"A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
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"A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Tony Bennett 17.01.15 23:35
A member here recently kindly sent me the book, 'Ben', by Kerry Needham. I hope to review it for the forum sometime. I have always been interested in the role of Ben's uncle, Stephen, in what really happened to Ben that day. And the book hasn't disappointed. But that's all for another day.
What interested me most in the book so far was the quote below, on pp. 276-7.
It revived my interest in how rapidly the Madeleine McCann story was generated on that Friday morning.
Some here will recall the account of Jon Clarke, Editor of the Olive Press in Spain, who was 'phoned very early in the morning of Friday 4 may by a Sun editor, and told to get to PdL PDQ.
He won't say when he was 'phoned, but he lives near Ronda, Spain, and Praia da Luz is 250 miles and a 5-hour journey by road - yet he made it to PdL before noon. The call to him must have been well before 7.00am.
That always raised in my mind how much pre-planning there was about the breaking of this story.
How was it that a little girl who was only reported missing at about 10.30pm the night before become the focus of so many breakfast-time bulletins the following morning?
And why were edtors 'phoning round - it seems - as early as 5am or 6am that morning?
Here is Kerry Needman's verbatim account, anyway:
There was nothing. No police updates of note, no help from officialdom and no in-coming phone calls from the media whatsoever. Until, that is, Friday 4 May 2007.
It was six o’clock in the morning and whoever had rung the house phone that early was about to get a piece of my mind. Or so I thought. I didn’t actually have a chance to say anything because as soon as I picked up the phone, I heard the voice of a friendly journalist.
‘Kerry, have you got a comment about the little girl who was snatched in Portugal last night?’
Now they wanted to listen. I looked down from my bedroom window at the mass of men and women filling my lawn and pathway and those of the two houses on either side. After year of shouting into thin air, it seemed like every journalist with a car had found their way to my front door. And all they wanted to talk about the same thing. Madeleine McCann.
What interested me most in the book so far was the quote below, on pp. 276-7.
It revived my interest in how rapidly the Madeleine McCann story was generated on that Friday morning.
Some here will recall the account of Jon Clarke, Editor of the Olive Press in Spain, who was 'phoned very early in the morning of Friday 4 may by a Sun editor, and told to get to PdL PDQ.
He won't say when he was 'phoned, but he lives near Ronda, Spain, and Praia da Luz is 250 miles and a 5-hour journey by road - yet he made it to PdL before noon. The call to him must have been well before 7.00am.
That always raised in my mind how much pre-planning there was about the breaking of this story.
How was it that a little girl who was only reported missing at about 10.30pm the night before become the focus of so many breakfast-time bulletins the following morning?
And why were edtors 'phoning round - it seems - as early as 5am or 6am that morning?
Here is Kerry Needman's verbatim account, anyway:
There was nothing. No police updates of note, no help from officialdom and no in-coming phone calls from the media whatsoever. Until, that is, Friday 4 May 2007.
It was six o’clock in the morning and whoever had rung the house phone that early was about to get a piece of my mind. Or so I thought. I didn’t actually have a chance to say anything because as soon as I picked up the phone, I heard the voice of a friendly journalist.
‘Kerry, have you got a comment about the little girl who was snatched in Portugal last night?’
Now they wanted to listen. I looked down from my bedroom window at the mass of men and women filling my lawn and pathway and those of the two houses on either side. After year of shouting into thin air, it seemed like every journalist with a car had found their way to my front door. And all they wanted to talk about the same thing. Madeleine McCann.
____________________
Dr Martin Roberts: "The evidence is that these are the pjyamas Madeleine wore on holiday in Praia da Luz. They were photographed and the photo handed to a press agency, who released it on 8 May, as the search for Madeleine continued. The McCanns held up these same pyjamas at two press conferences on 5 & 7June 2007. How could Madeleine have been abducted?"
Amelie McCann (aged 2): "Maddie's jammies!".
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Joss 18.01.15 2:31
Wow, what on earth would they want from Kerry Needham that had anything to do with Madeleine going missing? She wouldn't have even been aware of it at that stage.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Liz Eagles 18.01.15 14:08
Madeleine McCann goes missing and it is declared at around 10pm on the evening of 3rd May 2007.
The Press are called.
