Driven by her desire for truth and justice for missing Madeleine McCann, Criminal Profiler Pat Brown is planning a trip to Portugal Monday.

Madeleine is the British girl who went missing from a resort in Portugal nearly five years ago.

Madeleine disappeared on the evening of Thursday, May 3, 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday. She was on vacation with her parents and twin siblings in Portugal and went missing from an apartment in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz. Her parents claimed they left the children alone while they ate at a nearby restaurant.

According to a news report by Telegraph.co.uk, the initial investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance was based on the assumption she was abducted. The report states Portugal police later determined there was a strong possibility she may have died in her room. 

In September 2007, Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, and local resident Robert Murat, were named arguidos.

Their arguido [suspect] status was lifted in July 2008 because there was not enough evidence to charge them with a crime, Brown said Friday. Telegraph.co.uk reports the case was archived but can be reopened if new evidence emerges.  

Pat Brown said there are two camps over Madeleine’s disappearance: one of a child who was abducted by a stranger and the other of a child who died, possibly an accidental death. She said there were suspicious circumstances surrounding Madeleine’s disappearance and that it was never proven that Madeleine was abducted.

In recent years the McCanns have instructed their solicitors, Carter-Ruck, to send numerous cease-and-desist letters to people who have publicly questioned their possible involvement in their daughter's disappearance.

While Pat Brown was not the recipient of a cease-and-desist letter from the McCanns a 30-page, self-published eBook she wrote detailing what she believes may have happened to Madeleine was pulled from sale at the direction of the McCanns. 

Fight for freedom of speech

Pat Brown's book, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, was removed from sale by Amazon following a claim by Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, that the book was defamatory.

Carter-Ruck, one of the leading media and defamation law firms in the world, acted on behalf of the McCann’s when they sent a letter to Amazon requesting they pull Brown’s book.

Brown said Friday, “This is important because Carter-Ruck is one of the most feared legal firms in the world for their libel work and this is why Amazon pulled the book; it wasn't worth it for them to have to go up against these legal giants.

"The overly strict libel laws of the UK, along with Carter-Ruck's going after so many, has caused the press to be afraid to print certain stories like this one about my Cease-and-Desist letter.

"In fact, Carter-Ruck is such a force, people say, 'Oh, you've been Carter-Rucked'.”

A press release issued Wednesday by Brown and her attorney, Anne Bremner, said Brown is fighting back "for the cause of freedom of speech and justice."

Anne Bremner is a high-profile attorney with Seattle's prominent Stafford Frey Cooper law firm. She has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the McCanns' on behalf of Pat Brown. Scroll down to read Bremner's letter.   

Brown alleges the McCanns have interfered with her "right to conduct business" and have damaged her professional reputation with their successful removal of her book from sale on Amazon.

She joins the others who believe their quest for truth and justice for Madeleine has been thwarted by the McCann’s and their high-powered attorneys.

Women in Crime Ink, a blog described as “a well of thoughts on crime and media issues from women criminal justice professionals and authors”, shared Wednesday's press release that read in part:

“Next week, on February 8th, retired solicitor Tony Bennett faces English prison as the McCanns’ fight to shut down his efforts to bring focus to aspects of the missing child case that point to the parents’ possible involvement.

“Also, the McCanns have sued the detective on their daughter’s case, Dr. Goncalo Amaral, for libel and have had his book, Truth of the Lie, pulled off the worldwide market. The trial is scheduled in Portugal for April.

“Now, Pat Brown has fought back for the cause of freedom of speech and justice, alleging that the McCanns have interfered with her right to conduct business and have damaged her professional reputation with their successful removal of her book from sale. On Monday, Pat will leave for Portugal to continue her quest for truth and justice in the case of Madeleine McCann.”

Last August, Brown said during an interview on the Jim Bohannon Show that she contacted Amazon when she realized her book was no longer listed for sale on their site.

One of the first questions Jim Bohannon asked was, “What happened with Amazon?”

Brown responded that there has been controversy over Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, over the past four years. She said the controversy is, “Did the McCanns’ have anything to do with the disappearance of their daughter, or, was their child abducted by some predator or child sex ring, or somebody who wanted a little child?” [Jim Bohannon Show, [ Part 1, Part 2.]

She said there are two camps over Madeleine’s disappearance, one of a child who was abducted by a stranger and the other of a child who died, possibly an accidental death. Brown said there were suspicious circumstances surrounding Madeleine’s disappearance and that it was never proved an abduction took place.

Trip to Portugal

The press release states:

During her trip to Portugal, Pat Brown will study the town of Praia da Luz and environs, reconstruct the crime, and examine possible locations as to where Madeleine might have been taken, dead or alive. If she discovers evidence to support a theory other than the one that was the focus of her book, she will pursue that information.

She is looking forward to meeting with Dr. Goncalo Amaral, the ex-detective on the McCann case. Meanwhile, it is her hope and that of her lawyer, Anne Bremner, that the McCanns rethink their actions regarding the Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and instruct their solicitors to have Amazon return the book to the market.

The book is available on Smashwords and Barnes & Noble online.

