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Witness statement of Paul Seddon
(McCann Priest) 2008.04.16
Statement by: Paul
SEDDON
Age if under 18 years old:
Occupation: Priest
3 pages
Date: 16th April 2008
Signature __________________
I am the person referred to above and I am a Priest of the Roman
Catholic Church, a position that I have held for more than 20
years. During the past 18 months I have exercised my functions
as a priest in three parishes in the Manchester area and
previously I spent sixteen years as a priest in Liverpool. I
have known Kate and Gerry McCann for over 10 years. I met them
as a couple at the wedding of my friends Mark and Linda, which I
presided over at Easter 1997 in Liverpool. Kate had been invited
to the ceremony as Lindas childhood friend and Gerry
accompanied her. I remember that after the ceremony I got to
know Kate and Gerry seriously for the first time, although I had
perhaps already met Kate for short moments on previous occasions
as Lindas friend. During the reception I particularly remember
Gerry because of the fact that he was wearing a kilt, which gave
him an extrovert air and meant that he did not go unnoticed. I
also discovered that we shared an enthusiastic interest for golf
and we spent a lot of time talking about this. Since then, Kate,
Gerry and I became good friends and they continue to be part of
the social circle today.
In 1998 I carried out Kate and Gerrys wedding ceremony, again
in Liverpool. At that time I already knew Kate and Gerry quite
well and had played many golf matches with Gerry. I remember
that they gave me a set of golf clubs from St Andrews as a
present for carrying out the ceremony. I also baptised their
first child, Madeleine, but more than being a priest, I consider
myself above all to be their friend.
During the last ten years our friendship has been constant and i
have always kept in regular contact wherever they have been. I
travelled to Amsterdam to visit them when Gerry was working
there, and we see each other at least three or four times a
year. I have spent other holiday periods with them including one
occasion in Stratford upon Avon after the birth of the twins.
During the time they were in Amsterdam I was very ill and was
forced to spend six or seven weeks without working. Kate and
Gerry gave me much support and phoned me regularly. I ended up
becoming a very good friend of the whole family.
The first time I heard of Madeleines disappearance was in the
early morning of Friday 4th May 2007.
I received a phone call from Linda who told me what had
happened, and I immediately sent a text message to Kates
mobile, telling her that my prayers were with them. I received a
reply almost immediately and I remember Kate wrote that she felt
as if the ?world was about to fall apart?.
At about 1.30 that morning Kate called me in a state of great
agitation. I tried to calm her as well as I could saying that
Madeleine could have had a bout of sleepwalking and that she
would be all right. I remember that Kate was worried by the fact
that Madeleine was wearing short sleeved pyjamas and that she
could catch a cold. I felt that only a mother could think like
that and say such a thing. I could perceive the trauma that Kate
was experiencing from her voice. I led with prayers and other
situations in my role as priest.
Gerry phoned me on the same night and he also seemed to me to be
quite traumatised and at the same time very upset and angry. His
Scottish accent, which was normally very slight, became so heavy
that his sentences were almost incomprehensible. I spoke to them
again the following morning and their state was practically the
same. Gerry was worried by the fact that the Portuguese police
were focussed upon him and Kate, but I tried to reassure him
that that would be a normal procedure and that they were only
trying to find out the maximum information possible about
Madeleine. I think that Gerry already had a notion of this but
felt frustrated. I asked them whether they had any kind of
emotional support and they replied that Mark Warner had provided
them with a professional counsellor. Later I travelled to
Portugal with the aim of offering all my positive support. I
arrived on the day of Madeleines birthday, the 12th May 2007
and travelled with a mutual friend, Linda. Once I arrived, it
was easy to note that they only needed having their family and
friends close. I knew that there was not much that i could do
for them, but just the fact of contributing to an occasional
smile already seemed to be a big help. I stayed for a week on
that occasion, but returned to Portugal for another week in
August 2007, again to lend all possible support.
During my stay I helped conduct religious services in the
Catholic Church as well as in the Anglican church in Praia da
Luz.
When I returned to the UK I tried to leave it to Kate and Gerry
to phone in order not to appear too interfering, given that I
knew both of them to be very busy. Every time we spoke, they
always asked me to pray for Madeleine. I always did this and on
one occasion I organised a vigil in Formby that was attended by
hundreds of people. From the beginning when Kate and Gerry told
me that ?Madeleine had been taken?, however I always had hope
that the child could have left (the apartment) alone as she was
a very adventurous girl.
On the occasions that I saw and talked to Kate and Gerry since
this happened, they reacted with stress and trauma given that
what happened to them does not make sense to them and they wish
to have Madeleine back instead of all the publicity and press. I
have had some difficulties in carrying out my daily tasks
because it seems surreal to me that life continues normally
while Kate and Gerry are going through this situation.
They are both very different. Kate is a reserved person and
finds all this exposure and speaking in public very difficult. I
think that she has been extraordinary, mainly in doing things
like speaking to the European Parliament recently. Gerry is more
extrovert and finds it easier to relate to people. My reading of
all this is that both have worked very well as a team and that
have been successful in the impact that the campaign to find
Madeleine has had. I think that they have acted very well in
order to maintain their dignity, in the face of more negative
publicity and I know that their friends are very proud of them.
I would also like to emphasise that it worries me that Kate and
Gerry continue to be considered as arguidos in the case. The
fact that it was suggested that they might have something to do
with Madeleines disappearance is implausible and in bad taste.
This made some members of the press turn against them, resulting
in negative publicity. They are just two normal people who want
their daughter to return to be with them and are doing
everything within their reach to find her. If they thought she
was dead they would not continue to search for her. They
continue to be focussed upon searching for and finding Madeleine
and hope that she will be found.
On Wednesday, 16th April 2008 I was interviewed on DVD between
10.05 and 10.47 by DC 4064 Holliday. I am willing to confirm
that my statement is truthful and in accordance with my
understanding and belief and that it faithfully reflects what I
witnessed. This statement was made by me and is truthful in
accordance with my knowledge. |
