Madeleine McCann: Watching The Parents
MORE no news on the Madeleine McCann case.
It is now a week since the three-year-old girl was snatched from a Portugal holiday resort.
The story has been distressing to watch on our TV screens. What it must like for the parents of Madeleine only a few can know.
BLAME
But their misery is far from complete. With no news of Madeleine, and the Portuguese police having no need to indulge the British tabloids with speculation and theory, Madeleine’s parents are the central characters.
And today’s front-page news, as reported by the caring Mirror, is: “THEY KNOW LEAVING KIDS WAS WRONG.”
Does the Mirror mean to say that Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, now think they did the wrong thing in nipping out for a bite to eat and leaving the children in the apartment on what they thought was a secure resort?
Does the Mirror mean that the McCanns know that popping back regularly to look at their children and checking on their well being was less than perfect?
Does the Mirror mean that the McCanns realise they should not have left their children alone, just like it is wrong to leave a child in a hotel under the auspices of a baby monitoring service, to leave a child in the car while mum goes to pay for petrol, to talk to a neighbour over a garden fence while the children are indoors?
Of course this is not the Mirror’s view. Oh, no. This is Madeleine’s grandmother, Susan Healy, saying: “They know this was a mistake. But it wasn’t child neglect, it wasn’t not caring for your children.”
That she feels the need to say this is wrong. That the Mirror can lead with Madeleine’s grief-worn parents is pathetic and misguided. That the paper can talk of “people are asking why they didn’t make use of the crèche” at the resort or take the children out to dinner with them is wrong.
But the Mirror has news to write. And the police aren’t playing the game.
THEORIES
So the Mirror produces: “THE 6 THEORIES.”
Only six! Why this cautious approach? But it is all the Mirror has. And readers hear of the “PAEDOPHILE GANG”, the “LONE PAEDOPHILE”, the “JEALOUS MOTHER”, Madeleine wandering off and “DROWNED”, the “OPPORTUNIST PAEDOPHILE”, the “CHILDLESS COUPLE”.
But the Sun has more. It has 130 more. As the front-page headline screams: “MADDIE COPS HUNT 130 BRIT PAEDOS.”
The paper says “at least” 130 British paedophiles “might” have taken Madeleine McCann.
In “ALGARVE IS ‘HAVEN’ FOR PERVS”, readers learn that Portugal is a “magnet for sun-seeking perverts from Britain and the rest of Europe”.
Who knew that perverts get off on watching children at the beach?
Us And Them
But help is on its way. The Sun lists the British coppers who will go out there and see to it that justice is done. We, says the paper, are the only country with a sex offenders’ register.
All convicted perverts must inform the police of their desire to go abroad. At least 130 have. And the police are looking for them.
But – and whisper this – might it be that convicted sexual deviants don’t all tell the police what they plan to do? They are not monitored while overseas. And might it be that not all sexual predators are caught and make it to the list?
Among the policemans’ names is Detective Superintendent Graham Hill, attached to theChild Exploitation and Protection Centre. Hill is on the case. He has flown to Portugal.
Hill worked on the case of Milly Dowler. She was snatched from near Walton railway station, Surrey, in 2002. Her body was found six months later. Her killer or killers have never been caught.
Perhaps Hill’s experiences can help. Perhaps he’ll have more luck. Perhaps not.
Meanwhile, a family is distraught, and bearing up incredibly well under the strain and the merciless gaze of the newspapers…
Posted: 10th, May 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (2,260) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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August 18th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
John - look back in the posts on these sites - the minute the “fund!” was set up there was a feeling of scam, scam McCann - Oh I really do hope it is a scam to get money - then the little girl will be found safe. I have thought from around day4 that she was back in the Uk in a safe place waiting for her family to have enough in the appeal to pay off the mortgage and put the 3 kids through uni…but I dont think we will ever know. I would like to see GerryMC transfer the money to a good charity - doubt that will happen but it would restore my faith in human nature if it did.. I would not like to be in the McCanns shoes, would you? If there is no conclusion to this case nobody will ever trust them again, will they? their careers will be down the drain, and they will find it difficult to gain confidence again - just on the news now - the McCanns are coming back to uk next month - reason given that they do not want to draw on Madeleine fund to fund their lifestyle in Portugul………..
August 18th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
plz bring her back 2 her family she just a wee lasee weeeeeeeeeee! the reason im saying weeeeeeeeeee is becuse im from dublin and thats how i say a little girl
August 18th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
i feel really sorry for madeleine maccann’s family and friend she seems like a really nice girl and hopefully she will see the rest of her life with the people who love her the most not with people she don’t know.
ps i hope she comes back
August 18th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
no but what i do think is sucpicios is that in the mirror it says that she was wearing blue pjs but on the website it says she was in pink and white eeyore pjs so which one was it?
ps hope she comes home safe and sound soooooooooooooon!!!!!
all my luv rach
August 18th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I dont want to be mean but has any one thought that this whole thing could be a scam? It doesn’t add up.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:53 am
A number of people have debated the rights and wrongs of leaving children alone. Here is what the law has to say on the matter.
