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ShareThe story of the disappearance of three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann in the Algarve holiday village of Praia da Luz in Portugal has dominated headlines in Britain, nay Europe, for over four months. Television channels have unceasingly depicted pictures of her devastated parents, Kate and Gerry, and their desperate search for their daughter. Indeed, they have used powerful methods to publicise data and photos throughout the European Union.
This week, though, in an incredible twist to the apparently heart-rending saga, detectives investigating the case told the McCanns that they were suspected of involvement in their daughter's death; and seemingly offered Kate McCann a deal if she confessed to accidentally killing the child.
In Portugal's rather close-to-the-chest policing system, the mother was questioned over forensic evidence, which suggested Madeleine had died in the family's apartment, instead of being snatched from her bed while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant, as the couple have always claimed.
Kate was on the face of it interrogated about traces of blood found in a car hired by the couple four weeks after Madeleine's disappearance on May 3 as well as about DNA evidence allegedly found on the clothing. Husband Gerry described these charges as 'ludicrous'.
The insinuation is, Kate in some way unintentionally killed Madeleine, then kept her body, before getting rid of it. She was, according to her family and friends, asked to confess to her alleged crime in exchange for a two-year jail sentence or even less. The Portuguese police, however, did not immediately confirm this.
The suspicions about Kate arose after the results of an examination carried out at the McCanns' apartment and car were received from the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham in Britain. She was asked to explain how traces of Madeleine's blood had been found in a car that the family had hired 25 days after her disappearance.
"Anyone who knows anything about May 3 knows that Kate is completely innocent," McCann wrote in his blog on www.findmadeleine.com.This website is among various tools the McCanns have appeared to use to search for missing Madeleine. This live opera has touched the hearts of Europeans everywhere. The Pope gave the McCanns a special audience. Indeed, the couple have adamantly refused to leave the Portuguese resort and return to Britain until the mystery was solved. They have incessantly pleaded through the media for Madeleine's safe return, directly appealing to their daughter's abductors and speaking of their 'anguish and despair'.
Initially, Portuguese investigators gave the impression they believed Madeleine was still alive, in Portugal and indicated they even had a sketch of a suspect. They, thereafter, altered this stance by saying they cannot give any firm assurance that she is alive or still in the region.
Meanwhile, they twice searched the home of an Anglo-Portuguese man named Robert Murat. He was questioned, but not formally arrested. They, however, officially classed him as an arguido, or suspect. Murat retorted that he was being made a 'scapegoat'.
Eventually, following pressure from the McCanns and the British government, Portuguese police released a description of the man seen carrying a child on the night of Madeleine's abduction. The person was portrayed as white, approximately 35 to 40 years old, of medium build and 5ft 10ins tall. He was said to be wearing a dark jacket, light beige trousers and dark shoes.
People have attempted to defraud the McCanns or extort money from them claiming sightings of girls resembling Madeleine. At the same time, hostility towards the McCanns in Praia da Luz has grown, with a demand for them to return to Britain. The McCanns responded that they will not be 'bullied' into leaving Portugal.
On the 100th day of Madeleine vanishing, police acknowledged for the first time that Madeleine could be dead.
Europeans in general and Britons and Portuguese in particular are baffled by the bizarre turn of events. British organisations who monitor cases of injustices abroad concede that the Portuguese criminal justice system, while being different from Britain, is fairly above board and in consonance with stringent European Union requirements. So, are the McCanns shattered parents or imposters? Their compatriots believe it's the former and that they are being framed. The Portuguese are not so sure. The reality should soon be revealed.
The writer is a London based commentator on international affairs.
