Madeleine, One Year On: Campaign For Change
ITV1 - 30.04.2008
À propos du changement d'orientation dans l'enquête criminelle et du statut de témoin assisté (arguido) qui s'ensuivit :
Comme souvent lorsqu'un drame s'est produit, on s'en veut rétrospectivement et on s'en remet au destin qui exonère de toute responsabilité, on avait failli... faire en sorte qu'il ne se produise pas :
GMC : But you know
(1) Ces propos de Kate MC ont fait florès dans les médias, au détriment de la réalité, et ont contribué à l'exécrable réputation qui s’abattit sur la police portugaise d'abord et la société portugaise ensuite. Pendant trois mois, jusqu'à l'arrivée des chiens britanniques appelés par l'expert en personnes disparues du NPIA, Mark Harrison, les forces de l'ordre portugaises (PJ, PSP, GNR, police maritime, sécurité civile, il ne manquait que l'armée) cherchèrent activement Madeleine comme jamais un être humain n'avait été recherché au Portugal. Les chiens ayant senti la mort, l'enquête obliqua, sans pour autant mettre au rebus la piste "enlèvement".
Bande-annonce 1
Bande-annonce 2
Spot vidéo Madeleine et la petite P grimpant les marches pour entrer dans l'avion. Elles trébuchent et tombent sur les genoux.
KMC : Nous sommes partis là-bas le 28 avril et il y avait neuf adultes et les enfants.
Dans la navette de l'aéroport, voix de David P : Un moment, un moment, je crois que nous sommes filmés, tout le monde est là ?
GMC : Oui, elle était réellement enthousiaste avec la vidéo, le jour, le fait de prendre l'avion, très excitée par les vacances.
KMC : Cela semblait réellement être l'équilibre parfait, avoir des vacances en famille où les enfants aient plein d'activités sans jamais s'ennuyer et avoir aussi un petit peu de temps pour nous. Ils s'amusaient comme des fous et c'était un moment de bonheur pour les enfants, et Madeleine en particulier.
GMC : Et il se trouvait que nos appartements étaient tout près du Tapas, qui était littéralement à 50m du patio de notre appartement, peut-être 60m. Nous nous sommes dit Pourquoi ne pas essayer de dîner là ?
KMC : Cela semblait une bonne idée... Je n'ai pas... (lève le bras avec une moue signifiant qu'elle n'a rien à ajouter ou que cela l'ennuie ou encore ne sert à rien).
GMC : Cela semblait une chose tout à fait naturelle, qui n'avait rien de mal, puisque c'était si près, comme je l'ai dit on voyait réellement l'appartement et cela nous paraissait pas très pareil à dîner dans notre jardin. Dans ce cas on irait voir les enfants à l'étage toutes les demi-heures comme nous faisions. Mais... nous étions loin d'imaginer qu'une chose pareille pourrait arriver.
ITV1 - 30.04.2008
La caméra d'Emma Loach a
suivi, de janvier à avril 2008, les MC alors arguidos (témoins
assistés), un statut que Gerald décrit en une hyperbole inattendue
comme être "au milieu d'un film d'horreur, vraiment, un
cauchemar". Ce documentaire est le seul agréé pour commémorer
l'anniversaire de la disparition. On y voit les MC principalement
chez eux.
Ce documentaire a disparu de la Toile. Il n'en reste que quelques bandes annonces (SIC) et les transcriptions qui suivent.
The programme features the couple talking about:
• Becoming arguido suspects
• Their decision to leave their children in the apartment while they dined at the tapas bar
• Being criticised by the public
• What happened on the night Madeline went missing
• How they felt about their police statements being leaked and the context of what Madeliene said about crying
• How they nearly didn't go to the tapas bar that night
• The anniversary and what Madeleine may look like now
• Their relationship with Madeleine – 'she was like a little buddy to me,' said Kate.
• How they try to have a normal life for Sean and Amelie
Ce documentaire a disparu de la Toile. Il n'en reste que quelques bandes annonces (SIC) et les transcriptions qui suivent.
The programme features the couple talking about:
• Becoming arguido suspects
• Their decision to leave their children in the apartment while they dined at the tapas bar
• Being criticised by the public
• What happened on the night Madeline went missing
• How they felt about their police statements being leaked and the context of what Madeliene said about crying
• How they nearly didn't go to the tapas bar that night
• The anniversary and what Madeleine may look like now
• Their relationship with Madeleine – 'she was like a little buddy to me,' said Kate.
• How they try to have a normal life for Sean and Amelie
 |
| The necessary pain of trial and error |
Kate MC : As
soon as I realised the story or theory or whatever you want to call
it, was that Madeleine was dead and that we'd been involved somehow, it just hit home. They haven’t 7been looking for Madeleine. And it
was just I mean, just, I just felt yet again my daughter's had such
disservice and I just, I mean I was obviously upset by that, very
upset and I was angry you know. And I just thought
she deserves so much better than that, and I thought I'm not going to
sit here and allow, allow this you know. (1)
Gerald MC : Pressure
that, such as I've never felt before because you’re under attack in
one way or another. The speculation takes you to the worst
places and at that point you know the worst place would have been
being charged, potentially being put in jail, certainly being
detained to face charges that could have taken I don’t know years
to materialise, being separated from Sean and Amelie. These
sort of things were going through your mind and you're, because it's
a system that you're unfamiliar with, you don’t know what could
happen.
KMC : I started thinking
well if they're saying that about us being involved with Madeleine, you know it's not long before they say what about
Sean and Amelie, what about their other two children? And I can
remember saying to Gerry's mum and Gerry’s sisters, do not let
anyone near them and they were like – 'don't you worry', you know,
and it was back again to the sort of lioness and her cubs. You know
I'd just do whatever it took to protect them.
GMC : It felt like you're
in the middle of a horror movie really, a nightmare.
KMC : When I was going in
to become arguido, because I felt angry, I felt strong. I wasn't
scared. I felt like I was going to fight the world to be honest. My
daughter was worth more than all that and I would do whatever it took
to fight for justice and truth.
Le documentaire signale que le statut d'arguido interdit aux MC de révéler ce qui s'est passé au DIC de Portimao, mais, comme ce n'est plus un secret et bien que l'avocat portugais des MC l'ait démenti publiquement (The Guardian), ne résiste pas à rappeler la rumeur de la soi-disant offre de marché faite à Kate : avouez que vous l'avez tuée et votre peine sera réduite.
