MSN Home  |  My MSN  |  Hotmail
Sign in to Windows Live ID Web Search:   
go to MSNGroups 
Free Forum Hosting
 
Important Announcement Important Announcement
The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
Madeleine McCannContains "mature" content, but not necessarily adult.[email protected] 
  
What's New
  
  WELCOME  
  LATEST NEWS  
  PJ FINAL REPORT  
  Member Messages  
  ►►SITE MENU◄◄  
  ►► MESSAGES �?/A>  
  All Messages  
  General  
  Messages For Maddie  
  Madeleine  
  Off Topic  
  Breaking News  
  Pet Memorials  
  MEMBER WELCOME  
  MEET THE MANAGER  
  ►►SUMMARIES◄◄  
  ►►�?MEDIA ◄◄�?/A>  
  NEWSPAPERS  
  Telegraph  
  Newspaper Thread  
  MAY Reports  
  JUNE Reports  
  SUN BOARD  
  TIMES BOARD  
  Daily Mail  
  MIRROR BOARD  
  GUARDIAN BOARD  
  Deleted EXPRESS  
  News Archives  
  News Articles  
  TV Program Links  
  Transcripts  
  TV News  
  Video Links  
  JOURNALISM  
  News Sniffer  
  ►INVESTIGATION�?/A>  
  Interviews  
  Suspicious  
  Re-enactment  
  Subliminal & Propaganda  
  Contrived Abduction  
  Facts  
  'Evidence'  
  Libel Threats  
  Lies  
  Quotes  
  Theories  
  Forged Photos?  
  McCann Travels  
  Timelines  
  FUND INFO  
  Fund  
  FUND INCOME / EXPENSES  
  Fund Compilation  
  FUNDRAISING  
  Fund 'Sources'  
  ►►►PEOPLE◄◄�?/A>  
  Kate McCann  
  Key People  
  Clarence Mitchel  
  Government  
  Brian Kennedy  
  Jon Corner  
  Metodo 3  
  Photofit  
  People MISC  
  Witnesses  
  Family  
  Unknown People  
  Esther McVey  
  Pol. Judiciaria  
  Tapas 7  
  Backers  
  ►►►► INFO◄◄�?/A>  
  Weather  
  The Law  
  Beachy  
  thentherewere4  
  Beachy Posts  
  AMBER ALERT  
  Information  
  M & E Children  
  Statistics  
  HUMAN BEHAVIOUR  
  Body Language  
  ►► CHAT ROOM�?/A>  
  Chat User Guide  
  ►► OPINIONS◄◄  
  Coldwater  
  HiDeHo  
  Jon Gaunt  
  Comments to Note  
  Gerry's Blog  
  Personal Attack  
  Misc Blogs  
  bb2002  
  Tabs poem  
  ►►WEBSITES◄◄  
  mccannfiles.com  
  Website Links  
  ►►PICTURES◄◄  
  Pictures  
  Manager Graphics  
  Pics fo Posting  
  Photo Curiosity  
  Backgrounds  
  ►►FORUMS◄◄  
  Digital Spy  
  Websleuths  
  THE 3 ARGUIDOS  
  3A Thread Lists  
  3A at Brussels Conference  
  3A Smiles  
  3A Ref. Threads  
  3A Distributions  
  3A Leaflets  
  MIRROR FORUM  
  M F Threads  
  Memorable Posts  
  Great Posts  
  Lost Pages  
  ►E-MAIL ADDYS�?/A>  
  ►►COMPUTER ◄◄  
  COMPUTER HELP  
  Computer Tips  
  HOW TO TIPS FOR 3A  
  3A How To Post  
  Avatars  
  ►►�?GAMES◄◄�?/A>  
  Brain Teasers  
  Time Wasters  
  Interesting Fact  
  Funnies  
  Points To Ponder  
  Nostalgia  
  Amateur Sleuth  
  For Skeptics  
  Estelle's Posts  
  Search  
  Priest  
  Remember Madeleine  
  Songs & Lyrics  
  'Source' Info  
  British Police  
  Sheree Dodds  
  PR & Spin  
  Trial  
  Your Web Page  
  3A Here To Stay  
  Documentaries  
  Diary  
  TEAM McCANN  
  Mgzne Interviews  
  TV INTERVIEWS  
  Robert Murat  
  Oprah  
  AMARAL'S BOOK  
  Fridge  
  McCanns History  
  McCann 'Defence'  
  Martin Brunt  
  Statements  
  Apologies  
  Investigate Fund  
  Statement Tables  
  MISC Web Pages  
  Millenium /Tapas  
  
  
  Tools  
 
Information : DNA Dec 17-SIr Alex Jeffries invented DNA (Tycoons withdraw support)
Choose another message board
 
     
Reply
 Message 1 of 1 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknametin-lizzy  (Original Message)Sent: 6/20/2008 8:25 AM
 

Madeleine McCann: Tycoons withdraw support

By Caroline Gammell in Praia da Luz
Last Updated: 2:14AM BST 17/09/2007

Two millionaire businessmen who gave money to help find Madeleine McCann refused today to contribute to the legal fight to clear her parents' name.

The couple's official spokeswoman, Justine McGuinness, has also decided to step down, it emerged this afternoon. Exhaustion, and the McCanns' need for a PR adviser with more legal experience, are said to be behind her decision.

