Citation

"Grâce à la liberté dans les communications, des groupes d’hommes de même nature pourront se réunir et fonder des communautés. Les nations seront dépassées" - Friedrich Nietzsche (Fragments posthumes XIII-883)

07 - MAI 25 - Interviews BBC etc.

Interviews MC du 25.05.2007

Pour BBC News*
Jane Hill - 25.05.2007
transcrit par Nigel Moore


Jane Hill : Errm... Kate and Gerry McCann, thank you so much for agreeing to, errm... talk to me. Perhaps you could just tell us a little bit about your holiday here, how it started, why you decided to... to come here and to bring your children here.
Kate MC : Errr... We came with a group of friends actually and their children, errm... errm... I mean, I've had lots of good reports about Portugal, a lot of our other friends and family have been and said it's very... very good for children. Errm... But, yeah, we came with a... a group of friends and, errr... I mean, it was a great week, we were having a great holiday. It was... we had lots of fun, the children had a really great time, didn't they?
Gerald MC : Yeah, very much the... the combination of, errm... the child friendly environment and the sporting facilities and errr... a lot of our friends are quite water-sports based but Kate and I were mainly, errr... taking advantage of the tennis facilities but the kids loved it and the kid's club, errm... facilities were good.

JH : And what sort of activities does Madeleine like doing? Does she get in and muck around with all the other children, that sort of thing?
GMC : She's a complete, errm... she might look like Kate but in terms of personality she's much more of a McCann. She's very extroverted and lively, you know, vivacious, she's...
KMC : She likes running, she played tennis, as well, didn't she? (1)
GMC : She's very funny and, errr... she's often a little, kind of, ringleader in nursery and with her other friends and cousins and things, as well, you know.
GMC : She's very sociable.

JH : A... a very big sense of a very big group all having fun together and...
GMC : Yeah, yeah, it was, yeah.
GMC : You know, often in the evening, errr... just in the play area down by the pool, every night after the kid's tea we would spend an hour and... invariably with the adults chasing the kid's with Madeleine shouting... running up shouting 'Be a monster! Be a monster!' then running away and then you would chase her for five minutes and then she would be back over again because there was lots of adults. She was tiring us all out, really. (2)

JH : And then on that Thursday night, Kate, when you realised that she wasn't in her bed where you'd left her. Did you think even momentarily perhaps that she'd just woken up, wandered off of her own accord, perhaps?
GMC : Not at all, no. (long pause) (3)
GMC : No, I mean, that, I think, was absolutely certain but, you know, before you raised the alarm, we double and treble checked but we certainly had no doubt in our mind that she'd been taken. (4)

JH : And... and... and was there then frenetic activity that night? I mean, I've spoken to even local people who've told me they became aware of what had happened pretty quickly and they were looking around, as well.
GMC : From the minute we discovered she was gone, if you actually look at the actions, errm... our own actions and those of the group are actually, errr... response and the speed of the response from all of us in the group and the Mark Warner representatives was excellent, errm... the alarm and the call to the police went out within 10 minutes  FAUX and the Mark Warner resort manager, John Hill, had, errr... missing child, errr... protocol in place within, you know, half an hour and all of the staff, errr... were contacted... returned to the resort here and the, you know, the local search started, errr... so, you know, in terms of that it was done very, very quickly. (5)


JH : And as time went on and I totally appreciate you can't talk about specifics in any way but even one of the things that was hard even for all the journalists who've been here for so long was to... to get their head around this idea that the police aren't... aren't allowed to tell anybody anything, they're not allowed legally to talk about the progress of an investigation.
How... how hard has... has that been for you? What sort of guidance were they able to even give you privately just to tell you what was going on?
GMC : I think it's fairly obvious that, you know, the system here and, errr... what we're used to in the UK is very different. Errr... I don't think it's any secret that in the early days, errm... the information void was the hardest thing (Sic !) for Kate and I to deal with. The not knowing... not knowing anything and taking you back to the darkest places that, really, you don't want to go and... and ultimately doesn't help you. But, errm... I think, you know, as the liaison officers and other British police arrived and the consulate, errr... helped us, that, you know, the communication channels have improved, errm... in terms of at least what information we get and how we get it and certainly, you know, at the minute we're... we're happy with the way information is conveyed to us, errm... but tho... those first 48 hours are, I think, in particular, when, errr... were the most difficult. (6)
La réalité est qu'il n'y avait absolument aucune information et rien de forensiquement analysable. Est-ce de cela qu'ils voulaient être sûrs ? On a du mal à le croire et pourtant pas un mot sur le sentiment qui ne saurait s'estomper de Madeleine dans la tourmente.

