Why are the
“Tapas 9” key to
solving the
Madeleine
mystery?
Kate and Gerry
McCann were
dining with
seven British
friends at a
tapas restaurant
in the Ocean
Club resort when
Madeleine was
reported
missing. The
friends are
crucial
witnesses but
have said very
little publicly.
Police sources
have claimed
there are
inconsistencies
in their
statements to
officers. The
friends are
Matthew and
Rachael
Oldfield,
Russell O’Brien
and his partner
Jane Tanner and
David and Fiona
Payne and her
mother Dianne
Webster.
Did any of
them see anyone
taking
Madeleine?
Jane Tanner told
police that she
saw a man
walking away
from the McCanns’
apartment at
9.15pm. Sources
close to the
couple have
previously said
that the man had
a child wrapped
in the blanket
and was walking
in a southerly
direction.
However, the
London Evening
Standard
reported
yesterday that
Ms Tanner had
seen man
carrying a girl
dressed in
Madeleine’s
distinctive
pink-and-white
pyjamas walking
eastwards,
towards the
house of the
official suspect
Robert Murat,
33.
Do police
believe this was
a man abducting
Madeleine?
Detectives
refused to
publicise the
sighting for
three weeks.
Another witness,
Jeremy Wilkins,
is reported to
have told police
that he was in
the area talking
to Mr McCann and
did not see the
mystery man.
Did anyone
else in the
Tapas 9 notice
anything
strange?
Matthew Oldfield
said he had
checked on the
McCanns’
apartment at
9.30pm. A source
close to the
McCanns had said
he did not look
into the bedroom
where Madeleine
was sleeping
with the
two-year-old
twins Sean and
Amelie. But the
Evening Standard
report claimed
he saw the twins
but did not have
a view of
Madeleine’s bed.
Was there
anything strange
about the room
after Madeleine
disappeared?
Mrs McCann was
sure Madeleine
had been
abducted because
the bedroom
window was open
and the security
shutter was
forced open, a
source close to
the family has
insisted. Tests
on the shutter
showed no sign
of forced entry.
However, another
friend claimed
yesterday that
the shutter had
been left open.
When will the
Portuguese
courts decide
what to do in
the Madeleine
case?
Pedro Daniel dos
Anjos Frias, a
criminal
instructional
judge in
Portimão, has
decided that
there is no need
for the McCanns
to be
reinterviewed at
this point,
hence the
prosecutor’s
statement last
night. The
threat of them
having to return
to the Algarve
in the near
future has been
lifted. The
judge must
complete his
rulings by today
on a variety of
issues. It is
believed that he
has already
authorised the
use of Mrs
McCann’s diaries
as evidence.
Could the
couple still be
charged soon?
Unlikely. LuÍs
Armando Bilro
Verão, the lead
public
prosecutor, must
now decide if
there is
sufficient
evidence to
bring charges
against them, if
he needs to
request the
PolÍcia
Judiciária to
carry out
further
investigations
or if the case
against them
should be
dropped.
Why is it all
taking so long?
Portuguese
detectives are
still waiting
for the results
of tests on
samples being
carried out by
the Forensic
Science Service
laboratory in
Birmingham. They
are also
believed to want
to carry out
further searches
in the Algarve
and possibly at
the McCanns’
home.
So how long
will the McCanns
have to wait?
The couple can
remain as
arguidos, or
official
suspects, for
eight months
before the
Portuguese
police have to
apply for a
four-month
extension. After
this time they
automatically
cease to be
suspects, but
there is no
requirement for
the prosecutor
to clear them
formally.
Robert Murat, a
British
self-employed
property
consultant on
the Algarve and
the only other
official suspect
in Madeleine’s
disappearance,
has been an
arguido for
four months.
Why has there
been so much
confusion?
Portugal’s
strict laws of
judicial secrecy
mean that nobody
involved in a
criminal
investigation is
allowed to
reveal any of
the evidence in
the case.
However,
Portuguese
police sources
are regularly
quoted giving
incriminating
details about
the McCanns’
role in their
daughter’s
disappearance.
