Madeleine McCann: Suspects Kate And Gerry And The Flight Of Fancy
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
THE SUN front page: “EXCLUSIVE – ‘We’re being set up. I’ve had enough. Let’s go home.’” This is the “ANGER OF MADDIE DAD.”
Gerry and Kate McCann, “the doctors”, are back in their home town of Rothley, Leicestershire.
Pages 4, 5, 6 & 7: A statement from Gerry McCann in which he thanks one and all for the support and adds: “But we would like to ask for our privacy to be respected now that we have returned home.”
But their private grief is public spectacle. Can they be left alone with their daughter still missing and their campaign to find her in progress?
“YOU’LL LOSE THE TWINS.” Portuguese police are said to have told Kate McCann she should confess or face losing her two children.
“FACT OR FIT-UP?” The Sun considers the claims and gives each an “EXPLANATION.”
THE SUN SAYS: “McCanns’ hell”. The McCann’s “torment gets more horrendous by the day.” Where is the “kidnapper who might still have the four-year-old child in his clutches?”
THE TIMES front page: “McCanns fly home to fights their case.”
Mr McCann says the police’s focus on them is “deeply disturbing”.
Portuguese newspapers claim the McCanns failed to answer 40 questions put to them during interviews last week. “They apparently feared that they could wrongly implicate themselves if he [sic] did so.”
Pages 6 & 7: “Puzzles and mysteries at the very heart of the investigation.”
The paper tries to answer some of these questions. It tells us: “Although a small child could be killed quickly it would take time to hide the body so that it was not discovered in the biggest search in Portuguese history.”
The paper’s David Brown does not reveal how he researched this. He just knows.
The window to the McCanns apartment might have been opened from the inside. Brown of the Wapping Yard concludes: “Or was the window opened to make it appear as if an intruder had used it to enter the bedroom?”
Hmmm. What say you Mr Brown?
DAILY MAIL front page: “Police are determined to charge McCanns with killing Madeleine. HOME…FOR HOW LONG?”
Mr McCann is said to have told a friends: “We are being completely stitched up by the Portuguese police. We are completely f*****. We should have seen this coming weeks ago and gone back to Britain.”
Pages 2 and 3: “Madeleine’s parents consult Pinochet’s lawyer.” The McCanns have consulted with Michael Caplan QC, the British lawyer who represented Chilean dictator General Pinochet, who stood accused to torture and human rights abuses. Interesting?
Pages 4 & 5: “Questions the police must answer.”
The paper wonders if Robert Murat was named as a suspect in the hope his presence might “lead the couple into committing an incriminating indiscretion?” Or not.
In attempting to answer the key questions, the Mail produces more questions.
And the evidence..? The paper’s Michael Hanson wonders just how “foolproof” forensic tests are. You can’t argue with the science. Or can you?
DAILY MIRROR front page: “Kate weeps in Maddy’s room.”
The paper’s “EXCLUSIVE” is that Kate McCann sat alone in Madeleine’s “pink-painted room” and “sobbed in despair”.
How does it know this?
A friend says: “They are not running and will clear their names.”
Pages 4 & 5: Four pictures of the McCanns: arriving at Faro airport; boarding a flight,;on the plane getting ready for take off; and walking to their family home in Rothley.
Pages 6 & 7: “40 questions they both ‘refused’ to answer’.” And: “Officers say her replies left a lot to be desired, ‘it was claimed.’”
“McCANNS FACE KILLING CHARGE.”
“WHY COPS THINK SHE WAS NOT ABDUCTED.”
Page 9: Brian Reade has a daughter the same age as Madeleine McCann. Brian, who writes for the Mirror, has found it “impossible to imagine the depth of pain and guilt”. Without a body, says Brian, “They may never be able to prove their total and complete innocence.”
DAILY EXPRESS front page: “MADELEINE ‘WE CAN PROVE PARENTS DID IT.’ Portuguese police make dramatic new claim over evidence.”
Pages 2, 3 4, 5: The paper’s Martin Evans is on flight EZY 6552. He sees the McCanns travel home. He experiences “first hand…Kate’s pain and anguish on that most difficult of journeys”.
The seatbelts sign goes off. A note is passed to Kate. It is from another passenger. Kate reads the “simple message” of support. “A female passenger kneels by Kate and gives her a “tight hug.”
