Gerry McCann: "Ask the dogs, Sandra"

McCanns plea over Madeleine message, 03 November 2009

McCanns plea over Madeleine message BBC News video Page last updated at 09:11 GMT, Tuesday, 3 November 2009 The parents of Madeleine McCann are urging web users to spread a new video message aimed at reaching a key witness to their daughter's disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann spoke to BBC Breakfast about the latest move to trace Madeleine. (00:07:52) -------------------------------------- Transcript - Transcript will appear here...

Various videos, 03 November 2009

Various videos - Transcripts will appear in due course...

The McCanns' interview with SIC, 03 November 2009

The McCanns' interview with SIC SIC Transcript By Nigel Moore SIC: Over the last two-and-a-half years, errr... you have been putting out campaigns, errr... to gather information. So far, how much do you think you have... you have actually achieved in terms of getting closer to the truth of what happened that night? Kate McCann: It's hard, you know. Until we know where Madeleine is, and who's taken her, you can feel so far away. I mean, we could be closer than we think but until we know those two things... Gerry McCann: Yeah, and... Kate McCann: ...then it's very difficult to answer that question really. Gerry McCann: It's a bit - if we think of it - like a jigsaw. We've got more pieces of the jigsaw but there are still quite a lot of pieces missing, or... we don't know, it might be one piece that falls into place but obviously today is about appealing to someone who might know SIC: Did you think, so far, you have, errr... any real clues? Gerry McCann: Well, it... it's as Kate says, we won't know until we find Madeleine; until we find who took her. And until we get to that point, we don't know how much information we've got... I think. SIC: How long... how long can you guys, errm... keep going? You've covered pretty much everything, errr... are you ever going to get to the point of deciding, 'we've done enough', 'we're... there's nothing else we can't... we can do at this point'? Kate McCann: I mean, you can't. I mean, while... while Madeleine's still missing, you know, we can't stop. We can't give up on Madeleine, she's a little girl, you know. I mean, who would? Which parent would ever give up, you know? Gerry McCann: Errr... It is exhausting but it would be an absolute disservice to Madeleine to give up and, if you talk about what's happened with Jaycee Lee Dugard, we... we cannot be in that situation of waiting eighteen-and-a-half years to find Madeleine, errm... Kate McCann: But again that case just emphasises how vital it is to keep going; to not give up, you know. And the more we do, and the quicker we do it, the chances of finding Madeleine earlier are much greater, so... Gerry McCann: And... and also to get to the people who have got suspicions and for whatever reason aren't coming foward to the police.

Interview With The McCanns, 03 November 2009

Interview With The McCanns Sky News Kay Burley November 03, 2009 3:23 PM Welcome to the Afternoon Live Blog, We'll update you here regularly on what's coming up on the programme. Today, we'll be interviewing Madeleine McCann's parents as an online campaign is launched to try to find the little girl missing for more than two and a half years. It's the first time I will have interviewed the McCanns and I'm anxious about it. As a parent, I cannot begin to comprehend the emotions of not knowing where my child is, let alone whether he is dead or alive. Madeleine was snatched while the family were at ease on holiday in Portugal. They were relaxed, suntanned and full of fun stories to tell back home. Then an evil, evil man took their dreams away forever. The family has paid a crippling price. Kate has looked very frail in the past while Gerry has remained stoic as he struggled to protect his family from lies and whispers. Hopefully, with the love and distraction of their twins Kate and Gerry are coping with their incredible burden a little better every day. We'll see. Tune in at 2. UPDATE: Here's the video: Transcript By Nigel Moore Gerry McCann: Yeah, I mean, for Kate and I we have never lost hope and, errr... obviously we have done a tremendous amount of research on missing and abducted children and know about many different cases of children who have been recovered after prolonged periods but where it gave us, errr... a lift was the... the... the change in perception within the general public that... who maybe were... thought that Madeleine would never be found; that she may have been dead; that, hold on, children do get taken and are kept by their abductors for various reasons. So it's very, errr... obvious to us now that there's been a surge in people, errr... saying: "Oh, well maybe Madeleine can be found" and we've had more people approaching us, as well, and I think it's a very, errm... timely message to go out to those who may know. Kay Burley: But obviously you're both intelligent people and you realise that stories like that are newsworthy because they're so unusual. Kate McCann: Well, actually, what's happened to Madeleine is very unusual in itself. You know, there's not many... I mean, I can't think of a case since Ben Needham, other than Madeleine, that this has happened to a British child, you know, on holiday, errm... GM: They are, I think that the... the thing that we don't know really is how many children, who are taken at a young age, errr... and the search has been given up and are presumed dead have actually been taken and are alive and living in another community and I think that is a very important point both from the information we know from the UK but particularly from the United States. The younger a child at the time of abduction the more likely they are to be taken for another reason and being kept and you can understand that because they're highly adaptable, errr... their appearance changes more than older kids but, you know, who could have imagined the circumstances of Elizabeth Smart being found after eight and a half... nine months, errr... very close to her home; Jaycee Dugard, children taken in other circumstances; there are other scenarios which children can be taken but people know about it or strongly suspecting somethings not right and that's what the message today is. KB: Do you allow yourself to think, Kate, about the circumstances she might be being kept in? KM: I mean, I have done, obviously, I'm her mum and I think it would be impossible not to, on ocassion, think about that but speculating doesn't help, you know, and any scenario that I can imagine is going to be upsetting, 'cause it's not what I want, you know, and it's not what's right for Madeleine. You know, Madeleine should be with us, her family, errm... so, as much as I can, I try and push that out of my mind, 'cause it doesn't help, you know, it could upset me and it doesn't help. You've just got to be able to move forward, really, and think about what we can do to find her. KB: And how... how do you deal with that, Gerry? GM: I think, errr... KB: Because every parent watching will think: 'Ahh, it's my worst nightmare'. GM: I think that in the early... in the very early days it was impossible not to go there; to the really negative places and we've had counselling about speculation and other things and what you don't know... it tends to take you to a negative place. I got quite good at blocking it out, most of the time, and when I think about Madeleine I think about the little happy girl running around in our house and on holiday and things, errm... and it... Sean and Amelie do a brilliant job of bringing us back to... (pauses)   KB: This is the babies? GM: ...getting, yeah... getting Madeleine back home; they say it all the time and, you know, they know that today our message is asking people to, errr... help us look for Madeleine.

