Innocently condemned?

In September 2004, 8-year old Joana Cipriano vanished, without trace, in a small village, Figueira, Portimão, in the Algarve, Portugal.

Her mother, Leonor Cipriano and her uncle, Jõao, were both condemned to 20 years in prison within a climate of enormous speculation, hearsay and the most macabre of rumours. Leonor confessed, after being subjected to "torture" under police interrogation, where she emerged with blackened eyes and multiple bruises on her body.

NO TRACE of a body or any concrete evidence of her ACTUAL death were ever presented.

However, in May 2006, the Supreme Court reduced the sentences to 16 years.

Jõao Grade, Leonor Cipriano's lawyer, protested that the whole process was a huge "judicial error", as NO EVIDENCE of the girl's death was ever presented in court.

Inadequate police investigastion, based solely on unfounded, vicious rumours and frenzied, irresponsible hearsay campaigns in the media, lead to gross judicial errors.

Public opinion and possibly the police investigation has been greatly influenced by the ferocious unprecedented media frenzy in reporting both cases.

Was Joana Cipriano kidnapped?

What happened to another young child, Madelein MacCann, who also disappeared without trace while on holiday with her parents in the Algarve?

Is there a serial kidnapper/killer out there?

Has the Algarve become an easy target?