Kate sobs, “tears dripping slowly down her cheeks”.
Page 6: “Questions for the McCanns.” The Express has a go at solving the mystery. It says “Case could hang over us for ever say parents”.
DAILY STAR front page: “Maddie’s parents surprise flight.” Flight?
Pages 6 & 7: “We’re not running away.”
Page 7: More from Martin Evans, who sees the McCanns’ “pained expressions”.
Pages 8 & 9: “Furious donors want cash back as pressure mounts on friends to reveal all. DAD: I’LL USE £1M MADDIE FUND TO CLEAR OUR NAMES.”
DAILY TELEGRAPH front page: “Year-long wait for McCanns to clear name.”
Says Kate McCann: “Portuguese law prohibits us from commenting on the police investigation. Despite their being so much we wish to say we are unable to do so except to say this: we have played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter Madeleine.”
Page 4: “Couple facing a ‘life sentence of grief’.”
THE GUARDIAN front page: “Exhausted and under suspicion, Madeleine’s family come home.”
Pages 2, 4 & 5: “Rothley villagers relieved to see family return.”
“Thank goodness. They’re back where they belong and it’s the best place they could possibly be,” says one young mother.
The Rev Mark Chandler adds: “My every sense tells me that Rothley is just pleased and relieved to have them back.”
THE INDEPENDENT front page: “130 days since they left for a family holiday, the McCanns return to Britain without Madeleine. This is “THE HOMECOMING”.
Pages 2 & 3: “A shattered family returns to Britain without Madeleine”. “Portugal’s media clamour for conviction”.
Says one mother holidaying in Praia da Luz: “You don’t want to believe the worst but when you read headlines like these [in Portuguese media], obviously one conclusion seems more likely than another.”
Says the Diario de Noticia: “PJ wait for final examinations to arrest Madeleine’s parents.”
Madeleine McCann: private grief as public spectacle
Posted: 10th, September 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,280) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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September 10th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Was he presented evidence she is likely dead?
(I don’t know, just asking.)
IF he was, then the way he ended that is strange.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Gerry seems to have a God complex. medical folks often do. In the face of mounting pressing, he still has the arrogance to take on the world with his blogs.
Isn’t ‘Kate and I are totally 100% confident in each others innocence…’ quite a strange thing to say?
Almst as though he is separating them, for the first time, but still saying he beleives in her.
For now…
September 10th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Why does he have to tell us that they are 100% confident in each others innocence.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
What does everyone think of Gerry’s newest blog entry?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
m.e., well, I certainly wouldn’t.
They can be selfish sociopaths and not pre-meditated murderers or paedophiles.
Were they sedating her, if they were, because of her alleged autism and resulting behaviour?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Even here, the
bastardgrieving father has to use the word “abduction”.Which is why I was always uncomfortable with that website. It seemed to me to be less about finding Madeleine and more about using every image, sound, and word to sell viewers into the idea Madeleine was abducted.
No one is saying he had any part in “abducting” Madeleine. And this has to be Gerry’s most carefully crafter blog entry to date. He chose that word on purpose.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
1083 “WHY could they NOT allow an autopsy?”
They would need a body.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Could we please drop the body fascism, mocking a real person with fat jokes. It’s offensive, unnecessary, offtopic, and lays the absent sysop open to criticism or worse.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
We have been to war against Portugal, (of sorts) when we blockaded the Portugese colonies in Africa when freeing slaves from captivity.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
I did imagine a scene like in black comedy, where each parent keeps nipping in and gives her a bit more, not realising the other one is doing the same thing. And maybe each deciding to double her dose.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
1078. More likely is that Kate realised that she had fecked up with the dose and in desparation, they called on the other medical guy to ty and help bring Maddie round.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Christoph..
Yes I hope its ‘only’ sedation but I just dont see how her UNEXPECTED death in these circumstances would lead to the subsequent decision making by all involved. And ‘unexpected’ presupposes normal parental love exists so does this logically not preclude to some degree the likelihood of deciding to dispose of your child for such selfish ends?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Latest Update - Gerry’s Blog/Diary
Day 130 - 10/09/2007
The last few days have been incredibly busy and of course, unbelievably stressful and emotionally draining.
