Madeleine McCann: Robert Murat And More Questions
MADELEINE McCann is missing. Still missing.
But today there is news. The daily front-page shots of Madeleine’s traumatised parents are moved further within the papers to make space for the head of Robert Murat.
“MADELEINE BRITISH MAN IS QUIZZED!” says the Mirror’s front-page headline.
Robert Murat
After the speculation the paper delivers a welter of facts. Robert Murat lives with his mum. Robert Murat is in his 30s. Robert Murat lives with his mother in a villa 150 yards from the apartment where Madeleine McCann was snatched.
The Sun (“MADDIE: BRIT QUIZZED”) says Murat lives 100 yards from that McCann apartment. Like the Mirror, the Sun produces a front-page picture of “one-eyed Murat”. The Mail hears that Murat lost his eye in a BMX accident when he was a boy. The Mail says Murat lives 80 yards from Madeleine’s holiday apartment.
Murat is “stocky”. He offered to help the police hunt as a “translator”. He lives in Casa Liliana, with his mum Jenny.
The Suspect
The Sun’s Julie Moult considers the evidence. And delivers a piece entitled “stories of a fantasist”. “He always seemed so eager to get involved in the police investigation,” says the Sun’s woman–on-the-scene. “Robert claimed he had a daughter just like Madeleine and said he felt compelled to do anything he could. But to me he seemed like classic fantasist.”
The Sun introduces Martin Brunt, the crime news correspondent from its sister organ, TV’s Sky news.
He says Murat told him he’d been taken inside the McCanns’ apartment by police.
Sky news correspondent Ian Woods says he asked Murat to help him speak with locals.
“I met him and had a conversation with him. I tried to find out as much as I could about him,” says Woods, who checked out Murat’s details. “They did check out, and I left it at that for the time.”
The Mail’s Neil Sears also spots Murat. In “My encounters with a man ‘who just wanted to help’”, Sears tells Mail readers, “There was something more to the friendly expat who called himself ‘Rob’ than met the eye.”
Murat made Sears “feel slightly uncomfortable”.
But it was the Sunday Mirror’s Lori Cambell who alerted police to Murat’s behaviour, she saw as “creepy”.
Writing Wrongs
So much for investigative journalism. Questions were asked but nothing more was done. Murat is with police because he made a show of himself, because he acted as if working in an official capacity. Even though the Times says Murat was acting as “an official translator”.
So now the man in the chinos, with the glass eye, who lives with him mum and whose estranged wife, from Hockering, near Norwich, tells a neighbour “How could someone do something so terrible to little girl like that?’ is all over the papers.
Is Murat guilty? The papers produce nothing to indicate that he is. But if Murat is involved, look out for the stories of how British journalism cracked the case.
And look out for Madeleine McCann. Still missing…
Posted: 15th, May 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,194) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
May 15th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
thak you Helene
x
May 15th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23396294-details/Police+%27do+not+have+enough+evidence%27+to+arrest+Madeleine+suspect/article.do
May 15th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
I read it was murats girlfriend and her husband who were questioned with him. ill post the link
May 15th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I have to agree with Craig….its not right to be talking about this like this at the moment
Lets all hope and prey that little Maddie is returned to her parents soon….
God bless her
May 15th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
What the hell is wrong with all you people. You are airing your views publically here, the families of these people involved can see them. And how do you think it makes them feel? Surely they are suffering enough. No one has been found guilty yet. I stumbled across this site by accident and I’m ashamed to be English. Blimey. Its bonkers.
May 15th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Join the forums - and keep the conversation going.
http://www.anorak.co.uk/forums/
May 15th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
have the police checked Robert Murat’s travel details of last week including if he had anyone travelling with him, the possibility of a child similar to his daughter and being treated as his daughter.
May 15th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
To Kirsty… OOooopsss
Please accept my apologies - That was a typo - I meant to write ‘in an inoffensive manner’….
H
x
May 15th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
thanks helene … but i really wasnt trying to e offensive …
funny how none of the people who thought they were so big & clever havnt replied since i put them straight…i know they will have probably gone home…but maybe they just realised they were wrong ? oh well
May 15th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
We should pray for Madeleine wherever she is and for her parents and family who are suffering the unimaginable, and also for all the other little ones in the world who suffer every day through hunger, abuse , wars and neglect.
Shame on us for judging Mr Murat before the evidence is found. Lives have already been wrecked we should not be intent on wrecking another. If he turns out to be guilty only then should he be villified. If he is innocent God Forgive all of us.
Perhaps we can help Mrs Needham find Ben when all this is concluded.
May 15th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
At last, Steve, something constructive and sensible. Yes the parents were at fault and are suffering the anguish of that fateful decision.
There is no doubt in my mind that all suspects must be questioned and no stone left unturned.
