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ANGRY: Gerry and Kate say police
allegations were frightening
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KATE McCann
has broken her dignified silence to attack
the Portuguese detective who led the bungled
hunt for Madeleine.
She slated
Goncalo Amaral for failing to find her
little girl and for trying to cash in on the
tragedy by writing a book.
Her comments come almost a year to the day
since she and husband Gerry were hauled in
for questioning and made arguidos in the
case.
They were forced to suffer for more
than 10 months with the cloud of suspicion
hanging over them before they were
eventually cleared of any involvement on
July 21 this year.
In an interview in the Portuguese newspaper
Expresso, Kate is particularly critical of
Amaral, who was eventually sacked from the
case following a series of embarrassing
gaffes.
A family friend said Kate was very angry
about Amaral's decision to publish his book
while Madeleine was still missing. When he
announced he was writing a 'warts and all'
expose, the McCanns threatened legal action.
A source close
to the family said at the time: 'The gloves
are off. Amaral has over-stepped the mark
and they feel they have been left with no
choice. Enough is enough. The lawyers are
looking at pretty much everything.'
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Madeleine vanished from her
family's holiday apartment in
Praia da Luz on May 3 last year |
In the Expresso interview the couple, both
40, of Rothley, Leicestershire, also tell of
their hope that Madeleine will be found safe
and well soon.
Gerry said: 'I will be honest. We have got
no idea whether Madeleine is alive or not.
What we are certain of is that there is
absolutely no evidence.'
Asked if they had been worried by the
allegations put to them by Amaral when they
were made arguidos, Gerry said: 'The
situation for us was very frightening. of
course it was.'
But the couple insisted this was not the
reason they left Portugal two days later,
returning home with their two-year-old twins
Sean and Amelie.
Kate said: 'They could still have arrested
us, couldn't they' They could have stopped
us from going home.'
The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell
said: 'Kate and Gerry have chosen to speak
out to an element of the Portuguese media
because they firmly believe that there may
well be important information that somebody
knows in Portugal.
'They will do everything they can to
generate new leads.'
Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished
from her family's holiday apartment in the
Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3 last
year.
