Mirror News

Desperate Kate McCann's heartbreak letter to police: 'Please end my torture'

By Martin Fricker In Portimao 7/08/2008

Kate McCann sent the policeman heading the Madeleine inquiry a heart-rending letter pleading for news - and he cruelly snubbed her.

She begged chief investigator Paolo Rebelo to tell her what Portuguese police were doing to find her missing daughter because she and Gerry had been kept in the dark.

She said: "I am appealing to you to as a fellow human being to work with us and remember that we are Madeleine's parents and have needs.

"Madeleine is the most precious thing in our life. The lack of information is torture."

Kate wrote to Rebelo shortly after he took over the investigation in December.

But she got only a curt reply to say her note was being kept on file.

Kate's letter to Paolo Rebelo spells out a mother's anguish in words that would move the stoniest of hearts.

As she begs to be allowed to hear of any developments in the hunt for her missing daughter, she hints at the inhumanity of keeping her and Gerry in the dark.

An emotional Kate wrote: "As her mother, the pain and anxiety I feel for her is indescribable and the feeling of helplessness overwhelming.

"Even if we could have a little bit of information in the broadest of terms it would help.

"Lack of communication and a void of information, particularly as the parents of a missing child, is torture."

Kate, writing in December, even bravely attempted to smooth over any ill-feeling caused by the growing accusations that the Portuguese investigation was a shambles.

And she insists she and Gerry would continue to give every assistance to the inquiry - a remarkable offer considering the police were still lamely insisting the McCanns were their prime suspects.

She wrote: "This shouldn't be about 'finger-pointing blame' nor about differences in culture. It should be about a beautiful, innocent little girl who is still missing.

"She is the victim in all of this. It would be good for Madeleine if we could all work together to help find who took her."

Astonishingly, Kate's carefully chosen words and diplomatic phrasing were simply ignored by Rebelo.

The McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell yesterday said the letter, revealed only after a 30,000-page dossier on the official investigation was made public on Monday, was born out of sheer desperation.

He said: "Kate wanted to write the letter. It was her idea. She wrote it in a more emotional way than perhaps Gerry would.

"It was sent without much hope and there was no response for a long time. There finally was a short response acknowledging the letter. We were told it would lie on file."

Kate wrote to Rebelo shortly after he took over the case from Goncalo Amaral, sacked because of a lack of progress.

A member of the McCanns' Portuguese legal team wrote a follow-up to Rebelo a month later. It was also ignored.

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday the McCanns may return to Portugal to for a Crimewatch reconstruction. Their representatives have held talks with BBC chiefs about re-creating the events of May 3, the night that Madeleine, then three, disappeared from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.

A family friend said: "It's something that we have been talking about for some time. Things need to be formalised but there is nothing to stop it." Mr Mitchell said: "A Crimewatch-style reconstruction has been on the cards for a while.

"We have had low-level contact with Crimewatch ever since they wanted to do something with us last year. We are in talks with them. Kate and Gerry may well take part - it is certainly something that they would consider."

Documents in the huge evidence dossier also reveal Kate and Gerry had a row the night before Madeleine vanished. Afterwards she decided to sleep in the room that Madeleine was sharing with the twins.

In police interviews Gerry said he assumed it was because his snoring was keeping his wife awake.

But Kate's police report states: "She said she had fallen out with Gerry after he ignored her after dinner when they went to the tapas bar.

"This only happened on that day. She decided to retaliate by sleeping in another room in the bed near the window.

"She does not know whether Gerry was aware that she slept in the other room as he was already asleep when she left.

"If in fact her husband was aware of this situation, he did not comment on it."

The file claims this row was the reason why the couple did not sit together in the tapas bar on the evening of May 3.

Also in the dossier is an aerial photograph showing where sniffer dogs followed a scent of Madeleine.

They appear to have tracked it to a car park to where a man in a van had been seen loitering a few days earlier.

Witness Derek Flack compiled an e-fit picture of the man - which was not made public until this week.

The dossier also said British expat Robert Murat was only made a suspect because he asked a lot of questions while acting as an official translator.

Detectives grew suspicious when he constantly quizzed them about the direction the case was taking.

One officer noted: "He questioned me persistently, over and over, as to the ID of the potential suspects and strategy of the investigation.

"Because he was so insistent and because of his attitude, he aroused my suspicions.

"He also tried constantly to influence the direction of the investigation."

Murat was later cleared of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

A former British detective yesterday accused Portuguese police of bungling the case from the outset.

Mark Williams-Thomas said two e-fits of men seen acting suspiciously should have been made public immediately.

He added: "These files reveal the inadequacies of the police investigation.

"They have given up. They have have completely given up.

"The only people looking for Madeleine are the McCanns."

The letter

Dear Mr. Rebelo,

I hope you do not mind me writing to you and that you will read my letter. I am Madeleine McCann's mother.

I am not sure if you are a parent or not, but for my husband and myself, and the whole of our family, the last 7 months has been the most difficult, sad and unbearable time that any parent could possibly imagine. Madeleine is the most precious thing in our life.

As her mother, the pain and anxiety I feel for her is indescribable and the feeling of helplessness overwhelming. The 'accusations' and media smearing, although upsetting, are very much secondary.

I am appealing to you to as a fellow human being, to work with us and remember that we are Madeleine's parents and have needs. I would be grateful if you were able to keep us informed to some degree as to how the investigation is going - what work is being done to help find our daughter etc. I'm sure you will agree that this request is not unreasonable and is in fact, humane. Even if we could have a little bit of information in the broadest of terms it would help. Lack of communication and a void of information, particularly as the parents of a missing child, is torture. We will continue to work with the PJ as we have done since that moment when I discovered that Madeleine had been taken.

This shouldn't be about 'finger-pointing blame' nor should it be about differences in culture. It should be about a beautiful, innocent little girl who is still missing. She is the victim in all of this. It would be good for Madeleine if we could all work together to help find her and the person(s) who took her. I would be very grateful if you could give some thought and consideration to my letter and look forward to your reply.

I can only ask.

Yours Sincerely,

Kate MaCann