SUN: Monster who made a mint out of Maddie

Monster who made a mint out of Maddie The Sun (paper edition, pages 36&37)

EIGHT YEARS ON, HOW 'SUPER SLEUTH' FAILED THE McCANNS

By ANTONELLA LAZZERI
Saturday, May 2, 2015

ADORING women flock around him, chanting his name, throwing red roses and blowing him kisses.

Smiling and waving, their idol laps up the attention, posing for photos, signing autographs and even giving a lucky few a peck on the cheek.

For all the world you may have thought the man at the centre of the fuss and flashing a diamond earring stud was an ageing pop star greeting his fans at the stage door.

In fact the setting was the entrance to Lisbon's Palace of Justice and the man was former Portuguese police chief Goncalo Amaral.

This is the man Madeleine McCann's parents hold responsible for virtually destroying every hope there was of finding their daughter in the first crucial hours and days after she went missing on May 3, 2007.

And he is a man who has continued to add to their torment in the years since by claiming over and over that their beloved daughter is dead.

He has raked in nearly £400,000 from spouting these claims in a book and TV documentary.

He even hired an agent and was at one time charging £75,000 for an interview.

Before long he was driving a flashy Jag and living in a plush villa.

Tomorrow marks the eighth anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine, who was three years old.

The scenes of Amaral preening in front of besotted fans outside court were witnessed by parents Kate and Gerry more than two years after that terrible night.

'Kate driven to tears by missed opportunities'

It was December 11, 2009, and incredibly, it was the first time Kate had ever set eyes on him.

As the mum was to write later in her book Madeleine: "It was also the first time he had laid eyes on me.

"It is extraordinary that he could have said and written so many awful things about a person he had never met."

This week the couple finally won their libel battle against Amaral that had begun back on that December day more than five years ago. He was ordered to pay them £433,000 and his book, The Truth of the Lie, was banned.

Kate, 46, has mostly kept a dignified silence on the subject of Amaral, but in one interview she revealed how son Sean, now nine, had told her: "Mr Amaral said you hid Madeleine."

When Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, Amaral, now 56, was quickly drafted in as the super-sleuth who would crack the case.

At the time he was the co-ordinator of the Policia Judiciaria's Criminal Investigation Department in Portimao.

But during the investigation he only met Gerry once and seemingly had not thought it relevant to even meet, let alone talk to, the mother of the child he was tasked with finding.

This isn't surprising given Amaral's arrogance and self-importance. Having met him several times he is unlike any police chief I have ever known.

At court, in his heavy gold chain and with his bulging belly, he conducted himself like a celebrity.

He gave TV interviews at every opportunity and wined and dined his fans – who all seemed to be women of a certain age with a fondness for bright red lipstick and fur coats – over long lunches.

Back in October 2007 it was his comments made during a similar lunch that saw him taken off Madeleine's case.

Journalists overheard him loudly complaining that the McCanns were getting special treatment because they were from the UK, and criticising British police. He was removed after his comments were reported.

But it was surprising that Amaral was ever in charge in the first place.

Because at the time he was himself an "arguido" – an official suspect – in a case involving another mother of a missing child.

He was being investigated for falsifying documents in a case involving three of his officers accused of torturing the missing girl's mum and uncle to get their confessions.

Little Joana Cipriano, eight, had disappeared in September 2004 from her village seven miles from Praia da Luz. She has never been found. The officers were cleared, but in May 2009 Amaral was convicted of perjury and received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Years later, as Kate combed through police files, she was to be driven to tears of frustration and rage by all the missed opportunities. So many leads and sightings had simply not been followed up.

The reason? From an early stage in the investigation, as Amaral later admitted in his book, he decided Madeleine had died in an accident.

Then, he reckoned, her parents panicked, hid her body and made up the story about her abduction.

So while Kate and Gerry were clinging to the hope that a huge manhunt would soon bring their daughter back to them, Amaral's team were in fact searching for clues and evidence to implicate them.

Even the cop assigned to be the McCanns' family liaison officer was in fact looking for hints of guilt, it emerged during the libel case.

Conclusions based on bizarre 'evidence'

One night, he told the court, Kate had phoned him to beg for a hilltop in Praia da Luz to be searched, because she had had a dream that Madeleine was buried there.

From this, he reported back to Amaral, he believed that Kate was admitting Madeleine was dead – further proof of the couples "guilt".

It seems absurd that a top police chief would base his conclusions on bizarre "evidence" such as this. And yet, much to Kate and Gerry's complete despair, he did.

