Madeleine McCann: Maddie’s Daddy, Masses Of Hair, Paedos And Kate’s Tears
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
DAILY MAIL front page: “As ten files of evidence are handed to judges, a new claim: MADDIE’S HAIR IN CAR BOOT.”
And not just some hair, but the claim is for “substantial” quantities of the blonde stuff. And “sources insisted” bodily fluids also found in the boot of the hire car belonged to the missing child.
Pages 4: Senior non-singing Tory John Redwood says on his blog that the McCann’s have fallen victim to the “modern disease of fighting battles through the media instead of people getting on and doing their jobs diligently.” Redwood is an MP, not a journalist.
Page 5: “SINISTER OR INNOCENT? THE GREAT DNA DILEMMA” – Sam Greenhill tells us from Paria da Luz that “nobody knows exactly what samples have been found or, crucially, how important they might be.” Greenhill’s report may come as a shock to the Mail’s lead headline writer.
DAILY STAR front page: “MADDIE BODY WAS IN CAR BOOT.”
Page 4: “COPS: CHARGE PARENTS NOW” – Readers see a man tending to the Candle of Hope at Rothley war memorial.
Page 5: “Gerry ‘is not Maddie dad’”
Page 6: “GERRY HORROR AT ‘YOU’RE NOT HER DAD’ CLAIM” – DNA results have left medics “puzzled”, writes the paper. A source within Portugal’s National Institute of Legal Medicine says, “In normal circumstances Madeleine would have half the DNA of each parent…But we have to take into account that Madeleine was created by artificial insemination. Was it with Gerry’s sperm or that of another man?”
And so the net widens. Who is the father? Gerry McCann? Robert Murat? A swarthy man from Malta sat at a Belgian cafe?
The Star sees other “bizarre” claims in the Portuguese press, including the one that the McCanns are “swingers”.
DAILY MIRROR front page: “MADELEINE POLICE: WE MIGHT NOT HAVE ENOUGH EVIDENCE.”
Readers learn that police “may not” have enough evidence to charge Kate and Gerry McCann with killing their daughter. This may explain why the McCanns have not been arrested. Although lack of evidence does not always prevent British police securing a conviction.
Pages 4 and 5: “The anguish is unbearable but Kate and I are totally 100 per cent confident in each other’s innocence,” says Gerry McCann.
The picture is of Gerry McCann with his arm around his wife’s shoulder. He is defiant. Her eyes are half closed. Is she on the verge of tears or just tired? The Mirror has chosen this picture to publish. It wants her to cry. In crying Kate McCann will give the readers what they want.
Page 6: The Labour–supporting Mirror senses “Fury” as “Vulcan” John Redwood attacks. Redwood writes on his blog: “Maybe they should employ a private detective rather than a spin doctor.” The Mirror is appalled. It takes the quote from Redwood’s unread blog and puts it in a national newspaper. It shows it to Gerry’s sister Trish who says, “I wouldn’t be dignified if I made a response.” Redwood’s blog gets some much-needed exposure.
Page 7: “88%: Portuguese police chief admits car sample is not complete match with Madeleine’s DNA.” Clearly Alipio Ribeiro has not read today’s Daily Star.
THE SUN front page: “MADDIE: JUDGE GIVEN EVIDENCE. HER HAIR HOLDS THE KEY. Crucial test on samples from car.”
Pages 4 and 5: The Sun looks at the world’s press. Germany’s Bild Zeitung asks: “Was Madeleine taken by paedophiles? Murdered by her own parents? Must one feel sorrow for the parents? Should one despise them?”
Bild might like to asks the Mirror about paedos – it featured a yellow ribbon on its masthead and the order “PRAY FOR MADDY”.
Pages 6 and 7: “COPS TO DIG AT CHURCH.” The Sun says Madeleine’s body may have been hidden in roadworks and then exhumed. The paper produces a map and show the areas recently cobbled.
DAILY EXPRESS front page: “MADELEINE. MASS OF HAIR IN CAR BOOT. Parents could be charged in days, says prosecutor.”
Pages 2 and 3: “New roads to be dug up in hunt.” The paper sees the search for Madeline move underground.
A police source looks into the boot of the McCanns’ hire car and offers: “There was so much hair it could not be from DNA transference but from the body being in the boot.”
Perhaps.
Pages 4 and 5: “Gerry McCann is in an “unending nightmare”. The “heart specialist” speaks of the “pain and turmoil” he and his family are going through. He and his wife are innocent.
“Could there be a fair trail?” asks the WORLD’S GREATEST NEWSPAPER. There may be no trail. Although the paper says that “silencing the whispering against them may prove difficult.” And the boos and the jeers, as reported by the Express.
Page 5: “Madeleine and an amazing triple coincidence” – Gone Baby Gone, a film about a missing child, directed by non-missing Ben Affleck, stars Madeleine O’Brien who – shock of shocks – is blonde like our Madeleine.
THE TIMES front page: “Madeleine’s hair. 10 boxes of evidence sent to judges.” No, not 10 boxes of hair. Ten boxes of assorted hair and other evidence.
