Cops' booze shame

8 June 2007
The Sun
Lucy Hagan

THE cop leading the Maddie hunt was blasted yesterday after he and two colleagues spent two hours boozing - at lunchtime. Chief inspector Olegario Sousa downed wine and whisky with fellow Portuguese officers as a restaurant TV screened Maddie's anguished parents at a Berlin press conference.

A British snapper was ARRESTED after he spotted Wednesday's long lunch in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, where Maddie vanished.

He was held at a police station for four hours and had his camera confiscated. An onlooker told how Sousa - who has appeared on TV fronting the inquiry - relaxed with officers including detective Goncalo Amaral.

The witness said: "When I left, one was still slumped in his chair." Asked whether it was acceptable for cops to drink wine and whisky at lunch, Sousa insisted yesterday: "It is my free time. What does it have to do with you what I drink or what I eat?

"I drink what I want to drink when I can drink. Have you seen anyone drunk? Have you seen any action deterred by that?"

The missing girl's aunt Philomena said: "If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar."

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann, propaganda

Officers defend two-hour lunches

8 June 2007
The Times
David Brown

Senior officers involved in the search for Madeleine McCann have been seen regularly going out for two-hour lunches. As her parents completed 13 gruelling interviews and meetings with politicians in Berlin on Wednesday, two of the leading officers in the case were seen enjoying a leisurely lunch. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa and Goncalo Amaral, the head of the regional Policia Judiciaria, joined two other men at a speciality fish restaurant called Carvi a few minutes' walk from police headquarters. A fellow diner said the men laughed and joked as the McCanns appeared on a television news broadcast.

"They asked for the Portuguese TV news to be switched on and sat watching it," he said. "Madeleine's parents had given a press conference in Berlin...The police were laughing among themselves while it was on. They seemed to be sharing some sort of in-joke. I thought that laughing like that in public was in really poor taste."

The party shared a bottle of white wine and there was what appeared to be a bottle of whisky on the table during the lunch, which lasted almost two hours. Such lunches are normal for workers in Portugal, but not for police officers, who work normal shift patterns.


Mr Sousa, the official spokesman for the investigation, defended the officers when asked if he thought it was acceptable for them to drink wine and whisky in their lunchtime while involved in such a major investigation.  "It is very, very sad but a person's free time is for lunch," he said.

"The persons are in charge in the day, they are working in the day but they must eat and drink, it is normal."  Asked if it was normal for police to drink whisky at lunchtime, he replied: "I don't have to answer that because the persons during lunchtime do what they want to do. It is free time. They are not working ."  When told that he had been seen drinking whisky and wine with colleagues, he replied: "I still say to you what I do in my free time is only responsible and in my interest. It is my lunchtime. What does it have to do with you what I drink or what I eat? Have you seen anyone drunk?"

Madeleine's family reacted with shock. Her grandmother, Eileen McCann, 67, said: "I'm not happy about that. My worries are for Kate and Gerry."  The missing girl's aunt, Philomena, said: "If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar. But we have to let them get on with their work because that's all we have to rely on."

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Madeleine officers defend their regular two-hour lunches

8 June 2007  
The Times
David Brown  and Thomas Catan
Police 'laughed at parents on TV news'
McCanns told of 'credible call' lead 

Senior officers involved in the search for Madeleine McCann have been seen regularly going out for two-hour lunches. As her parents completed 13 gruelling interviews and meetings with politicians in Berlin on Wednesday, two of the leading officers in the case were seen enjoying a leisurely lunch.

Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa and Goncalo Amaral, the head of the regional Policia Judiciaria, joined two other men at a speciality fish restaurant called Carvi a few minutes' walk from police headquarters.

A fellow diner said the men laughed and joked as the McCanns appeared on a television news broadcast.

"They asked for the Portuguese TV news to be switched on and sat at the table watching it," he said. "Madeleine's parents had given a press conference in Berlin ... The police were laughing and joking among themselves while it was on. They seemed to be sharing some sort of in-joke. I thought that laughing like that in public was in really poor taste."

The party shared a bottle of white wine and there was what appeared to be a bottle of whisky on the table during the lunch, which lasted almost two hours.

The fellow diner said: "Someone on another table seemed to know them and joked about them having two-hour lunches and knocking back Johnnie Walker Black (Label)."

Mr Sousa, the official spokesman for the investigation, defended the officers when asked if he thought it was acceptable for them to drink wine and whisky in their lunchtime while involved in such a major investigation.

"It is very, very sad but a person's free time is for lunch," he said. "The persons are in charge in the day, they are working in the day but they must eat and drink, it is normal. I drink what I want to drink when I can drink."

Asked whether it was normal for police to drink whisky at lunchtime, he replied: "I don't have to answer that because the persons during lunchtime do what they want to do. It is free time. They are not working at that time."

When told that he had been seen drinking whisky and wine with colleagues, he replied: "I still say to you what I do in my free time is only responsible and in my interest. It is my lunchtime. What does it have to do with you what I drink or what I eat? Have you seen anyone drunk? Have you seen any action deterred by that?"

