Madeleine McCann: Inside The Flat, New Clues And Bad Parents
MADDIE WATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
NEWS OF THE WORLD (front page): “MADDIE”
More?
“WORLD EXCLUSIVE: FIRST PICTURES INSIDE FLAT”
“Maddie’s bedroom”; “front door” – the flat from Madeleine McCann supposedly went missing is for hire, and the NOTW has been to look it over.
Has the NOTW turned into a holiday brochure, got into the timeshare game?
Now the rest of the flat has been redecorated and is ready to welcome more holidaying families to Portugal.
Can the flat be rented by the minute, and because of its history does it come with a surcharge? For now, the paper wants to show readers “How fiend could have kept out of sight”.
Our detailed survey of the flat reveals a host of places Maddie’s abductor could have hidden when it’s most likely he was almost caught in the act by dad Gerry as he checked on her and twins, Sean and Amelie, at 9.05pm on May 3 last year…
Details. You have noted the door and the bedroom. Now look at the inside of a “WARDROBE”.
But our on-site reconstruction proves that if the kidnapper was already in the flat, as the McCanns fear, he had a full TEN SECONDS to conceal himself after hearing Gerry open the patio doors and enter the apartment.
Although if Gerry McCann moved slower than the NOTW’s estimated speed of 2.34 mph, the kidnapper might have had ELEVEN seconds, or perhaps even TWELVE seconds to hide.
But where to hide?
And he had no fewer than FOUR boltholes to choose from—behind Madeleine’s BEDROOM DOOR, inside her roomy WARDROBE, in her parents’ nearby BEDROOM or in the family BATHROOM.
What about under the BEDS, behind the CURTAINS, on the CEILING or in the SHOWER? Or in the BED?
If one year on, the News of the World found clues, surely the detectives could have established more AT THE TIME?
Clues. the NOTW has found doors and rooms. In one year of tabloid tales, much has been established.
The stillness and silence of the apartment now is just as it would have been after the McCanns left the children asleep in bed that fateful night.
All that can heard is the gentle click, click click of cameras, the sound of a reporter scrambling for a story and the trace of last night’s prawns in garlic butter…
IRISH INDEPENDENT: “Summer sun brings out first Bad Parent story”
“It’s hard to resist a little pain-free moral gloating sometimes, writes Eilis O’Hanlon.”
Like the first cuckoo of spring, the sighting of the first Bad Parent story of the summer is always a heartwarming, life-affirming event; and by a happy coincidence, the latest incarnation of this media phenomenon arrived bang on time, just as the weather started to hot up and our thoughts turned sunwards. At last we can say the holiday season has truly begun.
Normally, of course, it’s some foul-mouthed painted doxy from a sink estate in the north of England who hits the headlines after flying off to be with her Spanish waiter in the sun, leaving behind her gaggle of variously-fathered children in their council flat with only a tin of beans, the keys to the drinks cabinet, and Grand Theft Auto IV on the Playstation to occupy themselves until she gets home — if and when she can be bothered.
The Irish now see the English as the English once saw the Irish, albeit without the beer, bombs and potatoes.
The McCanns. The McGuckins.
The media phenomenon of the Bad Parent story, ritually trotted out to appease the secret guilt of other parents everywhere, is a curious one, no doubt about that. It can’t be much fun to be caught in the middle of the latest outbreak of media moralising, but it’s best just to put it down to experience and move on as quickly as you can.
THE SCOTSMAN: “McCanns ‘won’t mark’ Madeleine’s fifth birthday”
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said of the birthday: “Gerry will be at work and Kate will be at or around home. Sadly, for them it is just another day without Madeleine.”
Madeleine McCann: When will the anniversaries stop?
Posted: 11th, May 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (471) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
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May 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Later he saw her at 9.05 in her bed, he looked down at her, he saw how beautiful she was and how lucky he was…
………
Isn’t he also supposed to have said she was in the recovery position? That is a very unusual way to describe a sleeping child.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
No chenny, the idea is you prove the witness is mistaken.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
I remember that at the beginning Gerry said he went back at 9.30 and later at 9.05 pm and he noticed Madeleine was not in her bed and he concluded she was in her parents bedroom.