No wonder Kate wrote in her book: "What probably galls me the most about Amaral's interviews is the way he presents himself as a person who, perhaps above all others, really wants to find Madeleine and get to the bottom of her fate.

"I cannot begin to express how much this outrages me."

Amaral began his attacks on the McCanns soon after being taken off the case and in July 2008 published his book, a bestseller in Portugal.

Amaral is well thought of in Portugal and his utterings were clearly turning locals against the McCanns.

As Kate told me despairingly: "If people believe Madeleine is dead they will stop searching for her." Yet she never wanted to enter into a long libel battle against him.

It was Portuguese lawyer Isabel Duarte who told Kate and Gerry, 46, that they had no choice but to do it, declaring: "That man has accused you of burying your daughter!"

Meanwhile, Amaral's second wife Sofia Leal, 45 – with whom he has a daughter the same age as Madeleine – has said he has been "completely destroyed" by the case.

And recently Amaral himself, who is now retired, said: "It's hard to accept that I have to live this way just because I did my job."

For Kate and Gerry those words must cut deep.

Because they believe if Amaral HAD done his job their beloved Madeleine may now be with them.

Carolina ‏@AguiaV 2m2 minutes ago
RT @56cheffy RT @56cheffy: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1082005801816684&set=gm.470245083131986&type=1&theater … Bloody disgraceful. Amaral should sue this toilet paper rag. #mccann @QUEENdePORTUGAL

Truthiness2 » Sat May 02, 2015 2:45 pm

Sal: And recently Amaral himself, who is now retired, said: "It's hard to accept that I have to live this way just because I did my job."

For Kate and Gerry those words must cut deep.

Because they believe if Amaral HAD done his job their beloved Madeleine may now be with them.

I think he did do his job: His job was to pin the blame on anyone but a local, and to protect PDL's tourism and financial future (the new shopping mall etc) His job wasn't to find Madeleine.

scoobydoo » Sat May 02, 2015 7:24 pm
So that's why the algarve is rife with crime against tourists, the local police chief was a racist who thought his job consisted of breaking judicial secrecy, perjuring himself, writing books and getting paid for interviews.

Amaral might want to remind himself that so far he has escaped being sued for his incompetence whilst doing his job. He has been sued for writing a book and using his former position to promote speculation on his part as fact. This was not his job as a policeman.

And exactly what special treatment did he think the foreigners were getting? No trips down the stairs, witnesses to interviews so no accidents befell them etc? Given his boast that he tried to hold an identity parade without the "suspects" knowledge in the dark with just two other participants after showing the witness the suspect right before he doesn't seem to grasp rights or the idea of properly investigating a crime. Amaral's little trick sounded like something a kangeroo court would approve of doing.

Trolls pay Maddie lie cop’s court bill
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-cop who lost libel case against McCanns has British backers
EXCLUSIVE by Ben Perrin, The Sun

BRITISH trolls are helping to pay legal bills of an ex-cop who said Madeleine McCann’s parents were behind her disappearance

urcrazy » Sun May 03, 2015 10:12 am

sal wrote:
Leanne Baulch
1 hr · Topcliffe ·
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-cop who lost libel case against McCanns has British backers

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... -bill.html

Exclusive by Benn PERRIN

Trolls fork out for Maddie lie cop's court bill.

BRIT trolls are helping pay the legal bills of an ex- cop who said Madeleine McCann's parents were behind her disappearance. Hundreds of donations have flooded into a sick online campaign for shamed Goncalo Amaral 56.
Today marks the eighth anniversary since Madeleine vanished from Praia da Luz, Portugal, when she was three years old.
An ex-British policeman is among those supporting the "injustice" of Amaral losing a libel case over allegations in his controversial book The Truth of the Lie.
He claimed that Maddie's parents Kate 47, and Scots- born Gerry 46 faked her abduction after she died .Amaral is set to launch a costly appeal after being ordered to pay the couple from Rothley, Leics, a total of £434,000.
Leanne Baulch, 22, of Birmingham is listed as organiser of the gofundme webpage "Legal Defence for Goncalo Amaral"- which aims to raise £25,000.
Some donors called the libel ruling in Lisbon a "perversion of justice" John Green paid £10 and wrote "I am a retired policeman and will never understand how criminal proceedings have never been taken against the McCann's .
Mary Benusis said her £50 was in memory of a Twitter troll found dead after being exposed as being behind vile social media messages about the McCann's.
Speaking after winning the six year battle with Amaral ,Kate McCann said" It was about stopping awful lies which hindered the search for Madeleine " Last night a family spokesman declined to comment.

