Robert Murat (2008)

Kate McCanns' suspicions over Murat's alibi, 01 January 2008

Kate McCann: My suspicions over Murat's alibi on the night Madeleine vanished Daily Mail By VANESSA ALLEN, Last updated at 16:24pm on 1st January 2008 Kate McCann is suspicious about Robert Murat's alibi for the night her daughter Madeleine vanished, it was revealed yesterday. The mother of three has confided to friends she believes there are questions about the British expat that need to be answered. Mrs McCann's doubts emerged after the Daily Mail reported that seven witnesses claim to have seen Mr Murat near the McCanns' holiday apartment on the night of May 3. He has always insisted he was at home all night at the villa he shares with his elderly mother in Praia da Luz, near the Mark Warner holiday complex. A friend of Kate and her husband Gerry said: "Kate has always felt there are questions concerning Murat and a body of evidence contrary to what he is saying. "Gerry doesn't know whether he is involved but Kate has always been suspicious." Mrs McCann, 39, has avoided publicly voicing suspicions about Mr Murat. She and Gerry, also 39, even called for calm after he was made an official suspect on May 14 and appealed for him to be treated fairly. Mr Murat, a property consultant, insists he did not learn about Madeleine's disappearance until the next morning and was not aware of the massive search going on less than 100 yards from his villa, Casa Liliana. But a source close to Mrs McCann said: "We now have a number of people who have come forward quite independently of us and volunteered information directly in contradiction to what he has said." Three friends of the McCanns, Rachael Oldfield, Fiona Payne and Russell O'Brien, told police in July that they saw Mr Murat near the Ocean Club holiday complex while they were searching for Madeleine. They are said to have given statements to Portuguese police saying he introduced himself to them and said: "I am Robert. Can I help in the search?" Charlotte Pennington, 20, a nanny at the Mark Warner complex, has said she saw Mr Murat on May 4, when he was working as a police translator, and recognised him as a man she had seen near the Ocean Club at midnight. The Mail told yesterday how holidaymaker Jayne Jensen, 54, also recognised the 34-year-old as a man she saw smoking a cigarette on the street corner opposite the McCanns' apartment An unnamed British barrister who was on holiday in Praia da Luz at the time is understood to have corroborated what Mrs Jensen said, but not made a formal statement. Two other tourists also called the hotline operated by the McCanns' private detective agency, Metodo 3, to report similar sightings. Mr Murat, who has a young daughter from a failed marriage, vehemently denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. His mother Jennifer, 71, has accused Metodo 3 of bribing witnesses to change their evidence. But a source close to the McCanns said: "He is her son and most mothers would protect their children. Either she knows something or she is mistaken." Police searched Mr Murat's home and vehicles after he was made a suspect and are understood to have found no forensic evidence linking him to Madeleine. He is still an official suspect along with the McCanns, who could face fresh police interviews this month.

