McCann Parents Named as Suspects..

[Fandango 1,439]

Last Updated: Saturday, 8 September 2007, 06:32 GMT 07:32 UK

McCann parents named as suspects

Portuguese police have named both parents of Madeleine McCann as formal suspects in her disappearance.

Gerry McCann was officially given "arguido" status about 12 hours after his wife Kate. They had been questioned separately for more than 24 hours.

No bail conditions or charges have been imposed and both deny any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance on 3 May.

Earlier, a family spokesman said Portuguese police believed Kate McCann had killed her daughter accidentally.

Asked whether the couple, both 39, were still protesting their innocence, family spokesman David Hughes said: "They certainly are."

'Very low'

Mr McCann refused to speak to reporters as he left police headquarters in Portimao after eight hours of questioning.

It is understood Kate McCann was told she would only face two years in prison if she confessed.

She underwent a second day of questioning on Friday.

Under Portuguese law, police are not allowed to publicly give details of ongoing investigations.

Jon Corner, a close family friend, said Kate McCann had told him officers had tried to "cut her a deal" where she would only serve two years in jail.

He added that she was feeling "very down, very low" and "deflated".

Another family representative said officers believed that traces of four-year-old Madeleine's blood were in the McCanns' car, hired 25 days after she vanished.

Mr McCann arrived at the police headquarters at 1535 BST. He was not questioned with Mrs McCann, who left shortly afterwards.

'Ordinary family'

The "suspect" status allows the authorities to put certain questions to Mr and Mrs McCann, and also gives them the right to remain silent.

ARGUIDO/ARGUIDA STATUS

Officially a suspect

Bestowed by police or requested by individual

Right to remain silent

Right to a lawyer

Must report to police every five days

The first formal suspect was Robert Murat, a British man living locally.

Mr and Mrs McCann have not been arrested or charged.

McCann family spokesman David Hughes said: "She is suspected of accidentally killing her daughter."

In his latest diary entry on a website publicising the search for Madeleine, Mr McCann wrote: "The suggestion that Kate is involved in Madeleine's disappearance is ludicrous.

"Anyone who knows anything about 3 May knows that Kate is completely innocent. We will fight this all the way and we will not stop looking for Madeleine."

Meanwhile, friends of the family said that Mrs McCann has been told by her lawyer that she could be charged in connection with the disappearance of her daughter.

It is understood that after questioning Mrs McCann on Thursday, police said they had 22 questions they wanted to ask her during Friday's interview.

more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6983604.stm

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

Well isn't it suspiscious that they find the little girls blood in the car the family rented 25 days PRIOR to announcing her missing?

I read that Portugal even offered the mother a deal that if she admitted the girl was murdered "accidentally" that she would only get 2 yrs. I'm not sure how you accidentally murder your child.

Yesterday on my local news I also heard that UK was conducting the testing DNA found and such... since this happened in Portugal, why isnt Portugal doing it? All weird....

[Fandango 1,439]

I just don't understand how the parents went to dinner, leaving the children alone. Now this doesn't make them murderers, mind you...

[PaulineA 1]

Well isn't it suspiscious that they find the little girls blood in the car the family rented 25 days PRIOR to announcing her missing?

The report states they found the girls blood 25 days AFTER she went missing. Anyway, the parents should most certainly be questioned as all possible avenues should be investigated. The worst thing is that they left her in the hotel while they went to a restaurant. What responsible parent does something like that? Maybe they aren't murderers, but there actions are questionable. I just hope they find whoever killed the little girl and that they get what they deserve.

[Lansbury 19]

The DNA was tested in the UK because it was a team of British detectives and forensic officers who found it.

I have to say I cannot understand at the very least why the Portuguese haven't taken a firmer line on the children being left alone.

[StillThePrettiest 3]

a 'firmer line'? like what? prison for being bad parents?

I don't think what they did was wise, but there are parents doing far worse than this every day of the week... and I think that whatever the McCanns are or aren't, if they're telling the truth about the abduction then they've been incredibly unlucky; this certainly isn't a normal situation

as for the blood, the way I read it they found it recently, and the 25 days refers to when they hired the car - they didn't even lease it til 25 days after Madeleine's disappearance, in which case the blood is a red herring

anyone know of the Azaria Chamberlain case? this is starting to sound awfully like it... mother criticised for leaving the baby, 'blood' (which turned out not to be) found in the car... of course that case ended in false imprisonment for a number of years; let's hope that whatever happens here is at least right and just...

[Mags 112]

I'm not surprised, to be honest. Something has never rang true in this case, the parents always seemed, well, can't think of the correct word, but just "not right".

Course, can't arrest someone for "not right" but you can be suspicious of them. Seems the police are too, probably let them do all the publicity in the hopes that they'd slip up.

In answer to another question mentioned here, it is relatively common to kill someone accidentally, that's why there is a "manslaughter" charge...

Edited September 10, 2007 by Mags

[Aymerlu 3]

Well isn't it suspiscious that they find the little girls blood in the car the family rented 25 days PRIOR to announcing her missing?

The report states they found the girls blood 25 days AFTER she went missing. Anyway, the parents should most certainly be questioned as all possible avenues should be investigated. The worst thing is that they left her in the hotel while they went to a restaurant. What responsible parent does something like that? Maybe they aren't murderers, but there actions are questionable. I just hope they find whoever killed the little girl and that they get what they deserve.

That is the thing that I can never understand. Why the heck do you leave your small children alone while you go out dining with friends? I don't care that they were close by.....it just isn't right.

[featherB 1]

I'm not surprised, to be honest. Something has never rang true in this case, the parents always seemed, well, can't think of the correct word, but just "not right".

