Madeleine McCann: Kate And Gerry’s Blood, Threat And Tears
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
THE SUN front page: “KATE’S AGONY – CONFESS & YOU’RE OUT IN A YEAR.”
“Deal of blood, threat and tears.” Kate McCann is being interviewed by police. This is a “highly-charged confrontation, Portuguese officers citing forensic evidence told the GP she would receive a jail sentence of between two and three years if she signed a confession.”
Kate McCann is “horrified”. Says she: “How dare you?”
A source tells the paper: “The police were trying to get Kate to say she had amnesia or was in shock or had a breakdown. They said if she signed the confession she’d serve a year and that her husband would not be charged and could go home. It was effectively emotional blackmail.”
“SHOCKED” Gerry McCann has been named as a formal suspect.
THE SUN SAYS: “But the allegations made yesterday against Madeleine’s distraught mother Kate are astonishing and, in places, farcical. A suspicious page of the Bible left open? A call to a priest on the day of Maddie’s disappearance? Not exactly a smoking gun.”
Do all crimes involve a smoking gun?
The Sun concludes: “The Sun desperately wants justice for Maddie. But the greatest pity is that she is the one person who seems to have been forgotten in this mess of incompetence.”
And the Press continue to watch the parents.
DAILY EXPRESS front page: “MADELEINE: DEATH ON MUM’S BIBLE.”
THE WORLD’S GREATEST NEWSPAPER writes of “THE DAY THE JEERING STARTED”.
“Just two days ago Kate McCann, 39, was regarded almost universally as a victim who had suffered unimaginable agony. Families everywhere shared her heartbreak at losing her beautiful daughter. But it was clear yesterday, as the GP arrived to be formally named as a suspect in her daughter’s disappearance, that much of that sympathy has now gone.”
The crowd outside the police station – 400-strong – goes into a “frenzy” when Kate McCann arrives. “There were whistles, then jeers and boos before some in the crowd began to shout insults. ‘Whore… daughter of a whore,’ some yelled in Portuguese.”
The Express translates.
A local man says: “They will find this more and more because in Portugal harming a child is the worst thing…The Portuguese people took them to their hearts and now we feel cheated. It will not be nice in Portugal for them now.”
Kate is “cool and collected”.
DAILY MAIL front page: “THE ACCUSED. Portuguese police’s staggering grilling of Madeleine mother.
• Why was her blood in your car?
• Did you drug her that night?
• Confess and get just two years.”
DAILY STAR front page: “YOU KILLED MADDIE.”
DAILY MIRROR front page: “MADELEINE SENSATION. We have found her blood in the boot of your hire car.. DID YOU KILL HER BY ACCIDENT?” This is “what police asked Kate McCann during 16-hour grilling”.
THE GUARDIAN front page: “Mother, victim…suspect: police target Kate McCann.”
THE TELEGRAPH: “Kate and Gerry McCann named as suspects,” says the headline.
“Mr McCann stared straight ahead as his suspect status was announced and refused to answer questions from awaiting journalists. A crowd which had been attending a concert in the town square earlier listened to the announcement and several people gasped audibly.”
In “Villagers back Madeleine McCann’s parents”, the paper journeys to Rothey, Leicestershire, the McCanns’ home town. Michelle Canilleri, who lives in Rothley, shares with the world: “I can’t believe it. This is such a shock. They have got the wrong people. No way in the world would either Kate or Gerry harm any of their children.”
THE INDEPENDENT front page: “FROM ANGUISHED PARENT, TO GRIEVING MOTHER, TO SUSPECT.”
“Shortly before 11am, Mrs McCann’s spokeswoman, Justine McGuinness, revealed that the 39-year-old GP was being made an arguida – official suspect – in the case. And then she uttered the six short words which will be inconceivable to some who have followed this case and a confirmation of long-held suspicions to others. ‘Kate fears she will be charged,’ Ms McGuinness said.”
THE TIMES front page: A picture of the McCanns meeting the Pope.
