Caso Maddie: Visita de Pat Brown ao Algarve

joanamorais@gmail.com (Joana Morais) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:44:38 PST

A conhecida 'Criminal Profiler' americana Pat Brown estará esta semana de visita ao Algarve, numa tentativa de ajudar a encontrar Madeleine McCann, desaparecida na Praia da Luz a 3 de Maio de 2007.

Pat Brown interessou-se por este caso, tendo inclusivamente escrito um livro que reflecte o seu raciocínio e conclusões sobre o misterioso desaparecimento, intitulado "Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann". A obra, baseada em factos constantes do processo do Ministério Público português e da investigação levada a cabo pela Polícia Judiciária, viria a ser objecto de uma tentativa de censura por parte do casal McCann, que através dos seus advogados pressionou com sucesso a Amazon - site onde o e-book se encontrava à venda - a retirar o livro da sua oferta. A receita da venda do livro destinava-se a financiar uma viagem de Pat Brown à Praia da Luz e a outros locais de relevo no 'caso Maddie', viagem essa que decorre neste momento.

Em sua defesa, Pat Brown incumbiu a advogada Anne Bremner de redigir uma carta, instando o casal a desistir da interferência dolosa que exerceu no seu direito a conduzir um negócio, e a respeitar o seu direito à liberdade de expressão. Essa missiva, bem como a nota de imprensa que a acompanha, pode ser lida aqui.

Durante a sua visita ao nosso país, Pat Brown terá o maior prazer em conceder entrevistas aos órgãos de comunicação social portugueses.

Contacto:
Pat Brown
The Pat Brown Criminal Profiling Agency
she2000@comcast.net
00 1 301 675 6289
www.patbrownprofiling.com
www.sheprofilers.com

Trial over alleged defamation of Gonçalo Amaral has been postponed to March, 29

joanamorais@gmail.com (Joana Morais) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:04:26 PST

The trial of lawyer Marcos Aragão Correia and of the university teacher António Pedro Dores, over defamation of former PJ inspector Gonçalo Amaral, within the case of Leonor Cipriano, which was to take place on Thursday, in Faro, has been postponed to the 29th of March.

Isabel Duarte, Marcos Aragão Correia’s lawyer, has told Lusa Agency that by a dispatch from Faro Judicial Court, the trial was postponed to the 29th of March, at 9.30 a.m.

Despite not having had Access to said dispatch yet, the lawyer said that she had been informed, by telephone, that the postponement was due to a pending appeal, which was filed by the other arguido in the process, António Pedro Dores, the president of the Association Against Exclusion through Development, whose defence attorney is José Preto.

For the trial in Faro, Marcos Aragão Correia has called António Marinho Pinto, presently the head of the Lawyers’ Order, and Ana Maria Calado, the former director of Odemira Prison, as defence witnesses.

Former Judiciary Police (PJ) inspector Gonçalo Amaral – who investigated the disappearance of Joana, the daughter of arguida Leonor Ciprinao – has criminally sued Marcos Aragão Correia and António Pedro Dores, because they publicly alluded to the alleged torture that Leonor Cipriano was a target of during the Joana case’s questioning stage.

Marcos Aragão Correia, lawyer to Leonor Cipriano, alleges that the Portuguese courts have already decided that it has been proved that His client was tortured, yet the Public Ministry (MP) continues to uphold the accusation in the defamation lawsuit that Gonçalo Amaral has filed.

He further recalls that, within the alleged case of torture of Leonor Cipriano, Gonçalo Amaral was condemned over the crime of false statement, to a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence, which was suspended over the same period of time.

The defendant of Marcos Aragão Correia in the defamation lawsuit is lawyer Isabel Duarte, who is equally the lawyer for Madeleine McCann’s parents, who has pending lawsuits against Gonçalo Amaral.

The trial in Lisbon over the defamation lawsuit that has been filed by the parents of Madeleine McCann, the little girl that disappeared in the Algarve, in May 2007, which was equally scheduled for Thursday, has also been postponed, without a new date, according to lawyer Isabel Duarte’s indication to Lusa.

That process concerns Gonçalo Amaral’s book, “Maddie: A verdade da mentira”.

in: SIC Notícias, 08.02.2012

Press Release: Cease-and-Desist Letter issued to Gerry and Kate McCann, parents of Missing Madeleine McCann

joanamorais@gmail.com (Joana Morais) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:57:17 PST

Press Release

Gerry and Kate McCann, parents of the missing Madeleine McCann, find themselves for the first time at the other end of a potential legal action. Top defense attorney, Anne Bremner, counsel to the Friends of Amanda Knox and the families of Rebecca Zahau and Susan Cox Powell, has issued a cease-and-desist letter (content posted below) on behalf of American criminal profiler Pat Brown whose book, Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, was removed from sale by Amazon following a claim by the McCanns that the book was defamatory.

In recent years, the McCanns have instructed their solicitors, Carter-Ruck, to send numerous cease-and-desist letters to people who have publicly questioned their possible involvement in their daughter’s disappearance nearly five years ago while on family holiday in Portugal.

