Madeleine McCann: 4650 Articles, Christian Ridout Was Here And Lawless Morocco
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
DAILY EXPRESS front page: Poster blitz in Morocco”
“More than 11,000 letters and posters have been distributed in remote parts of the North African country to jog the memory of someone who may have seen the little girl”
A spokesman says: “E-mail is great within larger towns and cities, but there are still a lot of people who do not have Madeleine’s picture or the phone contact details to report sightings or information”
Do you have Madeleine’s picture? Do you know the phone number?
DAILY MAIL: “Letter blitz on remote Moroccan mountain villages that Madeleine McCann campaign cannot reach”
“Agents [of Metodo 3] have distributed photographs of the little girl with an appeal in French and Arabic to call with information about her whereabouts. But it has proved difficult to reach all of the isolated communities where a child could have been taken, many of which are in lawless, mountainous regions”
Those lawless Moroccans…
“Madeleine: Private detectives hunt for British barman known as DJ Shifty, accused of grooming an under-age girl for sex”
“Part-time barman and disc jockey Christian Ridout, 32, allegedly sent the British girl obscene text messages when he worked in an expats’ pub 200 yards from where Madeleine disappeared. When the 12-year-old’s mother discovered the explicit messages, Ridout - also known as DJ Shifty - left Portugal in a hurry”
A suspect?
Says the paper: “By coincidence, the Ridout family were next-door neighbours of the family of Robert Murat, the chief suspect in the Madeleine hunt, when the Murats lived in the nearby village of Almadena. The night after Madeleine went missing, a British expat walked into the Plough and Harrow pub in Praia da Luz, still owned by his parents Tony, 57, and Jill, 58, and asked: ‘Where’s Christian then?’ Locals have disparagingly nicknamed the pub ‘The Plough and Paedophile‘ and the missing man is widely disliked in the tight-knit community”
So where is Christian? Well, he left Praia da Luz a few years ago. His mother says she has not seen him for two years. Says the girl’s mother: “I went in to see them just before Madeleine disappeared and they confirmed they’re still looking for him. ‘No one knows where he is, but he could have been back to this area”
Or not…
THE SUN front page: “Publicity blitz for Maddie in Africa”
“Many still don’t recognise her”
Help make Madeleine McCann the world’s most recognisable face
“Despite a massive campaign highlighting the seven-month search for their daughter, experts believe many in the north African country still lack the crucial information they need to help trace her”
Many?
“Now a silent army of volunteers from the Helping To Find Madeleine campaign have given their time over the festive period to flood businesses across the nation with 11,500 letters and posters”
Not so silent
“The initiative comes after the McCanns’ Spanish detective agency pin-pointed Morocco as the most likely place little Maddie may have been taken”
Can you pinpoint a “likely place” to an entire nation? Is this detective work or guesswork?
Kate and Gerry McCann are “doctors”. Fact
Kate pins on badge of hope: “ANGUISHED Kate McCann returned to church yesterday – with a badge of hope bearing a picture of missing Madeleine pinned close to her heart”
A new merchandise push?
One “worshipper” at Kate’s church says: “Every mother wants to cuddle her children at Christmas – it’s heartbreaking that Kate has been denied that. The badge is a symbol of hope that could help focus new eyes on the hunt for Madeleine”
“347 new Maddie calls combed” - The McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell says: “We are pleased with the calls and they are continuing to come in. Every single call is much appreciated and we are going through them with a fine-tooth comb. Any that need to be acted upon swiftly are being acted upon swiftly. We don’t go into detail because if there is any significant information”
DAILY STAR: “TECS: MADDIE BEING HELD IN MOROCCO”
“More than 11,500 posters appealing for information about the youngster have been sent out to the furthest reaches of the north African country”
Francisco Marco, the PI hired by the McCanns, says: “Morocco is the perfect place to hide a kidnapped girl”. He has said this before. Is Morocco the perfect place? Why not Algeria? Or Malta?
