Former cop calls Madeleine McCann search 'pointless' and based on 'sketchy' info
Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann
A former police detective has branded the new search for Madeleine McCann this week a 'pointless exercise' based on 'very sketchy' information during a fiery online rant.
Madeleine McCann went missing during a family holiday in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal on May 3 2007. Fast forward 18 years and there has been no positive sighting and no one has been charged with her abduction, but her parents have never given up hope.
Following the latest search for Madeleine this week which saw German and Portuguese police descended on several properties in an area of southern Portugal close to Praia da Luz several detectives have had their say on the latest developments in the case.
Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann. He started the six-minute rant on X by saying: "So no surprise the search in Portugal has come to nothing. I said it would, the information they were working on was very, very sketchy, nothing concrete at all. That area had been searched previously; it was really a pointless exercise."
He added: "I do find it very interesting when over the last couple of days I've read articles in newspapers and you've got certain individuals out there saying this is really strong information, this is the best, yeah this is likely to be the breakthrough. I was very clear from the beginning, I said it's not going to happen, it's not going to be a breakthrough."
Asking himself 'will we ever solve Madeleine McCann's disappearance?' He said: "Well we have to hope we will because working in the field that I do I always keep hope that all cases will be solved one day and of course we have to do that for the families."
He added: " I wonder to myself how many other cases would have been solved if the same amount of money had been put to the McCann investigation to those other missing children cases. This is no criticism to the McCann's because of course they'll want every penny that's possible spent on it but it is a reflection on society where some cases just don't get the attention."
As predicted by Mr Williams-Thomas earlier this week despite this week's fresh search for Madeleine, nothing related to the missing girl appeared to have been found during the operation. Police however have not shared an official statement on what could have been discovered.
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Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Former cop calls Madeleine McCann search 'pointless' and based on 'sketchy' info
Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann A former police detective has branded the new search for Madeleine McCann this week a 'pointless exercise' based on 'very sketchy' information during a fiery online rant. Madeleine McCann went missing during a family holiday in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal on May 3 2007. Fast forward 18 years and there has been no positive sighting and no one has been charged with her abduction, but her parents have never given up hope. Following the latest search for Madeleine this week which saw German and Portuguese police descended on several properties in an area of southern Portugal close to Praia da Luz several detectives have had their say on the latest developments in the case. Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann. He started the six-minute rant on X by saying: "So no surprise the search in Portugal has come to nothing. I said it would, the information they were working on was very, very sketchy, nothing concrete at all. That area had been searched previously; it was really a pointless exercise." He added: "I do find it very interesting when over the last couple of days I've read articles in newspapers and you've got certain individuals out there saying this is really strong information, this is the best, yeah this is likely to be the breakthrough. I was very clear from the beginning, I said it's not going to happen, it's not going to be a breakthrough." Asking himself 'will we ever solve Madeleine McCann's disappearance?' He said: "Well we have to hope we will because working in the field that I do I always keep hope that all cases will be solved one day and of course we have to do that for the families." He added: " I wonder to myself how many other cases would have been solved if the same amount of money had been put to the McCann investigation to those other missing children cases. This is no criticism to the McCann's because of course they'll want every penny that's possible spent on it but it is a reflection on society where some cases just don't get the attention." As predicted by Mr Williams-Thomas earlier this week despite this week's fresh search for Madeleine, nothing related to the missing girl appeared to have been found during the operation. Police however have not shared an official statement on what could have been discovered.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
I'm terrified Maddie suspect Christian Brueckner will hunt me down after he's freed from prison, says rape survivor
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Madeleine McCann cops call off search as trawl of Brueckner's 'rat run' turns up nothing 'I think of every survivor who never got to speak, and every woman who might become the next me. "The system may be ready to let him go, but I'm not. And neither is the wider society that deserves to feel safe.' The 41-year-old added: 'I have no doubt this predator is capable of anything "Age doesn't matter to him. It is about power and control for him and this won't have changed once he is out of prison. 'He has drifted across many countries over the years and targeted women and children of all ages. What's to stop him coming to Ireland and coming after me again? 'There have been reports he had plastic surgery and although his appearance is known, he could easily live underground and adapt a new identity and appearance. 'He is part of a world where people know how to stay hidden before they commit horrific levels of violence against women and kids.' Authorities in Germany are convinced of Brueckner's involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. Last week, officers travelled to Germany for a search of derelict farms in Praia da Luz he used for camping around the time Madeleine vanished. Despite his denial of any involvement, cops carried out the extensive hunt in the hope of finding a shred of evidence to link him to Madeleine — and to keep him behind bars. Hazel hopes if Brueckner is released in September, German police will monitor his actions. And she said: 'It took the German BKA to restore my faith in the police as my experience with the Portuguese was horrendous, to put it mildly. 'I believe the BKA are doing a stellar job and working very hard to bring justice to those believed to be victims of Christian B.' Former holiday rep Hazel also spoke of her ongoing trauma, adding: 'On the 16th of June 2004, 21 years ago, my life changed forever. Face behind the mask 'The man who raped me took more than my sense of safety — he murdered my spirit and crushed my soul. He destroyed all the little parts of me that made me, me. 'He took my trust, my voice, and for a long time, my ability to live freely in the world. 'Since then, I have worked tirelessly to reclaim those pieces of myself. But no matter how much therapy I go through, how much time passes, some scars don't fade.' Hazel also expressed her sympathy and support for the Leicestershire-based family of Madeleine. She said: ' As a parent, I cannot begin to imagine what they have gone through and continue to go through every day for the past 18 years.' On her fight for justice, she said: 'On the 3rd of June 2020, following 16 years of getting to know this 'new me', I was once again thrown back to 2004 — only this time, I was made aware of the face behind the mask. "I grappled with whether I had the mental strength to highlight myself to the relevant authorities as a potential victim, but I knew, deep down, if I didn't, I would always regret it. 'The following four years were unimaginably tough for me and my family and nothing could have prepared me for what lay ahead. "Facing the man I believed completely destroyed my life in court is one of the most difficult things I have willingly ever had to do.' She has also taken a case to the European Court of Human Rights over what her lawyer called the 'systematic and inexcusable failings by the Portuguese authorities that has denied her, and others, justice'.
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13 hours ago
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Passau horror as man drives into crowd including his wife and daughter
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