The much anticipated libel case involving Amaral and the McCanns got underway today and seems to have been a rather unenlightening affair. Two points made were of note, firstly that Menezes was asked what the probability of Madeleine still being alive, he replied he thought it was 50/50. Secondly the mention of a "cloth" that was indicated by the dogs to have scent of a body on. This "cloth" was in the flat rented by the McCanns after they had left the apartment where Madeleine went missing.
So far I can see no particular in direction or method for Amaral's defence. With the repeated references to the collected evidence that wasn't allowed to be considered by the case judge at the time it does begin to look like Amaral is using this libel case to get unseen "evidence" into the public domain. It's a dangerous legal strategy that doesn't always work. It's harsh to cast such opinions upon Amaral's legal team but one can't help thinking that perhaps they graduated from the Mark Geragos school of boiler plate cheap legal defence.
Having said that, it appears the McCann legal team had to be yanked in by the Judge presiding for a cheap shot at one of the testifying policeman, an unfounded accusation of torture was levelled at them. Hardly what you would expect from a well oiled and organised legal team and especially so when there is no jury sitting.
If I was a defender and on Amaral's team I would be feeling rather disappointed with how this case has started.
Big thank you to the girls over at the Just A Thought and Finding the Truth forum who have been keeping our community members over seas updated with the events in the trial. If you are a member of Finding the Truth, it's well worth stopping in for Cabo's comments on the trial so far.
Best dead pan comment delivered today goes over to bonny at Just A Thought with this one:
2:09 jondipaolo: The mcanns' lawyer is rebuked for saying de almeida was accused of torturing suspects - he was never charged.
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2:10 jondipaolo: The court is adjourning for lunch. Back at 3pm.
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Well, if Unca Am has organised lunch, better make that 5 pm.
The Raptor award for "the best display for a person being so completely detached from reality they need a rubber bus" goes for this tweet by Mairy_Hinge:
Follow @jondipaolo and watch as the wheels fall off the #McCann wagon
It's set the benchmark pretty high I know but each day we will try to bring you one tweet to top this one, no doubt this tweeter may even better themselves.
For record purposes a full transcript of todays tweets from the official Sky reporter at the trial follows:
Ok, that's all we have time for. Back tomorrow morning.
45 minutes ago from txt Some confusion here- that wasn't the end of proceedings, just a break before today's final witness.
about 1 hour ago from txt Proceedings have ended for today.
about 1 hour ago from txt The mcanns' lawyer is taking an aggressive tone as she cross-examines mr paiva.
about 1 hour ago from txt Paiva: if she was being held somewhere publicity would be more likely to hasten her death.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva: we found the 'merchandising' operation with wristbands and so on very strange.
about 2 hours ago from txt Mr amaral looks like he's dozing off.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva: mccanns never pointed me towards any evidence that maddie was still alive.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva: amaral's thesis has prevented other theories from being investigated
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva: amaral's theories are based on the facts of the investigation.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva: it was scotland yard who first thought it could be a murder case.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva: there was total collaboration between british and portuguese police on the case.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva also says the mccanns were made suspects after the british sniffer dogs were brought in.
about 2 hours ago from txt Gerry has put his arm round kate as they listen to paiva's testimony.
about 2 hours ago from txt Kate whispers something in gerry's ear and gives him a little smile. He stays looking straight in front.
about 2 hours ago from txt Paiva is asked whether he ever got the impression from the mccanns they thought maddie could be dead. He says yes.
about 2 hours ago from txt Insp paiva says he was the family liaison officer for the case but was taken off at the mcanns' request.
about 3 hours ago from txt Inspector ricardo paiva, of the portuguese police, has taken the stand
about 3 hours ago from txt Mr amaral has just walked in and we're under way
about 3 hours ago from txt We're back in court. The mcanns are here but mr amaral is missing.
about 3 hours ago from txt The court is adjourning for lunch. Back at 3pm.
about 4 hours ago from txt The mcanns' lawyer is rebuked for saying de almeida was accused of torturing suspects - he was never charged.
about 4 hours ago from txt The mcanns' lawyer is getting quite worked up in her cross examination of de almeida.
about 4 hours ago from txt De almeida: when we asked uk for info on mccanns we got a single side of a4.
about 4 hours ago from txt De almeida: british authorities other than police hindered investigation by withholding information.
about 4 hours ago from txt De almeida: Forensic lab technicians from birmingham came to portugal so it is strange concerns were raised about contamination.
about 5 hours ago from txt De almeida: british police kept information about the mcanns to themselves.
about 5 hours ago from txt De almeida: we were controlled by the british police.
about 5 hours ago from txt British police would have found it very difficult to charge the mccanns.
about 5 hours ago from txt A report by the British police stated that one of the sniffer dogs was in a nervous, excitable state, and wanted to get into the room.
about 5 hours ago from web The animals also found a scent on a piece of cloth in a flat rented by the McCanns after they left the apartment where Madeleine vanished.
about 5 hours ago from web The dogs detected the traces inside the dining room of the holiday flat and in the car the McCanns were using.
about 5 hours ago from web One of the dogs used to search the apartment in Praia da Luz identified blood and another identified the smell of a human body.
about 5 hours ago from web The British police told the Portuguese officers what the capabilities of the sniffer dogs being used in the investigation were.
about 5 hours ago from web He said the Portuguese detectives found the co-operation given by their British counterparts useful.
about 5 hours ago from web He tells the court that British police took an active part in the investigation.
about 5 hours ago from web Mr de Almeida tells the court that he is still working as member of the Portuguese police.
about 5 hours ago from web He was involved in the case from the beginning, but taken off it in September 2007.
about 5 hours ago from web Tavares de Almeida, chief inspector of police at the time of Madeleine's disapperance, has taken the stand to give evidence.