Friends of the
couple have
increasingly
been attempting
to challenge
these reports
with their own
interpretation
of events. Both
sides are
actually
breaking the law
and could face
up to two years
in jail.
Who is who in
Team McCann
Clarence
Mitchell
Former BBC
journalist
appointed on
Monday as Kate
and Gerry
McCann’s
official
spokesman.
Represented them
in May and June
after being sent
to Praia da Luz
by the Foreign
and Commonwealth
Offic
Michael
Caplan, QC
One of few
solicitors to be
appointed QC,
expert in
extradition and
international
criminal law.
Prevented
extradition to
Spain of former
Chilean
president
General Augusto
Pinochet
Angus McBride
Leading criminal
solicitor with
expertise in
dealing with
media and
protecting
reputation of
individuals
subject to media
or criminal
investigation
Carlos Pinto
de Abreu
One of
Portugal’s
best-known
lawyers with
reputation for
taking on
controversial
cases. Lodged
McCanns’ libel
action against
Portuguese
newspaper which
said they were
police suspects
Esther McVey
Former GMTV
presenter and
Conservative
parliamentary
candidate,
trustee and
spokeswoman for
Madeleine Fund.
Has known Mrs
McCann since
they did their A
levels together
Father Haynes
Hubbard
Anglican priest
at church of
Nossa Senhora da
Luz (Our Lady of
the Light) in
Praia da Luz and
his wife, Susan,
have become
close friends
and confidants
of McCanns
Calum MacRae
18-year-old
internet expert
runs Find
Madeleine
website which
has attracted
more than
400,000 unique
users and helped
to raise more
than £1 million
in donations for
campaign
Philomena
McCann
Mr McCann’s
sister, a
headteacher, has
been key family
member to
publicise hunt
for Madeleine
and to defend
her parents
Trish and
Sandy Cameron
Mr McCann’s
sister and
brother-in-law
have been
frequent
visitors to the
couple in Praia
da Luz and
Rothley. About
30 other
relatives and
friends also
visited them in
Praia da Luz
Why are the
McCann’s early
television
interviews being
scrutinised?
Commentators
have seized on
the lack of
emotion shown by
Kate and Gerry
McCann during a
series of
televised
statements and
interviews in
the weeks after
Madeleine’s
disappearance.
It is claimed
that this was an
unnatural
response and
indicated that
the couple were
hiding
something. In
fact, criminal
profilers had
advised them to
display no overt
emotion in case
Madeleine’s
abductor “got
off" on the
sight of her
parents in
obvious
distress. Off
camera, they
were deeply
distressed and
received help
from
counsellors.
How can the
police establish
Mrs McCann’s
state of mind?
Prosecutors are
reported to want
access to Mrs
McCann’s medical
records to see
if there is any
history of
illness such as
depression which
could explain
why she would
kill Madeleine.
They are also
said to want
British police
to carry out
investigations
into the
couple’s
relationship and
personal
history.
Could Mrs
McCann’s
handwriting be
used as
evidence?
A judge has
authorised
police to seize
Mrs McCann’s
diary and
detectives want
a graphologist
to study the
handwriting, it
was reported
yesterday.
Alberto Vaz da
Silva, a
criminal
psychologist and
a handwriting
expert, told the
newspaper 24
Horas: “It would
be possible to
discover the
temper and the
character of the
person in
question. You
can see if
someone is lying
or hiding
something.”
However,
handwriting
evidence is
usually used
only for
forensic science
purposes, not to
determine a
person’s
emotional state.
Why could Mrs
McCann’s
newspaper
interview lead
to jail?
Mrs McCann could
be prosecuted
under Portugal’s
laws of judicial
secrecy for
telling the
Sunday Mirror
that police had
seized her
bible. She said:
“One of the
pieces of
evidence is that
a page from a
passage in
Samuel about
having to tell a
man his child is
dead is crumpled
- so I must have
been reading
it.” The 24
Horas newspaper
said that the
public
prosecutor could
accuse Mrs
McCann of
breaking the
secrecy law,
which carries a
maximum two
years' jail
sentence.
