FOR Spanish detective Julian Peribañez, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was more than just another investigation. It changed the course of his life.
Hired by the missing girl’s parents a year after she vanished from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007, Julian has spent much of the past two decades pursuing leads in the case.
But the investigation also led him towards a much wider mission: exposing child abuse and exploitation, including cases involving powerful and influential figures.
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In an exclusive interview with the Olive Press, Julian reflected on nearly 20 years since Maddie’s disappearance, discussing his work as president of a foundation, his investigations as a private detective and his blossoming career as a writer.
Last year, Julian published Stolen Innocence: The Price of Power. The book examines some of the most disturbing child abuse scandals of recent years, including the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the notorious Alcasser girls case in Spain.
“This book came from Maddie,” he tells the Olive Press. “Her story is not in it, but it all stemmed from my search for her.”
Through his research, Julian explores the similarities between major sexual abuse scandals across different countries, and how institutions can fail to protect vulnerable children.
“I wanted readers to wonder: how can these things be happening across different countries – and across different eras – and yet bear so many striking similarities?”
One of the book’s central cases is Portugal’s Casa Pia scandal, which exposed the sexual abuse of vulnerable boys at a state-run institution.
The investigation led to a lengthy trial and implicated prominent figures in Portuguese society, including doctors, TV personalities and even ministers.
For Julian, such cases demonstrate why child protection must remain a priority, regardless of who might be implicated.
In 2024, he founded Guardianes de la Inocencia (Guardians of Innocence), an organisation that works with police forces internationally to expose child abuse.
Its striking logo features a muscular Viking, reflecting its determination to defend vulnerable children.
Julian is so committed to the cause that proceeds from his books help finance the organisation’s work.
“At book presentations, I hand out copies for free,” he admits. “It doesn’t make sense financially, but I just want to get the word out there about what we do, because it’s important.
“And of course, Guardianes came from Maddie as well.”
Despite Julian’s wider work, Madeleine’s disappearance remains an unresolved chapter in his career.
He continues to pursue his own lines of inquiry and believes the little girl was abducted by an organised Eastern European trafficking gang.
He is appealing to people in Portugal’s Algarve region who may have information about individuals he believes could be connected to the alleged network.
“If you’ve had encounters with people who fit the profile, please reach out,” he says.
“All I need is a name. Give me a name, and I’ll chase it wherever I have to.”
Julian’s determination is rooted in the hope that answers can still be found. But his work today extends far beyond one missing child, with his foundation focused on protecting children who may never attract the same international attention.
For him, that is the wider lesson of the cases he investigates: abuse must be exposed, vulnerable children must be protected, and no one should be beyond scrutiny.
And nearly 20 years after Madeleine disappeared, Julian has no intention of giving up the search.
“I don’t know if she’s alive or not, because hardly anyone on Earth does,” he says.
“But as long as I have hope, I won’t stop looking.”
If you have any information on the Maddie case or other child abuse scandals email newsdesk@theolivepress.es
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