Interview with Sandra Felgueiras - RTP, 05 November 2009

Interview with Sandra Felgueiras - RTP Sandra Felgueiras interviewed the McCanns at the Millbank Studios in London --------------------------------------- Interview with Sandra Felgueiras - Preview video Full interview with Sandra Felgueiras - In 3 parts  Transcript - Part One Transcript by Nigel Moore Sandra Felgueiras: Hello, Kate. Hi, Gerry. You have called us here... or invited us here, to show these two new pictures of how Madeleine might look like now, at the age of six, and also to watch a video, a new appeal video, but you have been recently together in Lisbon. Have you truly felt that the Portuguese public opinion is still with you? Gerry McCann: I think obviously there's been a lot written that was very negative, and errr... it is inevitable that given how much... so much was written negative about us, that some people would have, errr... felt that we were involved, but we do feel now that the legal action has been taken and that the judicial processes are saying that there is no evidence to support what has been written. SF: You are talking about Goncalo Amaral's book? GM: Yeah, but also with the publication of the file in the first place, errr... in the initial process of the criminal, errr... file and regarding Madeleine's disappearance that, you know, there is no evidence that we were involved and subsequently the action we've taken recently that, errr... I think that people are now prepared to continue the search for... for Madeleine and that's why we're... we're here today asking people to help us try and get this very important message... SF: But how can you explain that Goncalo Amaral has sold over 175,000 copies defending that you played a key role in Madeleine's disappearance? Kate McCann: I mean, I think it's important to remember, Sandra; the only victim in all of this is Madeleine, errm... and... and that's obviously why we're here today, really. We're trying to... we're trying to reach that person who knows something and there is somebody who knows something; not the person who has taken Madeleine but the... the person on the periphery and that might just be, errm... a colleague of a person, a neighbour, a fam... you know, this person, 'the abductor', has got a mother, a brother, a cousin, they're part of family, so... SF: Do you believe that, errr... the public opinion, errr... in Portugal right now, after reading the book of Goncalo Amaral, errm... still can support you? Still can answer to that appeal? GM: You know, that's a key point why we're taking action, Sandra, and, errr... that's part of a legal process, as you know. There is already an injunction out against the book. He is, errr... banned from, errr... repeating his thesis that Madeleine is dead and that we were involved. Now, that has been two separate judges - first, the original judge in the file - that have said that. That's where we will do the discussing of that because that's the correct place to discuss Goncalo Amaral and his book. SF: And you think that Goncalo Amaral doesn't have a right to, errr... errr... share his opinion, his conviction under the evidence he gathered, errr... into a book? He does... he doesn't have a freedom of expression to say that and to publish it? GM: There's... there's a difference between, I think, freedom of expression and evidence to support a theory. What the judges have said: there isn't evidence to support his theory, so he shouldn't be saying it. And that's about as much as we want to say about him. You know, that's a legal process; we've challenged it; it's been through the judicial process and that's the correct.... SF: But the files were closed and no thesis, errr... thesis won. How can you explain that after Goncalo Amaral, Paulo Rebelo - the next investigator - also pursued this thesis? He also investigated the possibility of you both played a key role in Madeleine's disappearance? GM: That's the key thing, isn't it? It was investigated; the evidence was presented to the judiciary and the judiciary concluded there was no evidence to support that thesis, that's very... SF: No DNA, but how do you explain... GM: No, no... SF: ...the coincidences between the... GM: DNA is only one aspect of it. There was no evidence to support our involvement in Madeleine's disappearance; that's the key thing. Madeleine is still missing. We are here, as her family, to continue the search. Now, I can't speak for the people who have read the book but, obviously, it doesn't stand up to critical appraisal. SF: This is the first time that you give us, errr... a big interview, errr... not being arguidos... not being arguidos, since then. Errr... So now I feel free to ask you this directly: How can you explain the coincidence of the scent of cadav... of cadaver found by British and not Portuguese dogs? KM: Sandra, maybe you should be asking the judiciary because they've examined all this... SF: But those were not an explanation for that. KM: I mean, we are obviously Madeleine's mum and dad and we're desperate for people to help us find Madeleine, which is why we're here today. The majority of people are inherently good and I believe the majority