Madeleine McCann The Public Spectacle
Posted: 8th, September 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,454) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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September 9th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Yes..My name is Madeline…Don’t you guys have anything better to do than speculate on this tragedy? GO FIND a hobby..How would you like your sorry lives criticized LEft and Right..
September 9th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
A supposition belongs in the same place as a suppository?
September 9th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
An interesting factoid from Wikipedia - Kate McCann is a locum GP NOW - but her specialism is as anaesthesia. Makes the cover-up-accidental-doping-death-to-keep-your-medical-license theory more applicable.
September 9th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
1110 Synonyms: presume, assume, understand, believe, expect, reason, deduce, infer, think, consider, guess, reckon
I don’t understand what you’re trying to say in your last sentance?
Where’s the loyalty to fellow Brits? Shameful.
September 9th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
You can consider someone innocent if you think they have told the whole truth, but if you think they are lying or ommitting something on purpose, then you start thinking they are guilty.
If they are innocent, they should release a full and truthful statement about what happened that night - can’t see how it will hurt the investigation now.
September 9th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
I think we need to be angry at our (British) press who acted like it was a fact that the Madeleine was snatched. It is only now that we can hear both sides of the story. Shame on them!
September 9th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Jan… no such thing on here apparently. I queried that earlier!!
September 9th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
1109 Jan - it is PRESUMED INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty. Presumption of innocence is the attitude of the legal system, not of individuals. It is not saying the ARE innocent.
The McCanns were ASSUMED INNOCENT for months when all that was needed was a drop of scepticism and their lies would have been more obvious.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
1108 Whatever happened to innocent until PROVEN guilty. What about a body? OMG I can’t believe what I’m reading here.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
1106 blunger- you mention disillusion and betrayal by the mccanns?
what about the fear they generated in our children and in ourselves? All the children who were afraid to sleep or the parents who didn’t let them outside because of the story the mccann’s spun.
i think the level of unintentional evil the mccanns reached should be addressed with swift and severe punishment.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Rest, 1105 I agree with you on one level, I can’t see a resolution….
but there is still a niggle in my mind that the PJ know exactly what they are doing and by focusing all the media attention on the McCanns they are free to pusue other avenues.
The rumours of going into town and leaving the children to cry for two hours were dramtically played down after Mrs Fenn’s niece who also there, went back to make a statement. It was decided it wasn’t completely accurate when the neice didn’t corroborate the story.
I’m not saying she was lying, just embellishing a little! Allegedly.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Gerry McCann would appear to have narcissistic personality disorder.
According to the American Psychiatric Association the criteria are:
‘A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
(3) believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
(4) requires excessive admiration
(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes’
(from http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/narcissisticpd.htm)
Whilst Kate may also be narcisitc she may well have been manipulated in to Gerry’s world as a co-naricissist.
‘The exploitativeness, sense of entitlement, lack of empathy, disregard for others, and constant need for attention inherent in NPD, adversely affects interpersonal relationships. Individuals with NPD frequently select as mates, and engender in their children, “co-narcissism,” which is a term coined to refer to a co-dependent personality style similar to co-alcoholism and co-dependency. Co-narcissists organize themselves around the needs of others. They feel responsible for others, accept blame readily, are eager to please, defer to others’ opinions, and fear being considered selfish if they act assertively.’
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_Personality_Disorder)
September 9th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Let us assume just for a moment that the McCanns orchestrated the worldwide “Find Maddy” campaign knowing she was dead.
What is the worst aspect of that ?
To me it is the betrayal of all the innocent youngsters who were encouraged by parents and teachers to empathise, search and evangelise.
For many of them it was their first taste of activism to help reduce the ills of the world - distributing posters round their neighbourhood, collecting money. Pure, selfless, action which could have planted seeds of idealism in their lives which could have grown and benefitted the world.
But now ? If the McCanns are proved guilty, it cannot be hidden from these children.
What will that do to them ? How will they feel ? What will they learned about the world ?
These people, if guilty, have betrayed and disillisioned maybe millions of children all over the world. Certainly hundreds of thousands.
