Thursday, May 10, 2012

#Leveson : News International And McCann Deal - McCanns Spoke With Cameron

Kate wrote the following before she knew Panorama would reveal David Cameron was pressured by News International ,  the SUN and the McCanns for a review.

It has also since been announced that it was BROOKS who asked a favour of Cameron to review the McCann case.


These short extracts from Dr Kate McCann's book 'madeleine', a paperback version of the hardback book published a year ago, are published here under the 'Fair Use' provisions of the Copyright Act:

p. 453
Editions of the book were released in Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Sweden and Finland.

Sales have been ‘phenomenal’.

A ‘considerable amount of money’ has been raised to ‘help fund the search for Madleeine’.
Publishing the book ‘exposed us to a fresh wave of press attention’.

Dr Kate McCann was adamant that she didn’t want the book serialised on any newspaper, ‘especially not a tabloid’. There is about a page of how much and why she really didn’t want the book serialised.

p. 454
Then: “It wasn’t until Gerry suggested that perhaps we could seek ‘a different, broader kind of arrangement, in which the serialisation of the book was combined with some specific backing for our campaign, that I opened my mind a little further to the idea”.
“In the spring of 2011, we met a team form News International…”

The McCanns ONLY agreed to a serialisation once News International said they were prepared to spearhead a drive to re-energise the search for Madeleine”.

They agreed to a serialisation in The Sun and the Sunday Times.

(Kate McCann was paid by the SUN 1 million pounds ,it is not however mentioned in the FUND accounts ?)

(News International ,who at the Leveson Inquiry Kate accused of raping her mentally)

The week the book was published was ‘nerve-racking’ but ‘the daily coverage was helping to re-engage hearts and minds in the U.K.

p.455

The Sun then printed their ‘open letter to the Prime Minister’, although “We hadn’t wanted to challenge him so publicly…”

Susan Hubbard came over to look after the twins whilst we were dealing with the publicity, she “took charge of Madeleine’s birthday party in Rothley…”


“Our gift to our daughter was a marathon day of intensive interviews and press conferences in London...”

The Prime Minister ’phoned back the same day, although “We hadn’t expected a response to the open letter for several days at least, if we got one at all…”

“Oh my God! Finally help was coming. Happy birthday, Madeleine. Other than hearing that she had been found, there could have been no news sweeter to my ears…”

p. 456

“…we were swamped by calls, text messages and emails from delighted family and friends…”

But the following morning “critics had clouded the furst ray of hope we’d had in ages…”

She then lists complaints about the cost of the Scotland Yard review and why they were getting such preferential treatment.

Then they were “preoccupied by the many questions swimming around our heads”. For example, “Did the Portuguese authorities know about this decision?”

The Scotland Yard Review team “were in touch with us within a few days…”

“The following week we met several of them at Scotland Yard. Almost immediately, Gerry and I felt confident, reassured and hopeful”.

p. 457

“..we are sure that this process, whether it takes months or years, will bring us closer to obtaining our goal. And possibly even all the way there”.

Scotland Yard have met Leicestershire Police, the Portuguese Police, the Spanish Police, and ‘other U.K. law enforcement agencies.

“Perhaps the most encouraging aspect for Gerrv and me so far is how good the communication has been. We are regularly updated…it’s a marked and welcome change from what went before”.

“In the meantime, our search continues, as does our work to raise awareness for various charities and organisations concerned with missing people…”

p. 458

In October 2011, the McCanns talked to counsellors and other professionals at the annual conference of the Child Bereavement, Trauma and Emotional Wellbeing Service, and spoke to the ‘child psychologist who advised us after Madeleine’s abduction’, David Trickey.

In June 2011, the McCanns attended the ‘first-ever’ Parliamentary inquiry into the rights of the families of missing people. Dr Kate McCann complains of how little support there is for the victims of child abduction.

p. 459

She then summarises the issues raised at the inquiry.

There is then a reference to their travelling to the Netherlands to publicise their book. A taxi-driver said: “Oh yes, I remember, you wee the parents accused of killing your daughter!”

p. 460
They had an unhappy experience publicising the book in Spain, where the TV company showed a film ‘that could only be described as propaganda’.

“…we were in a difficult position. We were tempted to abandon the interview, but we knew what kind of message that would send out…So we sat in stunned silence, our hearts pounding fiercely, as selectively edited and apparently damning images gathered form media and Portuguese police footage were displayed on a big screen…barking cadaver dogs, book, documents and medicines taken from the villa we’d rented…the commentary presented these ‘exhibits’ as fact - as evidence of guilt”.

“Our treatment at the hands of the media is a central strand of our story and yet here we were, once again, forced to explain the facts and defend ourselves…by now I’ve run out of superlatives to adequately express my shock and disgust at this abhorrent behaviour”.

p. 461

Most of this page deals with the hacking of Milly Dowler’s ’phone and the conduct of News International and the police. She refers to the News of the World’s ‘skulduggery’.

p. 462

Dr Kate McCann explains how “Gerry and I were invited to apply to assist the Leveson enquiry as ‘core participants’.

Knowing how useful our testimony would be, we decided we had a moral obligation to do so…

we have certainly suffered greatly from the invasion of our privacy and defamation at the hands of the press. We had a lot to share and hoped that by contributing we might help to prevent others from being subjected to similar treatment”.

Then there is a description of the day they gave evidence to the inquiry: “At first we were both nervous and shaky (yes, even Gerry!), but the questioning was sensitive and sympathetic…going through all the libellous headlines and reports that had appeared on a daily basis filled me with renewed disbelief…I was no nearer to understanding how these journalists and editors could be allowed to print such dreadful, untrue stories, or how they could sleep at night”.

p. 463

Dr Kate McCann deals with how ‘shocking’ it was to have excerpts from her diary splashed all over the News of the World.


On 28 June 2007, 56 days (8 weeks) after Madeleine was reported missing, Dr Gerald McCann accurately predicted, quote:

“I have no doubt we will be able to sustain a high profile for Madeleine’s disappearance in the long-term”..

Research : Tony Bennett