Madeleine McCann, Shannon Matthews And Missing Child Protocol
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann.
Shannon Matthews is missing. Is the media treating her case the same way as it views Madeleine McCann? And, in light of missing Madeleine, is there now a protocol for what occurs when a child goes missing?
DAILY MIRROR: “LOST TO US ALL”
Sue Carroll: Most of us won’t have an instant recollection who Shannon Matthews is. After thinking twice, of course we all know she is the nine-year-old missing from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire.
But what a terrible indictment of the media that, when a child has disappeared in Britain for over a week, her name doesn’t spring to our lips, we don’t know her school, favourite toy or what she was wearing when last seen.
Shannon is as precious to her family as Madeleine McCann, missing for 300 days, is to hers. But where are the front-page pictures, campaigns, the furore? Would this be different if she was the daughter of two middle-class, mediasavvy parents? Not a working-class child from up North.
THE SUN: “Marchers wants Shannon home”
THE family of Shannon Matthews led a poignant candlelit vigil for the missing nine-year-old last night – as police admitted hopes of finding her alive looked “bleak”.
Anguished mum Karen and stepdad Craig joined 300 neighbours on a march through streets near their home.
Children carried a banner showing the youngster’s face and a hotline to ring with information.
A hotline. Like Madeleine. A vigil. There is picture of Shannon on her birthday.
Balloons bearing pleas for Shannon’s safe return were released during last night’s vigil.
THIS IS LONDON: “Police search house of missing Shannon’s uncle as detectives treat case ‘as seriously as a murder’”
A dozen police officers conducted a fingertip search of the house belonging to the uncle of missing nine-year-old Shannon Matthews today.
Officers from West Yorkshire Police filed into the property in Moorside Road, Dewsbury Moor which adjoins the home of the schoolgirl who disappeared last week.
The house belongs to Neil Hyett, Shannon Matthews’ uncle, and his wife, Amanda.
Detective Superintendent Brennan, who is heading up the search, says:
“I’m convinced that if Shannon had run away that night of her own volition, in a den or hideaway of some sort, we would have found her by now - over a week on from when the investigation opened.
“It is very rare in searches of this kind that a girl of Shannon’s age should be missing for this long without any clues pointing to her whereabouts.
“It is extremely concerning and we are now looking at this on a scale as serious as a murder investigation.
“It can now be said that the tone of our enquiry has changed to a bleaker outlook.
“The shift in emphasis is that we are now looking for individuals who may have been seen on the day of her disappearance, acting suspiciously, or unknown to the local community.
“We are also appealing for anyone who may have friends or family that may have been behaving strangely since Shannon went missing, to come forward.
“At this stage, any shred of information, however insignificant it seems, may help.
“We have a grave concern that she may have fallen into the wrong hands but no arrests have been made at this point, and I must stress at this point that we are not ruling out any possibilities as to what might have happened to her.”
DAILY MAIL: “Now police say missing Shannon, 9, could have been abducted”
A week after Shannon Matthews was last seen walking away from school in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, it also emerged that another girl called Shannon escaped an abduction attempt 10 miles away earlier the same day.
Shannon Selby, 12, was walking to school alone in Wakefield when a man pulled up and ordered her to “get in this car now”.
She ran away as the man parked and made to chase her on foot.
She reached home safely and her mother rang the police.
An efit of the attacker was released yesterday.
Allison Pearson: “Poor Shannon was already a lost child”
When Madeleine McCann went missing, her parents soon came under attack for leaving their daughter alone in a holiday apartment just a couple of hundred yards from where they were having dinner.
At the time, critics claimed that if the middle-class McCanns had lived on a council estate, they would have been in trouble with the police for neglect. So where is the outcry over the disappearance of Shannon Matthews?
Only nine years old, Shannon was reported missing by her mum, Karen, at 7pm last Tuesday when she had still not walked the mile home. She was last seen leaving school at 3.10pm.
Four hours is an eternity for a little girl to be out on a dark winter’s evening. And Shannon was afraid of the dark. Why did no one walk with her or care where she was?
Karen, who has seven children by five fathers, admitted that she had found a note scrawled on her daughter’s bedroom wall saying that she wanted to go and live with her biological dad in Huddersfield.
Shannon’s friends say she told them she didn’t want to go home. But Karen insists Shannon was fine and enjoys a good relationship with her current boyfriend, 22-yearold Craig.
“Only on Monday, they were having tickling fights and telly cuddles. She views him as her dad.” Oh really? In that case, why was Shannon so desperate to be reunited with her real father? No one can doubt Karen’s anguish.