Varradas Leitao,
a member of the
Superior Council
of the
Ministerial
Publico, said:
“A witness or an
arguida, the law
is the same for
everybody. You
cannot divulge
procedural
acts.”
What are the
police doing to
find Madeleine
or her body?
Portuguese
police are
reported to be
preparing for a
new series of
searches using
sniffer dogs and
infra-red
equipment in an
area between
Praia da Luz and
the village of
Burgau, about
two miles to the
west. It has
also been
suggested that
they will search
the church in
Praia da Luz and
the town of
Arao, where a
big operation
was carried out
after an
anonymous
tip-off to a
Dutch newspaper.
Who is
advising Kate
and Gerry
McCann?
British lawyers
Michael Caplan,
QC, an expert in
international
law, and Angus
McBride, a
solicitor who
specialises in
protecting the
reputation of
individuals
subject to media
or criminal
investigation.
They have also
hired a
Portuguese
lawyer, Carlos
Pinto de Abreu,
who filed the
libel action
against a
newspaper which
said the police
suspected them
of involvement
in their
daughter’s
death.
How can the
couple win the
battle of public
opinion?
Clarence
Mitchell, 46,
has been
appointed as
their official
spokesman. He
resigned
yesterday as
head of the
Government’s
Media Monitoring
Unit and had
previously been
seconded to the
Foreign Office
to help the
McCanns in the
weeks after
Madeleine’s
disappearance.
What can Mr
Mitchell do to
help the
McCanns?
His job at the
Cabinet Office
has given him
contacts among
senior members
of the
Government and
Civil Service.
He also has
extensive
contacts with
journalists in
both Britain and
Portugal and
more than 20
years’
experience as a
reporter.
Are the
McCanns paying
for his
services?
No. He has been
employed by one
of their wealthy
backers and will
continue to work
for that person
after the
Madeleine case
is over.
What action
will the police
take this week?
Portuguese
detectives are
due to arrive in
Leicester to
work with a
British police
team
investigating
Madeleine’s
disappearance.
It has been
reported that
Kate McCann
could be
interviewed
again this week.
A Portuguese
judge must
decide by
Thursday whether
to approve
requests by
Portuguese
police to secure
more evidence.
Who’s
advising British
police on the
case?
Tony Connell, a
member of the
Crown
Prosecution
Service’s
special casework
unit, has been
advising the
“Gold Group” of
senior
detectives at
Leicestershire
Police, which is
investigating
the Madeleine
case. Mr Connell
led the review
which led to the
conviction of
Damilola
Taylor’s
killers.
Could the
McCanns be
prosecuted in
Britain?
It is possible
to prosecute a
British citizen
for a murder or
manslaughter
abroad under the
Offences Against
the Person Act
1861. This was
last done in
2005 when
Christopher
Newman was
convicted at the
Inner London
Crown Court of
murdering
Georgina Eager
in Dublin.
Can the
public support
Kate and Gerry
McCann’s legal
battle?
A fighting fund
to help to pay
their legal
costs is
expected to be
announced within
the next few
days. A source
close to the
family told The
Times: “It will
be getting set
up and
formalised as a
proper fund. It
has to be
meticulously
thought
through.”
Why is the
McCanns’ hire
car pivotal to
the
investigation?
Portuguese
police claim
they have found
traces of
Madeleine’s hair
and bodily fluid
in the boot of
the Renault
Scenic,
indicating that
it was used to
transport
Madeleine’s body
after her death.
Scientists have
said that it
should be
possible to
establish
whether the hair
came from a dead
or living
person.
Does this
mean the
scientific
results hold the
key to the case?
Not necessarily.
Kate and Gerry
McCann used the
Budget rental
car to move
apartments,
taking with them
all their
children’s toys
and clothing,
which would have
contained large
amounts of
genetic
material. It was
also used by
friends,
relatives and
people who
worked on the
campaign to find
their daughter.
Where is the
car now?
