel. "I believe that the person carrying a child in his arms was captured on film from that very camera," he said. "I asked my officers to gather all the CCTV footage in Luz but, by the time they got to this hotel, the film from this camera had been wiped over. It was a mistake and I will always regret it. I do feel Madeleine was let down." Walking alongside the waste ground, he enters a narrow street called Rua da Escola Primaria. "This is where there was a significant sighting of a man carrying a child in his arms," he said. "He was seen by a witness, Martin Smith from Ireland." The man with the child continued down the hill and would have come to a crossroads. Opposite the junction is an empty villa with a large garden. The wooden door leading to the garden is open. "It was open at the time and the villa is still empty," Mr Amaral said. "My officers spent a lot of time here." Mr Amaral concludes that any new investigation should fully consider the statement of Mr Smith. "I hope this is seriously examined because it is an important aspect of the case," he said.

Police chief: We will reopen Madeleine McCann case, 07 November 2010

Police chief: We will reopen Madeleine McCann case Sunday Express By James Murray in Praia da Luz Sunday November 7,2010 DETECTIVES working on the Madeleine McCann case say they are ready to reopen the investigation into her disappearance. Portuguese police have indicated they would be happy to work with the missing girl's parents and their friends. The gesture will come as a huge boost to Kate and Gerry McCann, who last week launched a petition and urged Home Secretary Theresa May to request a review of the case. A senior police source in Portugal said: "Detectives are committed to resolving this case and would work on any review and pursue any line of inquiry suggested." As the McCanns launched a petition last week, a frustrated Gerry said: "For the past three and a half years, the authorities have not being doing anything proactive to help Madeleine. I don't think it's right that the onus should fall on us. The authorities really should be doing more." Kate added: "We need action. I don't need fluffy, worthless words. We need somebody to do something." Almost 26,000 people had yesterday signed the online appeal for the Government to do more to find Madeleine. Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry are thrilled with the number of people who have supported them. It shows them there is still a huge amount of public opinion behind them." The couple, doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, are due to fly to Lisbon on Tuesday to consult their lawyers. Legal sources in Portugal say they should use their visit to ask their lawyer to formally write a letter to the Policia Judiciaria and to the Portuguese attorney-general's office. If a review was ordered, the Policia Judiciaria would suggest that there should be reconstructions of two key incidents on the evening of May 3, 2007, in Praia da Luz on the Algarve. The McCanns' friend Jane Tanner said she saw a man holding a child she believed to be Madeleine. Irishman Martin Smith said that the same evening he saw a man with a child in his arms walking to the beach. Last year, a documentary prepared with the McCanns' investigator, former British police officer Dave Edgar, highlighted those sightings. A well-placed source in Portugal said: "Mr Edgar clearly recognises the importance of these two incidents. We had hoped to do full filmed reconstructions but that did not take place but we would be happy to try again to get that vital work done." He said that both Kate and Gerry McCann and their holiday friends, David and Fiona Payne, Diana Webster, Rachel and Matthew Oldfield, Jane Tanner and her partner Russell O'Brien, would be treated with great sensitivity in any reconstruction. Last week Kate, 42, said she was "disappointed" over the Home Secretary's failure to help find her daughter, saying: "There is an abductor out there who is free to take another child. Other children are at risk and nothing is being done." She added: "We don't know how long this will go on for but it is our life. You get stronger handling the pain." The Portuguese police source said: "Every time we get information sent to us we look into it. Nothing is ignored. "The frustration is that there has not been a strong lead for a long time." A McCanns' spokesman said: "We would welcome any indication of support from the PJ. However, we would be hoping to have an official response to our call for a review of evidence." Sunday Express readers can sign the McCanns' petition at ipetitions.com/petition/madeleinemccann_case_review/.