Next week, on February 8th, retired solicitor Tony Bennett faces English prison as the McCanns’ fight to shut down his efforts to bring focus to aspects of the missing child case that point to the parents’ possible involvement. Also, the McCanns have sued the detective on their daughter’s case, Dr. Goncalo Amaral, for libel and have had his book, Truth of the Lie, pulled off the worldwide market. The trial is scheduled in Portugal for April. Now, Pat Brown has fought back for the cause of freedom of speech and justice, alleging that the McCanns have interfered with her right to conduct business and have damaged her professional reputation with their successful removal of her book from sale. On Monday, Pat will leave for Portugal to continue her quest for truth and justice in the case of Madeleine McCann.

The Find Madeleine Campaign operated by Gerry and Kate McCann has spent some 2.5 million pounds on the supposed search for their daughter, Madeline, who vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal while on vacation with the family nearly five years ago and have come up empty handed. Since last May, a 37-man team headed up by Scotland Yard has spent 1.5 million pounds on salaries plus many more pounds following up supposed leads with no sign of success. Altogether, four million pounds has been forked out to locate a missing child with zero results. What, then, does American criminal profiler Pat Brown hope to accomplish with her two week trip to Portugal, beginning next week on February 6, with her small band of assistants and a few hundred euros of her own money?

She could find the truth. She could find Madeleine. She could find nothing but at least she won’t be costing the taxpayers millions or draining the pocketbooks of kindhearted donators chasing useless leads.

Pat Brown will be following up on the theory she purported in her Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, her eBook which was pulled by Amazon at the request of the British solicitors Carter-Ruck on behalf of Gerry and Kate McCann. Amazon was told the book was defamatory in spite of the fact Ms. Brown clearly stated facts in the case, developed a theory based on those facts, and repeated numerous times that she makes no claim that the McCanns are guilty of any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance (other than leaving three children unattended night after night in the resort apartment). Since Gerry McCann clearly stated during the Leveson hearing, “I strongly believe in freedom of speech” and “I don't have a problem with somebody purporting a theory,” it is difficult to understand why the McCanns wanted the book to be repressed, except that it was selling well and that the theory she presented was being considered credible by a number of readers.

During her trip to Portugal, Pat Brown will study the town of Praia da Luz and environs, reconstruct the crime, and examine possible locations as to where Madeleine might have been taken, dead or alive. If she discovers evidence to support a theory other than the one that was the focus of her book, she will pursue that information. She is looking forward to meeting with Dr. Gonçalo Amaral, the ex-detective on the McCann case. Meanwhile, it is her hope and that of her lawyer, Anne Bremner, that the McCanns rethink their actions regarding the Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and instruct their solicitors to have Amazon return the book to the market (now available at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble online).

For interviews and media appearances, please contact:

Pat Brown
The Pat Brown Criminal Profiling Agency
she2000@comcast.net
301-633-1151
www.patbrownprofiling.com
www.sheprofilers.com

Anne M. Bremner Stafford Frey Cooper, PC
3100 Two Union Square
601 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101-1374
abremner@staffordfrey.com
206.623.9900
www.annebremner.com

Cease-and-Desist Letter

Anne M. Bremner
Stafford Frey Cooper, PC
3100 Two Union Square
601 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101-1374

February 1, 2012

Adam Tudor
Carter-Ruck
6 St Andrew Street
London EC4A 3AE
England

Dear Mr. Tudor,
In July 2011, American criminal profiler, author, and television commentator, Pat Brown, released on June 15, 2011 a self-published book of thirty-pages on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.de, for the price of US2.99. It was titled Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, sold 850 copies over the next five weeks and garnered 49 nearly all five star reviews on Amazon.uk alone. Then, the book vanished from sale on all three sites. Upon questioning, Pat Brown was informed by Amazon that they had received communications from Carter-Ruck on behalf of their clients Gerald and Kate McCann that the book was defamatory.

Mon 7/25/2011 7:27 PM

Dear Pat,
We have received a notice of defamation from Carter-Ruck Solicitors that says the content of Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (UPDATED) B0055WYVCQ, contains defamatory statements regarding their clients, Gerry and Kat (sic) McCann.

Because we have no method of determining whether the content supplied to us is defamatory, we have removed the title from sale and will not reinstate it unless we receive confirmation from both parties that this matter has been resolved.
Carter-Ruck can be reached at:

6 St Andrew Street
London EC4A 3AE
T 020 7353 5005
Best regards,
Robert F.
http://www.amazon.com

This was quite a surprise to Pat Brown as she had never received any communications from the McCanns nor their solicitors concerning any defamatory material in this book, nor had she ever received any communication concerning any defamatory material in her blogs on the case she has posted online at The Daily Profiler over the last four years. As Ms. Brown is an analyst of evidence, she is careful to not state anything as a fact that is not a fact and to clearly state what is a hypothesis or a theory as opposed to proof. She has publicly and repeated explained to anyone reading her analyses of crime that criminal profiling is a methodology which explores the possible and theoretical scenarios that might be considered as logical based on evidence connected with the crime - forensic, linguistic, or behavioral. Any findings resulting from investigative tools which are not acceptable in certain courts of law (such as cadaver dogs or polygraphs) are noted as suitable for speculation, but not as solid proof of anyone’s guilt or involvement in criminal activities. Criminal profiling itself is an investigative tool and not a finding of guilt as Pat Brown clearly notes in her book.