JH : And I've spoken to a lot of people, over the weeks, who... local people who'd given up a lot of time. You've talked about the support that they've given you. I met people who didn't go to work for more than a week because everyday they were down on the beach, searching the streets. Did you, as a mother, Kate, just sometimes think 'I've got to go and be out there with them. I want to go and just physically look as well'?
KMC : (Pause) I mean, I did. Errm... (Long Pause) Errm... we'd been working really hard really. Apart... I mean, the first 48 hours, as Gerry said, are incredibly difficult and we were almost non-functioning, I'd say, errm... but after that you get strength from somewhere. We've certainly had loads of support and that's given us strength and its been able to make us focus really so we have actually, in our own way, it might not be physically searching but we've been working really hard and doing absolutely everything we can, really, to get Madeleine back. (7)

GMC : I think that's key, that, in that period, the worst feeling was helplessness and being completely out of control of anything, errm... in terms of getting Madeleine back L'idée qui les habite est de récupérer M, pas celle de ce qu'elle a à subir and, I think, as we started to take control of some issues, errr... particularly influencing the publicity side of it, then you start to feel that there are certain things under your control and, I know, initially that helped me tremendously and more importantly, I think, it helped, errr... and being positive about what you can do, has helped people immediately around us, as well, and that... that has spread like wildfire to everyone in the popu... people we don't know are doing so much to help and it's the smallest thing and it makes them feel that they're helping; distributing posters locally; sending them abroad, all of these things, we think, helped and, errr... ultimately, you know, someone will provide the key bit of information. (8) 

JH : And... and some of that support has translated into a lot of money that's gone into the fighting fund, I think nearly £300,000 has been pledged, so far. What of the reports that say, perhaps... those people who suggest that some of that money could be sensibly spent on things like private investigators, for example.
GMC : Well, you know, the fund, errm... was really... really evolved to provide an outlet for people who wanted to contribute financially and these offers, errr... will help us and are helping us and that has helped us to bring in quite a comprehensive legal team and independent sector, errr... consultants as to what we could and should be doing. (9)

I did, errr... address this and the situation hasn't changed that, at this time, with the huge amount of resource from the police, errr... both in the UK and Portugal that the advice is that private investigators will not help. I personally, and we, believe that it's the public who hold the key to this; someone knows something and we would urge that if anyone has any information to come forward and anyone who's been in this area, within the two weeks leading up to Madeleine's disappearance, to come forward if they haven't already done so and upload those pictures.
There is the...I'd like to say about the website again, which is 
ww.madeleine.ceopupload.com
and there are two numbers, if I could say them, as well, that, if you have any information, to ring in, if you have not already spoken to the police.

JH: And we'll certainly broadcast those numbers again later and there has been so much support and you're reflecting on some of it there; some emotional, some practical. I mean, I have to ask, you will know, along with that support, in some quarters, comes criticism; for example a lot of people, in the last few weeks, have contacted the BBC and said: 'I can't imagine doing such a thing. I wouldn't be able to leave three children, in that situation'. How do you deal with those sort of comments?
GMC : I think, you know, any criticism of us at this time, errr... which we know there has been, particularly early on, errm... is quite hard to take when you're being so positive. I think what we did, errm... many, many other thousands of people, and I think you yourself said on television that you've either done it or would have done exactly the same in such a safe resort. No one will ever feel more guilty than us for the fact that we were not with Madeleine at that time when she was abducted and whether we'd been in the bedroom next door we would still have felt as guilty, I'm sure, but, you know, you've seen the proximity of the restaurant; there was a line of sight to the apartment and it was not dissimilar to having dinner in your garden and, you know, baby listening facilities, errr... exist in a lot of Mark Warner resorts and I would argue that what we were doing was actually even more regular than that with multiple people from the group checking the apartments at, errr... staggered times and obviously we were going into our apartment at regular intervals. If you thought for a minute that someone could abduct your child, of course, you would never have left them but, you know, that was the furthest thought from our mind during... what really was, up until that point, the most idyllic holiday. (10)

JH : You've got a little boy and a little girl to... to think about and we've seen them around the resort a lot in the last few weeks. How... they're tiny, I know, but they must have a sense that big sister isn't around at the moment. How... how do you deal with things for them? How do you look to the future for their sake?
KMC : I= mean, I think you're right. I mean, they... they are still quite young at the minute, they're just over two, errm... so it maybe hasn't affected them as much as if they were a little bit older. Errm... They do talk about Madeleine and Amelie has asked 'Where is she?' Errm... You know, they'll say 'That's Madeleine's', 'This is Madeleine's' and they include her if we're saying 'Who wants a biscuit?', they'll say 'Sean, Amelie, Madeleine', errm... but they're handling it really well, they... they don't appear upset, put it that way, you know, and they're... they're just... they're lots of fun and we... we will take some advice actually, as to...
GMC : Yeah. I mean, without doubt, they... they help us to continue, you know. This is every parent's worse nightmare and everyone can feel and imagine what we've gone through but, you know, if we'd had discovered all three of our children had gone or if something else had happened, then, you know, we... we'd not have had the same strength and resolution and determination to find Madeleine that Sean and Amelie give us, as well, because we know that they're there, errr... life continues but we need to bring them back... bring Madeleine back as much for them, as for Madeleine, as for us. (11)

