Prosecution Exhibit 1: 'madeleine' - What's in the book?

ABOUT THE BOOK

‘The decision to publish this book has been very difficult, and taken with heavy hearts …

My reason for writing it is simple: to give 'an' account of the truth …

Writing this memoir has entailed recording some very personal, intimate and emotional aspects of our lives. Sharing these with strangers does not come easily to me, but if I hadn’t done so I would not have felt the book gave as full a picture as it is possible for me to give. As with every action we have taken over the last four years, it ultimately boils down to whether what we are doing could help us to find Madeleine. When the answer to that question is yes, or even possibly, our family can cope with anything …

What follows is an intensely personal account, and I make no apology for that …

Nothing is more important to us than finding our little girl.’

Kate McCann, May 2011

madeleine by KATE MCCANN

[Comparison only]

Several things were more important than finding Madeleine. Meeting the Pope, travelling the world, meeting Theresa May, collecting money..

So many people were supporting us in so many different ways, from the high-profile donations of the reward consortium to the quiet prayers and unsung practical acts of friends and strangers alike.

On the day of our first meeting with IFLG, I had gone over to the Tapas area to meet up with Paddy, the husband of Bridget, a good friend of mine in Leicester. Paddy is, as Bridget puts it, ‘a man of God’. He’s also six foot three, a big fella generally, with very dark hair and eyes – not someone you’d miss in a crowd. I was so touched that, even though we didn’t know each other all that well then, he had decided, completely off his own bat, to come out to Praia da Luz and join the search parties that were being organized locally. He’d texted me to say, ‘If you want me to call and see you while I’m there, I’ll come. Otherwise I’ll just get on with the search.’

I had asked Paddy if he had a Bible with him I could borrow. He brought me one that had been a Christmas present from him to Bridget several years earlier. That Bible is still sitting next to my bed. I must get round to returning it one day!

madeleine by KATE MCCANN

[Because it's Christmas ]

Saturday, 12 May 2007. Madeleine’s fourth birthday. Until it was upon us, we hadn’t been able to think about it: we simply couldn’t countenance the idea that by the time it arrived she wouldn’t be back with us to mark it. Not being with her today, loving her, pleasing her, enjoying her delight, was unbearable. We should have been at home, where we’d arranged a joint party in Leicester for Madeleine and two of her classmates at nursery, her best friend Sofia, who had been born on the same day, and a little boy called Sam whose birthday was within a few days of theirs. They had been going to have their first disco. I’d bought a couple of girl-band CDs a few weeks earlier and we’d been having singalongs in the car to warm up for it. The memory of Madeleine, sitting in the back seat, singing her heart out along with the Pussycat Dolls still makes me laugh. And cry.

John Hill had arranged for us all – Gerry, Sean, Amelie and myself, Trish and Sandy, and Fiona, David, Dianne, Jane, Russell, Matt and Rachael and their kids – to spend the day at a private villa. (Nicky left that weekend, and Michael had popped home for a couple of days.) We didn’t know what to do, really. We couldn’t let the occasion go unmarked and we wanted to celebrate Madeleine on her birthday whether she was with us or not, but nothing we did felt right. It was good to be away from the Ocean Club and the media circus, and the kids enjoyed themselves, playing in and around the pool with floats and toys. But Madeleine’s absence hung heavily over everyone else.

The Mark Warner staff had brought over stacks of food for us. The men organized a barbecue and there was wine and beer. We ate mostly in silence, concentrating on the kids. I couldn’t eat much, and alcohol was completely off my agenda. Fiona recalls that Gerry and I were completely shut down that day, barely able to talk, and although our friends tried to remain cheerful and behave normally to get us through it, they all felt awkward about being at this lovely villa, in the sunshine, in these circumstances. There was no cake. Gerry did attempt a toast but he was visibly upset and couldn’t manage much more than ‘I can’t even say happy birthday to my daughter . . .’ before choking up. The physical loss was more intense than ever. I ached for Madeleine.

[Because it's an interesting opener]

Oh bless, look at him, choking up..

Mark Warner certainly looked after the McCann's very well.

" Gerry and I were completely shut down that day , barely able to talk " 

Yet completely able to laugh and smile for their admiring public and the cameras ! 

