LEICESTERSHIRE POLICE SQUAD
WITNESS TESTIMONY OF CATRIONA SISILE
BAKER
Occupation: Childcare worker
This statement, consisting of four
pages, each signed by me, is true to
the best of my knowledge and belief
and I make it knowing that, if it is
tendered in evidence, I shall be
liable to prosecution if I have
wilfully states in it anything I
know to be false or do not believe
to be true.
Date: 18 of April, 2008
Signature:
I am the above referenced person and
live in the address previously given
to the police.
I offer this testimony in relation
to the disappearance of Madeleine
McCann. I would like to clarify that
I am not totally aware of the events
as so much time has passed since the
incident.
I work in childcare - I was
contracted by Mark Warner in June of
2006. The first time I went to
Portugal was the 21st of March 2006
where I worked as a childcare worker
in the Ocean Club Village, Praia da
Luz. I went to a work interview and
was contracted for one year by Mark
Warner in June of 2006. There are a
number of infant clubs in the Ocean
Club resort, where the children are
grouped together by age. The work in
the clubs is rotated and the
functionaries are changed over
weekly. If a family is staying for a
period longer than one week, I would
stay at the same club to continue
taking care of their children. The
child is delivered in the morning by
one of the parents who also picks
him or her up at lunch time. Some of
the children return for the
afternoon session which includes
accompanying them to "high tea" at
around 5H in the afternoon.
The age requirements of the various
clubs are 3-11 months (baby Club),
12-23 months (Toddler Club), 24
months to 3 years (Toddler 2 Club),
3 to 5 years of age (Mini Club), 6
years to 9 years of age (Juniors
Club), 10 years to 15 years of age
(Kids Club) and from 14 to 17 years
of age (Indies Club). The Baby Club
and the Mini Club are situated
directly on top of the 24-hour
reception. The Toddler Club is
located close to the tapas Bar and
the others close to the "Millenium"
Restaurant.
There were about 16 childcare
workers during my stay at the club.
I was lodged in the white and blue
building, about 10 minutes on foot
from the Mark Warner village and my
place of work.
I got to know Gerry and Kate McCann
on the Sunday morning, 29.04.2007,
in the Minis Club. They brought the
children and as it was their first
day of holidays the normal procedure
was that they were allocated a
childcare worker. I had previously
written the children's bracelets
which included their name, allergies
and relevant information. I stayed
with Madeleine, 3 years old, in my
group (Minis Club that week)
together with E***, daughter of Jane
Tanner. Either Kate or Gerry would
accompany Madeleine every day in the
morning and would return at lunch
hour to take her back. I met Gerry
more often as he would drop
Madeleine off with greater frequency
than Kate. I also remember that Kate
was present for High Tea accompanied
by the twins between 5H and 5H30 in
the afternoon.
Most of the time in which I saw the
family together, the children would
be eating. The twins appeared tired
at lunch, after a long day and also
perhaps due to the heat, but I never
became preoccupied by the children
of by the comportment of the
McCanns.
I never saw Kate or Gerry in a car
in Portugal. I visited the family in
their home at their invitation to
see how they were getting along in
November of 2007. That was the first
time I saw them in a car.
On Thursday the 3rd of May 2007, I
remember Gerry having accompanied
Madeleine to the club between 9h15
and 9h20 in the morning. I do not
remember who came to pick her up for
lunch but after she returned in the
afternoon for a dive/swim. These
activities were realized with the
other children. On this day I
remember that we sailed and I saw
friends of the McCanns on the beach,
David and Jane. Around 14h45
Madeleine returned to the Minis Club
on top of the reception but I do not
remember who accompanied her. This
afternoon we went swimming. Kate
went to get Madeleine from the Tapas
Bar area and according to what I
remember she was wearing sporting
clothes and I assumed that she was
practicing some form of athletics.
It was around 15h25/18h00. I think
that Gerry was playing tennis.
On the 3rd of May, 2007, Kate and
Gerry did not demonstrate any
unusual comportment - they seemed
friendly and happy.
When I finished work that day, I
headed for home. Some of my
colleagues were going out but I was
very tired and did not accompany
them. I stayed in the apartment with
my friend Rhiannon Fretter and we
went to sleep. Two colleagues later
returned to the apartment. I was
confused and did not understand was
happening. They eventually explained
to me what had occurred around
22h30-22h35. Emma Wilding told me
that Madeleine has disappeared.
