NZ Sighting - File Remains "Open"

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3400025/Police-rule-out-Madeleine-McCann-sighting

NZ police keep Madeleine McCann file open
By GREER McDONALD - Stuff.co.nz Last updated 16:59 03/03/2010
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IS THIS MADDIE: The CCTV footage from New Zealand shows a girl very like Madeleine being led into a supermarket by a portly man in shorts - seven months after her disappearance.

LATEST: Dunedin police have confirmed a file created after a possible sighting of missing British girl Madeleine McCann in a Dunedin supermarket remains open.

The admission from New Zealand police comes after it was revealed the sighting was deemed 'not relevant' in a secret file made public in the by Portugese police.

The 2000-page dossier contained a series of sightings from around the world - including CCTV footage from a Dunedin supermarket of a child resembling Madeleine - which were never investigated, the Daily Mail reported today.

The leads were all received and archived after police in Algarve, Portugal closed the case in July 2008.
Madeleine was four when she vanished from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007. Her parents were at a restaurant around 75 metres away.

The CCTV footage from New Zealand showed a girl "very like" Madeleine being led into a supermarket by a "portly man in shorts" - seven months after her disappearance.

The man's behaviour aroused the suspicions of a female security guard in the Dunedin shop and she approached the girl to establish whether or not she was British.

Although the girl said her name was Hailey, the security guard was convinced the girl was Madeleine and reported the incident to police.

Interpol in Wellington then sent the images to police in Portugal who deemed it 'not relevant'.

Acting Southern District Commander, Inspector David Campbell, said police spoke with the security guard to establish what had been seen and gained pictures from the retailer involved.

"The lead jurisdiction, in this case, Portugal, directs how the case progresses and has not asked NZ Police for any follow-up to date," said Inspector Campell.

"The file has remained open ever since."

Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate were reported to be "gutted" and "incensed" that their private investigators were not given access to the information

"There are instances where information which we think is very credible and worthy of information has not been actioned," Mrs McCann said

"We're gutted, it's absolutely shocking and difficult. Some of the information handed in was very credible. It's heartbreaking to know that it seems to end there.'"

Information that police forces in the United States, Europe and North Africa considered important was also discarded, the dossier revealed.

So there we have it. NZ did not follow up because Portugal deems it not relevant.

This is simply despicable. There would have been no cost to Portugal to have NZ police investigate further and find the person, if for no other reason than to rule out that it wasnt Madeleine. I can think of a few reasons why this wasnt done, and none of them very favourable to the PJ, or rather to Paiva.

I can understand now why NZ didnt go any further now.

Time for British government to intervene in this debacle.

Do you realise that the security guard spoke to the girl, established she was English and if speaking to her would clearly have seen her eye?

How could this not have been relevant to the case?

I didn't even think of that, Diane, I didn't even think of the eye. It hasn't sunk in yet.

It hit me like a ton of bricks when I read it just then. I must have been too angry when I read about it earlier.

Well at least the NZ cops kept it open. More than the f***wit PJ did. My language is, I'm afraid, colourful this morning.

I agree with you Vee, Dianeh. Bring the Yard immediately. Wake up British government: do what is expected of you, to help find a missing child who is a British citizen. Do it now, immediately.