When the McCanns
left Britain
they drove the
car to the
airport. They
have since said
they will hold
on to the
vehicle to get
their own
independent
scientific
examinations
done.
Under what
circumstances
was the car
searched?
Police seized
the car last
month and took
it to an
underground car
park opposite
their offices in
Portimão. Police
sources say this
is an unusual
place to carry
out such a
delicate search.
Is there any
other
explanation
about how the
material could
have got there?
If the DNA
samples did come
from Madeleine’s
corpse it would
seem an amazing
coincidence that
the McCanns
hired a car used
by their
daughter’s
abductor and
killer. However,
friends of the
McCanns claim
that the couple
are being
framed. It has
also been
suggested that
the samples may
have been
labelled
incorrectly.
Why do
Portuguese
police want to
read Kate
McCann’s
personal
diaries?
Detectives want
to check for
inconsistencies
with the
information
previously given
to police and
for clues about
the personal
relationship
between Mrs
McCann, her
husband and
other members of
the party who
went with them
to Portugal. Mrs
McCann was seen
regularly
writing several
pages a day in
the diaries.
What evidence
could be held on
Gerry McCann’s
laptop computer?
Mr McCann sent
and received
dozens of
e-mails almost
every day from
friends and
people involved
in the campaign
to find his
daughter. It may
be possible to
retrieve those
e-mails, which
detectives hope
could provide
information
about the events
surrounding
Madeleine’s
disappearance
and the couple’s
connections with
other people.
Why does a
Portuguese judge
need to
authorise the
seizure?
Portuguese
police must get
an authorisation
from a judge to
request items
which are abroad
or to retain
items taken
without the
owner’s
permission. Mr
and Mrs McCann
are believed to
have taken most
of the objects
home to Britain.
There are also
reports in
Portugal that
police seized a
copy of Mrs
McCann’s diaries
before the
couple left the
country to
ensure they
could not be
destroyed. A
judge must be
asked to
authorise a
seizure without
the owner’s
consent within
24 hours.
Why didn’t
the Portuguese
police seize
these items in
Praia da Luz?
It may be that
the items left
Portugal some
time ago when Mr
or Mrs McCann
made previous
trips to
Britain, or a
friend may have
taken them. The
couple left the
Algarve on
Sunday morning
at very short
notice. They
notified the
Portuguese
authorities but
perhaps police
did not have the
opportunity to
ask a judge to
authorise the
seizure of items
without the
couple’s
consent.
Has the judge
been asked to
authorise any
other seizures?
Portuguese
papers reported
yesterday that
officers wanted
to obtain
Madeleine’s
favourite soft
toy, which Mrs
McCann took
home. It is also
claimed that
police seized
the Renault
hired by the
McCanns 25 days
after
Madeleine’s
disappearance.
The car
contained
samples of the
girl’s hair and
“bodily fluids”.
What else has
the judge been
asked to do?
It has been
reported that
detectives want
to search the
church in Praia
da Luz where the
couple regularly
prayed after
Madeleine
disappeared.
They would only
require an order
from the judge
if the priest or
bishop in charge
refused to
authorise the
search. It has
also been
suggested that
police want to
search a
cemetery beside
the church and
to excavate
roads where
sewers were
being replaced
at the time of
Madeleine’s
disappearance.
Who is
revealing
details about
scientific
evidence?
By law
Portuguese
police are
prevented from
revealing
details of
investigations.
However, some
officers have
been secretly
briefing
Portuguese
journalists.
What
scientific
evidence have
police
collected?
In a briefings
on Monday night
detectives said
that they found
traces of
“bodily fluids”
in the car which
had probably
come from
Madeleine with a
large amount of
Madeleine’s hair
in the boot of
the car.
Why are the
“bodily fluids”
significant?
When
pathologists
refer to bodily
fluids they
usually mean the
putrefying
substance
created during
the
decomposition of
a body tissue
and blood. This
“fluid” is
evidence that a
corpse has been
present, but DNA
samples are
required to
identify the
body. It is
unclear what
“fluids” have
been found. It
might be traces
of urine, dried
blood or vomit,
which would not
conclusively
prove Madeleine
had died.