of people in Portugal are inherently good people and we're asking them if they'll help us spread this message to that person or people that knows something. SF: So you don't have any explanation for that? GM: Ask the dogs, Sandra. SF: Ask the dogs? No, Gerry. Now I think... well, I... I feel free to ask you. Errr...Don't you feel free to answer me? GM: I can tell you that we have obviously looked at evidence about, errr... cadaver dogs and they are incredibly unreliable. SF: Unreliable? GM: Cadaver dogs, yes. That's what the evidence shows, if they are tested scientifically. SF: You read the files, Kate? KM: Yes, I have read the files. SF: What did shock you most? Any part of the... any detail that... you weren't, errr... aware of? Something that has really surprised you or you didn't find anything? KM: Well, I've been through them and I've made notes and I've passed that on to our investigation team, obviously. SF: Have you found any.. any evidence? Of anything? KM: Well, obviously the only evidence that I wanna find is who's taken Madeleine and where she is and they're the key things and until we... we actually get that... that bit of information then, you know, we are always gonna feel like we're a long way away. But basically what we're doing is trying to get as much information as we can and try and put the jigshaw... jigsaw together, so finally we've got the complete picture. SF: And what about your friends? Did you have a pact of silence with your friends? KM: Do you know judicial secrecy? SF: I know it but we don't have it anymore. GM: You have to put it into context of the situation that we were in... SF: But now is the time to... to you... to explain all... GM: That... that... that article that was written, in June, was directly as a result of a journalist phoning all of us and saying: 'what can you tell us about it'. And we were under explicit instructions that we were not to talk about, errr... the details of the case at... under judicial secrecy. So that's all that people did. And, errm... I don't think, you know, there should be considered a pact of silence. We were told, that's what we were to do. And you wouldn't expect witnesses in other cases, in any country, to be going out divulging information that may be useful to the perpetrator of the crime. Transcript (Cont.) - Part Two Transcript by Nigel Moore SF: Are you still friends? Do you plan another trips together or did it damage...? GM: No, we're still friends. KM: No, we're still friends. We haven't got any holidays planned but we're still friends. We're all in touch and we still meet up and see each other. SF: Don't you agree that there were a lot of details that in cert... in a certain way, contribute to people to doubt of you. For example, errr... when you went to the Vatican so quickly; all the contacts that you have made. Can I ask you Gerry, if you personally know Mr Gordon Brown, the prime minister? GM: No, and we still... we've never met Gordon Brown. We have spoken to him once on the phone, several weeks after Madeleine was abducted. People, I think, what we've got to remember is that... and what today is about: good, ordinary people want to help find an innocent, missing child. And that's what happened. Clearly there was a huge amount of media coverage and people wanted to look at ways to help. Our government wanted to assist in the investigation to find a missing child. SF: Are they still supporting you? Mr Gordon Brown still, errr... talks to you directly? GM: We've had continued meetings with both the Home Office and also with the Foreign Office to discuss ways in which the search can continue. Obviously today is a prime example of law enforcement... a law enforcement led initiative with CEOP with... in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies; Interpol, Europol and, you know, the key thing is, that law enforcement believe we can get information from those who may know. SF: How could you explain that Clarence Mitchell left the British Government, where he were the press speaker, to be your press speaker? GM: Obviously, when Clarence first came out, errr... to Portugal working, errr... for the Government, at that time, he came out and spent, I think, almost three... two to three weeks with us, and we... he got to know us very, very well, and he felt very very passionate about, errr... the search for Madeleine and when the opportunity arose, errm... you know, we asked him if he would come back and shield us from the intense media interest and that's what Clarence has done superbly well, and he's become an extremely good friend during this. SF: But he must be paid? GM: He was paid, that's right. SF: And now he must be paid? GM: Yeah, but you know... SF: Isn't it difficult for you to pay him? GM: You know, the first, errr... period, errr... Brian Kennedy paid his salary and then he was subsequently paid by the fund and now, you know, he works part-time on this, and is a consultant, errr... for Freud Agency, so, you know, as the media interest has dropped down, we haven't needed a... a full-time spokesperson, errr... to do that. He still works with us, we are working very closely with him and he's done a