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THE 17
KEY QUESTIONS DETECTIVES MAY HAVE ASKED MADELEINE‘S MOTHER
The Daily
Mail, 08/09/2007
During 15 hours of questions, police put a series of key
points to Kate McCann in their attempt to solve the
Madeleine mystery. Sam Greenhill examines some of the likely
demands detectives would have made of the 3'–year–old GP in
the interview room.
Did you
kill your daughter? Mr and Mrs McCann have long been aware
that they were the subject of rumour and suspicion but this
is the first time the police have put it to them.
Her
friends and family cannot believe that the "imbecile" police
have the nerve even to ask it.
Scroll
down for more ... Suspect: Kate McCann leaves the Policia
Judiciaria – Portugal‘s CID – in Portimao after her second
round of questioning Did you sedate Madeleine?
The
couple have repeatedly denied using sedatives on their
children to help them sleep at night while they went out.
They have strongly rebutted accusations they accidentally
gave her an overdose. There has been persistent speculation
over why the couple‘s twin son and daughter slept soundly
throughout the abduction and subsequent commotion once
Madeleine was discovered missing.
The
McCanns say they have never used any kind of sedative on
their children and never would.
Did you
have any syringes in the apartment? An astonishing claim in
a Portuguese newspaper alleged that police think there could
have been a tranquilliser kit used on Madeleine. Mrs McCann
is believed to have fiercely rejected this, and the couple
have stated there was no syringe in the apartment.
How much
did you drink on the night? Some reports have suggested the
McCanns and their friends sank 14 bottles of wine at dinner
that night, but they insist they got through no more than
three bottles between nine adults.
Did you
ever leave Madeleine all evening to go into town? It was
reported that a barman claimed he had seen the McCanns one
evening in the town of Lagos, five miles away, although they
insist they ate every night at the Ocean Club restaurant in
Praia da Luz, and none of their friends has disputed this.
Scroll
down for more ... Crime scene: The apartment block in Praia
da Luz Read more...
Madeleine: Shattered Gerry and Kate McCann BOTH declared
suspects The three crucial hours before the alarm was raised
that Madeleine was missing Kate‘s shocked family and
friends: This is a set–up DAVID JONES: ‘I have a terrible
nagging doubt the McCanns might be involved‘ AMANDA PLATELL:
A haunting question for all of Kate‘s supporters Who checked
on the children and at what times, exactly?
Confusion
has always surrounded the exact timings because no one was
supposed to discuss the case or give a timeline in detail.
From clues and comments pieced together over the past
months, it appears the McCanns and their friends agree that
Gerry checked at '.05pm, friend Matthew Oldfield at '.30pm
(but he did not actually go into Madeleine‘s bedroom) and
then Kate at 10pm. But detectives are interested in the
period from 8pm when it is understood that no one apart from
the McCanns saw Madeleine.
Did you
ever leave her unattended for much longer than you claim?
Statements from witnesses near the apartment allegedly claim
that in the evenings before her disappearance, Madeleine was
heard crying for her parents for long periods. The McCanns
deny this, saying they checked on their children regularly
and are responsible parents.
Does your
husband know about it? Mrs McCann is likely to be invited to
implicate her husband. The McCanns have always stood strong
together and say the crisis has strengthened the bond
between them, although Gerry did storm out of a TV interview
recently leaving his wife behind when he was asked about the
investigation.
Scroll
down for more ... Hire car: Police say they found
Madeleine‘s blood in it Does anyone else know? Do your
friends know?
The idea
that any of the McCanns‘ seven companions, some of them
doctors, could have been involved in such a huge conspiracy
and then convincingly maintained the secret is one of the
most puzzling aspects of what appears to be the police‘s
theory. Yet officers are focusing on alleged discrepancies
in their statements.
Why did
you shout: ‘They‘ve taken her, they‘ve taken her!‘ after
returning from Madeleine‘s room on the night of her
disappearance?
These
were the words Mrs McCann was reported to have screamed as
she ran back to the restaurant table in a panic. The police
were intrigued by her use of the word "they".
Why did a
dog detect the smell of a corpse on your clothes? A British
dog trained to find dead bodies is alleged to have smelled
something on Mrs McCann‘s jeans and T– shirt, and also on
Madeleine‘s toy Cuddle Cat. Mrs McCann is believed to have
replied that she came into contact with at least six dead
people in her work as a GP in the period leading up to the
holiday. Could Cuddle Cat, which she always holds close to
her, have been contaminated from her clothes?
Scroll
down for more ... Papal visit: Benedict XVI blesses a photo
of Madeleine Why did you hire a car?
The
McCanns did not hire a car until 25 days after Madeleine
went missing. Until then, they did without one, apparently
remaining in Praia da Luz or being driven around by police,
embassy staff or friends. But in recent weeks, Mr McCann has
regularly talked about using the hired silver Renault Scenic
to ferry visiting friends and relatives to and from the
airport in Faro.
Why did
you hire it the day before going to see the Pope? Detectives
are puzzled why the McCanns needed to hire a car the day
before they knew they would be leaving Portugal to fly to
Rome. They did not need it to reach the airport as they were
driven there by an aide. Yesterday the McCanns‘ spokesman
said there was no significance in the date. The couple had
arranged to hire a car and that was the day it had come
through.
Did the
hire car contain any of Madeleine‘s belongings? If forensic
evidence of Madeleine was found in the car, such as a hair,
is there a legitimate explanation? Perhaps something
belonging to her was later put in the car, for example when
the McCanns moved to their new villa.
Could
Madeleine have bled on something which was later put in the
hire car?
Madeleine
did slip and bang her leg, filmed on a family mobile phone
video, as she boarded the holiday aircraft. Could she have
shed blood on to some clothing which the McCanns later moved
in the hire car?
Did you
move Madeleine‘s body in your hire car? Forensic evidence
apparently points to Madeleine in the car. Mrs McCann
strenuously denies any suggestion she moved any body.
Tell us
what you did with her... Mrs McCann was asked this directly,
according to her husband‘s sister Philomena. Her reply was
said to be: "You must be insane to think we‘d put ourselves
through this." Madeleine: The toddler went missing just
before her fourth birthday |