Does a large
quantity of hair
prove that
Madeleine’s body
was in the car?
No. The hair
must show
evidence that it
came from a
decomposing
body. Other hair
could be
“transmitted”
from items of
Madeleine’s
clothing and
belongings.
Is anyone
else confirming
these reports?
Sources in
Britain who are
assisting the
Portuguese
investigation
have agreed that
there is
“significant”
scientific
evidence linking
Mr and Mrs
McCann to their
daughter’s
death. However,
Portuguese
officers took
the highly
unusual step of
publicly denying
a report which
was allegedly
based on sources
in Britain.
Does the
scientific
evidence prove
that Madeleine
was killed?
Because the
samples have
degraded over
time the
scientists can
never be 100 per
cent certain
that they came
from Madeleine.
What happened
in the four
hours before
Madeleine was
reported
missing?
Kate and Gerry
McCann claim
that while they
dined at a
restaurant with
friends regular
checks were made
on Madeleine and
their
two-year-old
twins, Sean and
Amelie, at their
nearby holiday
apartment. Mr
McCann told
police he saw
his daughter
asleep at about
9pm. A friend,
Matthew
Oldfield,
entered the
apartment at
about 9.30pm but
did not look in
the bedroom
Madeleine and
the twins were
sharing.
It is not known
if anyone apart
from Mr and Mrs
McCann saw
Madeleine alive
between 6pm and
10pm, when she
was reported
missing by her
mother. The
timing is
crucial but
would be only
circumstantial
evidence in any
prosecution.
Although a small
child could be
killed quickly
it would take
time to hide a
body so that it
was not
discovered in
the biggest
search in
Portuguese
history.
Why did Kate
McCann cry out
“They’ve taken
her?” when she
discovered
Madeleine
missing?
Portuguese
police are
reported to find
it suspicious
that Mrs McCann
immediately
believed that
more than one
person had taken
her daughter.
This could
suggest that she
knew who had
taken Madeleine,
perhaps people
who thought they
were helping Mrs
McCann by
removing her
daughter’s body.
Alternatively,
it could be an
off-the-cuff
remark by an
hysterical
mother or
perhaps was
misheard or
misunderstood in
the confusion of
the night.
What were the
movements of the
McCann’s friends
on the night
Madeleine
disappeared?
The McCann
family had
stayed at the
Ocean Club
resort with
three other
British couples
and their five
children, and a
single woman.
Russell O’Brien,
a doctor from
Exeter, left the
restaurant for
half an hour to
look after his
own daughter,
returning
shortly before
Madeleine was
reported
missing.
His wife, Jane
Tanner, was the
only witness to
report a man
carrying away
child from the
McCann’s
apartments.
There is
confusion about
when members of
the party
arrived at the
tapas restaurant
and left to
check on their
own sleeping
children.
How much
alcohol did the
McCanns and
their friends
drink on the
evening
Madeleine
disappeared?
Kate and Gerry
McCann and their
friends are
reported to have
told detectives
they shared four
bottles of wine,
with another two
barely touched
before Madeleine
was discovered
missing.
However, it is
claimed
detectives have
recovered a bill
showing they
downed eight
bottles of red
wine and six
white during the
afternoon and
evening.
Why was
Madeleine’s
bedroom window
and shutter
open?
Kate and Gerry
McCann told
police that the
window shutter
in Madeleine’s
bedroom, which
could not been
seen from the
restaurant, had
been forced
open.
Police tests
showed the heavy
metal shutter
had not been
forced up from
the outside, so
must have been
pulled open from
inside the room.
Assuming that
the abductor
entered through
the apartment’s
unlocked patio
windows, why
would he or she
not leave by the
same way or the
use the front
door?
Or was the
window opened to
make it appear
as if an
intruder had
used it to enter
the bedroom?
Why did
Madeleine’s
sister and
brother sleep
through her
“abduction”?
