Scotland Yard Review - does this give you hope or not? -Now with response from Home Office

I wrote to my MP on 20th July 2011 - just after Stephenson & Yates resigned

Here is my letter

"Dear ....

Many thanks for your letter regarding the News International takeover of BSkyB it was very informative. (got letter back in 3 days from my email)

I have another major concern at this time and this is regarding the Metropolitan Police's current review into the Madeleine McCann disappearance. I feel that with all the current doubts regarding this police force and its apparent lack impartiality that this review should be moved to another UK police force. The McCann's publicist Clarence Mitchell has close ties to senior figures within the Murdoch empire. This coupled with the latest scandal coming out over the last weekend regarding the Ex Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson and also his Assistant Commissioner John Yates seeming inability to carry out a review in 2009 of the telephone hacking scandal of 2006 stating that there was no evidence (but had only spent 8 hours reviewing the evidence if the media are correct), leads me to believe that the Metropolitan Police may not be trusted or at least be seen to be trusted (if recent events and allegations are anything to go on).

Could you please contact Mr David Cameron and ask him if he will consider this option please.

This review is costing the tax payer (including me) a large amount of money and therefore it should be an open and transparent review and any results and the reasons and any evidence that has led to them should be published in a full dossier available for all to read. Also I am concerned that the McCann's "open letter" in the Sun (a Murdoch paper) on 12th May 2011 was responded the following day by Mr Cameron. This seems a remarkable short period of time for him to agree to their demands particularly as we as a country are in a large financial hole and every penny that can be saved should be saved in my opinion.

Perhaps I am being too cynical but I am very concerned that this review doesn't have the appearance of a whitewash which it may well do if it carried out by the Metropolitan Police.

Please can you write back and give me your thoughts on this matter."

I received no response so sent another one in September stating that I was aware the review would continue to be carried out by SY and that won't change but also mentioned several other concerns regarding the honesty and trustworthiness of SY because of the scandals that were continuing in the news (and still are).

FINALLY got a reply last month from the Home Office. Which I will share when I can figure out how to upload an image from my computer.

Sussed it out. Eventually.

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unfortunately your mp is unaware of how much the police services pass the baton when it comes to foi requests.
Impressed by your persistence by the way.

gillyspot

A "Well Done" from me too - it was a admirable effort - better than I could to. As far as the response - it seems to me that the Review is to investigate if there are any more leads to pursue in the search for Madeleine and not to establish what caused her disappearance - so no change there.

10 out of 10 for uploading the reply letter as well!

Thanks for this gillyspot and well done, what I find interesting is these 2 snippets........


The UK Government has continued to liase with the Portuguese following up leads and passing this on to Portuguese Authorities.

UK continuing contribution in the search for Maddy

If this is true then obviously our Government has been involved right from the start, in the beginning for all the wrong reasons and imo think the McCanns have made a BIG mistake picking on this Government and saying that nobody is looking or helping find out what really happened to Maddy.....

They say becareful what you wish for

I think someone HIGH UP would rather cover their arses than get justice for a child.

gillyspot - well, at least you finally got a reply, so that's something! I've a feeling the review will end in a 'no further forward' scenario, the Portuguese police having already investigated those leads that were deemed necessary. As for the actual remit of the investigation, it may well be officially limited to checking that all possible leads were followed up, but of course that doesn't preclude attention being paid to any other points of interest that may arise during discussions with the Portuguese police.

One thing I disagree with - that the details or results of the review are made public. The Portuguese police have only published part of their investigation into the case, withholding information that they wish to keep to themselves. This is sensible, IMO, as police work often needs a high degree of secrecy if it's to be successful in the long run. If SY finds anything of interest but not enough to bring any sort of charge against anyone, then I really hope they follow the PJ's lead and keep it private in case it may be useful in the future. The public's right to know always has to take second place to the right of the police to withhold sensitive or important information.

Loopdaloop wrote:unfortunately your mp is unaware of how much the police services pass the baton when it comes to foi requests.
Impressed by your persistence by the way.