Detectives reopen Madeleine McCann disappearance case, 07 November 2010

Detectives reopen Madeleine McCann disappearance case Today Show

Madeleine McCann cops agree to restart search, 08 November 2010

Madeleine McCann cops agree to restart search Daily Star By Keir Mudie 8th November 2010 POLICE in Portugal are ready to re-open the hunt for missing Madeleine McCann. Senior officials say they want to work with her parents Kate and Gerry to track her down. It is three-and-a-half years since she vanished in the holiday resort of Praia da Luz, days before her fourth birthday. The news of renewed police interest has been welcomed by Kate and Gerry, who last week launched a petition asking Home Secretary Theresa May to review the case. More than 26,000 people have already signed the McCanns' online petition and now Portuguese police have given their support. A source from the Portuguese police, the Policia Judiciaria, said: "Detectives are committed to resolving this case and would work on any review and pursue any line of inquiry suggested. Every time we get evidence we look into it. Nothing is ignored." Gerry, 42, said: "For the past three-and-a half years the authorities have not been doing anything proactive to help Madeline. "I don't think it's right that the onus should fall on us." Kate, also 42, said: "We need action. There is an abductor out there who is free to take another child." Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: "Kate and Gerry are thrilled with the number of people who have supported them." The couple, of Rothley, Leics, will fly out to Portugal tomorrow to meet their lawyers in Lisbon. It is thought that they will press for the Portuguese authorities to stage reconstructions of incidents on the night Madeleine disappeared.

How long must Kate and Gerry McCann suffer?, 08 November 2010

How long must Kate and Gerry McCann suffer? ITV News/blog Posted by Keir Simmons 8 November, 2010 More than three years ago Madeleine McCann vanished from an apartment in a Portugese seaside town. Madeleine was three years old and 11 months. She has now been missing for almost as long. She disappeared on the evening of Thursday May 3rd. I arrived in Praia Da Luz the next day. I felt sure she would be found and that I would be back in the UK before the weekend was over. I now know how wrong I was. So much is easy with hindsight. I can say today with confidence that the police hunt for Madeleine was utterly inadequate. One of the detectives admitted as much in a newspaper article this weekend. I didn't once see officers searching apartments in the area. I look back at the media's coverage of the events that would unfold with deep disappointment. Good journalists under pressure from London took far too many risks with the truth. Collectively in my honest view, we lost our balance. Some journalists lost the plot. At the centre of it all this were two parents who had no idea how to handle such pressure. The last time I saw Kate and Gerry McCann was at a news conference around a year ago. They looked as shell shocked as when I first saw them – perhaps more so. The suffering they are enduring is unimaginable. And yet, there continues to be a group of individuals who use the internet to attack these two poor parents. I hear from them all the time via Twitter. They demand that I investigate this or that "if you don't you’re not a reporter" one informed me recently. After a report I produced for NBC News over the weekend I was subjected to a torrent of abusive messages – one suspects they are co-ordinating their attacks for best effect. There was even one sick individual who created a Twitter account pretending to be Madeleine and then 'tweeted' about where she was. Thank god, the account was quickly taken down. These people say they are 'truth seekers'. They are not. What they write is just nasty, obsessive and vicious. They are not journalists, not even campaigners, they represent the worst of the human psyche electronically unleashed. People who read this blog will know that I see free speech as fundamental. And that I love Twitter and Facebook because they make free speech available to anyone with a computer. But we now see consistent examples of that free speech used irresponsibly. So I find myself considering cutting these people off, 'blocking' them in the terminology of Twitter. Is that the right thing to do? I think it might be. After this article they will send me abuse and vitriol over the web. I can deal with that of course. But why should two parents who have suffered so much continue to have this groundless campaign against them? Those involved claim they believe in 'truth' yet ignore any evidence that doesn’t fit their conspiracy theory. They claim to love children, yet ignore the effect their 'campaign' might have on Kate and Gerry McCann's twins as they grow up and begin to comprehend such things. I worry that by allowing them to communicate with me, by effectively engaging with them, I am encouraging them. Perhaps it's time for me in my own small way to say 'stop', I'd like to know what you think. Please send me your views on Twitter (ironically) or Facebook.