JH : And... and how... how do you aim to... to keep that strength and that positive outlook that we've seen you expresss to the media a lot in the last three weeks and that sense that... that life will continue, that what you said publicly to us a few weeks ago that you believe, and have to believe, that Madeleine is somewhere being looked after by someone. How do you hold onto that thought?
GMC : Yeah, absolutely, we must, errr... continue with that and we do believe it, you know, I think if anything really bad had happened, errr... we would have found her by now, so I think, you know, I'm confident and believe this strongly that, errm... we will find her, errm... it's not hard to... to continue believing that; she's our daughter, we love her more than anyone can possibly imagine and, you know, the alternative would be giving up and we will not give up our search. (12)
GMC : Absolutely, you know, we need to believe that she's coming back to us. (13)

JH : Kate McCann, Gerry McCann, we do appreciate your time. Thank you very much and, errr... all the very best to your family, of course.
GMC : Thank you.
GMC : Thank you, Jane. Thank you.


* Selon Statement Analysis (11.11.2012) et s'agissant d'un enfant disparu (dans le sens "perdu de vue"), on s'attend à l'emploi par les parents du pronom "je", surtout lorsque le père ou la mère évoque son rapport personnel avec l'enfant ou raconte comment est son enfant, le sur-recours au "nous" étant un indicateur de culpabilité. Les enfants apprennent très vite, lorsqu'ils ont fait une bêtise, à dire "nous" plutôt que "je". Partager la culpabilité rend celle-ci plus supportable et semble en atténuer la gravité.
Remarquer l'ordre des prénoms dans "Kate et Gerry". Les occurrences de l'ordre inverse sont très rares.

(1) Autrement dit les deux activités préférées de sa mère. Il y a certes une photo où elle presse sur son coeur des balles de tennis qu'elle vient probablement de ramasser, mais jouer au tennis ? En tout cas pas avec de vraies balles comme celles-là ! La FFT conseille aux parents impatients un baby tennis (3/4 ans) qui n'a pas grand chose à voir avec le tennis. SA remarque que la question de JH n'est guère propre à glaner des informations. La question étant au présent, l'emploi du passé pour "jouer au tennis" pourrait indiquer que la mère, chez qui le déni ne serait pas étonnant, sait que son enfant est morte.

(2) Cette anecdote a été rapportée principalement par Matthew MO, rétrospectivement horrifié d'avoir dû "faire le monstre".. Gerald MC n'était vraisemblablement pas sollicité comme "monstre" (emploi de la deuxième personne et du conditionnel).

(3) Un simple "non" était suffisant. L'accumulation de mots (n'apportant aucune information supplémentaire, autrement dit susceptibles d'être supprimés sans modification de sens) dénote un point sensible (volonté de persuader).

(4) Peut-on "penser que" (et permettre à autrui de penser autrement) et "être certain" en même temps ? L'adverbe "absolument" fait de  l'adjectif "certain" un point sensible. L'intention pourrait n'être que de persuader l'interlocuteur (puisque la plupart des parents, découvrant un lit vide, penseraient d'abord que l'enfant en est sorti tout seul et ensuite, ne trouvant pas l'enfant dans la maison, penseraient qu'il est parti). Gerald commence par "je", puis "vous (indéfini)", puis "nous". Commencer par "je", il semble parler pour lui-même, et basculer sur "nous" semble trahir une culpabilité partagée.

(5) La répétition "très, très vite", qui exprime le besoin de justification, ou bien répond à une critique antérieure ou bien dénote que la réaction n'a pas été rapide. Ce qui est le cas. Le gardien de l'OC n'a pas appelé la police 10 minutes après le constat de la disparition, mais presque une heure plus tard et à l'instigation de John Hill, le gérant de l'OC, bien après déclenchement du protocole. 

(6) SA prend en compte les trébuchements de la langue chez quelqu'un qui ne bégaie pas, surtout sur certains mots, comme "je". 
Les MC sont très satisfaits parce que, grâce aux pressions de l'ambassadeur britannique, la PJ a diffusé le signalement de Tannerman, le ravisseur idéal.