Sean and Amelie
were heavy
sleepers who
were not
disturbed by
their sister’s
abduction, claim
their parents.
However, they
also slept
through their
mother’s
hysterical
response to
Madeleine’s
disappearance
and the presence
of dozens of
people who
joined the
search before
being carried
out by a female
police officer.
Kate and Gerry
McCann have
strenuously
denied sedating
their daughter.
Why were the
McCanns allowed
to leave
Portugal if they
are suspects?
The Portuguese
authorities
allowed the
McCanns to
return to the UK
after they
agreed to reside
only at their
home in Rothley
and to return
for further
questioning if
necessary.
Portuguese law
states that
after someone is
declared a
suspect, police
have eight
months to
conclude the
investigation
into that
individual. If
they require
further time
officers can
apply to the
courts for a
four-month
extension.
If the McCanns
refused to
comply with a
request to
return to the
Algarve for
interview,
Portuguese
police could
issue a European
Arrest Warrant
under which
extradition can
be carried out
within six
weeks.
Why has it
taken so long to
find the
evidence that
could implicate
Kate and Gerry
McCann?
The material was
only collected
at the end of
July and early
August in a
review of the
investigation
carried out by
Portuguese
detectives with
the help of
British police
and two sniffer
dogs. Many of
the samples are
very small,
containing just
a few cells,
while others are
of poor quality
because of
damage by
cleaning or
simply the
passing of time.
A full report of
the findings
will not be
ready for weeks,
but many results
have already
been passed to
the Portuguese
authorities.
What evidence
were police
looking for?
Detectives are
searching for
any evidence
that proves
Madeleine is
dead or
contradicts the
accounts of Mr
and Mrs McCann
and other
witnesses.
What is the
most important
forensic
evidence?
It appears the
Forensic Science
Service believes
it has
discovered
compelling new
evidence,
possibly from
more than one
source.
Portuguese
detectives told
Mrs McCann
repeatedly that
they found
traces of
Madeleine’s
blood in a
Renault Scenic
hired three
weeks after she
disappeared,
suggesting that
the missing
girl’s parents
used the vehicle
to carry her
body. It is
possible to tell
if the blood
came from a
living person or
from a corpse,
and even the
time of death.
However, some
reports suggest
that the quality
of the blood
sample was too
poor to confirm
the origin while
others have
denied any blood
was found in the
vehicle and
claim it was
other “bodily
fluids”. Unless
a body had been
placed in a
freezer, it
would have badly
decomposed
during the warm
weather; leaving
a mass of traces
invisible to the
human eye.
Does any
trace of
Madeleine in the
hire car prove
she was killed?
No. Mr and Mrs
McCann hired the
car to buy new
clothes in the
town of Portimão
a day before
they flew to
Rome to see Pope
Benedict XVI.
They then used
it regularly for
family outings
and to collect
friends and
relatives from
Faro airport.
They continued
using the car
until shortly
before flying
home yesterday.
Kate and Gerry
and their
two-year-old
twins would have
often carried in
the car items
used by
Madeleine. These
items could
easily certainly
carry
Madeleine’s hair
and minute
traces of skin,
dried blood,
saliva and
vomit. The same
could be said of
the holiday
apartments used
by the McCanns
and their
friends in the
Ocean Club
resort. However,
if the blood
came from
Madeleine’s
corpse the only
other highly
unlikely
explanation
would be that a
previous hirer
had moved the
body.
One report
suggested
yesterday that
Madeleine’s DNA
had been found
on the floor of
the McCanns
holiday
apartment, but
because of
degredation it
was based on an
incomplete
picture, with
only 15 of the
20 genetic
markers usually
used for such
analysis.
What is the
DNA evidence
that has
supposedly been
found by the
Portuguese
investigators?
Newspapers in
Portugal have
been reporting
that “biological
fluids” with an
80 per cent
match to
Madeleine’s DNA
have been found
underneath
upholstery in
the boot of the
McCanns’ rented
Renault Scenic.
Some media
reports claimed
that another DNA
sample with a
100 per cent
match to that of
Madeleine’s
profile had been
found in the
car.
