The anti McCanns are jubilant because a US commentator and former prosecutor, Wendy Murphy said she wasn't buying Scotland Yard's "new suspect" in the case.
She gave as her reasons that the McCanns "hired a team of lawyers right away" and refused to answer questions "right away".
I am not sure where Ms Murphy has done her research into the case (perhaps she is getting muddled up with the Ramsey case), but these two claims are very demonstrably false.
There exists ON RECORD, both transcripts and police accounts of the numerous police interviews which the McCanns gave during the four long months following little Madeleine's disappearance (up to 13 hours at a time). They had lawyers present in none of them. In fact, as witnesses (which they were until September), under the law of the land, they had no option but to answer police questions! Portugal is nothing like the US!
The McCanns did consult lawyers because it was being reported in the press that they were going to be prosecuted for neglect. Surely it is common sense to consult a legal expert in such a situation? Surely as a lawyer, Ms Murphy would herself advise this? As it happened, they were not prosecuted because in Portugal, the offence of child neglect requires "intent to harm" and there was clearly none. These lawyers did however give them other, very valuable advice with regard to Madeleine - ie. that she should be made a ward of court. The McCanns took this wise advice in the best interests of their daughter.
With regard to hiring lawyers to defend them on involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, they did not do so until the point in the investigation where it became clear that they were being treated as suspects (i.e. September). Even then, they answered questions for 11 hours on the day before they were made arguidos. At this point, their lawyer advised both of them to answer no more questions - their right as arguidos but not previously when they were witnesses. In the event, Gerry McCann was so frustrated at the line of questioning, that he answered the questions anyway albeit against his lawyer's advice.
The McCann case has been fraught with bungled police work and appalling misinformation from the start. Tabloid myths fuelled a hate campaign against the couple, threatening the search for Madeleine and the safety of themselves and their other children. The case is only now getting on track. The very last thing it needs is for some TV personality to set it all back to square one.
Wendy Murphy should familiarise herself with the facts of the case (and not by reading Pat Brown's "ficitonalised scenarios") as well as the basics of Portuguese law before she opens her mouth again.