KMC : No I'd
have fought to the death to be honest at that point. There was no way
I was going to be railroaded into something. I felt almost
invincible at that point. I just don’t know what kicked in. You
know I just thought my children deserve that, Madeleine deserves
that. Someone has to be fighting for Madeleine.
Quant à leur décision de laisser les enfants dans l'appartement pendant qu'ils dînaient au restaurant, les MC évoquent leur premier dîner au restaurant Millenium (le Tapas fermait le samedi), à quelque 5/600 m de leur appartement. Tous les autres y prenaient quotidiennement leur petit-déjeuner avec leurs enfants :
KMC : But that
(the Millennium) was, that was a good walk away and we didn't, we
didn't have a buggy or anything with us so we did go and we took all
the kids. It didn't open til half six or something and our kids
usually go to bed around seven so they were really tired and they
were walking but you’ve got to remember they’re only little. So
we ended up having to carry them and trying to carry three of them
between two, you know and we decided we couldn’t do that really. It
wasn't, wasn’t fair and it wasn’t you know, it wouldn’t have
been good for anybody.
GMC : And
it turned out our apartments were right next to the tapas which was
literally from the back of ours, like fifty yards, maybe sixty. And,
and then so we said well why don’t we just try and eat there?
KMC : Just
seemed like a good idea…
Mais
la demi-pension des enfants incluait le goûter au Tapas (sauf le
samedi où Tapas fermé, donc Millenium), pas un dîner en sus.
GMC : Two of the other
couples had been on Mark Warner holidays before and they have a baby
listening service which essentially is where someone goes round the
apartments. They don't actually go in, they just listen outside. (2)
KMC : And it wasn't till
quite late on that we realised there wasn't a baby listening service.
But I guess we were just doing our own baby listening service, only
we were going inside and checking. (3)
Mais
elle n'aurait pas regardé sans la porte trop ouverte et GMC a dit
qu'il ne regardait jamais à l'intérieur.
Laisser les enfants seuls sembla être une bonne solution :
GMC : It seemed a
fairly natural sort of thing to do, it was so close. As you say you
could actually see the apartment (4) and it didn't feel that different to
dining out the back garden. What you wouldn’t do was go upstairs
and check on your kids every half hour like…we were doing. But –
you just, it was the furthest thing from my mind that something like
that happen.
Tous le faisaient. Comme si ce détail neutralisait le risque.
Tous le faisaient. Comme si ce détail neutralisait le risque.
KMC : I think if there'd
even been one second where someone had said do you think it’s going
to be okay, it wouldn’t have happened. I mean there's
absolutely no way, and I've said it before, there’s absolutely no
way if I'd have had the slightest inkling that there was a risk
involved there, that I'd have done it," she added.
GMC : You know people
will say that they've never done that and you know who am I to argue ?
You know we have to live with the fact that we weren’t directly
there and if we were then you know possibly, probably it wouldn’t
have happened. (5)
Les MC, c'est la rançon de la célébrité, ne reçoivent pas que des compliments :
"Gerry and
Kate, how can you use money given by poor people in good faith to pay
your mortgage on your mansion? You **** thieving bastards. Your brat
is dead because of your drunken arrogance. Shame on you. I curse you
and your family to suffer forever. Cursed Christmas. If you have any
shame you would accept full responsibility for your daughter's
disappearance and give all the money back. You are scum."
Les MC se remémorent la nuit où leur fille a été prise. :
KMC : It was the
fifth night. We reserved a table at 8.30. By 9.00 everybody was...
was there. It was on the third check (6) which was my
check, errm... that I went, errm... and I discovered Madeleine had
been taken. (7) I rushed round the apartment really quickly, just opened
up cupboards and things, and then just went flying out down to the
Tapas restaurant, shouting Someone's taken Madeleine.
And that's when the nightmare started. I remember I just ran saying:
"Not Madeleine, not Madeleine, not Madeleine" and I can
just remember saying that over and over again. (8) And Gerry was the
same, you know, he's... kind of, not used to seeing Gerry obviously
that upset.
GMC : Later on there was a period where she hadn't turned up. It was absolute devastation and total, just total emotion really.
Everyone knows the fear, I think fear is probably the right
word, fear for your daughter, fear for yourself, fear for your
family, fear for everything and, and that horrible kind of adrenalin
fight, flight. Something's
kicked in and there was a lot of activity within the group, quickly,
and errr... I don't know if it's used to dealing with very stressful
situations at work, errm... or otherwise but, you know, errm... there
was definitely a 'let's do this, this, this...' errr... you know,
'call the police, do all the things, alert people, coordinate'.
KMC : I can
remember our friends shouting You need to close the borders!
and they were shouting Morocco, Algiers... you know, I
can remember all this going on and Road blocks, you need road
blocks. I mean it was our friends out there kind of saying
this.
Tandis que des dizaines de villageois, touristes, employés de l'OC et gendarmes sillonnaient les rues, les impasses, les jardins, les parkings, les chemins, la plage, les terrains vagues de PDL, les MC ne bougèrent pas de chez eux. L'obscurité était tempérée par la lune (pleine, la veille), des torches avaient été rassemblées et les chercheurs appelaient "Madeleine", espérant que, si elle était blessée quelque part, elle ne s'effraierait pas de ces voix inconnues:
GMC : I was...
errm... pretty adamant Kate should stay in the apartment in case
Madeleine was found so we knew where to bring her right away.
De son propre aveu à la PJ, le 7 septembre 2007, comme arguido, Gerald MC, en fait de recherche, n'effectua qu'un aller et retour à la crèche au cas où on y aurait déposé Madeleine. Mais le fit-il ? Car la crèche se situait juste au-dessus de la réception principale et il n'alerta pas le guardien qui finalement appela la GNR à la demande du gérant, John H :
De son propre aveu à la PJ, le 7 septembre 2007, comme arguido, Gerald MC, en fait de recherche, n'effectua qu'un aller et retour à la crèche au cas où on y aurait déposé Madeleine. Mais le fit-il ? Car la crèche se situait juste au-dessus de la réception principale et il n'alerta pas le guardien qui finalement appela la GNR à la demande du gérant, John H :
KMC : I was mainly
in the bedroom and then I was just praying actually, I was just
ringing everyone and getting them to pray and I felt so helpless. It
was really cold. You know, I knew what pyjamas she had on and I just
thought 'she's going to be freezing' and it was just dark and dark,
and every minute seemed like an hour and, errm... obviously we were
up all night and we just waited for that, errm... first bit of light
at 6 o'clock. (9)
GMC : And then we
went out searching, two of us, at daylight.
