Video and transcript of the Antena 3 interview, 24 October 2007

The complete Antena 3 interview   Transcript by Nigel Moore   Robert Arce: (not shown on Sky News clip) After six months since the disappearance of Madeleine, how are you feeling? How is your strength?   Kate McCann: I feel lonely and, errm... life's obviously not as happy without Madeleine, errm... but, you know, I still have hope... we still have hope, errm...   Gerry McCann: Definitely. You know, we're still... she's out there, we believe that.   Kate McCann: I just feel anxious that she's out there and she's not with us.   RA: I want to ask about your other two children. How are they - Amelie and Sean - do they ask about Madeleine?   Kate McCann: I mean, they... they do ask about Madeleine and Madeleine was very much a big part of their life, errm... and they ask where she is but they're not upset, they're not distressed but they're obviously very aware that she's not there, especially being home, errm... and I guess it... it's hard for us, as parents, to imagine, errm... the fun they'd be having together, the three of them, if Madeleine was there, errm...   Gerry McCann: I think the hardest thing for me is when they... they say things to us like 'When is Madeleine coming back home?' and, you know, we have to say that we don't know but everyone's looking for her.   Kate McCann: Yeah, we say that, and I... I did say things like 'We're looking for her' and 'We're finding Madeleine' and things, and then... I mean Amelie said the other day, she just said, errm... it wasn't to me actually, it was to my friend, she just said 'Madeleine's coming home to my lovely house and I'm going to share my toys with her'.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: I mean there's a couple of reasons why we haven't spoken, errm... there's obviously quite a lot that we haven't been able to... to speak about, in the last couple of months, errr... with circumstances, errm... and if I'm honest, I've been a little bit, errm... disheartened, disillusioned with the media coverage and I think now, I mean, you mentioned the six months, and it's... it's a long time to be without Madeleine and we believe she's out there and we just want to appeal again, once more, to the people of Portugal, Spain and North Africa to help us, really, and that's why we've got a new central phone number that people can ring, errm...   RA: Do you still maintain that Madeleine is alive?   Kate McCann: I do, maybe even more so, I strongly believe that Madeleine is out there, errm... I think she's probably in someone's house, I don't know why, errm... and I... I suppose it's a feeling but I feel, as Madeleine's mummy, I feel in my heart really that she's there and I don't... I don't believe Madeleine has been taken away fom us permanently. I don't believe that. Don't feel it.   Gerry McCann: I don't know who would harm her.   Kate McCann: I don't think anybody could harm someone as beautiful as Madeleine and I... I don't say beautiful as in her appearance, I mean beautiful as she is a beautiful little person and I don't think anybody would harm her.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: Just a happy little girl. A beautiful, happy little girl.   Gerry McCann: Just think of all the times... the nice times that we've had in our house, and her in playing, in the playroom with her... with her... the twins.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: Definitely. I mean, I think, you know, the public can help so much, I think, if people know something, if they can, errm... just, I guess, search their heart, really. Somebody knows something and they might not realise it, they might just suspect something but every... everybody can make a difference to this. It's not about us, we miss her like crazy, but this is Madeleine, this is a four-year-old girl, we haven't even seen her since she's been four. You know Madeleine's there and she needs our help. She needs to be with her family, you know...   Gerry McCann: As parents we're just... we're asking... as parents for people to try and reunite an innocent four-year-old girl with her parents.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: 100%. 100%.   Voice off-camera: Of everyone?   Kate McCann: Of our friends, yes.   Gerry McCann: Absolutely... and... but... you know, the same way that we will be eliminated, they will, as well. No doubt in my mind about that. We are much more optimistic about what Mr Ribeiro, the national director, and Mr Rebelo are saying that all lines of inquiry are open and we know, because of our... we know we are innocent, we know that she was taken.   RA: Question in Spanish   Gerry McCann: We can't really talk in detail about the arguido status but I... the way I understand it is, the arguido status is to give... defend your own rights, so if the police want to ask questions, difficult questions, they have to make you arguido, so, that, in itself, isn't a problem. We've not been charged with anything, the investigation continues and we will be eliminated and the key thing is: Madeleine is out there, and everyone...   Kate McCann: And, as traumatic as it's been, it's secondary, it really is secondary. I'll take anything that's thrown at me but number one is getting my daughter back, without doubt.   RA: Many people are asking here in Spain if you, the parents, have been unjustly accused about the disappearance of your daughter and do you think the reaction should have been more open and less cold?   Gerry McCann: I think it's hard, errm... if people are reading everyday that someone has done something, or is guilty of something, it's hard to ignore it but, you know, we've always said... always said that, you know, we will wait for the facts and... and to look at what the official statements are saying and that scenario hasn't changed, errm... I don't know how some of the things have been published, errr... and we have asked for responsible reporting, errm... and we still ask for that but the key thing, for us, is finding out where Madeleine is.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: After being made arguido? You know, we know the truth. I know I'm innocent. Gerry knows he's innocent. We know each other are innocent and that to me, it... it was actually quite calming, 'cause I thought, we're innocent, we're totally innocent and we know that and...   Gerry McCann: I think, as well, that you've got to remember, it was, errm... it was over four months since Madeleine disappeared and nothing, nothing that's happened to us in this time...   Kate McCann: That's right.   Gerry McCann: ... has come close to upsetting us the way we felt when we discovered Madeleine missing.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: Well, they're not gonna show anything to implicate us, so I'm not... you know, I'm not concerned, if I'm honest.   Gerry McCann: We're certainly not scared, you know, if there is anything in the DNA results and we don't know them and we... we cannot know them, and I don't believe anyone in the press knows them either, but there is nothing in those DNA tests, related to Kate and I, that will show anything other than completely innocent. Errm... Whether that is enough to eliminate us, I don't know, but we will be eliminated, I'm confident of that because we have done nothing.   RA: Question is Spanish   Kate McCann: I mean it's 'Please help us'; 'Please help us as a family'; 'Please help us find Madeleine'; 'Please help Madeleine'; 'Please, if you know any information at all, or you suspect anything, no matter how small, please, you know, just... find it in yourself, really, have that courage to make that call to the new number and help us bring Madeleine home'.   RA: Question in Spanish   Gerry McCann: I... I don't think so, errr... that it is bad. We... you know, she's been missing for almost six months now and the longer that goes on the more, errm... high risk or aggressive the strategy for us is. We have waited and been incredibly patient. Clearly the media attention has never gone away...   Kate McCann: Yeah...   Gerry McCann: ...it's never gone away...   Kate McCann: I mean, we haven't spoken for long and, it... you know...   Gerry McCann: ...and, errm...   Kate McCann: ...day after day Madeleine's in the paper, or on the front page, and we've said nothing.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: It's a little bit like as I mentioned before, she was very happy, errm... and very loving and, you know, I know Madeleine was very happy with her life. She's special.   RA: You were the last one to see Madeleine because Gerry was playing tennis. Is that right?   Kate McCann: I can't...   Gerry McCann: I saw her... I saw her and, errm... I thought how beautiful she was and how lucky I was to be the father of three children.   RA: You deny that you have ever given your children sedatives to make them sleep?   Kate McCann: You know, I'm not even going to answer that question, I'm afraid...   Gerry McCann: I mean, that... it's ludicrous and, you know, these sort of questions, and the publishing of them, are nonsense and we shouldn't be giving them the time of day. There is absolutely no suggestion, errm... that Madeleine or the children were drugged and it's outrageous.   Kate McCann: All I'm going to say is: I'm Madeleine's mummy, I know she was taken from that apartment and she's out there and I want her back. I mean that... that is all, I mean, everything else, I'm sorry, is... is rubbish.   RA: Question in Spanish   Kate McCann: What do you think? We're very close.   Gerry McCann: We're completely together in this and we're united in the search for Madeleine... our... our daughter.   RA: Is there anything that you regret?   Gerry McCann: Not from the minute we found her gone.   RA: In Spain everyone hopes that Madeleine returns to you alive and well.