The Children’s Act 1989 (recently amended) ‘parental responsibility’ 3. -(1) In this Act “parental responsibility” means all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities ans authority which by law a parent of child has in relation to the child and his property.
Whilst UK law does not have an age limit at which a child can be left alone the
Children and Young Person’s Act 1933 says - a parent can be prosecuted if they leave a child alone or unsupervised “in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health”.
One of the definitions of abuse (as taken from the NSPCC website) - ‘left in unsafe situations or without medical attention’.
One of the signs of neglect is - if they (child) are regularly left alone, or in charge of younger brothers or sisters.
Losing a child is a dreadful thing, for whatever reason, I can relate to that. Leaving a child or children alone, even for a short while, I won’t judge one way or the other, but the law has a way of catching up and dealing with families who fall foul of it or get caught out.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:31 am
Maybe that is the case John - but they certainly have not succeeded, have they? Every time I watch TV coverage of them my toes curl and I cringe..Ms Mc cowering in the shadow of Jolly Gerry
August 18th, 2007 at 12:17 am
Gerry and Kate must have employed Max Clifford. The effort they are putting in to improving the public perception of them. On the front cover of every magazine and exclusive interviews in newspapers. LOOK FOR YOUR DAUGHTER!!!!! No one cares about you….. they are only interested in your daughter and her safe return. Unless you know something we dont then she is still alive somewhere. How can you do anything other than search, search and search some more. Walk the streets with a photograph. Do something. Just dont curl up on a fluffy rug together being photographed for Hello. Sick.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:10 am
By suggesting that someone on these forums is close to the McCanns is logical not farsical - If I were in the same position as the McCanns - I would be scrolling the web sites looking at all the information and what folk thought of the situation - lets face it - they have to fill in their time somehow now all the initial hype and travelling around has ended. They are obviously not out wining and dining - so in the long evenings waiting for news and (hopefully) never letting their other children out of their sights - the laptop would probably be a diversion from Portugese tv and sky news. It is human nature to want to know what folk think about you and your situation - particularly when you have put yourself freely in the public eye for more than 3 months. I admit that all of this is dangerous ground - can sometimes bring home a few truths - but if there is a McCann posting on this site, then if it were me in their position I would not post under a false name - I would stand up and be counted and fight my corner - The McCanns will never be able to fully hold their heads high again - too much critisism has been levelled at them already and whatever the outcome of this sad situation, the blame will never leave them. I really do think that they would have gained so much more respect if they had from the very start not tried so hard to blame the world and his wife - just so long as they were not seen to be to blame themselves. That word “naive” sticks in my gullet - Please Drs.McCanns - never ever tell one of your patients that you were naive at worst - Naive is not a word that should exist in the world of proffessional medics
August 17th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Claire’s point about the whole sad story making us more vigilant as parents is a valid one. There has to be something positive to focus on.
Also, why do some people have to descend to mud-slinging at others who post messages. People are entitled to their opinion and and we won’t all agree, but
how in the name of all that is holy does being abusive help Madeline?????
August 17th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Clare I actually said this- and it was a quote from your post -
“Its amazing to read that Kate Mcann said that many tourists in that area in Spain which is apparently along the suspected road that the abductor may have taken, did not know of Madeline even at this stage”.
It did not mention the route the McCanns took - but the suggested route that the abductor may have taken - which I have to admit I could not recal having heard - but you quoted it originally - so you obviously did have knowledge of this information.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Why is Claire Gerry? because she defended the McCanns?
You people are not detectives, We dont have the evidence or the full story even it would be great if the public had all the evidence, then all that would happen is the case would be wrecked by some try hard that wanted his or her 10 minutes of fame, that is why the police dont give out all of the details, they will have an idea of what has happened but they cannot give out all of the information due to it having an affect on the case.
All these theories of what has or hasnt happened to Madeleine are becoming quite laughable if this wasnt such a sad case. What has happened to innocent untill proven guilty the mcCanns are not even suspects.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
The quote you describe as ‘knowing’ re: the route the Mcanns took was in the Sky news website for all of us to read.
