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 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
247. Yes, but you do have to leave Madeleine on her own long enough for her to be “abducted”.
Did Kate really run back leaving the younger ones alone after she found M gone ? Left them ALONE ? That is insane. You scoop them up one under each arm and run for help, asleep or not. You get THEM safe at least. Anything else is bizarre.
And did you notice, throughout all the hulabaloo, it is reported the twins did not wake up. And that it is alleged that Gerry confessed to the police that he sedated the children. Where did that come from - another “controlled information release” from the only people with a licence to keep us informed - the McCanns ? Not sure they’d want to tell us that, but maybe they are losing their heads.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
247 - You made yourself quite clear. I agree with you and that’s exactly what I was thinking and saying in my post. Just being VERY cynical about their behvavior towards parenting.
Sorry - maybe you didn’t understand what I was saying there. But You were very clear to me.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
you wouldn’t really want the listening service if you were gonna be ‘romping en masse’
September 8th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
239 - The only person who “saw” Madeleine being carried away that night was Jane Tanner, O’Brien’s wife. Maybe she was supplying him with an alibi.
- Agreed. Again, Speculatively - but I’ve always felt this.
How awful though, if she was just supplying an alibi. Because she took it SO much further than just “seeing a man running by with a child wrapped up in a blanket”.
No, she didn’t stop there. She went all the way and accused and possibly destoryed the repuation of Murat at the same time. I suspect he’s going to soon be getting an outpouring of sympathy from his fellow Portuguese and British fans. He may get to write a book about it……and make some $$$ to send his Mum on a little vacation. Hell, he may even get back together with his wife and child - and live happily ever after… Daddy Warbucks has a whole other connotation to Fatherhood. Abductions and murders make the strangest bedfellows..
September 8th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Possible, yes, but where’s the evidence?
September 8th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
i been drawn towards the orgy theory on numerous occassions.
would it not be possible that murat, his girlfreind and her husband (the cosy threesome) were to be part of the orgy, all organized through a website set up by Malinka.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Mary 238.
Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough. My point was that if you’re going to have a legitimate meal with friends why would you want to have it disturbed by someone having to get up every half an hour. These people are wealthy and the cost of a babysitter was hardly likely to break their bank!
If on the other hand you’re going to have an orgy later so you sedate the kids but unfortunately one kid had already died before the meal then surely you wouldn’t leave the others on their own for half an hour at a time. You’d be watching them like a hawk.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Definitely tried in Portugal. Why on Earth England?
Layman’s opinion.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
242 - Pure Speculation at this piont. Yes, I defined that and highlighted it in my post. Correcto mondo!
September 8th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
LOL, I been out on the lash and got a serious hangover.
I was out spreading what some considered ‘POISON’ at one point
September 8th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
235 - my sentiments just the other day. The storming of the bastille takes on a whole new meanting. The crowds outside of the 1 Police Plaza in Portugal will soom be getting restless.
Question for Arm Chair Attorneys - or real ones:
What involvement will the British legal system have in this case SHOULD it HYPOTHETICALLY, go to court and trial? Would it have to be tried in Portugal or back in England since the Mccamms are all British citizens? I know that I’m getting ahead of myself here, but this is a “what if” question. I would suspect that it might be tried in both countries for different crimes…..
Legal Eagles??
September 8th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Mary Sunshine, I think it must be pointed out that this is speculation.
Useful speculation I’m sure the police have considered whether they currently subscribe to this theory or not. Speculation that so closely fits the facts that are known its painful.
But still speculation and it could be easily wrong. An accidental death or even an abduction are possibilities.
While I wouldn’t discount my own theory that has been germinating in my mind, very uncomfortably, for some time, I will point out that it is conjecture.
September 8th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Thought you’d been quiet Bulldump!!
September 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Very possible.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Angry 218
Russell O’Brien is supposed to have had the “death-smell” car before the McCann’s?!
The only person who “saw” Madeleine being carried away that night was Jane Tanner, O’Brien’s wife. Maybe she was supplying him with an alibi.