(7) Kate MC est manifestement embarrassée, bien que Jane Hill ne soit ni la première ni la dernière personne à s'étonner que les MC n'aient pas cherché leur fille, alors que des tas de gens qui ne connaissaient ni la fille ni les parents sont sortis de leurs lits pour le faire. Kate MC répond "je", mais bascule rapidement dans "nous", alors que la question s'adresse manifestement à elle, ce que JH a souligné en l'appelant par son nom. Selon SA, tout changement dans la manière de parler a une signification et trahit un changement dans la perception de la réalité. Si ce changement n'est pas justifié, il faut s'attendre à une supercherie. 
Tant qu'ils n'ont pas retrouvé leur enfant, des parents innocents ne trouvent pas leurs efforts suffisants. Ils peuvent s'écrouler d'épuisement, mais ils s'en voudront toujours de ne pas avoir fait assez. Les parents qui déclarent qu'ils ont fait tout ce qui était en leur pouvoir, indiquent par leurs mots mêmes qu'il n'y a rien d'autre à faire, rien à dire et rien à scruter. On y pressent un désir d'arrêter le flot d'informations.

(8) "Quand nous avons commencé à contrôler certains aspects" révèle que Gérald s'est senti impuissant. Pourquoi ? L'accent est mis sur l'aide à lui apporter, sur les gens qui aident. Il ne parle pas d'aider Madeleine, il demande étrangement non "une" information cruciale, mais l'Information cruciale, comme si quelqu'un détenait la clef du mystère et s'obstinait à la garder secrète (il ne s'agit pas du ravisseur, il ne s'agit pas non plus d'une information qui mettrait sur la voie). Aussi bien on déduit que l'important est d'envahir la planète de posters et de répandre la nouvelle comme une traînée de poudre. Cherchez si vous voulez, il n'est pas nécessaire de trouver pour chercher, saisissez au moins la chance de vous sentir utile !

(9) L'évolution du fonds s'est faite dans le sens de fournir aux gens un exutoire. Pourquoi les gens auraient-ils besoin d'un exutoire ? Et s'ils ont besoin d'un exutoire, pourquoi devrait-il être financier ? Si l'intention, en mettant le fonds sur pied, est de fournir un exutoire, à quoi d'autre sert l'argent ? N'est-il pas hypocrite de dire cela et d'ajouter que l'argent va les aider (pas aider à retrouver ou à aider Madeleine) ? Car les aider, c'est payer une équipe exhaustive (défense et accusation ?) d'avocats, un groupe du secteur indépendant, des conseillers privés... Il faut tout de même rappeler que la loi portugaise interdit le recours à des enquêteurs privés tant qu'une investigation est en cours. Control Risks Group, à l'instigation du tour-opérateur MW, soucieux et de la sécurité de son entreprise et de son image, était venu sur le terrain et avait interrogé discrètement tous les protagonistes, profitant de la confusion qui régnait alors. Une fois revenus au Royaume-Uni, ils procédèrent probablement à une analyse, mais on ne sait à quelle conclusion ils parvinrent ni s'ils parvinrent à une conclusion ni quand ni pourquoi ils se désistèrent de l'affaire.  

(10) L'emploi de "votre enfant", qui indique une distance, est courant lorsqu'on évoque une situation pénible. Culpabilité vis-à-vis du choix, critiqué comme l'a rappelé JH, ou culpabilité vis-à-vis de la disparition ? Rien n'était plus éloigné de leur pensée que l'enlèvement.. On se demande s'ils ont imaginé leurs enfants se réveillant et constatant qu'ils étaient seuls dans une chambre inconnue.

(11) C'est une bien étrange réponse. On ne s'attend pas à ce que Gerald MC déclare que tout le monde peut sentir et imaginer par quoi ils sont passés. Personne ne le peut. Et pourquoi le "pire cauchemar de tous les parents" et pas "son pire cauchemar" ?

(12) Les MC aiment plus leur fille que quiconque puisse imaginer. Gerald n'admet donc pas que l'on puisse savoir à quel point ils aiment leur fille, mais un peu plus haut il a admis que les gens pouvaient sentir et imaginer par quoi ils étaient passés...

(13) Cette phrase est remarquable. Kate MC ne dit pas nous croyons, mais nous avons besoin de croire. Que s'est-il passé pour qu'au fond ils ne croient plus, mais s'accrochent à leur vieille croyance ?

 
S'il n'y a pas de solution, c'est qu'il n'y a pas de problème.
Ou bien que le problème n'est pas ce qui est présenté comme tel
et éventuellement se trouve ailleurs...


Interview ITV
Mary Nightingale
transcrit par Nigel Moore 


Mary Nightingale : It's been three weeks to the day since Madeleine disappeared, how are you bearing up?
Kate MC : We're doing okay. Errm.. The first 48, 72 hours, in particular, were, as you can imagine, very difficult, errm... quite dark and it was quite difficult to function. Errm... since that time, through people's help, we have got a lot stronger and we're very lucky in that we've got a fantastic family, really good friends and even people that don't know us at all have been amazing. I mean, the support we've had has been overwhelming and it's that, really, which has kept us strong and kept us positive and hopeful that we will see Madeleine back again with us. 

