Madeleine McCann and the white van man

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/21/madeleine-mccann-case-police-hunt-for-troupe-of-british-cleaners.html


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Madeleine McCann Case: Police Hunt For Troupe Of British Cleaners
by Barbie Latza Nadeau Mar 21, 2013 8:05 AM EDT
A troupe of British cleaners linked to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have sparked renewed interest in the ongoing search for the missing British toddler. Barbie Latza Nadeau on the hunt for the elusive crew.

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As Scotland Yard detectives work through more than 100,000 pages of Portuguese police records relating to the 2007 disappearance of 4-year-old British toddler Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, Portugal, they have come up with some unlikely scenarios as to what happened to the youngster. Reports of Madeleine sightings on German airplanes, Spanish campgrounds, and even New Zealand supermarkets have all turned cold. But as each lost lead is eliminated, investigators hope that they can hone in on clues and soon discover what really happened to the missing child.
Kate and Gerry McCann

Kate and Gerry McCann hold an age-progressed police image of their daughter during a news conference to mark the 5th anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on May 2, 2012 in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty)

Now, the latest lead has produced an unlikely scenario about what happened to Madeleine. According to an investigation by the British Sun, Scotland Yard investigators are hot on the trail of a British cleaning crew who traveled in a white van and were employed by the Ocean Club resort at the time Madeleine disappeared.There have been numerous reports of a white van in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance in the earlier investigation, but the British cleaners are a new twist in the old theory. Claiming to have seen a letter from British detectives, the Sun quoted an unnamed property manager who says he has been asked several times by detectives about the cleaning crew who worked for the Ocean Club resort when Madeleine disappeared. “The officer said it had been drawn to their attention [that] there were British people who cleaned the apartments that they needed to speak to,” the property owner claimed. “They said, ‘Who are the British cleaners that are cleaning the apartments in a white van’? They wanted to know if I knew anybody that does cleaning out there. They asked about it four times.”

If they materialize, it is believed that the British cleaning crew could provide crucial information about what happened the night Madeleine disappeared. If they are not found, they could be considered suspects in the young child’s disappearance. Many theories about Madeleine’s disappearance have pointed to North African child trafficking rings that were active in the area when Madeleine disappeared. In some cases, children were allegedly “abducted to order.” More than a dozen Madeleine sightings in Morocco in 2007 and 2008 are also reportedly part of the Operation Grange investigation, according to a detective close to the case.

McCann and her younger twin siblings were sleeping in a holiday suite at the Ocean Club resort on the night of May 3, 2007, while their parents Gerry and Kate McCann dined with friends at a Tapas bar about 130 yards away. The dining adults took turns checking on the sleeping children every half hour. Because the resort was on protected grounds, the McCanns felt confident leaving their children unattended between checks. At around 10 p.m., Madeleine’s mother Kate took her turn to peek in on the kids and found the bedroom window open. Madeleine was missing. The twins were still sleeping soundly.
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The McCanns became instant suspects in the case, and Portuguese police focused much of their attention on the British couple, who are both practicing British National Health Service doctors, leaving many credible leads unchecked. When the Portuguese police could not substantiate their suspicions against the McCanns with hard proof, they were cleared as suspects and the case was officially closed in July 2008. In May 2011, Scotland Yard launched a shadow investigation called Operation Grange to reexamine the original police work. They have called on the Portuguese authorities to also reopen the case based on nearly 200 leads Scotland Yard investigators believe they may have fumbled, but so far have not conceded.

The British cleaner conspiracy comes on the heels of another mysterious Madeleine sighting—the second this year. In January, DNA tests were conducted on a young girl in New Zealand who had a striking resemblance to McCann, including a similar birthmark on her right eye. Those DNA tests eventually proved that the New Zealand child was not McCann. Then last week, details of a similar sighting were reported in Cyprus. In the Cypriot case, a British couple moved to Ayia Napa, Cyprus in October of last year with the young Madeleine look alike and her two brothers. The children were enrolled in a local school. Two separate witnesses reported a striking similarity between the young girl and McCann, including the same right-eye birthmark, according to British press reports. The family then suddenly pulled the children from school and left Cyprus in February, allegedly stealing several items from the apartment they rented. Just as Interpol was readying an investigation into the theft, the family moved back to Britain. Metropolitan police have said they “will not give a running commentary” on Operation Grange investigations, but the local Cyprus newspaper says that the school provided DNA samples and a birth certificate that proved the girl in question was not McCann.

"There are always going to be false leads, but one day, just one of them may lead somewhere. That is why I say everyone needs to remain both positive and vigilant regardless of how unrealistic this may appear to some,” former Metropolitan homicide detective Ian Horrocks told The Daily Beast. “I believe any new information is indicative of the professional manner in which the Metropolitan Police review is being conducted. Due to their thoroughness, there will be occasions when inquiries are conducted and questions asked where they have not been previously. This will hopefully lead to the identification of new witnesses, as well as creating new lines of inquiry to trace potential suspects.”

Renewed interest in Madeleine’s disappearance may have given her parents hope, but it has come with a price. Last week, an internet troll using the pseudonym “Sheila Basher” posted a death threat against Madeleine’s mother Kate on a Facebook post that has since been removed. McCann is planning to run in the London marathon next month to raise money for the Madeleine McCann Foundation. The anonymous poster threatened to kill her if she entered the race.