Thanks Sal!!

They are making out they are happy because a couple of donors claim they 'only found out about it' from the Sun article.
Not that I believe that for a moment.

GoFundMe are complete idiots.

To help pay his legal fees, a fund in Portugal has raised about £5,000 and now a woman living in England, Leanne Baulch, has set up a “gofundme” crowd funding site, which has raised £3,000.

After analysing the judgment from judge Maria Castro, Amaral has decided to appeal, which could take two years, buying him time to raise more money. Describing the judgment as “unfair” he says he will appeal until the “very last judicial instance”, which signals it could end up in Portugal’s Supreme Court or the European Court of Human Rights.

Supporters point to a section of the judgment saying it was a proven fact that British police dogs detected the scent of human blood and a cadaver in Apartment 5a of the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, from where Madeleine vanished eight years ago today.

From another forum with thanks for the comments.
Leanne Baulch ‏@JusticeForMM 3 mins3 minutes ago
Thank you @TheSunNewspaper we have had a massive influx of donations thanks to your article. Well over £5K donations in a few days #McCann

Chinagirl wrote:
It sickens me that this corrupt, self-centred man holds out his hand for money to pay for legal help to continue damaging the innocent parents of a missing child - ONE man - when right now there are more than a million people without shelter, food or medical supplies. Every dollar or pound or euro would help a REAL person in REAL need.

As someone here pointed out, Amaral has been involved in numerous legal actions over the past eight years, in not one of which has he been successful, and all of them brought on by his own corruptness, intransigence or incompetence. Think of the amount of money (his and others) he has wasted on legal fees over the years.

Re: Maddie libel detective ruined: Retirement retreat seized to cover McCann payout

Post jeanmonroe

After analysing the judgment from judge Maria Castro, Amaral has decided to appeal, which could take two years, buying him time to raise more money

TWO YEARS! (for appeal)

So KM had better put her 'plans' for spending her £179,000 'damages' from GA, on hold!

TMH wrote:
Ben Perrin sent me this on Friday through PM on Facebook. He got my name and photo from the GFM page after I'd donated and then did a search for me on FB. I chose to ignore him, knowing he would twist my words and I'm glad I did! He has since blocked me on Facebook although I don't know why but maybe he knew what he was going to put in his disgusting article and didn't want me to respond after the fact.

Ben Perrin

Hi Sam, hope you're well.
I'm putting together a story on the gofundme website linked to raising £25k towards legal fees of Goncala Amaral.
I noticed you had donated on the page and I'm looking to speak to a few people who forked out.
I'm after a quote about why you thought it was important to donate?
Many thanks.
Ben.perrin@the-sun.co.uk

  

From 2009:

http://expresso.sapo.pt/tribunal-fica-com-jaguar-de-goncalo-amaral=f544234

Court gets Jaguar Gonçalo Amaral
Copyright and share the former Inspector PJ , Gonçalo Amaral in the company that also created were arrested . Click to visit the disappearance of Madeleine McCann dossier.
32
Ricardo Marques and Rui Gustavo (www.expresso.pt) |
22:35 Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Civil Court of Lisbon, which this week ordered the seizure of book copyright of Gonçalo Amaral into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the documentary that followed it, considers that the sole proprietorship created by the former coordinator of the PJ may allow receive and make disappear the proceeds to him personally for the sale of books and videos.

Therefore, following the claim from the McCann family, decided through a trial process also foreclose the Amaral share in the company, one-third of his salary as manager and even Jaguar former police conduct - but that belongs the firm.

The car, with an engine capacity of 2700cc and a price of around 70,000 euros new, was purchased in May and registered in the name of Gonçalo Amaral society Unipessoal Lda., With a registered capital of 5000 euros. The company, established in November last year, provides consulting, research and analysis in the field of criminal investigation and specializes in the dissemination, promotion and communication of technical papers.

Notifications for publishers who published the book "Maddie - The Truth of the Lie" followed earlier this week to several European countries: Italy, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Spain and France. War & Peace, publisher (who published the book in Portugal), the Presslivre (owner of the "Correio da Manhã" where Amaral has a weekly column), the Valentim de Carvalho and TVI were also notified of the seizure of copyright which They are due to the former coordinator of the PJ until a final decision in the ongoing process.

Contacted by Express, Gonçalo Amaral declined to make any comment on the decision of the Civil Court, referring to his position to a press statement released on Wednesday. In this document, the man who investigated the disappearance of Madeleine McCann fears "is unable to defend its reasons in court" and admits facing "constraints relating to their own defense."