Spanish language version with Gerry's end comment included

Spanish language version with Gerry's end comment included elmundo.es At the end of the Antena 3 interview, one of the cameras continued to record the McCanns, as they waited to have their microphones removed.   The resultant footage shows a seemingly displeased Gerry turn to Kate and mutter something.   What Gerry said has been the source of much debate and has been quoted as: 'Don't say anything to whoever is calling', 'Don't say anything till they've taken off your microphone', and even - on the Nancy Grace show - 'Honey, be quiet while you're still miked up. Don't say another word.'   My personal belief, having listened many times, is that Gerry says: 'Do you want to say anything to whoever's got her'. Perhaps belatedly trying to prompt Kate, who had forgotten to make a previously rehearsed address to Madeleine's alleged abductor.   The Spanish version of the interview, above, includes this end section, so readers can form their own opinion of what Gerry actually says.

Tears: McCanns Give Emotional TV Interview, 25 October 2007

Tears: McCanns Give Emotional TV Interview Sky News   6:29am UK, Thursday October 25, 2007   Kate McCann has choked back tears during her first interview since being named a suspect in her daughter Madeleine's disappearance. Kate McCann on Antena 3 Mrs McCann and her husband Gerrytold Spanish TV they were innocent of any wrongdoing - and were certain they would be eliminated from the Portuguese police inquiry.   The missing girl's parents talked about their personal and legal situation, and hit back at claims made by newspapers in Portugal and Britain.   They also spoke of the heartache of being separated from their daughter for nearly six months - but added they were sure she was still alive and would one day return home.   "I feel very lonely, and our lives are obviously not as happy without Madeleine," Mrs McCann said.   "I just feel anxious that she's out there and she's not with us."   She said their other two children, twins Sean and Amelie, kept asking when Madeleine would come home, although they were not "upset or distressed".   Mr McCann also said they were not worried about the outcome of the DNA tests taken in Portugal that some newspapers claimed would incriminate them.   "There's nothing in those DNA tests that will show we're anything other than completely innocent," he said.   "We'll be eliminated (from the inquiry), because we've done nothing."   When asked whether the couple sedated their children - a question which Kate McCann refused point-blank to answer - Mr McCann firmly dismissed the accusation as "ludicrous".   Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell told Sky News investigators had advised the couple to do the interview as a way of raising awareness about a new hotline set up for people to call with information about Madeleine's disappearance (+34 902 300 213).   He agreed that the interview had been a difficult one for Mrs McCann.   "She is strong throughout most of the interview - it's only towards the end that she becomes visibly upset," he said.   "She is a mother who had lost her child, let's not forget that.   "Kate and Gerry have gone through their own personal heartache and grief. They've just chosen for various good reasons not to show it in public."

