Madeleine McCann: Tapas Sums, Shannon Matthews And GMTV
MADDYWATCH - Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann and Shannon Matthews
THE SUN: “Cops plot McCann pals’ quiz.”
“It could involve British police putting questions to the ‘Tapas seven’.”
“Gran’s plea over missing Shannon”
A picture of Karen Matthews wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of her missing daughter. The mother is smiling. Why show this picture?
MISSING Shannon Matthews’ heartbroken gran fought tears yesterday as she pleaded: “I just want to see her little smiley face at my window again.”
June Matthews is a “pensioner”. She suffers from “ill health”. Is interviewing the grandmother now part of the protocol for reporting on missing children?
THE SCOTSMAN: “Madeleine: police may quiz ‘Tapas Nine’ again”
The Sun’s Tapas Seven becomes the Scotsman’s Tapas Nine. Such are the facts.
Detective Superintendent Stuart Prior, of Leicestershire Police, returned from the Algarve yesterday after meeting counterparts in Portugal about how the fresh interviews would be conducted.
The Leicestershire Police spokeswoman says: “Since Madeleine’s disappearance, we, together with other law-enforcement agencies, have been working closely with the Portuguese authorities.
“Mr Prior has attended a series of meetings with his Portuguese counterparts,” she said yesterday. “He travelled to Portugal on Tuesday and returned this morning.
“He went to discuss how the request for mutual legal assistance is to be executed and to seek clarification over elements of the request.”
DAILY MAIL: “Madeleine: British police meet Portuguese detectives to plan fresh interviews with Tapas Nine”
The “so-called Tapas Nine - the McCanns and their seven friends - could still hold the solution to the unsolved mystery that began in May last year”.
Says the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell: “The sooner this re-interviewing takes place the better. The friends are very keen to help police understand their original statements. No one will be changing their story. We are not aware that Kate and Gerry are to be re-interviewed at this stage, but if so, that’s not an issue.”
Tapas Nine minus Tapas Two equals Tapas Seven.
The McCanns, from Rothley in Leicestershire, were joined at the tapas restaurant on by Dr Matthew Oldfield and his recruitment consultant wife Rachael, Dr Russell O’Brien and his partner Jane Tanner, and medical researcher David Payne, his wife Fiona, and her mother Dianne Webster.
Gerry McCann is a heart consultant. Kate McCann is a GP. Such are the facts.
THE TIMES: “Shannon’s mother, Karen Matthews, defends her partner on TV.”
The mother of Shannon Matthews, the missing nine-year-old girl, insisted yesterday that her boyfriend had nothing to do with her disappearance. Karen Matthews, 32, said that Craig Meehan, 22, “would not hurt anybody”.
The Times hacks are watching mid-morning telly. It was ever so.
Ms Matthews chose an interview on GMTV to confront those making accusations against Mr Meehan, her partner for the past four years, whom she called her “rock”. She said: “I know it has nothing to do with him. He would not hurt anybody. It is very hurtful to think people think he would do something like this, because he would not.”
Mr Meehan said that he had taken no notice of the fingers being pointed at him. He added that the police activity surrounding the family was routine in such cases. “They do it to every family this happens to,” he said.
We watch, voyeurs to suffering. We watch, playing amateur detectives on our sofas. It’s interactive entertainment. It’s just routine questioning on the GMTV sofa.
The family have received messages of support from around Britain, including the family of Madeleine McCann. Mr Meehan said: “They know what we are going through.”
Will GMTV unite the families for a special show?
DAILY EXPRESS: “Shannon: Police dig wasteland.”
It is “grim twist” as police call in a digger to search wasteland.
Says the Express: “There are 1,327 registered sex offenders living within a 20-mile radius of Shannon’s home”
It was 1,400.
No mention of Madeleine McCann in the paper that led with her image for weeks on end.
DAILY STAR: “SHANNON COPS START DIGGING UP WASTELAND”
A “dramatic move” close to Shannon’s fmaily home in Desbuery, West Yorkshire.
Says the Express’s sister paper: “Detectives have been orderd to trace 1,387 convicted sex offenders” in the area.
