Clarence Mitchell, (not to mention his famous Clients), is surely fuming.
He has spent the past couple of weeks, regaling every
Newspaper, journal, broadcaster and Media outlet with his PRESS releases,
ensuring that they are all singing from the same song sheet regarding Kate
McCanns’ “heroic feats” in running the London Marathon.
The pivotal angle of the whole story being that the Mother
of missing Madeleine McCann COMPETED in this year’s London Marathon whilst running
in the shadow of DEATH threats, issued on a Social Networking site and
specifically centred on her Marathon appearance.
Ever since the parents of Madeleine, Kate and Gerry,
received a HUGE payout and front page apology from Express Newspapers in 2008
for their coverage of the case of the missing girl, (despite their being NO
Court case or litigation), the UK MEDIA has been united in its sycophantic,
servile and slavish devotion to the McCann’s each and every whim, as dictated
by their ubiquitous “Spokesperson” Clarence Mitchell.
As concocted by ‘Team McCann’ or their agents, (including
highly paid ‘Private Detectives’, most of whom have subsequently been embroiled
in serious, Criminal activities), over the past few years the UK Press have intermittently
and variously informed us that..........
Madeleine was abducted by Middle Eastern
perverts.... Moroccan Gangsters...Saudi Arabian paedophile rings....Bosnian mobsters......Robert Murat look-alikes......African ‘steal-to-order’ child-nappers......now-deceased
Sex offenders and nefarious Gypsies.......not to mention the innumerable “absolute
certain” sightings in Belgium, Malta, Spain, France, Britain, Brazil, the
Netherlands, New Zealand and India.
All of these stories were linked by a single, inarguable
factor:-
Not ONE of them had a single iota of credibility or evidence
to substantiate them.
As I have blogged previously, the infamous INDIA sighting,
(at LEAST), was demonstrably FABRICATED.
2013, however, had hitherto seen something of a lean period for Mr.
Mitchell regarding opportunities to get his clients involved in any extensive
Media coverage.
Consequently, ‘Team McCann’, (the ‘affectionate’ term used for their vast
entourage of wealthy backers, business moguls, Legal Eagles and ‘Z’ List
celebrities), must have been utterly ECSTATIC at the rather crass post made by
a lady on her Facebook account.
Commenting on a discussion about Mrs. McCann’s widely
publicised intention to run in the London Marathon, she wrote:-
“Well I am going. Anyone got a gun? BBBanggggg?”
Quite.
Not that it is of any consequence, it should be noted the comment was intended
to be a humorous play on the ‘starting pistol’ scenario, but its connotation
and ambiguity is both OBVIOUS and was intended.
Inarguably, it was a childish, puerile and insensitive
comment, worthy only of disdain.
To properly afford it the contempt it deserved would be to
have completely ignored it, along with the other, multitudinous, potentially
offensive posts made on Social Networking sites about not just the McCann’s,
but anyone and EVERYONE who has ever featured prominently in the public eye
To Clarence Mitchell and the McCann’s, however, (along with
their ever expanding army of watchers, monitors, trolls and Internet spies), this lady's faux pas was pure Manna from Heaven!
The machine quickly went into overdrive......
“Marathon gun nut’s threat to kill Kate!”
“Cops Probe Vile Web DEATH Threat to Mum of missing Madeleine”
“Sick Internet Troll threatens to GUN DOWN Kate McCann as she runs the London Marathon"
“Chilling message by sick internet troll threatening to shoot Madeleine McCann's mother”
The Tabloids were banging out splashes as quick as Clarence could type them! Each and every report was accompanied with the assurance that the Police, New Scotland Yard or the MET were “actively investigating”....”looking into”.......”conducting inquiries”.....
The most solemn and powerful words, however, were reserved for Mr. Mitchell and Mrs. McCann themselves:
“This material has been brought to the attention of the police. One of the posts is actually a death threat and is being dealt with appropriately”, declared Mitchell.According to the Daily STAR, “THE mother of Madeleine McCann is terrified for her other two children after receiving sick online death threats”.
