Article in the Portuguese press, now removed

Attorney General receives “new theory” in disappearance of Madeleine McCann

A team of independent investigators working over the last decade has come up with what it believes happened to Madeleine McCann.

Just as the British Home Office is reported to be considering a new request by Metropolitan Police for the funding of its long-running Operation Grange investigation, the theory has landed on the desk of Portugal’s Attorney General.

It is explosive, it does not work to the accepted timeline, and it does not involve Portuguese gypsies or Eastern European child smugglers.

The objective of the 20-page letter, translated into Portuguese, is to prompt judicial authorities towards a reinvestigation.

Explains one the group’s principal spokespeople - a retired Nottinghamshire police superintendent - “it is important that people follow this logically, and without preconceptions, however shocking the conclusion may seem”.

“There is strong evidence, for example, that the famous Pool Photo was not taken on Thursday 3rd as was claimed.

“Weather reports, personal diaries, and many hundreds of photos on sites such as Flickr show that Thursday lunchtime was overcast and there was a cold Force 4 wind”.

The retired police officer is convinced that the mystery is “a very simple sad story” that for reasons unclear has been hopelessly muddled up.

As to why this may be the case, his response was a prememptory: “No Comment”.

“Any answers I give at this point would be personal opinions not based on facts or knowledge and therefore best avoided”, he said.

“It might be, after all, that the findings have "got through" and that a final answer is just around the corner.

“The last FOI (Freedom of Information) report from Grange stated there had been flights to Portugal in 2017:

“To date there have been 2 return flights to Portugal this year.

“In March three officers flew to Portugal at a total cost of £750 - whilst in May 2 officers flew to Portugal, costs being £500.

“To do WHAT ?

“How many of these had we heard about ?

“And don't forget that the CPS lawyers visited Portugal to speak to counterparts a couple of years ago . . .”

Thus for now, the team that calls itself the Madeleine McCann Research group waits.

The letter was sent on March 6 and has been tracked as having reached its destination.

Said one of the group’s members: “We can only hope the authorities take notice. If our findings get published in the Portuguese media, the authorities might be obliged to make an official statement and it might get reported in the UK.

“And then things finally might be able to move forwards…”

natasha.donn@algarveresident.com