"A Voice for Madeleine": Campaign to reopen the case, 15 November 2010

Petition to reopen the "Maddie" case, 15 November 2010

Petition to reopen the "Maddie" case 'A Voice for Madeleine' petition Dear Fellow Citizens On the 3rd of May, 2007, in Praia da Luz, Lagos, Portugal, a little English girl, then aged almost four, disappeared. Until now, three and a half years later, we still do not know what really happened. The two main theories for the event are well known: abduction, which is the explanation that was offered by the child's parents, and an accidental death, with the simulation of an abduction and concealment of the body, which is the thesis that is defended by Dr. Gonçalo Amaral, the Judiciary Police investigator who coordinated the investigation process until the 2nd of October, 2007. Over these three and a half years, many things happened and many lines of text were written. From the creation of a Support Fund for Madeleine Beth McCann's parents, to the banning of the book "The Truth of the Lie", written by Gonçalo Amaral, many events have been concealing the Truth about this case. On October 19, 2010, the Lisbon Appeals Court lifted the injunction over the book "The Truth of the Lie". The authors of the injunction had a time period to file an extraordinary appeal, which ended on the 3rd of November. Nevertheless, instead of filing an appeal, Madeleine Beth McCann's parents launched a petition with the purpose to force the Portuguese and English authorities to review some information that is part of the process, which they believe has not been duly investigated. They could have asked for the process to be reopened, but they failed to do so! Criminal investigation must be unbiased and free, which is not compatible with the pressures that some try to exercise. Therefore, to centre the investigation on "some information" will condition both its direction and its contents. Presuming that both main theories for what happened on the 3rd of May of 2007 are legitimate, it does not seem honest to condition the course of the investigation from the outset. From that perspective, only the REOPENING of the process can offer the guarantee of equality for BOTH theories. And more! It can open up new perspectives over the case! Little has been said about Maddie. A lot has been said about the adults that are involved in the process. It is time to pay attention to Maddie! Therefore, if you agree that only the REOPENING of the process will allow for the investigation to carry on without being conditioned, under any theory whatsoever, and that only a free investigation will do Maddie Justice, do sign this petition, which, upon reaching 5000 signatures, will be delivered to the Attorney General's Office, to the Portuguese Parliament, to the Government and to the Portuguese President's Office. For Maddie and for the Truth, Thank you! Lisbon, November 8, 2010, We, the Citizens Justice for Madeleine --------------------- Note: The petition text was written by Dr. Paulo Sargento but because the petition to reopen Madeleine's case has a Group of Citizens supporting it - petition promoters - it is signed off to reflect that fact. Each time someone signs the petition, a message in Portuguese will be forwarded to the Portuguese authorities and politicians mentioned on the petition. Take Action: make your voice heard by those who matter. For Madeleine! Take Action! Sign the petition: A Voice For Madeleine · Uma Voz Por Madeleine · Une voix pour Madeleine · Eine Stimme für Madeleine · Una Voz por Madeleine · Een Stem voor Madeleine·

"Missing children" is theme of lecture by Gonçalo Amaral, 16 November 2010

"Missing children" is theme of lecture by Gonçalo Amaral oAlgarve.com Author: Susan de Sousa Nov 16, 2010 "The Internet and missing children - challenges for parents and children" is the title of the next lecture in Vila Real de Santo António. It will be given by Paulo Pereira Cristóvão and Gonçalo Amaral. On this occasion, Paulo Pereira Cristóvão will also present his latest book, "They took me," inspired by real cases of missing children. The lecture will take place on November 19 (Friday) at the Centro Cultural António Aleixo at 21.00.

Birch on the Ball: It doesn't get any bigger for City than a Forest fixture, 27 November 2010

Birch on the Ball: It doesn't get any bigger for City than a Forest fixture Leicester Mercury Alan Birchenall Saturday, November 27, 2010, 07:30 - Extract - I took Sven along to turn on the Christmas lights in my village of Rothley and it was absolutely packed. It was a job well done and all the proceeds from the switch-on went to the Madeleine McCann fund. There has been a candle burning on the village green by the memorial centre since the day she went missing. It is always lit. So, on behalf of the Rothley residents, many thanks to Sven. I wonder how it compared to some of the switch-ons he must have done in the past. ------------------------ Note: For non-football supporting readers, 'Sven' is Sven-Göran Eriksson; currently manager of Leicester City FC and formerly manager of a host of top European clubs, as well as a period as England national team coach from 2001-2006.

