JANUARY 2010
Day 988: 15/01/2010
Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann
Court Case (Injunction) in Lisbon
We are currently in Lisbon
Mr Amaral's book and DVD contains some information from the PJ
files but there is a lot in the files which is not in Mr Amaral's book. Hence
it is highly selective and therefore biased. Mr Amaral's book contains his
opinions rather than fact. His opinions differ from the findings in the PJ
file. The conclusions of the latter are: 1.there is no evidence that Madeleine
is dead and 2. there is no evidence that Gerry or I are involved in Madeleine's
disappearance. This is very different to the theories and conclusions of Mr
Amaral. It is logical and common sense that spreading these theories as Mr
Amaral did (and continues todo) damages the search to find our little girl. If
the general public (and the Portuguese people in particular) are bombarded day
in and day out with such theories, this will eventually 'colour' their
understanding and judgement -lies and inaccuracies become fact. If people
subsequently believe that Madeleineis dead and that we are involved in her
disappearance then they will not look for Madeleine, will not consider any
suspicions about others which they may have and will not come forward with
information. We consider this highly detrimental to the search for Madeleine.
There are few points which have been raised in the last few days
which I would like to address specifically:
Abduction theory: For us, there is only
the abduction theory possible because we were not involved in Madeleine's
disappearance and we know Madeleine did not wander off by herself. It is
obvious and right that the police should consider other theories initially.
The
window: I described to the police officers exactly what I found that
night, as it was and is highly relevant and I knew that every little detail
could be helpful in finding my daughter which is our only aim. The window which
is a ground floor window was completely open and is large enough for a person
to easily climb through it. Whether it had been opened for this purpose remains
unknown. It could of course have been opened by the perpetrator when inside the
apartment as a potential escape route or left open as a 'red herring'
The dogs: We realise that the
behaviour of the dogs was the turning point in the investigation for the PJ.
The use of dogs has proved to be problematic and unreliable in previous cases
(please refer to the Jersey ?Haut
de La Garenne' case and other research published about their use and
reliability). It is vital to note that alerts by such dogs are classified as
intelligence rather than evidence, as police officers familiar with their use
will verify. These alerts must be supported by forensics in order to be used as
evidence. The results of the forensic examinations did not identify any blood
or Madeleine's DNA. To suggestor use the dogs? reactions as evidence is simply
wrong and abusive.
The proposed
reconstruction: The suggestion of a
reconstruction of our movements and other key witnesses at the crime scene
and/or surrounding area in the early days following Madeleine's abduction was
declined by the PJ as 'not usual' for Portugal. When the PJ finally requested a
reconstruction to take place in 2008, Gerry and I were still arguidos and as
such would have attended for a reconstruction. Some key witnesses (including
some of our friends)declined to attend the planned reconstruction as they were
not convinced of the aims and usefulness of it. In particular, as the
reconstruction was not to be shown to the media (and hence the general public),
they did not feel it would help to find Madeleine. Had the intention been to
show it to the general public, it may have 'jogged' memories and encouraged
people to come forward with information. It should be added that other key
witnesses were not invited to attend.
Our team is confident that the injunction will remain in place
because none of thewitnesses thus far have been able to prove in court that Mr.
Amaral's right to express his opinion is superior to the rights of our family
to peace, respect and protection of reputation, and above all, the right to continue
the searchfor our daughter Madeleine effectively and without hindrance. As has
been made clear this week, Mr Amaral's ‘thesis' is not supported by any
evidence. The search for Madeleine must go on until we find her and bring her
abductor(s) to justice.
Kate McCann
