The News of the World recently paid a large sum of money to apartment 5A owner, Ruth McCann. The money was to pay for photos of the interior of the bedroom where Madeleine slept with her twin siblings Sean and Amelie.

Early reports and many since May 2007 have described how Kate McCann “knew” that Madeleine had been taken. When questioned about this on her Woman’s Hour interview, she declined to elaborate on how she knew that Madeleine had been taken and hadn’t wandered off.

A recurring part of this story is that Madeleine’s favourite toy—CuddleCat—was placed on a high shelf in the room and was therefore out of reach of Madeleine.

Ex Metropolitan Police boss, Lord Stevens said to the News of the World in 2007;

“Meanwhile, the police investigation that started so disastrously has turned to farce. Every apparent stream of evidence has been either missed, fatally compromised or is simply ludicrous.

For instance, Mrs McCann being allowed to hang on to Madeleine’s favourite toy CuddleCat. Consoling for her, of course, but that’s not the point—it had gone to bed with Madeleine, been taken from her and placed on a high shelf, presumably by the abductor.

CuddleCat was therefore vital evidence. Even a rookie detective should know it was highly likely an abductor’s DNA would be on it.”

Lord Stevens’ comments were made in 2007, before the News of the World published the photos in May 2008. Had Lord Stevens looked at the bedroom, he may have had something different to say about it:

There is no shelf in the bedroom!