McCanns: 'Important clues suggest Madeleine will be found in Spain', 25 October 2007

McCanns: 'Important clues suggest Madeleine will be found in Spain' Daily Mail   By DUNCAN ROBERTSON Last updated at 08:00 25 October 2007   The McCanns were hoping for a flood of calls in response to their latest appeal.   Their TV interviewer Roberto Arce revealed afterwards that the parents believe Madeleine is in Spain and that there are "important clues" to that effect.   Their decision to speak first to the Spanish network Antena 3 was taken on the advice of private investigators based in Spain, who have been hired by the couple to find the youngster.   They hope the broadcast, which will be shown across the Iberian peninsula and North Africa, will reinvigorate the search for the missing girl.   The McCanns' investigators have set up a 24-hour hotline to accept calls, manned by operators able to speak several languages including English, Spanish, Arabic and Portuguese.   It is the first time the McCanns have openly admitted that private investigators - illegal in Portugal during a police investigation - are working for them in other countries. Interview: Kate and Gerry McCann appeared on the Spanish TV network Antena 3 last night   On Monday the couple gave interviews to Spain's three leading newspapers, saying there was a "very real possibility" their daughter has not been killed.   Mr McCann told El Mundo: "There is a very real possibility that Madeleine is alive and we want the police to look for her."   He added: "The possibility that Madeleine is alive and in Spain is real.   "It is something we did not consider at the beginning, but now we are seriously weighing up. The border between the two countries is very big.   "If someone had a car, it is clear they could cross into Spain. There is no border guard and no one closed the border the night Madeleine disappeared."

Kate McCann's TV Tears Hint At Madeleine Grief, 25 October 2007

Kate McCann's TV Tears Hint At Madeleine Grief Sky News   4:20pm UK, Thursday October 25, 2007   Tears shed by Kate McCann during a televised interview are nothing compared to the grief she has hidden from the cameras, the family's spokesman has said. The McCanns in the interview The couple, whose daughter was last seen nearly six months ago, gave the emotional interview to a Spanish TV network in order to publicise a new hotline for people to ring with information about Madeleine.   In the interview, the McCanns talked about life without their daughter, and remembered Madeleine as a "very loving and very happy" little girl.   "I feel sad and I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine," said Mrs McCann, who added: "I feel anxious she is not with us."   Mr McCann described how one of the most difficult things about life without his first-born child was having to tell his twin children that he did not know when their big sister would be coming back.   "The hardest thing for me is when the twins say 'when is Madeleine coming back home?' and we have to say 'we don't know, but everyone is looking for her'," he said.   The interview, which shows Mrs McCann breaking down towards the end of the reporter's questions, was billed as revealing a rare public show of emotion from the couple.   Their composure in previous televised appeals has attracted criticism and suspicion from some commentators - a response spokesman Clarence Mitchell has described as "the height of arrogance".   He told Sky News: "I would suggest to anyone who criticises Kate, in particular, for being cold and calm and a little strange, ask how you would react if your child was missing in these circumstances.   "It is the height of arrogance, I feel, to suggest that somebody must act in a certain way. To suggest that if she has not cried it is wrong.   "Kate and Gerry cry a lot in private. I have seen it. But it doesn't prove anything. They are normal emotional human beings like you and me."   Later, the McCanns said the phone line, which is manned by private detectives and targeted at Spain, Portugal and north Africa, had drawn "a very good response".   However, they would not comment on the number of calls made to the +34 902 300213 number or whether any new leads had developed.   Mr Mitchell said: "I can confirm we have already had a very good response to our confidential, anonymous phone line in Spain.   "However, we will not be commenting on the volume of calls being received or whether any fresh lines are being pursued.   "As this is a private investigation it will remain exactly that - private."

'Don't say anything until they've turned off microphone', Gerry warns Kate on Spanish TV, 25 October 2007

