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
- susan jones on Susan Boyle Weeps As The Press Set About Destroying Her
- The Real Stig on The Great Cathay Pacific Blocked Toilet Mystery
- SoDak-GhostDog on Interview With Survior Of James Arthur Ray’s Sedona Sweat Lodge
- Katie Norman on I’m A Celebrity: Joe Bugner’s Career In Pictures
- HOTWATER on Madeleine McCann: The Media Creates A New Maddie Monster And Twists The Facts
May 18th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Robert Murat’s website is back up and running after being closed by police. Does that mean he’s off the hook, I wonder?
May 18th, 2007 at 11:23 am
lots of different plots & plans have gone through my head, one of them being that murat & whoever else decide that its a good idea to take a child from what seems to be a wealthy family & hide them, then when theyrs a reward offered they hand them back & claim as if they found them. but as the reward was only offered if an arrest was made, it has back fired…
its easy to think up all these different scenarios, because they all come from hoping shes still alive =(
May 18th, 2007 at 11:23 am
I agree Sinead - that the police must know more than they are letting on - as if all this was true they wouldn’t be ignoring it surely… we still havent heard anything about the forensic results and what has happened about this “secret chamber” under Murats villa. Yes I find it all a bit dodgy how he hired a car and called the Russian guy that night when they say they are not friends… and the Russian guy refuses to comment about it…. It’s so awful that they have no more news and yes it is really frustrating that the police cant reveal anything because if you dont hear anything you feel like nothing is being done. But it is good in a way as if they reveal that they are looking for someone that person could run off or even harm Madeleine if they have her. Has only been on the find madeleine website? There are thousands and thousands of messages of support - even though the McCanns were wrong to leave Madeleine and her brother and sister they are still hurting so blaming them wont help them - they are still going through hell - poor people….
May 18th, 2007 at 11:18 am
The police really do seem certain theyr on the right tracks though dont they…just seems to be taking such a long time. must be so awful for kate & gerry being only yards away from where the main suspect lives! how on earth they stop them selves from going over there il never know
=(
May 18th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I guess he thought hiring the car was safer and didn’t think there would be a record of it. I honestly don’t know. This is assuming he was involved at all. I’d hate to think that someone was being ridiculed and turned out to be innocent but his actions do seem very strange - hiring the car, calling the computer guy and travelling abraod (still waiting to hear if that is defiantely true)
May 18th, 2007 at 11:06 am
i agree- they are paying for what they did and i dont think they need anymore torment towards them.
as for murat and the hiring of a car that night,
it all must have been very cleverly planned that night if he is involved.
but what are the gains of not using his- he can still be traced either why cant he?
May 18th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Abi’s “this is London” link above is quite startling. I would imagine the police are doing and know alot more than they are sharing. I’m still waiting to find out about Elieen’s post regarding Murat travelling abroad between the night Madeleine went missing and the time he was questioned. Does anyone know anymore about this? I find the circumstantial evidence very strong and now this news that he hired a car that night when he already owns 2 cars, is that really true aswell? If so then come on, they need to move faster. I am so frustrated and just keep hoping she is still alive and not with anyone who is harming her. The blame game is still going on against the parents and like I said before, of course it wasn’t a good move to leave the 3 children alone but it was done and they are paying for it now. They are paying a higher price than any abductor right now.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:55 am
I think the papers have copped a lot of unfair stick on here. If it wasn’t for the investigative journalism in this country the Royal Family would have got away with killing Princess Diana without us all knowing that they did.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Read today’s developments at:
Looking For Madeleine McCann: All Show And No Punch (Murat’s Car And Malinka’s Release)
http://www.anorak.co.uk/news/tabloids/173441.html
May 18th, 2007 at 9:52 am
[...] Tabloids VIP Posts - Madeleine McCann: Robert Murat And More Questions [...]
May 18th, 2007 at 9:51 am
It won’t be long before they link the Jamie Bulger killers to this crime. Mark my words.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Hi just checking in briefly before going to work. Last night just as that “news’ broke our local server went down for 2 hours leaving us wondering what had happened. I notice that the tabloids are very quiet on the story this morning since Sergei Malinka threatened to sue for the false info being circulated about him. Murat turns out to have attracted suspicion because he hired a car unexpectedly but I don’t really think that means that much if it checks out that he had lent his to the search parties and maybe had business to attend to before a planned trip away. What bugs me most is the lack of helicopters and coast guard activity on the night of the abduction checking boats leaving the port. If this was a planned abduction which it does look as if it was then that is easily the most likely escape route. A guy was even seen in the marina with a child according to one report but no more has been said - probably because it was too late to find him. And that is pretty bad news for Madeleine. This Guardian comment this morning
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2082507,00.html
makes good points and concludes however that we are better with our free, if irresponsible press than with a controlled one. Just wish they had some common sense and decency.
May 18th, 2007 at 9:20 am
My kids keep asking why Maddie has not been found yet. One of them feels so strongly about the lack of progree that she wants us to cancel our holliday as she feels it so wrong to have fun while there is so much pain and sadness in the hearts of Maddie and her family. I can’t help feeling shes right.
Someone must know something, they have seen or heard something a snippet of conversation, a forgotten secret an embarrasing incident from the past. Someone knows who did this awful thing but can they admit a freind of theirs is capable of such evil.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:51 am
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23396700-details/Madeleine%3A+Riddle+of+prime+suspect%27s+hire+car/article.do
This link appears to explain why the police began to track Murat only 3 days into the inquiry.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Yes I think we all agree that what the McCanns did was extremely irresponsbile but aren’t they paying the ultimate price for it now? Is that not punishment enough?