Later he saw her at 9.05 in her bed, he looked down at her, he saw how beautiful she was and how lucky he was…
Who knows the very last story told by Gerry?
May 11th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
If ironing makes you smile you are already in danger…
…………..
There’s no danger of me doing any ironing; after yesterday’s odd sock to the jaw I’ve decided that discretion is the better part of valour and I’m giving the avelanche cupboard a very Wide Bertha from now on.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
133
Gandolf Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Errr…… none of it Gloria, it’s waffle, worse than that from a mod, what ever will the plebs think, just to remind you Gloria, Murat is an arguido not because the PJ think he shouldn’t be, any other ideas why he would be an arguido ?
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Gandolf, the spectacle of you accusing someone else of waffling is a clear favourite in the Pan-Galactic Pot Calling Kettle Black Life-Time Achievement Award.
Other than that your sentence is meaningless. If you wish to argue that the witnesses couldn’t possibly have made a mistake then please do so; a good laugh never goes amiss.
Actually if you wish to argue anything at all then please do so.
Or get off the Pot…
May 11th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
119 Chenier
What’s missing?
The mention of -What Kate(y) did next? If she phoned police not Sky (as some allege), the discovery timing might have mattered.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
132
Gloria Smudd Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I’m in danger of performing some very nasty cartwheels trying to post an ironing smiley thingie..
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If ironing makes you smile you are already in danger…
May 11th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Errr…… none of it Gloria, it’s waffle, worse than that from a mod, what ever will the plebs think, just to remind you Gloria, Murat is an arguido not because the PJ think he shouldn’t be, any other ideas why he would be an arguido ?
May 11th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I’m in danger of performing some very nasty cartwheels trying to post an ironing smiley thingie..
May 11th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
sorry, tried to put an ironing smiley in, but ..
May 11th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
MODS AND ADMIN
Struck Dumb?
Opened the cupboard again?
Old Smuddy abducted you?
Speak woman!
May 11th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
78 Matt
Pleased to hear your opinion. It’s all getting too IFY!
if night of May 2 is the key crime period
if there were sounds of crying to be heard
if the wall between Madeleine (and twins bedroom) and R. Oldfield were not soundproof
if she was home all evening as alleged by ‘friends’
if she heard nothing as alleged by ‘friends’
then it would be rather worrying if she said she was home and heard nothing
May 11th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
One year on and the parents want the attention to go away.
One year on and no celebration of her birthday anniversary.
And then there’s the Needham family. Ben went missing in 1991 and his mum still NEEDS publicity and attention. Here’s a little excerpt from their website that might interest readers:
Ben & Film Rights
A member of our family was approached by a TV company and was asked how we would feel if we were asked to sell our rights for a film about Ben’s abduction, like the one the McCann couple are considering, as stated by their spokesman, who was quoted saying:
“The media are making money out of the situation themselves and we feel it is only fair and right that some aspect of that should come to the fund to help find Madeleine”
All members of the Needham family are usually willing participants when it involves publicity about Ben’s abduction.
In fact we have participated in 2 documentaries for British TV stations.
Our first documentary was with the Carlton ITV and its title was “Somebody Knows”
The second one was done by “Cutting Edge” for Channel 4 and its title was “The Lost Boy”.
In both cases, we never received any payment, none was asked and none was offered. If we were aked to sell our rights to any kind of commercial movie while Ben is still missing, we would flatly refuse.
Ben is a human being, NOT a commodity, to be sold around for profit.
The Needham family
May 11th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
122 Gandolf
Sorry, this is the correct link.
http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos…IMdo2o.jpg
May 11th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
DuncanR - thank you for that info - I’m tempted to try, but I remember that I once got the bold/italic thing so completely wrong…who knows what I might end up posting
May 11th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
120
Gandolf Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
And Carmen you avoided the question, Murat is an arguido because the PJ think they have good reason to make him one, not because some English reporter bint advised them to. Who knows maybe you subscribe to the theory that the PJ aren’t very bright, big mistake.
…………………..
118
Carmen Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Well Gandolf,
It’s like this…
……………..
Gandolf - which part of Carmen’s well structured reply don’t you understand?
