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
Comments
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September 9th, 2007 at 1:41 am
I just cannot believe their behaviour - if they had nothing to do with the child’s disappearance/murder then they MUST believe she is still alive and maybe in Portugal, so why on Earth would they go back to the UK, where coverage would not be as potent as in PJ ??
And why are they SUDDENLY worried about not having a fair ‘trial’ in PJ and being framed ? IF they are truly innocent this would not bother them - I’m innocent that’’s that.
I think this cowardly act of running back to Good Ole Blighty after being declared suspects by the PJ police, will lose them immeasurable support; it is a true pointer of their cowardly and self-serving nature ’screw our child we will be better treated in the UK’ (!!)
Simply craven behaviour, sickening people.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:39 am
Fizz I have been involved with child protection for over 20 years. I have an unhealthy interest in children.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:38 am
Brian Ladd (the dreamer) is getting his act together to get to Portugal to find Madeleine - the family, he says, refused his earlier offers to look for her. He’s been saying for ages she is on the Murat proporty or near the church.
http://www.briansprediction.com/onlocation/index.htm
September 9th, 2007 at 1:37 am
gecko100 - Arn’t we all interested in this case, does that make us all have an unhealthy interest in children!
September 9th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Theoretically I think they could be arrested by British police when they arrive, but I rather doubt that will happen. I think there’s a sort of ‘It happened in your country, so please, you go first if you like’ between the British and Portuguese authorities, and the British authorities will politely wait for the Portuguese authorities to charge them sometime this or next week, then wait for the McCanns to fail to comply with the summons to appear in front of a Portuguese judge.
The Portuguese will then begin extradition proceedings, while the McCann lawyers will start to argue they can’t get a fair trial in Portugal. This will go on for AGES, and they’ll be concurrently charged with involuntary manslaughter in England.
My guess is that the ‘friends’ won’t now bother turning up for their scheduled interviews with the PJ next week.
I could of course be wrong (it has occasionally been known), but as I said above, at 50-50 odds, I’d bet on it.
Now that the PJ have allowed them to go home (itself rather strange, and couldn’t have happened without consultations at a high level with their English counterparts) this could really run and run.
Another guess is that the Portuguese authorities are actually rather keen to pass this case onto their English pals, who have been doing all the serious work for over a month anyway.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:35 am
That would be fine if you were discussing issues.
What is in fact happening is way weirder.
Keep talking…
September 9th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Well the Dr Harold Shipman case beggared belief.
Here was a mild-mannered middle-aged bespectacled GP who systematically murdered patients in his care over DECADES, probably starting when he was a lowly intern.
He killed up to 300 people with lethal doses of morphine (I think) and was only ‘caught’ because he got sloppy and started wasting young, healthy patients.
No one at his shared practice suspected anything over the decades.
As a final act of ‘control-ship’ he hanged himself in his cell, rather than go through a trial and be ‘analysed’ by pyschologists.
The McCrim’s by comparison are cowardly small fry, running back to the UK the scumbags !
September 9th, 2007 at 1:32 am
How do you think the media will react to the homecoming? Will it be all yellow ribbons and general fawning or will a few boos and hisses be allowed? Any day now the whole lot will turn nasty-it will be interesting to see how they climb down without admitting they were made fools of. Of course, some may take up the banner to prove their innocence-we all know its ludicrous as they are so nice. religious, fund raising, big house, cuddlecat carrying types-couldnt have been them guv.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:32 am
Well, weirder than discussing a current case in the international media — and incidentally, I’m attracted to blogging because I like discussing issues… usually it’s foreign affairs, politics, taxation policy, immigration, the war, etc. — weirder than that is hanging out a blog to watch people discuss it and criticize them for talking about it.
IF you have something planned this weekend, more power to you. Don’t let me keep you from it.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:32 am
He???
September 9th, 2007 at 1:30 am
Watching the behaviour of people during a global phenomenon about one missing child. Why?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:30 am
He’s just acting like a troll, now, Fizz; there’s no particular reason for it. At one point he was actually discussing the case.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:29 am
From a crime story point of view it is fascinating, admittedly, or why would we be here and why would this thread — not the largest by any means — have 600+ comments.
