Madeleine McCann investigation

[lyndie]

I saw today that possible excavations are to start in the resort where MM went missing.

Does anyone think the progress The Met have made is astonishing given the length of time that has elapsed? I can't help but wonder what progress could have been made if they had been involved at the start.

I really hope that somehow they can find out what happened and give her family some sort of closure. I know the ins and outs of what happened and her parents leaving her have been discussed at length on MN but from a crime point of view I would be very interested to see if the Portugese police had done enough or not.

So what are you saying, janey?

You don't think she could make a mistake about the shutters (if she did) when utterly traumatised about a missing child?

Thinking back to the villa we stayed in last year - I'm very security conscious, almost paranoid actually - but I wouldn't be able to tell you how the shutters worked.

If you're genuinely interested, lavolcan - you can google it.

Sabrina - that is a cop out and I think you know it. The only cases that come up are the ones I have instanced. Given the high profile of the case if the McCanns had successfully sued anyone it would surely be headline news.

the calpol one, Lavolan.

There you go, LaVolcan

Don't say I never do anything for you.

And here

It was a High Court libel case.

Who exactly was sued - the manufacturers of calpol, a newspaper? They have changed the formulation of calpol since 2009 but was this the result of the McCanns action?

I've linked it for you twice above

It was the Express Newspapers Group.

Kate and Gerry McCann: Sorry

The Daily and Sunday Express have taken the unprecedented step of making a front-page apology to Kate and Gerry McCann.

Published: Sun, March 23, 2008

We did so because we accept that a number of articles in the newspaper have suggested that the couple caused the death of their missing daughter Madeleine and then covered it up.
We acknowledge that there is no evidence whatsoever to support this theory and that Kate and Gerry are completely innocent of any involvement in their daughter's disappearance.
We trust that the suspicion that has clouded their lives for many months will soon be lifted.
As an expression of its regret, the Daily Express has now paid a very substantial sum into the Madeleine Fund and we promise to do all in our power to help efforts to find her.
Kate and Gerry, we are truly sorry to have added to your distress.
We assure you that we hope Madeleine will one day be found alive and well and will be restored to her loving family.

Express Newspapers settled a libel case by paying the McCanns sunstantial damages here

Oops seriously X posted

You ask what I'm saying Sabrina. I will spell it out again.
You are claiming that in the confusion at the time, the McCann genuinely thought the shutters had been jemmied, which is why they put that out to the media. They then subsequently realised they hadn't been jemmied.
KM says in her book that she and Gerry both realised directly after finding MM gone that the shutters could be raised normally from outside and inside. This was before they called the media.
Can you explain why their version would change from realising the shutters could simply be raised, to saying they had been jemmied open?

Is this another out of court settlement then, as with the Tapas 7?

It's a simple mistake, janey. People make them - especially when on holiday (when you supposedly relax) and then tragedy happens.

What I'm saying is that whether they opened, or were jemmied makes no difference to whether Madeleine was abducted from that apartment. Either way, it could have happened.

Yes, there was one for the Tapas 7 too.They all received about £300k each - all of which was donated to the Find Madeleine campaign.

What... A simple mistake ? KM states in her book that they were very upset to realise the shutters could simply be raised from outside, presumably because they had assumed they couldnt be. How does that knowledge translate within a day or so to telling the media the shutters were jemmied open?

I expect Kate McCann bought some diamonds with it. Or perhaps she used it to keep her family/home afloat while they couldn't work, as they were in Portugal, and on the actual Campaign.

^Sarcastic.

There wasn't one for the Tapas 7 - it was an out of court settlement. As far as I am aware no one took the witness stand and swore on oath. Anyone can go and parade outside the Courts of Justice, but it doesn't mean that they won a case inside.

Not that I don't think the Express shouldn't have made it. Poor Madeleine sells newspapers and the Express milked the story for all it was worth.

LaVolcan - you asked if the McCanns had successfully sued. I've provided the info for you.

the Mccann case was a High Court libel case - they won. The Express printed a front page apology. What more do you want??

They printed a series of vile stories about the McCanns, implying that they were involved in the death and disappearance of their daughter - including sedating her and disposing of her body- and they were taken to court for libel for it.

I realise this doesn't fit comfortably with all the theories being picked over on this thread - but it is, nonetheless, what happened.

You haven't actually provided me with the info I am trying to find. You have provided me with a clip of the McCanns' spokesman parading outside the Court. The only court case that I know of in this country was the one with the solicitor Tony Bennett and that was for contempt of court, I believe.

I linked to the Express's front page.

I don't know what you'd take as proof, if you won't accept the front page from the Express's own website, and an article about it in the Guardian. It happened. Accept it.

What more do you want??

I am trying to find out whether anyone has sworn on oath that Madeleine was abducted. Carter Ruck's spokeswoman wasn't able to do so. Until then, it would seem that the correct term to use is 'disappeared', but until recently people/the Press have had the greatest difficulty in saying this.

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/38490/Kate-and-Gerry-McCann-Sorry

Here it is again - note the web address is express.co.uk

You asked if they's successfully sued for libel. I answered you.