Pages 6 and 7: The Times produces a picture of a strand of healthy hair and places it alongside a shot of a strand of hair taken from a dead body. Note the differences.
Readers can expect more insight, including how a severed head looks less healthy than one that sits atop a still live body.
“What can scientific evidence prove?” asks the Times. That the world is round, that greenhouses gases are warming the planet, that Elton John is 23% less productive than he was in 1976…
DAILY TELEGRAPH front page: “MADELEINE POLICE ‘CONFIDENT’ OF CHARGING PARENTS SOON.”
Pages 10 and 11: “McCanns may use £1m fund to pay for lawyers.” The six directors controlling Madeleine’s fund will decide if the parent can use the money to save themselves.
THE GUARDIAN page 3: “McCann papers go to judge amid claims and confusion over DNA.”
THE INDEPENDENT page 3: “Judge given evidence in McCann case as prosecutor raises stakes.”
Director of Portugal’s Judicial Police, Alipio Ribrio, denies “that a 99 per cent accurate DNA march for Madeleine has been found in a hire car used by her parents”. He fails to shed light on claims of a 99.9% match…
September 12th, 2007 at 7:24 am
First?!
September 12th, 2007 at 7:27 am
damn thomas you are fast
September 12th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Apparently you can tell forensically if hair is from a dead body or not. Have we discussed this yet? Sorry if so.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:32 am
From Anorak above…..
Pages 6 and 7: “COPS TO DIG AT CHURCH.” The Sun says Madeleine’s body may have been hidden in roadworks and then exhumed. The paper produces a map and show the areas recently cobbled……….
So, no-one in Praia noticed the McCanns digging up the road and exhuming a body?? Hmmmm Must have been during siesta time.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:41 am
those road works have been in the back of my mind since I first read about them, what if she just wondered out and fell down there, no-one looked before it was filled in thus the reason no-one has found her yet.
cant see the mccanns having the energy to dig up anything dirty (pun)
September 12th, 2007 at 7:43 am
3 - That would explain why the Portuguese are so adamant that she is dead.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:48 am
interesting point (3) I would liketo know the answer to that, and what do you think the mystery object is that the prosecuter wants to see ? cuddle cat maybe
September 12th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Checking
September 12th, 2007 at 8:04 am
I think the McCanns are innocent ….BUT ….
Now that the IVF issue is to the fore again - it would be useful to establish who are the real parents of Madeleine
It would surely be silly to suggest there was some tacit understanding that the real parents (donors) could come and take a glimpse of “their” baby whilst Madeleine was asleep and the parents were - tactfully - away at dinner?
It would be daft to suggest that this is why the door of the apartment was left unlocked.
It would be crazy to suggest that the “real” parents decided to take the opportunity of whisking Madeleine away whilst the McCanns were at dinner
It would be absurd to suggest that this explains Kate’s exclamation “They’ve taken her!” when she found she had gone.
But Kate should know who the real parent(s) of Madeleine and surely someone should be talking to them
September 12th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Now that the IVF issue is to the fore again - it would be useful to establish who are the real parents of Madeleine
It would surely be silly to suggest there was some tacit understanding that the real parents (donors) could come and take a glimpse of “their” baby whilst Madeleine was asleep and the parents were - tactfully - away at dinner?
It would be daft to suggest that this is why the door of the apartment was left unlocked.
It would be crazy to suggest that the “real” parents decided to take the opportunity of whisking Madeleine away whilst the McCanns were at dinner
It would be absurd to suggest that this explains Kate’s exclamation “They’ve taken her!” when she found she had gone.
But Kate should know who the real parent(s) of Madeleine and surely someone should be talking to them
…But I don’t think the McCann’s are guilty
September 12th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Two other snippets that caught my eye
1) A visit to the McCanns’ home in Rothley, Leicestershire, by a senior CID officer.
- Why? Any thoughts?
2) The Portuguese attorney general, Fernando Jose Pinto Monterio, appointed a second public prosecutor to the case. Luis Bilro Veinõ, from the Evora district in central Portugal, will work with Mr Cunha de Magalhães e Meneses to help with the vast amount of evidence. He is one of Portugal’s most senior public prosecutors and a member of the governing body, the Conselho Superior da Magistratura Portuguesa.
- I realise there’s a 1000 pges to wade through, but still, why?
Also, the mystery object is a half eaten flame broiled burger belonging to Aunty Phylopastry from the night of the disappearance.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Hi Toni, Moderation, etc.
I noticed that someone else is using the name Pat while I was out of cyberworld. From now on I am full name, Patricia. Shhhhhhhhhh don’t tell you know who. Hopefully tomorrow I can catch up reading the posts.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Holme (9),
Yes, silly, daft, crazy and absurd.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:15 am
I understood that the DNA taken in the very beginning confirmed that they ARE the parents. It was straightforward IVF used by parents having problems conceiving as opposed to with a donor. Doctor / hospital records can easily confirm or deny that.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:18 am
The evidence was clearly left by whoever rented the car before them. There are Very few cars available to rent in that area. NOBODY is investigating the prior renters.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:18 am
if it was Kate then :
how did she get the body out of the apartment so quickly ?
why did they hang on to the hire car after they had used it in a murder ?
