Today I phoned the Metropolitan Police to ask about their taking over from Leicestershire Constabulary and had this interesting telephone conversation.

SM: Hello, I’d like to speak to someone in connection with Operation Grange please.

Police: I’m not aware of that Operation…just give me one second.

A minute later the operator returned and gave me another phone number to call.

SM: Hello, I’m just calling to ask a few questions about Operation Grange.

Police: What’s the name of that operation again?

SM: Operation Grange.

Police: Ok, what was that?

SM: It’s the Madeleine McCann disappearance.

Police: Oh, alright ok, fine, yeah, we don’t usually use operation names here, what do you need to know?

SM: There doesn’t seem to be anything in the public domain so when did the operation start and what’s the scope of the operation? I just wondered if you can give me some background on Operation Grange.

Police: We haven’t very much talked to the media about the case at all. What we’ve said is we’re providing expertise to the investigators of the case. The Portuguese Authorities, the Portuguese Police retain lead. We’ve not made any suggestion that they’re not capable of investigating but we are assisting them and we have not given any details on it. It’s unusual for us to do that as it’s abroad and another police force is taking the lead on it.

SM: Is there any reason why the Met took over from Leicestershire Constabulary?

Police: I’m not sure we said anything about it at the time – for various reasons. We can’t be seen to criticize any other force. On the 12th of May the Home Office requested that the Metropolitan Police service bring their expertise to the case and on that evening we said that we would.

SM: And is this a full time operation and what size team is working on it?

Police: As I said we wouldn’t provide a running commentary but at the very beginning we said there were 30 officers who would be deployed, er, not continually but various tasks along with workload they have on other cases, er, but we have deployed 30 officers.

SM: In a normal case in Britain it’s not unusual for the police to give an ongoing commentary as to how it’s progressing so what…

Police: …I’ve only worked here 11 years but I would say it’s not common. We give information whilst it’s appropriate to produce but whilst there’s an investigation going on and where it’s potentially murder, we say very little, we say very little. You read a lot in the press but that doesn’t come from us. We deal with about 250 murders a year and all of them are dealt with in exactly the same way in terms of how we deal with the media.

I also discussed the fact that all FOI requests made to Leicestershire Constabulary under Operation Task were coming back with a blanket “no comment” and a wall of silence. The police officer I spoke to at the Met told me to put in FOI requests to them and do not assume that they would treat them the same [as Leicestershire Constabulary].

For anyone wishing to put in new FOI requests under Operation Grange, email them at: SCDFOIArequests@met.pnn.police.uk

I have to say that it was reasonably reassuring to hear that the Metropolitan Police are treating the case as “potential murder” instead of the McCanns’ nonsensical talk of abduction.

It is probably premature to expect miracles but for the first time in a British Police force we can just about hear the cops singing in tune with Goncalo Amaral.

Outside the Houses of Parliament during President Obama's visit to London in May 2011.

Outside Downing Street

Prior to the McCanns’ holiday in Portugal in that ill-fated first week of May 2007, we seemed to have no independent records of Kate and Gerry’s handwriting to compare with the creche records.

However, two known examples of handwriting exist and both were supplied by the McCanns courtesy of their home videos.

The first example comes from the Christmas 2007 video where we see Madeleine handing Kate a present that bears a card with the text:

To Sean

Merry Christmas

Love from

Madeleine

& Amelie

Here is a still from the Christmas 2007 appeal video.

The card on the Christmas present at Christmas 2006 and shown in the McCanns' Christmas 2007 appeal video. The video is clearly from a time that predates the fateful trip in Portugal.

This is the word 'Madeleine' magnified from the previous picture.

There are four examples of the word “Madeleine” in the creche records where Madeleine was allegedly signed in and signed out. The four examples do not look like faithful copies all written by the same hand but it is worthwhile looking at them together.

Four versions of the way Kate Healy allegedly wrote 'Madeleine' in the creche records.