And they will even have damaged these youngsters trust in the judgement of their own parents and teachers, who implicitly told them this cause was genuine and worthwhile.
The level of widespread harm done to our children, by just two people, must be almost unparalleled.
If guilty, it isn’t just Madeleine who is their victim. It’s potentially the lasting idealism of many, many innocent youngsters, and the good it could have done.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
When it comes down to it, I don’t think the police have much, surely not enough for a conviction or even arrest. They wouldn’t have to use such manipulative tactics if they did. It’s doubtful the child will ever be found. Nobody will be jailed. And the parents will forever be talked about. That’s about as much resolution as we’re ever likely to see.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
(1101) “No way ! The worm is turning”
Yes, that article definately has the tone of Fleet Street getting ready to change it’s opinion.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Which future headlines are more likely?…
A. The Portuguese police were today arrested for setting up the McCanns using false evidence. They fixed the jammied windows in the apartment and destroyed the crime scene. They sprayed a dead corpse smell in the McCanns hire car and on Kate McCanns clothing and bible and also planted blood and dna samples from Madeleine in the apartment.
Sousa commented that he did this to make people believe that Portugal was a safe country.
If it hadnt been for the pesky kid turning up after all this time we would have got away with it too!
The British police are also being charged with falsifying the dna sample results.
OR
B. A couple who lied about how often they checked on their children and told police that the windows had been jammied open and just one of the three children taken……were arrested last night!
September 9th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
AT LAST….. the woman has shame !!!
I watched the BBC web footage of the McCanns getting off the plane at East Midlands airport. And whilst the Whining Midget was reading his ridiculous per-prepared speech it was very noticeable the Kate could not face the cameras (a first??) and that she kept burying her head behind her daughters (do i detect a thread of hiding behind her children) or looking at the ground or away into the distance. What was that about eye contact????
I am no expert, but I reckon that signifies shame and guilt. It would be interesting to see what a police expert makes of it
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6985454.stm
September 9th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Trismegistus (1095): I’m not sure about your first possibility
If the McCanns are “absolutely innocent and telling the truth”, I don’t think it “implies that the PJ are incompetent bumblers”.
I’d say the police were incompetent if the never considered the McCanns as potential suspects. As I understand it, under Portugese law, they had no choice but to name the McCanns as suspects before asking certain questions. It doesn’t, necessarily, make them prime suspects.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
‘ 1099 Trismegistus Says:
The press is in high gear… apparently Gerry refused to answer 40 questions from the police after he was made and arguido.’
No way ! The worm is turning
Such a shame the McCrim’s evasive luck is finally running away from them
September 9th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
1089 Spindoctors:
Seems to me that a key element in the sedation theory (which seems to be a central element in the PJ case against the parents) is the combination of the upstairs neighbour complaining (to MW?) about Madeleine’s 2 HOURS screaming for Daddy (again: NOT ‘Mummy’ - why?) on the night of 1 May, and what I understand was the McCann 9’s partying HALF A MILE AWAY the following night (if that’s right - can any of you real anoraks confirm or disconfirm this?).
How on Earth would the McCann’s risk another 2 hours screaming (for DADDY? - is it just me, or isn’t that weird in a 3-year-old?) without making sure somehow that the same thing didn’t happen again on the second?
If the kid was given a sedative, or a new sedative (’OK, we used Calpol’ doesn’t actually rule out using something else too) for the first time on the 2nd, and it worked, then they would probably have used it again the following night (May 3). But if the kid was allergic to the new medicine, that would apparently only kick in on the second dose (May 3), perhaps proving fatal.
Or: they could have been using just Calpol, but might have increased the dose on May 3, the BIG LAST PARTY NIGHT. If it’s true that the O’Brien’s daughter was vomiting that night - supposedly explaining O’Brien’s HALF HOUR absence at the crucial time, 9-9:30, then a sedated Madeleine could have started vomiting (from the same cause) too, and choked on the vomit rather than woken.