Man seen by Irish tourist was not Murat, Sky News 04 January 2008

Irish Tourist 'Clears' Suspect Murat Sky News   John Kelly Updated: 06:57, Friday January 04, 2008   An Irish tourist who saw someone carrying a child in a blanket on the night Madeleine McCann disappeared insists that the mystery man was not Robert Murat.   Martin Smith, from Drogheda in Co Louth, was on holiday in Praia Da Luz with his family when they bumped into the man just before 10pm on May 3 last year.   The Smith family's suspicions were aroused because the man made no response when they asked if the barefoot child was asleep.   "He just put his head down and averted his eyes, which is very unusual in a tourist town at such a quiet time of the year," said Mr Smith.   Initially the Smith family thought nothing more of the encounter - and even the next day when the story broke they still didn't make the connection.   "We were home two weeks when my son rang me up and asked was he dreaming or did we meet a man carrying a child the night Madeleine was taken," said Mr Smith.   "We all remembered the same recollection, and I felt we should report it to the police.   "We've all been beating ourselves up that we should have made the link sooner, if only we'd remembered the next day.   "But the Portuguese police said you see these things on holiday all the time."   The Smiths did contact the Portuguese police once they had returned to Ireland, but say they have had no contact with the officers investigating the case since May last year.   "I rang the Portuguese police and they took a statement from me on the phone," said Mr Smith.   "They asked me to make a statement to the Gardai, which I did, and two days later Leicestershire police got on to us.   "My eldest son, Peter, my youngest daughter, Aoife, and I then flew to Luz to make a statement. They didn't seem to be the most efficient police you ever came across - and that was the last time we had any contact with the investigation.   "I don't know if this information will help the McCanns, but anything we can do to help try to solve it, we will.   "We were looking at all the commotion on Sky News and we really felt quite helpless. We had two grandchildren with us at the time and it had a terrible effect on them - they all wanted to sleep in the same room as us."   But Mr Smith is certain that the man he and his family saw that night was not Robert Murat, who is still officially an "arguido" in the Madeleine McCann investigation.   "I told police it was definitely not him because the man wasn't as big as Murat - I think I would have recognised him because I'd met him several times previously.   "He was wearing beige trousers and a darker top. We all put him in his early 40s and I didn't think he was Portuguese."   Mr Smith's sighting is similar to the one reported by Jane Tanner, a friend of the McCann family.   A spokesman for the McCanns said detectives from the Spanish agency hired to investigate the case are now hoping to speak to the Smiths.   Retired Mr Smith, 58, does not wish to appear on camera in order to protect his family from media intrusion.

David Payne/Robert Murat - Could witnesses have confused these two?

David Payne (left) and Robert Murat Robert Murat (left) and David Payne Madeleine witnesses 'may have mistaken this friend of the McCanns for Murat' on night she disappeared Daily Mail   By VANESSA ALLEN Last updated at 08:10am on 8th January 2008   Doubt was cast on the evidence of several key witnesses in the Madeleine McCann disappearance last night.   Those who said they saw suspect Robert Murat outside the family's holiday apartment on the night she vanished may have named the wrong man, it was revealed.   Detectives believe the witnesses who said they saw the British expat could have confused him with a friend of Kate and Gerry McCann, David Payne, who was out searching for the missing three-year-old.   If true, the claim could force police into a rethink of their eight-month investigation.   Mr Murat, 34, has insisted he spent the night of May 3 at home in the villa he shares with his mother Jennifer, 72, less than 100 yards from the McCanns' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. His mother said he never left the house.   But a series of witnesses have given statements claiming to have seen him around the Ocean Club apartment complex in the hours after Mrs McCann, 39, raised the alarm.   They include three friends of the McCanns - Russell O'Brien, Fiona Payne and Rachael Oldfield - who later confronted Mr Murat at a police station after he was made a suspect and said he offered to help them search that night.   Mark Warner nanny Charlotte Pennington said she saw him hanging around outside the Ocean Club's reception at about 10pm.   British holidaymaker Jayne Jensen, an unnamed British barrister and two unidentified British tourists all claim to have seen him around the complex that night.   But none of them knew the 34-year-old property consultant before that night.   Police are examining the theory that they could have confused him with Mr Payne.   The medical researcher, who is 41, was searching around the complex that night and - in a street lit by orange streetlights - could easily have been mistaken for Mr Murat.   Mr Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete told the Daily Mail: "Robert has always said the witnesses were mistaken. He was not there that night."   A source close to the inquiry said: "The similarity between the two has rendered many witness accounts virtually worthless."   But he added: "What is baffling is that Mr Payne's wife and two of his friends are among those who claim to have seen Mr Murat outside the McCanns' apartment that night. You'd think a wife would recognise her own husband."   The Paynes were unavailable for comment. They are due to be reinterviewed by British police on behalf of their Portuguese counterparts within weeks.

