The accusation was enough to send a wave of “I knew all along they were guilty as hell” rippling through Portuguese society, based on “why are they hiring all those top lawyers?” “Why are they raking in millions in their Find Madeleine Fund?” and the fact that “That mother is very cold”.
Let one thing be crystal clear: in civilised societies, and under the rule of law, a person is innocent until proven guilty. The Find Madeleine Fund is being used to try to set up an early warning system in similar cases in future in the EU and possibly also in the USA. And as for Kate McCann’s reaction and expression, she probably cried all her tears out in private on the night of May 3rd and from then on, lived her desperation behind the best mask she could put on, finding in apparent calmness and stony-faced dignity the only protection she could hide behind in the glaring light of the public eye.
If Madeleine had been spirited away from Portugal in the first hour after her abduction, few if any leads would be available for the police to pick up. These would have done better by giving out no information at all than leaking half-facts at press conferences.
As for the media and everyone else involved in using this case to perform some grandstaging, and enhance their own image as a result, these vultures have now turned their backs and moved on. A few will be in Praia da Luz this weekend, looking for something for tomorrow’s front page.
The parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, will be reliving the nightmare of that decision to dine without their children – as it should be their right – on each and every terrible anniversary until they find their daughter. And this is where the story should begin and end – a private tragedy and not a public spectacle.
One hopes they do find Maddie, safe and well, since hope is the last thing to die. Until then, it is imperative that nobody stops looking for Maddie and for her abductor.
Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY
PRAVDA.Ru
The Portuguese version of PRAVDA.Ru ran two stories about this case, placed Madeleine’s photograph on our front page and left it there for two months after the disappearance, to help. We understood that the case should be a secret of justice while the police performed their task, away from rumours and gossip.
Other stories in PRAVDA.Ru about this case:
http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/11-09-2007/96994-maddiemccann-0
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