Madeleine's family reacted with shock at news of the police's behaviour.

Her grandmother, Eileen McCann, 67, said: "I'm not happy about that. My worries are for Kate and Gerry."

The missing girl's aunt, Philomena, said: "If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar. But we have to let them get on with their work because that's all we have to rely on."

Police have told the parents that they have received a "credible call" from a man claiming to know what happened to their daughter after her abduction 36 days ago.

Kate and Gerry McCann were asked if they were prepared to speak to the man after he told police he wanted to talk to them.

The call, believed to have been made to police in Spain, was traced to an unregistered pay-as-you-go phone, apparently outside Europe. The couple waited for three hours in Berlin before flying to Amsterdam in case the man called, but detectives were unable to re-establish contact.

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Police go on bender

8 June 2007
Daily Star 

Portuguese detectives hunting Madeleine cracked jokes during a boozy lunch as her parents flew across Europe to try to find her.

Senior officers laughed as they knocked back wine and whisky as a news programme showed the McCanns in Berlin this week.

As the parents later headed to Amsterdam, the detective ranked No 3 - Insp Goncalo Amaral - sat slumped in a chair staring at a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky.

His colleague Chief Insp Olegario Sousa burst into a fit of laughter when fellow diners warned British journalists would be shocked. 

A diner at backstreet seafood restaurant Carvi said:

"The police were laughing and joking among themselves while it was on TV.

"I thought laughing like that in public was in really poor taste. 
"The whisky bottle passed between them for about half an hour."

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Cops booze Shame

8 June 2007
The Sun
Lucy Hagan 


The cop leading the Maddie hunt was blasted yesterday after he and two colleagues spent two hours boozing - at lunchtime. Chief inspector Olegario Sousa downed wine and whisky with fellow Portuguese officers as a restaurant TV screened Maddie's anguished parents at a Berlin press conference.  A British snapper was ARRESTED after he spotted Wednesday's long lunch in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, where Maddie vanished.  He was held at a police station for four hours and had his camera confiscated.

An onlooker told how Sousa - who has appeared on TV fronting the inquiry - relaxed with officers including detective Goncalo Amaral. The witness said: "When I left, one was still slumped in his chair."

Asked whether it was acceptable for cops to drink wine and whisky at lunch, Sousa insisted yesterday: "It is my free time. What does it have to do with you what I drink or what I eat? "I drink what I want to drink when I can drink. Have you seen anyone drunk? Have you seen any action deterred by that?"

The missing girl's aunt Philomena said: "If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar."

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Maddy police defend long lunch break

8 June 2007
The Evening Standard
Ed Harris

Portuguese police working on the Madeleine McCann case defended their reputation today after they were seen enjoying a two-hour lunch. Policia Judiciara spokesman Olegario Sousa and Goncalo Amaral, head of the regional force, were seen as Kate and Gerry McCann travelled to Berlin and Amsterdam to appeal for help to find their daughter.

In Portimao, a town near where the four-year-old was snatched on 3 May, a diner at fish restaurant Carvi said he recognised the police officials from TV. 'They asked for the Portuguese TV news to be switched on Madeleine's parents had given a press conference in Berlin and they came on the screen.'

The diner said they had what looked like a bottle of white wine and whisky on the table. The McCanns praised the officers. Mr McCann said: 'They are working harder than Kate and I.'

Today Mr Sousa said it was up to the individual to decide what he or she ate and drank.

Meanwhile, doubts were growing about the authenticity of a phone call to police from a man claiming to know where Madeleine is.

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Officers defend two-hour lunches

8 June 2007  
The Times
David Brown

Senior officers involved in the search for Madeleine McCann have been seen regularly going out for two-hour lunches. As her parents completed 13 gruelling interviews and meetings with politicians in Berlin on Wednesday, two of the leading officers in the case were seen enjoying a leisurely lunch. Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa and Goncalo Amaral, the head of the regional Policia Judiciaria, joined two other men at a speciality fish restaurant called Carvi a few minutes' walk from police headquarters.

A fellow diner said the men laughed and joked as the McCanns appeared on a television news broadcast. "They asked for the Portuguese TV news to be switched on and sat watching it," he said. "Madeleine's parents had given a press conference in Berlin...The police were laughing among themselves while it was on. They seemed to be sharing some sort of in-joke. I thought that laughing like that in public was in really poor taste."

The party shared a bottle of white wine and there was what appeared to be a bottle of whisky on the table during the lunch, which lasted almost two hours. Such lunches are normal for workers in Portugal, but not for police officers, who work normal shift patterns.

Mr Sousa, the official spokesman for the investigation, defended the officers when asked if he thought it was acceptable for them to drink wine and whisky in their lunchtime while involved in such a major investigation. "It is very, very sad but a person's free time is for lunch," he said. "The persons are in charge in the day, they are working in the day but they must eat and drink, it is normal."