I would prefer to see this forum used as a place to put our heads together and try and work out what has happened to little Madeleine. Did anyone see the Milanka interview on Sky News? They tried to infer that Malinka had been called in to help police examine computer data when in reality, this job would surely fall to police forensic data recovery teams.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:13 am
i see we’re back to blame again
May 18th, 2007 at 2:50 am
Glad to see that there are a growing number of people vvoicing similar opinions to the ones that I raised earlier. I do hope that Madeleine is found soon - and safe - but something must be done to educate these doctors how to appropriately care for their children!
May 18th, 2007 at 1:40 am
Tonya your so childish “hope with me people”-yeah, great, we all do hope, but how stupid & childish are you to only write to the people you think are nice, or that you havnt had a dissagreement with? you didnt include everyones name on here-pathetic.
You sound like an ass, why not just say “Hi all”
You dont even know the people here so why try to big yourself up by directly speaking to people like that & excluding others?
& speaking of bigging yourself up, Steve, dude you are the biggest ass kisser i ever read about, what a complete ‘tard you are! & FFS find a new word or is pious the only one you know?
its too funny hilarious that most of you have been ranting about the press & how they wont bother to appologise or put things right if these dudes turn out to be innocent, but after you all clearly got the wrong impression about Kirsty & her home life, did any of you bother to positively comment on how wrong you were? did you f**k! or maybe you didnt bother to read that huge paragraph she wrote, even though she has nothing to prove to you losers! your all as bad as each other & i hope your ashamed of yourselves.
my heart is with you madeleine , please get back to you mommy soon she really needs you xxx
May 18th, 2007 at 1:05 am
Hi, Steve, Sinead, Katie, Simon, Megan, Gina, Jeff, Kath, Liz…
Sorry there is no news but just wanted to say I appreciated your eloquent, intelligent and caring posts.
(Steve, thanks for the shotgun visual.)
Gina, what you said really struck a chord with me:
“…people are so vicious and nasty and love the press for reflecting their vindictive natures. I can’t help thinking that in this ‘lust for blame’ society it’s no wonder there are psychopaths dissociated from humanity.”
Yes, this clearly happens in the news everyday… and makes me sad. And the world is so complicated, will we ever straighten it out?
HOPE with me, people, that at least Madeleine will be found safe, that’d be a start. OO
May 18th, 2007 at 12:32 am
I really hope the little girl is still alive. It is extremely sad and depressing. My thoughts and prayers are with her and with those who love her.
One word about the parents though: although I feel sorry for them, I cannot help feeling really angry at their negligence in regards to leaving their three children at home. It seems to be that they selfishly went to the restaurant to have fun and left the 3 babies on their own in an appartment, unsupervised. What kind of parents would do that??? Even if the Algarves were the safest place on earth, it is no safe to leave children of that age on their own. All sorts of things could have happened to them (and I am not just thinking about an abduction). It would have been so easy for them to take them to the restaurant with them that night and have fun with their own offsprings, rather than abandonning them. It seems pretty irresponsible. They could have hired a baby-sitter (after all, they both have a highly paid job). I could never have imagined my own parents leaving me on my own when I was that age. I am so grateful to have had such good parents.
I think the press should talk about this a bit more. It is not normal to leave children at home, unsupervised. Parents have the moral duty to look after their own offsprings in a responsible way. Sacrifices must be made at times. Nothing comes easy in this life but children surely should be the most important thing.
What about including children a bit more in parents’ every day activities? This used to be the case in the past and still is in some cultures.
I think this brings a new necessary debate into the place of children in society nowadays.
If we don’t include children in family life, what hope is there for children to grow up feeling loved and secure? This leads, later on in life to all sorts of problems later on in life (unhappiness, drug taking, bad behaviour, depression, etc.)
Childhood is so important in a human being’s life and destiny.
I am sure that the parents of little Madeleine realise that now. I don’t want to blame them as they have enough grief as it is. However, let’s not be too complacent either. We have to be aware of what is morally right or wrong so that mistakes of that type do not happen again.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Reality-yes, your right, said it myself a few posts ago, & i still stand by it now. there so many people who retaliate with silly coments about being perfect etc..but im not saying i am perfect, i just know that when it comes to my little girls safety, im not that stupid.
its the start of another day already & still no sign… hope she is found 2day
night maddy, wherever you are … thinking of you
May 18th, 2007 at 12:15 am
we are all hoping Maddie will be found safe and well. But what about the parents? Surely they should be held to account for their child neglect. Did they leave their holiday money lying around the apartment while the were out on the razz? - No, of course not, because they did not want it to be stolen! Their child obviously comes a poor third place, after galavanting and money. It is clear where the McCanns priorities lay. When Maddie is found she should be taken away from the McCanns on a permanent basis. It makes you ashamed to be British with their example being broadcast worldwide!
May 17th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
hello all
i am praying for maddy. Please god they will find her soon.
May 17th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Thanx megan, nice to meet you. it isnt always civilized, but thats what makes us human, & different i guess.
Hope your safe maddy…
May 17th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
I will keep the McCann Family in my prayer’s.
May 17th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Hi All,
My name is Megan and I am from the U.S. I wanted to say this is the most interesting forum as far as the search for Madeleine in concerned. It is realll refreshing to see civilized conversation on a most dreadful topic.
May 17th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Guess no on has anything to say after getting our hopes up earlier…so sad…
I wished on the brightes star tonight, that wherever maddy is, i hope shes warm, fed & not at all frightened.
May 17th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Join the Anorak Forums - keep the debate alive…
http://www.anorak.co.uk/forums/
May 17th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
wow, loads said since last night, but still no real news.
May 17th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
somewhere in lisbon, i think