Algarve Newswatch/Madeleine McCann: so what's new?

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Madeleine McCann: so what's new?
In the massive publicity campaign, viewers had been promised a ‘revelation’ but the only revelation during the BBC’s special Crimewatch programme on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was how slow Scotland Yard detectives seem to have been in getting up to speed on the case and how shallow the BBC was in its reporting.
Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said that in their investigation he and his team were going back to the very start of the case and “accepting nothing,” meaning taking a wholly fresh look at things. Yet not once during the programme did the police or the presenters consider anything other than the abduction theory for which there is no evidence except the say-so of the parents and their holidaying friends.
The Chief Inspector highlighted what he called “significant changes” to the timeline and “accepted version” of events. He explained that Scotland Yard had ruled out the sighting by Jane Tanner of a man carrying a child closely resembling Madeleine outside the McCann’s apartment at 9.15 that fateful evening. The man tuned out to be another holidaymaker carrying his own child home from a crèche.
While the Jane Tanner sighting has been central to the widespread acceptance of the abduction theory up until now, those who dismiss the abduction claim rejected years ago the sighting as very unreliable.
Scotland Yard has now shifted its emphasis to the well-documented sighting by an Irish family near the centre of the village at 10pm. Praia da Luz visitors and residents have now been asked to cast their minds back to 2nd May 2007 to see if they can identify the person portrayed in two newly released e-fit images.
The images were produced five years ago and they show two significantly different versions of the same man who may be a kidnapper – or he may not. He may be another entirely innocent person with nothing whatsoever to do with Madeleine’s disappearance.
If this really was a well-planned abduction as is being suggested, would a kidnapper carry his victim in his arms a considerable distance through the centre of the village towards the beach with all the attendant risk of being spotted? The question was not asked on Crimewatch.
The so-called “reconstruction” performed by actors, supposedly of events shortly before the disappearance, was notable for what it glossed over or did not reconstruct at all.
Bearing in mind the respectful nature of the programme towards the parents, it was perhaps not surprising there was no attempt to explain, for example, evidence found by two British cadaver dogs, or the many unanswered questions and conflicting statements made to the Portuguese police.
What will have been most disturbing for many viewers familiar with the McCann saga was the absence of journalistic balance and lack of rigour shown by the British media in the pre-broadcast propaganda and in the programme itself.
The show presented nothing new. It has merely added to the media circus that has blighted this tragic case from the very beginning.
Scotland Yard has apparently been inundated with calls as a result of the programme. British tabloids are already reporting that “police may have made a major breakthrough in the hunt for Madeleine.” Wishful thinking might be closer to the truth.
Madeleine deserves better.

Excellent and spot on in its description of the programme!

You can tell that this wasn't published by either the Algarve Resident or Portugal News, it wouldn't be so well written or balanced.

OT but the following in the blog below caused a smile:

Noting that the rate of road accidents has been dropping in recent years, the Portuguese ambulance services union says that raising the speed limit would reduce the risk of job cuts and unemployment among its members.

Its true that Tanner's sighting was always thought unreliable, but I must admit something here, I was very surprised indeed to learn that someone has come forward to say he was this person that Tanner saw.

Tanner's sighting led to a catalogue of error, despite the PJ doubting that a person seen at that time of night could be abducting a child (far too risky the PJ said for an abductor to walk from the apartment carrying a child with her father so close by).

First off, because this sighting of Tanner's morphed into being Robert Murat. He fitted the description, he lived nearby and knew the area, he was getting himself involved in the case some said too much so. He had dark hair, similar build and height to what Tanner saw. Despite she couldn't see his face, which she describes as a blank, she was certain it was Robert Murat, as were the other tapas friends. They went so far as to say they saw Robert Murat on the night of 3rd hanging around the complex.

Not only was Murat questioned, he was made an arguido and his personal life was there for everyone to see; his relationships, his child, his mother, his house, his lifestyle, his car, his loss of an eye, the contents of his computer and what he had for lunch. Everything about him was made public and all because of what Tanner saw.

Now I do not wish to knock either the PJ or SY and think both had/have a mammoth task on their hands, what with all the media and the tapas friends all acting as one voice but if we are going to criticise the British Police, as this article does and as do many posters to this site, lets be fair here and criticise the PJ as well. The PJ should, imo, have been stronger over Robert Murat. Its unlawful for people involved in a case to speak about the case with the Portuguese secrecy law but, on the other hand, the PJ made it no secret who they were questioning and suddenly Murat's life was turned upside down, just laid bare for us all to see and read about.

If SY do have cause now to question anyone now, if the names put forward for the E fit man produce someone for them to question, I sincerely hope this person's identity is hushed up until they have something concrete on him and if not let him go and get on with his life.