MN :  In those first couple of days you seemed to be wasting away, really, in front of our eyes and then there seemed to be a transformation and you seemed to gather strength from somewhere. What... how did that happen?
KMC : Again, as I say, I think that the support that we had, errm... through people, through prayer, errm... has made a huge difference, errm... and it's true to say that the first two days we didn't sleep much, we didn't eat much but that... that was a few days and certainly since then things have picked up and we have been able to be stronger.
Gerald MC : We have, you know... had those first two days where the darkest place... and, what I've said before is that, you know, it was every parent's worse nightmare, errm... but, even in the local community, as well as our immediate family and friends support that we had, we've had tremendous, errr... messages of goodwill and even that first Sunday, when we went to church, the local community came up to us; every single person in that church came up to us and said, you know, 'We'll get Madeleine back' and 'hope' and 'strength' and 'courage' and that certainly helped galvanise me and, you know, I'm not the most religious person in the world but I took tremendous strength out of that and I think it also has helped people around us because the effects of what happened, errr... didn't just, errr... devastate Kate and I... the effects have travelled and had, you know, unbelievable effects on the people close to us and family and anyone who knows us and everyone can feel a... a same sense of pain and anguish but, you know, that with a positive outlook and, you know, we certainly are maintaining that and that helps, it helps so much and when you take control of even small things under your control it takes away the feeling of helplessness that we certainly experienced in those early days.


MN : But you still don't seem to be any closer to finding Madeleine.
GMC : Well, the only thing that will truly make us feel good is Madeleine's return, you know, there's no doubt about that but, you know, we set objectives and we try to achieve them and that helps us stay focussed and, I think, what you have to remember are... there is a huge amount of work going on in the background and we know that there's a hu... absolutely huge amount of information coming through and leads are being followed; you may not know the details, and we don't know them, but we know that there is a systematic approach to this.


MN : But it must be frustrating for you not to see any progress, it's been a lot of criticism of the Portuguese police. You've always remained very supportive...
GMC : I am.


MN : ...which in some ways is quite surprising.
GMC : I think, the only thing though that, you know, when you say there's a lack of progress, there isn't a lack of progress; there is information, there are tracing, errr... in what the police call 'tracing interviewing and eliminating' going on all the time, we don't hear about it and you don't want to know all the speculation and the details but we know that work is taking place.


MN : But when you look back do you think, in retrospect, more could, or should, have been done in those first few hours?
GMC : Okay, I think, you know, there was a lot of criticism that came from the media about the police response and that has never come from Kate and I, at any point. 
D'où est-ce venu alors ? Par proxy, toujours plus commode, moins dangereux. Les MC, une fois de retour au Royaume-Uni, n'hésiteront pas à critiquer la police portugaise et à insinuer ou laisser dire que l'arrivée sur la scène du crime a pris des heures. Or, on sait que les MC 1) n'ont pas appelé police secours et 2) ont pollué la scène du crime en manipulant le volet roulant qu'ils sont les seuls à avoir vu ouvert. La police n'a donc été alertée que 50/55 minutes après le constat de disparition, par le gérant de l'OC. 
One, errm... the lessons that will be learned from this, errm... investigation, errr... will be learned after it's finished and not during it. We've got a very good ongoing investigation with excellent collaboration between the British and Portuguese police and I'd like to emphasise, at this point, that it is really important that anyone who was here in the two weeks leading up to that abduction comes forward with any information, no matter how trivial - and if they have not been interviewed already - and I would ask to them to upload their pictures, I do have a web address that I'd like to re-emphasise, which is ww.madeleine.ceopupload.com and if you haven't spoken to the police, there are two numbers: one from the UK, which is 0800 0961233 and if you're calling from abroad, it's 0044 207 1580197 and, I mean, it... it ties in with our own family campaign to keep the publicity of Madeleine's disappearance high.
We truly believe that a member of the public holds the information to unlock where Madeleine is being kept. They either will have seen something, that will lead to the abductor being traced, or they will notice suspicious behaviour, from someone, and we truly believe that and I think, you know, we cannot have imagined how successful our campaign to keep the publicity going, regarding her disappearance, has been, but it's because people have seen that and, with information technology, the world is so much smaller and we believe that there truly is a feeling here that the people will not allow this to happen and they want Madeleine to be found and everyone is acting, some in big ways; every small piece of action here helps in the search.