September 12th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Anonymous - yes i thought so too …
Moderator - I agree I can’t believe today’s Daily Star would have got it right about the parentage
September 12th, 2007 at 8:20 am
I think the UK CID guy was there to make them fully aware of what may happen, but I still also think they are being stitched up, it would be absolutely bizarre if they were involved and then made money out of it too
September 12th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Toni 17
If it is a stitch up it would have to be with the connivance of the British police, forensics and Home Office.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Kalie Frenchman (14)
You really don’t give the PJs any credit at all do you?
September 12th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Something I can’t get my head around. Where did the parents hide the body when they supposedly killed her? It can’t have been too far from the MW complex if they did due to the time line. How come no-one saw them carrying a child/body/suitcase/backpack? If the body was supposedly stored in one of the friend’s appartments, how come the sniffer dogs did not follow the trace there? Did any of the party have a hire car during this holiday? Too many unanswered questions about the logistics of this whole mystery to make me convinced that the parents are guilty.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Toni
You are right.
The McCanns have already lost their daughter
They now stand to have their two other children taken into care by the local authority in Rothley because they are facing criminal charges
They now stand to lose their house to pay their legal fees
They now stand to lose their jobs because neither could practice medicine if found guilty and would be struck off by the GMC
What is unfolding is a truly terrible tragedy… a steamroller out of control
It is also worth noting that corruption is a major problem in the Portuguese police and judiciary where payoffs and bungs are allegedly common.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:29 am
An interesting link here about the Portugese privacy law and how it works. (But it doesn’t explain the alleged leaks!!)
http://portugalresident.com/portugalresident/showstory.asp?ID=19212
September 12th, 2007 at 8:29 am
Toni (17)
I understand what you’re saying, but could events not just have snowballed out of control (the making money bit).
Also… can someone post the list of players with their correct names (e.g. “Wingeing Midget”)…. pretty please?
September 12th, 2007 at 8:30 am
18 yes I know John, I think I am hoping it is not the parents, or one parent, could Kate have done this and not let on to Gerry, could the freinds be in on it too, she must have had some help and where is the body, oh my too many peices of a puzzle that no one seems to be able to put together
September 12th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Initially I thought they were innocent and felt so sorry for them. A few days ago, I started to think they were guilty. Yesterday I was sure they were guilty and today, hmmmmmm, I really don’t know because of all the unaswered questions. Does anyone have a theory that could answer the logistics of where they hid the body so quickly so sniffer dogs could not find it?
September 12th, 2007 at 8:33 am
The Suspects
Gerry McCann - The Whining Midget
Kate McCann - The Ice Maiden or Skeletor
Robert Murat - The Patsy or Paedo The Arguido
The “Abductor” - The Griffin (mythical, fictitious character)
Cuddle Cat - Furry Accessory
The Holiday Friends
Jane Tanner - The Illusionist or Fork Tongue
Richard O’Brien - Doctor Death
The McCanns & Holiday Friends - Tapas 9
The Whining Midget and the Ice Maiden - Teflon 2 or Tapas 2
The Law
Inspector Sousa - Clouseau
PJ - The Keystone Wops (formerly the Lying Squad)
Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses (the prosecutor) - Bealzebub
Cadavar Sniffer Dog - Scooby Doo
Madeleine - The Worlds Most Famous Child
Team McCann
Justine McGuiness - Comical Ali
David Hughes - Lard Man
Brian Kennedy - Bullet Dodger
Find Madeleine Fund - The Booty
Auntie Phil Section
Auntie Phil - Mark F (as in one size larger than a Marquee…)
Auntie Phil (again) - Tapas 9 Meals
Auntie Phil (again) - Eater of Cream Cakes, Doner Kebabs & flame grilled Whoppers
The Media
Daily Express - The Worlds Greatest Newspaper
King of the Tabloids - The Sun!!
this was posted yesterday by Moriarty, very clever I am sure he/she wont mind me pasting it for everyone
September 12th, 2007 at 8:33 am
Toni- more bizarre. If the 6 directors of the fund say yes then the fund will be used for the McCanns defence. The money was donated under the campaign header Find Madeleine. Top lawyers, I would imagine, could use up that money easily, esecially if the case is going to be lengthy. What funds will then be left to “Find Madeleine” ? Will they set up another campaign “We used all the money to defend ourselves but still need to Find Madeleine”.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:37 am
To me, nothing makes sense. And always in the back of mind is Sally Clarke. Much of the criticism of here was aimed at her persona and then she was wrongly convicted.
I’ve always thought the jury was swayed by her restrained manner in the face of the death of two children.
http://www.sallyclark.org.uk/
I’m posting the link as I know there are many on here, not from the UK, who won’t know what I’m talking about.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:37 am
Miss Match - your question presumes it was the McCanns hid the body. But they didn’t ….and they didn’t kill Madeleine.
There is the old technique of repeating a lie often enough and people come to believe it’s the truth
However the church - where dogs are to search today - might be a good place to hide a body