Questions for both Kate and Gerry
Do you believe Madeleine is dead?
Do you know where Madeleine is?
What were your movements throughout the day of May 3rd?
In particular, what times were you together as a couple with Madeleine and what times were you with her alone?
When was Madeleine placed in kid’s club that day? In particular, at lunch time, what time did you collect her and return with her and, at tea time, what time did you collect her and return to your apartment?
Did you, on that day May 3rd, or on any previous occasions, administer sedatives to Madeleine in order to make her sleep?
What time did she go to bed that evening?
Did she go off to sleep easily or did it take a long time?
What time did you arrive at the tapas restaurant? You have stated that you were the first of the group to arrive at 8.30pm but Rachael Oldfield has been reported as stating that you were last to arrive at 8.58pm.
How did you decide who was going to check and at what times?
Did you ask Matthew Oldfield to check on your children at 9.30pm or did he volunteer?
What did he tell you about his check?
Why did Mr Oldfield need to check when Gerry had only just recently returned from his own check?
Assuming the abduction happened at 9.15pm, as described by Jane Tanner and supported by yourself, why do you think Matthew Oldfield failed to see that Madeleine had gone from her bed?
Why do you think Matthew Oldfield failed to see that the window and shutter to the bedroom were wide open, on what was a cold, windy evening?
Who called the police and when? If you arranged for someone else to call them, what time was that? Did they report back to you?
Why did you say, in your first phone calls home to four of your closest friends and family, that the apartment was locked, the abductor had gained access by breaking open the bedroom shutter and had left by the front door?
Why did you only report that the patio doors had been left unlocked after it became quickly clear there had been no damage to the shutters?
Why do you believe that the abductor must have escaped through the open window and shutter, rather than through the front door as previously stated?
Did you know Robert Murat before Madeleine’s disappearance?
If so, how did you know him and what was your relationship?
Did you, or someone you know, use the Renault Scenic hire car to move Madeleine’s body?
How did you manage to travel 730kms (543.60 miles) in the first week of receiving your hire car, despite being in Rome and Madrid for most of the week and spending the rest of the time, according to Gerry’s blogs, in the apartment ‘quietly with the twins’.
What is your explanation for the cadaver dog’s reaction to the boot of the Renault Scenic?
Questions for Gerry McCann
How many tennis lessons did you book for yourself on May 3rd?
How many tennis lessons did you complete?
On which courts did you play tennis that day?
What time did each lesson start and end?
When you went for your third lesson at 6.00pm, why did you ask David Payne to check on Kate, when you’d apparently only left her 30 minutes previously and would be returning in 30 minutes?
Were you concerned about Kate’s state of mind on that day, May 3rd?
Did you see Madeleine when you returned from your tennis lesson?
Was she awake or asleep in bed?
After arriving at the tapas restaurant, what time did you perform your check on the children?
What time did you return to the tapas restaurant?
When you performed your check did you switch a light on, or did you have a torch?
You were originally reported as stating that the door to the children’s bedroom was ajar and that you found this unusual as it had been left shut. It's also been reported recently that you had left the bedroom door ajar by 5 degrees and that when you entered the apartment it was open by 45 degrees. Which account is true?
Did the discovery of the open bedroom door, where your three children were sleeping, not cause you alarm?
Did you make a thorough check of the apartment? If not, why not?
It's been reported that you checked, and saw, Madeleine in her bed, you looked in your bedroom and you used the toilet before returning to the tapas restaurant. Where do you believe the abductor was hiding?
Why have you now come to this conclusion that the abductor was in the apartment with you? A conclusion you had not previously reached despite extensive and lengthy questioning.
Why did you make this new belief known through newspapers and not by contacting the Policia Judiciaria, as agreed?
Have you, in fact, been forced to change your story to make it fit the statements made by Jeremy Wilkins, who spoke with you on the path outside the apartment at 9.10pm, and Jane Tanner who claims to have seen the alleged abductor, carrying Madeleine, at 9.15pm?
Another witness, Jeremy Wilkins, has stated that he saw neither Jane Tanner nor the abductor, despite being on the same street at 9.15pm with you. Did you see Jane Tanner or the abductor?
Initial reports stated that you met Jeremy Wilkins on the street, at the entrance to the alleyway, at the rear of your apartment. Why does Jane Tanner now say you were on the other side of the road?
Why did you make 14 text messages that evening and who were they to?
Why were you so desperate to locate the church in the middle of the night? Kate’s mother has stated neither you nor Kate were particularly religious so what did you feel the church could do to help you find Madeleine in the middle of the night?
Where were you on June 10th when you communicated with Russell O’Brien by mobile phone?
Where was Russell O’Brien? You previously stated that the call was contained within a 4km radius of Praia da Luz but that has now been dismissed by studying records of the call.
Did Russell O’Brien move Madeleine’s body on June 10th?