KMC : It was just
deserted. And we were just searching. Through the undergrowth,
through bushes.
GMC : We were
saying over and over again: 'just let her be found, let her be
found.'
KMC : It was really hard
those first few days. I just feared the worst at the beginning.
Probably for the first few days we were like that. I mean just,
you’re just like praying and praying that that wasn’t the case.
Quel est ce pire ? MMC morte ou MMC victime de pédophiles ?
GMC : Later on
there was a period where she hadn't turned up. It was absolute
devastation and total, just total emotion really.
Quel est ce pire ? MMC morte ou MMC victime de pédophiles ?
Les MC réagissent aux critiques sur le peu d'émotion affichée au début de l'enquête :
GMC : Numbness sort of kicked in and you can't have that raw emotion
24 hours a day, seven days a week. You just can't, physically you
can't do it. And I’m sure that’s self-protection as well but also
I think the psychological element of kicking in and actually saying
we do have some influence in this. So what I think we wanted to do is
make sure we've done everything absolutely possible to try and help
and influence that search.
Ils veulent à la fois avoir bonne conscience et contrôler la situation.KMC : We had…behavioural
specialist profilers out who were telling us not to show emotion in
case the abductor gets a kick out of it, you know and so you've got
the pressure of not showing emotion to protect your daughter…
Les MC sont fâchés qu'un "journaliste" espagnol ait révélé un élément de leurs dépositions à la PJ, ici manifestement accusée d'une fuite donnant des MC une image négative, alors qu'ils sont à Bruxelles pour une noble cause, la mise sur pied d'un dispositif européen d'alerte "enlèvement enfant". Or cet épisode était connu de bien d'autres personnes, à part la PJ...
KMC : They've had those
statements for eleven and a half months. Why
today on all days when we’re in Brussels trying to do something
positive have they been given to a journalist? (10) And it also appears
that you know the bits of the statement which have been chosen which
I have to say we've told police absolutely everything, because we
wanted to give everything to find out what's happened, but the bits
that have been chosen have been picked out of context intentionally
to smear us and I think you know the whole thing is to you know
detract from what we’re doing today and I feel absolutely gutted. I
think it's an absolute disgrace. (11) I'm really angry. Judicial secrecy should apply to everybody. (12)
GMC : It’s not
coincidence. I think it's a sad indictment of a system that we’ve
had to put up with.
L'élément "fuité", devenu le fameux épisode des larmes :
Q : Tell me what happened, that morning... what Madeleine said.
Q : Tell me what happened, that morning... what Madeleine said.
KMC : Well I can’t
remember, we'd just had breakfast. It was, it was sort of fairly
early in the morning. She just very casually really said (imite une voix d'enfant) 'where were
you last night when me and Sean cried?' And we immediately looked and
said, you know, 'when was this Madeleine, was this when you were
going to sleep?' And she didn’t answer. And then she just carried
on playing, totally undistressed," (13)
But we obviously told the police because we thought does that indicate that someone's been round the night before and that’s what’s woken her up ? Which is significant, you know…
Q : But did she tell you
off when she was saying it?
KMC : No. It was a
passing remark, you know, and...You know, I’ve persecuted myself over and over again about that
statement because you think why didn’t I kind of just hold her and say
‘What do you mean? What do you mean?’ you know. ‘What do you mean you
woke up?’, you know, and, kind of... . . but you don’t think that. I mean it’s easy saying that
after what’s happened.
GMC : Madeleine's
very articulate and, errr... for her age, and, errm... you know, it's
unlike her, if she's got something to say, to drop it. She just
did... literally, dropped it, errm... and we both, kind of, looked at
each other and said: 'Was it when we had just put them down?'
Comme souvent lorsqu'un drame s'est produit, on s'en veut rétrospectivement et on s'en remet au destin qui exonère de toute responsabilité, on avait failli... faire en sorte qu'il ne se produise pas :
GMC : I think
the worst thing is we kind of almost thought about not going. And er,
and did. We weren’t sure we were going to get into the tapas,
remember, and… (14)
KMC : In fact
we were all..GMC : But you know
KMC : .. we were all.. going
to go up to the Millennium again, that was with the kids, which is
what we did the first night. It was just, it was just because the
walk was so long and we didn’t have a buggy and the kids were tired
by that time and I thought we were, you know we did talk about going
up to the Millennium that night. (15)
GMC : But I
mean the worst thing is that you can’t change any of that and it
doesn't help find her. (16) I think we’ve
actually, despite you know our own guilt, we've tried to focus on
what we can change and you know in the first few days you know
obviously we focused much, much more on the negatives and it doesn't
help. It doesn't help
Madeleine, it doesn't help us and it doesn’t help find her.
KMC : I mean it's
GMC : And I suppose..
KMC : ... not like you
never, never think about it, 'cause you do, you know, certainly, (to
Gerry) you know, you're perhaps a bit better than me at looking
forward all the time but, errm... you know, I do go back and it does
upset you and you think: 'Ohh, Why didn't I say: 'Why did you cry?
Why did you cry?, you know, and 'Why didn't we go the Millennium?'
and blah, blah, blah', you know, and then,…As Gerry said, the guilt
you feel for not being there and giving someone that opportunity, you
know but then I just have to kind of reel myself in and think you
know I know how much I love Madeleine and I have no doubt that
Madeleine knows how much I love her. I think – I mean
I know that and I've just got to think regardless of what all those
people say out there, you know those bloggers and people on the
forums who obviously get some kind of kick out of being nasty, I know
that and I know Madeleine knows that and I’ve just got to kind of
keep hold of that really.
Pour finir, ils décrivent Madeleine, un portrait qui n'en dit guère long :
KMC : She's, she's very loving. She's a very bright little
girl. I had days when I'd go to a café with Madeleine and we'd go
shopping together and you know she just, you know just says 'Oh mummy
like that top', 'Oh I love your earrings, mummy', you know and she's
good company. She's like my – you know she's like a little buddy to
me you know."
