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McCanns blast newspaper over tip off

HOMEPAGE BLOGS NEWS REPORTS INDEX LOOKING & DOGS PHOTOS NEWS JUNE 2007
Original Source: TELEGRAPH: MONDAY 14 JUNE 2007
By Richard Edwards in Odiaxere, Algarve
Last Updated: 1:07AM BST 18 Jun 2007
 

The anonymous letter included a map pinpointing a dirt track in an area near Odiaxere, north east of Praia da Luz
 
Gerry McCann today strongly condemned the “insensitive and cruel” handling of an anonymous tip off claiming to know where his daughter Madeleine was buried.
The letter was sent to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Monday and claimed the four-year-old was buried in scrubland, "under branches and rocks", nine miles from where Madeleine was abducted.

Journalists from the newspaper trawled the land for two days before passing the information on to Portuguese police and Mr and Mrs McCann yesterday.

They had already published the story on their website. Mr McCann lashed out at De Telegraaf today.

Writing in his blog on the official findmadeleine.com website, he said: “We were extremely disappointed in the publication of the anonymous letter in The Telegraaf claiming to know where Madeleine is buried.

“Although all information will be taken seriously, we were very upset that the credibility of this letter had not been examined and, more importantly, published before the Portuguese police had an opportunity to investigate the claim, and search the area if appropriate without massive media attention.

“We feel strongly that this was an irresponsible piece of journalism and even if it were true it is insensitive and cruel.

“One can imagine how upsetting it is for Kate and I to hear of such claims through the media and if every piece of information was published like this there would be nothing else in the newspapers.”

The anonymous letter included a map which pinpointed a dirt track in an area near Odiaxere, north east of Praia da Luz, where Madeleine was kidnapped from her bedroom six weeks ago.

Portuguese police chiefs visited the area yesterday and took photographs of the surrounds as they attempted to pinpoint the area the letter and maps were referring to.

They were around four miles from the village of Odiaxere, north of the main highway, the Via Do Infante.

Police spokesman Olegario Sousa said the map, which includes a large cross marking the spot Madeleine is allegedly buried, is “a bit vague”.

He added: “It is not easy to discover the place where the body is alleged to be.”

It is believed sniffer dogs may be used to scour the scrubland but by 11.30am today there was still no police presence.

The only people in the area were journalists.

Although police are following up the lead and taking it seriously, they said it was only one of hundred of tip offs they have received, including many from clairvoyants.

It is believed the tip off may have come from the same anonymous source who predicted where the bodies of two murdered children would be found in Belgium last year.

The handwriting on the letter is said to be similar to that on a map received by the same newspaper, De Telegraaf, in June 2006, which correctly predicted the shallow graves of Belgian girls Nathalie Mahy, 10, and Stacey Lemmens, seven, who had disappeared while playing in front of a cafe in Liege.

A Moroccan man is awaiting trial for the murder but the anonymous source was never traced by police.

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