What would
this tell us?
Perhaps nothing.
If it was
sourced from
something such
as a hair
follicle or skin
cells then that
could have been
one of
Madeleine’s
hairs that had
stuck to the
clothes of a
family member or
her “cuddle cat”
toy that her
mother carries.
If it was from
Madeleine’s
blood or corpse,
that could be
more
significant. The
most important
issue is the
size of the
sample found. If
there was a
substantial
amount of
material it is
unlikely to be
from accidental
contamination
and would
indicate that
Madeleine had
been in the car.
Can
investigators
establish if the
DNA sample comes
from someone who
was alive or
dead?
Unlikely,
according to
British experts.
A DNA profile
does not change
just because
someone dies.
You can tell if
DNA has degraded
but that can
happen if, for
example, it had
been exposed to
sunshine.
Does an 80
per cent match
with biological
fluids indicate
that Madeleine
was definitely
in the car?
No. The sample
will have been
tested against a
definite sample
of Madeleine’s.
A 80 per cent
match indicates
that profilers
could find only
16 of the 20
markers usually
used for such
analysis and
suggests that
the biological
traces are tiny
and degraded.
Additionally,
the twins Sean
and Amelie could
share a high
percentage of
DNA
characteristics
as most siblings
do.
What complicates
the matter
further is that
all three of the
McCanns’
children were
born through IVF
and it is
unknown whether
the couple’s
sperm and eggs
were used for
conception.
What about
the discoveries
of the “cadaver”
sniffer dog?
Mr and Mrs
McCann were
shown a police
video of a
sniffer dog used
to find corpses
“going crazy”
when it
approached the
hire car.
Reports also
claim that is
discovered the
scent on the
vehicle’s key
fob. Mrs McCann
is reported to
have explained
that in her work
as locum GP she
came into
contact with six
corpses in the
weeks leading up
to Algarve
holiday.
This seems a
high number for
a locum GP
working just a
couple of days a
week but would
be easy to check
against surgery
records.
The crucial
difficulty with
the sniffer dog
“evidence” is
that it cannot
distinguish
between corpses.
This type of dog
is trained to
find bodies, not
identify where
dead bodies have
been. Crucially,
they can become
excited by other
scents.
Any evidence
of Madeleine’s
death on Cuddle
Cat?
The cadaver dog
is alleged to
have become
excited when
shown
Madeleine’s
favourite soft
pink toy, called
Cuddle Cat. The
cat had become
poignant symbol
of a mother’s
loss as Kate
McCann carried
it with her at
all time from
the night of
Madeleine’s
disappearance.
She washed it
four days after
the police
tests, claiming
it had become
dirty. The toy
was potentially
crucial evidence
and should have
been seized by
police very
early in the
investigation.
What evidence
can be found in
Mrs McCann’s
Bible?
Mrs McCann, a
devout Roman
Catholic, claims
that police told
her that a
crumpled page in
her Bible was
evidence that
she was involved
in the death of
her daughter.
The page
contained a
passage from
Samuel II,
chapter 12,
verses 15-19,
which recalls
how man’s child
is stricken with
illness after he
“scorns” the
Lord.
The man fasts
for seven days,
refusing to get
up off the
ground, to try
to gain
redemption — but
eventually his
child dies. Mrs
McCann claims
that detectives
told her that
damage to the
page proved she
had been reading
it.
Why are the
McCanns suspects
in their
daughter’s
killing?
Portuguese
police refuse to
say why the
couple have been
made official
suspects. Under
Portuguese law
police can not
question someone
as if they had
committed a
crime unless
they are a
“suspect”. It
could simply be
that police
wanted to ask
the couple about
the evidence
they had
collected, and
that the
seriousness of
the process has
been
misunderstood
and exaggerated
by cultural and
language
differences. The
McCanns believed
that they were
about to be
charged with
Madeleine’s
death, but it
does not appear
police disclosed
any crucial
evidence to
them.
All parties have
strenuously
denied any
wrongdoing.