Cartas Rogatorias Vol V
Pages 18 – 19

Leicestershire Police Force

Statement by Hayley Jane Plummer

Occupation: Nursery School Teacher

This statement consisting of two pages is true and in accordance with my understanding.

Date 6th May 2008

I work as a teacher at Laurels Nursery School, Melton Road, Queniborough, Leicestershire. I have worked full time for almost eight or nine years. I work alone in a class room and have eight children under my responsibility every day.

Laurels nursery school receives children aged between 6 weeks and school age and is divided in various classrooms in different buildings, where the children are grouped according to age and aptitude. I have worked in all the classrooms with children of all ages and at the moment I am in charge of children aged from 3 to 5 years.

I got to know Madeleine and her parents Kate and Gerry at the nursery school. I also spent time with them socially because my boyfriend James is Kate’s cousin. As a couple, James and I would take care of Madeleine and the twins in their house in Rothley about every two months, for a few hours each time. We would arrive at the house at about 19.00 – 19.30 when the twins were already asleep, but Madeleine was waiting for us and would be up for about half an hour. The routine followed would be to brush her teeth and tell her a story or two before going to sleep, followed by a brief passage through the twins room. Once she was alone Madeleine would generally fall asleep after 10 minutes and during my stays in their house she would never get out of bed after having fallen asleep. She would always sleep in her room. I do not remember Madeleine having been difficult when we were there.

Madeleine initially went to the nursery in the mornings but as she got older she would spend the whole day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the nursery – which she enjoyed very much. Kate would take care of Madeleine on Mondays and Fridays, often taking her for swimming lessons. I have known Madeleine for about three years and she was always under my responsibility at the Laurels nursery.

Kate and Gerry would take turns in dropping off and fetching her from the nursery.

Madeline was a very polite and affectionate girl, particularly in respect to the twins. At the nursery she was a very popular girl and it was a pleasure to have her near.
She seemed to be a very alert girl and she always adapted well. The only time I remember her feeling a little intimidated was when she changed classroom for the first time and she was placed with more children who were a bit older.

She would show some shyness when she was left by her parents but she adapted rapidly so that they would leave after she finished her breakfast.

Madeleine made many friends at the nursery but her best friend was Sophia. I think that Kate and Sophia’s mother (Sally) became good friends based upon the friendship between their daughters.

Kate and Gerry were always very friendly with me, were polite and easy going.

Madeleine never showed any problems or worry she might have had, or show any behaviour that would cause any worry. I do not consider Madeleine to be hyperactive, she was a healthy girl with normal development for her age.

For me Madeleine is calm and easy to get on with.
I do not know whether Madeleine was subject to any kind of medication, I never had to give her any medication at the nursery or at home when I looked after her.

Gerry and Kate never appeared to have any type of problem in their relation with Madeleine. We would have regular meetings with the parents in the nursery and Kate and Gerry did not express any worry about Madeleine or her behaviour and they never appeared to be tired or frustrated in relation to their daughter.

I saw Madeleine for the last time on Thursday on the eve of her departure for holiday to Portugal. She was very enthusiastic with the trip, telling the teachers and the other children about it.

This statement was made by me and is truthful in accordance with my understanding.



Questions from the Letter of Request:

XII - Interview to MADELEINE McCANN's babysitters and Nursery School Teachers, to be identified by the Requested Authority. They should be asked the following questions :

* What kind of relationship do you have with the child and with her relatives ?

* How long have you known MADELEINE McCANN ? And how often did you use to meet ?

* What is the child and her parents' character and personality ?

* Are you aware of any problems/conflicts between MADELEINE and her parents, family, friends or children of her age ?

* In a general way, how was MADELEINE McCANN'S HEALTH ? Would you consider her to be a healthy child ? Do you remember something you consider worth mentioning, such as changes in the child's behaviour, haemorrhages or apathy ?

* Did MADELEINE McCANN ever complain about her parents, family or friends ? Did you ever notice fear or anxiety in an obvious way ? If yes, why ?

* Is she a hyperactive child ?

* Did she seem to have sleeping problems ?

* Did her parents ever mention any problems she had ? Was it difficult for them to handle her ? Did they seem tired, possibly due to the fact that she was a very active child ?

* Do you know if she was taking any kind of medication ? Was she ever given any medicine ? Did her parents use to give her medication ? What sort, to what end and how often ?