May 11th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Gandolf
I didn’t avoid your question at all. I pointed out how very difficult it was to positively identify anyone, and how your Barrister might not be lying, merely mistaken.
Murat is an Arguido because it was thought necessary to put certain questions to him that might have resulted in a charge. Certainly not because some reporter was after a quick scoop.
We don’t know what those questions were, therefore cannot speculate on them.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Gloria
Posting bestsmileys to Anorak
1. Find the smiley you want from http://www.bestsmileys.com
2. Copy the bestsmiley code and paste into comment box in Anorak
3. Edit the bestsmiley code, removing the bits in square brackets at beginning and end of code
4. Insert code required by Anorak to beginning and end of the edited bestsmiley code
5. Submit comment, and your smiley should appear.
See example
I’ve let you out of moderation with your two links, Duncan. Tut, tut, tut.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
110
DuncanR Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
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That is lovely; thanks DuncanR!
May 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
103 Gandolf
Is this the one you mean?
http:www.exposay.com
May 11th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
And Carmen you avoided the question, Murat is an arguido because the PJ think they have good reason to make him one, not because some English reporter bint advised them to. Who knows maybe you subscribe to the theory that the PJ aren’t very bright, big mistake.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
114
Carmen Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Chenier
The News of the Screws goes so far as to say that:
‘Our photos heartbreakingly spell out that if Matthew had only walked a few feet further into the room he could have raised the alarm 35 minutes earlier, giving the police a real chance of catching the culprit.’
Pay attention at the back, now; what is missing from that sentence?
****************************
The Spanish border being only 15 minutes away, what is missing is an admission that Amber Alert would have achieved precisely nothing.
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I like it; wonder if, at any point, this will filter into the PR spin? Along the lines of ‘we know it would not have saved our angel but it might save yours’…
May 11th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Well Gandolf,
It’s like this. On the Saturday I may or may not have been sitting right next to Mr Murat. I say may, because despite having read every single one of the 250,000 comments on the MM thread, despite having followed up every obtuse link given, I couldn’t be sure that I had positively identified him. Mainly because at the time, being a Bank Holiday in Portugal, there were approx 2,000 Murat look alikes wandering round the town of Praie da Luz, mostly accompanied by their daughters of varying ages, waiting for the annual ’round Luz’ race to start. He looks exactly like every other Portuguese business man, same glasses, same haircut, same clothes.
And if I can’t identify him, and none of the people he has known since childhood managed to identify him as being there that night, it beats me how three, four, five or even six tourists could be so sure that this is who they saw.
It also beats me how anyone could describe that town as being quiet in the aftermath of the May Bank Holiday.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
JHC you are right chenny I am as thick as shit, here’s me thinking it was Madeleine that is missing Carmen.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
108
Carmen Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Chenier
You’ve obviously never tackled a French tax return, you would understand the delay if you had!!!!
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Fortunately not!
Has the 2004 DTA between France and the UK come into force yet?
May 11th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
… or manacled to the mathematician ..
May 11th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Chenier
The News of the Screws goes so far as to say that:
‘Our photos heartbreakingly spell out that if Matthew had only walked a few feet further into the room he could have raised the alarm 35 minutes earlier, giving the police a real chance of catching the culprit.’
Pay attention at the back, now; what is missing from that sentence?
****************************
The Spanish border being only 15 minutes away, what is missing is an admission that Amber Alert would have achieved precisely nothing.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Never ever trust a Barrister, look at Rumpole, devious git…….
Six key witnesses have now cast serious doubt on the alibi of Madeleine McCann suspect Robert Murat.
“”The latest is a British barrister who insists he saw Mr Murat in the hours after the three-year-old vanished from her holiday apartment in Portugal - at a time when the suspect claimed he was with his mother.”"
Come on Carmen is the Barrister a liar, or a figment of the reporters imagination ???
May 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
109 - Gloria Smudd
3rd possibility - tied up to an accountant ?
May 11th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Ooh Duncan, that’s lovely - and tomorrow is my daughter Cleara Smudd’s birthday, so I appreciate it especially.! And thanks for sorting out the lovey pukey for me on the other thread x