MN : You're right, there has been the most extraordinary outpouring... (coughs) excuse me. There has been the most extraordinary outpouring of grief about... excuse me, (coughs) I'm so sorry... I'll just get a glass of water. There has been the most extraordinary outpouring of grief, errr... certainly in the UK, and I think worldwide, about what's happened to Madeleine but there has also been, errr... enormous debate, as I'm sure you're aware, and everyone's been asking each other the question: 'Would you have left them?' and I'm a parent, I've got small children, and I've asked myself the same thing and I... and I don't know. But there must... you must look back and think 'We did the wrong thing'.
KMC : I mean, the restaurant where we were eating, errm... is on the complex, where we're staying and I think the... the diagrams that were maybe shown, at the beginning of all this, don't really portray how close it actually is. 
KMC ne dit pas la vérité. L'immeublé où habitaient le groupe des 9 ne faisait pas partie du complexe de l'OC, entouré d'un haut mur d'enceinte et accessible par un petit bâtiment de réception.
Errm... I mean, we've said before, it was a little bit... we think it was quite similar to - on a summer's evening at home - eating in your garden, while the children are in your bed, you know, it's that close... errm... you know...
GMC : I think, you know, the messages of support, errm... and from the thousands of people who have said they would either do the same, or have done the same, have helped us but it will not take away the feeling of guilt - that we will have with us forever - that at the moment Madeleine was abducted, we were not there. And, I've tried to rationalise it. We do not think that what we did was irresponsible but it won't take away that guilt but equally if we'd been in the adjacent bedroom and it had happened, I'm sure we would have felt equally as guilty and, of course, that we're not, but, you know, what is happened is done and we are absolutely focussed from the minute that we discovered her gone; that we have done, and will continue to do, everything in our power to find her.


MN : What do you think happened to her?
GMC : All I can say is that, you know, the information is that she's been abducted
C'est l'information qu'ils ont inventée et imposée partout ! We don't know who's done it and it doesn't help... speculation really doesn't help us. We know that she's gone, we do not believe that, errr... she's dead, I truly believe that she's alive and we will not give up looking for her until we've found her.


MN : And you've said you won't go home either but at some point you may have to go home. One... At what point do you decide: 'Our lives must continue, we've got two other children, we have to get on'.
KMC : I mean, at this... at this moment in time I cannot think about going home without Madeleine, errr... and we certainly have no plans at all to go home with Madeleine... without Madeleine.


MN : But what about the other two? Just... at some point?
KMC : Yeah, I mean, Sean and Amelie, they're... they're doing really well, errm... they're young... they're young enough really that this hasn't affected... affected them, which is fortunate.


MN : What have you told them?
KMC : Well, they... they do comment about Madeleine, they say, 'Madeleine's toy' or 'Madeleine's bag' or, you know, and Amelie did ask, early on, 'Where's Madeleine gone?', errm... but on the whole they're too busy playing with their toys or running into kid's club, they're... I mean, they're really happy, the staff here have been fantastic with them, errm...
GMC : In no way do I think, at the minute, that their development is in any way being hindered. We have obviously a huge amount of contact with them, probably even more than we would be if we were at home and working, just now, certainly for me, so... I see them... I've not been on any conferences or... other than the one trip home, so... and the kid's club they've got here, they're doing the similar activities to what they'd be doing at nursery, errr... they're developing and they're growing in front of our eyes, you know, that is... you've probably seen it, and their speech, Amelie's in particular, in the last few weeks has really come on and they're really turning in from toddlers, errr... into a little boy and a little girl. So, you know, the fact that we're staying here, errm... just now, I don't see how that influences it one little bit; the children. And in fact, they give us such tremendous strength and humour and... and... you know, and periods where you do have to forget why you're still here but, you know, I just like to say it that, you know, we are absolutely determined and that's the overriding emotion, I think, at this time, having had... gone through the grieving phase, we are detemined to find Madeleine and we will do anything to do that.
KMC : And she deserves that
GMC : She does. Completely.


MN : Tell me about Madeleine. I know her picture, we all know her picture so well and she's a gorgeous, little, smiling image but she is, to us, an image; to you she's a real little girl. Tell us about Madeleine.
KMC : Well, she's got bags of character, that's for sure. Errm... She's very loving, caring, she's very funny, very chatty, very engaging. Errm... She has her moments, like all children do, errm... but I do think she's pretty special.
GMC : What I'd like to say is that she looks like Kate but she's got a McCann personality and if you've seen the rest of my family...
KMC : She's loud.
GMC : Yeah, she's loud and she's a real extrovert and, errr... for one so young, errm... she can express herself so well and, you know, she tends to be the ringleader with the younger kids and, errm... and during the holidays she was the oldest of the eight children here and, errrr... and she just loved every minute of it; every waking minute she was having a ball and that is certainly the image that I keep in my head.


MN : Gerry and Kate, we all hope so fervently that you find Madeleine, safe and well, thank you very much indeed for talking.
GMC : Thank you.
KMC : Thank you. Thank you.


