Does invoking the right to silence carry with it significant risk?

[Alfred R Jones]

You made the claim so its up to you to back it up.

You made the claim that Kate was terrified and confused - you back it up.

[Angelo222]

You made the claim that Kate was terrified and confused - you back it up.

You only need to read the book.

At the apartment on 6 September 2007 after being told of the arguido interviews by their lawyer Carlos Pinto de Abreu...

Then  came  the  best  bit.  Carlos  announced  what the  police  had  proposed.  If  we,  or  rather  I,  admitted that  Madeleine  had  died  in  an  accident  in  the apartment,  and  confessed  to  having  hidden  and disposed  of  her  body,  the  sentence  I’d  receive  would be  much  more  lenient:  only  two  years,  he  said,  as opposed  to  what  I’d  be  looking  at  if  I ended  up  being charged  with homicide.


Gerry  was  distraught  now.  He  was  on  his  knees, sobbing,  his  head  hung  low.  ‘We’re  finished.  Our  life is  over,’  he  kept  saying  over  and  over  again.  The realization  that  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  an incomprehensible  criminal  justice  system  had  hit  him hard.  It  was  excruciating  to  see  him  like  this.  I  love him so much and he is usually  so  strong.  I  was  very conscious  that  my  response  was  different.  Maybe  I should  have  been  on  my  knees,  too.  Why  wasn’t  I crying?  Was  my  behaviour  making  me  look  cold  or guilty?  Again,  my  only  explanation  is  that  it  was beyond comprehension. I might as well have  been  a character  in  a  soap  opera. Any time  now  the  director would cal  ‘Cut!’  and  this  scene  would  be  over.  Even today, I struggle to believe it actually  took  place. There  was  a  phrase  Carlos  must  have  used  about twenty  times:  ‘This  is  the  point  of  no  return.’  I  could feel  myself  shaking.  He  was  a  man  with  three daughters  of  his  own.

[Alfred R Jones]

You only need to read the book.

At the apartment after being told of the arguido interviews by their lawyer Carlos Pinto  de  Abreu...

Then  came  the  best  bit.  Carlos  announced  what the  police  had  proposed.  If  we,  or  rather  I,  admitted that  Madeleine  had  died  in  an  accident  in  the apartment,  and  confessed  to  having  hidden  and disposed  of  her  body,  the  sentence  I’d  receive  would be  much  more  lenient:  only  two  years,  he  said,  as opposed  to  what  I’d  be  looking  at  if  I ended  up  being charged  with homicide.


Gerry  was  distraught  now.  He  was  on  his  knees, sobbing,  his  head  hung  low.  ‘We’re  finished.  Our  life is  over,’  he  kept  saying  over  and  over  again.  The realization  that  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  an incomprehensible  criminal  justice  system  had  hit  him hard.  It  was  excruciating  to  see  him  like  this.  I  love him so much and he is usually  so  strong.  I  was  very conscious  that  my  response  was  different.  Maybe  I should  have  been  on  my  knees,  too.  Why  wasn’t  I crying?  Was  my  behaviour  making  me  look  cold  or guilty?  Again,  my  only  explanation  is  that  it  was beyond comprehension. I might as well have  been  a character  in  a  soap  opera. Any time  now  the  director would cal  ‘Cut!’  and  this  scene  would  be  over.  Even today, I struggle to believe it actually  took  place. There  was  a  phrase  Carlos  must  have  used  about twenty  times:  ‘This  is  the  point  of  no  return.’  I  could feel  myself  shaking.  He  was  a  man  with  three daughters  of  his  own.

How very disingenuous of you to omit these passages (bearing in mind we were discussing KATE'S frame of mind, not Gerry's):
Directly following the first passage you quoted above Kate writes:

"Pardon?  I really wasn't sure if I could possibly have heard him correctly.  My incredulity turned to rage."

Then, after the second paragraph you quoted you left out this sentence:

"I love him so very much and he (Gerry) is usually so strong.  I was very conscious that my response was different.  Maybe I should have been on my knees too.  Why wasn't I crying?"

Then a couple of paragraphs later (in case we were in any doubt):

"My anger and ferocious maternal instinct began to permeate Gerry's despair".

So - anger, not confusion and terror was the overriding reaction from Kate on hearing about the deal. 

[ferryman]

You only need to read the book.

At the apartment on 6 September 2007 after being told of the arguido interviews by their lawyer Carlos Pinto de Abreu...

