Mr. Podesta was already rubbing his hands thinking about the succulent benefits that I would get. She had in her hands a great exclusive: the images of the baptism of Rocco, the son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie. To circumvent the strict security measures, he had thrown 24 hours hidden behind a pipe organ. The ceremony, in which Sting sang ‘Ave Maria’, It passed without incident. No one in the Scottish cathedral noticed the presence of the intruder who was recording them. When the guests left, he waited a while before emerging from his hiding place. But he made a noise that gave him away.
In December 2000, Madonna and Guy Ritchie decided to do a “two for one.” They would baptize their son Rocco on Thursday the 21st, and they would get married the next day, Friday the 22nd. Concerned about security and privacythey thought that Dornoch, a small town in Highland council, in Scotland, would be the ideal place for both ceremonies. Both would be officiated by Rev Susan Brown, both would be attended by the same guests, and the private security service hired by the couple would serve to protect both the Cathedral and Skibo Castle.
Dornoc Cathedral / UniversalImagesGroup
One day before the baptism, a 51-year-old man named Robert Podesta, sneaked inside Dornoch Cathedral. He had stocked up on food and drink, since I would have to stay hidden there for 24 hours. She also carried in her backpack a video camera… and black garbage bags that he used as a toilet. His intention was tocelebrate the baptism of the diva’s son, full of stars. Ironically, his profession was ‘security advisor’ part time.
Trudie & Sting / William Conran – PA Images
Nobody noticed the presence of the intruder, hidden behind the organ pipes, that December 21, 2000. Around 6 in the afternoon the guests arrived at the historic 13th century building. The actress passed by there Gwyneth Paltrow, designer Stella McCartney, or Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler (who had introduced the happy parents in 1998). Lourdes, the singer’s 4-year-old daughter, also attended, like Rupert Everett, who did not display the popular British punctuality. He arrived when the service was about to end.
Rupert Everett / William Conran – PA Images
The 30-minute private ceremony was everything a social event. At the exit, Madonna and Guy, with little 4-month-old Rocco in their arms, greeted smilingly the crowd that had gathered outside the cathedral. Everything went normally. One more report to fill the pages of coated paper. What had happened then to the man hidden in the organ?
Mr. Podesta managed to record the ceremony for 24 minutes. He had a juicy exclusive in his hands since cameras and reporters had not been allowed inside. It was the ‘scoop’ of the decade: the images of the proud parents, their tears, of Sting singing ‘Ave Maria’, kisses and congratulations. After the guests had left, he waited another hour inside. AND just as he jumped out from his hiding place, he made a noise that set off the alarms. Madonna’s security guards, conducting a final inspection, they discovered him. And went arrested and tried.
Robert Podesta leaving the courthouse / PA Images
On March 5, 2001, at Dornoch County Court, the trial took place. Podesta had not acted alone. A week before the ceremony he had met the reporter James Bufton (not present in the room). Together they conceived the details of the plan. He had been seduced by the possibility of making a lot of money after selling the tape. According to the prosecutor, Mr. MacDonald, when they arrested him, agreed to have them search the inside of the backpack: “They found the garbage bags with his excrement and other waste.” There was also the camcorder… but empty. The security adviser said he had thrown the tape into an organ pipe. But when they inspected it, they discovered a tape without any recording. Meanwhile, they located Podesta trying to hide the videocassette under the cushion of a kneeler. There were 24 minutes of Rocco’s baptism. Its destruction was ordered.
Dornoch residents celebrate the arrival of guests at the baptism of Rocco, Madonna’s son / Stefan Rousseau – PA Images
He was fined £1,000. The judge sentenced: “What you did involves a clandestine intrusion into a private religious ceremony, having been discovered during the ceremony, You would have undoubtedly caused enormous concern“. And he added: “That “If you were discovered when you were about to leave, it doesn’t say much about the effectiveness of the private security company hired to protect the cathedral.”
The photographers at Rocco’s baptism / Dave Hogan
By the way, the incident did not overshadow ‘the wedding of the year’. On December 22, 2000, Madonna, wearing a £170,000 Stella McCartney design, married Guy Ritchie, who wore a traditional kilt (kilt). Gyneth Paltrow was the maid of honor. The ceremony, at Skibo Castle, was kept hidden behind a veil of secrecy. The staff who worked at the event signed a confidentiality agreementd four pages. Some were not allowed to leave the castle grounds for an entire week. The iron security curtain worked this time.