McCanns say Murat not kidnapper,  27 January 2008

McCanns say Murat not kidnapper Daily Express - Online links removed By Matt Drake, Sunday January 27, 2008 Kate and Gerry McCann are certain original suspect Robert Murat is not the man who snatched their daughter Madeleine. But private detectives searching for the missing four-year-old still believe he may have acted as a "spotter" for a kidnap gang targeting the McCann family. The couple have now revealed how they never thought the expatriate was responsible. Despite doubts over his alibi, they have ruled out the 34-year-old after a major  probe in Praia da Luz. A 10-strong squad of investigators mounted an undercover operation finding "strong" proof he was in the vicinity after Madeleine’s disappearance.  Several witnesses gave statements to Spanish detectives from the Metodo 3 agency, claiming they had chatted with Murat after the alarm was raised by Kate at 10pm. The couple's lawyers sent petitions to senior Portuguese police to re-interview him. One theory is that Murat – going through an expensive divorce – may have been paid by a paedophile gang to select a child.  A friend of the McCanns said last night: "Privately Kate and Gerry have always believed that Murat was not the man who took Madeleine. "However, they do not think he should be cleared because there is enough evidence to suggest he could have been a spotter for a gang. "Murat has told the police that he was not at the apartment on the night she went missing but lots of people saw him and he went round introducing himself saying, 'Hi, I'm Robert'. He still has a lot of questions to answer." His lawyer Francisco Pagarette said: "Robert is very happy to hear what they think now but the fact is that it is ridiculous to suggest he helped anyone else take the child."

Police give Murat computers back, 23 March 2008

Police give Murat computers back The Press Association Released 23 March 2008, 01:18am Portuguese police have returned computers and other possessions they seized from Madeleine McCann "suspect" Robert Murat, he has said. He described the move as a "very positive sign" - but is still waiting to be officially cleared of involvement in the young girl's disappearance. Mr Murat, 34, lives just yards from the holiday apartment in the Portuguese seaside resort of Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished on May 3 last year. Detectives took him in for questioning 11 days after the child went missing and made him the first "arguido", or formal suspect, in the case. They also searched the villa he shares with his mother and seized a number of his possessions, including three computers, clothes and a pair of shoes. Police returned these items to Mr Murat on Thursday, although they did not give any clues about the progress of their investigation. The Anglo-Portuguese ex-pat said: "It is a very positive sign - there's no doubt about that whatsoever. Why would they return something if it was in the middle of being investigated in any way, shape or form? "We are very happy to have the computers back, and I hope I will have my arguido status dropped very shortly." Mr Murat said he was "considering his options" for taking legal action over allegedly libellous articles printed about him in the wake of the apologies to Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, published by four national newspapers this week. He strenuously denies any involvement in the missing girl's disappearance, as do fellow arguidos Mr and Mrs McCann.