Or, O’Brien might have provided, say, codeine (easily available to him as a doctor) following the problem on May 1, which could apparently have led to respiratory failure… and so on.
The sedative question really does seem crucial. Apparently the PJ made Kate an Arguida when she refused to answer repeated questioning about sedation. Only as an Arguida, apparently (again) did she have the RIGHT to remain silent.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
The press is in high gear… apparently Gerry refused to answer 40 questions from the police after he was made and arguido.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/article2418919.ece
September 9th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
1094 - OG your theory is best. LOL
September 9th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Interesting that the voices were breaking with emotion this morning.
If my child had been kidnapped, even if I had been told not to display emotion because it would be what a kidnapper wanted to see, I would be beside myself and barely able to speak.
I wouldn’t be thinking about money.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Actually…. did anyone think that the friends kid was vomiting because it may have also had an upped dosage of the same stuff that killed M?
Bring em in…..cuff em…..
September 9th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
1065 - Yes, you’re right, I can’t spell. It has been corrected.
Taking a step back from all the rumours…
It does seem that under the current circumstances, the McCanns’ behaviour if innocent of Madeleine’s accidental death would be indistinguishable from their behaviour if guilty of it.
What’s bugged me from the start of this case is that the speed and apparent skill with which the PR campaign was set into motion seemed incongruous with the situation of a family finding themselves blind-sided by an abduction. It seemed like something single-minded and well thought out. It also seemed like a very good way to obtain celebrity status for the parents: book, movie, TV deals, the lucrative lecture circuit, etc.
Up until today, I thought that they were guilty of fraud but probably nothing else. The kid will turn up eventually (thought I) and they will probably make it look like she was released by an evil kidnapper; but if we ever learn the truth we’ll find that she was safe at Auntie’s house the whole time. I also thought that there would be a ransom involved and the funds raised would disappear to pay a fake ransom. Of course they would actually be lining the McCanns’ pockets.
However, this theory is crumbling rapidly… given the current situation, if they were capable of producing their daughter alive I think that they would have done so by now.
So there are three possibilities left, and I don’t think there is enough information to decide between them at the moment. I’m not leaning towards the innocence one, though… I am convinced that there is a nasty smell to the whole thing.
1. They are absolutely innocent and telling the truth, which also implies that the PJ are incompetent bumblers. Of course there’s still the small matter of leaving the kids alone, but surely this is less egregious than manslaughter.
2. As many have suggested, they accidentally killed her and made a panic decision to try to cover it up. Possibly they got caught in their own web of lies and couldn’t stop it if they had wanted to.
3. Something worse, more premeditated and darker. I don’t know what that would be- but I’m still troubled by the speed and skill with which the media were manipulated.
My personal opinion is 2 or 3, but if I take a sympathetic view I can’t really disprove 1.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
My own personal theory after studying ALL the evidence is that Gerry McCann wanted to be back in the UK so he could follow the English Rugby Team during The World Cup.
This stay will last until Friday, when after their inevitable drubbing by a fleet-footed South African side, the McCann’s will be flown back to a Portuguese jail.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
No stone unturned.
“Brit Police Watch and Listen Next Door”
http://www.people.co.uk/news/news/tm_method=full%26objectID=19758723%26siteID=93463-name_page.html
September 9th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
1080. A three year old? Safety reliant on successful one-touch dialling ? I’m appalled, but at least now informed.
But this case is even worse. Madeleine had two babies she would likely try to look after as well as herself , who could themselves choke, fall, suffocate, eat something etc.
There is no suggestion she was taught to use a phone.
I have had six children, and the idea of three of them of those ages alone out of earshot, even for 30 mins (I believe it was regularly much longer) is horrific. Even at home, let alone a strange rented room.
This is nothing to do with the (very low) risk of abduction - its all about the myriad ways they could come to harm if out of earshot. Myriad. Trust me.
Regardless of the situation in Germany, in Portugal at least we are told it is a serious offence. Prosecute them there, for that, immediately. No problem proving that.
Come to the other in the fullness of time when the evidence is clear enough.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
The McCanns have say so what they want to go along with or not regarding a campaign.