Not forced smiles either , forced smiles don't reach the eyes .

Friday 11th May 2007 [Just over a week after the alarm was raised and one day before Madeleine's birthday]

As well as this initial meeting we had two further sessions with the lawyers over the course of that weekend to explore how they might be able to assist us. There had already been some speculation in the press, based on those erroneous reports that when Madeleine was taken we were dining ‘hundreds of metres away’, that we could face prosecution for negligence.

After examining the proximity of the Tapas restaurant to apartment 5A, the barrister first of all assured us that our behaviour could not be deemed negligent and was indeed ‘well within the bounds of reasonable parenting’. This had hardly been our biggest concern, but it was reassuring to hear, all the same.

madeleine by KATE MCCANN

[To highlight the paranormal]

More !!!!!! ?

Saturday, 12 May 2007

Fiona recalls that Gerry and I were completely shut down that day, barely able to talk, and although our friends tried to remain cheerful and behave normally to get us through it, they all felt awkward about being at this lovely villa, in the sunshine, in these circumstances.



Having spent much of the previous four days cooped up, first with the police and then with the lawyers, by the Sunday afternoon Gerry and I felt the need to escape into the open air. We decided to go for a walk along the beach.



I asked Gerry apprehensively if he’d had any really horrible thoughts or visions of Madeleine. He nodded. Haltingly, I told him about the awful pictures that scrolled through my head of her body, her perfect little genitals torn apart. Although I knew I had to share this burden, just raising the subject out loud to someone else, even Gerry, was excruciating. Admitting the existence of these images somehow confirmed them as a real possibility, and with that confirmation came renewed waves of fear.

madeleine by KATE MCCANN

[Enough of the Lies]

What a busy weekend that was .... why did they need the services of lawyers so soon after Madeleine's alleged disappearance I ponder.

One minute prostrated by grief, the next knee deep in lawyers, the next filmed laughing and carefree.

Friday 18th May 2007

Gerry was going home on Sunday, too – just for a couple of days. We had been in Portugal ourselves for almost three weeks. For the moment, Gerry was on paid compassionate leave. As a locum, I wasn’t entitled to this but the partners at my surgery all agreed they wanted to give me two months’ pay, which was greatly appreciated.

The inaugural meeting of the board of Madeleine’s Fund was due to take place at home and we wanted a meeting, too, with our lawyers, Control Risks and the British police. We decided that Gerry should go back to the UK to deal with these matters. Given the huge media interest, this flying visit had to be planned quite strategically. The authorities in both countries helped out, ensuring that it ran as smoothly as possible.

KATE MCCANN by kate mccann

Saturday 8 September 2007

We were on tenterhooks all day, waiting to hear whether we would be allowed to go home.

Rachael had found a couple of criminal lawyers in London she was sure could help us. Michael Caplan and Angus McBride of Kingsley Napley had worked on several high-profile cases, including the Pinochet extradition proceedings and the Stevens inquiry.

Gerry gave them a call. They discussed Madeleine’s case in detail, what had happened so far and how Kingsley Napley might be able to assist us. Meanwhile, we tried to rein in family and friends from speaking any further to the press. Enough had been said and we were very conscious that we – and Madeleine – were at the mercy of the Portuguese judicial system. Being overly critical at this delicate point could, and probably would, work against us all.

Late that afternoon, we were notified by Liz Dow, the British consul in Lisbon, that Luís Neves and Guilhermino Encarnação had declared us ‘free’ to leave the country whenever we wished.

Thank you, God.

On the advice of the lawyers, we decided to get out as soon as possible. We would go the next day rather than leaving it until Monday. Then it was all hands on deck to pack everything up and clear the villa. Michael volunteered to stay on for a couple of days to organize the cleaning, hand back the keys and arrange for our remaining belongings to be shipped home by a removal company.

11th May, lawyers told them they were not negligent leaving 3 tiny children alone while they went for dinner with their friends.

8th September, lawyers told them  to get out as soon as possible.

crusader wrote:11th May, lawyers told them they were not negligent leaving 3 tiny children alone while they went for dinner with their friends.

8th September, lawyers told them  to get out as soon as possible.

Would that also be classed as " within the bounds of reasonable parenting " ?