DAILY RECORD: “Maddie Poster Blitz In Morocco”
“Schools, supermarkets and medical centres are being blitzed with thousands of photos of the missing four-year-old. And letters written in French and Arabic are being sent to towns and villages in the most remote parts of the country”
Madeleine in Morocco. Or not. Again… Isabel Gonzalez saw her. Mari Pollard saw her
Clarence Mitchell says: “Anyone who puts effort into assisting us in any way, we are incredibly grateful for, and it sounds like they have done a fantastic job. I have no doubt that it is this kind of effort and initiatives that will lead us to finding Madeleine”
Gerry and Kate McCann are “doctors”
THE GUARDIAN: “From Mr Bean to Shambo the bull, the media obsessions of 2007”
A review: “Almost nine months after she vanished, we know a lot about Madeleine McCann and her family. We know the legal implications of being named an official suspect in a Portuguese criminal investigation. What we do not know is who took her, if she is alive and whether any trace of her will ever be found again. A total of 4,650 articles have appeared in British newspapers since she disappeared on May 3”
THE SCOTSMAN: “Madness, badness, hate and heroism - Robert McNeil continues his unique take on the events of 2007 with a look back at the second three months of the year…”
“Hell also visited the parents of three-year-old Madeleine McCann on 3 May when the toddler disappeared from their holiday apartment in the Algarve. In the ensuing months, Kate and Gerry McCann used the media to keep the case in the public eye. The Portuguese police did the same, but their efforts were directed more at casting doubts on the McCanns and their friends. Supposed sightings of Madeleine were reported periodically, but each time hopes were dashed”
THE TIMES: “Hundreds ring hotline after Madeleine plea”
Yesterday in the latest entry on his internet diary, Mr McCann wrote: “Madeleine should not be spending Christmas away from her loving family. The person who took her has it in their power to end our suffering and will be able to appease their conscience that they have done the right thing – especially at this time of year. Kate and I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to write to us and let us know Madeleine and our family are still in their thoughts and prayers. We still have at least one hundred cards to open! As always, every single one will be read and the support expressed helps renew our determination to find Madeleine”
The story, speculation and sensation…
Posted: 27th, December 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (1,081) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
- June on The Pirelli 2010 Calendar In Artful Nudity (NSFW)
- June on Susan Boyle: World Divided Over SuBo And Lady Susan
- Tony on Daily Mail And Tax Payers’ Alliance Attacks BBC Over Its Free Trees For A Better Planet
- Cheryl on Susan Boyle: World Divided Over SuBo And Lady Susan
- cheekyappleblossom on I’m A Celebrity: Quitter Katie Price Wanted To Die With Jedward
December 28th, 2007 at 3:35 am
Will try this
http://tinyurl.com/334foc
December 28th, 2007 at 3:32 am
1033
i-dont-believe-them Says:
December 28th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Frankly, I think you stink of rubbish mothering and should hesitate to judge the McCanns before you yourself come clean.
********************************************
And you are the very reason I posted at 1045. I actually feel very sorry for you, whatever was your childhood like ?
December 28th, 2007 at 3:29 am
trying to post a picture
think it is in moderation?
December 28th, 2007 at 3:28 am
Mods, delete if double post or inappropriate
December 28th, 2007 at 3:26 am
What does K.Keesha say?
December 28th, 2007 at 3:16 am
December 28th, 2007 at 3:11 am
I have tracked back over the comments to where we were before I went to bed last night - round about the 600s - 700s - and I realise that there is no mileage to be gained in my getting all het up about the utter ignorance displayed by some of the posters here on the subject of ADHD . Those of us who know, know, those of them who don’t, don’t.
To read that it is all the result of “bad parenting” or that it can be “cured” by a stint in the military just shows what else we have to deal with alongside the actual problem itself. No wonder it has been an uphill struggle to get the condition recognised and to gain help in dealing with it, faced with such attitudes !!
To have been accused of saying I smoked heavily throughout my pregnancy …where did that one come from ?…and to read the wafflings of those who have read this “medical report” or that undeniable “fact” and on and on makes me realise what an utter waste of time and emotion it is to continue in that vein.