'Don't say anything until they've turned off microphone', Gerry warns Kate on Spanish TV Daily Mail   Last updated at 15:46 25 October 2007   Gerry McCann warned his wife: "Don't say anything till they've taken off your microphone" as she broke down in tears at the end of an interview on Spanish television.   Kate started sobbing as the 30-minute interview by a Spanish TV presenter drew to a close.   But instead of turning to comfort her, Gerry's immediate reaction was to whisper the warning in extraordinary scenes played out to millions of viewers.   The couple were savaged in a phone vote which accompanied an exclusive interview they gave to late-night programme 360 grados on Spain's Antena 3. Tears: Kate McCann wept last night as she told Spanish TV that she clung to the belief that Madeleine is still alive   Nearly 70 per cent of the callers said they thought the McCanns were not telling the truth about their daughter's disappearance while only 30 per cent gave the couple their backing.   Gerry nearly stormed out of the television interview after being quizzed over drugging his children.   Sources said Mr McCann was "fuming" at being asked a question that the Spanish interviewer had promised not to pose. Mr McCann stormed out of a previous interview with another Spanish TV channel.   A source said today: "Kate and Gerry were annoyed towards the end of the interview because of the drugs question. Gerry was on the verge of another walkout."   A source close to the McCanns insisted Gerry's warning to Kate followed a question about allegations they had drugged their daughter which the programme makers had been told they could not ask.   The source said: "Kate was very upset she was asked the question and Gerry was furious. "What was said wasn't said because they have anything to hide." Anguish: Kate McCann, sitting next to husband Gerry, struggled to control her emotions during the interview   The anguished mother-of-three said: "As Madeleine's Mummy I feel in my heart that she is there.   "I don't know how anyone could harm anyone as beautiful as Madeleine."   In her first television interview since she was named as an official suspect in the search for Madeleine, she said she was as confident of finding her daughter alive now as she was on the day she went missing nearly six months ago.   "Maybe even more so," she said. "I think she is possibly being held by someone in their house but I don't know.   "I strongly believe Madeleine is out there and we have to do everything we can."   The 39-year-old GP broke down as she told how her life felt incomplete without her daughter, whose fourth birthday passed shortly after she disappeared.   "I feel sad and I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine," she said.   "I feel anxious she is not with us."   The cameras were stopped while she composed herself.   When the interview resumed Mrs McCann revealed how her two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie ask about their big sister.   She said Amelie told her: "Madeleine is coming home to my lovely house and I am going to share my toys with her."   She continued: "They do ask about Madeleine. Madeleine was a big part of their life.   "They are not upset and they are not distressed but they are very much aware she is not there."   Her husband Gerry said: "The hardest thing for me is when they say, 'When is Madeleine coming back home?' and we have to say, 'We don't know but everyone is looking for her'."   Mrs McCann broke down again at the end of the interview when she was asked about the last time she saw her daughter.   She said: "She was very happy and very loving and I know Madeleine was very happy with her life. She is special."   Mr and Mrs McCann gave their first television interview to the Spanish channel Antena 3 as they launched a new hotline targeting people in Spain, Portugal and North Africa, appealing to them for clues as to their daughter's fate.   They had been warned by their legal team that they could be prosecuted for talking publicly while still bound by the strict Portuguese secrecy laws.   But their lawyers cleared them to speak last week.   Broadcasters from all over the world, including Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters, had asked for the first broadcast interview, but the family wanted to target the Iberian peninsula.   Mrs McCann said: "Somebody knows something. It is not about us. It is about Madeleine.   "We have not even seen her since she was four. She needs our help. She needs her family."   Mr McCann, also 39, added: "We want people to try to help reunite our lovely four-year-old girl with her parents."   The couple said they were confident they would be cleared of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.   Mrs McCann declared herself "100 per cent" sure while Mr McCann said he was "much more optimistic" since a new officer, Paulo Rebelo, was appointed to the case.   The consultant cardiologist said: "We have not been charged with anything. Investigations are continuing. The only thing is finding Madeleine."   His wife added: "It really is secondary. I will take anything that is thrown at me."   Mrs McCann defended her and her husband against accusations they had seemed calm and "too cool" in the weeks and months after their daughter vanished.   "We know we are innocent, totally innocent. That is why we are calm. We know each other," she said.   Mr McCann said the couple remained "completely united" and added: "Nothing that has happened to us has come close to upsetting us the way Madeleine going missing did.   "We have our own heartache and grief but we are absolutely determined to help in the search."   He described the last time he saw his daughter, saying: "I was the last to see her. I saw her and thought how beautiful she was, and how lucky I was to be a father of three children."   The couple refused to discuss claims that DNA evidence was found in their apartment and their hire car, and dismissed claims that they sedated their children as "ludicrous".   But Mr McCann said: "We are certainly not scared.   "There is no evidence DNA tests will show anything other than us being completely innocent."   He said the group of friends who were with them in Praia da Luz - the so-called Tapas Nine - knew they were not involved in the disappearance.   He added: "They know we are innocent, absolutely. They will help us. They will clear our names."   Asked if he had any regrets, he replied: "Not from the minute we found Madeleine gone."   Roberto Arce, who interviewed the McCanns for the Spanish television programme 360 Grados, spoke later about the couple's demeanour and emotional state.   "Kate looked prostrate with pain," he said. "Much more depressed than I've ever seen her before. She cried for the first time.   "Gerry looked much happier with the massive campaign that's been put in place to find his daughter."   He added: "The McCanns don't say in the interview there are clues Madeleine - dead or alive - is in Spain.   "But privately they confessed afterwards there are.   "I can't say what they are and I'm not sure they're necessarily more solid than other leads.   "But they maintain there are, in Spain as well as in neighbours like Morocco, but that Spain's involvement in all this is very important."

70 per cent of callers to Spanish TV show think McCanns were lying, 25 October 2007

70 per cent of callers to Spanish TV show think McCanns were lying Daily Mail   Last updated at 20:52 25 October 2007   Nearly 70 per cent of the callers to a Spanish TV show said they thought the McCanns were not telling the truth about their daughter's disappearance.   The vote of no confidence from the Spanish public in the McCanns came after the couple chose a popular Spanish TV station for their first public interview since they were named offical suspects in the Madeleine's disappearance.   They reportedly chose Antena 3 ahead of better known broadcasters such as Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters because they believe their daughter is most likely to be in Spain, Portugal or north Africa.   The couple used the emotional televised interview to launch a confidential 24-hour phone line which they say has drawn a "very good response", according to Clarence Mitchell, the family spokesman.   Today, they revealed the phone line, which is manned by private detectives and targeted at Spain, Portugal and north Africa, had already brought people forward.   However, the McCanns would not comment on the number of calls made to the +34 902 300213 number or whether the calls had delivered any new leads.   Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, said: "I can confirm we have already had a very good response to our confidential, anonymous phone line in Spain.   "However, we will not be commenting on the volume of calls being received or whether any fresh lines are being pursued.   "As this is a private investigation it will remain exactly that - private."   Asked about the last time she saw Madeleine, she said: "She was very happy and very loving and I know Madeleine was very happy with her life. She is special."   The Portuguese police have backed the new phone line, said Mr Mitchell.