Remember how O’Brien, along with two other friends of the McCanns, told the police they seen Robert Murat near the MW Complex when he claimed he’d been at home - thus casting doubt on HIS alibi.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
225 -”Plus I’ve never really understood why anyone would prefer to get up from a meal with friends, every half an hour, to check on their kids rather than pay for a babysitter/childminder”
Hmmmm…….Oh, I know!! If you wanted an alibi and one of your kids had died from asphyxiation from choking on their own vomit due to adverse effects of a sedative…..hmmmm….YES! That may be why there was a need to chack in on kids every half hour. To be sure the others didn’t have the same experience??
Also, think of it this way…….Can you imagine hiring a babysitter to watch the kiddies sleeping so soundly all night? I mean, is it worth that expense of $5/hour??? Besides, if the kids didn’t stir, wouldn’t a babysitter start asking pesky questions and maybe even report that something was not right? That woudl ruin all the fun and games planned for the rest of the evening.
I just have one quetion. Why couldn’t they just party at home? Why couldn’t the kids have had the “luxury” of having their parents stay with them at night and wait til they’re back in England to rough house it? Better yet, why not leave the kids with all the relatives they both have coming out of the woodwork. Philomena might make a batter babysitter than a family spokesperson. While I don’t believe in criticizing people for what they can’t control - some things can’t be left unsaid…..What a GHASTLY looking “lady” Someone needs a serious makeover - pronto!!
September 8th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Moriarty… It was (allegedly!) Praia CCTV footage that showed all of them going in the direction of the Beach Cafe and the staff confimed they were all still there eating at 6.30 but couldn’t confirm when they left.
I think thats why the PJ have focused on the later window of opportunity….
September 8th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
222, Moderation, Paulo Reiss’s who was clearly angered by British press reportsa says dogs and police were used over the first night to search the local area including the beach
full report here:
http://gazetadigitalarquivo.blogspot.com/2007/07/is-mr-ian-herbert-journalist-from.html
“But Mr. Ian Herbert says that police was not alarmed by the distress call from the Ocean Club and “it took a desperate call to GMTV from a McCann family friend, Jill Renwick, to alert the British nation to the inaction.” That is a lie, Mr. Ian Herbert! And it is also fake, fraudulent and misleading. Are you lying or are you just repeating, like a parrot, something somebody told you, without checking it? Are you suffering from the same problem many other British journalists covering Madeleine’s abduction have – what I call the “parrot’s syndrome”?
Police precinct in Lagos was called only at 22.50pm, May 3 – almost one hour after Kate realized Madeleine had disappeared. They sent a patrol that arrived at Ocean Club 12/15 minutes later. I hope you can read this and explain to the few readers of Gazeta Digital that I’m wrong, when I admit the possibility that you were lying and that you were just acting like a parrot…”
September 8th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
BRING FORTH THE GUILLOTINE
September 8th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Brilliant comment. An excerpt:
Whether she was ill or not.
If she was ill, its trebly monstrous.
If she was sedated, its monstrous on a scale all its own.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
But didn’t someone in a neighbouring flat hear her cry that night? Or was that just on previous nights?
I can’t remember - maybe one of you folks can.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Moriarty. I don’t think they will successfully sue Portugal, half of Britain, and now Canada, the U.S., and the world.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Rosemary, the problem is that once a person becomes aguido under Portuguese law, they have the right to know any evidence against them.
So, if the police are leaking this may be a problem and should be looked at. If the family leaks, it’s them who are not respecting the Portuguese law.
But I don’t think the police can keep this type of information to themselves. Their legal system is different. It gives a lot of protection to the accused.
This is one more reason why the attacks on the Portuguese system for treating the McCann’s unfairly is so unfounded.
However, I’m not a legal expert. That was my understanding after reading a Portuguese lawyer explain it.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
(209) Christoph
I have just read the posts you directed us to, and I concur. In fact I believe that Maddy was dead long before 8.30 when the Tapas 9 went for din-dins…. I have read that she was seen on CCTV footage at about 6.30… where this info comes from I dont know. My information is that she was last seen at the pool at around 2.30pm.. Either way, the poor little girl was dead before 8.30pm in my opinion (not that I give a monkeys if the McCann Clan wanna sue me for my opinion… not that they will of course)
September 8th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
To raise a wider issue..