The letter was from someone very high up in the Home Office my MP simply passed on my concerns to them.

I am still cross as it refers to the "search for Madeleine" and asks me to put in a FOI to get information on the findings (we all know how much use they are don't we regarding this case).

I am going to write a further letter just not decided what to put yet.

Thanks to you all for you kind words.

Well done Gillyspot. These are the points that needs pushing with them if you can be bothered with a reply.

The letter says:- 'Since Madeleine's disappearance four years ago, the Portuguese authorities have retained the lead in this case.'

How can the British police defer an investigation into a missing British Citizen under their (so called) care of British Citizens to a police force that has shelved the case

Talk about passing the buck!!!

This bit is a flimsy attempt at trying to portray ongoing support to the Portugese:-

However, the Government has continued to liaise with them and the police have been following up any leads and passing them to Portuguese authorities as appropriate'

What leads fgs - and why pass them to the Portuguese who have shelved the case

As you say the other worrying thing about the letter is the use of McCann-esk type language:-

'That work is underway and is part of the UK's continuing contribution to the search for Madeleine'
and

'The nature and scope of the work will depend on their operational assessment by the MPS of how best their expertise might be used in taking forward the search for Madeleine'

Note:- 'The search for Madeleine' no reference to investigating the crime - no reference to finding the perpetrators and bringing them to justice, just the McCann speak - find Madeleine!

Excellent work, gillyspot, and thank you!

I'm afraid it looks increasingly like NSY are going to do a complete farce of a 'review.' I'm sure if Gerry was caught on CCTV committing the crime..... they would still be looking for the phantom abductor!

Thanks Pennylane & Nostoneunturned

No stone I have taken your thoughts on board and will use them in my letter to the person in the home office (I will also CC David Cameron and my MP on this too).

pennylane wrote:Excellent work, gillyspot, and thank you!

I'm afraid it looks increasingly like NSY are going to do a complete farce of a 'review.' I'm sure if Gerry was caught on CCTV committing the crime..... they would still be looking for the phantom abductor!

Damn right. It is just a huge farce now, not that it ever wasn't. The only person who looked for the truth is the only person who has appeared in court. You couldn't make this shoite up. If it was episode in a soap opera, it would be taken off air, for being to stupid for anyone to believe!

Well done to Gilly to keep trying though

I'm sure you are all correct with your assumptions that NSY are just going to do a white wash of this "Review"....

But I just can't get my head round the fact that why did Cameron/May need to even agree to a "Review" if nothing was EVER going to allowed to come out, if they know that the McCanns are so very well protected and these two "perfect brillaint parents and fantastic Doctors" are never going to be held to account, and draped in cotton wool for ever and ever because the UK/PT Governments are never going to let it happen, these are the people that are in FULL control of this case then....

WHY BOTHER WITH OR REVIEW THE CASE?????????

It just dosen't make sense to me, can someone explain it to me, however much I go over it,,, this review did not need to be done, this isn't about shutting the public up, because the majority don't give a flying fig, unlike us nutters ....please help

One of the questions I asked was why was the review agreed in 24 hours. No adequate reply.

Clearly it had all been agreed in advance with the McCanns.

Also note that they don't guarantee the "review" will cost a maximum of £3.5 million and we (UK taxpayers) don't get to see the results. Even K & G asked for "transparent" & "open" review but probably they meant it to be as honest and accountable as their "fund"

Could it be that 3 plus million AND the best in the UK to look at the case will find there "is absolutely no evidence to show that Madeleine has been harmed" and then the public, well us nutters on the internet will have to and mummy and daddy can continue with any gross fund raising event they and their supporters can think up and that will be it. Money and the best brains in the police find nothing, all we like but the government of the day will have done all they could.
but just saying as I think it will go, unless someone in an unguarded moment tells if not all, enough to set the wheels of justice in motion.

Well done, gillyspot but I agree with kitti's thoughts.......