MN : Errm... Central Television... I... I forgot, just asked... could I ask a question about the support in Rothley, please, for Central Television. I'm sorry... (coughs)
Clarence Mitchell : We'll need to tell the BBC though 'cause... for their regional programs, you know...
MN : Okay. Okay. You have received such an enormous amount of support throughout the UK but... astonishing the demonstrations of... of love and... and support in Rothley when you went back there last week.
GMC : Yeah. Well, Kate's aunt and uncle and cousin live in the village and we've only lived there for a year but, errr... we've known the village very well for over ten years, for me, and we've seen on the television the support, we knew from conversations that it was there... but it was incredibly emotional going back to the monument, outside the Royal Oak, and, errr... seeing the thousands and thousands of ribbons and toys and, you know, I did try to read as many of the messages and there was one in particular, which I said to Kate, when I came back from her, one of her best friends at nursery, errr... after who has moved to Yorkshire and it was so touching, errm... but, you know, the support there has been fantastic and it does give us strength and hope and, you know, we know we're going to bring her back to Rothley.






Interview Sky News
Ian Woods
transcrit par Nigel Moore


Ian Woods : Gerry and Kate thanks very much for talking to us. I'd like to begin by taking you back to the events of May 3 on that evening. Tell us how you discovered how Madeleine had gone.
Kate MC : As I think people are aware, we were checking regularly on the children and it was during one of my checks that I discovered she had gone. I can't really go into any details about that. I'm sure any parent will realize how that felt.  
Il n'y en a eu qu'un. Les gens sont conscients que les MC disent qu'ils faisaient des rondes régulières, c'est tout.
IW : Did the panic set in immediately?
KMC : Yeah (whisper), very much.
 

IW : This is a resort that offers childcare facilities, babysitting facilities. Why then, were the three young children left alone at the apartment while you were having a meal?
Gerald MC : I think if you know the location here which you've seen, what we did I think, and we've been assured by the thousands of people who've either done exactly the same or say they would have done the same, and for us, it wasn't very much different to having dinner in your garden, in the proximity of the location. I think it's fair to say that you know the guilt that we feel having not been there at that moment irrespective of whether we had been in our bedroom or not will never leave us.
 
Voilà le fameux jardin, coupé par une large allée flanquée de murs.
Pour ne rien dire du fait que la chambre des enfants se trouvait de l'autre côté de l'immeuble, autrement dit totalement hors de portée de la voix et de l’œil.

IW : Do you blame yourselves regularly?  
KMC : Certainly in the first few days. I think the guilt was, was very difficult. But I think as time goes on, erm, you feel stronger and we felt very supported from that point of view.  

IW : Is there a lesson, do you feel, to other parents?  
GMC : I think that's a very difficult thing to say because if you look at it, and we try to rationalise things in our head, ultimately what is done is done and we continually look forward. We've tried to put it into some sort of perspective for ourselves. We're in a very safe resort. If you think about the millions and millions of British families who go to the Mediterranean each year, really the chances of this happening are in the order of a hundred million to one.  
KMC : I think at worst we were naïve. I mean we're very responsible parents. We love our children very much and I don't think any parent could imagine or consider anything like this ever happening.  

IW : Were you aware of the big public debate that went on in the immediate aftermath and were you hurt by that?
K et G MC : Yeah.
GMC : I mean no one hurts you as much as the hurt we had but we've tried to remain very positive in our outlook and even small levels of criticism make that hard when you're trying to do everything in your power to get your daughter back.
 

IW : I know you've been very supportive of the Portuguese police investigation but is there anything you feel could have been done better, particularly in those crucial first 24 hours when Madeleine was missing and perhaps it was treated as a simple missing child as opposed to an abduction?  
GMC : I think erm, you know, we are not looking at what has been done and I don't think it helps at this stage to look back at what could and what couldn't have been done. I think it's fair to say we expected a very British-style response that you would expect if you were in a big metropolitan city but you have to put that in context, we were in a tiny resort but, you know, that aside we, the times for these lessons to be learned will be after the investigation is finished and not now. You know it's an ongoing investigation which has huge resources both from the Portuguese and the British. They're working very very closely with lots of expert help and I know there are hundreds of pieces of information continuing to come forward and I would strongly like to emphasize we'd like anyone who's been here in the two weeks leading up to the abduction to come forward if they have not already done so and upload their photographs because we want Madeleine back and people can still influence that.  

IW : Looking back, I mean, did you see anything suspicious in the days leading up to her abduction? Did you notice anything? Have you been racking your brains to try and think whether people might have been watching?  
KMC : We didn't.  
GMC : If we did we wouldn't tell you [laughs] because it may be important information but we didn't. You know, it was such a relaxing holiday. In fact as a family unit, up until that night, I know for friends who were here and certainly for us, it was as good a holiday as we have had with the children - up until that point.  

IW : You have to keep believing that Madeleine is still going to be found alive and well.  
GMC : Absolutely? [talks over]  

IW : Do you ever, though, allow yourself to drift towards negative thoughts?  
KMC : I think in the early days we did and I think that's inevitable. I think any parent who has been through this does that certainly in the first few days. We don't now. We're actually a lot stronger, a lot more hopeful now. And we have to be hopeful, it's what keeps us going and what keeps us focused.  