GMC : She
looks like Kate, thank goodness for that, but in terms of personality
trait, she’s more like my side of the family I think. She's very
outgoing, she was a bit of a ringleader in the nursery and her
friends and it's always bizarre because at times I'd go into nursery
and 'oh are you Madeleine’s dad, so and so's always talking about
Madeleine'. All the parents - you start to think oh my goodness,
what’s she been doing? But you know she’s just really outgoing,
good fun, bundles of energy and very loving. She was a
little person becoming independent and a piece of, you know, endless
joy.
Le triste anniversaire de la disparition coïncide quasiment avec l'anniversaire de Madeleine :
KMC : It doesn’t feel like a year since I saw Madeleine. She's just
so much, very much still there and she doesn't seem that far away. It
feels like she's still with me in some way and I've never felt that I
won't see her again.
GMC : She's
still very much part of our life and the twins. We can see how much
they love their big sister. (17) I do think that she's still out there,
very much so. Our little girl
wasn't even four, and is now nearly five. She's the victim and people
should not forget that. (18)
Et la futilité : à quoi ressemblerait-elle aujourd'hui ? Remarquer le conditionnel = virtuel
KMC : She was great
with Sean and Amelie and that. You know even when …they were born
you know…she just stepped into the role really well considering you
know she was only 20 months when they were born and she wanted to be
involved and help and then obviously as they got a little bit older
because the age difference was so close they just played so well
together. And it was just
lovely seeing them together and that's one thing I struggle with is
imagining how they'd be now. I see Madeleine's
best friend from time to time. Can’t help
but wonder what would Madeleine be like, would she be that much
taller, you know is her hair as long as that ? You know and would she
be writing her name too ? You know she’s there waiting for us. She
deserves us to keep going.
GMC : Your life
is carrying on to an extent, in a quasi-real existence, a purgatory
type existence. We are, we are kind of between something real and
never finding out. But although it was hard, we decided to
re-introduce Sean and Amelie to a degree of normality and normality
is that I go to work.
KMC : When we
first came back, you know I didn’t cook a meal just couldn't do it.
All the every day things that have to be done, you know there were
times in the early days where things like that, I found I resented
things like that because it was taking me away from Madeleine you
know. How can I hang up washing when my daughter's not here ? (19)
Whereas now, you know, we have got Sean and Amelie and they, they need a happy normal life and they deserve a happy normal life.
 |
| Jean Racine - Britannicus, IV 4 |
Il n'est point de secrets que le temps ne révèle
(1) Ces propos de Kate MC ont fait florès dans les médias, au détriment de la réalité, et ont contribué à l'exécrable réputation qui s’abattit sur la police portugaise d'abord et la société portugaise ensuite. Pendant trois mois, jusqu'à l'arrivée des chiens britanniques appelés par l'expert en personnes disparues du NPIA, Mark Harrison, les forces de l'ordre portugaises (PJ, PSP, GNR, police maritime, sécurité civile, il ne manquait que l'armée) cherchèrent activement Madeleine comme jamais un être humain n'avait été recherché au Portugal. Les chiens ayant senti la mort, l'enquête obliqua, sans pour autant mettre au rebus la piste "enlèvement".
(2)
Selon David WP, ils savaient tous qu'il n'y avait pas ce service à PDL
en raison de la topographie, ils avaient même du coup obtenu un rabais !
Les WP avaient emmené un dispositif qui leur permettait non seulement
d'entendre, mais aussi de parler, voire calmer à distance avec une
berceuse. Les TB avaient aussi emmené un dispositif, moins performant,
qu'ils complétaient par des rondes.
(3)
Gerald a déclaré qu'il ne regardait jamais à l'intérieur de la chambre
des enfants, il ne le fit qu'une fois, la dernière où il vit Madeleine,
parce que la porte était plus ouverte qu'il ne l'avait laissée. Kate,
dans la seconde narration de la découverte de la disparition, était
prête à repartir, car tout était calme, lorsqu'elle remarqua que la
porte était plus ouverte qu'elle ne devait.
(4) Gerald
adore dire cela, mais la réalité était différente : tout au plus
auraient-ils pu (s'ils n'avaient pas tourné le dos à l'immeuble)
apercevoir le haut de la porte-fenêtre, mais la chambre des enfants
était de l'autre côté de l'immeuble.
(5)
C'est une des déclarations étonnantes de Gerald. Que signifie
"directly" ? Ils n'étaient pas là, tout simplement. En admettant que
Madeleine ait été enlevée, ne va-t-il pas sans dire que, eussent-ils été
là, le ravisseur n'aurait pas frappé ? Pourquoi Gerald dit-il que cela
"probablement" ne serait pas arrivé ? Dans un si petit appartement, un
ravisseur aurait-il pu entrer sans bruit à l'insu des parents et dans l'obscurité s'emparer de
Madeleine, qui aurait continué à dormir ? Sans un cri, sans un soupir ?
(6) Quelle ronde de Matthew MO est omise, la première ou la deuxième ?
(7) La valeur passive de "prendre" étonne : Comment peut-on découvrir
que son enfant a été pris ? On peut découvrir qu'un objet inanimé
a été pris, mais une petite fille ? Ne peut-on seulement découvrir qu'elle n'est plus là ?
(8) C'est une des rares occasions où Kate est convaincante, mais c'est un moment de révolte, de refus, de déni.
(9) Les MC répondent ici aux critiques concernant leur immobilité, avérée : tout le monde cherchait, sauf eux.
(10) Quant
à leur appui à l'implantation d'une alerte enlèvement à l'échelle de
l'UE, la citation de statistiques par le documentaire induit en erreur, omettant par exemple de dire que la majorité des 100 mille enfants disparus sont retrouvés très rapidement, sans qu'il soit besoin d'alerter les frontières. Les autres sont des adolescents fugueurs, généralement récidivistes et entrant à chaque fugue dans les statistiques.
