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In the UK today, Metropolitan Police
chief Sir Bernard Hogan Howe has
confirmed the multi-million pound
investigation into the disappearance of
Madeleine McCann from an Algarve holiday
resort eight years ago must continue -
no matter what his union, or indeed
anyone else thinks.
Talking to Tom Pettifor of the Daily
Mirror, Sir Bernard “reacted angrily to
concerns raised by the Police Federation
about the millions devoted to the case”.
“It’s not for them to decide which
investigation we carry out. It’s my
decision,” he told the Mirror. “This
investigation is funded by the
government and the only thing that will
decide whether or not it continues are
the chances of success in finding that
girl.
” John Tully, chairman of the Met’s
police federation, showed in March that
rank-and-file police think otherwise. He
declared there were “rumblings of
discontent” over the manpower and money
ploughed into the Madeleine
investigation and that it was “time to
refocus” and channel resources into
“keeping London safe”.
But as Sir Bernard insists that the Met
must continue with the hunt that has
purportedly cost over £10 million so
far, Britons denounced as “trolls” are
channelling money hand-over-fist to the
cause of the former Portuguese policeman
sued by missing Madeleine’s parents for
the message in his book the Truth of the
Lie.
Gonçalo Amaral has announced that he is
appealing against the decision that
leaves him owing a whopping €600,000 in
combined damages and interest payments -
but it is no secret that the case has
left him financially hamstrung. Thus the
rallying of support, both here and in
the UK is a life-raft.
Coordinated by a group of friends who
have sole use of the money for legal
defence costs only, it has quite
literally kept him going.
“The best proof … is that he has come
this far,” one of the fund ‘managers’
told us today. “He wouldn’t have
otherwise.
” With the “gofundme”
appeal started by Leanne Baulch, a young
single mother from Birmingham, getting
donations from an average of 70 people a
day - and nudging ever-closer to its
£25,000 target - Amaral has spoken to
Nova
Gente magazine about the case that
“destroyed his career, his family and
his health”, saying “my life is gone. I
am only alive due to my heart”.
He reveals not only that he will be
counter-suing the McCann parents, their
“group of friends” and “other people and
entities” “in good time” but that, as
far as he is concerned, the couple
“practised a crime” and were “primarily
responsible for their daughter’s
disappearance” by leaving their children
alone “for more than five nights”.
It is an extraordinary interview
published in full on the “Projecto
Justiça Gonçalo Amaral” website set up
by one of the friends who has fought
tirelessly since 2009 for Amaral’s right
to freedom of expression.
She told us how she is buoyed now by the
“incredible response” coming every day
from British people who have been
described by the UK’s Sun newspaper as
“sick trolls”.
The Resident has been following the fund
and, as we suggested last week, the
comments appearing on it do not seem to
fit the profile of trolls in any way at
all.
Indeed one was so poignant it has
spurred Amaral supporters to send it to
over 50 British newspapers and media
professionals to highlight how strong
feelings in the UK are about this
eternal “mystery”.
Penned by a donor who gave her name as
Paula Seddon, it ran as follows: “Kate
and Gerry, you damaged the lives of my
children when they were small as they
thought someone was going to get into
their bedroom windows as their catholic
school told them your jack-a-nory story
and asked them to pray. We had sleepless
nights for years and a security routine
to check doors and windows before sleep.
Their anxiety and distress caused by
your lies. I donated £5 back then to the
school fund for you as at the time I
thought you were genuine human beings. I
cuddled and calmed them as I believed
the fiction too. I would like to
withdraw that money and give to a truth
teller. The truth will be told. You
cannot hide behind pity statements by
calling people trolls and haters. People
are waking up and realising your story
is full of holes and had the real story
broke back then, my children would not
have been scared or scarred by your
lies.
” But the day after the message was
sent, the UK press ran only with the
story that insists the search for
missing Madeleine must continue.
Meantime, Amaral’s interview with Nova
Gente is being copied, tweeted and sent
around the world.
As he tells journalist Alexandra
Ferreira, he wrote the book that the
McCann couple took him to court over as
a “way to reply to the humiliation and
the offences” that he has been “targeted
with”.
“Deep down that was it. They say we are
incompetent, they say we are a third
world police force, drunkards, fat,
lazy, etc., and the PJ police does not
set out to defend us. Therefore I turned
to writing, reporting the investigation
that had been carried out, so people
could draw their own conclusions.”
Asked what remains “unexplained in this
case”, he said: “I don’t answer that
question. Faced with what was said by
the couple after the verdict was known,
that they feel stronger, I just feel
like saying that only vampires become
stronger with their victims’ blood. Like
Zeca Afonso sang: ‘They eat
everything…’” |