Whether any of the old leads will point investigators to the truth about what happened to McCann remains to be seen, but not following up on them most certainly won’t. “I’m sure the McCann’s hopes are raised almost daily, and then dashed again,” says Detective Horrocks. “The emotional spiral is unimaginable.”

what a load of horrocks.

There about two weeks behind with the story ....it's old hat now....

It wasn't a white Burger Van by any chance was it ?

What WAS his Name...and.....where has THIS guy gone...



THe RaIn iN sPaIN stAys MaiNlY oN tHE plAnE..

Is the mad woman going to tell us in the next book that Madeleine is working for gypsy cleaners selling burgers from a white van ?

Ian Horrocks was the source of this silly story in The Sun in July 2012.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4408124/Detective-Maddie-McCann-may-be-alive.html

What a loss to the Met he must have been........if the dynamic duo Dave Edgar and Arthur Cowley ever need a third partner, they need look no further.

30 years of experience telling him to completely ignore the dogs and the parents shambic recollection of events and the fact that a family looking for a new child would almost certainly take one of the twins,wonder how much he got paid for that ?

No wonder he is is retired.

This worries me, ALOT.


If he is to be regarded as a top detective then I'm stunned, I'm stunned that a man who has been supposedly catching villains, murderers etc, putting them in prison on what evidence has been put in front off him, then sorry, if I was one off those 'villains' I would be questioning his ability as a detective .


If he thinks that the Mccanns are innocent on the evidence put in front off him and Madeleine has been abducted, he is either NOT a very good detective and should never off been in the police force OR he has been payed to say this.


I'm not a detective but I can see and believe the pj when they say the Mccanns ARE involved and Madeleine died in apt 5a in pdl...theres something wrong with Horrocks...and I'm glad he's retired.

Horrocks and other talking head ex-cops make one worry about the state of the police service in much the same way as the McCanns and their medical cronies make one worry about the state of the NHS.

Do we really have the best brains in place in these very important occupations?
If you were an old stager McCann watcher, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we don't.

fuzeta wrote:As we were driving down some country lanes in Portugal today a white van was behind us all the way. I said to my husband that it looked exactly like the one in the Sun or was it the one the Daily Mail ? It was quite sinister looking and seemed to be buzzing us!

I did wonder if it was possibly the one involved in the case. I was a little unsure about whether to go straight into Tavira (our local town and only one hour and a quarter along the motorway from PDL at absolute full throttle) and report it to the police. My husband who is very observant said that as it passed us he saw no buckets and mops hanging around it. So we decided against it. I hope we made the right decision. It is worrying me now

No, you made absolutely the right decision not to report it at the time. It is a well documented fact that anything suspicious you see must be reported at least 2 years after the event. Did the van have eggmen in it or swarthy gypsy looking people? If not then I doubt very seriously that it was anything to worry about. After all the Mccanns wouldn't have worried about it if they had been told.

Lioned wrote:It wasn't a white Burger Van by any chance was it ?

With Cabo Frio driving it?

I know you can't judge everyone at Scotland Yard just by one man but it is worrying nevertheless that Ian Horrocks lasted there for 30 years.

Here is a link to his full report on the McCann case.

http://news.sky.com/story/955182/former-top-detective-madeleine-may-be-alive

This is who he now works for.

http://www.bgpglobalservices.com/

almostgothic wrote:Horrocks and other talking head ex-cops make one worry about the state of the police service in much the same way as the McCanns and their medical cronies make one worry about the state of the NHS.

Do we really have the best brains in place in these very important occupations?
If you were an old stager McCann watcher, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we don't.

Thanks for that - I was beginning to get that "parallel universe" feeling again and asking myself, "Is it just me, or do others get this impression too?"

Not Born Yesterday wrote:I know you can't judge everyone at Scotland Yard just by one man but it is worrying nevertheless that Ian Horrocks lasted there for 30 years.

Here is a link to his full report on the McCann case.

http://news.sky.com/story/955182/former-top-detective-madeleine-may-be-alive

This is who he now works for.

http://www.bgpglobalservices.com/

Hmmm... Interesting what many of these ex coppers are getting up to. Play the system for what it's worth or "Follow the money," as they say. Corruption now seems endemic in the UK

Mr Phillips also helped set up Scotland Yard’s Debrief Unit, which gathers evidence from ‘supergrasses’. Some of the taped interviews are understood to have been given to Meadows Forensics and another company to which Mr Phillips is linked, BGP Global Services, for transcribing.
That company has been paid £320,000 by the force since 2005 and is run by former Scotland Yard detectives.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337916/Police-wives-firms-paid-3-5m-type-witness-statements-cronyism-fears-grow-lucrative-Met-contracts.html

What a ridiculous conclusion that man has come up with...taken for someone to look after....they would take one off the twins....ridiculous twit.


I see his words but they seem to mirror Kate Mccanns words.....

Another article from Chelsea Hoffman @ www.examiner.com - "Madeleine McCann update: Who's being accused this time?" dated March 22, 2013.

Why do ex coppers keep coming out with these blatant misrepresentations inspired by Mitchell's poison-pen factory? Because they were all into taking the money when in the force (see Mail article in previous post) and unable to kick the habit. These people are not interested in solving the case - for them it's purely and simply a question of money. Well, what kind of person puts his whole way of life on the line and risks financial ruin simply to pursue justice for a kid he has never met? Err... Dr. Amaral that's who - and that's why anything Dr Amaral says has credibility whereas the spoutings of yer ex Scotland Yard types are just - meaningless drivel.

agree.