Asked if it was normal for police to drink whisky at lunchtime, he replied: "I don't have to answer that because the persons during lunchtime do what they want to do. It is free time. They are not working ." When told that he had been seen drinking whisky and wine with colleagues, he replied: "I still say to you what I do in my free time is only responsible and in my interest. It is my lunchtime. What does it have to do with you what I drink or what I eat? Have you seen anyone drunk?"

Madeleine's family reacted with shock. Her grandmother, Eileen McCann, 67, said: "I'm not happy about that. My worries are for Kate and Gerry."

The missing girl's aunt, Philomena, said: "If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar. But we have to let them get on with their work because that's all we have to rely on."

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Madeleine police 'seen at two hour lunch'

7 June 2007
Press Association
Caroline Gammell 

Portuguese police working on the Madeleine McCann case have defended their reputation after they were seen enjoying a two hour lunch.  Policia Judiciara (PJ) spokesman Olegario Sousa and Goncalo Amaral, head of the regional PJ, were spotted as Kate and Gerry McCann travelled to Berlin and Amsterdam to appeal for more information about their missing daughter.  In Portimao, a town near where the four-year-old was snatched 35 days ago, a diner at fish restaurant Carvi said he recognised the police officials.

'I knew who they were because Mr Sousa has been all over the TV and in the papers,'' he said.  'They asked for the Portuguese TV news to be switched on and sat at the table watching it. It must have been about 2pm. Madeleine's parents had given a press conference in Berlin and they came on the screen.''  The diner said they had what looked like a bottle of white wine and whisky on the table.  'After nearly two hours, two of the party left. Then Mr Sousa left on his own almost immediately afterwards.'' 

In Berlin, the McCanns said they had initially been frustrated by parts of the investigation but went on to praise efforts of Portuguese officers.  Mr McCann said: 'We have no doubts of the desire of the Portuguese police to find Madeleine.  'We have witnessed their efforts first hand and they are working harder than Kate and I.'' 

Yesterday Mr Sousa said it was up to the individual to decide what he or she ate and drank.  Asked if it was acceptable for police to drink alcohol in their lunch break he said: 'I don't know, it is very, very sad but a person's free time is for lunch. That is normal to do.  'The persons are in charge in the day, they are working in the day but they must eat and drink - it is normal.  'I drink what I want to drink when I can drink.''  When it was put to him that he had been seen drinking, he said: 'Have you seen anyone drunk? Have you seen any action deterred by that?'' 

Philomena McCann, Madeleine's aunt, said such behaviour would not be acceptable in the UK: 'If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar.  'But we have to let them to get on with their work because that's all we have to rely on.  'It is a different country and we have to accept the way that they do things and that it is a different culture where they have lunches and siestas but we hope the work is made up at other times.''

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann

Madeleine police 'seen at two hour lunch'

7 June 2007 
Press Association
Caroline Gammell

Portuguese police working on the Madeleine McCann case have defended their reputation after they were seen enjoying a two hour lunch. Policia Judiciara (PJ) spokesman Olegario Sousa and Goncalo Amaral, head of the regional PJ, were spotted as Kate and Gerry McCann travelled to Berlin and Amsterdam to appeal for more information about their missing daughter.

In Portimao, a town near where the four-year-old was snatched 35 days ago, a diner at fish restaurant Carvi said he recognised the police officials. 'I knew who they were because Mr Sousa has been all over the TV and in the papers,'' he said. 'They asked for the Portuguese TV news to be switched on and sat at the table watching it. It must have been about 2pm. Madeleine's parents had given a press conference in Berlin and they came on the screen.''

The diner said they had what looked like a bottle of white wine and whisky on the table. 'After nearly two hours, two of the party left. Then Mr Sousa left on his own almost immediately afterwards.''

In Berlin, the McCanns said they had initially been frustrated by parts of the investigation but went on to praise efforts of Portuguese officers. Mr McCann said: 'We have no doubts of the desire of the Portuguese police to find Madeleine. 'We have witnessed their efforts first hand and they are working harder than Kate and I.''

Yesterday Mr Sousa said it was up to the individual to decide what he or she ate and drank. Asked if it was acceptable for police to drink alcohol in their lunch break he said: 'I don't know, it is very, very sad but a person's free time is for lunch. That is normal to do. 'The persons are in charge in the day, they are working in the day but they must eat and drink - it is normal. 'I drink what I want to drink when I can drink.'' When it was put to him that he had been seen drinking, he said: 'Have you seen anyone drunk? Have you seen any action deterred by that?''

Philomena McCann, Madeleine's aunt, said such behaviour would not be acceptable in the UK: 'If it were detectives from Scotland Yard there would be absolute uproar. 'But we have to let them to get on with their work because that's all we have to rely on. 'It is a different country and we have to accept the way that they do things and that it is a different culture where they have lunches and siestas but we hope the work is made up at other times.''

Continue Reading... Labels: Goncalo Amaral, Madeleine McCann