Questions for Kate McCann
What time did you go to check on your children?
How long did you spend in the apartment before raising the alarm?
Some reports have suggested you were as long as 10 minutes. If so, what were you doing?
How did you know so quickly that Madeleine had been abducted? Initial reports suggested that you knew because Madeleine’s favourite toy, Cuddle Cat, was placed out of reach on a high shelf. However, most recent reports have suggested the toy was simply left in the room.
It’s reported that you said the bed sheets were made up, as though Madeleine hadn’t slept there. How do you think the abductor managed to get a sleeping Madeleine out of bed, without waking her or disturbing the sheets?
How did you raise the alarm? Early reports suggested that you ran back to the tapas restaurant, whilst more recent reports suggest you screamed from the balcony.
Witnesses claim you screamed ‘They’ve taken her’. Did you say that? If so, what did you mean by that?
Did you notice any other signs of disturbance that might indicate that someone had entered the apartment?
Mrs Fenn, who lives in the apartment above, offered to call the police immediately but you are reported to have told her that it had already been done. Was that true?
If so, who rang or who did you instruct to ring? Why did the call apparently take 40 minutes to make?
After the police had arrived, why did you stay in the apartment when everyone else was out searching, many until the early hours?
One of the first GNR officers attending has said the apartment was spotlessly clean. Did you clean the apartment before, or after, raising the alarm?
Did someone else clean it earlier in the evening or whilst you were at the tapas restaurant?
The attending officer also said there were no medicines in the cabinets, of the kind normally associated with a family holiday. Did you take any medicines with you? If so, where were they? If not, why not?
Your mother has stated that when you called, in the middle of the night, you asked for the telephone number of Paul Seddon, the priest who married you and Gerry. Why were you so desperate to speak to a priest, when your mother has stated previously that neither you nor Gerry were particularly religious?
Your mother has said your first words to her on the phone were: “She’s gone, mum. She’s gone.” What did you mean by that? Did you mean that she was gone from the apartment or were you trying to tell your mother that Madeleine was dead?
It’s been reported that you went out with Gerry at 6.00am that morning to continue the search. Is that true? Where did you go?
When did you return to your apartment?
Why did you decide to go searching at 6.00am but not in any of the previous 8 hours?
Why did you wash Cuddle Cat so quickly? Then be seen many times in photographs holding the toy to your nose, when any scent of Madeleine would have been completely removed by detergent.
Questions to all Tapas Group members
What time did you arrive at the tapas restaurant?
Were Kate and Gerry McCann already there or did they arrive later? If so, what time did they arrive?
What checks did you do on your own children – specifically what time did you leave the table and what time did you return?
What checks did you witness other people doing – specifically what time did they leave the table and what time did they return?
How long after Kate left the table to check on her children did she raise the alarm?
How did she transmit this information? Did she return to the bar, as was first reported, or did she scream from the balcony of her apartment?
What did Kate scream to get the group’s attention?
When you first entered the apartment what did you see?
One of the first GNR officers to attend has stated the apartment was immaculately clean, with no discarded toys or disorder that would normally be associated with 3 small children on a family holiday. Can you confirm that?
Did you join the search for Madeleine or did you return to your apartment?
What time did you return to your apartment afterwards, either after searching or after completing your statement?
Why reason did Kate give for remaining in the apartment when everyone else was on the streets looking for Madeleine?
Questions for Jane Tanner
At 9.15pm, when you say you saw the abductor, you state you were returning to your apartment to check on your children. However, initial accounts suggested you were heading the other way i.e. towards the tapas restaurant, as you were late. Which way were you going and at what time?
After completing your check, did you return to the tapas restaurant? If so, at what time?
Why did initial reports state that you saw the ‘abductor’ outside the McCann’s bedroom window at 9.30pm, yet all subsequent reports place the abductor at the top of the street at 9.15pm?
How do you explain that Jeremy Wilkins, who was on the street talking with Gerry at that time, has made a statement to say he didn’t see you and considers it almost impossible for you to have walked past and for him not to have noticed you?
Why has your description of the abductor changed so much? From short hair to long black hair, from medium build to slim build, from white skinned to swarthy skinned and with height ranging from 5’6” to 5’11”.
How could you tell the man was ‘swarthy’ when you have already admitted you were some distance away, the man was wearing heavy clothes and you could not see his face?
How could you identify Madeleine’s pinky-tinged pyjamas under sodium vapour street lamps that reduce all colours to anonymous shades of dark or light?
Is it true that you only provided the description of Madeleine’s pyjamas after checking with Kate what pyjamas Madeleine was wearing?
Why did you not see that the McCann’s bedroom window and shutter were wide open when you returned to your apartment which was next door? Indeed, the windows of both apartments are so close that, from the outside, they would appear to be for the same apartment.