Fact ( for those who quote them ad nauseam ) the condition has been recognised by the medical world, the way it has been dealt with has had variable successes and failures, it is only through trial and error that the best ways of dealing with it, not “curing” it you note, have been arrived at. It exists, it is most assuredly not helped by cramming Ritalin down the child’s throat, or any other chemical come to that, as the side-effects are as well-known and documented as the condition itself but nobody here seems to comment on that !! As a matter of side interest, Ritalin was used during the war as a stimulant for observers in coastal defence posts and decades later they have suffered dreadful personality disorders and other very bad and long-term side effects.
The ways that this condition can - indeed - needs to be dealt with, are with diet, Omega 3 , which has a calming and NATURAL effect on the brain and IS well-documented if you care to look that one up, Homeopathy - again a NATURAL remedy, bucket loads of patience and dedication, AKA “good” parenting , and an attitude which has not been displayed by some of the posters here who are a) clearly not parents ( now some of those will tell me how many kids they’ve got !!) and b) have no first-hand knowledge of the condition whatsoever and know only what they have read ( ….it must be true, it’s in the papers !! ) The saying goes “Knowledge is King” and in this instance, it most certainly is, and at first hand.
There are “nit-pickers” on this site who take what I , and others, say - doesn’t matter what the subject is, and tear it to shreds but in so doing , only serve to illustrate what ignorant persons they are, and by “ignorant” I mean ill-informed, not sufficiently in possession of the necessary knowledge or experience to comment safely even though they persist in doing it. I do respect the views and comments aired, such things are the basis of intelligent debate and discussion but some of the posters here do not seem to respect that others may know more than they and end up insulting and denegrating instead of discussing intelligently.
Had Resident Grandson been left to the mercies of the Social Services I dread to think how he would have ended up, it is only because, with all the other children well off my hands, that I have had the time to focus on him one-to-one, to give him the attention and dedication he needed, and I don’t mean swamping and smothering him with “Motherly” affection , I mean being fortunate enough to be having the time to establish what was wrong with him and do something about it to the uttermost best of my abilities in order to ensure he could fit into society without stigma and to learn in order to make his way in life, earn a living and so on.
He has a few good mates who have been with him all the way through his life to date and they understand him and have a deep abiding affection for him where others dismissed him as “weird” , all the Teachers he has ever had throughout his formative years have the same attitude and if you go to his old school now and mention his name they may chuckle and roll their eyes and say “Oh yes.. M**** !! ” but all are justifiably proud of how he has fared and with their help and understanding…once they got “educated” re: the condition as mentioned in an earlier post of course !!
He left school with good grades - hard-won, which no-one thought he would achieve, and is now in College and doing very well but his Statement followed him there as it will througout his educational life and thus they make an effort for him as they are fully well aware that what he is being taught may not sink in at first telling, which is great as he would otherwise have been dismissed as being a disruptive thicko, and this is because …hello ??…the condition is recognised as a FACT..that word again !!
So I am not going to rise to the bait any more on that subject and anyway, this particular post is supposed to be about Madeleine McCann et al
December 28th, 2007 at 3:05 am
Jane - you are right many of us do have over active imaginations and some of the speculation is OTT, however, the reasons I’ve given are all facts as verified by the McC’s, the register of trademarks and history (can’t prove what day the fund/website was set up - just when it was reported in the press).
Why do you think that they are innocent of any involvement?
December 28th, 2007 at 2:58 am
Karen - I’m 41 and still require a lot of parenting!! long may it last… my mum would tell me to get to bed right now!!
December 28th, 2007 at 2:56 am
is my questioning really prejudicing their right to a fair trial?
December 28th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Jane
It’s sad if Tony is mentally disturbed - he does sound a little obsessive.
But as the McCanns aren’t going to be prosecuted in Britain, I don’t think a website written in English would be of great interest to their Portuguese lawyers (if it ever did come to a trial).