* Did MADELEINE have a normal behaviour for her age ?

* Any further questions deemed useful, necessary or pertinent in view of the previous replies.

* Is there any supplementary explanation that you consider pertinent or relevant to establish the material truth ?

Cartas Rogatorias Vol V
Pages 20 - 21

Leicestershire Police Force

Statement by Sharon LEWIN

Occupation: Teaching Assistant

This statement (2 pages) is truthful in accordance with my understanding.
Date: 21st April 2008

I am the person referred to above and I work as a teaching assistant at Laurels Nursery School, Melton Road, Queniborough, Leicestershire. The nursery school has the capacity to receive about 80 children full-time, aged between 6 weeks and 5 years and is open from 07.30 to 18.00 daily. The children are grouped according to age and I work in the section that looks after children aged between two and half and three years old. I have worked at the nursery for five years and I am currently on maternity leave.

I got to know Madeleine and her parents Kate and Gerry through my work at the nursery school. Madeleine started at the nursery when she was about two years old.

When she was two and a half she joined the group supervised by me, I think it was in 2006, and she remained there for about 6 months. Madeleine attended on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

She would be dropped off between 08.00 and 08.30 and would return home at about 17.00. The dropping off and picking up was taken in turns by the parents and as a result of this Kate and Gerry asked me to take care of the children during the evening on some occasions. Kate would pick Madeleine up from the nursery at the end of the day and I would accompany them to their house. We would have tea and I would help give Madeleine her bath.

Kate and Gerry would go out and I would watch a DVD with the girl before telling her a bedtime story.
I think I did this about 5 times and on each occasion it was at their home in Rothley.

I always think of Madeleine as an alert and affectionate girl who liked to live. She was very advanced for her age and independent. She liked to dance and to dress up.

Kate and Gerry were always very friendly to me. I am quite close to both of them and they were always kind and generous. I am probably a bit closer to Kate who would sometimes send me text messages and I would take my baby along to visit her and have coffee.
I consider her to be a good friend.
I never saw Madeleine have any problem or conflict with her parents, family members or friends.

I would describe them as a charming family who loved each other. The twins adored their older sister and Kate and Gerry would often play with the children.

Madeleine felt comfortable at the nursery school, she had many friends and got on well with the other children.

Madeleine was quite a healthy girl. She had a good appetite and ate well. I don’t remember any injury or accident. She would occasionally have a small scrape at the nursery but nothing abnormal. During the six months she was under my care she was absent five times because of being unwell, but they were just small colds with a high temperature.

At the nursery medication could only be administered by the senior members of staff and with the agreement of the children’s parents. The only medication that I recall Madeleine taking was Calpol to lower her temperature.

Madeleine never complained about her family or friends and as I have already stated I consider them to be a charming family. She loved her mother and father and always knew who would pick her up from the nursery ad was always anxious for that moment. Gerry and Kate never appeared to have any problems in dealing with Madeleine. We would have regular meetings with the parents at the nursery and they never expressed any worry in relation to Madeleine’s behaviour.

Madeleine was a very active child but I would not call her hyperactive. She never got over excited and always had good behaviour. Madeleine was easy to look after, a very independent girl but she never placed herself in dangerous situations, as far as I saw.

Occasionally during the afternoon, some of the children would have a siesta in the dormitory but Madeleine never did. I had the opportunity to be present at her bedtime when I looked after her. Bath time was at about 18.30 – 19.00 and she would later go to bed at about 19.30 – 20.00 I would read her a story or two and she would always fall asleep half way through.

Gerry and Kate would normally return home at about 22.30 and before this I would check whether she was all right, by looking around the bedroom door. I do not have knowledge of the girl waking up after she fell asleep.

This statement was made by me and is truthful in accordance with my understanding.


Questions from the Letter of Request:


XII - Interview to MADELEINE McCANN's babysitters and Nursery School Teachers, to be identified by the Requested Authority. They should be asked the following questions :

* What kind of relationship do you have with the child and with her relatives ?

* How long have you known MADELEINE McCANN ? And how often did you use to meet ?

* What is the child and her parents' character and personality ?

* Are you aware of any problems/conflicts between MADELEINE and her parents, family, friends or children of her age ?

* In a general way, how was MADELEINE McCANN'S HEALTH ? Would you consider her to be a healthy child ? Do you remember something you consider worth mentioning, such as changes in the child's behaviour, haemorrhages or apathy ?