At 6am on 4th May the UK press assemble outside the home of Kerry Needham. A journalist calls Kerry at 6am in the morning. Kerry looks out of her bedroom window to see UK press outside her house. Kerry is annoyed at her phone ringing so early in the morning (who wouldn't be) and I can only assume that at that particular time she wasn't lying awake in bed watching the news on telly.
What made the press do this? Everyone knows the press can be a bunch of b'stards but to assemble outside the home of Kerry Needham at 6am barely 8 hours after the disappearance of Madeleine - who at this point could have been found wandering about, fallen over, lying hurt in a gulley etc is incredible even for the press.
It smacks of pre-planning to me.
ETA:
Can you imagine an editor of any newspaper who has just learned of the disappearance of a child on holiday would call his 'journalists' immediately and say 'get your arse around to Kerry Needham's house and ask her for a comment'?
The Press are called.
At 6am on 4th May the UK press assemble outside the home of Kerry Needham. A journalist calls Kerry at 6am in the morning. Kerry looks out of her bedroom window to see UK press outside her house. Kerry is annoyed at her phone ringing so early in the morning (who wouldn't be) and I can only assume that at that particular time she wasn't lying awake in bed watching the news on telly.
What made the press do this? Everyone knows the press can be a bunch of b'stards but to assemble outside the home of Kerry Needham at 6am barely 8 hours after the disappearance of Madeleine - who at this point could have been found wandering about, fallen over, lying hurt in a gulley etc is incredible even for the press.
It smacks of pre-planning to me.
ETA:
Can you imagine an editor of any newspaper who has just learned of the disappearance of a child on holiday would call his 'journalists' immediately and say 'get your arse around to Kerry Needham's house and ask her for a comment'?
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by PeterMac 18.01.15 14:50
Someone, somewhere,m knew knew she would never be found.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Joss 18.01.15 16:07
I agree Aquila, the whole thing is weird IMO. It really defies logic as to what exactly has been going on in this bizarre case.aquila wrote:Madeleine McCann goes missing and it is declared at around 10pm on the evening of 3rd May 2007.
The Press are called.
At 6am on 4th May the UK press assemble outside the home of Kerry Needham. A journalist calls Kerry at 6am in the morning. Kerry looks out of her bedroom window to see UK press outside her house. Kerry is annoyed at her phone ringing so early in the morning (who wouldn't be) and I can only assume that at that particular time she wasn't lying awake in bed watching the news on telly.
What made the press do this? Everyone knows the press can be a bunch of b'stards but to assemble outside the home of Kerry Needham at 6am barely 8 hours after the disappearance of Madeleine - who at this point could have been found wandering about, fallen over, lying hurt in a gulley etc is incredible even for the press.
It smacks of pre-planning to me.
ETA:
Can you imagine an editor of any newspaper who has just learned of the disappearance of a child on holiday would call his 'journalists' immediately and say 'get your arse around to Kerry Needham's house and ask her for a comment'?
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Joss 18.01.15 16:11
Most probably,PeterMac wrote:Someone, somewhere,m knew knew she would never be found.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by aiyoyo 18.01.15 16:25
Joss wrote:Most probably,PeterMac wrote:Someone, somewhere,m knew knew she would never be found.
Most certainly ! No matter how you look at it.
The person who took her won't give her back.
The person who harmed her knew she's dead.
Her parents did not search for her because they knew....
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by jozi 18.01.15 16:38
Exactly !!! All planned even down to the last sighting by the pool.....IMOaiyoyo wrote:Joss wrote:Most probably,PeterMac wrote:Someone, somewhere,m knew knew she would never be found.
Most certainly ! No matter how you look at it.
The person who took her won't give her back.
The person who harmed her knew she's dead.
Her parents did not search for her because they knew....
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Joss 18.01.15 17:02
Yes, i agree.aiyoyo wrote:Joss wrote:Most probably,PeterMac wrote:Someone, somewhere,m knew knew she would never be found.
Most certainly ! No matter how you look at it.
The person who took her won't give her back.
The person who harmed her knew she's dead.
Her parents did not search for her because they knew....
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Lance De Boils 18.01.15 23:15
The speed at which everything was 'put in place' was incredible. And I mean, incredible.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: It would not surprise me one iota if it turned out that whatever happened, occurred at least 24 hours before. Perhaps with the worst 72 hours or say, 48 of them, were over by the night of 3rd May.