The McCanns talk to the Media all the time, thereby affecting any future trial (or do you think it’s fair of their private detectives to be releasing stories about Murat, Blonde women and DJ Shifty to the press?) and we’re only expressing opinions and theories, which never go unchallenged and which are no where near constituting a coherent or consistent case.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Jane /Colleen
My god is also forgiving - thank heavens - see my earlier post.
We have to agree to disagree about T.B - i too am angry that our press deems it to acceptable to leave children alone in those circumstances and also believe that it is a dangerous message to send to parents.
Regardless of the speculation on this board i have just posted my reasons (some of them) for suspecting some level of involvement of the McC’s in Maddeleines dissapearance.
Is it wrong to question the veiws that are printed in our papers on a daily basis?
Do you not think it’s odd that parents of a missing child apply for a trademark 13 days after that child went missing? set up a ‘fund’ (not charity) 14 days after she went missing and set up a website 15 days after she went missing?
December 28th, 2007 at 2:53 am
And, Nosy Cow, Tony wrote my Will for me quite recently and he would hardly have done that if I was his woman scorned, would he. Trouble with many of you lot is you over active imaginations.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:46 am
Noseycow
My sister drank when she was pregnant because she was depressed about getting fat. It worked out ok in the end. She’s a great mother, when her vanity isn’t rearing it’s ugly head (she loves Kate, incidentally).
But I wouldn’t judge anyone who knew they’d gone awry (and I never have been involved in these minute parenting debates, mainly because I’m only 19 and I’m not particularly grown up, so I’m still being parented).
It’s only when someone is absolutely convinced that they’re right that they need a kicking.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:44 am
TONY B - is Jane Colleen? Is she a woman scorned …she obviously holds a grudge from the past..please enlighten us - sounds like juicy gossip.. and i am a noseycow!!
…………………………
I can see why you call yourself nosey cow - I mean that kindly, nc
You’re right, though my blog name is Jane (I am not Jane Tanner!) my real name is Colleen. I don’t use any other blog names on here. I reverted to my real name so that Tony would know who my earlier posting was from.
I am an old friend of Tony’s, though I haven’t really mixed with him much since he became a religious fundamentalist. I don’t like the hard and punitive form of religion he adheres to now. The God I believe in is kind, gentle and forgiving. Which is just as well, as I’m a huge sinner
I’m not a woman scorned and I don’t have a grudge against Tony. I do, however, find it very sad that the Tony I - and many others - respected for many years as a friend has changed so much under the influence of his fundamentalist beliefs.
The Tony I knew and respected would never have attempted to bully and frighten Maria as TB attempted to in the posting I was so critical of this evening. He would have been the first to defend the McCanns, indeed, to his great credit, he has defended people in situations where they have been threatened with the removal of their children by Social Service departments.
Tony is a lovely man, but he seems to me to be suffering from depression which expresses itself in all of this new found, horrible aggressiveness of his and a lack of realism. He never used to be like that and I’m concerned about him. I thought a dose of realism might shake him into seeking help.
I am angry with Tony, you’re right, noseycow, ( I can’t get over that name). I’m angry with him - just as I am angry with all of the anti-McCanns - for trying to take away the McCanns’ fundamental right to the presumption of innocence. You must surely realise that you are all prejudicing their right to a fair trial here. I can’t believe that Tony would do that. I’m angry with Tony too - and all of those involved - for the cruel attacks on Maria merely because she asked reasonable questions.
And I’m also angry with you Tony because you pinched my case. You know which case too.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:43 am
as you all seem to have gone - its time i went to bed.
Night anorak - thanks for yet another interesting forum!
December 28th, 2007 at 2:36 am
Karen / Ann
Some people seem to think that we have to be perfect in order to post here. I did smoke for the first 5 months of my first pregnancy (and cried each time i was weak enough to light up), and finally managed to give up. Fortunatley 13 years later there seems to be no (obvious) effect on my beautiful, intelligent and thoughtful daughter.
I also have a son who was close to being diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, (i didn’t and still don’t want him labelled - a personal choice), whom I found very difficult to bond with - and found his toddler stage particularly trying and not overly enjoyable.