Anne Bremner's letter to the McCanns

Cease-and-Desist Letter

Anne M. Bremner

 Stafford Frey Cooper, PC

 3100 Two Union Square

 601 Union Street

Seattle, WA 98101-1374

February 1, 2012

Adam Tudor

Carter-Ruck

6 St Andrew Street

London EC4A 3AE

England

Dear Mr. Tudor,

In July 2011, American criminal profiler, author, and television commentator, Pat Brown, released on June 15, 2011 a self-published book of thirty-pages on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.de, for the price of US2.99. It was titled Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, sold 850 copies over the next five weeks and garnered 49 nearly all five star reviews on Amazon.uk alone. Then, the book vanished from sale on all three sites. Upon questioning, Pat Brown was informed by Amazon that they had received communications from Carter-Ruck on behalf of their clients Gerald and Kate McCann that the book was defamatory.

Mon 7/25/2011 7:27 PM

Dear Pat,

We have received a notice of defamation from Carter-Ruck Solicitors that says the content of Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (UPDATED) B0055WYVCQ, contains defamatory statements regarding their clients, Gerry and Kat (sic) McCann.

Because we have no method of determining whether the content supplied to us is defamatory, we have removed the title from sale and will not reinstate it unless we receive confirmation from both parties that this matter has been resolved.

Carter-Ruck can be reached at:

6 St Andrew Street

London EC4A 3AE

T 020 7353 5005

Best regards,

Robert F.

http://www.amazon.com

This was quite a surprise to Pat Brown as she had never received any communications from the McCanns nor their solicitors concerning any defamatory material in this book, nor had she ever received any communication concerning any defamatory material in her blogs on the case she has posted online at The Daily Profiler over the last four years. As Ms. Brown is an analyst of evidence, she is careful to not state anything as a fact that is not a fact and to clearly state what is a hypothesis or a theory as opposed to proof. She has publicly and repeated explained to anyone reading her analyses of crime that criminal profiling is a methodology which explores the possible and theoretical scenarios that might be considered as logical based on evidence connected with the crime - forensic, linguistic, or behavioral. Any findings resulting from investigative tools which are not acceptable in certain courts of law (such as cadaver dogs or polygraphs) are noted as suitable for speculation, but not as solid proof of anyone’s guilt or involvement in criminal activities. Criminal profiling itself is an investigative tool and not a finding of guilt as Pat Brown clearly notes in her book.

Due to the speculative, if analytical, nature of Deductive Criminal Profiling, the methodology used by Pat Brown, she was careful to repeat numerous times throughout her publication that she was not accusing the McCanns of being involved in any crime or in the disappearance of their daughter, Madeleine. She was clearly only “purporting a theory” and exercising “free speech,” both manners of communication Gerry McCann stated he strongly supported under oath at the Leveson Inquiry on November 23, 2011 in London:

"I would like to emphasize that I strongly believe in freedom of speech, but where you have people who are repeatedly carrying out inaccuracies and have been shown to do so, then they should be held to account. That is the issue. I don't have a problem with somebody purporting a theory, writing fiction, suggestions, but clearly we've got to a stage where substandard reporting and sources, unnamed, made-up, non-verifiable, are a daily occurrence.” Gerry McCann

Pat Brown also believes in free speech and the right to purport a theory, it would seem she and Gerry McCann are in agreement that any work that purports a theory as opposed to false statements of fact is acceptable under freedom of speech. Pat Brown’s Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann opens up discussion of what happened to the McCann’s daughter, further stimulating interest in the case, and keeping Madeleine in the minds of the public. As the McCanns claim this is what they want, Pat Brown’s book is in accordance with this desire. In fact, it is the McCanns themselves who have clearly encouraged massive interest and speculation on this case. Pat Brown is in no way, therefore, infringing on any wish to keep talk about the case to a minimum.

By speaking and writing out quite often and in such a high profile manner, the McCanns have succeeded in making Madeleine McCann the most well-known missing child in modern history (since the Lindbergh baby in 1932). They have stimulated debate worldwide as to what happened to Madeleine. They have publicly purported their own theories; that someone took Madeleine because they wanted to raise a child, that she is being held captive in a sex ring, and that a pedophile had taken her. They have publicly disclosed many details of the case and repeatedly told their version of what occurred before, during, and after the disappearance of the daughter. They have discussed their emotions, behaviors, and opinions. Pat Brown is carrying on that discussion.

Utmost of importance in the entire matter, is the handling and funding of child abduction cases, the prevailing attitudes toward these crimes, and the future of catching child predators. Because the victims are so young and innocent, missing children are among the most publicized cases in the world. In the last three decades with the increase of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle, awareness of child sex predators and stranger child abduction has radically increased fears of parents that their child will be taken and murdered. In reality, stranger abduction continues to be exceedingly rare for children of Madeleine’s age. Regardless, the paranoia that is engendered when a small child goes missing is a great stress to the community, the police, and resources. Therefore, it is extremely important that each and every case be properly analyzed and understood so that wrong ideas aren’t promulgated and funding and efforts are wasted investigating such crimes improperly. Each child that goes missing is a terrible tragedy for the parents, siblings, relative, friends, and community. Pat has great empathy for any family of a missing child and, most of all, compassion for the innocent young person who has suffered abuse, terror, sexual assault, and, possibly, an early death at the hands of others.

 We are requesting that you respect Pat Brown’s right to free speech and to purport a theory as Gerry McCann has stated is not a problem for him. We request that the claim of libel be retracted for the Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the book permitted to be returned for sale at Amazon.

Respectfully,

 Anne M. Bremner