I am amazed that such a huge sum has been offered as a reward when there is desparate need all over the world. Hundred of children go missing - this is the first case I’ve heard of with such huge press coverage.
At the end of the day, it is little Maddy who we should be concerned about, whatever the outcome, she must have suffered terrible trauma.
May 15th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
To Katie - ‘Pious’ is apt for how you yourself write. I think it is you who is the pious, rightous one!!
As for your various analogies on children getting lost - little Jimmy, let your daughter walk home (We aren’t talking about everyday occurances here incase you hadn’t noticed..wake-up!!) etc. Please speak for yourself, which I suspect is what you were doing but needed to hide under the guise of the masses. Address your own lifestlyle and habits - don’t suppose ours!!. The rest of us do NOT leave our toddler aged children at home at night while we go out to eat, chat and relax with friends. Speaking for MYSELF- I could not relax, nor swallow food comfortably, in the knowledge my 3 children were alone in a strange apartment. What if they woke up and needed comforting?…esp alone in a bedroom with which they were unfamiliar? What if carbon monoxide were to leak…blah, blah…
To Kirsty, et al - Who all have an opinion and can say what they think in an offensive manner and aren’t afraid to express it! Good for you!!
May 15th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Why don’t we have any new news?!?!? What are the police there doing?!?!
May 15th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
eileen, I think you should be employed on the case!! He could easily have taken maddy through security at Faro Airport, it is so lax there!!
May 15th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
good point Eileen…
May 15th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
This reminds me of the 11 yr old Robert Dennehy from Middleton in Cork when the killer Wayne O’Donoghue helped in the search,visited Robert’s house and assured Roberts mother that he would be found. He only confessed when Roberts phone was traced and his body was found.
I wonder when Robert Murat travelled out of Portugal for a few days last week could he have taken Madeline with him as his daughter if she is so like his daughter he could have got through the passport check with the child being treated as his own if his daughter is on his passport. It is a possibility.
Eileen
May 15th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Compassion… for sure. But even in this there will be the pious who take compassion to all parts of the case - to the victims, to the criminals…
May 15th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
God, there are some idiots on here. Look, it’s very sad - but the overwhelming probability is that this child is dead. All the stats on child disappearances tell us this. Those of you who “feel” she is still alive really mean hope.
Those of you who are “furious” at the parents for being so irresponsible want to stop wallowing in your self-indulgence and take a long hard look at yourselves. At worst the parents were mildly irresponsible - and are now suffering more than most of you ever will as a result. The only reasonable reaction to that is compassion. Those of you who can’t see that are beneath contempt.
May 15th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
IF this couple had gone for a night out in england and left the kids unattended then social services would have been on there backs straight away and thats without the kids going missing so i do think they have acted negligentlly. i have four kids and would love a night out but i dont bother as i dont know anyone id trust enough as a babysitter in the area we now live so i make do with veing in with my children. i certainly wudnt go off abroad then leave them! especially after turning down a babysitting service as well. i do think they are to blame in this whether for the actual abduction i dont know but in a country that slates teenage mums i think they really have a lot to be acounted for in their actions so far!
my concern lies though with the poor girl and i pray that shes safe.
x
May 15th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
OKAY!!! Everybody take a deep breath. This site has gone from a “supportive comments/everyone united in helping find Madeleine” site to a “place where adults can act like middle schoolers and bitch each other out” site. Look, this is not about anybody but Madeleine. And by the way, it’s fine to have your theories, but premature convictions are ridiculous!!! My God, this Murat guy is probably the only solid suspect they’ve got at this point, to be honest, and he is being questioned and investigated. We have nowhere NEAR enough evidence to do anything but speculate on the situation at this point. Everyone wants her found, right, and everyone wants someone to blame, right, because the longer she isn’t found, the more impatient and frantic we become waiting for an outcome. But premature convictions are so dangerous and if this man is innocent, extremely damaging to him. Be patient. Things will come to light…..something will break…..it just takes time. I hope she is safe, but realistically…..it doesn’t look good.
As parents we are only human beings trying to raise other human beings. No one is perfect. Pious attitudes about child rearing don’t help. Parenting is impossible to get exactly right, so stop expecting out of the McCann’s which you could never produce yourselves. Maybe you wouldn’t have left them, maybe you would. Whatever the case, if your parenting skills were in the spotlight, people would rip you a new asshole over things you never even thought twice about. People would point fingers at you and criticize the time you left little Jimmy alone by the stove or when you lost him momentarily in the super market. What about the time you lost him walking in the mall and he ended up holding a stranger’s hand, who, thank God, returned him to you? Or the time you let your daughter walk home from school and a man offered her a ride? They’d think your crying was fake and wonder at your inability to articulate or the fact that you wore make up or shaved to try to pull yourself together. These people aren’t on trial right now. Until we know anything, these criticisms are useless. Unless we gain any solid evidence that the parents did this, we have to assume they didn’t. Leaving the children alone: we can close that subject. How many billions of times must it be pointed out? It’s obvious and redundant. After the situation has played itself out, then we can work with what we’ve got at that time and go from there. But without the little girl, and without any solid evidence that we as the public are aware of, there isn’t anything we can do accept search for her. Post fliers, wear T-shirts, be aware of your surroundings, notice the children and the people around you, keep the case close to you. ANYTHING to remind people to keep their eyes open. Since she has disappeared, we have to assume she could be anywhere. If she has been abducted and sold, she probably isn’t in the US, but you never know.
