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32. In 2008, a Portuguese TV interviewer asked: “How can you explain the scent of cadaver found by the British dogs?” Kate McCann replied: “Maybe you should ask the judiciary. They have examined all evidence”. When the interviewer pressed Kate McCann for an explanation, Gerry McCann intervened, smirking, and replied: “Ask the dogs, Sandra”.
Verdict - Misleading.MMRG have (deliberately? mistakenly?) left out the rest of Gerry McCann's answer.
Source - Video of the interview, Operation Rectangle Summary Report 22 July 2008, South Yorkshire Police FOI.
Summary of Verifiable Facts
- Again like most of the MMRG's claims, this isn't something that the media didn't tell you. In fact it is something that was said in a TV interview.
- MMRG left out the rest of the answer that Gerry gave to the interviewer.
- Both dogs, no matter how useful they are/can be in an investigation, aren't infallible. They are a tool, not evidence. Both gave false alerts.
Transcript of the relevant section of the interview
The full interview can be watched here:
http://ww1.rtp.pt/multimedia/index.php?tvprog=1871&idpod=31586&formato=flv
Sandra: But this is the first time that you give us a big interview not being arguidos, not being arguidos. Since then. erm. So now I feel free to ask you this directly. How can you explain the coincidence of the scent of cadaver found by British and not Portuguese dogs?
Kate: Sandra, maybe you should ask the judiciary because they have examined all evidence. I mean we are also Madeleine's mum and dad and we are desperate for people to help us find Madeleine which is why we are here today. The majority of people are inherently good and I believe the majority of people in Portugal are inherently good people and I am asking them if they will help us spread this message to that person or people...
Sandra: So you don't have an explanation for that?
Gerry: Ask the dogs Sandra.
Sandra: Ask the dogs? No Gerry. Now I feel free to ask you, don't you feel free to answer me?
Gerry: I can tell you that we have also looked at evidence about cadaver dogs and they are incredibly unreliable.
Sandra: Unreliable?
Gerry: Cadaver dogs, yes. That's what the evidence shows, if they are tested scientifically.
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At the time this CEOP video was released http://ceop.police.uk/Minute-for-Madeleine, the McCanns gave the interview to raise awareness for Madeleine, as she was still missing.
Discussion
Sometimes in life things happen which you can't explain. And sometimes dogs bark against the wrong tree.
In the Zapata Case County Judge Patrick Fiedler ruled that the evidence was inadmissible, saying that the dogs were unreliable. He quoted analysis of the three dogs’ performance record, which showed that they were, respectively, incorrect 78 per cent, 71 per cent and 62 per cent of the time.
So the question is, how reliable are these dogs, Eddie and Keela? Are they infallible?
Their handler, Mr Grime, didn't supply a record of these dogs' cases, trainings and their results (successes and failures).
He claims re Eddie :
In six years operational deployment in over 200 cases the dog has never alerted to meat based foodstuffs. The dog has never alerted to 'road kill'
Alerts given by the dog where no obvious human remains are found are supported by forensic evidence/anecdotal witness accounts.
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re Keela:
In training she has accurately located minute samples of blood on property up to thirty-six years old.
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Keela's false alert in PdL
On 2007/07/31 she's searched the apartment 5a. She didn't alert to the curtains behind the sofa.
On 2007/08/03 she's searched the apartment again.
19.20 The dog "marked" the lower part of the left white coloured curtain of the window behind the sofa.
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Relevant part of the FSS report :
The curtains (286A/2007 - CR/L 16 and 16B) and the piece of white curtain (286B/2007 - CR/L 1) and the fragments of bushes (286/2007 CR/L 21) were examined for the presence of blood. No blood was found.
286A/2007-CRL 16 & 16B Two blue curtains and one white curtain.
286B/2007-CRL 1 One white section of a curtain.
These curtains were analysed for traces of blood, semen and saliva, none of which were detected.
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Haut de la Garenne
OPERATION RECTANGLE SUMMARY REPORT JULY 22 2008
Quote.
V/T 9 Re-enforced concrete machine gun post and protective trench, personnel shelter attached. Earth and debris removed by hand and plant machinery to allow access.
The forensic strategy was implemented with the following results.
EVRD – positive indication.
SOCO visual – positive.
Blood dog - positive indication.
Visual – positive.
UV – negative (items removed prior to screening).
Quasar - negative.
Positive indications confirmed as being recently deposited tissues used to clean up after sex by unknown persons. Offences not suspected at this stage. Retained as exhibit should there be future reports of offences. There will be no forensic submission at this stage.
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Quote.
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VT / 9 Trench and gun emplacement containing small personnel shelter. Forensic examination revealed recently deposited tissues that appeared to have been used to ‘clean up following sexual intercourse’. It would appear that the shelter had been used as a venue for courting couples. This alert is within the trained parameters of the dog’s repertoire and is a satisfactory explanation of the alert.
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Eddie the Springer Spaniel sniffer dog.
Reference number: 20090062
Request date: 19/02/2009 (All day)
Response date: 30/03/2009 (All day)
Request details:
SYP response:
Thank you for your request for information in relation to:
1. Which cases has Eddie the Springer Spaniel sniffer dog been used in within the South Yorkshire Force area over the last five years?
Eddie, the specialist dog is no longer with South Yorkshire Police. He and his handler left the Force in August 2007. The information supplied therefore relates to his service between 2003 and 2007.
Information relating directly to the nature of each Victim Search Dog deployment, if made public could cause unnecessary distress to the persons and families connected with the deceased. However, we can provide the following details regarding Victim Search Dog deployments between 2003 and 2007:
As two teams working together: handler Ellis and dog Frankie, with handler Grime and dog Eddie have been deployed on twenty occasions, with the recovery of four bodies.
Working alone, Grime/Eddie have been deployed on seventeen occasions with the recovery of one body and Ellis/Frankie have been deployed on five occasions with the recovery of three bodies, this includes the recovery of two women in one grave.
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Compare MMRG statement with the actual FACTS
MMRG quote: In 2008, a Portuguese TV interviewer asked: “How can you explain the scent of cadaver found by the British dogs?” Kate McCann replied: “Maybe you should ask the judiciary. They have examined all evidence”. When the interviewer pressed Kate McCann for an explanation, Gerry McCann intervened, smirking, and replied: “Ask the dogs, Sandra”.
Actually: Actually Gerry McCann said: "Ask the dogs Sandra". "I can tell you that we have also looked at evidence about cadaver dogs and they are incredibly unreliable". "Cadaver dogs, yes. That's what the evidence shows, if they are tested scientifically".
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