Due to the speculative, if analytical, nature of Deductive Criminal Profiling, the methodology used by Pat Brown, she was careful to repeat numerous times throughout her publication that she was not accusing the McCanns of being involved in any crime or in the disappearance of their daughter, Madeleine. She was clearly only “purporting a theory” and exercising “free speech,” both manners of communication Gerry McCann stated he strongly supported under oath at the Leveson Inquiry on November 23, 2011 in London:

“I would like to emphasize that I strongly believe in freedom of speech, but where you have people who are repeatedly carrying out inaccuracies and have been shown to do so, then they should be held to account. That is the issue. I don't have a problem with somebody purporting a theory, writing fiction, suggestions, but clearly we've got to a stage where substandard reporting and sources, unnamed, made-up, non-verifiable, are a daily occurrence.” Gerry McCann

Pat Brown also believes in free speech and the right to purport a theory, it would seem she and Gerry McCann are in agreement that any work that purports a theory as opposed to false statements of fact is acceptable under freedom of speech. Pat Brown’s Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann opens up discussion of what happened to the McCann’s daughter, further stimulating interest in the case, and keeping Madeleine in the minds of the public. As the McCanns claim this is what they want, Pat Brown’s book is in accordance with this desire. In fact, it is the McCanns themselves who have clearly encouraged massive interest and speculation on this case. Pat Brown is in no way, therefore, infringing on any wish to keep talk about the case to a minimum.

By speaking and writing out quite often and in such a high profile manner, the McCanns have succeeded in making Madeleine McCann the most well-known missing child in modern history (since the Lindbergh baby in 1932). They have stimulated debate worldwide as to what happened to Madeleine. They have publicly purported their own theories; that someone took Madeleine because they wanted to raise a child, that she is being held captive in a sex ring, and that a pedophile had taken her. They have publicly disclosed many details of the case and repeatedly told their version of what occurred before, during, and after the disappearance of the daughter. They have discussed their emotions, behaviors, and opinions. Pat Brown is carrying on that discussion.

Utmost of importance in the entire matter, is the handling and funding of child abduction cases, the prevailing attitudes toward these crimes, and the future of catching child predators. Because the victims are so young and innocent, missing children are among the most publicized cases in the world. In the last three decades with the increase of the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle, awareness of child sex predators and stranger child abduction has radically increased fears of parents that their child will be taken and murdered. In reality, stranger abduction continues to be exceedingly rare for children of Madeleine’s age. Regardless, the paranoia that is engendered when a small child goes missing is a great stress to the community, the police, and resources. Therefore, it is extremely important that each and every case be properly analyzed and understood so that wrong ideas aren’t promulgated and funding and efforts are wasted investigating such crimes improperly. Each child that goes missing is a terrible tragedy for the parents, siblings, relative, friends, and community. Pat has great empathy for any family of a missing child and, most of all, compassion for the innocent young person who has suffered abuse, terror, sexual assault, and, possibly, an early death at the hands of others.

We are requesting that you respect Pat Brown’s right to free speech and to purport a theory as Gerry McCann has stated is not a problem for him. We request that the claim of libel be retracted for the Profile of the Disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the book permitted to be returned for sale at Amazon.

Respectfully,
Anne M. Bremner

in Woman in Crime Inc, published on February 1, 2012

Related

Amazon banned Criminal Profiler Pat Brown's book on the Madeleine McCann case - July 25, 2011

Why was my Madeleine McCann Book Banned? - July 30, 2011

Supreme Court turns down McCanns' request - March 18, 2011

McCanns appeal to the Supreme Court to forbid Gonçalo Amaral’s book - November 10, 2010

Lisbon Appeals Court Decision on the McCann Couple Injunction - October 14, 2010 - ruling the McCann's book, DVD and documentary injunction was against the European Convention on Human Rights and the Portuguese Republic’s Constitution, namely in its articles 37 and 38.

McCanns’ lawyer presents criminal complaint against TVI - February 10, 2010

The Temporary Injunction: Granted on September 9, 2009 - published in this blog on February 4, 2010

McCann couple demands books to be fully destroyed - January 10, 2010

Kate and Gerry McCann Threaten to Sue Bloggers - January 7, 2010

Carter-Ruck Letter abusing the powers and limits of the Portuguese book injunction to shut down an US hosted site, GerryMcCannsblogs.co.uk - October 30, 2009 - original PDF here

McCanns want to “sweep” their critics off the Internet - September 24, 2009

McCann's Censorship: The Injunction's Prohibitions - September, 11 2009

Various Carter-Ruck letters attempting to suppress the rights of freedom of speech & opinion can be found at The Madeleine Foundation

Suppressed Madeleine Foundation book by Tony Bennett, 2008 - copy at wikileaks, released on October 19, 2009