I think it is possible people will grasp this case in hindsight rather than presently. At least that is what I suspect about myself.
There is an area of the case that I have a current opinion. Early on there was the “spite” campaign” due to negative remarks about the nightly routine. The McCanns were victims of the public. Within the past week or so there was another article explaining how the nightly routine was still no more than sitting in your garden. Add to that the children were safer than riding in a car. More serious questions can’t be answered because of the Portugal secrecy laws. There was a claim that even the people overseeing the Madeleine fund were trying to prevent them from money to find Madeleine. One article stated that Mr. McCann said they need to return to the UK to balance the twins life normal while looking back. Recently there is a new claim that the police are trying to frame them. I don’t know about the rest of you but the campaign has appeared more about the McCanns and how they are victims. Although all is not always what it appears there are too many “sightings” of that mentality. Possibly somewhere in it all there is a significant concern for Madeleine. I hope so.
blunger Says:
September 9th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Again and again the McCanns keep emphasizing Madeleines appearance.
Once again today, in the middle of a serious statement, the jarring word “lovely”.
“Our lovely daughter”
This is arrogance and self congratulation, and it is repeated as nauseam. Are the daughters of other people, who may not seem to the McCanns physically quite so “lovely”, somehow less worthy of attention ?
Response to Blunger, YES. All along there has been mention of “ring leader” mentality, how fast we can job blog, etc.
bulldump Says:
September 9th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
my god I can’t believe it, we are now gonna have to listen to gerry spouting off his nonsense 24 hours a day 7 days a week and nobody can do a thing about it. Everytime a question is asked that he doesn’t wanna answer he is gonna come up with the same lousy excuse “i can’t answer that due to my legal position in portugal”
well, gerry, you aint in portugal now so just answer the fuckin questions you been skirting for the last 4 months.
Bulldump, LOL I think Mr. McCann has enjoyed that aspect of the Portugal system. I think the McCanns have enjoyed being victims in that circumstance. YES.
K-9 Says:
September 9th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Teddy Boy (925):
Actually, they shot themselves in the foot. The family’s latest statements, especially Kate’s mother’s interview where she said that the police must have broken into the Villa and planted evidence (*), have not ingratiated them with anyone in Portugal.
Teddy Boy, we agree that something about the victim routine just gets old after a while. I don’t know what actually happened but I don’t believe the Portugal police are intentionally trying to frame the McCanns. NO. Thank you Teddy Boy. I thought in the end you could be counted on… LOL.
I don’t know what happened to Madeleine but I do know I am not the one to make that determination. What stands out to me in all of this is the inital problem that contributed to Madeleine missing, parents a bit self serving considering the nightly routine, appears to be a consistent trait all wrapped up in such a way that anyone who disagrees with anything about them are part of a “hate campaign” ????? Maybe in hindsight, just like the rest of us, the McCanns will have a better understanding of what happened too?
Hopefully Madleiene didn’t get lost in the “fight for our life” and she is still being considered. I don’t rule out anything is possible. Keep the faith. YES.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Rest (1080); Well you asked me to address your points, so here it is:
“I know Brits who do it, and I know Germans who do it”. I didn’t say people don’t do it (I actually said they do) but I don’t believe there is a culture of doing it, that it is ‘normal’.
“They don’t seem to view it as neglect. They essentially seem to think nothing could go wrong,” All the more reason why the McCann’s behavior should be condemned; leaving a child alone “in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health” could lead to a prosecution for ‘wilful neglect’. Ignorance of the law is no defence.
“But maybe child abduction has not been all that rampant in previous decades in northern Europe” Child abduction hasn’t really increased for decades, possibly longer, but our fear of it has (another thing, I think, we can thank the media for).
“When some folks do this, they really don’t think they are doing wrong. Otherwise good people can sometimes make bad judgments.” Very true, and the same could be said of the drunk who got in their car and killed a whole family on the way home; or the ‘paedophile’ who entered into a sexual relationship with a 13 year old.