The first journalist at the scene reveals Maddie's parents' 'devastation'
Reporter Jon Clarke, 50, who lives near Malaga with his wife and two children, had been living in Spain for five years when he was sent to investigate Madeleine’s disappearance.
He says, “I hadn’t been to Praia da Luz for over eight years when Netflix asked me to take part in The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann documentary. It was eerie going back.
“The documentary has been accused of exploiting the McCanns’ ordeal for entertainment, but I hope it will encourage people who might know something to come forward. It’s also raised awareness of child traffickers, and I hope there’s now a more concentrated effort to stop these sick people.”
Recalling the phone call he received from a British newspaper the morning after Maddie’s disappearance, he says, “I remember thinking that, by the time I got there, she’d have turned up.
The disappearance of Madeline McCann Netflix documentary: ten most shocking moments
Madeleine McCann netflix documentary: 10 shocking moments Stacked
1 of 101. Never-before seen footage of Madeleine boarding the plane
The documentary showed never-before seen footage of Madeleine boarding the plane to Portugal with her family and their friend's children.
2 of 102. Kate's‘ soul-destroying’ howl
A fellow tourist at Gerry's holiday tennis club said she overheard Kate letting out a 'soul-destroying' howl the night of Madeline's disappearance.
3 of 103. Police at the scene made shocking claims
Police at the scene made shocking claims that Madeleine had probably wandered under a bush and simply fallen asleep.
4 of 104. The contaminated scene
Inspectors found a messy, contaminated scene at the McCann's apartment and were horrified by the lack of preservation of the scene – they compared it to the scene of a robbery.
5 of 105. Potential suspect
A friend on holiday with Gerry & Kate claimed she saw a man walking briskly and carrying a child similar to Maddie at 9.15pm – less than an hour before Maddie was discovered missing.
6 of 106. Madeleine's message the night before her disappearance
It was reported that Madeleine asked her mum, 'Why didn't you come last night when [the twins] were crying?'. Theories claimed that it could have been the kidnapper making their first attempt but got spooked.
7 of 107. 'Praia De Luz is a honeypot of strange people'
Although lots of locals and tourists said they felt safe and secure in the Algarve, one resident said, 'Praia De Luz is a honeypot of strange people. People come here to change themselves'. The Police Inspector also claimed there were a lot of violent drug-related crimes in the area.
8 of 108. Former suspect Robert Murat appeared in the documentary.
Former suspect Robert Murat appeared in the documentary, he gave lots of in-depth interviews surrounding his time as a former suspect in the investigation.
9 of 109. Portuguese police monitoring the Spanish border
The documentary claimed that Portuguese police monitoring the Spanish border were spotted sitting in their car for 40 minutes to avoid the rain, rather than checking cars.
10 of 1010. Suspect drawing
The police initially released a suspect drawing, which was simply an oval shape with no facial features, just hair. Kate admitted to a friend that she had no faith in the Portuguese police.
“Praia da Luz was a sleepy little village and hardly anyone was around when I arrived later that morning. But I was shocked when I saw the McCanns’ apartment – there was no security and just a flimsy piece of police tape covering the side gate.
“A few hours later, I met Kate and Gerry. They were polite, and thanked me for reporting on the case. I knew immediately they weren’t involved – they were devastated. The press conference outside their apartment later that day only confirmed my feelings. I think almost every person there shed a tear. As a journalist, you try not to get too emotional about a story, but my own daughter was just about to turn two and it was hard not to get upset."
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“In the days that followed, it was clear this was a story like no other. Hundreds of journalists descended on the town and Maddie’s face was everywhere. Everyone was looking for her – I must have walked the length of the beach 10 times, combing through the wasteland and looking in abandoned houses.
“I stayed in Portugal for around two weeks while the case unfolded – by then it was clear she was no longer in Praia da Luz. There have been so many conspiracy theories, and I’ve even been accused of being involved in her abduction by trolls on Twitter.
“There’s a crazy theory that I couldn’t have got to Praia da Luz as quickly as I did and perhaps was there the night before and so was somehow involved.
“Like many people, I’ve tried to work out what might have happened. At first, I thought maybe she’d wandered off, then I grew suspicious of Robert Murat – a local man who seemed strangely invested in the case and was questioned by police but later cleared of any involvement. Now, I’m almost certain that Madeleine was taken by a paedophile ring. Evidence has emerged of child trafficking gangs throughout the region, and Portugal is well-placed geographically to transport children to the rest of Europe or Africa.
“I believe that we’ll eventually find out what really happened to Maddie – how she was taken and why – but I’m not sure we’ll ever find out exactly where she is. My heart breaks for Kate and Gerry, I can’t begin to imagine what they’re still going through."
Read more about Madeleine McCann in this week's Closer magazine - out now.