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 11:11 am
135 Paola - Good post
September 10th, 2007 at 11:10 am
justine mcguiness, the failed liberal democrate candidate’s blog, really does show her commitment to the position of spokesperson for the mccans camp.
look at her entry for the 5 may 2 days after the event http://justinemcguinness.blogspot.com/
September 10th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Paulo Have you got a reference for Gerry saying that?
I heard that they were not going to use the fund anyway. That they will still use it for direct campaign activity but that they would foot the bill for legal costs themselves.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:07 am
m.e. 131 - You are wrong, a guilty of neglect verdict is NOT dependant on a not guilty of manslaughter/murder verdict.
They left all 3 children alone for 6 nights, the 6th being the one that Madeleine disappeared on.
Regardless of their innocence or guilt of murder, the child was NOT a corpse on the preceeding 5 nights, you do not know at what point on the 6th night she then passed away (IF the parents have indeed killed her), so in fact, they were negligent. If their negligence then paved the way for Madeleine to be abducted and/or murdered, that is another charge that can be added at a later date.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Until there is a body or unquestionable proof that Madeleine is dead as far as I am concerned she is alive. This is the safest route to take for Madeleines sake.
So many searches etc have stopped because of this latest turm of events. If and I say IF because I dont believe for a second that they are, If the Mcanns are found guilty then the worst case scenario is that the hunt for Madeleine went on longer. If they are found innocent and that there is no real evidence of death and the searches were stopped then the blood of Madeleine is on all our hands!
September 10th, 2007 at 11:05 am
(129) noseycow
Absoultely cracking point…. Kate had no part in the death of her daughter !! It is almost what Gerry said on his lovely blog the other day “The suggestion that Kate is involved in Madeleines disappearance is ludicrous”.. although this takes it one step further.
To date has anyone defended Gerry the Whining Midget with a simliar statement? The family? The other members of the Tapas 9???
September 10th, 2007 at 11:04 am
82, Cannie,
I was only joking. The name Philomena is very funny, I have never heard before.
I copy this from: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0909_maddie.shtml
Then he revealed they may consider flying in a crack legal team from the UK to assist their Portuguese advisor.
But he confessed he is frustrated they are not allowed to use any of the £800,000 Madeleine Fund— boosted by celebrity appeals including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and soccer star David Beckham—to pay their mounting legal bills.
“It seems like a disaster that we’ve got this huge donated fund and now we’re not allowed to use it for legal costs because we’re under suspicion,” said Gerry.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:03 am
so kate had in fact lied to her own spokesperson, in pretending that a deal had been offered to her????
surley a failed liberal democrate candidate wouldn’t lie?
September 10th, 2007 at 11:03 am
noseycow- I did wonder at the time if this was made up to discredit the PJ. Its funny how for 4 months the mccanns wouldn’t comment because of the investigation, then loads of info comes from kate mccann when she is being questioned, now all of a sudden they are not allowed to comment again!!
It also struck me as strange the day kate was being interviewed she released anoyher statement to the supposed abductor!!
September 10th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Matty 123 - they certainly can be investigated for neglect, even whilst oversea’s, as clearly, their surviving children are in grave danger of neglect and possible abandonment.
It will be interesting to see if they are investigated, especially in the light of the quite horrific story in The Sun on Friday about a girl, who at the age of 14 suffered a brutal rape, subsequently tried to commit suicide, was sectioned and now at the age of 19, has become pregnant, and social services will remove the baby from her as soon as she is born in January!! THAT is a miscarriage of justice!!
September 10th, 2007 at 11:01 am
sss 125
Thats what I said….good god! Cant you read?
You can only charge for neglect if they are proved innocent.
September 10th, 2007 at 11:01 am
30 JANUARY 2002 - Samuele Lorenzi, of three years. His mother was accompanying the other son of 7 years to school bus-stop. When the mother re-enters in house she finds Samuele covered in blood in bed, still alive. She phones emergency. The little boy dies some time later: The autopsy confirmed that the death of the Samuele small has not been accidental but due to being hit with a small spiky object. After many investigations, suspision falls on the mother. She was even heard saying to her husband “let’s have another baby” while in the middle of all the commotion. In fact she was pregnant a short time later. In April 2007 Samuele’s mum was held responsible for the death of her son and said to be suffering to mental instability. She and her family have made up a story so well that they even started to believe in it.
It’s always the children who suffer.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:59 am
I question any comment from the McCanns camp. But it was interesting when the spokeswomen said
‘Kate says she had no part in the death of her daughter’
OHHH when did Kate change her story? I thought she still thought that little Maddie was still alive?
September 10th, 2007 at 10:59 am
hey noseyheffer do you have a link for her lying
September 10th, 2007 at 10:59 am
SSS, That is true, but my fear is that Madeleine could still be alive as this other girl and the PJ who made such a mess of the investigation and crime scene are covering for themselves. If this is the case, then the perpetrator is still at large and may strike again. I only said three years later tongue in cheek as it was three years since a similar event happened. The PJ may very well have used the compromising story to discredit the mother so that it would be easier to convict her. Her husband denies that she did anything wrong. Hardly the sentiments of a husband of a wayward wife?
