Does publicly "doubting" the McCanns add to the distress of the McCann family?

[Benice]

And Gerry tampering with the shutter ?

That's part of the same thing.   Expecting people to behave like policemen in those circumstances is preposterous.
However, expecting policemen to behave like policemen is another thing altogether - and IMO they failed dismally to do that.

[faithlilly]

That's part of the same thing.   Expecting people to behave like policemen in those circumstances is preposterous.
However, expecting policemen to behave like policemen is another thing altogether - and IMO they failed dismally to do that.

Gerry has admitted himself ( in the Panorama documentary in 2007 ) that he was aware of the importance of not contaminating the crime scene and therefore was trying to keep everyone out of the children's bedroom.

[Lace]

Gerry has admitted himself ( in the Panorama documentary in 2007 ) that he was aware of the importance of not contaminating the crime scene and therefore was trying to keep everyone out of the children's bedroom.

After Madeleine was not found.

If I came back and found my child missing and the shutters and window opened when I knew they weren't when I left.   I would touch things too.

They were behaving how any one would.    We are not detectives we don't think the same way as them.   If you found someone lying on the floor,   you would go and see if they were breathing,   even if a knife was sticking out of their chest.

[Benice]

Gerry has admitted himself ( in the Panorama documentary in 2007 ) that he was aware of the importance of not contaminating the crime scene and therefore was trying to keep everyone out of the children's bedroom.

Yes - that would be something which would occur to him at some stage after it had been established that Madeleine was neither in 5a or in the vicinity.    But it's not something which which would occur to anyone in the first 5/10 mins - when they were all in a state of shock and disbelief - and still hoping she would be found.

[faithlilly]

Yes - that would be something which would occur to him at some stage after it had been established that Madeleine was neither in 5a or in the vicinity.    But it's not something which which would occur to anyone in the first 5/10 mins - when they were all in a state of shock and disbelief - and still hoping she would be found.

Gerry didn't tamper with the shutters within the first 5/10 mins.

[Benice]

Gerry didn't tamper with the shutters within the first 5/10 mins.

Nitpick away.   It obviously hadn't occurred to him that he was 'tampering' with evidence by making absolutely sure that the shutters could not be opened from the outside.  Finding out that they could be - would have made him even more fearful that an intruder had opened them.   Once he removed all other possibilties in his mind - no matter how unlikely -  his worst fears would be confirmed - and then it would  became a crime scene.

Anyone who thinks his first action when he arrived at 5A should have been to cordon it off, keep everyone out and not search it for Madeleine is living in cloud cuckoo land IMO.

[pathfinder73]

You are using hindsight again PF.   It wasn't a crime scene until AFTER  it had been established that Madeleine was not in 5A. - and that could not be done without searching it first.    That's not 'tampering'- it's doing what any normal people would do in those circumstances.

Kate knew straight away it was a crime when she said she found the window open and the shutters raised and her daughter gone. Pity the police didn't see them in that same state. The shutters were down and the window was shut. They had tampered with the crime scene.

[Eleanor]

Kate knew straight away it was a crime when she said she found the window open and the shutters raised and her daughter gone. Pity the police didn't see them in that same state. The shutters were down and the window was shut. They had tampered with the crime scene.

Ah, so you agree that the abductor raised the shutters and opened the window.  You can't have it both ways.

[jassi]

Ah, so you agree that the abductor raised the shutters and opened the window.  You can't have it both ways.

That doesn't follow. None of us know who opened the shutters, we only know what Kate says about the shutters.

[pathfinder73]

Ah, so you agree that the abductor raised the shutters and opened the window.  You can't have it both ways.

Kate said that not me. Smithman didn't need to open the window to carry Madeleine away. He only had to open the wardrobe doors and take her.

[G-Unit]

That doesn't follow. None of us know who opened the shutters, we only know what Kate says about the shutters.

In fact no-one knows if the shutters and window were ever open. That has not been established.

[Brietta]

In fact no-one knows if the shutters and window were ever open. That has not been established.

The puzzlement is why would Dr Kate McCann say she found the window open and the shutter raised if she had not?

What was the advantage?

I really want an answer to that one ... should be easy enough for those who assert she was lying to come up with a valid reason why she would.

[lordpookles]

That's a simple one if you are sceptical in the slightest - staging.

[G-Unit]

The puzzlement is why would Dr Kate McCann say she found the window open and the shutter raised if she had not?

What was the advantage?

I really want an answer to that one ... should be easy enough for those who assert she was lying to come up with a valid reason why she would.

Was she lying? We don't know. We only know that three people said it was open and one of them left fingerprints, one shut it and the other one (Amy Tierney) can be doubted because she arrived after Dianne Webster who didn't see it open. Nor did Fiona Payne who was there at the same time as Amy. I'll sleep on it lol. G'night.

[Brietta]

That's a simple one if you are sceptical in the slightest - staging.

They are obviously not unintelligent people if they had been 'staging' anything I really think they would have made a better fist of it. Don't you?