Murat 'cleared' according to The People, 23 March 2008

MADDY COPS: IT'S NOT MURAT The People   EXCLUSIVE MADDIE DETECTIVES FORCED TO ADMIT THEY'VE NO CASE   By Joshua Layton 23 March 2008   Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat was last night sensationally CLEARED of snatching the four-year-old. The ex-pat Brit has suffered ten months of torment after being named an arguido by Portuguese police. But friends claim detectives failed to find a shred of evidence against the property developer. And cops have now been forced to return clothes and computers they seized from the Algarve home he shares with mum Jenny, 72. Last night relatives called on investigators to formally lift his arguido status. And they they demanded a public apology for his "unfair" treatment at the hands of police. The decision to rule out Murat, 34, means detectives now have no solid suspects, no leads and no clues - effectively signalling the end of the hunt for Maddie. And it puts them under massive pressure to announce Maddie's 39-year-old parents Kate and Gerry are also officially out of the frame. Murat has been left a broken man by his ordeal. He has been bombarded with hate-mail from around the world - including threats to kidnap his five-year-old daughter Sofia. And he has even had to endure leaked police reports claiming - wrongly - child-porn was found on his computers. A source said: "This is basically the end of the investigation - there's no avenue left to turn down. "But what Murat's been left with is a life sentence looking over his shoulder." And his ex-wife Dawn, who is bringing up Sofia in Norfolk, told how nutters have vowed to target the little girl who bears a striking resemblance to Madeleine. One chilling message to Murat warned: "You killed Maddie - now we'll get your daughter." Dawn, 42, said: "There are a lot of weird people out there and if something happens to one innocent child they think 'An eye for an eye'. "They want to hurt another innocent child - my daughter. "I'm constantly on the lookout for anything suspicious or anyone paying her attention." She added: "We are living in constant fear. "It's every parent's nightmare to have their child in the predicament my daughter is in. "But you have to be prepared for the worst in case it happens." Dawn was speaking days after a car belonging to one of Murat's associates in Portugal was torched - and the word "speak" was spraypainted on the road next to it. She is even thinking of changing Sofia's surname to protect her from the slurs against her dad. Dawn said: "At the moment she is safe because we have the support of the village where we live. "But aside from the physical danger, what her father's been wrongly accused of will go with her everywhere. It will be there at high school - and her first job interview." Dawn revealed she had been desperate to be at Murat's side when he was first named an arguido 12 days after Maddie disappeared in Praia da Luz on May 3 last year. At the time, a worried relative told her Murat was on the brink of suicide. But Dawn's ex - whose home is just 100 yards from the holiday flat where Madeleine was last seen - refused to let her fly out to Portugal with Sofia. Dawn said: "He insisted he didn't want Sofia exposed to threats and put at unnecessary risk, so it was agreed we would remain in the UK to ensure her safety. "I told him I'm behind him 100 per cent. "And he promised me he would not give in and would always be there for Sofia." Dawn revealed Murat - who is legally banned from speaking about his anguish because he is still an arguido - had been left a chainsmoking, broken recluse by his ten-month ordeal. She said: "I've known Rob for 13 years and he wouldn't hurt a fly. "He was a popular, outgoing person before all this. But it has shattered him." Dawn told how the "worst moment" came when a newspaper compared him to Soham murderer Ian Huntley. School caretaker Huntley, 33, openly joined the hunt for missing ten-year-olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells in 2002. He even wept as he told TV crews how he had seen them alive just before they vanished. But he was arrested days later after the best friends' bodies were found and is now jailed for life for the killings. Murat was linked to the fiend because he also publicly helped police by acting as an interpreter after Maddie disappeared. But Dawn said: "Does that make him a killer? Of course it doesn't. "Rob's trouble is that he always wants to help. "As a family we have joked about how his over-zealousness would rebound on him. On this occasion it did - spectacularly." Despite splitting with her hubby three years ago, Dawn has vowed to stand by Murat. She also wants an apology like the ones given the McCanns last week by four British newspapers. Dawn said: "It's totally unfair. If there was a shred of evidence I could understand - but there's nothing, absolutely nothing." She added: "The McCanns deserved their apology and Rob does too. "In fact, it's the least he deserves because life will never be the same for him again." Under Portuguese law, Murat should have lost his arguido status after eight months if there was no evidence against him. But cops won an extension - which has never been officially announced.