about 5 hours ago from web The senior lawyer for the McCanns has approached them on the front bench of the public gallery for a quick huddled conversation.
about 5 hours ago from web The text messages were never considered as part of the investigation because the judge did not allow it, the court hears.
about 6 hours ago from web Who suggested the checking of the McCanns' text messages, Mr Menezes is asked. The police, he replies.
about 6 hours ago from web The McCanns' lawyer asks the witness whether he understands the title of Mr Amaral's book to imply some sort of dishonesty by the McCanns.
about 6 hours ago from web She says that the McCanns were always totally prepared to come back to Portugal to take part in a reconstruction of the disappearance.
about 6 hours ago from web Another of the McCanns' lawyers moves to quiz the witness - literally. She gets out of her seat and walks right up to the video screen.
about 6 hours ago from web He says that the McCanns are not responsible for generating any of this 'evidence' that their daughter is not dead.
about 6 hours ago from web The McCanns' lawyer makes the point that 'evidence' usually sightings - has suggested Madeleine is still alive.
about 6 hours ago from web Now it's the turn of the McCanns' legal team to cross-question the witness.
about 6 hours ago from web A report signed by Chief Inspector Tavares De Almeida said that Madeleine died in the flat in Praia da Luz, the witness adds.
about 6 hours ago from web Mr Menezes said he has not read the book written by Mr Amaral that triggered this case, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie.
about 6 hours ago from web The text messages sent by Kate and Gerry were never admitted as evidence gathered as part of the investigation.
about 6 hours ago from web Police intercepted text messages sent by the McCanns because they were suspicious of the parents' role in Madeleine's disappearance.
about 6 hours ago from web He claimed that although the parents had been checking on Madeleine, it was not as often as every 30 minutes.
about 6 hours ago from web The witness said that Kate and Gerry's report that they had been checking on their daughter every half an hour was inaccurate.
about 6 hours ago from web Mr Menezes said that a claim made by the McCanns on the first day after Madeleine's disappearance was not true.
about 6 hours ago from web The witness was asked what the probability was of Madeleine still being alive. He replied that he thought it was 50/50.
about 6 hours ago from web There were several possible charges that could have been brought against the McCanns: kidnapping and selling a child were among them.
about 7 hours ago from web The decision to designate Kate and Gerry as 'arguidos' was taken after the sniffer dogs carried out their searches.
about 7 hours ago from web He says that the decision to make the McCanns 'arguidos' - suspects - was taken by the police and then confirmed by the public attorney.
about 7 hours ago from web Mr Menezes is saying that English police sniffer dogs were brought to Portugal to help in the search for Madeleine.
about 7 hours ago from web Mr Amaral's lawyer is cross-examining the witness.
about 7 hours ago from web The McCanns can't see the person giving evidence. Mr Amaral can, but doesn't seem to be looking at him.
about 7 hours ago from web His testimony is marred by a high-pitched whine of feedback from the microphone - and the fact the screen can't be seen by the public.
about 7 hours ago from web It is the attorney who was in charge of the original inqury into Madeleine's disappearance, Jose Magalhaes e Menezes.
about 7 hours ago from web The first witness is being called by videoconference.
about 7 hours ago from web The McCanns' lawyer is arguing against allowing the police CD to be submitted to the court.
about 7 hours ago from web Mr Amaral's lawyers want a CD containing police case files to be submitted as evidence because it would corroborate the claims in his book.
about 7 hours ago from web The mention of 'a date to be scheduled on the 14th' indicates proceedings are set to last longer than the three days set for them.
about 7 hours ago from web A new witness, Luis Frois, is being called by the McCanns' legal team on a date to be scheduled on the 14th.
about 7 hours ago from web The McCanns are having proceedings translated by interpreters seated either side of them.
about 7 hours ago from web The McCanns' lawyer replies that the couple are prepared to give evidence but only after Mr Amaral has done so.
about 7 hours ago from web Mr Amaral's lawyer has said that the McCanns should take the stand in order to answer questions.
about 7 hours ago from web He is declaring the 'principle of contradiction' - the legal basis for Mr Amaral's argument to be made
.
about 7 hours ago from web Mr Amaral's lawyer addresses the court, speaking very slowly and deliberately.
about 7 hours ago from web One of the policemen set to give evidence will do so by video link tomorrow, we are told.
about 8 hours ago from web The judge has arrived - a young woman! Proceedings should now be able to get under way.
about 8 hours ago from web A clerk carrying a large bundle of files has just come in, but we're still waiting for the judge.
about 8 hours ago from web On the wall above the judge's chair is a large 3D frieze depicting the judgement of Solomon - complete with baby being held up by swordsman.
about 8 hours ago from web The legal teams have arrived. Goncalo Amaral is sitting on one of the benches at the side of the court, around 15ft away from the McCanns.
about 8 hours ago from web We're sitting two rows behind the McCanns. The benches at the back of the courtroom are full of journalists from the UK and Portugal.
about 8 hours ago from web We're in court awaiting the arrival of the judge and legal teams. The McCanns are sitting in the front row at the centre.
about 8 hours ago from web The McCanns have arrived at court. Word so far is that Goncalo Amaral is still yet to get here.
about 8 hours ago from web The police have put barriers up outside the court entrance - they're obviously expecting large crowds.
about 9 hours ago from txt Camera crews and photographers are gathering outside the court.
about 9 hours ago from txt Good morning, i'm outside the palacio da justica in lisbon where the mcann libel trial will take place.
RT @Bren_Brencardi McCann case, Scotland Yard thought it was a murder case first http://www.the3arguidos.info/post10466.html#p10466
D'you know, I reckon I would have put money on that, I'm getting a good eye for the foamers these days