The other example of the name “Madeleine” comes from the Madeleine Was Here documentary made by Mentorn Media. This video was also used, in part, by Oprah Winfrey on her interview with the McCanns two years after Madeleine’s disappearance (May 2009). We catch a glimpse of Kate’s handwriting when she shows us some pictures that Madeleine drew after the family trip to Donegal in April 2007.

A section of the picture on the wall in the McCanns' kitchen in Rothley. Kate shows us a picture that bears the text 'Madeleine - Donegal / Easter 2007'.

The picture of the train on a track may have been contemporary to the trip in Donegal in  April 2007. However, there is no way to reliably know the date when Kate wrote “Madeleine – Donegal / Easter 2007″ at the foot of the picture.

As the word “Madeleine” here is clearly different to the handwriting on the Christmas 2006 gift, it is a mystery as to which version of the handwriting is the natural one.

What is interesting is that the version on the kitchen wall looks more like the four versions in Praia da Luz but even that has some basic differences. Look at the lower case “a” for example. It is consistently written the same way in “Madeleine” and in “Donegal” but it is written completely different in the word “Easter”. If anything, the handwriting looks like it has been made to match the strange writing in the creche records whereas the Christmas 2006 version looks the most natural of all.

The word 'Madeleine' magnified from the Donegal/Easter picture.

While the creche records and handwriting analysis may not solve the mystery of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, it is almost certain that there is some falsification of one or more of the entries in the creche records.

A doctor’s handwriting is notoriously bad to read but in this case the writing is perfectly legible – it just lacks authenticity due to poor repeatability.

Read more about this topic in “Interesting Details From the Files” in Faked Abduction.

Some libel cases have been brought from the US to be heard in UK courts

President Barack Obama has signed into law new legislation protecting US writers from foreign libel judgements.

The Speech Act, recently passed by Congress, makes foreign libel rulings virtually unenforceable in US courts.

The act targets “libel tourists” who launch cases in countries whose legal systems are considered far more claimant-friendly, such as the UK.

In the UK defendants must prove statements are true, whereas in the US claimants have to prove they are false.

Book on terrorism

Some cases have been brought in the UK because US libel laws include the so-called Sullivan defence, in which the claimant must prove malice or serious recklessness before the case proceeds to the courts.

Supporters of the Speech Act say the legislation is of huge importance to national security.

Rachel Ehrenfeld: The Speech Act... allows Americans to expose the enemies of freedom and democracy without fear of foreign intimidation

It means US courts can refuse to enforce any foreign libel case judgements.

The only exception would be if the free-speech protections given in foreign courts were considered to match those in the US.

The change in US federal law stems from the case of the writer and academic, Rachel Ehrenfeld.

She was sued in the High Court in London over a book on the funding of terrorism on the basis that although it was only published in the US, 23 copies were sold in the UK via the internet.

Although she refused to take part in the action, she was ordered to pay £10,000 in damages to each of the wounded parties as well as costs.

Ms Ehrenfeld thanked friends and supporters in an e-mail from the American Center for Democracy (ACD), of which she is director, after the law was signed by President Obama.

“No longer will libel tourists be able to suppress the rights of American scholars, writers and journalists to speak, write and publish freely in print and on the internet,” she said.

“The Speech Act is of monumental importance to national security and the protection of free speech. [It] allows Americans to expose the enemies of freedom and democracy without fear of foreign intimidation.”

The federal legislation follows laws passed in some US states, including New York – where Ms Ehrenfeld is based – California, New Hampshire and Hawaii.

Colin Sahlke in Praia da Luz, May 2007.

According to the British press in May 2007, a former British paratrooper, Colin Sahlke, went to Praia da Luz to search for Madeleine McCann. He sold his possessions and gave up his job and his rented home to finance the search.

Under strange circumstances almost 3 years later, Sahlke suddenly died in bed on April 19, 2010. His death is a mystery and the traces of what caused his death are gone forever—Sahlke was cremated in Skipton on April 29, 2010. At the time of writing in early June 2010, the family still do not know the cause of death.

