During 15 hours of questions, police put a series of key points to Kate McCann
in their attempt to solve the Madeleine mystery. Sam
Greenhill examines some of the likely demands detectives
would have made of the 39-year-old GP in the interview room.
Did you kill your daughter?
Mr and Mrs McCann have long been aware that they were the
subject of rumour and suspicion but this is the first time
the police have put it to them. Her friends and family
cannot believe that the "imbecile" police have the nerve
even to ask it.
Did you sedate Madeleine?
The couple have repeatedly denied using sedatives on their
children to help them sleep at night while they went out.
They have strongly rebutted accusations they accidentally
gave her an overdose. There has been persistent speculation
over why the couple's twin son and daughter slept soundly
throughout the abduction and subsequent commotion once
Madeleine was discovered missing. The McCanns say they have
never used any kind of sedative on their children and never
would.
Did you have any syringes in the apartment?
An astonishing claim in a Portuguese newspaper alleged that
police think there could have been a tranquilliser kit used
on Madeleine. Mrs McCann is believed to have fiercely
rejected this, and the couple have stated there was no
syringe in the apartment.
How much did you drink on the night?
Some reports have suggested the McCanns and their friends
sank 14 bottles of wine at dinner that night, but they
insist they got through no more than three bottles between
nine adults.
Did you ever leave Madeleine all evening to go into town?
It was reported that a barman claimed he had seen the
McCanns one evening in the town of Lagos, five miles away,
although they insist they ate every night at the Ocean Club
restaurant in Praia da Luz, and none of their friends has
disputed this.
Who checked on the children and at what times, exactly?
Confusion has always surrounded the exact timings because no
one was supposed to discuss the case or give a timeline in
detail. From clues and comments pieced together over the
past months, it appears the McCanns and their friends agree
that Gerry checked at 9.05pm, friend Matthew Oldfield at
9.30pm (but he did not actually go into Madeleine's bedroom)
and then Kate at 10pm. But detectives are interested in the
period from 8pm when it is understood that no one apart from
the McCanns saw Madeleine.
Did you ever leave her unattended for much longer than you claim?
Statements from witnesses near the apartment allegedly claim
that in the evenings before her disappearance, Madeleine was
heard crying for her parents for long periods. The McCanns
deny this, saying they checked on their children regularly
and are responsible parents.
Does your husband know about it?
Mrs McCann is likely to be invited to implicate her husband.
The McCanns have always stood strong together and say the
crisis has strengthened the bond between them, although
Gerry did storm out of a TV interview recently leaving his
wife behind when he was asked about the investigation.
Does anyone else know? Do your friends know?
The idea that any of the McCanns' seven companions, some of
them doctors, could have been involved in such a huge
conspiracy and then convincingly maintained the secret is
one of the most puzzling aspects of what appears to be the
police's theory. Yet officers are focusing on alleged
discrepancies in their statements.
Why did you shout: 'They've taken her, they've taken her!' after returning
from Madeleine's room on the night of her disappearance?
These were the words Mrs McCann was reported to have
screamed as she ran back to the restaurant table in a panic.
The police were intrigued by her use of the word "they".
Why did a dog detect the smell of a corpse on your clothes?
A British dog trained to find dead bodies is alleged to have
smelled something on Mrs McCann's jeans and T- shirt, and
also on Madeleine's toy Cuddle Cat. Mrs McCann is believed
to have replied that she came into contact with at least six
dead people in her work as a GP in the period leading up to
the holiday. Could Cuddle Cat, which she always holds close
to her, have been contaminated from her clothes?
Why did you hire a car?
The McCanns did not hire a car until 25 days after Madeleine
went missing. Until then, they did without one, apparently
remaining in Praia da Luz or being driven around by police,
embassy staff or friends. But in recent weeks, Mr McCann has
regularly talked about using the hired silver Renault Scenic
to ferry visiting friends and relatives to and from the
airport in Faro.
Why did you hire it the day before going to see the Pope?
Detectives are puzzled why the McCanns needed to hire a car
the day before they knew they would be leaving
Portugal
to fly to Rome.
They did not need it to reach the airport as they were
driven there by an aide. Yesterday the McCanns' spokesman
said there was no significance in the date. The couple had
arranged to hire a car and that was the day it had come
through.
Did the hire car contain any of Madeleine's belongings?
If forensic evidence of Madeleine was found in the car, such
as a hair, is there a legitimate explanation? Perhaps
something belonging to her was later put in the car, for
example when the McCanns moved to their new villa.
Could Madeleine have bled on something which was later put in the hire car?
Madeleine did slip and bang her leg, filmed on a family
mobile phone video, as she boarded the holiday aircraft.
Could she have shed blood on to some clothing which the
McCanns later moved in the hire car?
Did you move Madeleine's body in your hire car?
Forensic evidence apparently points to Madeleine in the car.
Mrs McCann strenuously denies any suggestion she moved any
body.
Tell us what you did with her...
Mrs McCann was asked this directly, according to her
husband's sister Philomena. Her reply was said to be: "You
must be insane to think we'd put ourselves through |