IW : And what about Sean and Amelie? What have you said to them about their big sister?  
KMC : They're really good, I mean they're at an age really where they're still quite young and um [paused] I guess it hasn't had the same impact on them as if they were a little bit older. They do talk about Madeleine. They pick up things and say Madeleine's, you know? And that's fine but they're really good.  
GMC : I think that's, you know, something that is many people have said to us that this is a parent's worst nightmare and it is, it truly is and it's as bad as you can possibly imagine but, you know, if all three of the children had been taken it could have been even worse than your worst nightmare and we've got to be strong for them. You know, they're here. They do bring you back to Earth. And we cannot grieve one, we did grieve of course we grieved but ultimately we need to be in control so that we can influence and help in anyway possible. Not just Sean and Amelie but the investigation.  

IW : And because of them, the day may come when you have to leave here and go back to the UK. I know you've got no plans to do so at the moment but how do you think you're going to feel if that day comes and you have to go to the airport and fly back?  
KMC : I can't think about that Ian, to be honest. I can't think about going home without Madeleine so?  

IW : I notice you've got Madeleine's cuddly toy with you as always. How did that start and what comfort does it bring you?  
KMC : Where did it come from?  

IW : No how did the idea come to have it in your hands all the time?  
KMC : Well it's something that Madeleine has with her every night, and if she's upset or not well, she has cuddle cat. So it provided me with a little bit of comfort. It's something of Madeleine close to me.  

IW : This is International Missing Children's Day. I mean I guess Madeleine has had more publicity than just about every missing child in the world put together. I'm sure you're very grateful for that. Why do you think it has provoked such enormous public support of which I don't think we've ever seen before?  
GMC : I think there's a conglomeration of circumstances that have come together in this situation. The fact that we were on holiday, very safe resort recognized for that, and of course the world has changed in terms of information technology and the speed of response you know, in terms of the media coming here and us being prepared to some extent, use that to try and influence the campaign. But above all else it's touched everyone. Everyone. You don't have to be a parent for this to have a major impact on you and I think it's also been very very important and some of the things we did and said we didn't realize what impact they would have but so many thousands of people are doing small things to help us find Madeleine. 'Cause the worst feeling was helplessness, the absolute worst. That we had no bearing on finding her. 
Quid de la police ?
But once you start to do that then you start to feel a bit better and I hope that we are going to look back at the end of all this and say that we have done everything in our power, but also that other people are helping in so many other ways and they feel that they are part of it.  

IW : Does it worry you that people might start to lose interest as time goes on the media coverage diminishes inevitably? 
GMC : For me, we know the media coverage is not going to last a long time. It has lasted a lot longer and we have been much, much more successful in driving a message out than we could ever possibly have imagined. Personally I think it's gone beyond that at the minute and there is a feeling with many many people out there that they will not allow this to happen. And we know that and we pray that it doesn't happen again but when it does, the speed of the next response and the template we have set - and there has been so much goodwill and humanity out there that it really has restored, one evil act actually has resulted in so much good.
Cette déclaration est insensée, d'autant qu'ils prétendent que Madeleine doit être vivante puisqu'on n'a pas trouvé de corps. On n'est pas dans un conte de fées, si elle est vivante, elle subit l'horreur absolue (même si elle n'est pas mal traitée physiquement).
IW : Where do you go from here? There's talk of travelling around Europe. Have you got any firm plans as yet?  
KMC : We haven't got any firm plans. We're likely to travel in a few places in Europe but as yet, no definite plans.  

IW : Have you got no plans to go back to the UK for the foreseeable future?  
KMC : [both shake heads] No.  

IW : I think that everyone has just been incredibly impressed with you as a couple and how you've dealt with this. There was a period after a week or so where you looked as if you were almost broken and who could not understand that? And then there seemed to be a sort of a strength come from somewhere. Is that a fair point? Is that what happened and what brought it about?  
KMC : I think that's definitely true, isn't it [looks at Gerry and sighs]  
GMC : Certainly, you know, at the end of that first week there was so much emotion that we had spent and we actually had a period where we discussed this openly that we felt devoid, completely devoid of emotion. The analogy that I like to use is a bit like when we were students and you'd got to your overdraft limit and you'd gone beyond it and there was just nothing left in the tank. Also, I think, physically and mentally were shattered but, you know, as we gradually got more on an even keel and we started to get back into the black and we'd also worked tirelessly behind the scenes to put support mechanisms in place including our legal team. The response with the fund which was really driven by offers rather than us thinking we needed it. And once these were in place then it helped us to focus on what we really needed to focus on.  

IW : Well everyone who's watching who has been following Madeleine's case over the past three weeks just wishes you all the best. Thanks very much Gerry. Thanks very much Kate.
G et K MC : Thanks very much.