Kate: Maddie needs our help, 25 October 2007

Kate: Maddie needs our help The Sun   By ANTONELLA LAZZERI and CLODAGH HARTLEY Published: 25 Oct 2007   SOBBING Kate McCann battled to contain her emotion yesterday as she said: "Madeleine needs our help — she needs her family."   The anguished mum broke down time and again as she insisted she STILL believes her missing daughter is alive.   Red-eyed Kate, 39, said: "I don't know why anyone could harm her.   "I don't know how anyone could harm anyone as beautiful as Madeleine. I don't mean her appearance — I mean as a beautiful person.   "As Madeleine's mummy, I feel in my heart that she is out there and I want her back."   In a rare display of distress, GP Kate wept: "I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine. I feel anxious she is not with us. We have not even seen her since she was four. She needs our help."   The cameras stopped to allow Kate time to compose herself.   She went on to tell the interviewer: "I think she is possibly being held by someone in their house but I don't know. It is six months and I strongly believe Madeleine is out there and we want to do everything we can to find her.   "I don't believe Madeleine has been taken away from us permanently."   Kate poured out her heartache as she and husband Gerry, 39, spoke to a Spanish TV crew — in their first television interview since being named as suspects.   They were speaking to publicise a new phone hotline set up in Spain for anyone with information about Maddie to call.   Today The Sun will hand out posters in Spain and Portugal with the number in a bid to encourage witnesses to come forward.   Talking of the last time she saw her daughter just before she went missing, Kate said: "She was very happy and very loving and I know Madeleine was very happy with her life. She is special."   The McCanns, of Rothley, Leics, were asked if reports that they sedated their children were true.   Cardiologist Gerry replied: "It is ludicrous. These sort of questions are nonsense and we shouldn't be giving them the time of day.   "There is absolutely no suggestion that Madeleine, or the children, were drugged. It's outrageous."   Pain   Defiant Kate said of the claims: "I will take anything that is thrown at me. The only thing that matters is getting our daughter back."   A friend revealed that filming had to be interrupted several times as the couple broke down in tears.   The source said: "It is the most distressed I have seen them since they returned to Britain. It was especially hard for Kate. She broke down about four times and was struggling to go on at times.   "Gerry was also in tears. It was very, very difficult for them especially as the six-month anniversary of Maddie's disappearance moves nearer. No one can believe we are facing that already."   Roberto Arce, who interviewed them for the show 360 Degrees, said: "Kate looked prostrate with pain, much more depressed than I've seen her before."   In the interview, shown on Spanish TV channel Antena 3, Kate told of the utter torment she had suffered since May 3 when she discovered Maddie was missing from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.   Gerry's voice cracked as he told of his last memory of Madeleine.   He looked in on her to check she was all right as she slept next to twins Amelie and Sean, two.   Gerry left Kate at a nearby tapas bar with friends as he went to their apartment.   He said: "I was the last to see her. I saw her and thought how beautiful she was and thought how lucky I was to be a father of three children."   Gerry added: "We think of her all the time, think of the good times we had in our house."   Kate revealed how the twins have been pining for their big sister.   She said: "Amelie said, 'Madeleine is coming home to my lovely house and I am going to share my toys with her.'   "They do ask about Madeleine. She was very much a part of their life. They are not upset and are not distressed but they are very much aware that they are alone and she is not there."   Gerry clutched Kate's hand as he said: "The hardest thing for me is when they say, 'When is Madeleine coming back home?' We have to say, 'We don't know but everyone is looking for her.'"   He added: "There is no evidence she has been harmed so we really believe she is out there."   The couple were advised to do the TV interview by the Barcelona-based firm of private investigators who will be manning the hotline.   Its staff speak Portuguese, Spanish, French and Arabic.   The firm have told Kate and Gerry they should concentrate the search for Maddie on the Iberian peninsula and North Africa.   Explaining the hotline, Gerry said: "We want people to come forward with any information that can help find her. We want people to try to help reunite our beautiful four-year-old girl with her parents."   Kate added: "I strongly believe Madeleine is out there and we have to do everything we can.   "We want to appeal to the people of Spain, Portugal and North Africa to help us and to tell them we have a new central phone number for them to call. Somebody knows something. It is not about us. It is about Madeleine."   Cops want to re-interview the friends of the McCanns who were at the tapas bar.   Asked if the pals would back their version of events, Kate said: "We are a hundred per cent sure. We have one hundred per cent confidence in all of our friends." Gerry agreed: "They know we are innocent."   Gerry, who with his wife is still an official suspect, stressed: "We will be eliminated, they'll ensure we'll be eliminated from this inquiry. We know she was taken."   Asked how she felt about pending DNA test results, Kate said: "Well, they're not going to show anything to implicate us, so I'm not concerned, if I'm honest."   Gerry added: "We're certainly not scared. There is nothing in those DNA results related to Kate and I that will show anything other than completely innocence."   Kate also hit back at criticisms that she appeared unemotional and aloof on previous TV interviews. She explained: "We know what happened, we know we are innocent, totally innocent. That is why we are calm."   Gerry said: "Nothing that has happened to us has come close to upsetting us as the way Madeleine going missing did.   "We have our own heartache and grief but we are absolutely determined to help in the search for Madeleine." Kate said they found strength from their closeness as a couple.   Asked if they had any regrets, Gerry replied: "Not from the minute we found Madeleine gone."   The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Their renewed appeal is being made with the full knowledge and support of police in Portugal and Spain.   "All credible leads that come in will be passed on to the relevant police force."   The confidential information line number is 902 300 213 within Spain, and 0034 902 300 213 from outside the country.

