Colonel John Garrett - a defence lobbyist for Patton Boggs and frequent (unpaid) commentator for Fox News - Rupert Murdoch's US News Cahnnel - was Halligen's best man at his wedding to Maria Dybczak, a trade lawyer for the US Commerce Department. Garrett, the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of US Defense under Clinton, had been introduced to Halligen at a Special Forces Club in Knightsbridge, Central London. According to The Times Halligen's name was put forward by Major Donald Palmer, then chairman of entry into the Special Forces Club and Major General John Holmes, a former commander of the SAS and former director of special forces. Donald Palmer (chairman of the Special Forces Club at the time he put Halligen's name forward) is of course a long time colleague of Sir Michael Rose who was Non-Executive Director of Control Risks Group when Brian Kennedy hired them in May 2007 to spearhead the search for Madeleine. At the time Kevin Halligen's name was put forward, Sir Michael Rose was President of the Special Forces Club, sharing responsibilities with Halligen's friend, Major Palmer.

The major shareholder in Control Risks Group is 3i Equity Plc, chaired by Sarah Hogg, a former advisor to Conservative Prime Minister John Major and also a major investor in Brian Kennedy and a number of private research and defense projects produced by Qinetiq (just another of the Police and Defense departments privatized under Tony Blair). Sir Michael Rose (like so many others associated with the case) recently retired from the group.

Halligen's friend, John Garrett was one of several retired offiicers investigated by the US Federal Communications Commission over a Pentagon-backed 'fake news scandal'. It is alleged that Fox News networks violated agency rules when they gave air time to a coordinated Defense Department media blitz that promoted retired military brass as supposedly impartial experts on the war in Iraq. The Times published documents suggesting that Garrett was anxious to please his benefactors. "Please let me know if you have any specific points you want covered or that you would prefer to downplay," the newspaper quotes him writing to the Pentagon just before President Bush appeared on television to announce the 'surge' in Iraq. Garrett's employers, Patton Boggs lobby on behalf of all the major private defense contractors. On his donations form to the campaign of congressman, John R Unger II, Kevin Halligen describes himself as an 'attorney' at Patton Boggs. It was also where he registered the HQ address of Oakley International Group Llc - which was on paper at least, a manufacturer of search and navigation equipment to US defense (Aircraft Instruments Manufacturing).

It is alleged that the reruitment of 'hidden hands' like John Garrett was done in a bid to sell the idea of a possible Iraq invasion to a largely unconvinced public.

In Britain, Bell Pottinger were awarded £3 million by Blair's government to conduct a similar Public Relations campaign to sell the idea of Iraq as a successful democracy after the invasion.

Another senior US Defense figure and regular Fox News commentator, Andre Hollis, was Chief-Executive at Oakley International. Hollis appears to have befriended Halligen in Washington where Hollis plied his trade as Vice President of Van Scoyoc Associates, a powerful lobbying firm that performs services on behalf of the British Embassy's Defense Procurement programme. As a consequence of this work, Van Scoyoc is registered as a foreign agent of the United Kingdom. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Hollis was the senior Department official responsible for efforts to train and equip security forces in Colombia and Afghanistan.

If Hollis was genuinely duped by a simple 'fantasist' like Halligen, then we must seriously question the wisdom of Tiger International in appointing him Head of due dillgence - Hollis's latest career move.

During 2008, Hollis and Van Scoyoc provided lobbying services to the Forensic Science Services based in Birmingham and very much at the centre of the Madeleine McCann investigation. The current Head of the FSS is Simon Bennett, previously M.D at Qinetiq plc - the former Government Defence Company run by Baroness Neville-Jones (Bennett was formerley in Defence and Aerospace). Britain's previous major investor in forensic services had been 3i Plc, the private equity company behind Brian Kennedy and Control Risks Group. Hollis and Van Scoyoc also lobbied the Sentate in Washington on behalf of another 3i investment: the Ricardo Group Plc.

The issue of Hollis and Oakley International conducting investigations on behalf of the McCanns seems somewhat now problematized in view of the their relationship with the UK Goverment's Forensic Science Services.

What is equally suspicious is the appointment of Simon Bennett as Managing Director of the FSS shortly ahead of its privatisation. In a controversial move that was hugely unpopular with Police and Defense staff, Qinetiq had similarly been privatised during Bennet's tenure as MD.

What you see is the Hogg and Neville-Jones circle extending its grip of our private police and defense communities.

Van Scoyoc also won a Pentagon/Boeing deal for Vulture, an unmanned endurance vehicle developed by the British-based Qinetiq in a deal with American Aerospace.

Hollis of Oakley International (top right) Van Scoyoc and the Forensic Science Service Ltd - Colonel John Garrett bottom left)

The Non-Executive chairman of Control Risks Group - the company recruited by the McCanns' sponsor Brian Kennedy in May 2007 - is Major Stephen Rose.

A veteran of Northern Ireland and the Gulf States, Major Rose was elected as President of the same Special Forces Club at the same time Halligen's friend Major Donald Palmer replaced Colonel Edward Toms as Chairman. Because it was Rose's former forces pal Palmer who put Halligen's name forward in the first place, it remains entirely likely that the enthusiastic electronics specialist - already known amongst the tight knit ex-Forces and Intelligence circle - was fastracked to the top of the food chain, perhaps with the expressed purpose of providing services to the McCanns and then discreetly prepared as fall guy, the group playing cynically to his fantasies.

The gauche but eager young Irishman's anxious daydreams on the fringes of this community, may have eventually found a purpose: too untrustworthy and flamboyant to be spy he became the next best thing.

Echoing the demands of the British National Party (BNP), Major Rose was one of the few senior military figures calling for Blair's impeachment over his handling of the war in Iraq. It didn't however stop the Tory Peer from capitalising on the invasion through a series of lucrative contracts won by Control Risks Group.

Controls Risks Group was founded in 1975 by Timothy Royle as a subsidary of Hogg Robinson, the Corporate Travel giant and rival to companies like Mark Warner. Several of the veterans have also combined their efforts at Erinys International and Kroll Inc - the Private Security firm in charge of security at the World Trade Centre at the time of 9/11.

Fox News and Pentagon pundit Garrett works with foreign sovereign governments and their embassies in the planning and implementation of political, security, and business strategies and with the U.S. government. As part of his lobbying activities Garret can guarantee weekly access and briefings with the secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other high level policy makers.

In 2003, Patton Boggs commenced work on estimates for the cost of Reconstructing Iraq. The law firm also secured the contract to rebuild the Kabul-Kandahar Highway in Afghanistan on behalf of a major U.S. construction company.