Background

Days before Faked Abduction was printed, 3 chapters were removed. One of them “The Trojan Horse” was a controversial chapter detailing the operation of the inflatable billboard sent to Praia da Luz.

According to Gavin Hollywood, the managing director of Posterplus Media—the company who sent the billboard—the entire operation took 13 days in May 2007. From press stories released on Monday May 28, 2007, there is a consistent claim that the two drivers left Scotland on Friday, May 25, 2007. This also tallies with Gavin Hollywood’s communication to the author that the journey from Scotland to Portugal took 3 days.

The two van drivers were lauded by the press as a couple of ordinary guys who had been moved to pay for the venture out of a genuine, heartfelt concern for the plight of Madeleine. Nothing was further from the truth. The entire venture was set up after John McCann—Madeleine’s uncle—had approached Posterplus Media. The two men were employees of Posterplus Media and were just doing their job.

When we peel back the layers, we find that one of the drivers—Les Harley—lives very close to John McCann in the Temple/Partick area of Glasgow. Posterplus Media is located in Kilmaurs and is a good 25 miles away from where Harley & McCann live. It is a fair bet that John McCann knew Les Harley as a fellow brethren in one of the local lodges in that district—perhaps in the Galen Lodge located at the torched Ardery Street Freemason Hall that was burned to the ground in an arson attack in January 2008. No doubt the membership records of the various lodges using the Ardery Street hall disappeared into smoke along with many other interesting historical records.

Kate and Gerry McCann looking at the inflatable billboard that was driven to Praia da Luz for a couple of days at a cost of over £20,000.

The 2000+ mile trip to Portugal with an 800 sq.ft. inflatable “bouncy castle” with a poster stuck on the side made no sense at all. Gavin Hollywood’s estimated cost of £20,000 ($30,000) could have been done for thousands less by flying the two men to Portugal and sending the inflatable as air freight. A glance at the accounts and financial status of Posterplus Media makes the story even more fantastic. Deeply in debt for several years and with at least one county court judgment recorded against them, what on earth was the company doing by spending such a vast sum of money for very little—if any—reward? The newspaper articles touted the drivers, Chris Lennox and Les Harley as the brains behind the venture and at no time was the name Posterplus Media mentioned in those articles. It wasn’t as if the company gained by some press exposure and if anything, the company remained completely anonymous. When you are so deep in the red, it isn’t as though those expenses can be used as a tax right-off. If you’re not making money then you won’t be paying tax anyway.

Now switch our attention to a story that came out a day or two before the “bouncy castle” story.

Posterplus Media balance sheet. Click the image to view it larger.

Steve Taylor and Colin Sahlke were two former British Army soldiers who are reported to have met while working in a shower company in Nelson, Lancashire. The fantastic stories about Taylor and Sahlke have a vibe that is incredibly similar to the story of Harley and Lennox. Taylor and Sahlke didn’t take any fancy equipment to Portugal but if we are to believe the news reports of the time, we are told that they both gave up their jobs and at least one of them gave up his rented home and possessions to raise £5,000 ($7,500) to go and find Madeleine.

John McCann, the Madeleine Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited Chairman, is said to have given up his job with AstraZeneca so he could concentrate full time on the search for his niece. It is staggering to think how four people gave up their careers to focus on the search for Madeleine: Kate Healy, John McCann and two former soldiers in Lancashire.

The dates and times that Taylor and Sahlke were in Praia da Luz are pretty much the same as Lennox and Harley’s. All four men left the UK on Friday, May 25, 2007. Apart from a few staged photographs of Taylor and Sahlke decked out in clothing more suitable for Operation Desert Storm, we saw nothing more of the two former soldiers. We saw nothing more of the inflatable sign either. After a photo session on the beach in Praia da Luz, the sign was not seen again despite Gavin Hollywood’s claim that the sign was to be set up at sites around the Algarve.