The poor woman can hardly speak, except to sob to the cameras: “Shannon, come home, please come home.” But allowing a passing parade of boyfriends to play tickling games with your vulnerable small girl is, at best, naïve
DAILY TELEGRAPH: “Shannon ‘may be in the wrong hands’”
Reports that an alleged abduction attempt of another girl on the same day that Shannon disappeared a week ago were being looked into by police.
According to reports, a man in a gold Ford Mondeo tried to coax a 12-year-old into his car at about 9am in Wakefield, about six miles away.
The girl ran away from him.
THE TIMES: “Abducted, abused… survived”
Lisa Hoodless and Charlene Lunnon were abducted and raped nine years ago, aged 10. They found strength in each other to survive the four-day ordeal and, remarkably, to rebuild their lives
Alan Hopkinson was found by police with the girls huddled together in his front room. He pleaded guilty to the crime and was given nine life sentences.
And that, for the public at least, is where stories like this usually end. Children don’t often survive adbuction by men such as Hopkinson, a truth that weighs heavily on the mind as we await news of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews, missing now for more than a week. If they do survive, we rarely hear from them again.
Hope:
They say that in some ways what happened has had a positive effect on their lives. Both seem vaguely surprised that anyone would want to interview them about it because it is “not that amazing” but, in a climate in which missing girls such as Madeleine McCann dominate the news, they want to urge people never to give up searching because “children can come back”.
Posted: 27th, February 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (1,154) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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February 27th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
261
jo Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Brandon
Do you have the funny pic of the marrocan guys with cuddle cats?
I cant find it.Could you please copy it for me.
Thank you
____________
Just_me should have it
February 27th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
275 Salomon E S
“As far as I’m aware the Tapas gang will have rented a car in Portugal - at worst in Spain…”
Does it mean, Salomon, that you consider it a possibility? (The Tapas groupe abducting the child).
February 27th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
M&A. Sorry to trouble you, I’ve been searching for a link that was posted yesterday (I’ve been through every post between 8am & 4:30 yesterday) on both threads and can’t find it, is it possible that a post and link can be pulled hours after it was posted? I didn’t see anything wrong with it at the time, it was a link to a site containing info re the cadaver dog and handler in the USA. I only wanted to refer to it to explain why I said what I did this morning. I hope you noticed how willing I was to apologize to both the parties concerned. Thanks.
————-
Mods and Admin
No links were removed yesterday.
There was a news report some while back concerning a dog handler in the US where he had acted improperly in an unprofessional way. But we do not have time to check every request. It really is up to the poster concerned to prove or disprove the claim made.
We are here to stop libellous remarks/ posts etc, and to attempt to stop abuse between posters. If we are off site checking other things then we cannot moderate, and the threads can move very quickly on leaving us to catch up, as we have to read every post comprehensively which can slow us down anyway.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Mrst
There gonna be on here next!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
276
MrsT Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
brandon
And you are ’sick’ as well
Apparently you are able to remove comments aren’t you ?
____________________________
No I believe in free speech
February 27th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
246/ Salomon
Thanks, the impression I got from Gandolf’s post was that the taxi was heading away from Luz towards the Spanish border. If in fact the taxi driver says he was going in the opposite direction then I agree it doesn’t make much sense so the whole yarn is probably irrelevant.
Saves me searching the Anorak archives anyway!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Chloe 227
So, a child under 1, 50 m in height should be strapped on a special seat in a car. I wonder if those aren’t European rules. Any abductor would be willing to follow those rules, not to attract attention from the police on him.
The taxi driver shouldn’t have allowed the man to carry the girl on his lap. Here it would cost him a lot of money, or his license. The story is strange. It would be interesting to know if the girl was asleep, if anyone talked to her, what nationality they were.
Yet, as I said, I think it is one of those sightings. Everyone wants to have seen the girl.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
brandon
And you are ’sick’ as well
Apparently you are able to remove comments aren’t you ?
February 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Gandolf 269 and Julie 271
I still think it’s smoke and mirrors.
As far as I’m aware the Tapas gang will have rented a car in Portugal - at worst in Spain (which is a couple of hours drive from PDL). Both countries have white number plates.