Again, why did you not notice the open window and shutter when you returned to the tapas restaurant after completing your checks?
Again, why did you not notice the open window and shutter when you returned to the apartment after your partner, Russell O’Brien had let you know one of your children was sick?
You were next door when Kate discovered Madeleine was missing. It is alleged she screamed from her balcony to the tapas restaurant that Madeleine had been taken. What did you hear from your apartment?
Is it true that you only became aware of any disturbance when speaking with Rachael Oldfield?
Questions for Russell O’Brien
Some reports have suggested you were not present at all that evening and only arrived at the table just before Kate left to do her check at 10.00pm. Is that correct?
If you were not at the table until just before 10.00pm, why did your partner Jane Tanner need to leave the table at 9.15pm to do a check?
Other reports have suggested you arrived at 8.45pm and then left at 9.30pm to perform a check on your children. It’s been reported that the system was to check every 30 minutes. If so, why did you go to check when your partner Jane Tanner had only just that minute returned from her own check of the children?
It’s been reported that when you returned for your check you found that one of your children had been ill and vomited on the bed sheets. Is this true? How do you explain that Ocean Club staff reportedly received no request to launder sheets from your apartment?
The windows of your apartment and the bedroom window of the McCann’s apartment are next to each other and, from the outside, appear to be for the one apartment. When you returned to your apartment at 9.30pm, why did you not notice that the McCann’s bedroom window and shutter were wide open?
It’s been reported that when you discovered your child was ill, you contacted your partner Jane Tanner by mobile phone. What time did Jane Tanner return to look after your sick child and what time did you then return to the tapas restaurant?
Again, when you returned to the tapas restaurant, why did you not notice that the McCann’s bedroom window and shutter were wide open?
Where were you on June 10th when you communicated with Gerry McCann by mobile phone?
Were you driving the McCann’s Renault Scenic hire car?
Were you moving Madeleine’s body on that day?
Questions for Matthew Oldfield
Did you check on the McCann’s children at 9.30pm?
Did the McCann’s ask you to do this or did you offer voluntarily?
It was initially reported that you did not enter the apartment but merely listened at the door, could not hear anything and assumed everything was fine. Why is it now suggested that you actually entered the apartment, glanced into the bedroom and saw the twins but not Madeleine because she was either out of view or behind the door?
How can you explain Madeleine’s bed being unsighted to you when the bed was immediately inside the door to the bedroom?
By all accounts it was a cold, windy night and Kate has described how the wind whistled through the apartment forcing the open bedroom door to slam shut when she opened the patio doors. When you opened the door to the bedroom, did you not feel the cold wind and see that the window and shutter were wide open?
Questions for Rachael Oldfield
It has been reported that you said the McCann’s were the last of the party to arrive at the tapas restaurant at 8.58pm. The time being so specific because they arrived 3 minutes after the Paynes arrived at 8.55pm. Is that true?
Did your husband, Matthew Oldfield, leave the table at 9.30pm to check on the children, including the McCann’s?
How do you explain that Najova Chekaya, the lady who was invited to join the table at 9.30pm by Gerry McCann, says nobody left or joined the table for the 30 minutes she was there?
Questions for David Payne
When you finished playing tennis, did Gerry ask you to check on Kate?
What reason did he give for you to check on Kate, bearing in mind he’d only left her a matter of minutes previously?
What was the time when Gerry asked you to check and at what time did you actually see Kate and the children?
It has been reported that you saw Kate and the children, still up, at 6.30pm and it’s also been reported that you saw them at 7.00pm, as they were being put to bed. Which is correct?
Did you actually see Madeleine?
Was she dressed or in Pyjamas?
What colour were the pyjamas she was wearing?
Did you notice anything unusual about the apartment or Kate’?
How long did you stay at the McCann’s apartment after checking Kate and the children were fine?
It has been reported you went out looking for Madeleine with Gerry until the early hours of the morning. What time did you stop looking? Did Gerry also stop at the same time?
Question for Diane Webster
It has been reported that when Kate raised the alarm you were the only member of the group to remain seated. Why did you not go with the others to find out what had happened?
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Sunday April 27 2008
It Is almost a year since Madeleine McCann disappeared without trace from her family's apartment in the small seaside Portuguese town of Praia da Luz.
This weekend the holiday village is quiet and peaceful. The summer has arrived with warm winds and cloudless skies. The sunshine attracts visiting families and young Portuguese teenagers to the famously golden sandy beach. On the surface, things are back to normal; business as usual. However, just the mention of the name "Madeleine" leads to pursed lips, stiffened shoulders and attitudes of angry frustration from the locals.
This week the town is waiting nervously amid rumours that the Portuguese police plan to stage a re-enaction of the events of that night. The McCanns have spoken about their reservations at joining such an endeavour, natural enough for them under the circumstances as they are still official suspects in the case.