Kate and Gerry McCann, 39, have hired top lawyers in Britain and Portugal after they were named official suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

Detectives believe Mrs McCann may have accidentally killed her daughter and relied on her husband to help cover up the crime. Although the couple insist the claims are baseless, the cost of trying to clear the "cloud of suspicion" is expected to run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Although the fighting fund set up to find Madeleine has raised more than £1 million, the trustees said the couple - who did not want to take the money anyway - would not be able to make use of the funds.

One entrepreneur, who refused to be named because of the delicate nature of the case, has given his backing in the past.

But today he told the Evening Standard: "I am not going to contribute any more. It is a difficult issue and it is not something I propose to get engaged in.

"It is the most confusing scenario anybody has ever seen. I am not judge and jury and I hope what I am reading is wrong. I have not yet been approached [a second time] but I wouldn't put any money in.

"If they can turn the tide in some form maybe there will be loads of backers. But right now this does not look a good place to go."

A number of well known figures have publicly supported the McCanns including JK Rowling, Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson, Topshop owner Philip Green and EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

A second wealthy businessman, who has given £100,000 to the fund, said: "We won't be pledging any more right now.

"I don't think that at the moment we would allow the money to be swapped to cover defence costs, but this is a difficult position and a very sensitive issue." The McCanns, from Rothley in Leicestershire, returned to the UK on Sunday, 48 hours after being declared suspects by Portuguese police.

Ms McGuinness, the McCanns' spokeswoman, is expected to step down this weekend if a replacement can be found in time.

The Media Guardian website is reporting that the couple are looking for a "big hitter" to work as their full-time PR representative as the investigation into their daughter's disappearance enters a new phase.

Phil Hall, the former News of the World and Hello! editor, who has been acting as a consultant to the McCanns in recent months, is thought to be the leading contender.

The world's leading expert in DNA cast doubt on a key facet of the alleged forensic evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann last night as he offered to act as an expert witness for the couple.

Sir Alec Jeffreys, who invented DNA fingerprinting, said a match did not necessarily demonstrate a person's guilt or innocence.

It follows claims that DNA samples matched to Madeleine had been found in her parents' hire car and holiday apartment. Sources said the traces were being treated by Portuguese detectives as strong evidence that Madeleine's body was placed in the car.

However, Sir Alec told BBC's Newsnight programme: "There are no genetic characters in Madeleine that are not found in at least one other member of the family.

"So then you have an incomplete DNA profile that could raise a potential problem in assigning a profile to Madeleine given that all other members of that family would have been in that car."

Sir Alec, 57, added: "DNA testing seeks to establish whether DNA sample A from a crime scene came or did not come from individual B.

"So if you get a match there's very strong evidence that it did come from B. It is then up to investigators, the courts and all the rest of it to work out whether that connection is relevant or not.

"So DNA doesn't have the words innocence or guilt in it - that is a legal concept. What it seeks to establish is connections and identifications."

Off-camera, Sir Alec said he was prepared to act as a witness for the McCanns.

His caution came as a leading genetics expert also called into question the value of DNA evidence in its own right. Dr Paul Debenham, a member of the advisory body the Human Genetics Commission, said there could be legitimate reasons as to how DNA from Madeleine found its way into the hire car.

Prosecutors would need to establish that it got there as part of a criminal process and not through chance contact, he said.

Dr Debenham said: "With the current highly sensitive DNA methodologies we can deposit DNA as a trace amount just from contact with a fabric. And that fabric can touch another surface where the DNA is passed on.

"So there is a situation where there is a legitimate or a possible explanation as to how the DNA got on the back seat despite the individual not being there, but through some legitimate transfer of garments, clothes or soft toy.

"It questions the value of that particular evidence in interpreting what happened."

The development came as it emerged that Portuguese prosecutors have applied for Gerry McCann's laptop and his wife's personal diary to be handed over to the authorities investigating their daughter's disappearance.

Detectives in the Algarve are particularly keen to track emails sent by Mr McCann, a cardiologist, from the computer he used while in Portugal to keep an almost daily blog on the campaign to find Madeleine.

An urgent application for access to the personal artefacts was made by public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses to a judge in Portimao yesterday.

Philomena McCann, Mr McCann's sister, said she advised her sister-in-law to keep the diary to show Madeleine how much they loved her.

She told The Sun: " I said to Kate that it would be a good idea if someone wrote down, for Madeleine, notes on everything that was happening, because we have to prove to Madeleine how much we looked for her and how much we love her.

"That wee girl will be thinking, 'They're not looking for me. My mummy, daddy and my aunties - they don't love me because they can't find me'.

"I was just thinking about how insecure Madeleine would be, so Kate has been keeping that journal faithfully every day.

"She's been writing down everything that we've been doing so we can prove to Madeleine that we have worked so hard to try and find her, that we've put our lives on hold to search for her and show our love for her is unending."

Gerry's brother John McCann said last night that his brother believed the Portuguese police had "gone up a cul-de-sac".

He told BBC's The One Show: "Gerry keeps telling me that they have gone up a cul-de-sac and have lost track of what they should really be doing."

Asked whether the fact the case was being dealt with at such a high level in Portugal gave him confidence, he said: "It does and it doesn't. There is data out there, there's all these leaks.

"There is so much speculation going on as to what the actual information the Portuguese police have.

"If they have got something that suggests Madeleine really is dead then for goodness sake tell the family who have the strongest feeling for this.



First  Previous  No Replies  Next  Last