Transcript of press conference

Transcript of press conference

By Nigel Moore

Gerry McCann: "Obviously, as you all know, to… the trial over the last, errr... two days and continuing tomorrow is really about Mr Amaral's book and DVD and how we feel that relates to the ongoing search for Madeleine. I'd like to remind everyone that it's the book that is on trial and not Kate and I.

"Right from Day One, after Madeleine was taken, Kate and I fully understood the need for us to be investigated and we consider that a matter of course and you may remember that we spent all day on the 4th of May at the police station in Portimão and I subsequently spent a lot of time there. We stayed in Portugal during this period, right through to September, in an effort to aid the investigation.

"We also understood that every thesis had to be considered and we felt strongly that we had been eliminated from the investigation.

"For those of you who have followed this case, when things, errr... turned sour for us in August, of 2007, we didn't disappear, we stayed. We waited until we had our arguido interviews, even though that we did wish to return home, because we felt that was the right thing to do. We did wish for a reconstruction to be done, very early on, as would be the norm, errr... and certainly within the United Kingdom and we were prepared to come back to participate in the reconstruction, in fact we would have been obliged as arguidos to come back and participate and it wasn't our decision not to do it, although, I have to say, I don't think it would have helped very much in the search for Madeleine.

"Over the last two days, I think you've heard a lot about Mr Amaral's thesis that Madeleine is dead and I hope you've also heard that there is absolutely no evidence to support that thesis. A thesis without evidence is meaningless and that is what we are challenging. We strongly believe and, in fact, as a direct result of the searches - which were actually directed at finding a missing body in and around Praia da Luz and the surrounding terrain - the fact that this thesis, which has been tried to be proved quite firmly, has not found any harm to Madeleine is actually, in many ways, reassuring and gives us more evidence that Madeleine is probably alive.

"And I hope everyone remembers that there is a little girl missing, who still needs to be found, and we will keep going until Madeleine is found and also until whoever has taken her is brought to justice and, in response to the question earlier on, that is why we carry on, and we have other children who miss Madeleine dearly and we will be able to look them in the eye and say that we have done everything to help that search."

UK Reporter: "How emotionally..."

GM: "I have to return to England today, I have work commitments that I couldn't cancel at short notice. I will be leaving, Kate'll be staying on and, errm... I'll take a few questions."

UKR: "Gerry, how... how emotionally draining has the last few days been? Do you feel that it has actually given maybe the Portuguese police and even, errr... the media an opportunity to re... errr... to... well, to bring some old theories back to, errr... back to the surface?"

GM: "I think what's been important is that things are being debated in a rational way in a court of law and that is the place where it should happened and that is where evidence is judged and can be done so within a legal framework. From our point of view what's happened in the last two days is, I suppose, in many ways, expected - these are Gonçalo Amaral's witnesses. I think it is particularly disappointing that certain police officers within Portimao, who considered us as possibly involved in Madeleine's disappearance, have not been able to change their mind, despite a lack of evidence, and it is these officers who have, are... who we are dependent on for pursuing the investigation within Portugal."


Live text, 13 January 2010

Gerry.

The man infuriates me when he spins in this way