Then  came  the  best  bit.  Carlos  announced  what the  police  had  proposed.  If  we,  or  rather  I,  admitted that  Madeleine  had  died  in  an  accident  in  the apartment,  and  confessed  to  having  hidden  and disposed  of  her  body,  the  sentence  I’d  receive  would be  much  more  lenient:  only  two  years,  he  said,  as opposed  to  what  I’d  be  looking  at  if  I ended  up  being charged  with homicide.


Gerry  was  distraught  now.  He  was  on  his  knees, sobbing,  his  head  hung  low.  ‘We’re  finished.  Our  life is  over,’  he  kept  saying  over  and  over  again.  The realization  that  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  an incomprehensible  criminal  justice  system  had  hit  him hard.  It  was  excruciating  to  see  him  like  this.  I  love him so much and he is usually  so  strong.  I  was  very conscious  that  my  response  was  different.  Maybe  I should  have  been  on  my  knees,  too.  Why  wasn’t  I crying?  Was  my  behaviour  making  me  look  cold  or guilty?  Again,  my  only  explanation  is  that  it  was beyond comprehension. I might as well have  been  a character  in  a  soap  opera. Any time  now  the  director would cal  ‘Cut!’  and  this  scene  would  be  over.  Even today, I struggle to believe it actually  took  place. There  was  a  phrase  Carlos  must  have  used  about twenty  times:  ‘This  is  the  point  of  no  return.’  I  could feel  myself  shaking.  He  was  a  man  with  three daughters  of  his  own.

Certain factors at play then resolved themselves later in the light of day.

Their reaction at the time was certainly understandable.

[Mr Gray]

I daresay I could spend a day looking this lot up, but could someone just fill me in re the following?

Who was Kate McCann's lawyer and who was Gerry's?

Is there anything other than Kate's book that says she was advised not to answer questions?  (As opposed, for example, that she had the right not to answer questions, which is quite different.)

Is there anything concrete on the legal advice given to Gerry?

Sorry about my final request folks, but I've never had much interest in the 48 questions issue.  How many questions in total were put to Kate and how many did she answer?

kate had answered every question put to her for about 19 hours...to say kate did not co operate is a lie

[Angelo222]

On 5 September 2007, Kate McCann was being interviewed by the PJ but was losing all confidence in lawyer Carlos...

Although Carlos’s  stance  bothered  me,  I  tried  to  take  his guidance  on  board.

and then later in the villa on the morning of 6 September.

Heaven  help  us.  My  confidence  in  Carlos  was evaporating  almost  as  quickly  as  my  faith  in Portuguese justice. I couldn’t tell  if  he  believed  us, which,  given  that  his  job  was  to  defend  us,  was  a major  worry,  to  put  it  mildly.  Even  if  he  did,  I  was  no longer  sure  he  had  the  backbone  to  stand  up  for  us. It  was  one  thing  to  make  us  aware  of  the  PJ’s proposal,  and  perhaps  Carlos  was  duty  bound  to  do that;  it  was  quite  another,  however,  to  suggest  we accept  it.  I  was  horrified,  and  told  him  so  in  no uncertain  terms.

Clearly Carlos was beginning to doubt their story too!!

Little wonder therefore he told them not to answer any questions on the day of the Arguido interviews.

As  I  walked  out  of  the  interview  room  at  3.15pm, Gerry  was  on  his  way  to  Portimão  for  his interrogation. I wasn’t allowed  to  see  him  but  I  had been  able  to  speak  to  him  on  the  phone.  Carlos  told me  it  looked  as  if  we  could  be  up  in  court  on Monday.

[Mr Gray]

So Kate's decision to remain silent could be because she was guilty or because she felt the PJ were trying to incriminate her...it's a matter of opinion

[ferryman]

On 5 September 2007, Kate McCann was being interviewed by the PJ but was losing all confidence in lawyer Carlos...

Although Carlos’s  stance  bothered  me,  I  tried  to  take  his guidance  on  board.

and then later in the villa on the morning of 6 September.

Heaven  help  us.  My  confidence  in  Carlos  was evaporating  almost  as  quickly  as  my  faith  in Portuguese justice. I couldn’t tell  if  he  believed  us, which,  given  that  his  job  was  to  defend  us,  was  a major  worry,  to  put  it  mildly.  Even  if  he  did,  I  was  no longer  sure  he  had  the  backbone  to  stand  up  for  us. It  was  one  thing  to  make  us  aware  of  the  PJ’s proposal,  and  perhaps  Carlos  was  duty  bound  to  do that;  it  was  quite  another,  however,  to  suggest  we accept  it.  I  was  horrified,  and  told  him  so  in  no uncertain  terms.

Clearly Carlos was beginning to doubt their story too!!

Little wonder therefore he told them not to answer any questions on the day of the Arguido interviews.

Factors at play at that time clarified afterwards.