(11) "Nous
avons dit absolument tout à la police" est inexact puisque Kate a
refusé de répondre aux 48 questions que lui a posées la PJ le 7
septembre 2007. Par ailleurs, quant à la campagne "type Amber", les MC
ont été utilisés dans un projet du PE bien antérieur à la disparition de
Madeleine (dont la disparition n'obéissait pas, de toutes façons, aux
critères de l'alerte enlèvement) et, réciproquement, ont utilisé le
projet pour dorer leur image. Ce n'est pas tous les jours que des témoins assistés (parce que suspects) accusent la police de fuites en vue de les calomnier. Ce n'est pas tous les jours que des témoins assistés déclarent qu'ils ont dû s'en aller parce qu'ils sentaient qu'ils n'étaient plus en sécurité.
(12)
Mais quand Jane TB a délibérément violé ce secret en s'exprimant dans
Panorama et dans un reportage CBS en novembre 2007, les MC n'ont pas
protesté.
(13) On ne sait ni qui, ni quand ni pourquoi on a informé les médias de
l'épisode dit "des larmes". Les premiers à l'avoir entendu sont les
membres du groupe, à table, comme Rachael, Jane et Fiona en ont fait
état dans les entretiens "rogatoires". Ensuite les deux Family Liaison
Officers arrivés le 5 du Leicestershire Constabulary se sont étonnés de
l'insistance des MC à rapporter cet épisode à la PJ et ont consigné ce point dans leurs rapports respectifs.
(14) La "pire" chose, encore une hyperbole assez déplacée de Gerald MC.
(15) Aucun des TP7 n'a confirmé qu'un tel projet ait été débattu, l'état de santé de la cadette des TB le rendant peu vraisemblable. Au reste la
grande table du restaurant avait été réservée, aux dépens d'autres hôtes qui auraient aimé dîner au Tapas. Les TP auraient donc sans doute averti le gérant, et pas au dernier moment. Jane, dans d'audition rogatoire du 8 avril (et le film était alors certainement en post-production) déclare ceci :
(16) Là encore pourquoi "pire", pire que quoi ?I can remember on the morning of the, Thursday morning by the tennis, at the tennis, somebody in our tennis group had tried to book the Tapas and they couldn’t get in because it was already full. And I can remember thinking at that point, and I just felt, you know, ‘Good’, because they were bloomin’ awkward by booking it out. And they were sort of saying well it’s a bit ridiculous that they couldn’t have got in because they’d booked, they’d tried to book in, you know, they’d been there at nine o’clock to book in and they still couldn’t get in. So, we did, at that point, I can remember having this conversation was ‘Oh shall we go somewhere different’, but it never happened, but. And Kate was, I think Kate was there then, I can’t remember who else, but we did actually say ‘Oh shall we, shall we go somewhere different’. And I think almost at that point we had considered it, but I think the problem was the kids were so tired after having such full days, I think it was more ‘Well it’s worked every other night’. But I know definitely from my point of view I felt quite bad that we were taking this, you know, this block booking every night and it was affecting other people using it”Il n'est pas impossible que ce discours ait été tenu pour appuyer ce que disent les MC dans le documentaire de Emma Loach. Ce ne serait pas la première fois que Jane évoque des faits implausibles mais étayant les propos de Gerald MC, un homme avec lequel elle dit n'avoir aucune affinité. Comme par hasard elle ne se souvient que de la présence de Kate, sans pour autant être capable de citer une seule de ses paroles.
(17) Les jumeaux avaient 27 mois quand Madeleine disparut, il n'est guère plausible qu'ils aient un souvenir direct d'elle.
(18) Ce documentaire ne peut pas plus éviter l'écueil du manque total d'éléments probants qu'il ne peut cacher l'influence angoissante de l'affaire MC sur une génération de parents déjà sur-protecteurs. Faut-il rappeler que la disparition d'une enfant de son lit, sans effraction, sans trace, sans indice d'intrusion, est exceptionnelle ?
(19) Il est assez remarquable que Kate MC ne se mette jamais à la place
d'une enfant qu'elle n'envisage que vivante.
Bande-annonce 1
Les MC ouvrent un
abondant courrier.
KMC : (lit) Chers Kate
et Gerry, je suis en train de fouler un terrain inconnu car je n'ai
pas l'habitude d'écrire des lettres à des gens que je ne connais
pas. Tant de gens disent ça..
(elle saisit une autre lettre) C'est une lettre très sympathique,
d'une mère qui nous appuie dans tout ce que nous avons fait et
sommes en train de faire. Nous recevons beaucoup de lettres de gens
qui ont des enfants du même âge (la caméra filme un dessin). Vous
savez, elle peut être partout, près de la mer, dans un grenier,
mais sans savoir où chercher.. Je crois que, parce que nous avons
reçu des milliers de lettres, toutes différentes, il est difficile
de leur donner la même importance ou le même poids, parce qu'elle (Madeleine)
n'est pas dans des milliers d'endroits, elle est dans un seul.
GMC :
(le son strident du spot la campagne
Never forget sort d'une tablette) Chaque fois que je vois cette vidéo, il me vient à
la mémoire... notre Madeleine, notre fille, et la plupart du temps
quand nous parlons de Madeleine, c'est presque ça. La Madeleine qui
apparaît dans les journaux est un concept abstrait. Nous avons
révélé beaucoup plus de Madeleine que nous ne désirions, mais
c'est avec l'ohjectif, l'espérance de déclencher quelque chose.
Nous ferons tout pour essayer de la trouver. (vidéo de Madeleine
apparentant 2/3 ans) Cela ramène tout à nouveau (it brings it
back).
KMC : Oui, elle est formidable avec Sean et Amelie et ça... Vous savez,
même quand ils sont nés, vous savez... elle a adopté le rôle, en vérité elle n'avait en fait que 20 mois lorsque les jumeaux sont nés et elle a voulu être partie prenante et aider et puis évidemment alors qu'ils grandissaient, parce que la différence d'âge était si petite ils ont commencé à jouer ensemble, si bien. Et c'était merveilleux de les voir ensemble et c'est très dur pour moi d'imaginer comment ils seraient ensemble maintenant.
Bande-annonce 2
KMC : C'était
la cinquième nuit, nous avions réservé la table à 20h30. À 21h,
tout le monde était là.