* Did MADELEINE McCANN ever complain about her parents, family or friends ? Did you ever notice fear or anxiety in an obvious way ? If yes, why ?

* Is she a hyperactive child ?

* Did she seem to have sleeping problems ?

* Did her parents ever mention any problems she had ? Was it difficult for them to handle her ? Did they seem tired, possibly due to the fact that she was a very active child ?

* Do you know if she was taking any kind of medication ? Was she ever given any medicine ? Did her parents use to give her medication ? What sort, to what end and how often ?

* Did MADELEINE have a normal behaviour for her age ?

* Any further questions deemed useful, necessary or pertinent in view of the previous replies.

* Is there any supplementary explanation that you consider pertinent or relevant to establish the material truth ?

Statements linked in toc.

CARTAS ROGATORIAS UK (FILE 4)
1 to 2

Leicestershire Police Force

Witness Statement

Amanda Jane Coxon

Date: 2nd May 2008

I am a friend of Gerry and Kate, I used to work for them and also looked after the children.
I got to know Gerry and Kate in the year 2000, I worked as a cleaner in their house in Queniborough, once a week. From the beginning they were always a very friendly couple.
During the time I worked there, Kate had her first daughter, Madeleine. Kate asked me whether I would look after Madeleine twice a week when she returned to work part time. I agreed and she would leave Madeleine at my house and come and pick her up later in the day.

Kate, Gerry and Madeleine moved to Amsterdam for a year and when they returned Kate was pregnant with the twins. The twins were born in February 2006 and from that time I helped to look after them.

The relationship I had with Gerry and Kate turned into friendship over the years and I consider myself to be a good friend of Kate’s. After their return from Portugal we became very close.

Gerry is a person with his feet very firmly placed on the ground, a pleasant person who made us feel welcome from the very beginning. He is very conscientious with regard to his work but also loves his family very much. He adores the children and would often have fun rolling about on the floor with Madeleine. Kate is also a very friendly person, she is calm and serene and also adores the children. I never heard her raise her voice with Madeleine or become irritated with her. I have no knowledge of any conflict between Kate and Gerry, or between them and Madeleine. I do not know of any problem or conflict between Madeleine and any other person or child.

I had a good relationship with Madeleine, I would describe her as full of fun, intelligent for her age and very active. She is a very happy girl and the last time I saw her, she was already capable of maintaining a conversation. She clearly understood the instructions given to her and was a good listener.


I would say that Madeleine is a very healthy girl and I never noticed any changes in behaviour. I would not describe her as a hyperactive child. I do not know of any problem related to sleeping, but I was rarely present when she went to bed.

Kate and Gerry never mentioned having any type of problem with Madeleine.
She was well behaved, never caused her parents any problems and apparently always understood what she was told. The parents never looked tired of taking care of Madeleine.

I have no knowledge about whether Madeleine was subject to taking medicine and I never saw anyone giving her any medication. Gerry and Kate never referred to any medication that Madeleine was taking.

As I said before, Madeleine was a very well behaved and lively child.

With relation to the question about haemorrhages, I was never present at any episode when Madeleine bled, other than a normal nose bleed when she inserted her finger into her nose and bled.

Nothing different from any other child having a nose bleed.

In my opinion, Kate and Gerry and the children are a happy family who enjoy having fun together. There are no words to describe what happened last year and they do not deserve to have been treated in the way they have been, by the community and by the press. They are two decent and hardworking people who are devoted to their children.

This is my statement and is true according to my understanding.

Statement linked in toc.

XIII - Interview to the housemaid(s) of the McCANN family, to be identified by the Requested Authority. They should be asked the following questions :

* How long do you know and work for the family ?

* What are your duties and how often do you accomplish them ?

Did you know MADELEINE McCANN ? How often did you use to meet her and in what circumstances ?

* What is the child's relationship with her parents and her family ?


* How is the child's character ? Is she hyperactive ?

Does she have sleeping problems ? Did you ever see her ble*ding, other than by traumatic effect ?

* Did you ever see the "naughty board" where her parents used to mark the child's behaviour ? What's on that board ?

* Did you see anything you consider unusual and worth mentioning ?

* Did MADELEINE have a normal behaviour for her age ?

* Any further questions deemed useful, necessary or pertinent in view of the previous replies.

* Is there any supplementary explanation that you consider pertinent or relevant to establish the material truth ?