Madeleine McCann: Posters Taken Down And Father Pacheco’s Shell
MADDY WATCH – Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY MIRROR front page: “MADELEINE: THE GIRL WHO NEVER WAS –
Resort stripped of posters as locals turn their back”
In Praia da Luz the posters have been removed. “It is as if locals are desperate to wipe out all trace of the four-year-old who disappeared from their midst”
Is it? Eight months of featuring posters of the missing child there is still no sign of her. Do people still notice the posters?
Page 4: “MADDY ERASED”
“Yet surely it is too early for Praia da Luz to turn its back on Madeleine, four. Posters appealing for information could still spark the vital phone call that will break the case wide open”
How long to police maintain a poster of missing person on their own sings that sit outside British stations? Witness appeal posters are often removed within a few days
“They used to be on display in every shop, garage and restaurant – with Madeleine’s photo staring straight out” – Staring, always staring
Says McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell: “The people of Praia da Luz were incredibly supportive when Kate and Gerry were there and we believe that affection and support is still there. They have nothing but fond memories and remain very grateful to the people for their help”
DAILY EXPRESS front page: “PRIEST ‘BANS’ MADELEINE”
And: “He takes down posters as Praia da Luz ‘wipes her from its memory”
Out of sight, out of mind? But Madeleine is missing and she remains on the front pages…
“Father Jose Manuel Pacheco ordered the removal of scores of green and yellow ribbons which were put up as a symbol of hope in the days after Madeleine vanished”
Father Pacheco was the priest who gave the McCanns the key to his church. Says the Express: “Friends fear for the priest’s health and tell how his life has been ruined after he offered the couple solace”
Says one friend: “Father Jose can’t even hear the Madeleine case mentioned without becoming irate…
“He says that it is an extremely unpleasant situation and that the McCann family only ever brought him problems. He told one friend they ruined his life…He no longer goes to the coffee shops that were part of his daily routine. He just wants to get on with his peaceful life before the McCann whirlwind raped his world. He just wants it all to go away. This has all been a very bad experience for him”
Says a another: “He’s a nervous wreck. He’s hiding secrets that are destroying him”
Page 5: “Madeleine poster ripped off the walls”
It is “DAY 223” in “THE HUNT FOR MADELEINE”
THE SUN front page: “Maddie WHO?”
Why, Madeleine McCann, that’s who…
Page 13: “McCanns erased – LOCALS TEAR DOWN MADDIE PICS IN PRAIA”
Tear down? Nor rip down, rub off or wash away?
Locals are “Fed-up”
“Hundreds of posters, shrines, and photos of Maddie have been ripped down from shop windows, restaurants and even the church in Praia da Luz”
Shrines?
One woman says: “It makes no sense to display symbols of a child’s disappearance when the parents are suspects”
DAILY MAIL page 4: “Maddie posters disappeared from town overnight”
A cashier at the Alisuper minimarket, opposite Father Pacheco’s church, says: “It was my idea to take down the posters with Madeleine’s photos and I no longer wear the bracelet that the child’s father gave me
“It no longer makes sense to display symbols of a child’s disappearance when the parents are suspects”
DAILY STAR page 15: “PRIEST GETS RID OF MADDIE – He tears down posters at ‘shrine’”
Father Jose Pacheco is “tormented”. He is a “shell of a man”
Garry McCann is a “heart consultant”. Kate McCann is a “GP”. Such are the facts
Madeleine McCann posts and posters
Posted: 12th, December 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (807) | TrackBack | Permalink