He is now 10 - and while he still has some problems (not noticable to many) he is the most gorgeous intelligent and open minded of my children. Mostly through luck and not necessarily through planned good parenting.
When the children were younger we did employ a full time nanny - who was fantastic and we owe her loads for her professionalism and caring, and the children went to nursery as we both worked full time.
However I could never leave them on their own (am only just starting down that path now…)
not because of the fear of abduction or even that they may hurt themselves, it was just the thought that they might wake from a bad dream or something and be distressed or frightened.
The most telling things about the McC’s to me has always been the way they have treated the twins since Maddeleine dissapeared.
They did not pick them up and cuddle them when they found maddie gone - they left them to sleep and in Gerry’s own words - tried to keep people out of the room so they would not be disturbed.
The following day (may have been 2 days later) the twins were put into the creche as normal. If my child had dissapeared the others would not have left my site. If I believed that someone had taken her - and i did not know who - then i certainly would not leave my other children with ’strangers’ - it might have been someone in the creche who was responsible.
The children continued to go to the creche daily - including sundays (as described in Gerry’s blog) and then they flew out of the country and left them altogether.
Non of this fits with the story that the McC’s are feeding us - IMO
December 28th, 2007 at 2:33 am
1026
Karen
According to the Sky ‘bulletin’, there is absolutley no way ANYONE entered or left the apartment via the window as stated by the McC’s. There was no abductor.
The twins may well have been good sleepers. My 3 yr old is, my partner is partially deaf and has the tv at a high volumn, you can hear it clearly upstairs, yet it does not disturb her. My 2 eldest play their video games and are in and out of the bathroom using the toilet and shower, it does not disturb her.
If the twins had not had an afternoon nap and all that fresh sea air, they would have slept like logs without the use of sedatives.
There may have been a time when the McC’s may have sedated them possibly prior to pdl which G would have known could have been detected. The tests were negative, this is not to say they were tested for all possible sedatives and it does not prove they weren’t sedated with something which wasn’t tested for. I am trying to stick to facts.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:25 am
668 Ann
(Ann said drugged your own child to sleep and you called him a “mini-monster”.)
I think the McCanns also got professional advice when they drugged their children (themselves!) That didn’t make them good parents and neither would it make you a good parent.
Frankly, I think you stink of rubbish mothering and should hesitate to judge the McCanns before you yourself come clean.
December 27th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Ann (yesterday’s thread) admitted she drugged her own child to sleep and called him a “mini-monster”. Ann, he didn’t “happen” to “develop into a paranoid schizophrenic”. No, that’s caused by rubbish parenting
*****************************************************
You really don’t “listen” to people do you ? You have your own opinion and you have just marmalised what I said and did. I challenge you to speak to any parent of a screaming child who just will not shut up and is disturbing the rest of the household, nay - possibly the whole bloody street, night after night after night, and see what they tell you. I ended up in tears of desperation on some occasions , he was affecting us all which is why I sought advice and help from those who are supposed to be qualified so to do and did not take myself off down to the nearest pharmacy and gather up bottles of pills and potions to administer to him willy-nilly, and where in Heaven’s name did you get the myopic impression that paranoid schizophrenia is caused by BAD PARENTING ???? !!! You are unbelievable !!
December 28th, 2007 at 2:22 am
1023
Meejician
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/582358.stm
worst record in Europe - the wine exasperates everything lol.
Regardless - IMO teenage tearaways in the uk, the majority are from teen mums
December 28th, 2007 at 2:21 am
Noseycow
I noticed that. She said in the past Tony would be the first to defend the McCanns. Maybe it was his thing to help victims, and Colleen is convinced the McCanns are victims and that’s why she’s mad at him. Or maybe she is an old girlfriend. Also, Colleen is an Irish name, so maybe she’s a Catholic and maybe his insults towards the Church have hurt her? (if she ever made friends with a Priest she’d hear the Church denounced all the time and she’d get used to it).
December 28th, 2007 at 2:20 am
677
Stevo Says:
December 27th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
667 Ann
Didn’t you once say in here you smoked a lot while pregnant? Forgive me if I got that wrong but if you did, did it not dawn on you that it wasn’t helping your child and some of the problems you describe could be because of that?