Leanne Wagstaff also was present.
I helped in the searches near the
beach and after returned to the
meeting point in the Tapas bar. The
director indicated to us where to
search; we looked in all areas. I
searched on foot the majority of
streets where Madeleine had passed
and may have been familiar to her. I
also searched the streets of the
Tapas Bar, to the Minis Club, and of
the Minis toward the beach looking
between zones in the beach where she
may have had access. All seemed to
be concentrated on searches on the
beach.
I did not see Kate or Gerry that
night. The next time I saw them was
on Saturday at breakfast, as on
Friday I spent most of the morning
with the Portuguese police giving a
statement. On Saturday I was next to
the tapas Bar zone when Gerry and
Kate appeared. They were still
agitated and anxious for news.
I never noted anything strange in
Madeleine's comportment during the
time I stayed with her. There was
one occasion, on Thursday, 3rd of
May 2007, around 10H30 in the
morning, where she cried at the
launch of the yellow safety boat in
the ocean where all the children
were sailing. She was scared and
fearful and cried on my lap "I am
scared, I am scared." We only used
the launches to transport the
children to the small yellow boats.
When we returned to the other boat
she was happy again. She sailed in
the small boat and even though some
children had the opportunity to
return to the port, she stayed for a
second time as she appeared to be
having a good time. Jane Tanner's
daughter also took part in my group
and together they would play. Apart
from being a happy child in the
club, she always seemed very content
when she saw her parents. Madeleine
did not demonstrate any fear with
the return launch to land.
Madeleine never mentioned that she
had cried in the absence of her
parents nor did she tell me anything
of significance relating to feeling
sad or something relevant that would
cause me to worry.
Mark Warner has a standard
procedure, the signature on a page
when a parent leaves or checks-in a
child. There is a separate page for
the morning and one for the
afternoon. The page contains the
name of the child, the hour of
sign-in and the hour of pick-up for
the afternoon. Only the parents have
authority to take the children,
except when there is some other
agreement. When Gerry and Kate came
to pick up Madeleine there were
loving and the child would run into
their arms.
Mark Warner maintained a register to
all the activities in which the
children participated. It functioned
as a calendar, referring hour by
hour, to what the children were
doing. I believe that the Portuguese
police collected the sign-in/out
sheets and the registry of
activities immediately on the day
following the disappearance. I would
say that Madeleine adored her
family; she seemed happy as they did
in the club.
During the week which Madeleine
stayed in the club there were three
events organized that included a
trip to the beach. One of these
events took place on Thursday in the
morning, as referred to previously.
Another of these events consisted of
a trip to the beach with "hula
hoops", shovels and buckets, etc,
and the other trip to the beach was
in order to eat ice cream. Together,
the trips to the beach took place in
the afternoon but I cannot state
precisely which days. There should
be a recording of this in the Mark
Warner registers.
During these trips to the beach I
never noticed anything untoward
given that my attention was on the
children in my charge.
Mark Warner moved me from the Ocean
Club about one week after - 13th of
May, I believe.
I was interviewed on DVD, by DC
GIERC of the Leicestershire Police
between 10h09 and 10h54 on Monday,
14th of April of 2008 in the
Leicestershire police headquarters.
I can affirm that my statement on
DVD is truthful and in accord with
my understanding.
Between 11h57 and 12h12 of the same
day I was again interviewed on DVD
by DC GIERC. During this interview I
was permitted to refresh my memory
after reading my translated original
statement made to the Portuguese
police. There are two facts that I
would like to clarify: "dining out
service" which is mentioned is
available for the adults, being that
the children would be left under the
care of a childcare worker during
dinner. My original deposition also
mentioned that Madeleine offered
more attention to the boys in the
club. I do not remember having made
such an affirmation given that
Madeleine passed the majority of
time playing with Jane Tanner's
daughter. I confirm that the
deposition in this second DVD is
truthful and in accord with my
knowledge and that it will be
registered.
Between 13h35 and 13h45 of the same
day I was once again interviewed by
DC GIERC. One more time I confirm
that my statement is true and in
accord with my understanding.
This statement is truthful and in
accord with my understanding.
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