September 10th, 2007 at 10:56 am
The McCanns spokeswoman was accused of lieing about the ‘deal’ that was allegedly offered. The McCanns lawyer released a stament saying that it was a missunderstanding during the questioning, as the Portugeuse legal system has set times for crimes committed.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:56 am
m.e. 121 - No need to shout. You are missing the point, which is, IF they are innocent of murder/manslaughter as their friends/relatives are so adamant, then certainly, they are guilty of neglect and also of reckless endangerment and child abandonment.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:56 am
why wouldn’t he answer the questions, in portugal they are protect from having to answer questions, we here in england were removed that right at the turn of the millenium.
You still have a right to remain silent, although if you’re later charged with a crime and you have not mentioned, when questioned, something you later rely on in court this may be taken into account when deciding whether you are guilty.
in the uk they would have been charged by now
September 10th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Could someone help with this question. On their return to the UK can the MCs be investigated/charged with neglect/endangerment of the children by the UK authorities/social services even though the crime took place in Portugal. If they can when will the wheels be set in motion? If they can be investigated in the UK are they in a situation of ,the devil and the deep blue sea,(no punn intended, reallly)? An investigation in the UK into their parenting skills or lack of them or the likelihood of them being charged for other crimes as well as neglect in Portugal or both.Can this happen? The answer may shed some light on their sudden change about returning to the UK.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Why too are their 3 good friends not supporting them ? In Mail ( I hate that tabloid that poses as a Broadsheet but anyway..) they ask why the O’Brien’s and the other female REFUSE to be interviewed to support the McCann and got very skittish about it. ? What do they know.?
I see their statment to stay in Portugal to clear their name followed by a terrified run back to UK as highly significant.
I also believe Madeline was dead hours before the 10pm shout of “abduction” from a quiet resort where people would have seen something … I do not think they “hid her for 25 days” …I think they hid her before 10pm ,and then with the other Tapas 5 concocted their cover up..
His new stance of greta Garbo.”Ve vant to be left alone” is to use a titale from Alan Paton book….Too Late ,the Phalarope.
They, and nobody else, created this worldwide media witch hunt and hysteria..now they are suspects they want it to vanish? .Then why is he still rabbiting his same old mantra to every rag, broadsheet radio and TV and why is he still traveling with loads of camermen.?
Oh I think he is the main one carrying guilt .. not Kate ( though she is very involved in it all obviously )….though the main focus seems to be on her.. I have always had him “pegged” .. it is in the defensive, rude attitude, the eyes and body language
On the plus side having made it a WW news item for 132 odd days there is nowhere for them to hide..short of major plastic surgery.
Find the body..find the culprits, and I reckon she is just yards away from holiday apartment…..but not enough time sent locally given the hype of abductions…..
For now as suspects they remain guilty of gross neglect, as does Dr O Brien with his child,..and the other children should be removed
Not buying all this weeping in bedrooms.. how does press know that.?Why is press still supporting them…embarrassment at having fallen for the media trap ?
September 10th, 2007 at 10:52 am
good god guys…get real..
NEGLECT IS IRRELEVANT IF IT IS A RED HERRING TO ALLOW ‘ABDUCTION. DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK PROSECUTORS ARE GOING TO BOTHER ABOUT NEGLECT AT A MANSLAUGHTER/MURDER TRIAL.
IT IS ONLY RELEVANT IF THEY’RE INNOCENT OF INVOLVEMENT.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:52 am
post 102 was seriously over the top and offensive if you are annoyed with someone try to handle it in a grown up manner!
September 10th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Cj 116 - Yes, that story was in the News of the World yesterday. Apparently the wife killed the daughter after she was caught in a “delicate” situation with her brother! Very likey - NOT!
BUT, an abducting paedophile who only emerges every 3 years is also unlikely!
It could be that both cases are unrelated and the only common denominator is that they both took place in Portugal.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:51 am
cj the english police were there during the interview and gerry refused to answer 40 questions relating to the investigation.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Bull dump/shit I will attack you as for insult I call it saying as I see it.
If you look back you insulting poster you will see that you were the first to insult me quite horribly and unlike my reply it was unprovoked. SO yes I would love to expose you! I am not one bit afraid of ‘people’ like you!
You have seriously insulted not only me but many many others so if you cant take it you shouldnt give it out!!!
September 10th, 2007 at 10:48 am
SSS try this link, it works for me otherwise you could try and google
o.harvey the sun madeleine, that should pull up the page.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2005320001-2007411009,00.html
September 10th, 2007 at 10:47 am
very good comment from Simon to Daily Mail:
No one was speaking up for Murat when the finger was wrongly pointed at him, no one was saying ‘hold on, the police are going down the wrong way… in fact they were screaming to arrest him. Now some real evidence, provided by British experts comes along and people scream for the McCanns to be left alone. Parents or family members are always the ones most likely to harm a child. Aside from the forensics, the McCanns were always the most likely suspects.
- Simon, London
September 10th, 2007 at 10:46 am
If you read the ‘objectives’ of the fund it CLEARLy states that it is there to provide FINACIAL SUPPORT to Madeleine Family.
So he can legally use the fund to provide his defence!! (as well as flights for family / friends/ morgage payments etc etc etc )
September 10th, 2007 at 10:46 am
mods and admin, since cj has so seriously insulted me It would be only fair to publish his IP so i can do what i do!!!!!!
————————-
Mods and Admin
Your original post which prompted cj’s reply has been deleted and so has cj’s reply to it
you can both rephrase your responses to each other , but please keep them out of the cesspit, or I shall delete again
September 10th, 2007 at 10:45 am
SSS try this link, it works for me otherwise you could try and google
o.harvey the sun madeleine, that should pull up the page.