Portuguese President Cabinet reply to "A Voice for Madeleine" Petition, 02 December 2010

Portuguese President Cabinet reply to "A Voice for Madeleine" Petition Joana Morais blogspot Reply received by email, December 2, 2010 With thanks to Joana Morais for translation Hon. Sir/Madam I acknowledge the receipt and thank you for sending the exposure made by Your Excellency, requesting the reopening of the case concerning the disappearance of the minor Madeleine McCann. Albeit understanding the reasons that motivate the referenced exposure, which, in the ambit of principles, reveals a highly commendable concern for the fate of a minor, I hereby inform you, that the matter in question does not fall within the competence of the Portuguese Republic President, a legal and constitutional framework that enshrines the separation of powers, that is, the independence of the judicial function and the autonomy of the Public Ministry. Yours sincerely. The Chief of Staff to the President José Manuel Nunes Liberato

Madeleine support, 10 December 2010

Madeleine support Algarve Resident Updated: 10-Dec-2010 Members of the Helping to Find Madeleine (HTFM) organisation are asking people to support the campaign to continue the search for the missing girl by attaching stickers to Christmas card envelopes. The stickers feature a picture of Madeleine from the time of her disappearance in 2007 and an age progression picture.

Maddie's blanket brings in a new lead, 17 December 2010

Maddie's blanket brings in a new lead Correio da Manhã Kate says that the blanket was taken by the abductors, but the PJ took a photograph of it. Then it disappeared. By: Henrique Machado/Magali Pinto 17 December 2010 Thanks to Montclair for translation When Kate was interviewed on 26 April last year on the Oprah Winfrey show, she made an appeal: "I hope that the abductors cover her with her blanket." The mother of Maddie, who disappeared in Praia da Luz in 2007, was referring to the pink blanket which 4-year-old Maddie slept with every night. This same blanket was photographed by the PJ on the day following the disappearance, but it was never seen again. "If the blanket was there the next day, how was it possible for the abductors to take it. It is also with this that I will try to get the case reopened," stated Gonçalo Amaral, ex-coordinator of the PJ in Portimão. "There are many new facts that I will hand over to the Ministério Público and which I believe to be enough to get this case, which should never have been shelved, reopened. This is one more detail. We need to know which blanket was Kate talking about, because the pink one stayed in the apartment. Now it is missing." "All of these details will be presented to a prosecutor and I was not able to do this earlier because the McCanns prohibited me - against the Constitution - from doing so," he continued. In a communique, the McCanns' lawyer accused Gonçalo Amaral of "producing damaging insinuations to invoke the faults of the investigation", and that Maddie's disappearance is "an unending source of enrichment through false and offensive accusations which are prejudicial to the investigation". Amaral defends himself: "I am speaking and working with facts. I have not become rich from this case and I find it strange that the parents of a missing child are only worried about their legal defense in the case and do not want the truth to be found. They never wanted Justice to work." WIKILEAKS One of the 250,000 diplomatic documents, on the Wikileaks site, revealed that the British police found evidence against the parents. The new information could lead to the reopening of the case. REPORT In the communique, the couple's lawyer says that the report done by Gonçalo Amaral "was incriminating and did not resist its own analysis" and ended up being shelved after 8 months of investigation. FUND Gonçalo Amaral guarantees to CM that he intends to reopen the case, not to earn money, but for justice. "It wasn't me who was able to buy a house through a fund, like the McCanns were able to do."

The Big Read: The Dewani feeding frenzy, 21 December 2010

The Big Read: The Dewani feeding frenzy Times Live (South Africa) By Lin Sampson Dec 21, 2010 10:05 PM - Extract - The Dewani case has similarities with the Madeleine McCann case. It has the same tone of personal vindictiveness; unverified stories were constantly leaked to the press by the police. Sniffer dogs were taken to England and detected Madeleine's bodily fluids on Kate McCann's skirt, a garment she had worn long before her daughter disappeared. This was enough to have them declared official suspects. The McCanns were accused of being too calm; an accusation that was levelled against Dewani. It was seen as ominous that he employed a spin doctor; the McCanns also employed one. So what has it done for South Africa? If Dewani is guilty, then the fact that you can get a hit man for R1500 might attract a niche market of people wanting to knock off someone. If he is not guilty, and so far no substantiated fact has emerged, then our police, our journalists, our country, have more than egg on their faces. They have blood. ------------------------- Comments Dec 22 2010 01:49:56 AM JillyCL There are a number of parallels between this case and the McCann case, although you haven't listed them all. However, you are woefully ill-informed about the latter Specialist CSI cadaver and blood dogs (rated among the best in the world) did not go to England. They are English dogs that were taken to Portugal! These dogs alerted to cadaver odour and blood in the McCann apartment, items of clothing, belongings and their hire car. Every alert was connected to the McCanns and there were no alerts in the apartments or belongings of their 7 holiday friends ('The Tapas 7'). Your claim that there were alerts to Kate McCann's "skirt" are also erroneous. It was a pair of trousers and a blouse that she wore during the holiday that were the source of the CSI dogs' alerts.