And what incidentally was it that cost Taylor and Sahlke £5,000? Two return low-cost airline tickets to Faro, Portugal, from Leeds/Bradford or Manchester Airports would typically cost about £150 or less. Accommodation for a week or even a cheap package holiday including flights would have cost the two men no more than £500 each. May is not high season in the European package holiday trade.

The two stories of Taylor/Sahlke and Lennox/Harley really make no sense whatsoever. Keep in mind that these men came onto the scene 3 days after Clarence Mitchell’s public arrival on the Madeleine McCann disappearance.

North East Lancashire/West Yorkshire

For those not familiar with this part of England and its involvement in the McCann case, it is a location that has had an ever increasing list of coincidental involvement. To date we have:

• Ed Smethurst, a Madeleine Fund director, a lawyer and a prominent Freemason in the East Lancashire Lodge in Manchester. It appears that Smethurst has lived and worked in the Bury/Rochdale/Clitheroe area for most of his life.
• Michael Wright, Kate Healy’s cousin’s husband. Wright was the named driver on the Renault Scenic where the cadaver dog smelt the scent of death in the trunk. Wright made numerous trips to Portugal in 2007, including one trip where he literally flew to Portugal to accompany Kate and the twins on a flight back to England the same day.
• CCP—the Centre for Crisis Psychology—are based in Skipton. CCP were dispatched to Portugal in the middle of May 2007 to assist the McCanns with trauma counselling.
• Colin Sahlke and Steve Taylor were work colleagues at a shower company in Nelson. Presumably this was Manhattan Showers Ltd.
• Raymond Hewlett, the deceased former paedophile lived in Todmorden and was linked to the Madeleine case for various reasons. Suspected to have been the real killer of Leslie Molseed in 1975, Hewlett passed away in 2010 after contracting throat cancer.
• David Payne, one of the Tapas Nine, has family in Rochdale. Payne is the doctor who was reported to Leicestershire police by Katerina and Arul Gaspar when they made statements about the behaviour of Gerry McCann and David Payne when they were all on holiday together in Majorca in 2005.

The area of north east Lancashire and west Yorkshire discussed in this section. A: Clitheroe, B: Skipton, C: Nelson, D: Keighley, E: Todmorden, F: Rochdale. To give an idea of the scale of this map, it is about 27 miles from Clitheroe to Keighley and 40 miles from Skipton to Rochdale.

A well known blogger in the Madeleine McCann case is “Blackwatch”. His blog—The Sargeant’s Inn (here)—is like a curio shop full of fascinating connections between the hundreds of characters involved in the story. Intelligently written, it is a great repository of trivia on the Madeleine story.

The detail in his blog is what makes it a compelling read but although he supplies many names and their relationships between each other, he reaches few conclusions and he actually states by way of a disclaimer:

The site offers no explanation for what might have occurred prior to the event, only for the Press, PR and lobbying activity that erupted in its wake. The intent is to dispel any notion of an elaborate conspiracy and to propose a more prosaic but no less compelling account of the Madeleine Franchise and how it came almost accidently into shape: a story of commercial and political improvisation.

Blackwatch also goes on to state:

Here are a few things we won’t tolerate:

• Any crazy stuff about Roslyn, Roswell, Freemasons, the Bilderberg Group, Crop Circles, the Illuminati, Opus Dei, New World Order and fat bald blokes

Phil Johnson, the owner of JJ Associates International based in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

While the Madeleine case may not involve crop circles, the Bilderberg Group, Roslyn Chapel, the Illuminati, Opus Dei and a New World Order, it certainly does involve Freemasons. As Faked Abduction clearly demonstrates, there is a large network of Freemasons involved in the founding of the official fund. Madeleine’s Fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned Limited has their registered office at one of Britain’s largest law firms to represent Freemasons and Freemasonic charities. Ed Smethurst is one of the directors of the Madeleine Fund and is a long time Freemason.

Blackwatch recently wrote an article about JJ Associates International (here). This private firm of investigators are also located in the East Lancs/West Yorks area and their mailing address is in Keighley (D on the map above). In typical “Blackwatch” style, he connects the players and in the context of this article he refers to Colin Sahlke:

Readers might recall that Colin Sahlke a former Keighley paratrooper and his friend flew to Praia da Luz in the first weeks of her disappearance. I am assuming he may have been a member of JJ Associates or at least someone on their books.