Kate and Gerry McCann, were made defendants during the investigation, and the three minor children, Sean and Amelie and Madeleine, are the applicants of the ongoing process in civil court. Require the former PJ inspector compensation of 1.2 million euros for defamation due to statements "continuous and gross" about the investigation of the 2007 case.

However, according to the assessment made by the court, the financial position of Gonçalo Amaral does not offer sufficient guarantees for payment in the event of conviction. The home Olhão - which bought together with his wife in 2002, with a BIC loan, but that is only registered in her name - was placed under sequestration in 2005 due to a debt of about 130 thousand euros.

A year later, the National Treasury registered a lien on the house as security for payment of 16,900 euros. Finally, two years ago, it was the BES (which now belongs BIC) to proceed with an enforcement action against the couple for collection of more than 300,000 euros -. New garnishment

The book "Maddie - The Truth of the Lie" was launched in July 2008 and within two months, until the end of September, had 12 editions, ie 120 000 copies. However, in September, also by a court decision, it had already been banned its sale.

Gonçalo Amaral retired from the Judicial Police in June last year, after 26 years of service. At the time, said he went to have "the fullness of freedom of expression", after being away months earlier, the investigation into the disappearance of British child due to statements made to the media. Currently, Amaral receives a pension for early retirement in 2039 euros. The investigation of the case was filed in June 2008, being cleared any parental liabilities of British girl who disappeared three years to May 3, 2007, in Praia da Luz.

From the Express:

Jenny Murat, 78, the mother of wrongly accused Robert Murat, has potentially breakthrough evidence but no one has spoken to her. At 8pm on May 3, 2007, she went to a supermarket and then drove past Apartment 5a and saw a woman hanging around. Her notes from the time say: “There was a woman standing on the corner under a lamp post.

“I don’t remember much of her other than she was of slight build and was wearing a plum coloured jacket. She moved around the lamp post as if trying not to be noticed.”

As she turned into the driveway of her home, Casa Liliana, she was nearly hit by a car going the wrong way. “When I stopped to open the gates I could not see the car but the woman was in the road looking in my direction.”

After her son was wrongly made an arguido (Portuguese for suspect), she contacted Hugo Swire, a Tory MP in Devon, and Leicestershire police about her sighting but, astonishingly, she has not been interviewed to this day.

Still relating to the facts which occurred on the evening of 03 May 2007, the deponent states that on that night she was at home with her son Robert. They followed their normal routine: About 19h50 she went to the "Batista" supermarket to buy bread. Then she went back to the house where she arrived more or less at the same time as Robert. Later they sat in the kitchen where they were talking for some time, having also eaten

Witness Statement

Date 2007/05/15 Time: 17H50m Place: Praia da Luz
Officer: Santos Martins, Inspector.
Name: JENNIFER ANNE MURAT

She confirms being the mother of arguido Robert Murat, and is willing to make this statement.

Imagine St Kate boiling her blood on bank holiday sunday ?

I am sure Mrs McCann has better things on her mind today than the fact that Amoral appears to have told a British tabloid a pack of lies - yet again.

Or that Jenny Murat's latest tale does NOT match her rogatory statement.

But it is a measure of the hater obsession with the McCann family that they are never done 'imagining' what the McCanns are thinking.

Emma Surgenor I think this is actually a rather good article. It appeares non biased and even includes jenny Murat's sighting of the woman in a plum top. Which was never acknowledged by british police.

scoobydoo » Sun May 03, 2015 1:17 pm
   

urcrazy wrote:
Facebook comment:

Its on the front page of go fund me!!! Well done Leanne! And well done The Sun lol

Truthiness2 wrote:  How in god's name can they say 'Well done Leanne'?

They are stupid and live in different worlds. To them leanns campaign is like a job and makes her important. Like her, they are of low intelligence so are impressed by what normal people can see is stupidity. I can't help wondering how many are unemployed as they don't mind showing themselves up to any potential employer. Their social circles and family are probably much the same, thick. Its sad, but for Leanne baulch this is probably going to be the biggest achievement in her life, what prospects do people like her have? The ones who are not thick will have some sort of mental issues or a massive chip on their shoulder due to lazy ambition and ego outstripping intelligence and ability.

I remember one troll saying how Kate must have been lying about the bedtime routine because it was too storybook perfect. Yet to me it sounded normal. Bath, then bedtime with stories. What else do you do? To think that's something that is not the norm puts them in a different world.