But remember… there’s been no trial and no charges laid so this IS speculation at this point. We could be wrong.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:28 am
Christoph: yes I have, and things to do therein.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:27 am
gecko100
What are you doing in this forum then!!!! It is about Maddie you know.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Why not?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:27 am
this story is the most amazing story. murderer parents and the whole world fooled by them - then the tide turned against them. it is even more interesting than OJ. Can you name another?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:26 am
For most alleged crimes, they’d be shipped back to Portugal on the new inter-EU ‘fast-track extradition’ arrangements. But since their alleged crime (accidental homicide (Portugal) / involuntary manslaughter (England) ) also falls within the jurisdiction of British criminal courts, my guess is they’ve now realized they’re going to face a trial, and they think the odds are better in England.
And if they’re being tried for manslaughter in England, they probably can’t be extradited for lots of other crimes they’re probably suspected of in Portugal (like perverting the course of justice / destroying evidence &c).
September 9th, 2007 at 1:26 am
What’s the betting the McCrim’s will make a guest appearance on CSI ?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:25 am
I guess you haven’t heard of “weekend”.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:23 am
I told you Cristoph, be careful what you write. Now we know you don’t have a job and a life along with an unhealthy interest in a missing child. 9 hours, dearie me…
September 9th, 2007 at 1:23 am
A FILM DEAL ???
You have got to be sh*tting me !!
That is just so SICK
I bet to improve the script The McCrims dramatically fly to the Vatican City where Pope Ratzenberger (a former Hitler Youth devotee) will both publicly saintify them and make ‘Praia da Luz’ a Place of Pilgrimmage, real life Hollywood style, can this sick story get any sicker ?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:22 am
But Rod… you said “insider” info.
Are YOU an insider? Or perpetrating a clever hoax?
Believable — admittedly.
Do you have any proof for this … or at least a source?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:21 am
Film deal? Four months after she goes missing?
Good God that’s sick. And I blame Fox as much as the McCann’s, if not more. Same with the O.J. thing. That was sick too.
Fox News is a good organization. Well respected in the states. Certainly popular.
Fox Entertainment is depraved and Fox News has on more than one occasion criticized its sister entity.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:20 am
I think their British & Portuguese (again: very expensive - who’s paying?) lawyers have decided that key intercept evidence will not be admissable in a British court, so they’re going home to get arrested in England.
Just a guess, and probably only one element, but anyone taking bets here?
September 9th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Want some insider info? Fox Movies has just pulled out of a film deal with someone representing the McCann family. It was surprisingly quite far along in terms of development, with a writer already working on a script. Fox Movies has decided to wait until all the facts are in, apparently as a result of the new direction that the investigation is taking (they had a ‘blood-money’ situation not too long ago with OJ Simpson). This story is quite a big deal over here too though I’m kind of shocked about this film idea for two reasons, firstly that the story is still unfolding so to speak (’Too Soon!’) and secondly that someone within the McCann family (according to my source) is actually thinking along these lines at this point in time. Anyway, make of it what you will. I thought you guys might find it interesting. Could be lies but who knows? Remember folks, you heard it here first.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:18 am
ObberGoober, they have not been charged, have they?
I haven’t heard that anywhere and I can’t believe they’d be going home.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:16 am
Well if the McCrim’s leave now just after being both charged by PJ police and after endlessly asserting to keep looking for their child it hardly puts them in a ‘good light’ now does it.
Maybe they will get a more sympathetic jury in Great Britain , bless
September 9th, 2007 at 1:15 am
I do too.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:14 am
OK, ‘Sky Sources’ (=Murdoch in Heaven) reporting that the McCanns are leaving Portugal for England 9:30 tomorrow morning. So let’s get back to the ’shared jurisdiction’ theme.
I think it’s highly likely their (expensive) lawyers will resist extradition to Portugal.