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POLICE INVESTIGATING THE disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann on Monday began searching an area of scrubland near the holiday apartment in Portugal where she vanished seven years ago.
The area in Praia da Luz on the Algarve was cordoned off and police officers were seen in the area with sniffer dogs. It is believed the area has been searched before.
The joint Portuguese-British operation could last up to a week, and take in three different patches of land, according to Portuguese media reports.
British detectives said last month they had received authorisation from the Portuguese authorities to search near the resort complex where Madeleine disappeared from her bedroom in May 2007 as her parents dined with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.
Scotland Yard, which is carrying out its own investigation, refused to comment on reports that British officers were at the scene and said the force was “not prepared to give a running commentary” on the case.
Two weeks ago, Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said detectives were examining every credible line of inquiry in the search for Madeleine, who was almost four when she disappeared.
He said: “In the forthcoming weeks we are going to be going to a substantial phase of operational activity on the ground in Portugal.
“It’s something that you would expect in any major inquiry.
“A thorough serious crime investigation works systematically through all the credible possibilities, and often in an investigation you will have more than one credible possibility.
“Therefore, just because we’re doing a substantial phase of work in the forthcoming week doesn’t mean that it’s going to immediately lead to answers that will explain everything.”
The Portuguese investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance was wound up in 2008.
But British police re-examined the evidence and opened its own investigation in July last year, closely followed by the Portuguese authorities.
The case has been kept in the public eye by a high-profile media campaign orchestrated by her parents Kate and Gerry McCann.
One line of inquiry for Scotland Yard is a lone male paedophile who staged a series of sex attacks on young British girls while they were on holiday in the Algarve.
- © AFP 2014.
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Apologies writing here but re the article about the lads knocking that girl onto dart lines. It’s a complete sham. Zero repercussions in this country. I’m sure he’ll go on to become a valued member of society
@Gareth Wogan: that gives carte blanche to any other 5 c u m b a g to prey on innocent members of society
@Gareth Wogan: complete and utter waste of time, a gang, intimidating and assaulting people and there are no consequences, I wonder if it was the judges daughter they did that to, would it be different. They must be laighing with their mates over this…
Sure isn’t that marvellous! Now where they going to stay? Any digs out there!? Streets? Tents?
@✨Barbara Christopher: there’s actually a good supply of student accommodation in Dublin and more being built at present. Not sure about rest of the country though
@✨Barbara Christopher: you’re right Barbara, they shouldn’t have bothered creating extra places for the students who have been competiting for places where points have gone up unprecedentedly. Isn’t that right? Always something to moan about. Moan when they do something and moan when they don’t
@Ian McDonald: Not moaning, stating a fact. Let’s see come October. I love the fact there’s more places made available, but will the students find accommodation that’s affordable and acceptable. There’s nothing out there to rent – fact. That was my point.
@Dave Harris: that not the consensus of most students ringing in to newstalk radio station struggling to find accommodation in Dublin..
So 1000+ extra student places. Great. Any chance of increasing the funding to the colleges that will be dealing with extra workloads involved? Any chance of more staff so as to address our currently dire staff:student ratios? We are WAY behind the OECD average. I won’t hold my breath.
@Dr Angela Flynn: Christ, someone else making a positive into a negative.
@Ian McDonald: Its facts.
@✨Barbara Christopher: Barbara, you are choosing to fester in the negatives of a positive. There’s nothing more I can do for you.
A move in the right direction, increasing places where there are skills shortages but they could do more if they squandered less public money on ‘candy floss’ courses like gender studies, women’s studies etc. In fact they could get rid of most courses with ‘studies’ in the title and society would be no worse off.
Wonder how many are for the irish
Where will they all live?
have your say