The news that Kate and Gerry McCann have been named as suspects in the disappearance of Madeleine has ripped another layer of skin from what is already a very raw and painful story.

This weekend I could go nowhere with out seeing Mrs McCann’s gaunt and lost face staring out at me. From the Sydney Morning Herald, to the Guardian online; the China Daily Star to CNN – images of her and her missing daughter were everywhere.

Like any other parent on the planet, the prospect of a mother being implicated in the disappearance or death of her daughter is incomprehensible. It simply doesn’t make sense.

Depending on which side of the fence you sit, this is either a case of desperate authorities looking for anything that infers progress, or something much more unfathomable.

Whatever the truth in this most hideous of episodes, we now have a family that is fighting for its credibility, reputation and sanity.

Meanwhile an innocent four-year old girl is lost. I can only hope that the noise of this story does not smother efforts to find her.

Enough said.