brilliant job protecting us and allowing us to have some degree of normality as a family considering the very, very intense media interest. SF: You have also hired a new communication agency back in Portugal. Errr... Why do you think you... you need it and is it easy for you to afford it? GM: Well again, it is the agreement that it is funded out of Madeleine's fund and it's a decision that was made by the directors of the fund, because we felt... Kate and I are both directors - there are nine directors in total - that to really make the search successful we had to present the information to the Portuguese public, given how much, errr... had been written in a negative way about us and obviously we want to work with someone who understands the Portuguese, errr... culture and the Portuguese media and how we can persuade people that Madeleine is still out there and still can be found, just like Jaycee Lee Dugard. SF: Until when do you think that you will afford all this? Errr... Two lawyers in Portugal, a news agency, errr... Clarence Mitchell. I don't know if you still have the two lawyers that you have hired here in London? KM: It's not ideal, you know, Sandra. We wouldn't have any lawyers, we wouldn't need... SF: (over talking) Yes, I understand that... KM: ...any kind of PR, if we weren't in this situation, so nobody's... SF: But don't you feel strangled? Don't you feel...   KM: (over talking) But we have to do it. SF: ...that some day it will finish the money? KM: We have to... we have to do whatever we can to find Madeleine and obviously we have to look at, sort of, you know, if the fund starts to run out then we have to try and get more money in. But we can't stop. SF: And how will you do it? GM: Well, you know, people have been extremely kind. You have to remember that the fund was set up initially because so many people offered money to try and help and wanted to help and were prepared to donate. We would love nothing better for Madeleine to be found and for the... the remaining monies in the fund to go to helping other families in, errr... of missing children, both in the UK and Portugal, and that's one of the objectives when we've found Madeleine... and her abductor, then the monies will be used for that. Obviously, if the money runs out... is running out, then we have to look at alternative ways, errr... of fundraising, errm... we've done, you know, small events, community events, which have been very good for team building. We've had a small auction in Madeleine's school and the school that the twins are at. SF: Do you still have the support of Mr Richard Branson, JK Rowling, this multimillionaire that initially, errr... gave you a lot of money? GM: (*) ...independent investigation that's led that team is funded completely out of Madeleine's fund... I mean, an event like today, there's no specific cost for it and this is obviously the internet; people already have subscriptions, they can do this. There's a willingness of the population to help and I think we'll find hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people today will forward this link to their contacts in countries all over the world. That is cheap. The fund... SF: Do you still have money in the fund? GM: There is some money still, errr... in the fund, errr... and it continues to be used and we will use every single penny in that fund in the search for Madeleine. (*): A section of Gerry's answer appears to be missing from the video at this point. Transcript (Cont.) - Part Three Transcript by Nigel Moore SF: Errr... You've asked, errr... Goncalo Amaral to pay you 1 million euros for damage, errr... for defamation, for example, errr... Do you need that money to, errr... finance the campaign? KM: The reason why we've taken action against Goncalo Amaral is the damage that he's done for Madeleine. That's our main focus. SF: Which motives could he have to make up all this story? GM: We can't speak for Goncalo Amaral. SF: But you... I... I presume that you think something? Why should, errr... an investigator make it up, a story without no evidence? KM: There's obviously been financial gain, hasn't there? SF: You think that he made this with a commercial perspective? KM: You'd have to ask him to get the... the answer, wouldn't you? SF: That's your... your own estimate? KM: It's a possibility, isn't it. I mean I have to wonder.... SF: You think that Goncalo Amaral tried to win money, errr... playing with yours, errr... your child's life? Am I correct? KM: You have to wonder why an ex-PJ inspector would want to convince the population that Madeleine is dead, with absolutely no evidence whatsoever. And that question should be asked. SF: Do you feel that, errr... there is a difference of treatment between the Portuguese authorities and the British authorities? In any moment did you feel, or do you feel still, that you were victims of, errr... the Portuguese investigation? GM: The key victim's Madeleine. I mean, that... that's what the crime's about. We know we had to be investigated. And we have been investigated. SF: But you, Kate. Sorry, Gerry. But you Kate, errr... said once, that you were going bad with what they asked you inside the