Sobbing Kate McCann insists that Madeleine is alive and being held, 25 October 2007

Sobbing Kate McCann insists that Madeleine is alive and being held Timesonline David Brown in Praia da Luz October 1, 2007   Kate McCann wept uncontrollably yesterday as she said she believed that her daughter, Madeleine, may still be held captive in an abductor's home.   She revealed in her first television interview since she was made a suspect in Madeleine's disappearance that the family had recruited private detectives to collect information about sightings.   Mrs McCann said: "I think she is possibly being held by someone in their house, but I don't know. As Madeleine's mummy I feel in my heart that she is there.   "I don't know how anyone could harm anyone as beautiful as Madeleine. I don't mean her appearance, I mean as a beautiful person."   Mrs McCann and her husband, Gerry, have insisted that their daughter was abducted by a stranger from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3.   During an interview on a Spanish television programme broadcast last night she broke down after saying: "I feel sad and I feel lonely and our life is not as happy without Madeleine. I feel anxious she is not with us."   The McCanns gave the interview on the advice of private investigators, based in Spain, who have been hired by the couple. The investigators have set up a confidential 24-hour phone line to take calls on the case.   The McCanns had previously been warned that they could be prosecuted under Portuguese laws of judicial secrecy for speaking about the case.   However, their lawyers approved the interview on condition that they did not discuss evidence.   The couple spoke on the Spanish channel Antena 3 because they wanted to promote the helpline across the Iberian Peninsula and also North Africa. They are confident that the helpline does not break Portuguese laws banning outside involvement in criminal cases.   Mrs McCann, 39, said: "It is six months and I strongly believe Madeleine is out there and we have to do everything we can. Somebody knows something. It is not about us, it is about Madeleine. We have not even seen her since she was 4. She needs our help. She needs her family."   Mrs McCann, who is a GP, said that her two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, still asked about when their elder sister would be returning to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire.   "They are not upset and they are not distressed but they are very much aware she is not there," she said. "The hardest thing for me is when they \ say, 'When is Madeleine coming back home?' and we have to say, 'We don't know but everyone is looking for her'."   Gerry McCann, a consultant cardiologist, said: "The thing is we want people to come forward with any information whatsoever that can help to find her and we want them to be aware of this \ number."   The couple are suspected by Portuguese detectives of accidentally killing their daughter six days before of her fourth birthday and then illegally disposing of her body before inventing a claim that she had been abducted.   Three Portuguese detectives are expected to arrive in Britain this week to reinterview at least four of the seven British friends who were on holiday with the McCanns at the Ocean Club resort. The Portuguese detectives are expected to be present during interviews conducted by Leicestershire police officers.   Mr McCann said: "We have not been charged with anything. Investigations are continuing. We are certainly not scared. There is no evidence DNA tests will show anything other than us being completely innocent."   The information hotline is being operated by the Barcelona office of Método 3, one of Spain's best-known firms of private investigators. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Mr and Mrs McCann, insisted that the new helpline would not side-step the Portuguese police investigation into her disappearance.   "This, in effect, is going to be a complementary structure," he said. "One where our own investigators are able to chase things up very quickly, follow up any potential leads, and I would stress that any credible information that comes in to the phoneline is immediately shared with the respective police forces, either in Spain, Portugal or North Africa, depending on what the information is.   "This is not a sign of losing faith. We want this to be a collaborative exercise with the police."   The confidential information line is: 902 300213 within Spain and 0034 902 300213 from outside the country.   Days of hope and despair — May 3 Man seen carrying a child on the night of abduction — May 7 Police investigate a claim that a man was seen dragging a girl towards a marina near Praia da Luz — May 9 Police examine a CCTV tape from nearby service station that shows a girl fitting Madeleine’s description — June 21 Girl fitting Madeleine’s description reportedly seen in Malta — August 3 Details emerge of a possible sighting of Madeleine in Belgium. Child therapist says that she is 100 per cent sure she saw the girl at a restaurant in the Flemish town of Tongeren, not far from the Dutch border — August 23 Police in Spain investigate another sighting. Two women say that they saw a youngster matching Madeleine’s description with a man at a petrol station near Cartagena, in the south east of the country — September 26 The true identity of a blonde girl who was mistaken for Madeleine in Morocco is revealed

