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 12:54 pm
Again, I understood the police had dismissed the sedation theory and were focusing on physical accident? I also thought that her hair had been checked for sedation and none found. Also that the dna found was not actually blood but hair?
Hair from hairbrush showed no sedation.
When they said dna the press assumed blood.
Again, all reports that are out there somewhere but I really haven’t time to look as I’m working.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
876, Moderation, The first search led dogs to the supermarket car park, I seem to remember.
To a car, presumably, which could not be parked next to the apartment, for some reason.
There were also reports of a large black car in the supermarket car park. I don’t remember who reported seeing this car. Surely it would have been on CCTV.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
870 Maybe if shes preserved in formaldehyde and is a damien hirst exhibit
September 9th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I think some drugs can make your nose, ears or eyes bleed.
Or pass blood into urine/faeces, which is passed on death.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
867 I understand they were checked frist thing the morning by the dogs. I remember seeing the original search and that is what I simply cannot figure. They were photos of the police with several tracker dogs who went everywhere, including in the apartment and the car park, the beach, all the adjoining walkways and streets…. where could the body have been hidden by the McCanns and not scented out by the dogs?
To me, (as always IMO) the logical explanation is that she whisked away immediately….. but who knows. Desn’t seem as if the Police do either.
Does anyone have a link to the missing Portugese girl from nearby who still hasn’t been found? (the mother was jailed after being badly beaten….)
September 9th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Yes best not to think about the possibilities, pete. The accident theory is the best, I think.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
870, K-9, I agree, if she were alive, she would never be seen in public.
I did think she might have been taken by a paedophile ring and that someone might inform on the perpetrator, or that evidence might be found to link known offenders with her disappearance.
What are you thoughts on the Ylenia case, nobody has suggested her mother kidnapped her, and the von Aesch “suicide” is suspicious to say they least?
September 9th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
which is a horrific thought.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
If she was abducted by very nasty people, they’d have taken her eye out at least.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Blood in car may have been because on sedative that may have killed her, she vomited blood.. onto that cuddly toy ,that has been dragged everywhere by Kate.?????? McBeth ( oops) even after washing said toy could not out the damn spot.?
September 9th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Rosemary (864):
The Portuguese Police have called off the search a couple of months ago.
Even IF Madeleine were alive (which the police doesn’t believe, and hasn’t believed for a few months), she would necessarily be a present-day Natascha Kampusch - unfindable, unless she runs.
She would never be shown in public. You’d have to be a very dumb criminal indeed to step outside dragging along a child whose face is as famous as the Pope’s (and, if she WAS abducted, said criminal has clearly shown for the past 4 months that he is anything but dumb).
The concept that Madeleine will be found licking an ice-cream cone in some Plaza in a European capital is ludicrous.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
862, K-9, Good points. Calpol is not be enough to make children sleep.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Re 861
Maybe the mccanns should have just left madeleine in a car in portugal and she might have got taken by the petty criminals.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
My radar still has her body under those roadworks that were going on and filled in so soon after she vanished.Have they been dug up to look .?
September 9th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Can sombody explain how the police has found blood in the house and in the car, but the cause of the possible dead is becouse of having tablets?
September 9th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
What…gecko not here…voices of ‘many’….
I knew today would at least start off on a good note.
Is there anyone at the airport with rotten tomatoes?
September 9th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
851, Maicen, protesting about being framed is unlikely to encourage the police to keep looking for Madeleine. Have the Portuguese called of their search, does anyone know? All very confusing.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
PJ have spoken to SKYNews and said that the McCanns have been allowed to leave but can be called back at any time however the investigation is nowhere near an end; they said it is likely to take up to a year.
A year?? with the evidence they allegedy have??
September 9th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
On the return:
Upon being named an “arguido”, suspects must fill in a “Term of Identity and Residence” (provide full name and identification, as well as an address where they can be found/contacted to be summoned for further enquiries, and which they can only leave for periods of up to 5 days).
When the McCanns filled in their TIR, both gave their UK address, instead of their Villa address, so everybody already knew they were going back to the UK.