I think it's possible that UK authorities had been notified at the time, and that the McCanns were instructed to keep things quiet until Thu night, t=0. To give TPTB time to... {suggestions here}... Then when that time was up, it was time for the 'release' of the story & all units go, go, go.
Why might they have wanted things kept quiet at first? I can guess at a few possibilities.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: It would not surprise me one iota if it turned out that whatever happened, occurred at least 24 hours before. Perhaps with the worst 72 hours or say, 48 of them, were over by the night of 3rd May.
I think it's possible that UK authorities had been notified at the time, and that the McCanns were instructed to keep things quiet until Thu night, t=0. To give TPTB time to... {suggestions here}... Then when that time was up, it was time for the 'release' of the story & all units go, go, go.
Why might they have wanted things kept quiet at first? I can guess at a few possibilities.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Rogue-a-Tory 18.01.15 23:36
I agree Lance, at least 24 hours earlier. Chance to plan, rehearse & for the handlers to instruct what needed to happen on the ground. I think the abduction story didn't come from within T9 which is why mistakes were made on 3 May as TM were desperately trying to remember their lines in the play.Lance De Boils wrote:The speed at which everything was 'put in place' was incredible. And I mean, incredible.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: It would not surprise me one iota if it turned out that whatever happened, occurred at least 24 hours before. Perhaps with the worst 72 hours or say, 48 of them, were over by the night of 3rd May.
I think it's possible that UK authorities had been notified at the time, and that the McCanns were instructed to keep things quiet until Thu night, t=0. To give TPTB time to... {suggestions here}... Then when that time was up, it was time for the 'release' of the story & all units go, go, go.
Why might they have wanted things kept quiet at first? I can guess at a few possibilities.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by woodforthetrees 19.01.15 10:07
aiyoyo wrote:Joss wrote:Most probably,PeterMac wrote:Someone, somewhere,m knew knew she would never be found.
Most certainly ! No matter how you look at it.
The person who took her won't give her back.
The person who harmed her knew she's dead.
Her parents did not search for her because they knew....
They knew because they were told from various authorities at the scene right from the off that she was most likely already dead.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by kimHager 19.01.15 14:36
Of course Gerry said it best on the bus...he KNEW he wasn't there to have fun or relax
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Kim
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Richard D. Hall 21.01.15 0:57
Hello,
It might be interesting to look at historical cases of children going missing abroad, and see how long it was before media became interested in their cases. Some sort of statistical analysis. I suspect you will find this case will be miles outside of the 99% normal distribution curve. They certainly have got those reporters trained like whippets when they need to be somewhere fast.
ALSO - Thanks you to Jill for running this forum and also to all the contributors. It is an invaluable research tool.
It might be interesting to look at historical cases of children going missing abroad, and see how long it was before media became interested in their cases. Some sort of statistical analysis. I suspect you will find this case will be miles outside of the 99% normal distribution curve. They certainly have got those reporters trained like whippets when they need to be somewhere fast.
ALSO - Thanks you to Jill for running this forum and also to all the contributors. It is an invaluable research tool.
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by Grim 21.01.15 7:20
From the limited time to work within... 22.00pm - 06.00am the press were really on the case , surely as with Brenda Leyland there must have been some editorial consultation before the wheels were put in motion , the risk of egg on face is enormous should Madeleine reappear , then there Is the sensitivity angle with Kerry Needham ...the desperation in which they risk her reaction and can't wait until a more civil time frame ....its almost like a race is taking place , which in turn makes me wonder if the press were acting on information garnered through phone hacking ? , was someone within the limited people informed a hacked victim ? And the press racing one another to possibly secure a scoop ? . Would it be worthwhile DCI Wall doing a traceback from Kerry Needham's book ? , find those journalist and seek what the source was ?
Are these teams of reporter's stood to at every 24hr McDonald's waiting for the greenlight ?
Are these teams of reporter's stood to at every 24hr McDonald's waiting for the greenlight ?
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by plebgate 21.01.15 8:42
Not sure what you mean about someone being a hacked victim Grim.
