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Post by Admin on Sept 5, 2015 1:22:28 GMT
 British police hunting for Madeleine McCann have been staying in five star hotels in Portugal where rooms cost up to £200 a night, it has been reported. The officers are part of Operation Grange, which was set up by the Metropolitan Police after Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry made a personal plea to David Cameron to search for their daughter, who went missing while on holiday eight years ago.  Thirty-one police and support staff are still trying to find the missing child, who would now be 12. But after it was revealed that Operation Grange has cost £11million since it launched in 2011, it has now emerged that officers working in Portugal are staying at luxury resorts despite there being cheaper accommodation available near to the investigation scene.  According to the Sun, officers have stayed at the £180-a-night Ria Park resort, while quizzing suspects at Faro Police Station, which is a 20 minute drive away. They are also said to have used the £200-a-night Hotel Dona Filipa, which is close to some of Portugal's best golf courses.  However, Scotland Yard said that no officers are permanently based in Portugal and that hotels are booked in accordance with procedure. A spokesman said: 'Officers stay in hotels when visiting Portugal and they are booked by the MPS Travel Services in accordance with agreed Government rates which aim to ensure best value is obtained.' |
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Post by Admin on Sept 18, 2015 13:42:42 GMT
The Government has confirmed that the investigation into the disappearance of missing Rothley youngster Madeleine McCann has cost more than £10 million. The total cost of the hunt, which has seen the Metropolitan Police create a dedicated task force which goes under the name, Operation Grange, could also rise by another £2 million over the coming year.  The £10.1 million figure was confirmed in a written parliamentary question from Lord Black of Brentwood, who asked for the total amount to be made public. Home Officer minister Lord Bates disclosed the figure. He said: "The total cost of the investigation in to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (Operation Grange), up until end of June 2015, is £10.1m.  "The Home Office has budgeted £2m for the investigation in 2015/16. "The Home Office funds this work from the Special Grant budget. "The level of funding provided to the Metropolitan Police in relation to this investigation is reviewed regularly and will continue to be monitored." |
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Post by Admin on Oct 26, 2015 13:28:50 GMT
 Officers are scouring dozens of images from the camera of businessman Wojciech Krokowski, from Poland. They are focusing on those he took while in Praia da Luz at the time Madeleine went missing – on May 3, 2007. Krokowski’s flat was searched after the three-year-old vanished. Portuguese cops later ruled him out.  It bears a resemblance to the image of a man walking with a sleeping child – an artist’s impression of the kidnap which was released in September 2007. The picture was publicised widely in the hope it would jog memories about Madeleine. But British police agreed the picture was not Mr Krokowski.  Mr Krokowski told our investigators he liked taking pictures of children while he was on trips abroad. He said he was amazed he had not been contacted since police reopened the case in 2011. The Pole insisted: “ I am ready to speak to them any time they want.”  Mr Krokowski said he wanted to remove a shadow that has been hanging over him since he became the subject of an international manhunt over Madeleine. It is the latest twist in the long-running saga in which British police have vowed to leave no stone unturned to solve the mystery of what happened to Madeleine. |
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Post by Admin on Nov 6, 2015 9:16:09 GMT
 Julian Hernandez, who went missing when he was just five years old, has been miraculously recovered - but only after he applied to college. The boy who disappeared in Alabama in 2002 was found thousands of miles away in Cleveland, Ohio living with his father who has since been charged with his abduction.  The case may give hope renewed hope in the hunt for Maddie, who disappeared in 2007 while on holiday in the Algarve region of Portugal. Last month the hunt for missing Maddie was massively scaled back today after a eight-year long investigation.  The team of 29 British detectives who have been searching for Maddie will be reduced to just four who will focus solely on the child's disapearance. However, detectives may be encouraged as Julian was missing for even longer than Maddie but still was found alive. Julian, who is now 18 years old, was found after he struggled to apply for universities after his Social Security number was suddenly rejected.  His father, Bobby Hernandez, 53, is currrently being held at a jail in Ohio. He is expected to face felony charges, including interference with custody, that could send him to prison for one to 10 years. The FBI became involved and worked alongside Alabama Police to track down the long-missing child and confirm his identity. |
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Post by Admin on Nov 8, 2015 10:12:17 GMT
 The parents of Madeleine McCann have compiled a heart-rending list of all the things they miss about their long-lost daughter in the run-up to Christmas. The list accompanies a picture of the couple standing at their front door in Rothley, Leics.  The photo, taken for the charity Missing People’s Home for Christmas Exhibition, is among 12 pictures of families who have missing loved ones. The exhibition – at The Crypt in London’s St-Martin-in-the-Fields – highlights the plight of thousands of people across Britain who are living in limbo after the disappearance of a family member. The picture of heart doctor Gerry and former GP Kate , both 47, is on public view until November 22. The couple, parents to 10-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, refuse to give up hope of finding their eldest child, who would now be 12. Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal’s Praia da Luz in May 2007. Missing People’s Jo Youle said: “The exhibition will give the public the opportunity to stand with these families missing a loved one by sharing messages of support.” |
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