On arguido status:
RTP (tv station) is reporting that Kate became an arguida when she refused to answer when questioned about why the twins never woke up while police and search teams were in the apartment on the 3rd.
(Arguidos have the “right to remain silent”, witnesses do not - if a witness refuses to answer a question, they can either be made arguidos, or be charged with obstruction to justice.)
Arguida over what?
One should note that we don’t know what Kate is an arguida over (the PJ haven’t said anything - the press have just assumed that it’s over murder).
For all we know, she could simply be an arguida over child neglect.
Leaving the children alone on that night (especially since it led to a subsequent crime, even if committed by others) is considered negligence.
It would probably be considered aggravated negligence, since it was compounded by their administration of sedatives.
Kate’s father yesterday told the British media that Kate had given the kids Caldol. Police have known this for a while (about a month ago, during an interview with Sandra “We’ll Sue You” Felgueiras, Sandra asked them whether they had given the kids Caldol, betraying her sources). Running the twins’ swabs - collected for DNA exclusion - over one of the Drug-Breathalysers which any squad car currently carries, would have confirmed this suspicion.
One should also note that child neglect HAS a sentence of about 2 years. Murder doesn’t (and the portuguese police can’t offer deals. Which shows that the British Media’s research into Portuguese Law consists of watching “CSI” and “Law & Order” and taking Philomena’s every word as fact).
Philomena’s SORDID deal, is actually a misunderstanding of: “come on, just admit negligence - leaving the kids alone is more than enough for a successful prosecution. And the sentence is less that 2 years”.
Even without a confession, they have more than enough to prosecute for negligence in Portugal. Leaving the kids alone is unacceptable behaviour as per Portuguese Law, moreover because it led to the child’s death. By their own admission (and the testimony of several dozen witnesses) they left the kids alone. That’s enough for a successful prosecution.
Gerry probably wouldn’t be prosecuted for it, as the Portuguese mindset pretty much still rests on the traditional view that it’s the mother’s duty to care for the children.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Well said, Pete.
The problem with all this is that if one has (like I do) an open mind, then there is no way one can subsribe to either of the ‘they’re innocent’ or ‘they’re guilty’ camps.
Whatever the truth (and I totally understand that parents of missing children want all the stops pulled out looking for them), they - and their supporters - cannot expect the police to proceed - and use valuable resources - on the basis of their gut feeling that their child is still alive after 4 months. How do they KNOW their child is alive? They cannot know this, of course, any more than they can know that their child is dead - which they say is not possible (eh?).
Also, with so much speculation around this case, it is not at all surprising that national characteristics start to kick in when people are making judgements. For example, it is culturally utterly unacceptable for Portuguese parents to leave their children unattanded which is whay restaurants there are full of families and children. The Portuguese therefore regards people who leave their children unattended as being negligent and not actually caring about what happens to them. (Similarly, if someone leaves something in a car in Portugal, there is a general view that the owner does not need it / want it - hence the huge amount of petty thefts there).
Many British parents take a contrary view: that is definitely OK to leave children unattended sometimes.
The British media seems unable to retain an open mind about this case. The prevailing view is that the parents cannot possibly have anything to do with the appearance - ie it is beyond a ‘they are innocent until proven guilty’ notion - it is more like ‘we must not even apply any normal legal process to the parents as they are above even being considered as innocent before being proven guilty’. THis is absolutely blind.
Robert Murat, on the other hand, for whom apparently there is no forensic evidence whatoever to prove involvement, has been regarded by much of the British press as ‘guilty until proven innocent’.
Both postions are unreasonable and the only reasonable approach is to retain an open mind until more facts are verified.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I have heard before (some weeks ago on this forum) the assumption (I think whoever brought it up also referred to the Strongwood theory) that Madeleine was autistic. I disbelieved it then, and I still do so.
