Blood in rental car prompts Portuguese police to question parents of 4-year-old
Sep 08, 2007 04:30 AM
Nicolaas van Rijn
Staff Reporter
When their little girl disappeared from a Portuguese resort while they were having dinner with friends four months ago, the parents of 4-year-old Madeleine McCann encouraged a blizzard of worldwide publicity to help find their missing daughter.
Yesterday Portuguese police declared British physicians Kate and Gerry McCann as "arguidos," formally naming them as suspects in their daughter's disappearance, and invited them to confess.
The move came after traces of Madeleine's blood were reportedly found in the Renault Scenic rented by the McCanns 25 days after she went missing. The analysis was done by a Birmingham lab and reported to police in Portugal earlier this week.
Under Portuguese law, declaring the McCanns "arguidos" gives police greater powers in posing 22 hard-hitting questions about the specifics of Maddy's disappearance. It also allows the McCanns to refuse to answer questions, and to be accompanied by a lawyer.
Maddy's parents, both 39-year-old doctors from central England, have denied any involvement in their daughter's disappearance; in fact, both continue to express the hope she may, even now, be found alive.
"Kate and Gerry McCann have today both been declared `arguidos' with no bail conditions and no charges have been brought against them," Gerry McCann's lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, said yesterday after he was interviewed by police. "The investigation continues."
Earlier yesterday, referring to Kate McCann's questioning by Portuguese police, her sister-in-law Philomena McCann told ITV News in Britain: "They tried to get her to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer."
In effect, the sister-in-law said, Portuguese police told Kate McCann: "`If you say you killed Madeleine by accident, and then hid her and disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less.'"
All of Britain and much of Europe has been captivated by the case, which began May 3 when little Maddyvanished from the McCann's holiday apartment in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz.
She had been left asleep with her baby brother and sister, 2-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, while McCann and husband Gerry ate at a nearby restaurant with seven friends.
Although the restaurant was only minutes away and the McCanns claimed they checked regularly on their sleeping children, Maddy was gone when they returned.
Maddy's disappearance sparked an intense police search and a worldwide sweep of publicity orchestrated by her parents, who met with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican and enlisted author J.K. Rowling and soccer legend David Beckham in an effort to get the word out about their missing daughter.
Portuguese police, constrained by law, won't release any details of their investigation, but talk in the resort now is focusing on the McCanns' background as physicians, the alleged discovery of a syringe in their holiday apartment, and the suspicion that Maddy received an accidental overdose of a sedative given so she'd sleep when her parents went out with friends.
Philomena McCann, Gerry McCann's sister, described the police claims as ludicrous.
"They are suggesting that Kate was somehow responsible for accidentally killing Madeleine and kept the body and then got rid of it," she said. "I have never heard anything so absolutely ludicrous in my life," she told Sky News.
Kate McCann, who was questioned for a gruelling 11 hours on Thursday, returned for another day of questioning by police yesterday.
Gerry McCann was named a suspect after he was called in for questioning yesterday. But his public focus remains on supporting his wife and denying their involvement in Maddy's disappearance.
"Anyone who knows anything about the 3rd of May," he blogged yesterday, referring to the day Maddy disappeared, "knows that Kate is completely innocent. We will fight this all the way, and we will not stop looking for Madeleine."
McCann herself dismissed the allegations as "ridiculous." And a McCann family spokesperson said yesterday Kate McCann "robustly" denied her involvement.
"She was taken aback by the suggestion," the spokesperson said. "It was the first time she had heard the allegation that blood had been found in the car. There was a suggestion it was Madeleine's blood."
Kate McCann told detectives there was "no way" the blood could have been Maddy's, the spokesperson added, and continued to maintain her innocence.
McCann family members and friends are now alleging Portuguese police set up the couple. "There they are, the victims of this horrendous crime, and now the police are trying to sully their names in this disgusting manner with this smear campaign," Philomena McCann said. "It is just unbelievable."
During their extensive investigation into Maddy's disappearance Portuguese police earlier named one suspect, Robert Murat, a British expatriate who lives near the holiday apartment rented by the McCanns. According to local reports, Murat, who has maintained his innocence, is no longer being pursued as a serious suspect.
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/254481
With files from Star news services
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who leaves a 4 year old and two 2 year olds alone in an aparment by themselves???? asleep or not??? and if they're travelling with kids, wouldn't they want to pick a place that offers some sort of reliable childcare? or figure out some way to not leave 3 toddlers at home alone?
no on asks that in the article.
1 comment:
Well, I dont mean to generalize, but from what I have seen first hand, parenting (and general civility) in the UK seems to haven taken a turn back into the good old dark ages.
Its sad to see how police always suspect parents in the murder/disappearance of a child, but then again, a lot of parents really shouldnt be parents and their actions are cause for suspicion.
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