By VANESSA ALLEN -
25th April 2008
Gerry McCann told yesterday of his terrible regret at leaving his children alone on the night Madeleine disappeared.
He admitted: "We made a mistake, but we are paying more for it than anyone could ever possibly imagine."
The father of three said he and his wife Kate had thought at the time it was "perfectly reasonable" to leave Madeleine, then three, and their two-year-old twins alone in an unlocked holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
He added: "Hindsight has proven we made a mistake and we would never leave the children again."
In a new interview, a week before the first anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance on May 3, Mr McCann, 39, said he still believes she is alive.
But he said he had so little contact with Portuguese police that he could not be sure officers are still searching for her.
The consultant cardiologist told BBC Radio 4: "One thing is for certain, I've seen nothing to suggest that she's dead. And I mean nothing, absolutely zero.
"And I'm sure if there was any evidence then we would have heard about it a long time ago."
Mr Cann defended himself against claims that he and his wife should be charged with child negligence in Portugal - a crime punishable with a five-year jail sentence.
He said of the couple's accusers: "They have no more information now than was available to them on May 4. So why are we talking about such a charge now?"
The McCanns, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have led their own campaign to find their missing daughter, believing she was abducted from the holiday complex while they dined nearby with friends.
But they remain official suspects and have had no direct contact with police since they left Portugal in September.
The President of the Portuguese Order of Lawyers, Antonio Marinho e Pinto, said yesterday that he believes detectives are hiding behind the country's strict secrecy laws.
He added: "There are strong reasons to fear that judicial secrecy is being used to conceal the fact that the police have gone down a blind alley and don't have a way out."
Portuguese police travelled to Britain earlier this month to oversee fresh interviews of the "Tapas Seven", the group of friends who ate with the McCanns on the night of May 3.
•Searching For Madeleine will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 1.30pm on Sunday.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=561818&in_page_id=1770
231 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 231 of 231he just told me to be quiet, I was laughing really loudly!
I was wondering what Our Ell was doing there!
She flaming beat me to it!
Sorry I got a bit Lost ...lol
This is the link to the Video :
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9TuxQuxEGyg
The other post is on My blog its the last post I made... I Cant get it on here sorry.. At least cant Figure how to yet !
Thank You xx
Janet
Have you gone?
Sass and I were asking which video?
I'll drop you an email
Ok, I'm back in the twiglet zone!
Rosie, who told you to be quiet, not hearing voices again are you?
Sass, you should know better using big words at this time of night....... ok morning!
Oh there you are janet I was just going to email you.
Sass is really good with computers, I am only learning still, but we will have a go, no problem.
Docmac!
Thank You x
Helen
she only copied me, I used that word earlier when I was talking to Mark, I bet she wrote it down and stored it for future reference!
No problem Janet x
the little dog just came in and jumped up next to me and is now pawing me to stroke her!
I Will say Goodnight Catch You Again Soon !
Janet
x
Goodnight Janet, sleep well, take care, call in again soon, you are always welcome xxx
You'd think she would know about plagerism wouldn't you? Tried to find that post of Janet's, keeps coming up blocked. If either you or Sass find it I would be interested. It's the first time that I have seen her site, shall take a nosey there in next few days.
Where's Sass gone, bet she is checking on the size of her buns?!!!
Helen
Well you would have thought this wouldn't you? But no, she just keeps nicking my words!
Helen
If you are wondering where sass has gone, she has eaten all the buns!
I'm off now Rosie, got work mane. Sleep well.
Sass, wake up, get your head out of the airing cupboard!!! Goodnight, sleep well.
Trying to sort out that video. Did I nick a Rosie word?
Night Helen!
Rosie - not really into unbaked buns!
No Helen
she has just eaten all those buns she made, look at her?what a sight
oh Sass Darling you are back.
Helen was just accusing you of nicking my words!
Helen
night sleep well take care xxx
Uncooked buns!! you'll get worms my girl!!
Sass
Better that than the snotinator!
did you manage the video thingy?
there's a worm at the bottom of the garden
he wriggles all day and he wriggles all night and he doesn't care what the people say and his name is wriggly worm!
(My granddaughter sings this to me)
Video is sorted!
Off to bed now - nighty night!
x
Good night sass Sleep well xxx
I'm off too, just watched the video and cried. That poor child, those poor parents.
Please God I beg you help bring Madeleine home.
xxx God Bless Madeleine xxx
Hi To you all.
I have registered, as instructed.
This weekend has been busy, I only get a chance to hop on in the afternoon, which is middle of night to you guys.
I could have written a packet on the Panorama doco. But restricted myself.
As for what Viv thinks of what I write. Couldnt care. In fact, I have a message for her.
Bite me.
I dont even go to read what she writes anymore. Havent done for weeks. Too busy and as I said the other day, my life is too short to waste it reading the rubbish that they write on the Vile blog
Hi Diane
Well said, I have only popped over there once in the past week and that was to look at the picture of Vile's family and then to see what picture she had put up after, they were sick Diane, truly, truly sick, bitter twisted and just plain nasty and evil.
felt my skin crawl and literally felt dirty when I came away, so will be a long while before I go back.
let them get on with their evil, in the end it will catch up with them.
You are a star Diane, glad you been over, hope you liked it! x
It is one thing for Gerry McCann to admit that he and his wife "made a mistake". But what I personally would like to see from this couple is a heartfelt apology - both to Madeleine and to the public.
I believe this couple when they say they would never leave the children again. I'm sure they have learned a terrible lesson. But you know, to not say "sorry" (and truly mean it) is a metaphorical slap in the face to Madeleine and to all the members of the public out there who gave both heartfelt emotion AND money to the McCann's and Madeleine's cause. We expect that a couple such as this would want to make a desperate, heartfelt apology - not just a casual admission of "we made a mistake". This is a little girl's life we are talking about here .. it's not like they left their pet dog out in the rain or something.
It's not that I want to see the McCanns on their knees begging for forgiveness for the rest of their lives (even though I know many people would be if they were in their shoes), but I do want to see some genuine remorse. I just don't feel they are sorry enough. There is something rather too smug or cavalier in their attitude toward all of this that does not sit right with me. And now even Mrs Healy (poor woman) has admitted that she was shocked at how casually Kate and Gerry left the children unattended. She actually said she wanted to "shake her daughter and ask her why". This is her daughter, so obviously she eventually forgave her, but can you really expect the public to do the same, when Kate and Gerry, frankly, do not even seem that sorry?
What does it say about the value of children in general? Is a child something you "lose" like an umbrella, and then simply say "yes it was a mistake"??? Such an attitude sets a mind-numbingly dark precedent. Losing a child, whether it was your fault or not, is the most tragic thing imaginable. But for God's sake - if a big part of it WAS actually your fault and you KNOW it was your fault, then at least have the decency to show the world some remorse and be truly sorry! Anything less is barbaric.
Thank you for your time.
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