May all the lanterns light the way home for you tonight Madeleine

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The parents of missing Madeleine McCann are due in Portugal this week as plaintiffs in a case seeking 1.2 million euros ($1.7 million dollars) in libel damages against a former Portuguese police investigator, McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell told CNN.

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http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/01/11/portugal.britain.madeleine.mc...

The parents of Madeleine McCann have released two new photographs of their missing daughter's last Christmas at home, on their website.

Kate and Gerry McCann said it was "heartbreaking" to face a third Christmas without Madeleine, who was nearly four when she went missing.

The new pictures show Madeleine playing with sister Amelie months before she vanished from an Algarve flat in 2007.

The McCanns, of Rothley, Leicestershire, are still searching.

'Great disappointment'

On their website the couple, both 41, posted a statement reading: "It is heartbreaking for our family to accept the likelihood of spending a third Christmas without Madeleine.

"Her absence is even more tangible at this time of year."

They added they felt "great disappointment" that their high-profile search had failed to find Madeleine, but added they had "no option" but to continue.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8422388.stm

Madeleine McCann's parents are flying to Portugal for the start of their libel action against former Portuguese police officer Goncalo Amaral.

Kate and Gerry McCann are planning to attend the opening of the hearing in Lisbon on Friday, their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said.

He added: "They only intend to appear at the opening and I would expect that they will return to the UK fairly swiftly."

(...)

In his book, The Truth Of The Lie, he claimed Madeleine was dead and questioned the McCanns' account that she was taken while they were eating with friends.

In September a Portuguese judge granted an injunction banning further sale or publication of the book.

It also banned Mr Amaral from repeating his claims about Madeleine or her family. They are now trying to get the ban made permanent.

(...)

Speaking after it was granted, Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leics, said the allegations had done immense harm to the search for their daughter.

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http://tinyurl.com/yfujz4b

Hi Neville and thank you for your interest.  I take it the person you are referring to is Danie Krugal?  Mr Krugal helped out early on in the case without success I'm afraid.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/maddie/article549991.ece

Earlier this week, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP) launched a special message, an appeal, to the person who knows or strongly suspects who was involved in Madeleine’s abduction. The aim of this initiative was (and still is) to prick the conscience of that person who knows and prompt them to come forward with that key piece of information which could lead to Madeleine coming home. The more people we can reach worldwide with this message, the greater the chance of us reaching that person who knows. And the more times this message reaches that person, the greater the chance of them doing the right thing and passing on the information that they have been keeping secret. With this in mind, we would like to thank everyone around the world, individuals and organisations, who have helped us by watching this special message on-line and forwarding it on to their friends, business contacts and network communities. We are once again overwhelmed and uplifted by the amazing commitment and kindness shown by the general public in our efforts to find Madeleine. The message can still be viewed, downloaded and forwarded in 7 different languages from www.ceop.police.uk We would be really grateful for your continued help. Together, we can reach that person who knows.

If you are that person, remember that it is never too late to do the right thing. This will never go away until we have found Madeleine. We love her too much. Please do the right thing by giving that information to your local police. Alternatively, please call the ‘Find Madeleine’ investigation team on +44 (0)845 838 4699 or email the team at investigation@findmadeleine.com.One email or one phone-call – and this nightmare could be over for everyone.

http://www.findmadeleine.com/updates.html
 

KATE McCANN will take part in a round of heart-rending TV interviews this week appealing for anyone who has knowledge of her daughter Madeleine’s kidnapping to come forward.

The 41-year-old mother has been keeping a low profile for months but has now decided that she wants to take a more active part in the effort to find her daughter, who would now be six.

Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve on May 3, 2007.

Kate will join her husband Gerry for a series of face-to-face interviews with the BBC and ITV.

And in a new move they will also speak to several Portuguese TV journalists who are flying to London later this week to interview the couple.

Kate and Gerry, of the village of Rothley in Leicestershire, hope that emotional appeals broadcast in Portugal could persuade someone to come forward with vital information and have employed a Portuguese press officer to help them get their message over.