PJ, trying to... to get a confession from you.. from you. KM: I did. I mean, I... I know... I know the truth, Sandra. Do you know what I mean? And all I wanna do is find Madeleine and I was upset... SF: So have you forgotten everything that, errr... have already passed? It's passed for you, both? KM: Well, the only thing we can do now is look forward, you know... you know. There's lessons to be learned by everyone, ourselves included, from what's happened. But, all we want to do is find Madeleine and the only way of doing that is by looking forward and trying to be proactive and see what we can do now, which is why this message has gone out today. SF: Did you get back to work? Are you working already? KM: I'm working full time on the campaign to find Madeleine and looking after Sean and Amelie. SF: You don't have any plans to go back...   KM: No, I don't. SF: ...to the clinic? KM: No, I don't. SF: You don't? And talking about the twins. Errr... Now the time is passing; two years and a half since Madeleine disappeared. They are growing up. How will you be able to explain them what happened when they have age to really understand it? GM: Well, it's like filling in a picture for them; the information we have available and we'll give them, as, errr... their minds inquire, and as they're able to handle that information, then we will answer all of their questions openly and honestly. SF: But what will you tell them? GM: Well, we'll answer their questions. So what they ask us we'll tell them, and we'll tell them exactly what happened and what information we know. And what they do know, is that we are continuing to look for their sister. They want people to look for their sister. SF: But will you go into details about what happened? KM: We'll be... we'll be led by them. We've had advice from a child psychologist and they said Sean and Amelie will lead the way; if they ask a question, answer them honestly. We're not gonna rush them, but if they ask something, then obviously we'll answer them. SF: They are in the same school where Madeleine was? KM: Mmm... GM: Yeah, well, she... she didn't get a chance to start yet, so... but she was there, her place is there, and the twins are there now. SF: The room... Madeleine's room is still the same? KM: The bedroom? Yeah, there's quite... there's quite a few more presents in it now but yeah, it's still the same. SF: And what do you keep telling the twins whenever they ask her? I presume that they ask about her a lot of times? KM: Well they know she's missing, you know... they know that we're looking for her, errm... and they'll say to me things like, if they see like a Madeleine sticker or a poster, they'll say: "Look Mummy, they're helping to find Madeleine with us" and, you know, they might point to other people and say: "Mummy are they helping us to find Madeleine?" and, you know, so... SF: Is it still very hard for you or are you getting used to this reality? Are you trying to live with it? KM: I think you have to. I think you have to adapt, and you have to function, and if we want to look after Sean and Amelie, and if you want to search for Madeleine, then you have to function. Errm... I'm obviously stronger than I was, say a year ago, errm... obviously the emotion is still there but... GM: I mean, we do as much as we possibly can to ensure that the twins see us happy, and see them happy, with them, and they give us a tremendous amount of joy, and our life, you know, on a day-to-day basis, superficially, would look like any other, errr... family with two young children. Obviously, one of our children is missing and they know that and they know that that's not good and they want her back and they understand why, on occasion, you know, that we are particularly upset and, errr... and that we all want Madeleine back to be a complete family again, but the twins are coping fantasticly well. SF: You told me once that you are both living a nightmare. In your more optimistical perspective, what do you imagine... what do you think, it could be the best way to recover Madeleine? GM: I think, the first thing today is that this message, errr... that can be downloaded and distributed, will get heard and seen by someone who knows, and it... it will tweak their conscience and... and get them to give information that could bring Madeleine back. SF: The last lead that you've, errr... shared with us was about a... a women in Barcelona. Has this anything to do with this appeal? Is it for that, that you are asking the relatives of people that can be involved in her disappearance, to call you? GM: I think first thing to say is, you know, the investigation matters will be dealt with by the professionals and obviously we've got David Edgar, errr... working for us or, errm... law enforcement as appropriate. Today is about this appeal. It's completely separate. It's going out in seven different languages; we want it to be spread as far and as wide as possible because we don't know where Madeleine is, we don't know who took her and that's why we need the public's help to spread a... an email... an email out to all your contacts. I know you've already done it, Sandra. SF: Thank you very much to both.