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Tuesday, July 22, 2008 

Scum-watch: Heartless libel? That's our job!

The Sun is disgusted by the vicious libel thrown at the McCanns by the former Portuguese policeman who aims to profit from Madeleine's disappearance by publishing a book:

But the couple’s torment is only made worse by Portuguese ex-cop Goncarlo Amaral, who is claiming Madeleine died in their holiday flat.

The implication that they were responsible, accidentally or otherwise, is utterly groundless. Otherwise, this inquiry would never have been shelved.

Amaral may hope his heartless libel will divert attention from his own clod-hopping police work.

But in trying to make a few seedy bucks, he feeds the cruel conspiracy theories that will haunt the McCanns all their lives.


Quite so. Speaking of heartless libel, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Sun, along with its sister publication the News of the World and connected news channel Sky News last week contribute to the £600,000 damages awarded to Robert Murat? I bring this up again because if you only read the Sun online you sure as hell wouldn't know about it: not only have they not republished the apology they should have ran last week in the paper online, but in its only report of Murat's settlement it didn't mention that it was among the publications that had committed similarly heartless libel.

Indeed, while Amaral may feed the cruel conspiracy theories, the Sun is feeding the cruel conspiracy theories surrounding Murat, as it has failed to take down clearly libelous and untrue stories such as a nanny's claim that she see saw him at the "Maddie" flat as well as one claiming that he was conducting an affair with the friend that was also paid £100,000 in damages. In the nanny's story, Murat is referred to as an oddball, the stock in trade description that haunted others such as Colin Stagg who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The McCanns though are helpless victims, who can be sympathised with while they are simultaneously exploited by a media that has no boundaries and which has profited far more from the disappearance of a little girl that Amaral likely ever will. Murat and anyone else can just go and hang.

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What is disappointing about this whole McCann affair is that from 5.30pm on 3 May 2007, only the McCanns had contact with Madeleine.

The McCanns when asked to explain Madeleine's disappearance, invented a fake break in. The idea being that an abductor entered the apartment.

The police and PJ and Mark Warner Ltd all rejected the fake break in, and Clarence Mitchell later admitted that there was no evidence to support it.

The very least the McCanns should do is explain why they lied about this issue. I think the Silence of the McCanns speaks volumes in relation to their guilt.

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