Mild-mannered father who became first one accused, 01 May 2008

Mild-mannered father who became first one accused Guardian   Robert Murat's life irreversibly changed the day he was named a suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance   Press Association Thursday May 1 2008    Robert Murat has struggled to work, seen details of his personal life aired in public and endured speculation that he could have been involved in a crime that has shocked the world - something he strenuously denies. Portuguese detectives took the 34-year-old property consultant in for questioning just 11 days after Madeleine went missing. As officers searched the villa just 150 yards from the McCanns' holiday apartment he shared with his mother, Jenny, journalists uncovered details about the man under interview. Murat was born in Hammersmith, west London, in November 1973 to a Portuguese father and a British mother, and went to school in Portugal before moving back to Britain as a young man. He held a number of different jobs, including working as a car salesman in Norwich and at a Bernard Matthews poultry farm in Norfolk. At Christmas 1993, aged 19, Murat met Dawn, a woman eight years his senior whom he went on to marry in March 2001. After settling in the village of Hockering, Norfolk, the couple had a daughter called Sofia in October 2002.   In 2005, they moved to live with Murat's mother in Praia da Luz, in southern Portugal. But Dawn Murat - who also had a grown-up son from a previous relationship - grew homesick and returned home to England. That was a prelude to the breakdown of their marriage later that year. Murat stayed in the Algarve, working in property and as a translator, but regularly returned to Norfolk to see his daughter. Neighbours in Hockering spoke of a good-natured and generous man who was liked by everyone. Geoffrey Livock, 71, said: "He would rather help than hinder anyone. He got on with everybody. "He used to come to the pub and have a laugh and joke and have a game of darts or pool. "His English was very good. If you were talking to him you would think he was more English than Portuguese. I didn't know anyone to dislike him." In the days after Madeleine's disappearance on May 3 2007, Murat was frequently seen around the police cordon in front of the McCanns' flat in the Ocean Club complex. He told reporters and locals he was helping the family and Portuguese police by translating witness statements. Murat also said he had a daughter the same age as the missing girl who looked just like her - which proved to be true. Jenny Murat was involved in the early days of the search for Madeleine, organising a stall on the seafront to appeal for information. One British journalist became suspicious about Murat and went to Portuguese police, the British embassy and Leicestershire police with her concerns. Whether prompted by the British reporter's tip-off or their own suspicions, Portuguese detectives swooped on Murat on May 14. Search teams scoured his mother's comfortable villa, named Casa Liliana, while officers interrogated him at the police station in Portimao, about 15 miles from Praia da Luz. At the same time, police interviewed two other people, Murat's German girlfriend Michaela Walczuch, and her estranged Portuguese husband, Luis Antonio. On May 15, detectives announced that Murat had been made an "arguido", or formal suspect, in the case. Friends said the weeks and months that followed were agonising for Murat. He adamantly protested his innocence, insisting he was at home with his mother all evening when Madeleine disappeared. But he was barred from speaking publicly in his own defence by Portugal's strict "secrecy of justice" laws. In August, police spent two days carrying out a second search of Casa Liliana but apparently found nothing of interest. Then, in a dramatic twist, the police investigation appeared to shift focus onto Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who were themselves made arguidos on September 7. Murat tried to get on with his life, visiting the UK to see his daughter in October and again in March. But he was frustrated by the lack of information coming from investigators and the cloud of suspicion that continued to hang over him and those around him. Murat said it was a "a very positive sign" when on March 20 police returned a number of possessions - including three computers, clothes and a pair of shoes - seized when he was first interviewed. In mid-April it emerged that Murat had instructed London-based solicitors Simons Muirhead and Burton, and was suing 11 British newspapers and one TV station for libel. But he continues to wait for an official letter from the Portuguese judicial authorities formally clearing him of any involvement.

Scotsman apologises to Robert Murat, 16 May 2008

Scotsman apologises to Robert Murat for defamatory Madeline McCann story Press Gazette   By Patrick Smith 16 May 2008    One year after alleging that he had joked about being the "no.1 suspect" in the police hunt for Madeline McCann, The Scotsman has apologised to Robert Murat and admitted publishing defamatory allegations about him.   In April, Murat legal actions against 11 British newspapers and Sky News for stories linking him to the investigation and accusing him of being a prime suspect.   In an apology yesterday the paper said: "On 15 May an article about Robert Murat headed 'Madeleine: He jokes of being 'No.1 suspect'' was published in which we reported a number of defamatory allegations about Mr Murat in connection with the abduction of Madeleine McCann.   "The article wrongly accused him of 'hanging around' the scene in a manner which recalled the Soham murders.