Of course, one cannot directly expect either the McCann’s OR Mitchell to account for the ramblings of the Media, (even if Clarence DOES dictate them).
However, they CAN be taken to task for their OWN musings and comments.
ESPECIALLY when they are not only wildly inaccurate, but are clearly contrived and fabricated in order to gain wider publicity and benefit from a situation they are arguing is INJURIOUS.
For the RECORD, (and for what you WON’T be reading in the Press, any day soon):-
The police “investigation” (described by Mitchell as being "dealt with appropriately"), was entirely limited to, and consisted OF, a single CORDIAL telephone call made to the lady in question at her home by a police officer.
Having quickly availed himself of the facts surrounding the posting, and having satisfied himself that she was clearly NOT a “gun nut” or anyone who posed ANY kind of threat to anyone, the matter was CLOSED.
ALSO, contrary to what is being widely reported in some tabloids, (and especially elaborated on in a number of blogs and websites created by and subscribed to by ardent supporters of the McCann’s), the lady concerned was NOT cautioned, nor was she “warned”, regarding her behaviour.
It was obviously put to her that her actions were tactless, childish and unacceptable, points which she fully agreed with, and she was happy to reassure the officer that there wouldn’t be any repetition of the posting or any others made of a similar nature.
Mitchell KNOWS that, not by any stretch of the imagination could the comments be construed as a threat to kill or even cause harm to Kate McCann. Not in any LEGAL context, as defined by any Statute, the Offences against the Person’s Act, 1861, and not by any real inference.
Furthermore he, (along with the McCann’s themselves), was most unequivocally and without prevarication informed by the police, subsequent to their conversation with the poster, that there was absolutely NO danger posed by her, or anyone else, to Kate McCann.
Which rather disparages Kate’s statement that she is “terrified for her other two children after receiving sick online death threats”.
I am NOT seeking to excuse, exonerate or trivialise this ladies behaviour in any way, but this whole affair DOES, succinctly, illustrate the degree to which Clarence Mitchell will conceive and propagate false information and fabricated stories for the McCann’s benefit.
Of course, that is both his vocation and his speciality, skills honed in his role as the Government’s Media Monitoring Unit, for both the Labour AND Conservative administrations, (ANYONE who bats so willingly for both sides of the political spectrum has to be viewed with some trepidation in my opinion, but I digress!).
AND, of course, were it the fact that his most famous clients were Celebrities or Socialites, one could forgive him his propensity for inventing and concocting, indeed, even EXPECT it of him.
BUT.......despite their obvious fame and recognition, the McCann’s are NOT Celebrities.
They are, ostensibly, the distraught parents of a little girl who was abducted in 2007 and for whom, (according to them), they are actively and incessantly searching.
And whilst Kate McCann’s proposal to run the London Marathon
for the Charity for which she is an Ambassador was admirable enough, (as were
the efforts of the 36,000 OTHER participants), her venture did not warrant the unprecedented
and extensive level of Media coverage, attention and adulation that she was due to
be afforded, courtesy of Mitchell’s PRESS releases, all based on a fable.
Coverage and adulation she WOULD, unquestionably, have
received with photo spreads and tales of stoicism and heroic bravery galore in every newspaper, were it not for one, unforeseen factor:-
Almost 3,300 miles away, TRUE bravery was being exhibited by
many at a Marathon where a TRUE threat to kill......... was only all too real.
Consequently, preoccupying the entire World’s Media with tales
of barbaric atrocity and evil.
AND, consequently, relegating Mrs. McCanns’ heroics to a mere few column
inches.
Proving that, whilst 'Team McCann' exert a huge influence and control over the Media and even on the INTERNET; they haven't yet managed to manipulate Global events.
Godbless Madeleine McCann, wherever you may be............