C'était à la troisième ronde (6) qui était ma ronde errm...et je suis partie, errm... et j'ai découvert que Madeleine avait été prise. (7) J'ai fait le tour de l'appartement vraiment à toute vitesse, j'ai juste ouvert des placards et des trucs, et puis je me suis précipitée vers le restaurant Tapas en hurlant Quelqu'un a pris Madeleine. Et c'est alors que le cauchemar a commencé. Je me souviens de courir en disant Pas Madeleine, pas Madeleine, pas Madeleine, et c'est tout ce que je me rappelle de dire et redire. (8) Et Gerry était dans le même état, vous savez, il est... une sorte de, je ne suis pas habituée à voir Gerry si bouleversé.
GMC : Quand la réalité nous atteignit, il y eut immédiatement une grande montée d'activité dans notre groupe, je ne sais pas si c'est parce que nous sommes habitués aux situations de tension au travail ou pour un autre motif, mais il y a eu immédiatement un Nous allons faire ci et ça et appeler la police, faire tout ce qui était possible, alerter les gens, coordonner...
KMC : Je me souviens que nos amis criaient Il faut fermer les frontières et ils criaient Le Maroc, l'Algérie... Je me souviens de toute cette agitation, Il faut bloquer les routes, il nous faut des blocages sur les routes, c'était ce que nos amis criaient.
GMC : J'ai insisté pour que Kate reste dans l'appartement au cas où on trouverait Madeleine, donc nous savions où l'amener immédiatement.
KMC : Je suis restée principalement dans la chambre et j'ai prié en fait, j'ai appelé tout le monde et ai demandé que l'on prie et je me sentais si désemparée. Il faisait vraiment froid. Vous savez, je savais quel pyjama elle avait et j'ai pensé elle va mourir de froid et il faisait si sombre et sombre et chaque minutes semblait une heure et, errm... bien sûr nous sommes restés debout toutes la nuit et nous avons seulement attendu qu'il y ait errm... un petit peu de lumière à 6h. (9)
GMC : Et alors nous sommes sortis pour chercher, nous deux, à la lumière du jour.
KMC : Tout était désert. Et nous cherchions, à travers les broussailles, les buissons.
GMC : Nous disions et redisions Puissions-nous la trouver, puissions-nous la trouver.
GMC : Et alors nous sommes sortis pour chercher, nous deux, à la lumière du jour.
KMC : Tout était désert. Et nous cherchions, à travers les broussailles, les buissons.
GMC : Nous disions et redisions Puissions-nous la trouver, puissions-nous la trouver.
Bande-annonce 3
Spot vidéo Madeleine et la petite P grimpant les marches pour entrer dans l'avion. Elles trébuchent et tombent sur les genoux.
KMC : Nous sommes partis là-bas le 28 avril et il y avait neuf adultes et les enfants.
Dans la navette de l'aéroport, voix de David P : Un moment, un moment, je crois que nous sommes filmés, tout le monde est là ?
GMC : Oui, elle était réellement enthousiaste avec la vidéo, le jour, le fait de prendre l'avion, très excitée par les vacances.
KMC : Cela semblait réellement être l'équilibre parfait, avoir des vacances en famille où les enfants aient plein d'activités sans jamais s'ennuyer et avoir aussi un petit peu de temps pour nous. Ils s'amusaient comme des fous et c'était un moment de bonheur pour les enfants, et Madeleine en particulier.
GMC : Et il se trouvait que nos appartements étaient tout près du Tapas, qui était littéralement à 50m du patio de notre appartement, peut-être 60m. Nous nous sommes dit Pourquoi ne pas essayer de dîner là ?
KMC : Cela semblait une bonne idée... Je n'ai pas... (lève le bras avec une moue signifiant qu'elle n'a rien à ajouter ou que cela l'ennuie ou encore ne sert à rien).
GMC : Cela semblait une chose tout à fait naturelle, qui n'avait rien de mal, puisque c'était si près, comme je l'ai dit on voyait réellement l'appartement et cela nous paraissait pas très pareil à dîner dans notre jardin. Dans ce cas on irait voir les enfants à l'étage toutes les demi-heures comme nous faisions. Mais... nous étions loin d'imaginer qu'une chose pareille pourrait arriver.
KMC : Je n'ai pas l'impression qu'un an a passé depuis que j'ai vu Madeleine. Elle est tellement, tellement présente ici encore, on ne dirait pas qu'elle est loin. J'ai l'impression qu'elle est encore avec moi d'une certaine façon et je n'ai jamais eu l'impression que je ne la reverrais jamais.
GMC : Elle fait toujours beaucoup partie de notre vie et de celle des jumeaux. Nous voyons à quel point ils aiment leur grande soeur (17). Je pense qu'elle est quelque part, je le crois beaucoup.
KMC : Vous savez, je vois la meilleure amie de Madeleine de temps en temps. Je ne peux m'empêcher d'imaginer comment serait Madeleine, serait-elle aussi grande ?, vous savez, ses cheveux seraient-ils aussi longs ? Vous savez, et écrirait-elle son nom aussi ? Vous savez, elle est là, elle nous attend, elle mérite qu'on tienne bon.
GMC : Notre petite fille n'avait même pas 4 ans et maintenant elle en a presque 5. Elle est la victime et les gens ne devraient pas oublier ça.
KMC : Elle est quelque part, il est juste question de la trouver.
GMC : I think the worst
thing is we kind of almost thought about not going. And er, and did.
We weren’t sure we were going to get into the tapas, remember, and…
(14)
KMC : In fact we were
all..
GMC : But you know
KMC : .. we were all..
going to go up to the Millennium again, that was with the kids, which
is what we did the first night. It was just, it was just because the
walk was so long and we didn’t have a buggy.
Sunday Times - 27.04.2008 - Emma Loach
This Saturday marks the first anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance. How have the McCanns coped? Sitting at Kate and Gerry McCann’s kitchen table, watching their three-year-old twins Sean and Amelie playing on the floor, you could be observing any normal family scene. There are no histrionics. No weeping or wailing.
In the general melee of a family of four, it takes a few hours before the absence of their daughter hits you. But when it does, it is overwhelming. The crime that someone has committed against this family is colossal. Someone, somewhere, took Madeleine and in doing so they have come as close as anyone can to destroying the fabric of this family. Until Madeleine is found, or someone comes forward to tell the McCanns what happened to their four-year-old daughter, they will be forever stuck just after 10pm on Thursday, May 3, 2007. It is a potential life sentence.