***************************************************************************
Absolutely NOT me !! That is definitely barking up the wrong tree, I never smoked while pregnant, nor drank nor did anything untoward which would have had adverse effects on my unborn child.
Incidentally, the only raosn I am up at this ungodly hour is because I have chronic toothache and can’t sleep but I just had to “pop in” to see what was being said and by whom and this one definitely needed a swift response !!
December 28th, 2007 at 2:19 am
1001
Ian
Whether you like it or not, religion dictates our lives to a degree, who do you think decides when easter will be? answer - the Catholic Church. That’s just one aspect of us living by Christian belief’s, Christmas another although the christians ’stole’ this festival from the pagans in order to convert them. At the time they celebrated Christs birth in January. The pagans celebrated the winter solstice 21st December. The christians moved christmas to the 25th to entice the pagans. Bit of history lol
December 28th, 2007 at 2:18 am
Let’s nominate Metodo.3 “Barceloneses” of the year
December 28th, 2007 at 2:17 am
Fresh news from Correio da Manha
Detectives from Metodo-3 have been prosecuting a false suspect, the expat DJ, whislt the PJ had ruled him out from te beginning. Now, the young DJ so called “thirsty” (I cant remmeber his name) is preparing to sue Metodo 3 with the help of his Portuguese lawers (
December 28th, 2007 at 2:14 am
Annie123
What Gerry said was fairly suspicious. I mean, you think it would occur to him that as a doctor he should not only have checked if the kids were sleeping naturally or not but since there potentially was a paedophile in the room you’d think he’d check for any signs the twins had been interfered with.
Also, while it’s not a fact that they were sedated, it’s also not a fact that he was only answering his critics in the Media. You’d have to be inside his head to know that.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:13 am
Karen - I don’t know but have just read this blog and there is an earlier post that is quite hurtful to Tony B. It was posted by Colleen and states that this is her ‘real’ name so that he would recognise her as an old ‘friend’. (some friend)
If someone does try and post in a different name the comment is usually held in ‘moderation’ for checking by mods and admin and appears later but in the time space that it was submitted, and as such is often missed by people who are posting.
This particular post is quite personal abusive and IMO irrelevent, but was not picked up by anyone - which i find unusual on this forum - so i’m assuming that it was posted by someone who usually uses another name.
Jane has been attacking Tony B all night - and I wondered whether it was the same person.
It seems she has stopped posting now - so maybe I’m right.
I would still like to know what he’s done to upset her though - people don’t usually get that personal on internet forums. IMO (of course - allegedly - speculation etc etc etc)
December 28th, 2007 at 2:12 am
1020
Karen Says:
“Why do people have different names? What do they get out of it?”
I think the way Jane/Cheryl/Colleen put it, is that they are “fragmented” inside. So I guess they just naturally fragment outside too.
Meejician: “Is that the same Jane Tanner who used to be in the Sea Cadets in Exeter?”
How many Jane Tanners could there be who know Robert Murat? Didn’t Murat introduce her to Russell O’Brien? Or vice versa? I haven’t got it all straight, except for the vice part.
December 28th, 2007 at 2:11 am
#
1014
annie123 Says:
December 28th, 2007 at 2:00 am
1002
Meejician
Table 1: Under-18 Conceptions for England: 1998-2005
Year Number of under-18 conceptions Under-18
conception rate* Percent leading to legal abortion
1998 41,089 46.6 42.4
Ok, 46.6% is not the majority but you must agree 41,089 is an awful lot, if fact the largest % in the world, that’s fact.
*****************
Nope. NOT the largest percentage in the world. NOT fact.
And check out how many of those mums were married.
Don’t come on to me with phoney statistics.
I’m feeling in an assertive mood tonight
December 28th, 2007 at 2:09 am
Noseycow
What about the 5 year old that turned up headless in the Thames that they think was killed in a Voodoo ritual? That was pretty awful.
Actually, I was going to say something funny till I remembered that case. Oh, dear.