Kate cries like a poker player, 26 October 2007

Madeleine McCann Case: Kate cries like a poker player Correio da Manhã (article no longer available online)   26 October 2007 Thanks to Astro for translation   The key to the mystery lies "certainly with Kate, a very special and disturbed woman", guarantees José Cabrera Fornero to CM, a forensic psychiatrist who has been following the case since the beginning. The Spanish man attentively watched "the staged interview" that the couple gave to Antena 3, and its purpose was "to have the Spanish people on their side". But 70 percent of the viewers who called the channel believe the McCanns are lying, and the psychiatrist sides with them - "by crying without moving a single muscle, Kate looked like a poker player".   A specialist in facial expressions, Cabrera says that "the face of Kate is always the same, except for the tears - the first ones over the last five months, and curiously only after having been criticised for not crying". Now she did it but her face "doesn't express any emotion or feeling. When one cries, one's facial muscles move, and she didn't move a single muscle, just like poker players. That is highly significant", says the Spanish psychiatrist, and "brings us the certainty that she is hiding something".   Cabrera says the 30 minutes of conversation ended up being "a non-spontaneous interview, perfectly ordered in terms of the questions that were asked by the journalist. And it gives us the impression that the entire stance was staged by the couple".   The Spanish man even remembers Gerry's last sentence and even considers it "genial": "Don't talk until they take the microphone off you". This only proves that all of it was just a big theatre play, the entire interview was staged. That is clear".   José Cabrera noticed that "during half an hour of interview his only concern was to control her. It's extraordinary. Whenever she opened her mouth to speak, he squeezed her hand - and all of this because the key to this mystery certainly lies with her, she is a very special woman..."   Kate McCann "had psychiatric problems for a long time", the specialist guarantees, and "now they have become worse". Cabrera retained an interview that Maddie's grandparents gave to the Spanish television recently: "In their innocence, they said that Kate had told them, some time before the disappearance, that the little girl was looking increasingly like herself, which from a psychiatric point of view means a lot..."   For the Spaniard, the origin of a bad relationship between mother and daughter - that was reflected by the writings about Madeleine in Kate's personal diary - "which is highly significant" for all the specialists that have been following this case since early May".   Gerry's greatest concern has been "to control his wife's impulses in public - and that was once again well demonstrated throughout this interview", says José Cabrera Fornero. "He is the one who dominates the entire situation, he knows everything and he knows he must control her and her problematic personality, so she does not exceed herself in front of the cameras and talk too much..."   All the gestures and facial expressions "become fatal for someone who has something to hide" - this is dictated by the experience that was collected over the years by this specialist in forensic psychiatry. "And there is no way to avoid that."   Nothing moves José Cabrera "against this couple", whom he does not know, but he defended the McCanns' guilt in the 'Pros & Contras' show on RTP, when the Policia Judiciaria confirmed their suspicions on the couple - and yesterday he reinforced his theory to CM, one day after Kate and Gerry chose Spain for their first interview after becoming arguidos.   The English press itself confirmed yesterday that "70 percent of viewers that called Antena 3 believe the McCanns are lying", the online edition of the 'Daily Mail' announced.   José Cabrera was not surprised: "Any English person is cold, but there is something more to her - her personality is not normal. And she makes an impression by only worrying about her answers..."   "The interview was a circus act"   Moita Flores, criminologist, considers the interview was another act from the McCanns.   Correio da Manhã - What is your opinion about the McCanns during the interview they gave to Spanish television? Moita Flores - The whole thing looked like a circus act to me, during which the couple repeated the usual commonplaces, once again escaping the essential. And once again they revealed that they have a lot to tell, but they don't want to... CM - During this interview to Antena 3, Kate shows herself a lot more emotional that usual. MF - But the curious thing was that even before this interview was made, it was known the lady was going to cry, which then happened. And she even managed to play the part well... CM - Do you believe there was image staging during this interview? MF - One should notice that it was known beforehand that the couple would take the opportunity to compliment the Portuguese police, which then happened... CM - Gerry looks confident that the DNA tests cannot incriminate them. MF - When he mentioned the tests, it was a silly reply to a docile interviewer. Everybody knows that DNA tests identify people, and they don't lie. But they do not condemn anyone on their own. That was miserable. CM - How can the couple's statements be defined? MF - It was an act that nobody believes in. After the kidnapping theory, now they insist on their innocence. An innocent person does not need this...

'Poker face' Kate set to sue, 27 October 2007

'Poker face' Kate set to sue The Sun   By ONLINE REPORTERS Published: 27 Oct 2007   ANGRY Kate and Gerry McCann may sue over claims this week's emotional TV interview was "staged like theatre".   Kate, 39, was blasted as being like a "poker player" – and her heartfelt tears were called "part of the act" by a psychiatrist.   And Gerry, 39, "controlled" Kate in the Spanish TV broadcast, Jose Cabrera claimed.   Last night a pal of the McCanns said: "When the time is right they will take action against anyone who they feel has overstepped the mark.   "He is one more person on the list to sue.   "The people who criticised Kate when she managed to hold it together are now attacking her because she couldn't."   Kate and Gerry think daughter Madeleine, four – who vanished from Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 – may be in Spain.   On Monday they gave their first TV interview since they were named as suspects.   The couple, from Rothley, Leics, were warned not to show too much emotion after Maddie vanished in case an abductor "gets off on it".   But Kate finally broke down in the 30-minute interview.   Spanish facial expression specialist Cabrera, 50, said: "Kate seemed like a poker player.   "She holds the secret. When people cry, they move muscles in their face and she did not move one single muscle.   "Any English person is cold but she has something else."   He told a Portuguese paper Gerry controlled Kate, adding: "When she opened her mouth to talk he squeezed her hand. He knows he has to control her so she does not go to far."   And Portuguese criminologist Moita Flores called the interview "a circus act".   But the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry have nothing to hide. Our lawyers are watching carefully."   Kate's mum Susan Healy, 62, said: "You couldn't get a more heartfelt interview than that. They can't win either way."   And she reportedly called for people to be "kinder" to Kate saying, "I want people to start being kinder to Kate, she has enough to cope with.   "Yes, she is distressed at times and she can't smile that often at the moment. But she is very strong and she is going to fight on to get Madeleine back.   "People are saying she's at breaking point but she's not going to have a nervous breakdown."   Cops in Portugal are waiting for DNA test results.   Gerry has said he fears the analysis may not be enough to clear them.   Robert Murat, 33 – arrested 11 days after Maddie vanished – has asked to be reinterviewed in a bid to clear his name.

Be kind to Kate: Mother's desperate plea after astonishing attack on McCann's 'TV circus act', 27 October 2007

