Day 744: 16/05/2009 Saturday. Kate and Gerry McCann and their children to sue Goncalo Amaral

Day 744: 16/05/2009 Saturday. Madeleine Beth McCann 

 

16 May 2009: Kate and Gerry McCann and their children to sue Goncalo Amaral

Kate and Gerry McCann - together with their three children - are to sue the former Portuguese police officer Goncalo Amaral over his continuing, grossly defamatory claims that Madeleine is dead and that her parents were somehow involved in concealing their own daughter's body.

In a statement, Kate and Gerry McCann said: "We - together with our three children Madeleine, Sean and Amelie - are taking this legal action against Goncalo Amaral over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims - made in all types of media, both within Portugal and beyond - that Madeleine is not only dead, but that we, her parents, were somehow involved in concealing her body.

"This decision has been taken to prevent any further publication of Goncalo Amaral's deeply offensive book "The Truth Of The Lie", his so-called television 'documentary' and any repetition of his disgraceful thesis that we are somehow involved in the disappearance of our much loved daughter, Madeleine.

 

"The primary reason for our legal action is simple: to stop any negative effect that these absurd and deeply hurtful claims may be having on the ongoing search for Madeleine. We can no longer stand back and watch as Mr Amaral tries to convince the entire world that Madeleine is dead. Nor can we allow this blatant injustice to Madeleine, with its obvious risk of hindering our attempts to find her, to continue.

 

"Mr. Amaral's entirely unjustified claims have not only brought indescribable devastation and suffering to our lives, they have hugely compounded the already immense pain and anxiety we have endured since Madeleine's abduction.

 

"Our three children are joint complainants in this action because of the detrimental effect Mr Amaral's continued assertions will undoubtedly have on their future lives. Sean and Amelie require protection as they prepare to start school this autumn. Madeleine requires protection from those who are obstructing the possibility of her being found."

Day 729: 01/05/2009 Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann

MAY 2009

Day 729: 01/05/2009 Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann 

 

It is two long years since Madeleine was taken. It is two years since we were a happy family of five. The pain and anxiety does not lessen, but our determination to find our beautiful daughter remains steadfast.

 

We are no longer looking for a 4 year old little girl ' but a 6-year-old one. This is crucial. We are hoping that the new age-progressed image of Madeleine aged 6, produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington, will help people to see what Madeleine may look like today.

 

On May 7th at 9pm (UK time), a televised 'reconstruction' of potentially significant and suspicious events from around the time that Madeleine was taken will be aired on Channel 4 in Britain. Much of this information has not been disclosed to the general public before and it is apparent that there are several highly important unanswered questions remaining. Just one of these answers could provide us with that vital piece of information that leads us to Madeleine. It is our hope that these reconstructed scenes will trigger somebody's memory and prompt them to come forward ' giving us the key piece of the jigsaw that we - and Madeleine especially -so desperately need.

 

Madeleine is still missing! She has the right to be back with her family. We have a responsibility to keep looking for her. We urge you ' please do not give up on Madeleine.
Finally, we would like to thank everybody for their continued help and support. We know that we are not alone in our efforts to find Madeleine, or in our desire to have Madeleine back home with us where she belongs. 

Thank you.

 

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Day 720: 22/04/2009 Wednesday. Madeleine Beth McCann

APRIL 2009
Day 720: 22/04/2009 Wednesday. Madeleine Beth McCann 

 

Day Gerry used Thursday 22 April 2009   

It has been an incredibly busy couple of months. We have been working on 2 main areas: appeals for new information and awareness raising.

 

The appeal for new information was launched with a local campaign in and around Praia da Luz starting at the end of March. We have had leaflets delivered to local households as well as A-vans, buses and billboards with posters in Portuguese asking for people with information to come forward. The message is that we must not give up on Madeleine and that if someone knows something, it is not too late to do the right thing. 

 

The second aspect of the new appeals is a reconstruction of key sightings and other information from within the files that may generate new leads. These were decided by our senior detective, and will appear in a documentary, which will be screened in the UK by Channel Four on May 7th.  This involved filming in and around the site from where Madeleine was taken. We had hoped to do the filming quietly but it did generate a large amount of media attention and I apologised to the local people for this unfortunate disruption.

 

It is likely that the programme will be screened in Portugal and other European countries and we are very hopeful that this will generate new leads. Since the case has officially closed, it is vital for Kate and me that we continue to try and discover new information that may help us find Madeleine.

 

In conjunction with the fresh appeals will be continued awareness raising. Although Madeleine disappeared in Portugal she could have been moved out of the country very easily and at this time she could be anywhere in the world. As it is almost 2 years since Madeleine was kidnapped we will also be launching a new 'age progression' photograph. This has been produced by graphics experts at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the USA. We will be visiting NCMEC this week and then appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show to promote this new image. The Oprah show is broadcast in over 100 countries worldwide and will ensure the new image is disseminated as widely as possible. The poster will be available to download in the support section in the near future.

 

Finally we would like to thank you all for the continuing support in the ongoing search for Madeleine ' including all the kind messages and thoughts sent for Mother's Day and Easter. It all helps 'thank you!

 

We must never give up on Madeleine. 

Gerry