If you cant be honest on this forum at least be honest with yourself.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Dear Alice and Rahta, I am not Gerry Mcann. If the story wasnt so tragic I would laugh. I am in no way related to them nor have I ever met or been aquainted with any of the family etc. In fact I use my real name, which is probably more than you can say. I am not hiding behind any forum. I have a very strong point of view . I havent had any reason to change it. The smear campaigns etc.. have been proven. Remember guys your computers have traceable IP addresses! I believe there are very nasty people on these forums. There are people with very poisionous agendas. The defense team in Portugal has disgusted me. How do I know the things I talk about? because I read the papers and listen to the news. This story is horrific. It is every parents worst nightmare. I dont believe that there is a parent alive who hasnt done something like this or equally if not a hell of a lot worse without menance. How many children do you see walking home from school on their own everyday. Wandering around stores, waiting alone to be collected from somewhere. Children sitting in cars while the parents pop into the shop. This does not make them bad parents. To quote the Mcanns I would say that it is naieve. Parenets get far too trusting in todays world. Show me someone who hasnt done something like this and I will show you a liar!
On a personal level I have really changed my practices. I keep looking for potential hazards. I have pulled my children closer in fear of the real criminals. The ones who abuse, hurt, kill and destroy children. The ones that you so conveniently forget about in your rush to attack the parents. Well I am a parent. I love my children with every fibre of my being. If God forbid anything should happen to them I would want to die. But if I didnt know what happened, to them, where they were, who had them I would pick myself up no matter how much I hurt and turn the world upside down till I found them. That is why I can relate to what the Mcanns are doing. I doesnt make me any different from anyone I have spoken to about this. I dont know of any parent who would do less.
So I am sure you can understand how disgusted I get when I read some of your postings from the high moral ground. I can only assume that you are not parents yourself because there is no way that I can explain the bond between a parent and child. But this bond doenst make us perfect. It makes us vulnerable.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Miss Marple, I repeat, ‘according to the news’ as it was on that day, not according to me! I kept the blog short so that it could not be misread. My blog was a factual reporting of the breaking news, not to be read as FACT. The reports that came out later that day also suggested that the police are still awaiting results, that they are closer to revealing the culprit or culprits and Robert Murat is still a suspect.
I am keeping an open mind on the whole story as I do not think it wise to jump to conclusions . There is only ONE fact we can be sure of. because it has been corroborated and witnessed, 3 year old Madeline (as she was then for those who froth at the mouth at the age thing) was left in the apartment with her younger siblings, the rest is conjecture
August 17th, 2007 at 1:13 am
rahta - if you look back on this site you will see that I also thought that Clare has very close connections with the McCann family.
This quote struck me as being “knowing”
“Its amazing to read that Kate Mcann said that many tourists in that area in Spain which is apparently along the suspected road that the abductor may have taken, did not know of Madeline even at this stage”.
I dont remember any suspected road that the abductor may have taken being made public knowledge.
If Clare - you have a close connection with the McCann family, then there is no reason to deny it - with an open forum such as this, it is fairly obvious to anyone with an ounce of intelligence that somebody will be lurking on these sites fighting the corner. However, it would provide a much more sound debate if there was an admission to where you stand. Trying to stifle any critisism just serves to heighten suspicions
August 16th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Sue, the PJ denied the whole story about not being Madeleine’s blood. The PJ chief in Portugal spoke in the afternoon of Thursday(yesterday) (TV) that that story was made up by some British news papers.
According to the PJ and to the English laboratory the tests are not yet ready.The laboratory seems to have denied the story as well.
It took me 40 minutes to acheave number 1252 of this blog.
Can Anorak do something about it?
August 16th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Clare, 1103, you are Gerry Mccann aren’t you? I recognize your way of writing.
August 16th, 2007 at 11:09 am
The blood is not Madeline’s according to todays news.
August 15th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Someone just posted on the Anorak site Madeline Malta Morrocco etc about news on the swiss guy all over the on-line papers, clothes of the missing swiss girl Ylenda found neatly folded in rucksack, wife interviewed said husband was not in the Algarve when Madeleine went missing he was looking for a new house for them to live in (how does she know that wasn’t in Portugal) Robert Murat has a property business his van was apparantly spotted in Portugal around the same time, lots of children go missing from Portugal whats to say this bloke gets a tip off - Police are obvoiusly looking at a connection still raises the question of were these girls are now
August 15th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
I think you only need to look at Kate to realise that they had nothing to do with this she has clearly lost a lot of weight and just from the way she stands shoulders hunched up looks like a women it a lot of pain, as for how they are reacting how does anyone know how you would react, I believe the media attention and awareness of Madeleines abduction or whatever it turns out to be can only be for the good its like Jerry said some time ago “they do not want this to be simply another child abduction that is never solved”. By all this coverage they have created in my opinion if Madeleine is still alive (which I believe she is) who on earth (if it is planned) is going to take her for whatever means, they know there is a greater chance of them getting caught and I have always felt that sooner or later they would put her in a place of safety and then crawl back under the stone they came from.