[Angelo222]

So Kate's decision to remain silent could be because she was guilty or because she felt the PJ were trying to incriminate her...it's a matter of opinion

No Dave, it was because her lawyer thought her guilty considering all the evidence the PJ had against them.  To quote Kate again from her book...

"If  you  were  Portuguese,’  Carlos  said  with  an  air  of resignation,  ‘this  would  be  enough  to  put  you  in prison."

So there you have it, one Law for the Portuguese and another for HM citizens.

[ferryman]

No Dave, it was because her lawyer thought her guilty considering all the evidence the PJ had against them.  To quote Kate again from her book...

"If  you  were  Portuguese,’  Carlos  said  with  an  air  of resignation,  ‘this  would  be  enough  to  put  you  in prison."

One vital point Carlos didn't, at that point, understand (along with far too many others) was that no inferences of an incriminating nature could be drawn from the reactions of the dogs.

When that point was made clear, by Harrison and (in fairness!) Grime, the whole thing took on a very different hue ...

[Angelo222]

One vital point Carlos didn't, at that point, understand (along with far too many others) was that no inferences of an incriminating nature could be drawn from the reactions of the dogs.

When that point was made clear, by Harrison and (in fairness!) Grime, the whole thing took on a very different hue ...

Oh dear, not them pesky dogs again!! 

Back at the vila,  Carlos  informed  me,  as  Ferreira had  indicated,  that  he  needed  to  speak  to  Gerry  and me  in  private.  We  sat  down  in  the  sitting  room  with Carlos,  and  Sofia,  Eileen  and  Trisha  left  us  to  it. Carlos stil  looked  very  concerned.  There  was  a great  deal  we  needed  to  discuss,  he  told  us.  He reiterated  that  the  situation  was  not  good.  The  PJ had  a  lot  of  ‘evidence’  against  us,  and  I  was  certain to  be  made  an arguida in the  morning. First  he  cited  video  footage  the  police  had  shot  of the  reactions  of  the  blood  and  cadaver  dogs  in apartment  5A  and  also  around  our  hire  car.  I  would be  shown  this  on  my  return  to  the  police  station.

Next  came  the  matter  of  a  crumpled  page  the police  said  they  had  discovered  in  my  borrowed Bible.  It  seemed  this  was  felt  to  be  highly  significant because the passage on that page, in I Samuel  12, dealt  with  the  death  of  a  child.  I  knew  nothing  about any  pages  being  crumpled,  let  alone  in  which  part  of the  Bible.  The  fact  that  I had  asked  to  see  a  priest  on the  night  of  Madeleine’s  disappearance  was  also seen  as  evidence  of  guilt.

A  witness  claimed  to  have  seen  Gerry  and  me carrying  a  big  black  bag  and  acting  suspiciously. This  was  absolute  nonsense,  but  ‘evidence’  of  this kind  came  down  to  one  person’s  word  against another.

Followed by the aforementioned...

If  you  were  Portuguese,’  Carlos  said  with  an  air  of resignation,  ‘this  would  be  enough  to  put  you  in prison.

[Alfred R Jones]

No Dave, it was because her lawyer thought her guilty considering all the evidence the PJ had against them.  To quote Kate again from her book...

"If  you  were  Portuguese,’  Carlos  said  with  an  air  of resignation,  ‘this  would  be  enough  to  put  you  in prison."

So there you have it, one Law for the Portuguese and another for HM citizens.

Disgusting that the Portuguese Judiciary would put their own citizens in prison on such scant evidence don't you think?

[Mr Gray]

No Dave, it was because her lawyer thought her guilty considering all the evidence the PJ had against them.  To quote Kate again from her book...

"If  you  were  Portuguese,’  Carlos  said  with  an  air  of resignation,  ‘this  would  be  enough  to  put  you  in prison."

So there you have it, one Law for the Portuguese and another for HM citizens.

you should stop posting your opinion as fact

[ferryman]

Oh dear, not them pesky dogs again!! 

I promise not to take the thread off-topic and I don't think I have.

For example, wasn't Kate asked to explain why the dog reacted?

Why would she know?

She isn't a canine expert.

[Angelo222]

you should stop posting your opinion as fact

Read the book Dave, its all there, always assuming you believe Kate's version of events.  Carlos was preparing them for the worst, Kate admits they expected to be arrested.

Recognizing  the  need  to  switch  into  crisis  management  mode,  we  calmed  each  other  down. Gerry  and  I  made  it  very  clear  to  Trisha  and  Eileen that  if  we  didn’t  return  from  the  police  station  the  next day,  they  should  take  the  children  out  of  the  country as  soon as  possible.