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It took
some hours for the much-awaited “reading
of the proven facts” to come through
last week - and even then newspapers
here and abroad got it wrong.
In Britain, the Daily Express ran with
the headline: “Kate and Gerry McCann win
court ruling in £1 million libel battle
against ex-police chief”.
Here, Lusa news agency proclaimed “Court
rules damages caused by Gonçalo Amaral
to Kate and Gerry McCann proved”.
But they both jumped the gun.
Within hours Público realised the
mistake and pulled the Lusa story from
its website, running instead with the
much-fairer “Court proves Kate and Gerry
McCann were “not destroyed” by book by
Gonçalo Amaral”.
Lusa regained its equilibrium, posting a
revised story the next day carrying much
the same headline.
And then this morning (Sunday), four
days after judge Emília Mello e Castro
handed the lawyers her “reading of the
proven facts” - the cornerstones on
which she will base her judgement on the
long-running case - the Express has done
a complete U-turn, running with a new
headline proclaiming: “Exclusive:
McCann’s will lose £1 million libel
trial”
In fact, the exclusive belongs to the
Algarve’s Len Port - the only journalist
who got the story right first time.
Writing on his Portugal Newswatch
blogsite, reproduced regularly by this
Portugal Resident news portal, Port’s
Wednesday post: “Amaral supporters
optimistic about judge’s rulings in
McCann libel case” was, in the end, a
far more succinct version of what
unfolded in Lisbon four days ago.
The reason for the confusion was perhaps
two-fold. First, it took reporters time
to get their hands on Emília Mello e
Castro’s complete list of “proven facts”
in the case that centres on Amaral’s
book, A Verdade da Mentira (The Truth of
the Lie); and second, there appears to
have been a degree of press
manipulation.
But now that the facts are in the public
domain, we can summarise key findings.
Certainly, the likelihood of a
resounding McCann win looks distinctly
shaky.
Port’s report of “cautious optimism”
among Amaral supporters was in itself
characteristically cautious.
Supporters of the beleaguered former
police inspector targeted by the
McCann’s are positively crowing from the
rooftops.
“As of Wednesday, the McCann ship is
beyond repair”, jubilant Textusa blog
reported.
The UK’s Miscarriage of Justice forum
took to Twitter to confirm: “Court holds
as not proven that book hampered search
for Madeleine”, while myriad followers
of the case were enthusiastic about what
they called the “wonderful news coming
from Portugal”.
It was a window in on the welter of
support for Amaral’s right to have
written his hypothesis for the
disappearance of the world’s most famous
missing person seven years ago.
As he has frequently told interviewers
since the McCann’s lodged their civil
action for a reported €1.2 million in
damages against him, his life has been
made a misery by their action and his
“civil position” a target for what he
terms “assassination”.
Talking to RTP as the dust began to
settle last week, Amaral elaborated on
the hiccups caused by what he termed
“complete manipulation of the media”.
“Lusa agency, since all of this began,
has been taking sides”, he said. “I
wouldn’t say as much as they have taken
the side of the couple, but they have
taken the side of the couple’s lawyer.
So there has been completely false news
about me”.
Amaral also elaborated on the
“assassination of his civil position”.
“In 2009, in January of 2009, I lived in
the Algarve and was indicated to run for
mayor of Olhão on behalf of the Social
Democratic Party [PSD]. That alerted the
family and Mr Gerald McCann came to
Lisbon… he met with a top political
official from PSD who has a French
surname, with Dr Rogério Alves and with
Dr Isabel Duarte… what happened then was
that PSD gave me up as a candidate. This
puts the rights of a citizen, the rights
of a Portuguese citizen, at stake”.
It was at this point, Amaral told his
interviewer, that the McCanns started
“thinking about the lawsuit” that is now
in its final stages.
Key facts proven and unproven:
Because of the statements made by
defendant Gonçalo Amaral in the book
(Truth of the Lie), in the documentary
and in the interview to Correio da Manhã,
the Polícia Judiciária stopped
collecting information and investigating
the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?
Not proved
Because of the statements made by
defendant Gonçalo Amaral in the book, in
the documentary and in the interview to
Correio da Manhã, authors Kate McCann
and Gerald McCann are completely
destroyed, from a moral, social,
ethical, sentimental, family point of
view, much beyond the pain that their
daughter’s absence causes them? Not
proved
Because of the statements made by
defendant Gonçalo Amaral in the book, in
the documentary and in the interview to
Correio da Manhã, authors Kate McCann
and Gerald McCann suffer permanent
anguish, insomnia, lack of appetite,
anxiety and irritability, preoccupation
and indefinable fear? Proved, but the
judge adds that this psychological state
is pre-existent to the book, the
documentary and the interview and was
not caused by the book. Nonetheless, it
cannot be reasonable to believe that the
book, the documentary and the interview
had no effect on the couple, i.e. It had
an effect but that is perfectly normal.
Because of defendant Gonçalo Amaral’s
statements in the book, in the
documentary and in the interview to
Correio da Manhã, author Kate McCann is
immersed in a deep and serious
depression, which has already made her
state publicly “I wish I was in a coma,
to relieve the pain”? Not proved
The attention of the media and of people
in general diminished when defendant
Gonçalo Amaral’s book was published? Not
proved
For a full list of the proven facts, see
the maddiecasefiles.com.
As Len Port explained in his initial
report on the judge’s findings: “The
McCanns now have time to seek and
present authorisation from the British
High Court to formally represent their
daughter in this case. Madeleine was
made a ward of court at the instigation
of her parents in April 2008. This could
have a bearing on the amount of any
compensation eventually awarded”.
“No date has been set for a verdict but
it is thought to be more than two months
away. Even when it comes, the verdict
will probably not be the end of the
matter. An appeal is likely.”
The veteran journalist concluded:
“Amaral has let it be known that he is
considering instigating a counter
defamation lawsuit against the McCanns
to seek compensation for the enormous
damages on different levels he claims
they have caused him”. |
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