I am not a person who believes in the power of dreams or anything but it has been brought to my attention through this site that there are a couple of people namely Brians Predictions in America and another man called Matthew James that have been following this since the beginning and clinging to hope I did actually have a look at what they were saying keeping an open mind. They seem to think that she has been taken for a reason something that will soon become apparent it seems to have something to do with the way Madeleine was conceived (via IVF) a connection with Holland they think that the investigation will soon swing round to there, that the girl in Belgium was either Madeleine or a look alike all intended to point us in the right direction soon it should become apparant to the Maccanns who may have taken her if not already (mother shouted when she returned to the restaurant “they have taken our Madeleine ?) there has been suggestions that they have something to hide or confess to the world and the people that have taken Madeleine want their pasts looked into it also states that a family friend is also involved in this because they were only in Portugal 4 days not enough time for an opportunist to carry out something like this. There are also suggestions that the Portugese Police know exactly who has her and by saying she is dead will make the Maccanns return home and they can finally move her to the destination they were aiming for (but the overwelming media attention and public interest in finding Madeleine has made it impossible to do this) This has been a well organised abduction and I believe there was never any intention to kill her or will there be but if this is the case why do they not just let her go we have a massive police search in Belgium for a Volvo that has apparantly disappeared off the face of the earth and now the police are looking for an african man I wonder if it is the same man that on the Mccanns new web site You Tube Dont you forget about me appears twice once in the background when Jerry is playing with Madeleine and the seems to be him again in a picture with Murat (seems strange), I think if she had been killed we would have a body by now thats what I believe and until they find a body (not just traces of blood or what the Portugese Police are saying) that is what I choose to believe, and if by the smallest chance anybody reads this that knows where she is all I have to say is Just give her up over 100 days now, whatever her parents have done in their past if thats what the motive is then it is not this childs fault, the eyes of the world are looking for her and sooner or later she will be found.
August 14th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
What a load of //??** this website has turned into. Still not getting over the parents mistake?? GET OVER IT! MOVE ON! The rest of the world has.
We all know you dont leave children alone. The Mcanns have made that more than abundently clear. If any good has come of this is that many more children will be safer as a result of them having shared this awful experience. No longer would I contemplate ‘popping in to pay for petrol with kids in car. Now they have to come with me. I never take my eyes off them for a minute now. Im going on holidays armed with child alarm guards strapped to each child in case they do wander off or go out proximity. I am looking for a waterproof GPS system by the way in case anyone knows where I could get one. All these extra precautions I am taking are I believe worthwhile and I am thankful that the Mcanns shared their awful experience and opened my eyes as to how dangerous the world is.
August 11th, 2007 at 10:35 am
[...] Anorak - - Taking Big Brother’s Jodie Marsh Up The Aisle MORE no news on the Madeleine McCann case. It is now a week since the three-year-old girl was snatched from a Portugal holiday resort. The story has been distressing to watch on our TV screens. What it Continue Reading [...]
August 11th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Huh??? Big Brother? Not more than a week? More Virgin Mary News? Do me a favour … I think I’m fairly odd to be interested in all of this, but some people here are totally mad.
August 10th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
[...] Anorak - - Taking Big Brother’s Jodie Marsh Up The Aisle MORE no news on the Madeleine McCann case. It is now a week since the three-year-old girl was snatched from a Portugal holiday resort. The story has been distressing to watch on our TV screens. What it More Virgin Mary News [...]
August 9th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
[...] Big BrotherAnorak - just like it is wrong to leave a child in a hotel under the auspices of a baby Why did nt anyone check the marina within 2 hours of Maddie going missing. It is What prevented them from arranging a sitter? I don t buy it. I cried for Madeline [...]
August 9th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Wrong, she’d be four now. She was three.
Her parents should go to prison, absolutely.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
If nothing else:
Wrong answer!
She was FOUR. The parents should be charged with the most serious high-level crime possible based on that fact alone.
And keep digging, Portugese police, keep digging.
August 9th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
I hope they get the guilty party, even if it was one of the parents, which seems more than likely.
August 9th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
It is looking more and more likely that my initial suspicians are becoming true. As a father of 2 girls 13 and 10 I was appauled to hear of them being left in the apartment. On holiday, you take your kids with you everywhere. The risk of being abducted is far less than the chances of a child being sick or choking or having a nightmare or dozens of other things a parent should be there for. The story was flawed from word go.
Seeing Gerry’s actions has only highlighted the unusual case.
We are close to finding that Gerry is not as clever as he thought and the real truth emerging. No one was abducted. The child is not alive and hasnt been for several days prior to the report of the missing child.