What I think we see here is a horrible clash between two totally incompatible cultures/ legal systems/ media attitudes.
The PJ are legally prohibited from making evidence public before a trial. Though it seems that suspects are not. This will work fine in a restrained and dignified society where, even if suspects and their families were to attempt media manipulation, the media will not play.
But the UK media are different, and even know continue to give suspects and family huge publicity and manipulative opportunities.
How appalling for the Portuguese authorities that the McCann tribe have carte blanche to select, manipulate and distort our only window onto the evidence, with no right of reply to those who have gathered it, and know such facts as are currently knowable.
Small wonder that some of the police are resorting to informal leaks in an attempt to control the misinformation. I think this is a rare case where we would do well to listen to the rumours. It is already becoming clear tyhat the very newspaper the McCanns tried to sue had its view of the police position substantially correct.
I am very concerned that the gullible fund contributors have put it within the power of the McCann family to use the threat of legal action to try to silence those who speak against them. That is exactly how the disgusting Robert Maxwell managed to get away with his massive robberies from the Mirror pensioners. Many suspected, but were threatened into silence.
Hopefully now the McCanns are suspects, no case for libel is likely to make any progress.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
212 - Yes, I think Blunder nailed it. They were probably planning a heavy night of drinking, partying and whatever else comes to mind. So there’s a good possibility that it was not just the M’s who did the dirty deeds. They may have all (or some - those w/ kids) collaborated on this fabulous idea - tongue in cheek of course - to sedate the kiddies and be home free for a ling evening out.
Of course, this would only apply to those with kids there and correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t that only the M’s and the other couple Russell O’brien and Jane Tanner? Russell being the other physician?? I suspect in some weird way…that he’s involved in this. Did he give them all the idea that this is what he does and they should try it out on their kids too? The Oldfields…that’s right…the other couple who had kids had a baby monitor with them. They may have deiced NOT to go the sedation route and hence, they brought their baby monitors. Or they may have never even known what was going on….
But Russell O’brien strikes me as the ringleader behind this. It’s just another gut insticnt. Pure speculation. BUT - I do think that the 20 month old daughter of RO and JT should have been looked at immediately following the disappearance of Madeleine. If she was ill that night, yet her parents still went out and left her for the Tapas run, she was also neglected. And possibly sedated??? But as I said, the lucky one that was saved. Speculation. All possible hunches and theories. I don’t know if we’ll ever really know.
I’m begging to agree with the poster who said yesterday, that ithis is going to be very difficult if not impossible to prosecute because of the high profile involvement. I agree that it will be very challenging to pin it on any one given today’s circumstances, but for very differnt reasaons than the other poster..
I believe that the “no body, no crime” defense is going to save the butts of those who are accountable for this. Even if the DNA is there. It is very difficult to prosecute without a body. And I don’t know if hte Portuguese court systems would be able to do this - SUCCESSFULLY.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
I hope the police keep any furthur incriminating evidence to themselves in order to prevent any leaks which would prejudice a trial - there have been leaks from the family and family spokesman. Surely illegal.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I totally, totally agree, Angry.
If they had nothing to do directly with her didappearance, that is good. No parent should.
But for being so woefully neglectful, if that’s all it was, a neglect that did partially cause their daughter’s disappearance and anything else that happened to her, should not be without legal consequence.
And it’s offensive of the McCann’s to suggest it should.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Ok Christoph I’ve just looked at those posts you mentioned in 209.
I agree with your thoughts on that matter.
Plus I’ve never really understood why anyone would prefer to get up from a meal with friends, every half an hour, to check on their kids rather than pay for a babysitter/childminder.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Angry I see that you’re considering more possibilities and this encourages me.
It’s sad to have to consider such things. Remember to keep an open mind; they may even be innocent.
But there IS grounds for suspicion.