Madeleine McCann's aunt explains why she has joined charity for missing people.. and how search for little girl goes on, 23 December 2010

Madeleine McCann's aunt explains why she has joined charity for missing people.. and how search for little girl goes on Daily Record Exclusive by Annie Brown Dec 23 2010 IN the window of Patricia Cameron's porch is a photo of her niece Madeleine McCann with the caption, "Still missing, still missed, still looking." Another Christmas is about to pass, the fourth since Madeleine disappeared in May 2007, leaving only pain and longing behind. Patricia said: "Christmas is one of the toughest times. But every family occasion is marred because there is a little person who is not there. "It doesn't get any easier. If anything, it gets harder." This week, Patricia became a family representative for the charity Missing People, who help with searches and support those left behind. She wanted to take on the role to highlight the plight of the many left with a void in their life - the parents, the children, the sisters, the brothers, the uncles and the aunts of the missing. The organisation are asking the Government to give families of missing people the same rights as victims of crime, access to legal and financial assistance and emotional support. It hurts Patricia deeply to watch her little brother Gerry and his wife Kate grow emotionally and physically weaker because of the loss and endless searching for Madeleine. Patricia said: "Gerry is the baby of the family. I feel very protective and it hurts me to see him looking so tired. They are both just exhausted. They have so much on their plate. "They are overwhelmed by trying to be breadwinners, investigators and parents. That's why I support the Missing Rights campaign. People need all the help they can get." Madeleine was snatched from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, as Gerry and Kate dined nearby. For the McCanns, there was a desperate need for funds to pay for legal advice and a worldwide search. Patricia said: "It is so hard to watch Kate and Gerry push themselves constantly. When Madeleine first went missing, family and friends had to step in to help them pay the mortgage. "Money is constantly tight but they have to keep going. They will never give up looking and that costs money. Families of the missing still need to pay bills while they search but there is no right to any financial help." After Madeleine disappeared, Patricia took on the role of babysitter for Kate and Gerry's twins, Sean and Amelie, now five, while their parents searched. As a result, there is a close bond between Patricia and the children. She bathes the twins when she visits the McCanns and chats to them about Madeleine and her memories of her. Patricia said: "Kate listens sometimes. It is always nice for her to hear someone else's memories of Madeleine, something more of her little girl." There are treasured photos of Madeleine as a toddler, with her aunt holding her in her arms. Patricia was Madeleine's godmother and there was a special bond between them. When Patricia and her mum, Eileen, visited her son, Paul, who was studying medicine at Cambridge, she would pick Madeleine up from the nearby McCann family home and take her on a special day out. Patricia said: "She would say to the twins they were too little to come and so it was just her. That made her feel grown-up. We would have lunch and feed ducks in the park. Not expensive things, just precious memories. "There were times she had my mum and I in stitches. She was so sharp and funny." And Patricia remembers vividly a holiday in Ireland with 46 extended family and friends, and playing rounders on the beach. Patricia said: "Madeleine was a little daredevil. She was the only one who would go in the water. It was the Atlantic and it was freezing. She was a determined little thing." Madeleine's grandparents suffer terribly. Eileen and Kate's parents, Susan and Brian Healy, fear they'll never see her again. Patricia said: "My mum and Kate's parents have become very close. They understand each other and what they are going through. "It is hard for them. They think about Madeleine all the time and have some terrible days. A friend of my mum's died recently. When she was sick, she told my mum she would send her a sign from heaven to let her know if Madeleine was there." Eileen calls the twins her bonny lassie and bonny laddie, and carries one under each arm. Patricia added: "They are crazy about their granny." Christmas cards from the McCanns are still signed with the names of all three children. And there are still Christmas presents in Madeleine's room ready for her to come home. In the meantime, Kate is exhausted juggling family life with writing a book she hopes will help finance the continued search for her daughter. It is expected to be in shops next April, to coincide with the fourth anniversary of her disappearance. Patricia is a nurse and the hands-on carer in the family. Perhaps that's why it is unusual for her to take on a task like this for Missing People. The lobbying and the campaigning have always been roles for Gerry and Kate. But they are just too busy. Patricia spent a few days with them last week to give them a break before Christmas. She said: "Gerry has changed. He is more serious and is always exhausted. It breaks my heart to see him like that. "Kate has always been thin but they have just had the cold and she looks even thinner now. "They are both drained emotionally, psychologically and physically. "They are on a treadmill. They are trying to do their best for their wee daughter who is missing and they are trying to do their best for the wee twins in front of them. "That's why organisations like Missing People are vital. I wish at the beginning we had used the kind of support they offer." Patricia will never give up hope that Madeleine will be found. She said: "There are cases of people being hidden and kept for years and those cases give you hope. You have to think like that. "She could be alive. We just haven't found her." There were over 40,000 incidents of people going missing in Scotland last year. Missing People have caring, highly skilled staff and volunteers working around the clock all over the UK. The role of Family Representative is the first of several planned new volunteer opportunities available in Scotland, and involves acting as a spokesperson to the media and local community. See www.missingpeople.org.uk Three years of heartbreak TIMELINE May 3, 2007 Madeleine disappears from Praia da Luz, days before her fourth birthday. May 7, 2007 Police release a description of the kidnapper. May 10, 2007 Police question Kate and Gerry about why their kids were alone in the apartment. May 11, 2007 Search of local area called off. May 12, 2007 Madeleine's fourth birthday. May 15, 2007 Local resident Robert Murat is named as an official suspect. Late May 2007 McCanns enlist help of private investigators. May 30, 2007 McCanns meet the Pope in Rome. June 17, 2007 Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa claims vital clues may have been destroyed. September 7, 2007 Gerry and Kate named as suspects. September 9, 2007 Gerry and Kate return home. September 16, 2007 Sir Richard Branson donates £100,000 for McCanns' legal bill. October 2, 2007 Policeman in charge of inquiry is removed from case and demoted. November 1, 2007 Gerry returns to work as surgeon. July 21, 2008 Robert Murat and Kate and Gerry McCann have official suspect status lifted. July 21, 2008 Portuguese attorney general archives the case. It can be reopened if new evidence comes to light. May 1, 2009 A projected photo of Madeleine aged six is released. May 22, 2009 Convicted paedophile Raymond Hewlett denies anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance. December 21, 2009 Facebook page claiming to be created by Madeleine's kidnapper is removed. January 28, 2010 On 1000th day since disappearance, McCanns host a £150-a-head fundraising dinner. November 2, 2010 McCanns launch online petition calling for joint review of the case by Portuguese and UK governments. November 3, 2010 McCanns appeal for cash as Find Madeleine Fund, which once topped £2million, runs dry.