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http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/137379

Everton FC is leading an international campaign to "re-energise" the search for missing Madeleine McCann.

The Premier League club is highlighting the cause as the team travels to Portugal - the country where the little girl vanished two years ago while on a family holiday in Praia de Luz.

The team faces Benfica on Thursday in a Europa League match and have commissioned 6,000 T-shirts for fans to wear.

Each shirt bears the message: "We're still looking for you".

Some 3,000 shirts show the message in English with the other half are written in Portuguese.

One of the first images released by Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry, in the wake of their daughter's disappearance 29 months ago showed the then four-year-old proudly wearing an Everton shirt.

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http://tinyurl.com/ylq663p
 

On Friday, the parents of missing Madeleine McCann said the reappearance of Jaycee Lee Dugard, the 11-year-old girl kidnapped in 1991, makes them more determined to find their daughter.

A 4-year-old Madeleine went missing on May 3, 2007, from an apartment where her family was staying while on vacation in Portugal. She is thought to have been kidnapped by a stranger as her parents dined nearby with friends.

“Once again this [Jaycee's recovery] shows that children can sometimes disappear off the radar only to be found years later alive,” said Kate and Gerry McCann.

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http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crime-Examiner~y2009m8d28-Parents-of-Madeleine-McCann-given-hope-by-Jaycee-Lee-Dugard-case

POLICE in Australia believe they know the identity of the Victoria Beckham lookalike being hunted by Madeleine McCann investigators.

Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, said there had already been a "substantial" response to the appeal, including several possible names for the woman.

The private detectives are now going through the information from the public and deciding which leads to follow up.

Mr Mitchell said: "We have had a substantial response overnight, with many hundreds of calls coming in particular from Australia.

"I understand many calls have also been made to the Australian police.

"Some names have been put forward, and all of this information is now being analysed and prioritised by the detectives.

"They are extremely grateful to everyone who has come forward with information.

"Where and when appropriate they will of course be liaising with the Australian authorities.

"As we stressed yesterday, the Australian dimension is just one part of the overall investigation into Madeleine's disappearance and work is continuing on several fronts."

Source

Mr Mitchell said the two men first saw the woman when they were drinking in bars at the city's Port Olimpic Marina at about 2am.

He said she was well-dressed but appeared agitated and kept walking up and down outside the El Ray de la Gamba restaurant bar.

Scene of where conversation with woman took place

One of the witnesses, a 41-year-old British man, had a brief conversation with her.

Mr Mitchell would not reveal what she said for operational reasons, but said it was "potentially significant" to the little girl's disappearance.

He said the woman was then seen having a "heated conversation" with another person in Spanish in a nearby bar. She then wandered off towards a hospital.

The witnesses said the brown-haired woman was aged between 30 and 35, slim, about 5ft 2in tall, and described as "a bit of a Victoria Beckham lookalike".

She is said to have had an Australian accent, and is also thought to speak fluent Spanish or Catalan.

An Australian woman who could hold the key to the riddle of missing Madeleine McCann is being sought by British private investigators.

The woman had a late-night chat with a British man outside a bar in Barcelona just three days after Madeleine went missing 27 months ago.

Retired cops probing her disappearance want to verify the conversation, which has only just come to light.

A worldwide hunt will be launched at a press conference in London today with an e-fit of the woman released.

An investigator said: “This woman is reported to have said something highly significant to the British witness – significant enough for us to launch a hunt for her.”

“The British man has only recently come forward. There appear to be a number of good reasons for that. But he has been checked out thoroughly and seems credible.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/08/06/appeal-for-key-austr...

THE parents of Madeleine McCann have had an emotional first meeting with other families of missing children.

Liverpool-born Kate and Gerry McCann took part in an event to mark International Missing Children’s Day yesterday, alongside relatives of Katrice Lee, who was two when she disappeared in Germany more than 27 years ago.

The couple spoke of how they could not bear to meet other families in their situation in the days and weeks after Madeleine vanished from Portugal, in May, 2007, but now drew strength from sharing their experiences.

