Sky News 25/05/07 - What the McCanns told Sky News

http://news.sky.com/story/515170/read-what-the-mccanns-told-sky-news

Read What The McCanns Told Sky News

19:17, UK, Friday 25 May 2007

Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of missing Madeleine, have spoken to Sky News' Ian Woods about the night she was taken and the support they have received three weeks after she was snatched in Portugal. Here is the full transcript of the interview.

IAN WOODS (IW): 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 McCANN (KM): 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 realise how that felt.

IW: Did the panic set in immediately?

KM: 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?

GERRY McCANN (GM): 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.

IW: Do you blame yourselves regularly?

KM: 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?

GM: 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 changes of this happening are in the order of a hundred million to one.

KM: 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?

KM and GM: Yeah.

GM: 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?

GM: 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's hundreds of pieces of information continuing to come forward and I would strongly like to emphasise 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?

KM: We didn't.

GM: 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.

GM: Absolutely? [talks over]

IW: Do you ever, though, allow yourself to drift towards negative thoughts?

KM: 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?

KM: 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.

GM: 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?

KM: 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?

KM: Where did it come from?

IW: No how did the idea come to have it in your hands all the time?

KM: 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?

GM: 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 recognised 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 realise 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.

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?

GM: 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.

IW: Where do you go from here? There's talk of travelling around Europe. Have you got any firm plans as yet?

KM: 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?

KM: [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?

KM: I think that's definitely true, isn't it [looks at Gerry and sighs]

GM: 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.

GM and KM: Thanks very much.

Andrew wrote:http://news.sky.com/story/515170/read-what-the-mccanns-told-sky-news

Read What The McCanns Told Sky News

19:17, UK, Friday 25 May 2007

Gerry and Kate McCann, the parents of missing Madeleine, have spoken to Sky News' Ian Woods about the night she was taken and the support they have received three weeks after she was snatched in Portugal.

IW: Do you blame yourselves regularly?

KM: 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: 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?

KM: We didn't.

GM: 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.

GM: Absolutely? [talks over]

IW: Do you ever, though, allow yourself to drift towards negative thoughts?

KM: 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.

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.

.

Thanks Andrew.   I hadn't forgotten this just the details.  
Wrong to snip it as I have - but my god - 3 weeks after having lost their little daughter they can talk like this.  
They are speaking as if "Oh well, what's done is done, get over it"     !!!!!
It makes me so angry again now even after all this time.   They are an unbelievable pair of a**e**l**  aren't they (imo of course)

They sound just like a couple of arrogant doctors who've never had to deal with death or tragedy on a personal level with anyone close to them, and are looking at "the situation" from a clinical point of view.

canada12 wrote:They sound just like a couple of arrogant doctors who've never had to deal with death or tragedy on a personal level with anyone close to them, and are looking at "the situation" from a clinical point of view.

I can't excuse them because they are doctors canada12. They were/are parents first.