Also, while I was watching the video on the Sky News site of them leaving the apartment this morning, I noticed how they tried their best to appear to be the perfect parents regarding safety. Perhaps I am just too judgemental of them because of my own personal feelings in the case. They both climbed in and instantly put on their safety belts (even though I will say that Kate seemed very uncomfortable with putting the belt on). Both the twins were strapped into baby seats with a family friend in the back between them. PERFECT. I just wish they’d been this particular on the night of the 3rd May.
I had to gulp down the tears while I was watching the video, as my thought was (same as yours Wendy Nillson) that this appears to be the beginning of the end. There will be no justice for that small innocent child. Silly as it may sound, I almost felt as if I personally have let her down …. yes, bombard me with whatever you like for that comment as I obviously am in no position to have assisted as far as any part of the investigation went, but that little girl’s death/disappearance should NOT be allowed to become part of history without someone paying for what has happened to her.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
The Dutch police has warned people to be wary of Strongwood… there is a fraud investigation going on that involves them but I really don’t remember the details.
Nothing autistic about Madeleine.. look at the family photos! (and of course it was denied by her playgroup in UK)
September 9th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
857. Pete, “artistic” perhaps! The translation is bad but there is an original Dutch version available. My Dutch is a bit limited.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Perhaps they mistranslated ‘artistic’ ?
September 9th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Madeleine is/was autistic? Haven’t read that before.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Clearly Madeleine wasn’t autistic, so I suppose the rest of the Strongwood findings should be dismissed.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
741, Ann, re their composure, see Oliver James in the Times for his opinion ( I have a lot of respect for this psychiatrist).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2409952.ece
751, Holme, I have posted a lot of links over the weeks on the von Aesch case, he had a large white Renault Trafic van, Spanish registered, (he lived in Benimantell, Alicante for nearly 20 years). He is thought to have been seen with a least one accomplice in Switzerland. DNA evidence of Ylenia was found in his van. No trace of Ylenia has been found since von Aesch supposedly kidnapped her near a public swimming pool in Appenzell on 31st July, and nothing to link him with Madeleine has been found either. The McCanns and their friends were sharing a silver grey Renault Scenic in May.
This is and extract of what Strongwood (the Dutch group) say in their investigation on their website:
“While profiling involved people and researching our facts the team concluded that Madeleine could have been died before 19:00 we also found that Madeleine is a kid with a disability (autistic) which could explain her behavior and explain some witness declarations. The dogs of the British police marked the dead of the child in the apartment with traces of found blood. If death is marked than the child must have been death in that apartment for a couple of hours. Our team thinks she is moved from there with a white combi/transit vehicle to a beach location, while dumping the body into the sea. The person who has been seen walking with a child is a contradiction, but because one of the friends stated this witness declaration she would have recognize the child as Madeleine.”
September 9th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I don’t think that ‘the British’ are criticising the Portugese, most of the stuff aimed at the Police comes from out-of-control McCann family members, or the McCanns themselves.
As does pretty well all of our information…repeated by Gerry’s sister.
The press are reporting what their family say, not what the British public think.
The British public think the McCanns are at fault one way or another, either through neglect or accident.
We also know our own police are fallible, and the judicial system doesn’t always work. We have lots of unsolved crimes.
And our weather is crap.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
If Poolice have reason some Brithish newspapers must to write a rectification about the people who lives in the Algarve. I remember a front page:” Algarve:the paradise for the pederastian”. And now what? “Algarve: the paradise of the drunkers and liers”.
September 9th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
So.. they are back in UK and doing Radio and tabloid exclusives about being framed by a desperate Portuguese police force.Why would police want to frame “grieving ” parents when they had Murat and never charged him ..let alone framed him. ????
So back to hog sympathy in UK in media over load again…..do they not get that their media OTT has hindered and hampered the entire police process whilst UK smugly blames inefficiency of that police force. and that if UK it would have been solved already…but really would it….? Have they dug up the roadworks yet… the body may be in there. Parents should have been suspects number one methinks..but such was hype they created that point got lost in th sea of mass hysteria of sympathy.
They had better be innocent after all the money good people donated and their word trip and celebrity status.!!!!!