Sitting next to Katrice’s sister, Natasha, and mother, Sharon, Mrs McCann said: “It’s easy to meet families where children have been found because that gives you hope.

“But, obviously, emotionally it is quite difficult to put yourself in a situation where a child has been missing for years and years.

“Obviously now it is easier, and I have to say it’s been a comfort.”

Her husband added: “Early on, Kate and I couldn’t even entertain the idea of speaking to another family whose child was still missing, particularly for a long time, because you think, ‘I just hope we don’t get there’.”

The McCanns also revealed they have been supported by letters from other relatives of missing children, including the family of Daniel Morcombe, who was 13 when he disappeared from the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia, on December 7, 2003.

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http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/05/19/madeleine-mccann-s-parents-meet-families-of-other-missing-children-92534-23654354/

Suspect pictures have been revealed by Madeleine McCann’s parents, the pictures were put together after statements made to the Portuguse Police, the missing child’s parents have looked into 30,000 pages of files at the Portuguese police in an attempt to help the investigation for finding their missing angel.

The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann issued a new picture Thursday of a man described as "very ugly" sought over her disappearance in Portugal two years ago.

The artist's impression depicts a dark-haired man with pockmarked skin and a large nose who was seen watching the holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz where the three-year-old disappeared on May 3, 2007.

Portuguese police have said they are no longer actively investigating the case.

An image of how Madeleine McCann might look now, if still alive, has been released ahead of the second anniversary of her disappearance.

Gerry and Kate McCann are to distribute their daughter's image worldwide as part of their continuing search for Madeleine, who vanished aged three.

The McCanns used a forensic imaging artist to produce a photographic impression of an older Madeleine.

She vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007.

Her parents believe there is "a very real likelihood" that Madeleine is still alive, and the poster shows her aged nearly six, smiling and with a pink head-band in her fair shoulder-length hair.

Alongside it is the well-known picture of Madeleine taken just before she went missing.

McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "This is the child that somebody who is close to Madeleine may spot, rather than the child in those other photos."

At the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an artist used photographs of Mr and Mrs McCann at around the same childhood age to produce an "age progression image".

The couple believe it is the most realistic picture possible of how she might look today, said Mr Mitchell.

He said it was "difficult" for Mrs McCann see the image at first, but over time she got used to it.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8029651.stm

A EUROPE-wide alert system for missing children has received a £900,000 European Commission handout on the eve of the second anniversary of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, whose daughter disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort on May 3 2007, have been campaigning ever since for closer cooperation between EU countries to help prevent child abductions across borders.

They twice took their campaign to the European Parliament last year, winning support from MEPs for increased action to set up a US-style "Amber Alert" early warning system which has led to the safe return of hundreds of children when the alarm has been raised across state lines.

A similar network across 27 European countries could have helped raise awareness faster about Madeleine’s apparent abduction from the McCann’s holiday villa.

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http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/src/webroot/ldp2/liverpool-news/regional-news/2009/04/29/madeleine-mccann-s-parents-get-900k-in-funding-for-missing-child-scheme-100252-23506071/

Madeleine McCann's father Gerry McCann has returned to Portugal to advise private detectives filming a reconstruction of her disappearance.

Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said Mr McCann and two family friends have returned to the resort area of Praia da Luz to help with the filming.

The reconstruction will be shown in a Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary.

Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, was three when she vanished from the Algarve holiday flat on 3 May 2007.

The reconstruction - being filmed by the McCanns' own private investigators - will focus on what happened on the night, as described by witness statements.

Negotiations are under way for the reconstruction to be shown on Portuguese television and in other European countries, and it will be also be available on the Find Madeleine website.

Mr Mitchell said: "The aim of this is to get that critical piece of information that could still help to find Madeleine. Gerry has returned with that aim.

"Certain aspects of the witness testimony were hidden deep in the police files and these particular aspects have received very little attention. The private investigators feel that it is very important to highlight these things.

"It's being done simply in the hope that it will jog someone's memory."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7983413.stm