On Friday Kate and I were made ‘arguido’- official suspects in Madeleines disappearance. We cannot comment on any details of the investigation, interviews or any evidence that has been presented to us. We could never possibly have imagined being put in this unbearable situation. No specific charges have been presented at this point and there has been no restriction on our movements imposed.
Despite the anguish and extreme distress this has caused all of our family, long term no one will be able to doubt how intensely Kate and I have been scrutinised. We have absolute confidence that, when all of the facts are presented together, we will be able to demonstrate that we played absolutely no part in Madeleines abduction. Our primary concern has always been the search for Madeleine and this aspect, that our daughter is still missing, must remain a priority for the investigation.
On Saturday we asked the Portuguese police if they had any objection to us coming back to the UK. We had assured them that we will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation and of course will return as requested and for our own emotional reasons. We decided to fly back on Sunday as we had originally planned and all of our family spent the rest of the evening helping us to pack.
On Sunday we left for the airport at 7am with huge media attention. Camera crews followed us all the way to the airport, and the whole experience, like much of the last four months was incredibly surreal. The flight itself went quickly with Sean and Amelie constantly active and excited about returning to Leicestershire. We always hoped that we would not have to return without Madeleine and could never have imagined the possibility that we would do so as suspects in our own daughters disappearance. The pain and turmoil we have experienced in this last week is totally beyond description. Kate and I are totally 100% confident in each others innocence and our family and friends have rallied round unflinchingly to support us. We would like to thank everyone else for the support we have received since we came home.
We have had very mixed emotions since coming back to our own home. It is very comforting to have such familiar surroundings and our own belongings and the twins have settled straight back in as if they have never been away. We have had numerous visitors with friends and those in official capacities. We have appointed solicitors to advise us and assist our Portuguese lawyer in preparing our defence against any possible charges. The sooner this is done the sooner we can concentrate fully on trying to find Madeleine, which is the most important thing through this unending nightmare.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
WHY could they NOT allow an autopsy?
Of course there are WORSE possibilities than an unacceptable drug in the body and in several other children, but I think the Portuguese would have removed the twins if worse was seriously suspected.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Veering slightly off-topic, I seem to remember that Portugal is the only European country that Britain has never been to war against (ie given a good kicking).
September 10th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
blunger, i said that all along, i could never imagine pious kate giving them an over the counter medicine, i bet it was morphine or something she concocted her self
September 10th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
496……Cold Case is my choice for TV for the McBeth duo…..oops McCann’s
September 10th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
if aunti pHili gets interview because she had phone calls from the mccanns, will that make her a GRILLED WHOPPER’
September 10th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
I agree - important question - WHY could they NOT allow an autopsy?
I think more than one of the doctors was involved in sedations, and with something totally unacceptable like a prescription-only adult tranquilliser. (on a partial dose they arrogantly thought they could judge ?)
It must have been enough to ruin the adult lives if discovered.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
http://www.buyacar.co.uk/technicalSpecificationyq15971.jhtml
Specifications for a Renault Scenic and as I thought it does come with a “Space Saver”.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Yeah shes got half a dozen spares to fill
September 10th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
(1072) Angry
What? Even after all the Cream Cakes, Doner Kebabs and flame grilled Whoppers?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Don’t most modern cars, especially European models, come with a “Space Saver” spare? Not much room for anything in one of those. Even the well where it sits is usually quite small.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
(1071) bulldump
neither is Madeleine
September 10th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
In respect of the spare tyre theory:-
Auntie Phil ate her
September 10th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
the buffon, google images are not even nearly live.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Christoph: Because while that’s a possibility, I think it more likely they were covering up that she was drugged, which would be awful by itself.
yeah tend to agree with this… We know she wasn’t his natural child… but i heard rumours she was Autistic… any truth to that? This could certainly put parents under a lot of pressure
September 10th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
i don’t think the mccanns will crack, i reckon the friends will though when they are re-interviewed and they can see their lives going down the sewers they gonna drop ‘cadaverous kate’ and ‘gerry mimikin mccann ‘ deep deep in the brown stuff.
i even think they gonna charge the macabre mccanns before they interview em just to let em know they going the same way
September 10th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
And if the dna sample came from that area.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
1063 - The dogs did pick up on it if the scent was in the tyre well in a compartment under the boot (trunk if you are US).
Where is the spare tyre on these cars?