Agreed... there's just seemed something very 'not right' about them (and the way they've gone about the publicity etc) all along. As for leaving the children alone in the apartment... I'm surprised the parents have had so much sympathy in (what I've seen of) the British tabloids - can you imagine how the Daily Mail etc would be reporting it if it were some slightly more, uh, working-class couple who'd left their kids alone every evening while they went off to some bar? They'd have been going totally Nancy Grace on their arses from day 1, surely!!

[Mags 112]

I'm not surprised, to be honest. Something has never rang true in this case, the parents always seemed, well, can't think of the correct word, but just "not right".

Agreed... there's just seemed something very 'not right' about them (and the way they've gone about the publicity etc) all along. As for leaving the children alone in the apartment... I'm surprised the parents have had so much sympathy in (what I've seen of) the British tabloids - can you imagine how the Daily Mail etc would be reporting it if it were some slightly more, uh, working-class couple who'd left their kids alone every evening while they went off to some bar? They'd have been going totally Nancy Grace on their arses from day 1, surely!!

Oh I totally agree with you here, feather. If the parents were working class (or unemployed) and were holidaying in Spain somewhere I can imagine what the headlines would have been like. But because Madeline's parents are doctors and therefore higher educated they are offered support from the press.

Oh yes, I'd like a slice of double standards with my cuppa, thanks.

[Captain Oates 910]

This post is a mixture of blind ignorance and wrong facts along with some correct facts and correct law.

Some class hatred/prejudice by 'working class' people as well

Aren't we supposed to encourage people to get educated and get professional jobs rather than having a pop at them because they 'made it' in society - a dose of envy around I reckon. Says a lot about us Brits and whether class envy and hatred has really gone away.

Well the Guardian readers will think one thing and the Sun readers will think something else.

I read neither which doesn't mean I don't read.

I wouldn't like to think some contributors to this thread were on any jury trying me - far to quick to presume guilt and confused about what constitutes murder etc.

Murder is the killing of a human being, by a human being, with 'Malice aforethought' either expressed or implied

If being dour and unemotional was proof of guilt then our prime minister Mr Brown should be behind bars now..

Why not just let the law take it's course instead of pre-judging ...We presume they are innocent at this monent don't we ? as good Brits or Americans we are duty bound to think that way - its the law.

They may well be as as innocenct as OJ was shown to be - and if they aren't then they would still get off if some portuguese policeman had called them an 'english pig'

[Mags 112]

Some class hatred/prejudice by 'working class' people as well

My take on this is that we were slagging off the Daily Mail, which is one of the worst newspapers in the UK, imo.

Aren't we supposed to encourage people to get educated and get professional jobs rather than having a pop at them because they 'made it' in society - a dose of envy around I reckon. Says a lot about us Brits and whether class envy and hatred has really gone away.

Again, we were having a pop at the newspaper. I personally, don't judge people by their standard of education, but if something isn't "right" about the way someone acts I WILL say my piece regardless of whether they are the Queen, or Joe Bloggs next door.

I wouldn't like to think some contributors to this thread were on any jury trying me - far to quick to presume guilt and confused about what constitutes murder etc.

Why not just let the law take it's course instead of pre-judging ...We presume they are innocent at this monent don't we ? as good Brits or Americans we are duty bound to think that way - its the law.

They may well be as as innocenct as OJ was shown to be - and if they aren't then they would still get off if some portuguese policeman had called them an 'english pig'

Again, personally, I was commenting on the behaviour of the "suspects". Last time I looked we were able to do this. It's a message board, people comment about all manner of things, some of which we won't all agree with. *shrugs*

Edited September 13, 2007 by Mags

[Lizzy 0]

Its dot Cotton!

[featherB 1]

Wow... you managed to extrapolate rather a lot from a few short posts, saywhat - and you seem to have made rather a lot of incorrect assumptions there. First of all, I realise that my post might come across as sounding like people shouldn't be sympathetic towards the McCanns - not what I meant at all, of course they deserve sympathy, they've lost their daughter. I was simply saying that a different family would have certainly got very different treatment from the media (and not saying that's right, either) - they'd have been absolutely hauled over the coals from day one. Think how many times the tabloids have devoted a week or more to the 'shame' of some feckless chavvy single mother type for leaving her kids alone while she nips down the pub, or similar... I've seen it time and time again. Had it been a slightly different group of nine people going away and going out NIGHT AFTER NIGHT leaving very young children alone... well, the Sun, Mail et al would have been baying for their blood and demanding that Social Services get involved. Again - I am NOT saying the McCanns should have been subject to that kind of treatment, not at all - just commenting on the double standards that those papers exercise. I thought that was so obvious it should go without saying...

Some class hatred/prejudice by 'working class' people as well

Who? Which 'working class' people?

I wouldn't like to think some contributors to this thread were on any jury trying me - far to quick to presume guilt and confused about what constitutes murder etc.

Murder is the killing of a human being, by a human being, with 'Malice aforethought' either expressed or implied

Again, not sure who you're talking about here. Who has presumed guilt? (Thanks for explaining what murder is, though, who knew?) Personally, I would find it VERY hard to believe that the parents have been guilty of anything other than being rather lax and neglectful, and suffering hideously disproportionate consequences for it.

Why not just let the law take it's course instead of pre-judging ...We presume they are innocent at this monent don't we ? as good Brits or Americans we are duty bound to think that way - its the law.

Um, I'll be sure to let the law take its course, thanks. I thought what we were doing here was having a discussion, which I was under the impression was among the purposes of this forum. Again, no 'pre-judging' here, at least from me - and even if I was going to pre-judge anything, I would NOT be giving the verdict you seem to assume.

Edited September 13, 2007 by featherB

[Mags 112]

Here is an interesting article about the case. Edited September 13, 2007 by Mags