Julie Halliday Think I'm gonna email them with a few of our facts & see what they say, just out of curiosity

Elizabeth Basford Perhaps we could take out a class action against The Sun for libel calling us "trolls"? It would be good publicity. Anybody know a good PR man? Maybe we could also persuade some solicitors to do the work pro bono? Carter Ruck springs to mind.

Marian Greaves ok we have to start thinking a bit bigger, he may not realise yet but he is going to need about £300,00 to £500,000 for legal fees, now anyone got any realistic ideas of how to do it, i have a few but think i will pm Leanne and a few others, all suggestions welcome

Online trolls pay Madeleine McCann libel detective’s legal bills on eight year anniversary

INTERNET trolls are funding the legal bills of a shamed Portuguese detective who claimed Madeleine McCann’s parents were behind her disappearance.

By HELEN BARNETT
PUBLISHED: 16:53, Sun, May 3, 2015 | UPDATED: 19:00, Sun, May 3, 201

A British policeman is one of more than 330 people who have donated more than £5,300 towards Goncalo Amaral’s legal bills after he was sued by Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry.

The sickening news comes on the eight year anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance.

Amaral was ordered to pay €500,000 in libel damages to the McCanns following the publication of a damning and unfounded book, “Maddie, The Truth of the Lie”.

But Leanne Baulch, 22, of Birmingham, created the page and wrote the fund was created “as a quest for justice and backed by supporters from all over the globe, in solidarity, friendship and above all, in the interest of furthering the investigation of the case into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann”.

It adds: “There are many who follow Amaral’s dissatisfaction, and whom, like him, urge for the day the truth, or some more of it will emerge.”

Amaral, 56, is to launch an expensive appeal against the payout decision.....more at link above.

Patricia Doogue That is horrendous, how did that rag get hold of Leanne's fund raising campaign??? Agree with Emily, closed group be better for now. Seems no one is safe from the salvo being fired by those people. It really is shocking.

Reading through the comments from donors was interesting. There are at least three claiming to be ex-coppers. Several said the came to the site after reading about it in the Sun. There's even donations from "Isabel Duarte", "robert guest", "the dogs", "Katie Hopkins" and "jasmine alfibab3

Richard David Leanne Baulch is a troll on benefits ? wasn't she the one that paid for serial scrounger Ben Thompson's flight to Portugal for his dirty weekend away with Frances Gallagher to watch Gonzo's trial?

How could she afford to be doing that if she's on benefits? She must be on the take somewhere? Hardly the most trustworthy sort to be handling thousands of pounds of other people's money. I bet Thompson already has his eyes on the prize and is taking steps to persuade Leanne to part with some of it.

scoobydoo » Sun May 03, 2015 8:14 pm

urcrazy wrote:
Leanne's on benefits. Like most of those commenting, and an appalling number of those making donations.

I work, my husband works. I still have to think carefully about money, including charitable donations. I am normally totally against benefit cuts, but by god these people make me wonder if I am way too soft!!

Leanne Baluch aka le belch is unemployed, I am shocked really shocked. Going by the look of her and the sublime quality of her writing I thought she was a surgeon doing an impression of a wannabe tannerexic beautician to the "chavs" with a chip on her shoulder in indirect proportion to her tiny brain.

Leanne Baulch ‏@JusticeForMM 8m8 minutes ago
@CHProfiler it's not taking care of him, it's funding an appeal, the money goes to an account run by his friends, and then part 1...

Leanne Baulch ‏@JusticeForMM 6m6 minutes ago
@CHProfiler they pass the money to his legal representatives. It's only used for legal costs, he doesn't have access to the account.

Leanne Baulch ‏@JusticeForMM 4m4 minutes ago
@CHProfiler that way, it cannot be included in his assets. Do you want a link to the PJGA site, they explain it better than I can x

Chelsea Hoffman ‏@CHProfiler 2m2 minutes ago
@JusticeForMM Oh I see, you guys are just trying to manipulate others' wording to bypass legal loopholes.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/03/gofundme-yanks-online-fundraiser-for-baltimore-cops-in-freddie-gray-case/

GoFundMe yanks online fundraiser for Baltimore cops in Freddie Gray case

GoFundMe spokeswoman Kelsea Little explained to the Baltimore Sun that the website cannot be used to benefit those who are charged with serious violations of the law.

“The campaign clearly stated that the money raised would be used to assist the officers with their legal fees, which is a direct violation of GoFundMe’s terms,” Little told the paper.

Diane Winch Found this from someone who knows about law .........In order to appeal he will have to show that reired police officers are allowed to call innocent people guilty and are allowed to use privileged information