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Madeleine:
Bloody footprint found in McCanns' apartment
13 October
2007
A bloody
footprint was found in Kate and Gerry McCann's apartment,
matching a print on their hire car, according to a forensic
report shown to The Mail on Sunday.
The existence
of the two marks, which has never been revealed until today, is
apparently at the heart of renewed suspicion that the couple
were involved in their daughter's disappearance.
New tests
carried out at the Forensic Science Service laboratory in
Birmingham show there is a 'moderate' chance that the blood
belonged to Madeleine. But the results are inconclusive.
Anguish: Kate
and Gerry McCann
The inquiry
into the four-year-old's disappearance has been rife with
conjecture and wild speculation over DNA material.
And, until
now, confusion has surrounded what samples had been found and
how important they might be.
Part of the
report shown to this newspaper reveals that officers who
examined the McCanns' apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve
after Madeleine went missing on May 3 discovered a 'partial
footwear mark', believed to be from a size 5 or 6 shoe, just
outside the bedroom.
It adds that
it 'appeared to have a blood imprint' that was visible to the
naked eye.
The FSS
results conclude that the footprint matched the pattern of a
mark found above the rear bumper of the McCanns' Renault Scenic
hire car – a print which Portuguese police apparently believe is
consistent with someone lifting a body in or out of the boot.
Experts could
find no definite traces of blood in that print.
Blood in the
footprint at the apartment was tested for DNA. Results are rated
on an eight-point scale: no scientific evidence, limited,
moderate, moderately strong, strong, very strong, extremely
strong and conclusive.
Scientists
found there was only 'moderate' support, number 3 on the scale,
to suggest it matched Madeleine's DNA.
What they
believe is significant about the footprint is that no traces of
blood were found around it.
'It is quite
possible, therefore, that the blood had been picked up on the
sole of the shoe from outside the apartment, from literally
anywhere,' said a source close to the investigation.
Missing:
Madeleine McCann
The source
added that there was concern at the FSS that the Portuguese
police have already attached too much weight to the results.
It has been
reported, for instance, that DNA results justified the naming of
the McCanns as official suspects, or arguidos.
'The simple
fact is that, as was the case before, the results are not
conclusive,' said the source.
'In short, it
cannot be said the blood belongs to Madeleine. If other strong
evidence accompanied it – for example, that someone was seen
emerging from the apartment with a hammer – then a lawyer might
find it of some use. But on its own it is of little value.'
Further
question marks were raised over the forensic evidence last
night, as Portuguese police have still failed to take DNA
samples from people who helped in the initial stages of the
search for Madeleine.
These
profiles would prove crucial in matching scene-of-crime evidence
to those who were at the resort.
One resident
who had not been asked to give a sample said: 'I thought it was
quite important for us to give DNA so that we could be ruled out
if nothing else. There were lots of us helping look for the
little girl that night and you would have thought our DNA would
be all over the place.'
The FSS
report says the footprint found in the apartment 'was made when
the foot was heading towards the bedroom'.
'The
impression was made up of small circles and square blocks. It is
not possible to ascertain whether the shoe print was from an
adult or a child but it is estimated that it was a shoe size 5
or possibly 6. It was of a right shoe.
'The shoe
print found at the rear of the Renault hire car below the boot
area and above part of the rear bumper was a left-sided shoe and
the impression has similar pattern component, pattern size and
degree of wear to the outer toe region of the sole to match the
right shoe, and again has circles and square blocks. A swab for
blood from this mark has been examined but it proved
inconclusive.'
This is the
first time that forensic evidence relating to the case has been
presented in such detail.
Sources have
told this newspaper that the sample taken from the apartment was
not of good quality. Other partial prints were underneath it and
it had been walked over countless times.
Tests were
carried out to determine whether anyone had tried to clean it
up, and, crucially, the results showed that no 'concerted'
effort had been made.
'If someone
had tried to wipe it away, using bleach, for instance, this
would have shown up clearly in the results,' said the source.
There is also
concern over the Portuguese police's interpretation of the print
on the Renault Scenic.
'They seem to
think it is consistent with someone putting their foot on the
boot to lever a body in or out. But there could be 101 reasons
why someone would put their foot on the car in this way,' the
source said.
A pair of
Madeleine's ankle socks – 'heavily stained on the sole and the
heel' – were also examined at the Birmingham laboratory.
It could not
be determined whether the stains contained blood and were deemed
to hold 'limited scientific' evidence.
Nail
clippings found in the hire car were found to contain fragments
of paint but otherwise to be 'of no significance'.
The McCanns
have always vehemently denied any involvement in their
daughter's disappearance and will view the new report as
confirmation of their fears that the Portuguese police are
overplaying the importance of forensic evidence.
The couple
have consistently said any material found in Portugal can be
wholly and innocently explained. They have hired their own
forensic experts to refute Portuguese police claims that the new
DNA tests link them to Madeleine's disappearance.
But the
Policia Judiciaria have not contacted the McCanns since they
returned to their Leicestershire home more than a month ago.
A friend
said: 'They have not heard a word. It's a shambles considering
they have been made the focus of the investigation and stand
accused of playing a part in their daughter's death. They don't
have a clue what's going on.'
Last night,
Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, said: 'We simply
cannot comment on unsubstantiated reports that touch on any
evidence at the centre of this inquiry.'
Meanwhile,
detectives are focusing on evidence from former Mark Warner
nanny Charlotte Pennington, 20, that she saw a man dropping a
'bundle' from a dinghy into the Atlantic just off Praia da Luz
at 11.30pm on the night Madeleine disappeared.
A police
source described the sighting as 'credible', but questions hang
over it.
Miss
Pennington said the man's jacket had a yellow reflective hood,
and for her to have seen him in the dark, the boat would have
had to be close to shore.
Neither fact
seems to indicate a man wishing to remain undetected. |