When I was initially asked to make a film about the McCanns, I didn’t immediately jump at the chance. I’d found it almost impossible to watch the news bulletins after Madeleine went missing and I didn’t want to make a film that merely indulged in witnessing at first hand her parents’ misery. And what could I say that hadn’t already been said? I needn’t have worried. The McCanns, too, were uninterested in taking part in a “schlock doc”. They had a different agenda. For eight months they had been trying to ride the media train, with only one aim in mind – finding Madeleine – and every decision they had taken had had that goal at its heart. Now they had decided to add another one.
At our first meeting they talked about how much they had learnt about child abduction, how horrified they were and how they wanted to use their knowledge to try to make Europe a safer place for children. It seemed clear to me that they needed to find a more positive narrative for their lives. This new campaign, however long it might take, had the advantage of being both inextricably connected to finding Madeleine but different enough to provide some respite from the relentless pain. Kate and Gerry were also well aware that the first anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance on Saturday would rekindle media interest. And they decided it might be productive to try to channel that interest into a campaign that could benefit others.
There were numerous areas that they felt needed attention. Many European countries, they had discovered, do not require Criminal Records Bureau checks on people who want to work with children; many do not have a sex offenders’ register and many do not even have an organisation that deals with missing people, let alone missing children. Two areas stood out. Soon after Madeleine had gone missing, they had been shocked to find there were no data collected on how many children are abducted each year. The figures simply don’t exist. And it’s not just mainland Europe that doesn’t bother collating them; no one can say for sure how many children are abducted in the UK. Part of the reason is that cases of abduction that end in murder or rape are logged only under the more serious category headings, which means the scale of the problem isn’t recognised.
The McCanns became convinced of the need for “child-rescue alert” – a system that is used with great success in America. There, as soon as a child is abducted, police issue radio and television station alerts. Even more impressively, they can also text-message mobile phone users in the area where the child was last seen with descriptions they may have of the victim and abductor, car registration numbers and other pertinent information. The first few hours after an abduction are known as the “golden hours” because they are so crucial. Of those children who are ultimately killed after being snatched, 74% are murdered in the first three hours. And 91% are killed in the first 24 hours.
However, only four out of the 27 countries in Europe have a US-style system in place. There is no “child-rescue alert” in Portugal, where Madeleine was taken. In Britain, where we do have an alert system, it has been used only three times since it was introduced in 1997. Once we started researching alert systems with the McCanns, it quickly became clear that they serve little purpose unless those police officers who are first at the scene of a child abduction are properly trained.
We followed the McCanns as they spoke to experts in London, Brussels and Washington about the mechanics of child-rescue alerts. After each meeting in America, the couple were visibly buoyed. First there was Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart. Six years ago Elizabeth – then 14 – had been snatched from her bed. Her family had then worked tirelessly to keep her photograph in the papers and her story in the news. And for them it paid off: nine months later a passer-by spotted her with her abductor in the street. She was reunited with her family – a living and breathing vindication of the tactic of keeping press attention high – for which the McCanns themselves have been criticised.
Some have even suggested that if Madeleine’s parents weren’t involved in her death, they probably killed her with the coverage – the implication being that their daughter’s abductor may have panicked at the attention the case was receiving and quickly disposed of her. So it was important to the McCanns to discover that Ed Smart had used the same strategy as they had; and in his case it had worked. In Washington we also visited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – an impressive place, full of committed people who have the proper level of resources to combat child abduction. Since 1997, 393 children have been returned safely to their families because of a child-rescue alerts. And, in 33% of cases, the abductor actually gave up the child after seeing the alert himself.
There is no doubt in Kate’s and Gerry’s minds: these alerts save lives. Crucially, the National Center has undertaken research that has given them fresh hope that Madeleine may still be alive. Even in the worst kind of kidnappings, just 40%-50% of children are murdered. The younger the child, the less likely that they will be seriously harmed. The message from the statistics was loud and clear – until we know why Madeleine was taken and who took her, it cannot be assumed that she is dead. It was heartrending to see the McCanns’ hopes rising.
Over the course of four months we followed the couple as they researched child abduction issues and then launched their campaign at the European parliament in Brussels. There were many diversions along the way: more apparent sightings of Madeleine; venomous letters that dropped on the doormat and the leak of their first witness statements. The McCanns have remained committed. Observing them has been a sobering experience. They live at the edge of human endurance, yet manage to survive. In fact they do more than survive. They are living. Their twins are almost obscenely happy, filling the house with love and laughter.
Kate and Gerry also remain strong. I was struck by how kind and generous they are and how they refuse to be defined by their tragedy. So as well as documenting their campaign for child-rescue alerts, I also wanted to show them as I found them – intelligent and brave but flawed, like everyone else I know. People who made a mistake – parents who made the wrong call. Before Madeleine was taken, leaving your sleeping children while you ate dinner 50 yards away would have been a question of judgment. Some of us would have made the same decision as the McCanns, some of us wouldn’t. Thankfully, for the most part, our choices don’t lead to catastrophic events and so our parenting goes unscrutinised. For Kate and Gerry McCann, it did. And they are paying for that every second of every day.
I would not have thought it possible to survive the year that Kate and Gerry have just lived through. They have. I’m sure that friends who knew them before miss the people they were. But they resist being victims. For now, they are determined to build something positive out of the hell of the past year. And they will never give up looking for Madeleine.
Quant à ce qu'Emma Loach connaît de l'affaire MC, lire son témoignage devant la cour de justice de Lisbonne.
En particulier :
Emma L says that before the book was published nobody thought that Madeleine could have died in the apartment.
Madeleine 'died in her bedroom'
SCOTSMAN: 08 AUGUST 2007
Police admit Madeleine McCann might be dead
TELEGRAPH: 11 AUGUST 2007
Madeleine McCann police convinced she is dead
TELEGRAPH: 22 AUGUST 2007
Sunday Times - 27.04.2008 - Emma Loach
This Saturday marks the first anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance. How have the McCanns coped? Sitting at Kate and Gerry McCann’s kitchen table, watching their three-year-old twins Sean and Amelie playing on the floor, you could be observing any normal family scene. There are no histrionics. No weeping or wailing.
