Shadows of the Past

This question was asked shortly after Madeleine's disappearance and four years later, the question remains the same... what do we know of the McCanns past?  And that of their family and friends?  

Recently we've been subject to the most invasive reporting in the arrest of the landlord in the Jo Yeates murder case, which shows just how far our media are prepared to go.  So in the McCann case, where are the comments from people who knew them :

Friends

Colleagues

Neighbours

Nanny

Patients

Collapsed passenger

Cabin crew and passengers on the flight

Blah blah and anybody else who knows them and would stick up for them

There is always someone out there... the usual suspects.  Those who want their 5 minutes of fame and those who want to make a little bit of dosh.  Those who have crossed them, and those who just want to defend and help.  Have they all been gagged, and if so why?

There were the usual rants from the family (to be expected) but nothing since day one from anyone else, absolutely no-one coming out the woodwork?? Not even a "Kate McCann treated my bunion - lovely girl!"  What about that passenger on the infamous London bound flight who's life was saved by the strapping hero that was Mr McCann?  No flight crew or fellow passengers to describe his forceful "stand back, I'm a doctor!" and life saving expertise?

In the early days, two interviews were shown to give us an insightful reference of the McCanns but they soon disappeared into oblivion when they turned out to be the landlady of the local boozer and a nursery teacher.  Not good PR to have such people giving character references of 'caring' parents.


I would stick my neck out and say that it's quite plausible that the McCanns could have any number of skeletons in their cupboards. We don't know them, we don't know anything about them or what they're capable of doing or not doing.


I do know that (amongst other things) :

a. they're capable of appointing a comprehensive legal team within 48 hours
b. meeting MPs at the drop of a hat
c. having tea with the High Commissioner of the British Consolate
d. commanding an audience with the Pope.


What of the tragic story of Mr McCann's sister Jackie.  It was revealed by Philomena McCann in Hello! Magazine that Jackie had sadly discovered the body of her murdered boyfriend.  Now there's a tragedy that our great British media would normally love to trundle out to their readers.  Yet no mention and all reference to the sad tale also disappeared into oblivion.


Two people who knew the McCanns from past days were Katherina and Arul Gaspar.  They are both doctors, Mr Gaspar knew Mrs McCann from their Dundee University days and were such good friends they even holidayed together in Majorca.  However, it would be their last holiday together after they were witness to an allegedly alarming conversation between Mr McCann and his other doctor friend David Payne.  The following is snipped from Mrs Gaspar's official police statement...

"One night, when we were on holiday, the adults, in other words, the couples that I mentioned were on a patio outside the house where we were staying. We had been eating and drinking.  I was sitting between Dave and Gerry whom I believe were both talking about Madeleine. I don't remember the conversation in its entirety, but it seemed they were discussing a possible scenario. I remember Dave telling Gerry something like 'she', referring to Madeleine, would do this?

When he mentioned 'this', Dave was sucking on one of his fingers, pushing it in and out of his mouth, whilst with the other hand he circled his nipple, with a circulating movement over his clothes. This was done in a provocative manner there being an explicit insinuation in relation to what he was saying and doing.

I remember that I was shocked at this, and looked at Gerry, and also at Dave, to see their reactions. I looked around (page 4) to see did anyone else hear this, or was it just me?. There was a nervous silence noted in the conversations of all the others and immediately afterwards everyone began talking again.

I remember thinking whether he looked at the girls in a different way from me or from the others. I imagined that maybe he had visited Internet sites related to small children. In short, I thought that he might be interested in child pornography on the internet."

Perfectly understandable why the McCanns wouldn't want these type of skeletons rearing their very ugly heads, much worse than the local landlady's character reference of spitting in the bucket and paying their tab on time.  The question is why would Leicestershire police sit on these statements for 6 months before forwarding them to the investigating team in Portugal?  Not a nice route to take in an investigation, but one which should have been allowed and ruled out if necessary.


Another blast from the past was Yvonne Martin who was so convinced that she recognised David Payne in her capacity of work as Social Services Manager for Child Protection that she wrote to the police pleading with them to check the Paedophile Register to see if Mr Payne was on such a list.  Another skeleton destined to be buried in an unmarked closet.

I don't particularly care what the neighbours/colleagues/nanny etc have to say - I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE PRESS DON'T!!  

People are condemned for critisising the McCanns and their friends when they know nothing about them - yet there are also plenty of people defending them when they too know absolutely nothing.  It works both ways...

Click here to read the Gaspars' statements in full and here for Yvonne Martin's statement.  Thanks to the McCann : PJ Files website, please click to visit.