The only countries in EUrope that i’m aware of with yellow number plates are UK, France and Luxembourg.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
265 brandon flours
“How much?” “How much?” definately gerry then
nice one - presumably the person had not lost his wallet
February 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
SNAP Gandolf!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I have been asked to be removed from Youtube
I am evil
February 27th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Did the taxi driver say that these people climbed into a BLUE JEEP? In that case, this is very interesting then!! :
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id9.html
“At the start of their holiday the McCanns and their group of friends (who were to become known as the Tapas Nine) hire two cars: A blue jeep and a Nissan Micra. “
February 27th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
263 delboy
mange tout and menage a trois
yep sommat stinks about the mcconns and their cronies in high places
and it ain’t her smelly GP work jeans
great fun to watch though
February 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
At the start of their holiday the McCanns and their group of friends (who were to become known as the Tapas Nine) hire two cars: A blue jeep and a Nissan Micra. The cars were hired on a day to day basis, for the use of all of the ‘Tapas Nine’.
It is alleged that the Policia Judiciaria later undertook forensic tests on these vehicles and found residue in the blue jeep that was used by the McCanns.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lights starting to come on, blue jeep could be coincidental, I wonder if the one rented by the group had a yellow plate.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Phewww!!!! glad you’ve seen it
February 27th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
BRANDON !!!! … leave the plumber alone …;)
February 27th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
mrst
my god ive been witch hunted
February 27th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
260
Gandolf Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
During the short four miles journey, the only words they spoke, according to the taxi driver, were “How much?” “How much?”
definately gerry then
February 27th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
brandon
Remember your you tube video of the Mccanns ? Have you been on it lately ?
February 27th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Shannon mathews, police seem to be justyfying the council tax we pay, crickey they are working hard on this one,they are everywhere stopping vehicles and questioning all occupents,yesterday a double decker bus was used to ferry all the police officers, all the police vehicles were in use as well,most of the occupents of dewsbury moor are still doing their bit by searching and holding vigils,posters are everywhere even kids are handing out posters,got a knock on my door yesterday and when I answered it was a young boy of about twelve asking me to put a poster up in my window,and I live about 5 miles from shannons home,a big difference to the mccs eh! THEY, spend hundreds and thousands on posters????
The family are a bit dossy,But could you imagine the euforia if shannon had been left all alone in an unlocked house/flat/apartment even at nine years old just because of her background, I bet there would be hell to pay and police would have the parent/s in custody by now,accusing them of allsorts……….while on the other hand mccanns are left alone …..mmmm makes you wonder dont it!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Got to go now as very late where I am. Bye. for now.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Brandon
Do you have the funny pic of the marrocan guys with cuddle cats?
I cant find it.Could you please copy it for me.
Thank you
February 27th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
During the short four miles journey, the only words they spoke, according to the taxi driver, were “How much?” “How much?” to pay for the trip. António Castela saw the group leave the taxi and get into blue jeep with a yellow plate, parked in the hotel parking lot that left immediately.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Four mile journey from taxi rank to hotel car park, just musing, but as I recall someone had to hire a car , urgently according to reports, wonder what the urgency was.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Fascinating that everyone keeps repeating the stuff about pink pyjamas. Tanner, taxi driver et al
If we go back to the picture the McCs displayed many moons ago of a similar pair, the top was pink, but the bottoms were very clearly white.
So Tanner got it wrong, probably trying to help, and if the girl in the taxi ws wearing pink pyjamas she was not MM.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Brandon
Thanks for the link
“As a parent of an abducted child, I can tell you that it is the most painful and agonising experience you could ever imagine. My thoughts of the fear, confusion and loss of love and security that my precious daughter has had to endure are unbearable – crippling. And yet I am not the victim, Madeleine is. No child should EVER have to experience something so terrible.”
*****
I agree: NO child should EVER have to experience somethig so terrible.
She forgets she is the ONLY one responsable for her children”s safety.
She hasnt provided what she should have and the result is that Madeleine is missing/dead
Either way: abduction or accidental death.
That is all what there is to it.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
‘All missing children are vulnerable to exploitation including sexual exploitation, with this being the motive in many of those cases of stranger abductions where a motive can be determined. Child sexual exploitation and child pornography in particular, is sadly and shockingly extensive worldwide. It is a multi-billion dollar industry aided by the use of the Internet with the ‘thirst’ for younger victims growing.’
Kate Mc Cann
February 27th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
251/252 brandon flours
try reading it in a whiney scouse accent with a holy look on yer face
great entertainment - she’s lost the plot
don’t get sky - how lucky is that
February 27th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
214 Chloe Spain
Yes, the PJ would have sussed it out. There are so many holes in everyone’s stories, and this appears to be what keeps the case high profile. Maddie seems to be out of their way doesn’t she and that is the way they want it too. You know, there is no doubt the mother of Shannon had niltch to do with her daughter’s going missing. I feel for that mother more so than I do for the McCanns.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
the comical one is slipping
google news has bugger all about the mcconns
the first is this thread
nice one