Why would anyone be interersted in Tapas crew or any of the limited people in the know. They would never have heard of any of them before I would guess. Not as though they were in the public eye before Maddie's unfortunate disappearance asaIk
Why would anyone be interersted in Tapas crew or any of the limited people in the know. They would never have heard of any of them before I would guess. Not as though they were in the public eye before Maddie's unfortunate disappearance asaIk
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Searcher 21.01.15 12:11
Rogue-a-Tory wrote:I agree Lance, at least 24 hours earlier. Chance to plan, rehearse & for the handlers to instruct what needed to happen on the ground. I think the abduction story didn't come from within T9 which is why mistakes were made on 3 May as TM were desperately trying to remember their lines in the play.Lance De Boils wrote:The speed at which everything was 'put in place' was incredible. And I mean, incredible.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: It would not surprise me one iota if it turned out that whatever happened, occurred at least 24 hours before. Perhaps with the worst 72 hours or say, 48 of them, were over by the night of 3rd May.
I think it's possible that UK authorities had been notified at the time, and that the McCanns were instructed to keep things quiet until Thu night, t=0. To give TPTB time to... {suggestions here}... Then when that time was up, it was time for the 'release' of the story & all units go, go, go.
Why might they have wanted things kept quiet at first? I can guess at a few possibilities.
I have felt for a long time that the night of the crying (Mrs. Fenn's statement) may relate to the actual event, not 3rd May.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Guest 21.01.15 12:41
Richard D. Hall wrote:Hello,
It might be interesting to look at historical cases of children going missing abroad, and see how long it was before media became interested in their cases. Some sort of statistical analysis. I suspect you will find this case will be miles outside of the 99% normal distribution curve. They certainly have got those reporters trained like whippets when they need to be somewhere fast.
ALSO - Thanks you to Jill for running this forum and also to all the contributors. It is an invaluable research tool.
I've always been intrigued by Yvonne Martin's timely arrival on the scene.
During the past month of May or more precisely on the 04th of May 2007, the witness was in Portugal, enjoying holidays, when at about 07H00 she turned on the television and watched an English news channel (BBC or SKY NEWS) where she saw an appeal to British citizens on holiday in the Algarve to offer all possible support to a British couple who were on holiday in Praia da Luz and whose daughter, a child, had disappeared on May 03, 2007.
Sounds like the distress signal from the Titanic. Highly irregular I would say, anyway.
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by cbeagle 21.01.15 14:45
Is there a list anywhere of confirmed timings of early news reports, including which contained photos of Madeleine?
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by Gaggzy 21.01.15 16:03
Richard D. Hall wrote:Hello,
It might be interesting to look at historical cases of children going missing abroad, and see how long it was before media became interested in their cases. Some sort of statistical analysis. I suspect you will find this case will be miles outside of the 99% normal distribution curve. They certainly have got those reporters trained like whippets when they need to be somewhere fast.
ALSO - Thanks you to Jill for running this forum and also to all the contributors. It is an invaluable research tool.
Welcome to the forums.
You are correct about the speed of the reporters' response. Even my two guys couldn't have got there any quicker, and believe me, they are fast!
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Re: "A journalist 'phoned me at 6.00am, Friday 4 May, to talk about Madeleine McCann" - Kerry Needham
by phil_burton 21.01.15 21:21
I wouldnt say that this quote necessarily means there was pre-planning.
We already know that phone calls went in to friends and family between 10pm on the 3rd, and 10am on the 4th, and that the press were notified very early on.
To me, this doesn't represent pre-planning, ie that the plan was made days earlier.
It does however represent a calculated move, orchestrated by someone, or a group of people who knew what had gone on and that the tale of abduction had to be got out there ASAP. It was a move needed to regain control over an investigation that could have very quickly turned against the McCanns.
IMO it's just another pointer towards there being some very dodgy stuff going on with these people, and some very powerful people implicated.
We already know that phone calls went in to friends and family between 10pm on the 3rd, and 10am on the 4th, and that the press were notified very early on.
To me, this doesn't represent pre-planning, ie that the plan was made days earlier.
It does however represent a calculated move, orchestrated by someone, or a group of people who knew what had gone on and that the tale of abduction had to be got out there ASAP. It was a move needed to regain control over an investigation that could have very quickly turned against the McCanns.
IMO it's just another pointer towards there being some very dodgy stuff going on with these people, and some very powerful people implicated.
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