The locals, too, are undecided about the merit of such an undertaking. One tells me that the media circus which will inevitably follow such an event will drive away business. others admit that until there is some sort of resolution to the case, their small town will remain a place to be avoided by many holidaying families.
Many are suspicious of journalists and, though ready to chat, reluctant to give their names or anything else which can identify them.
Kelly's Irish Bar, three minutes' walk from the Mark Warner Complex where the McCanns stayed, is -- allegedly -- one of the places visited by Gerry and Kate McCann during their brief stay on the peninsula.
The manager, Mary, is a friendly native of Donegal who has lived in Portugal for the past 20 years. She describes how badly affected the town -- which relies on tourism -- was by Madeleine's disappearance.
"People just packed up and left. They cancelled their holidays and they will never come back. This was always considered to be a very, very safe place for children. I used to let my own boy -- now eight -- walk from here down the road to where his father worked at Chaplin's restaurant. Now, I'm terrified of letting him go anywhere on his own.
"Because there has been no conclusion, because nobody really knows what happened to Madeleine, people will continue to fear for their children. It's a dreadful situation for the town." Mary shares the incomprehension of the locals at the child-minding arrangements that the McCanns and their friends had in place.
"I bring my son everywhere," she tells me. "They could have brought their children with them to Chaplin's or wherever else they wanted to go. Or, even if they didn't want to use the complex's babysitting service, why on earth didn't they just do what you or I would do? Which is take turns minding them.
"People here just don't understand. It's a complete mystery to us."
Recently, details emerged that Madeleine had "scolded her parents" for leaving her and her siblings alone the night before she was abducted.
According to the TV station Telechino, the Portuguese police had taken a statement from Kate McCann soon after the kidnapping where she reportedly said that on the morning of May 3, Madeleine had asked, "Mummy, why didn't you come when we were crying last night?"
Kate McCann reportedly added: "Gerry and I agreed to keep a closer watch over the children."
The Portuguese locals believe that "keeping a closer watch over the children" meant that the McCanns and their friends stayed within the bounds of the complex, checking intermittently on the children -- one of whom (not a McCann) was ill -- when they met later that night, rather than heading to restaurants or bars outside.
Not just here in Luz, but everywhere, that news of the details of that night has travelled. There has been criticism of the McCanns for leaving three small children alone in a strange apartment while they socialised with friends.
"In Portugal, we absolutely adore children," said another local. "We just cannot get our heads around the fact that these small babies were on their own in a town where children are always welcome, no matter what time of night or day."
I tell her that in a documentary due to be screened this week on ITV, Kate McCann is understood to explain that they would have used a baby-listening service had one been available, but because there wasn't they decided instead to leave the children alone and make regular checks on them.
"There was a babysitting facility and an evening creche available, why didn't they use that," she asks.
I have no answer for her, being totally unable to comprehend the McCanns' actions with regard to the welfare of their children.
Some of the locals I spoke to, despite feeling frustrated with the actions of the McCanns, and the unwelcome media attention on their town, still felt sympathy with them for the terrible tragedy which had occurred.
Others are still angry at the way they feel the McCanns manipulated the media and demonised the Portuguese police and, by extension, the Portuguese people.
The collateral damage is everywhere. One Portuguese woman I meet, Mieke, is a close friend of Robert Murat, a man who remains a suspect in the case.
What she and Murat's other friends find very upsetting is the treatment meted out to Robert, whom -- they claim -- was initially asked by the Portuguese police to help them with the case.
"Robert is one of the most caring men I know," Mieke says. "His life has been ruined all because of a chance comment by a journalist. He has been treated like a criminal by the police. His business has been destroyed.
"In his job he would have had many English families as clients. What family would deal with a man who is officially suspected of kidnapping -- or worse -- a child of one of their compatriots?"
Mieke tells me that Murat has now decided to sue the Portuguese government as well as all the media outlets which ran stories against him.
"And I think he's right to do so. Unless they find Madeleine -- either dead or alive -- Robert's name will never be cleared, and there was never a shred of evidence against him in the first place."
One could also argue that both Gerry and Kate McCann -- official suspects who were subjected to intense interrogation -- are in a similar situation. And they also have the loss of a daughter to deal with.
Such a view gets little sympathy from Mieke and her friends.
They do not understand why the McCanns have not been punished for what they see as gross neglect of their children: "If you or I left a child repeatedly alone, social services would be called in."
Later that evening, I watch a fireworks display in the nearby town of Lagos. Despite the late hour -- it is past midnight -- the square is filled with young, excited children enjoying the festivities with their parents.
To the Portuguese people, the fact that the McCanns repeatedly left their much-loved Madeleine alone -- while they socialised with friends -- is just as much a mystery to them as her later disappearance.
Sunday, 27 April 2008 12:56:06 o'clock BST
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1025/primetime_av.html?2303071,null,230
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