And as far as celebrities offering rewards: yes, I agree that every missing child is just as important as the next. But I really don’t think it’s up to celebrities to start some sort of fund to save all the children of the world. It would be great if someone famous would do that, but any one of us could do that ourselves and then try to get people to support it. If you put enough effort into it, celebrities would donate. They are donating to this because, yes, publicity, let’s be realistic, but also because she needs to be found immediately because the more time that goes by……………celebrity donations are just a way to keep this case in the public eye for the time being. After awhile, though, this case is going to go cold as so many others have.
As for her wandering away……….I don’t know. I don’t see it, but maybe that’s just my pessimism. If she did wander away she is surely lost. There is some hope that if she was abducted that she is still alive. We all thought Elizabeth Smart was dead here in the U.S. but then she turned up. There aren’t many cases where the children are found alive, let’s face it. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. My thoughts are occupied by this case throughout the day………and if the power of worried prayers and searching hearts are enough to bring her back, we’ll be seeing her soon. I sincerely hope that this case turns out positive.
May 15th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
i have plenty of positive things to add thanks steve… as iv said, we all wish she returns home safe … but as i was responing to what sme other people said, it was negative remarks to negative comments…so thanks for that
& Ian no… my work does not make me bias… & yes they know it big time & no they ddnt plan for i to happen… but i think if they are stupid-yes stupid for not using the creche-if something is there for safety then use it, dont take your kids for granted. Back to my job, it isnt all doom & gloom & there are lots of reasons why kids end up alone i know that! but i was a parent efore i got this job, & my oppinion of how i should look afte my daughter hant changed since… its he things that happen in the world that make me feel the way i do, not my job. & i work 2 afternoons per week…my little girl goes to tumble tots & loves it, & while she is at playschool on a monday morning, i take that time to clean my house & do normal house wifey type stuff… & allthe rest of the time-every day i spend with my little girl & fiance … the reason i said’what i see everyday’ is more of an expression… but also because every night i have to write up on things for work…but even then , im not wasting anytime i could be spening with my daughter, because i do it after she is in bed-hopefully safely in bed. i have alot of compassion, you people dont know me, i have cried several times this week even just looking at the mccanns on tv…thinking how awful it is for them etc… but the reason i get so caught up in saying more negative stuff & sounding so oppinionated abotu it, is because if it was a family of scumbags say from braunstone-if any of you know that area… like some crappy council estate…you would take one look at them & say ‘well im not supprised, look at the state of them’ etc… & its the fact that the McCanns are supposed to be such intelligent people that makes me even more angry! so dont try to make out im some kind of nasty cow who doesnt consder other peoples feelings, because you culdnt be more wrong!
im on myspace, & on wednesday night i searched for people in portugal, there are 75 pages …i copied & pasted the same mssage to over 100 people , it was the pic of maddy in the blue footy top… & it hs the police numbers etc attached to it, i have also added the banner to my profile, so anyone passing through can see it aswell. i also forwarded a prayer to her family via a friend-as we al live in leicester…so like i said you dont know me, or anything about me, i was merely stating my oppinion about somethng i feel strongly about & as we all aggree that her parents are hating themselves for doing it, im sure they would agree that yes, they are indeed stupid!
k
May 15th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
I felt straight away as soon as maddy was abducted that it was someone close to the villa. They would have to have been watching her for a long time, especially watching when the parents had gone out! This Murat seems very cocky and looks to be holding a secret! His mother also looks suspicious!
The Portaguese police have a lot to answer for!!
I just hope and pray that they find beautiful maddy in a safe place and returned to her parents
May 15th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I don’t understand why people are attacking kirsty taylor. 1, she is entitled to her opinion. Just because it does not match yours it does not make hers less valuable than yours. 2, I am a parent too. It’s just nuts to leave your children alone like that. It is not responsible. I will admit to feeling some anger when I see the parents on TV. Yes! If they had stayed with the children, this poor child would not be missing today. It’s as simple as that. 3, I see comparisons to Sarah Payne and Soham have been made. I can’t see why. Sarah was playing with her family and friends near their home. The Soham girls were much older and met someone they knew. Different situations and circumstances.