The owner of JJ Associates International is Phil Johnson. Phil has a long and detailed entry on the business networking site “Linkedin” (here).

Freemason involvement

Ed Smethurst has made no secret of his affiliation with Freemasons. For most of his life he has been involved with the craft in the Manchester area.

Phil Johnson lists 'The Virtual Lodge' in his group affiliations on his Linkedin page.

For all Blackwatch’s denial of Freemason involvement in the Madeleine disappearance, when we look at Phil Johnson’s Linkedin entry, we see that he belongs to a group called The Virtual Lodge. As Blackwatch surmises, perhaps Sahlke was on the books of JJ Associates International. Who knows?

According to Colin Sahlke’s sister, she is of the opinion that if Colin was a Freemason then that was “in his dreams” because her brother liked to exaggerate his achievements. In point of fact, when the British press reported that Colin was a former paratrooper, his sister said “…that was the first we knew of him being a former paratrooper!”

But were Sahlke and Taylor Freemasons or were they chosen by Freemasons to go over to Portugal?

The Midas Award logo (left) is suspiciously Masonic in design. Compare to the compass and squares (right), the well-known symbol of Freemasonry.

Here’s a clue: Manhattan Showers in Nelson have their registered office in Glossop, Derbyshire at a firm of accountants called Crossley Lomas. Back in 2004, Crossley and Lomas won a financial services award called a Midas Award. The company behind this are located (here). Look at the Midas Award logo. Crossley Lomas are the registered office for many companies and they also advised a Manchester company called the Brownsword Group Ltd. Brownsword Group Ltd are the parent company of Mike India 5 Ltd—clearly a play on the term “MI5″.

The reader is probably bewildered now by an ever increasing list of company names and more people loosely connected by Freemasonry in the Manchester area.

Look no further. The connection comes back full circle to tie in Freemasonic Madeleine Fund helpers Brian Kennedy and Ed Smethurst.

In October 2008, it was announced that Brian Kennedy’s rugby club Sale Sharks had a new sponsor.

From sportindustry.biz (here):

Sale Sharks sign up new sponsor- 27 Oct 2008

Guinness Premiership side Sale Sharks have signed a one-year sponsorship deal with insurance specialists Mike India 5.

Prior to the deal being signed, the Cheadle Hulme based firm, specialists in investigating integrity for the insurance industry and general commerce, completed an investigation into the benefits of an association with the Guinness Premiership club.

The investigation has concluded with Mike India 5 signing a one-year deal to become official partners of Sale Sharks.

The Sharks will wear the Mike India 5 logo for all their remaining Heineken Cup matches this season.

The deal also provides Mike India 5 with perimeter signage, corporate hospitality to entertain key guests to Sharks matches and the opportunity to network with other club sponsors and partners through membership in the Sale Sharks 500 Club.

Freemason sponsors of Sale Sharks - Mike India 5 Ltd - an east Manchester based investigation and surveillance firm with links to Chartered Accountants Crossley Lomas. Click image to see larger version.

Conclusion

This is yet another proven Freemasonic link in the Madeleine McCann case and one that ties in the key players Brian Kennedy and Ed Smethurst to Colin Sahlke and Steve Taylor—two men sent to Portugal on May 25, 2007.

Did Sahlke and Taylor help to repatriate Madeleine?

Sahlke liked to talk too much. Was this his downfall and did it ultimately cost him his life?

As promised by the printer, the book arrived on time and has been shipped to the first customers in the USA, UK, Portugal and Germany.

The book itself is a comprehensive 1.5lb “brick”; a 526 page, 103,000 word account of the Madeleine McCann mystery. Faked Abduction is the first English book to take a critical look at the police investigation and the way the media handled the case, without the pro-McCann propaganda that has been prevalent in virtually all British news articles.

