Key Players: Profiles

Another reference thread, this one to bring together the profiles of key players in the saga surrounding Madeleine McCann's disappearance and how they might fit in with the complexity of the labyrinth of mystery.

Cross referencing is the key here and to kick-off who better than Kate McCann's great aunt Nora from across the pond, who just happened to be staying up at Skipton, North Yorkshire on the eve of Madeleine's alleged disappearance..

Kate's aunt (Brian Healy's sister) is Madeleine's godmother. She currently lives in Vancouver, Canada and has given interviews to CTV.

"When Madeleine's godmother and great aunt Nora Healy was asked about the Portuguese police operation, she raised her eyebrows and said: "Well, it upped a gear when the British ambassador arrived." She is best remembered for her phone interview where she said, "There was six of them together, and there was a neurosurgeon, an anesthesiologist, there was six medical professionals. If there'd been an accident, (A) if it was accidental and they were doing something bad, THEY COVERED IT ... could have covered it up. If it was accidental, they'd have taken care of it.."

Norah Paul was visiting her relatives in Skipton from her home in Vancouver when Madeleine went missing. Michael Wright then drove her to Liverpool to meet the Healys and all four flew to PDL on 4th May. Sue Healy and Nora Paul were photographed arriving together at the Mark Warner complex.

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[Courtesy of pamalam at gerrymccannsblog]

Thank you @ Verdi for setting up this thread and I hope it will prove successful.

It looks like you've chosen NORA HEALY as a 'key player', which on the face of it does seem a surprising choice for an alleged 'key' player.


But, no matter, it does allow me to contribute a bit of further information about Nora Healy, courtesy of an article I wrote dated 21 November 2008. In other words, a very long time ago.

It was titled: "Madeleine McCann: The role of Michael Wright", and I think the entire article can be found somewhere on CMOMM, perhaps one of the Mods can find it. As a matter of interest, it was the first article I ever wrote for the long-since-defunct 3As Madeleine discussion forum. One of the 'big names' at the time over there suggested I research Michael Wright in more depth.

What happened to Nora Healy on 3 and 4 May 2007 does seem very strange. She was apparently on holiday from her home in Vancouver, staying with Michael Wright and family in Skipton, Yorkshire, for a holiday. She was due to fly back to Vancouver on the early morning of Friday 4 May 2007 [Note that date].

Then...at 11pm [Note that time] on Thursday 3 May, the mother of Wright's wife 'phoned to say that Madeleine had 'disappeared'. Wright immediately told her to 'go to Liverpool' instead of flying off to Vancouver, and personally drove here there "in the early hours of the morning". I take that to mean somewhere between say 2am and 7am. The drive from Skipton to an address in Liverpool would take, I think, at least two hours. I would ask: why the desperate rush.

I would also ask: why Liverpool? If I was to take a guess, I would say that Jon Corner, godfather of Amelie & Sean McCann, might be involved. And I would note at this point that we've been told that Jon Corner was busy that day [Friday 4 May] arranging hundreds of digital photos of Madeleine [how did he come to have them?] during that Friday. .   

There was then a 'phone call between Michael Wright and the McCanns at about 10am/11am that morning.

Then we are told that a 'Family Laiason Officer' [from Leicestershire Police] acted like lightning and whisked them [Susan Healy, Brian Healy & Nora Healy] all off to Faro Airport that very afternoon [despite the face that Madeleine could have been found any moment].

Michael Wright was to become a major player in the life of the McCanns during the four months they stayed in Portugal - until the McCanns returned to England. He also seems to have been involved in monitoring the internet to see what was being said about Madeleine and famously also wrote memos to himself in green ink shortly before giving his evidence at a key hearing in the never ending legal fandango of McCanns v Amaral.

Without further ado, here's the very first part of my article:

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Madeleine McCann: The role of Michael Wright

 by Tony Bennett, 21 November 2008


Background

Michael Wright did not make a formal statement to the Portuguese police until 16th April 2008, nearly a year after Madeleine ‘disappeared’.

Michael Terence Wright, born 8 May 1963, therefore now aged 45, is married to Anne-Marie, who is a cousin of Dr Kate McCann. It is understood that he was military-trained and his occupation is believed to be that of a partner in an I.T. company. He’s also said to be an amateur car enthusiast, particularly
keen on taking cars apart and putting them back together. They have two children, Katie and Patrick, aged 11 and 13.

According to his statement to Portuguese police, he had known Anne-Marie since he was 8 years old when, she and Dr Kate McCann used to holiday on Isle of Man, which is where Michael Wright lived. He had known Dr Gerry McCann since 1997, when he started going out with Kate.

Michael Wright and his wife and the McCanns used to meet up from time to time, mostly at family events, once in 2006 and once in February 2007. Their families were close and stayed together in each others’ houses. Michael Wright and his wife had apparently been planning a holiday in the U.K. for June 2007.

From Michael Wright’s statement to the police

I wasn't in Portugal on 3 May at the time of Madeleine's disappearance. About 23:00 that night I received a very uncomfortable [or compelling] call from my wife's mother who told me about Madeleine's disappearance. Aunt Nora, from Canada, was in Skipton and was about to return to Canada the next morning. I suggested that she go to Liverpool instead. We all thought that Madeleine was going to appear in the following hours, even while I drove Nora back to Liverpool in the early morning of Friday, 4 May. I stayed in Liverpool. I spoke to Kate by phone between 10:00 and 11:00am that morning and she confirmed that she wanted her mother, her father and Nora with her. The family liaison [officer?] arranged the journey of the mother, father and Nora to Portugal that same afternoon. I went with them to Manchester airport. Kate's mother asked me to come to Portugal and I agreed on condition of speaking first with Gerry and Kate.

On Saturday, 5 May, I caught a plane from Leeds-Bradford to Faro and caught a taxi from the airport to the Mark Warner complex. Initially I stayed in an apartment in the same complex as Kate and Gerry...  [REST SNIPPED]



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Tony Bennett wrote:It looks like you've chosen NORA HEALY as a 'key player', which on the face of it does seem a surprising choice for an alleged 'key' player.

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As I said, cross-referencng is the key. Aside, Nora Healy might be only on the periphery but she is noneless an integral player in this intrigue, as you've illustrated above ^^^ - for which I thank you .

Tony bennett wrote:But, no matter, it does allow me to contribute a bit of further information about Nora Healy, courtesy of an article I wrote dated 21 November 2008. In other words, a very long time ago.

It was titled: "Madeleine McCann: The role of Michael Wright", and I think the entire article can be found somewhere on CMOMM, perhaps one of the Mods can find it. As a matter of interest, it was the first article I ever wrote for the long-since-defunct 3As Madeleine discussion forum. One of the 'big names' at the time over there suggested I research Michael Wright in more depth.

Here you are Tony Parts One and Two..

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