The Magenta Cow

Excerpt from Fiona Payne’s Rogatory Interview (10.4.08)1485 – “What were the circumstances regarding her telling you that?”

Reply – “She did, she brought it up and that she, I mean, this is awful in retrospect as well, she asked what my opinion was on, erm, tut, on whether they were okay leaving the, the doors unlocked, because she was saying ‘Is it better that if Madeleine wakes up she can get out and find us or’, erm, ‘or locking it and, you know, finding that we’re not there and the door’s locked if she woke up’, because Madeleine had woken up, what I thought was the night before. Erm, tut, and it was in that context really, just asking, you know, what I thought.

So it was obviously something that was on her mind a bit, huh”.

1485 – “So she asked you what your thoughts were regarding locking?”Reply – “Yeah”.

1485 – “Did she say whether she had locked or?”Reply – “No, that was the point, I think they said they’d left it, well she’d said she’d left it unlocked”.

The key question paraphrased

What was better for Madeleine if she woke up: That she could get out or, finding the door locked, she could not?

The decision

They left through the balcony door, which they left closed but not locked. (KM witness statement 6.9.2007)’…a sliding glass door at the side of the building, which was always unlocked’. (GM witness statement 4.5.2007)

The resultant status

Balcony door left unlocked, therefore Madeleine could get out if she woke up.

Question 1.If the sliding glass door was ‘always unlocked’, then why should the question as to what was best for Madeleine have arisen that Thursday evening?

Supposing ‘always’ to have applied from the outset of the holiday, the decision had long since been made. Wasn’t day six leaving it rather late to openly ponder the option of locking the patio door?

Question 2.Given the resultant status of the apartment (unlocked patio door so that Madeleine could get out if she wanted), why have you since insisted that there was ‘no way’ Madeleine could get out of the apartment unaided?

Question 3.Exactly why could Madeleine McCann not have walked from her bed to the patio door, left unlocked for her benefit?

Guilty your honour

Fiona and David Payne are doctors from Leicestershire, UK, who were close friends of Kate and Gerry McCann and were part of the “Tapas Seven” group dining with them on the night Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

They have been described as long-term friends of the McCanns, with their friendship spanning over 25 years. The GuardianThe Guardian

Key Details Regarding the 2007 DisappearanceRole on the Night: Dr. David Payne was the last non-family member to see3-year-old Madeleine alive, having visited the McCann apartment at 6:30 p.m. to check on her while Gerry McCann was playing tennis.

Baby Monitors: The Paynes were the only couple in the group who used a baby monitor while dining at the tapas restaurant, although it was reportedly not used for the McCann apartment.

Police Investigation: Both Fiona and David fully cooperated with both Portuguese and British authorities and were never named as “arguidos” (formal suspects).

Support for McCanns: The couple has vociferously defended the McCanns against suggestions of involvement in the disappearance. Post-2007 Developments

Stalking Incident: In October 2025, it was reported that the Paynes gave evidence in a trial against Julia Wandelt, who allegedly sent disturbing messages to the Paynes and their daughter, attempting to link them to the case.

Continued Friendship: The Paynes remain close to the McCanns and have appeared at community gatherings to mark anniversaries of the disappearance. Background

Profession: Both are medical doctors. David Payne has been identified as a Fellow in Cardiovascular Science at Leicester University.Family: They are married and were on the trip with their children and Fiona’s mother, Dianne Webster