Maddie case: "Portugal has a feeble government in face of English 'friends'", 23 December 2010

Maddie case: "Portugal has a feeble government in face of English 'friends'" Correio da Manhã "Madeleine McCann deserves to have justice done," says Gonçalo Amaral. This Thursday, the former Judiciary Police inspector in the case of Madeleine McCann, Gonçalo Amaral, has again pointed his finger at the Portuguese government, after last week's 'WikiLeaks' revelations, that showed that it was the English police itself that found evidence that incriminates the McCann couple in the disappearanca of their daughter Madeleine, on the night of the 3rd of May, 2007, in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve. By R.P.V. 23 December 2010 Thanks to Astro for translation Gonçalo amaral told Efe agency that Portugal "has a feeble government in face of English 'friends', servile and submissive, and the shelving of the investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Madeleine McCann is a shame for our country and for the Portuguese judicial system". The former inspector, who had already told Correio da Manhã that he believed that the British police didn't tell the PJ everything, is convinced that London pressured Portugal in order to remove him from his post and in order to avoid any accusations against Kate and Gerry McCann. Gonçalo Amaral is confident that the case will be fully clarified, but he says it is necessary to restart the police investigation and to review the process. "Madeleine McCann deserves to have justice done. Her likely death and her mysterious disappearance cannot depend solely on the political will", he says.