Pulling no punches, it examines the British culture of the Establishment cover up. Citing many examples, it is up to date with the latest on the appalling Hollie Greig story.

You can purchase the book directly from this website. As the e-store was simplified, site registration is no longer a requirement.

Presently, Portuguese and German translations are underway. As soon as they have been translated, the book will be offered for sale in those languages. We are anticipating a French edition as well.

Postage rates to the major centers of the world are posted in the online store here: http://fakedabduction.com/store/

If anyone wishes to purchase a book outside those territories, please use the contact form to get in touch and we will let you know the postage rate.

Many thanks to all those who have made a purchase so far.

Keep alive the search for the truth…for Madeleine!

NOTE: New stocks of Faked Abduction are now available and are shipping from the USA. Please allow 3-10 days transit time depending on destination.

International shipping will be by US Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail™ or parcel post to Canada. The USPS states that this takes 6-10 days delivery.

Domestic shipping will be by USPS Media Mail. The delivery times vary according to the destination state but are typically 3-4 days.

Prices include insured post and packing. Please select your destination:

Please email for information about prices and shipping to other countries not listed above.

When translations become available, more language choices will be offered for sale.

For quantity enquiries, use the contact form and state how many books you would like to order. For example, it is possible to mail 10 books at a time internationally for $60 and you will get an additional discount on the book price.

Here is the chapter listing:

• British Establishment Cover-ups
• Maddie: A Name the Media Invented
• The Police Conclusions
• How the Story Unfolded
• Experts in Propaganda
• The Locations and People
• A Neighbor Hears Crying
• An Obsession with Lawyers
• The Five Photographs
• Payne & McCann Allegations
• Dogs Don’t Lie
• The Weekend of June 9 – 10
• McCanns on the Oprah Show
• Letter to the Madeleine Fund
• Gerry’s Blogs and Kate’s Diary
• The Official Fund
• The Arguido Interviews
• Dealing with a Corpse
• Flaws in Gonçalo Amaral’s thesis
• Interesting Details from the Files
• The Author’s Conclusions

APPENDICES

• Appendix A: Timeline 2007-2010
• Appendix B: Timeline May 3, 2007
• Appendix C: Tavares Almeida’s Report
• Appendix D: Mark Harrison’s Report
• Appendix E: Martin Grime’s Profile
• Appendix F: Documentaries & Interviews
• Appendix G: Kate Healy’s Bible
• Appendix H: Justice Hogg’s Judgment

A few book Highlights:

• Copious footnotes and cross references to verify sources
• Correspondence from Peter McCann of Castle Craig about his relationship with Gerry McCann
• The statements deliberately held back from the Portuguese police by Leicester Constabulary
• The blatant discrepancies in the Tapas Nine witness statements
• Jane Tanner’s conflicting statements
• Did Kate falsify legal documents?
• Where did Gonçalo Amaral go wrong?
• Correspondence from the Masonic law firm entrusted with setting up Madeleine’s Fund
• Gordon Brown’s wife and the fellow Bristol University graduate behind the Madeleine Fund
• Information about other appalling British Establishment cover ups including Dunblane, Omagh and the recent shock Hollie Greig case

But remember…

According to Clarence Mitchell in the Sun newspaper on January 27, 2010, all the allegations in Faked Abduction are entirely untrue.

Read it for yourself.

Faked Abduction will soon be available to purchase from this website.

Containing many details from the comprehensive police files, the book highlights the inconsistencies in the various alibis, the ever-changing witness accounts and the lack of police cooperation from the McCanns and their friends, the so-called Tapas 7.

The McCanns have tried to gag people from publishing the truth about the case. In 2007, despite making several public assurances to donors to their “Madeleine Fund” that they would not spend any money on lawyers, they have employed some of the most expensive law firms in Britain to intimidate and suppress those who publicly doubt their abduction story.

While researching the book, the McCanns have declined to answer important questions relating to the disappearance of their daughter.

After reading the book, decide for yourself if this was a Faked Abduction.