I sincerely hope that Madeleine is found. And then I hope that the parents will re-think their parenting skills.
May 15th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I AM FURIOUS AT THE PARENTS FOR LEAVING THEM!!!! Yes, I understand the guilt they are feeling is more tourtre than anybody could inflict upon them, but I an FURIOUS! I walk around w/my stomache in knots praying for this little girl and willing her to be returned, but I cannot help feel the parents are responsable. Texas would arrest you for negliance and take your kids away if you left them alone to go drinking. While they themselves didnt kidnapp her, the sure made it damn easy for the sick bastards to do it. Would she be gone now if someone had been there with them? NOPE. How could a 4 year oukd defend herself against a kidnapper?!?!
I do have to defend the father about seeming ‘too calm’- it might be his defense mech. When my brother was killed by a drunk driver my mom (and myself) went CRAZY..dad had to be ‘the strong one’ for mom, then when she came to he was able to tend to his own grief….
May 15th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I accept that it would appear to be a mistake on behalf of the parents (and we’ve all made them) - and dearly hope that their daughter is found alive, well and untouched.
However, it still amazes me how we bury our heads on the sand when it comes to paedophiles (assuming that’s what has happened here of course).
I know someone who works in child protection and I’ve seen the map on their wall showing where paedophiles live in a particularly affluent part of the south east of England. As a rough average I would say it’s one per street.
Why should this statistic be much different in Portugal or any other civilised country for that matter?
May 15th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
i have plenty of positive things to add thanks steve… as iv said, we all wish she returns home safe … but as i was responing to what sme other people said, it was negative remarks to negative comments…so thanks for that
& Ian no… my work does not make me bias… & yes they know it big time & no they ddnt plan for i to happen… but i think if they are stupid-yes stupid for not using the creche-if something is there for safety then use it, dont take your kids for granted. Back to my job, it isnt all doom & gloom & there are lots of reasons why kids end up alone i know that! but i was a parent efore i got this job, & my oppinion of how i should look afte my daughter hant changed since… its he things that happen in the world that make me feel the way i do, not my job. & i work 2 afternoons per week…my little girl goes to tumble tots & loves it, & while she is at playschool on a monday morning, i take that time to clean my house & do normal house wifey type stuff… & allthe rest of the time-every day i spend with my little girl & fiance … the reason i said’what i see everyday’ is more of an expression… but also because every night i have to write up on things for work…but even then , im not wasting anytime i could be spening with my daughter, because i do it after she is in bed-hopefully safely in bed. i have alot of compassion, you people dont know me, i have cried several times this week even just looking at the mccanns on tv…thinking how awful it is for them etc… but the reason i get so caught up in saying more negative stuff & sounding so oppinionated abotu it, is because if it was a family of scumbags say from braunstone-if any of you know that area… like some crappy council estate…you would take one look at them & say ‘well im not supprised, look at the state of them’ etc… & its the fact that the McCanns are supposed to be such intelligent people that makes me even more angry! so dont try to make out im some kind of nasty cow who doesnt consder other peoples feelings, because you culdnt be more wrong!
im on myspace, & on wednesday night i searched for people in portugal, there are 75 pages …i copied & pasted the same mssage to over 100 people , it was the pic of maddy in the blue footy top… & it hs the police numbers etc attached to it, i have also added the banner to my profile, so anyone passing through can see it aswell. i also forwarded a prayer to her family via a friend-as we al live in leicester…so like i said you dont know me, or anything about me, i was merely stating my oppinion about somethng i feel strongly about & as we all aggree that her parents are hating themselves for doing it, im sure they would agree that yes, they are indeed stupid!!
May 15th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Kirsty Taylor - if you have got nothing POSITIVE to add then shut up.
All you are doing is bitching about 2 people who made a mistake, but who are quite clearly loving parents.
By the way, Kate McCann works 1 day and spends 4 looking after her kids.
How many days do you work at Leicester uni away from your child…?
May 15th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Kirsty, I maybe wrong, but I think that your work experience maybe causing you to be a bit bias. I’m sure there are some occasions where parents leave their children due to pure neglect, because they don’t care (i’m sure in your line of work you’d know better than me)… But in “my” opinion, I don’t believe that the McCanns, in this case, neglected their children due to lack of care… They were on holiday and were not far from their villa, checking up on the children at regular intervals.
I don’t think they planned for someone to break in through a window and take their child. People make mistakes… and I think they made a mistake, and i’m sure they know it, big time.
May 15th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Kirsty Taylor - if you have got nothing POSITIVE to add then shut up. All you are doing is bitching about 2 people who made a mistake, but who are quite clearly loving parents.
By the way, Kate McCann works 1 day and spends 4 looking after her kids.
How many days do you work at Leicester uni away from your child…?
May 15th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
I really hope madeline is still alive!