In the general melee of a family of four, it takes a few hours before the absence of their daughter hits you. But when it does, it is overwhelming. The crime that someone has committed against this family is colossal. Someone, somewhere, took Madeleine and in doing so they have come as close as anyone can to destroying the fabric of this family. Until Madeleine is found, or someone comes forward to tell the McCanns what happened to their four-year-old daughter, they will be forever stuck just after 10pm on Thursday, May 3, 2007. It is a potential life sentence.
When I was initially asked to make a film about the McCanns, I didn’t immediately jump at the chance. I’d found it almost impossible to watch the news bulletins after Madeleine went missing and I didn’t want to make a film that merely indulged in witnessing at first hand her parents’ misery. And what could I say that hadn’t already been said? I needn’t have worried. The McCanns, too, were uninterested in taking part in a “schlock doc”. They had a different agenda. For eight months they had been trying to ride the media train, with only one aim in mind – finding Madeleine – and every decision they had taken had had that goal at its heart. Now they had decided to add another one.
At our first meeting they talked about how much they had learnt about child abduction, how horrified they were and how they wanted to use their knowledge to try to make Europe a safer place for children. It seemed clear to me that they needed to find a more positive narrative for their lives. This new campaign, however long it might take, had the advantage of being both inextricably connected to finding Madeleine but different enough to provide some respite from the relentless pain. Kate and Gerry were also well aware that the first anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance on Saturday would rekindle media interest. And they decided it might be productive to try to channel that interest into a campaign that could benefit others.
There were numerous areas that they felt needed attention. Many European countries, they had discovered, do not require Criminal Records Bureau checks on people who want to work with children; many do not have a sex offenders’ register and many do not even have an organisation that deals with missing people, let alone missing children. Two areas stood out. Soon after Madeleine had gone missing, they had been shocked to find there were no data collected on how many children are abducted each year. The figures simply don’t exist. And it’s not just mainland Europe that doesn’t bother collating them; no one can say for sure how many children are abducted in the UK. Part of the reason is that cases of abduction that end in murder or rape are logged only under the more serious category headings, which means the scale of the problem isn’t recognised.
The McCanns became convinced of the need for “child-rescue alert” – a system that is used with great success in America. There, as soon as a child is abducted, police issue radio and television station alerts. Even more impressively, they can also text-message mobile phone users in the area where the child was last seen with descriptions they may have of the victim and abductor, car registration numbers and other pertinent information. The first few hours after an abduction are known as the “golden hours” because they are so crucial. Of those children who are ultimately killed after being snatched, 74% are murdered in the first three hours. And 91% are killed in the first 24 hours.
However, only four out of the 27 countries in Europe have a US-style system in place. There is no “child-rescue alert” in Portugal, where Madeleine was taken. In Britain, where we do have an alert system, it has been used only three times since it was introduced in 1997. Once we started researching alert systems with the McCanns, it quickly became clear that they serve little purpose unless those police officers who are first at the scene of a child abduction are properly trained.
We followed the McCanns as they spoke to experts in London, Brussels and Washington about the mechanics of child-rescue alerts. After each meeting in America, the couple were visibly buoyed. First there was Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart. Six years ago Elizabeth – then 14 – had been snatched from her bed. Her family had then worked tirelessly to keep her photograph in the papers and her story in the news. And for them it paid off: nine months later a passer-by spotted her with her abductor in the street. She was reunited with her family – a living and breathing vindication of the tactic of keeping press attention high – for which the McCanns themselves have been criticised.
Some have even suggested that if Madeleine’s parents weren’t involved in her death, they probably killed her with the coverage – the implication being that their daughter’s abductor may have panicked at the attention the case was receiving and quickly disposed of her. So it was important to the McCanns to discover that Ed Smart had used the same strategy as they had; and in his case it had worked. In Washington we also visited the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – an impressive place, full of committed people who have the proper level of resources to combat child abduction. Since 1997, 393 children have been returned safely to their families because of a child-rescue alerts. And, in 33% of cases, the abductor actually gave up the child after seeing the alert himself.
There is no doubt in Kate’s and Gerry’s minds: these alerts save lives. Crucially, the National Center has undertaken research that has given them fresh hope that Madeleine may still be alive. Even in the worst kind of kidnappings, just 40%-50% of children are murdered. The younger the child, the less likely that they will be seriously harmed. The message from the statistics was loud and clear – until we know why Madeleine was taken and who took her, it cannot be assumed that she is dead. It was heartrending to see the McCanns’ hopes rising.
Over the course of four months we followed the couple as they researched child abduction issues and then launched their campaign at the European parliament in Brussels. There were many diversions along the way: more apparent sightings of Madeleine; venomous letters that dropped on the doormat and the leak of their first witness statements. The McCanns have remained committed. Observing them has been a sobering experience. They live at the edge of human endurance, yet manage to survive. In fact they do more than survive. They are living. Their twins are almost obscenely happy, filling the house with love and laughter.
Kate and Gerry also remain strong. I was struck by how kind and generous they are and how they refuse to be defined by their tragedy. So as well as documenting their campaign for child-rescue alerts, I also wanted to show them as I found them – intelligent and brave but flawed, like everyone else I know. People who made a mistake – parents who made the wrong call. Before Madeleine was taken, leaving your sleeping children while you ate dinner 50 yards away would have been a question of judgment. Some of us would have made the same decision as the McCanns, some of us wouldn’t. Thankfully, for the most part, our choices don’t lead to catastrophic events and so our parenting goes unscrutinised. For Kate and Gerry McCann, it did. And they are paying for that every second of every day.
I would not have thought it possible to survive the year that Kate and Gerry have just lived through. They have. I’m sure that friends who knew them before miss the people they were. But they resist being victims. For now, they are determined to build something positive out of the hell of the past year. And they will never give up looking for Madeleine.
Quant à ce qu'Emma Loach connaît de l'affaire MC, lire son témoignage devant la cour de justice de Lisbonne.
En particulier :
Emma L says that before the book was published nobody thought that Madeleine could have died in the apartment.
Madeleine 'died in her bedroom'
SCOTSMAN: 08 AUGUST 2007
Police admit Madeleine McCann might be dead
TELEGRAPH: 11 AUGUST 2007
Madeleine McCann police convinced she is dead
TELEGRAPH: 22 AUGUST 2007
