IN THEIR first press interview for some time, given on Tuesday, July 3, Gerry and Kate McCann spoke with a small group of invited journalists on Tuesday. Answers to the questions below are predominantly Gerry’s, with Kate’s comments marked as such.
How would you summarise the past 60 days?
Every day is incredibly hard without Madeleine, but there have been a number of plusses as well. Everyday without Madeleine is incredibly difficult.
What is your daily routine?
It starts off normally. We get the kids up and ready. We check telephone calls and have a look at emails etc. We have a few meetings during the day and, in the evenings, things return to normal and are spent as a family. We have frequent meetings and our family have been very supportive in helping us find Madeleine. That’s been very important to us.
What kind of campaigns do you have planned for the future?
Can’t give too many specifics on the future, but it will be very much event-driven. The important thing is to make as many people as possible aware of Madeleine. The response to the campaign has been incredible. We want to remind people from time to time that we are still looking and Madeleine still has not been found.
Kate: To keep them looking.
Will you spend Christmas in Portugal if Madeleine is not found?
Kate: I think at the moment we are just taking one day at a time. We are not looking that far ahead.
Gerry: We are committed to staying and we feel closer to Madeleine here. What about your jobs? Right now, we are not capable of working as doctors. We still feel a lot can be done by ourselves. What we don’t want is to look back in another three or four months and say we wish had done this. At the minute, the decision is we will stay in Portugal, though we are regularly reviewing our situation. Kate: Our main job and our main priority is to find Madeleine. Do you believe she might still be here in Portugal? Kate: There is a possibility, but we just don’t know where she is. We have to say that we don’t know. But I do feel closer to Madeleine. Gerry: We definitely don’t want to set a certain focus with the trips that we’ve made. We went to Spain because of its close proximity. We want people to come forward with information, but we are not sure enough that she was taken from here. She could be in this region and we don’t want to dismiss that. What did you tell Sean and Amelie when they ask about their older sister? We have taken professional advice to know how to deal with the twins, and I think that how we deal emphasises on how we tell them about it, but it is paramount that Sean and Amelie are fine now. Why do you think your ordeal has attracted more attention than possibly any other child abduction in history? It is an interesting question. There are a number of circumstances and I think that the fact that the abduction was of foreign children in a foreign country played a part. Another aspect of this is that we and our family and friends have decided to campaign to maximise the media exposure, and electronic media which started a chain, and that had a huge impact over the first 24 hours. There is no doubt that the media has done a huge amount and want us to find Madeleine. How do you view the support you have been receiving from the Portuguese people? I could not have imagined that we would get so much support and so quickly. It has been a great help really and that has comforted us. It has been like being at home. The first few days the Portuguese people gave us a lot of strength when we were down. What should people tell police about? Kate: Lots of things. I am totally reassured that the Portuguese police are 100 per cent committed to finding Madeleine. Gerry: I think you have seen it yourself that in the last two months a lot has changed and the flood of information between us and police has improved and we thank the Portuguese police. We have a very good working relationship with them. Our determination to find Madeleine is matched by theirs. How do you perceive latest developments in Spain linking Madeleine’s disappearance to an illegal child abduction network? I haven’t gone into that too much in detail and I know the Spanish have a secrecy order, so I cannot tell you if there has been an extortion attempt but the Portuguese Police are keeping us informed. What has been your hardest moment since Madeleine’s abduction? Every day is hard, very, very difficult. We have positive days as well when we have done big events or some sort of coverage, campaigning. The only important thing for us is getting Madeleine back, and we hope that what we are doing increases the chances of that. Planning any other visits to other countries? We haven’t got any specific plans but we are looking to have international dimension and we are working with different organisations to help that. But right at this minute we haven’t got any planned. From time to time I will go back to England to sort out some personal stuff. What message do you have for Madeleine’s abductors? Kate: It is not too late to give her back. Kate and Gerry concluded the interview by repeatedly saying thank you to the Portuguese people, expressing gratitude for their support and patience. Do you have a view on this interview? Email: editor@portugalresident.com
