Chris Freind – Daily Times News - 09.07.2013
In past columns, I have
championed Don Imus keeping his job, defended Barry Bonds'
achievements and stood up for the falsely accused Duke lacrosse
players long before it was "fashionable" for the media to
do so. I even opined that Paris Hilton was wrongly jailed, receiving
unfair treatment because she was a celebrity.
But no matter how much I
try, I simply cannot find anything worth defending about British
couple Gerry and Kate McCann.
The McCanns, for a reason
that wholly escapes me, have been worldwide media darlings since
their then-3-year-old daughter, Madeleine, disappeared from a
Portuguese resort in 2007. A disappearance, mind you, that was 100
percent preventable had Maddy's parents -- both well-to-do physicians
-- not left her alone, along with her twin 2-year-old siblings, in a
ground-floor unlocked apartment not once, but repeatedly, while they
sampled the local paella far from their children.
Such gross negligence
should have made them pariahs, but instead, their vaunted PR machine
fashioned them into something akin to "heroic victims."
Over the years, they have
raised millions, engendered the support of (misguided) icons such
David Beckham and J.K. Rowling, had a private audience with the Pope,
met with high-ranking staff of then-First Lady Laura Bush, wrote a
book, and otherwise lavished in the limelight as globetrotting
celebrities.
Along the way, lawsuits
have been threatened against anyone who dared question the McCanns'
complicity in their daughter's fate, despite significant
inconsistencies in their stories. Quite sickeningly, their actual
search for Maddy all too often seemed like an afterthought, as it was
much cooler to hang with stars and dignitaries than do the grunt
work.
Yet for all the baggage
that should accompany them, their star power still shines bright, as
the Scotland Yard, upon the direction of Prime Minister David Cameron
himself, just re-opened the investigation, citing new leads and
"persons of interest."
Really? After six years
and millions of British taxpayers' money later, they finally have
persons of interest?
Aren't there laws on the
books in Britain against child endangerment? Reckless behavior?
Negligence? And to those who say Britain can't prosecute for a crime
committed overseas, you can't have it both ways, as British
investigators are reaching out across Europe in a (likely ill-fated)
attempt to interrogate and possibly have suspects arrested in other
countries.
The headlines all read
that Maddy was kidnapped, yet there is no evidence -- none -- of
that.
It seems increasingly
clear that McCann case is no longer about what happened to a little
girl, but an attempt -- some say cover-up -- to absolve "upstanding
Brits" of any responsibility, conveniently blaming Portugal, the
poor man of Europe, for a botched investigation and overall
ineptness.
Looking past the gushing
pro-McCann headlines, many the world over believe the parents,
accidentally or otherwise, were directly responsible for Maddy's
fate. I certainly cannot make that claim, though Gerry and Kate would
seem to be guilty of child endangerment. That said, there remain
inconsistencies which, to this day, remain unanswered.
Therefore, if Scotland
Yard wishes to retain its legendary reputation, it needs to
investigate the case from Square One, objectively, free from outside
influence. No sacred cows, and no one off the table. And the only way
to do that is to start with Gerry and Kate, (and their friends who
accompanied them that fateful night), forcing the parents to answer
tough questions. The taxpayers, and those who have so faithfully
followed this saga for so long, deserve no less.
You don't need to be
Sherlock Holmes to ask the following:
1.) Will the McCanns and
their friends take lie-detectors tests? While not guaranteed, they're
a good barometer. If there is nothing to hide, releasing the results
would be a public relations boon, and the investigation could center
on Madeleine -- for a change.
2.) What time was
Madeleine discovered missing? Was it 9 o'clock, as Kate states, or 10
o'clock as others report, and why the discrepancy? How long did it
take for anyone to initially call the police, as there are reports of
a significant delay. Kate stated that the shutters were forced open,
but the police and hotel staff said there was no evidence of
tampering. And Kate, why, upon discovering that your daughter was
missing, did you return to the restaurant, leaving the 2-year-old
twins alone (again!), while a predator could still have been lurking
nearby?
3.) Kate yelled, "They've
taken her", but how did she know Madeleine was abducted? After
all, the doors were unlocked, and Madeleine was known to sleepwalk.
Or perhaps this little
girl just happened to awaken, scared,in a dark, unfamiliar place, and
looked for the comfort of her parents. Not seeing them, might she
have walked out the unlocked door to find them? And when Kate
initially yelled "they" took her, to whom was she
referring?
4.) The resort was
extremely child-friendly. Why not use its inexpensive baby-sitting
services? Some reports state that the McCanns did not want the
children to be around people with whom they were unfamiliar. Yet, the
same people who ran the day camp the children attended were also the
baby sitters. And how could "strangers" be any worse than
leaving three young children (with a combined age of 7) alone in an
unlocked apartment?
5.) How often did the
parents check the children before Madeleine went missing? Every hour,
half-hour, or not at all? (The statements of the resort staff differ
markedly from the McCanns). Since the room was a considerable
distance away from the restaurant, and its view blocked, how could
the McCanns compare that "secure arrangement" to eating in
their backyard garden?
6.) During a BBC
interview, Kate was adamant that the children would not awaken while
she and Gerry were dining. Yet, since Madeleine reportedly had a
history of sleepwalking, how could Kate be so sure of this?
7.) How many nights did
the McCanns dine out while leaving the children alone? What were the
distances of those restaurants from their room? Were any away from
the hotel?
8.) How much money raised
has actually has been allocated to the physical search for Madeleine?
A thorough and independent forensic audit should be conducted.
9.) In an earlier
interview, the McCanns stated, "Looking at it from where we are
now, I don't feel we were irresponsible, I feel we are very
responsible parents." Do they still feel that way?
10.) Assume that the
police dog was accurate in its detection of death in the room, and
the death was that of Madeleine. Why then would the perpetrator take
away a dead child?
At a minimum, these
questions are a logical starting point to get to the bottom of
Madeleine's disappearance.
As a wise man once said,
lies reveal more than they conceal. If Scotland Yard does its job,
perhaps we shall put that saying to the test.