Be kind to Kate: Mother's desperate plea after astonishing attack on McCann's 'TV circus act' Daily Mail   By VANESSA ALLEN Last updated at 22:45 27 October 2007 Analysed: Kate McCann wipes away a tear on Spanish TV   The mother of Kate McCann has made a desperate and heartfelt appeal for the public to be 'kinder' to her daughter.   Susan Healy, 61, argued her Kate wasn't at breaking point but called for the public attacks on her daughter to stop: "I want people to start being kinder to Kate, she has enough to cope with.   "Yes, she is distressed at times and she can't smile that often at the moment. But she is very strong and she is going to fight on to get Madeleine back.   "People are saying she's at breaking point but she's not going to have a nervous breakdown."   Her mother's defence comes as Kate was left reeling after her tearful breakdown was savaged as 'a circus act' by critics who claimed it showed she had 'psychiatric problems'   Friends of Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry said they were stunned by the "vile criticism" about their behaviour during a television interview.   They are considering taking legal action against a Spanish psychiatrist who made the worst of the slurs.   Jose Cabrera analysed the couple's television interview on Wednesday for the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, who described him as a forensic psychiatrist and facial expression specialist. 'Staged': Kate, sitting next to husband Gerry, breaks down during the interview   He said: "When people cry they move the muscles in their face and she (Kate) did not move one single muscle, just like poker players. That is very significant."   "It brings us the certainty that she is hiding something."   He described the interview, with Spanish broadcaster Antena 3, as "staged" and "nothing but big theatre", and said he thought Mrs McCann "has had psychiatric problems for a long time" before saying: "Now they've got worse."   He added: "Any Englishman is cold but she has something else - her personality is not normal - and he (Mr McCann) causes an impression because all he worries about is her answers."   Mrs McCann, 39, has faced criticism about her apparent "coolness" and her seeming control over her emotions in public.   Mrs Healy, of Allerton, Merseyside, added: "Kate was speaking for herself in that interview - there were no restraints on her at all. Yes, she was very distressed at times but she can't be blamed for that."   A friend of the McCanns said Kate had been schooled not to show emotion because psychologists warned Madeleine's abductor could get kicks from watching her emotional response.   He said: "It is devastating for Kate and Gerry to be criticised in this way. Some of what has been said is beyond belief.   "The same people who criticised Kate when she managed to hold herself together are now attacking her because she couldn't.   "The fact she cried during a TV interview proves nothing except the fact that Kate is running on high emotions, as you would expect any mother whose child has gone missing would be.   "Kate and Gerry are philosophical about the media coverage but they cannot let this level of vile criticism go. They are absolutely shocked and stunned.   "When the time is right they will be taking action against anyone who they feel has overstepped the mark. It is good that Correio printed the name of the Spanish psychologist whose opinions they published. He is one more person on the list of people to sue."   The couple have already threatened legal action against the Portuguese weekly newspaper Tal e Qual, which accused them of killing their daughter, and the daily tabloid 24 Horas, which claimed Mr McCann was not Madeleine's biological father.   Mr Cabrera, 50, did not restrict his comments to Mrs McCann. The Madrid-based psychiatrist - who has never met the couple - said Mr McCann's only concern during the interview was to "control" his wife.   He said: "All he worried about was controlling her. It's extraordinary. Whenever she opened her mouth to talk he squeezed her hand - and all this because the key to this mystery is definitely with her."   He added: "It is he who dominates the whole situation. He is aware of everything and knows he has to control her and her problematic personality so that she does not go too far in front of the cameras and speak too much."   Mr McCann, also 39, did whisper a warning to his wife at the end of the interview, telling her not to speak until her microphone was taken off, but friends said that was because they had just been asked a question which their lawyers had told them not to answer.   The couple were said to be horrified by the response to the interview, which was given to appeal for help in finding Madeleine and to launch a 24-hour information hotline.   Mr Cabrera was not their only critic. Portuguese criminologist Moita Flores, a former detective with the Policia Judiciaria, said: "The interview was a circus act.   "The most curious thing is that before this interview was agreed to, everybody already knew she was going to cry, which is what happened, and she even managed to play the part quite well."   He told Correio da Manha: "It was an act which nobody believes. After their theory of abduction they now insist on their innocence, and those who are innocent don't need this."   McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "A few days ago Kate was criticised for not showing enough emotion and then when she does cry she is criticised too.   "Everything Kate and Gerry said on that interview was totally genuine. They have nothing to hide.   "Our lawyers are watching the media coverage very carefully in both Portugal and Britain and action will be taken against anything we feel has gone too far."   The 24-hour hotline was said to have attracted a huge number of calls in its first day of operation. It was set up on the advice of private investigators working for the McCanns, who will follow up potential sightings and leads.   • Murat feels 'forgotten' and 'desperate'   The first official suspect in the Madeleine investigation feels he has been 'forgotten' in the furore over Kate and Gerry McCann.   Robert Murat is so desperate to clear his name that he is willing to submit to further police interviews and searches of the villa he shares with his mother in Praia da Luz.   His lawyer Francisco Pagarete said: "Mr Murat has been living with this for a long time now and it is time the police admit they have no evidence against him. He is desperate to get his life back.   "If the inspectors want another interview, we are willing. Mr Murat is very keen to see the case against him finished."   Mr Murat, 33, was named as a suspect on May 14 and his villa was searched. The British ex-pat property consultant has always insisted he had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance.   • Doubts raised over DNA evidence   Questions have been raised over the DNA technique which led to Kate and Gerry McCann being made suspects.   Experts at the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham used a method called "low copy number" profiling to analyse material found in the couple's hire car.   They claim that LCN profiling can obtain an accurate "genetic fingerprint" from just a single human cell.   But other experts have warned that the Portuguese police have placed too much significance on the DNA results, which link Madeleine to the car hired weeks after her disappearance.   The technique, pioneered by the FSS in 1999, differs from standard DNA testing in that it does not rely on the presence of bodily fluids or significant amounts of skin or hair.   Instead, just a single cell of sweat or skin, left by a mere touch, is all that is needed. The tiny DNA fragment is then copied many times over to provide a big enough sample to match with other profiles.   The FSS claims the technique is just as reliable as standard DNA testing.   But some experts suggest the copying process can be prone to errors, and that because such small samples can be transferred from place to place by touch alone, finding someone's DNA at a crime scene does not necessarily mean they were ever there in person.