The number grows.
DAILY MIRROR (front page): “WE SAW SHANNON SOBBING.”
Says a boy, aged 12: “There were tears running down her face. She was proper crying.”
Pages 4 and 5: “THE HUNT FOR SHANNON.”
“’It breaks my heart to think she was so upset on that wall. Why did no one comfort her and bring her home to me?’” Karen Matthews. The missing child’s mother.
A last poignant sighting of vanished Shannon Matthews by two boys has pierced the heart of her stricken mum Karen. Clutching the hand of partner Craig Meehan, despairing Karen, 32, said: “It breaks my heart to think she was so upset and we don’t know why. Why did no one comfort her and bring her home to me?”
Readers are invited to empathise with her pain.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror from her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorks, Karen said she was mystified by her daughter’s tears and convinced she was still alive after being snatched. She said: “Shannon was perfectly normal on the day she disappeared. “She came running downstairs already in her uniform because she was so excited about going swimming. “Then she was out of the door, shouting ‘See you at teatime - love you’. She didn’t tell us about being bullied at school and I didn’t think she was upset about anything. I’m sure she’s still alive. It’s just a feeling I have - a mother’s feeling. “Wherever she is, she’s going to be frightened. It’s breaking our hearts. I don’t think she’s run away. I think something sinister has happened.”
We can join in the speculation:
Karen said: “I even hate going upstairs. Just walking past her open door is painful. She loved her room. It seems so empty since she’s been gone. Courtney, who shares the bedroom with her half sister, now sleeps cuddled up to Shannon’s favourite teddy. Karen said: “You can hear her shouting out for Shannon. It’s heartbreaking.” At her side, Craig said: “With 200 police on the case you’d think they’d have picked up something by now. But Shannon hasn’t been seen anywhere. I think someone must have taken her. It could be a person with a grudge or who can’t have children of their own. If someone has her, just let her come home. That’s what everyone wants. That’s what Shannon and her family want. We’re all missing her.”
TYPICALLY SPANISH: “Two Million Euro ransom demanded in Marí Luz case”
A phone call was made to the family yesterday, but it is not considered by police to be genuine
The family of the missing five year old girl, Mari Luz Cortés, who vanished from Huelva in the middle of January, says they have received a ransom demand for two million Euros. They say they received a phone call from an individual yesterday, who demanded two million € to release the child.But at a press conference held today in the Plaza Rosa del Torrejón, in Huelva, the missing child’s uncle, Diego Cortés, lamented the call which he described as ‘upsetting and senseless’, as it was believed the call is a hoax. He said that the family ‘was prepared to negotiate’ in the case of serious calls, adding that if the family would go personally to rescue Mari Luz if necessary. He said there was no chance of the family raising a sum of two million €, but that 300,000€ was possible.
And:
Speculation continues in some media over a possible link to the Madeleine McCann disappearance, but there is no evidence of any relationship, apart from the geographical location of the two cases.
Posted: 7th, March 2008 | In: Madeleine McCann, Tabloids Comments (570) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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March 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Karen, A great lover is like a finely tuned Stradivarius, mature, classy and hits all the right notes, and the things you can do with a bow!!
March 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Top Conservative calls for Europe-wide missing children alert
Posted, March 07, 2008 @ 00:00
McMillan-Scott MEP calls for review of law relating to child abduction across EU
Brussels, March 7th — MEP Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice President of the European Parliament, has called for a Europe-wide network to improve the search for children who go missing anywhere in Europe.
Mr McMillan-Scott is working with the campaign group Parents and Abducted Children Together (PACT) to establish a UK national resource centre. According to PACT’s research on average one child goes missing every five minutes in this country. Mr McMillan-Scott told a London press conference yesterday (Thursday) that his campaign to bring back an abducted child from Spain* inspired plans to establish a 24-hour helpline for children abducted in the UK and also to create a Europe-wide missing children network.
Britain’s senior MEP said:
“Sadly, because of the cases of Shannon Matthews from Dewsbury and Madeleine McCann, the issue of missing children is very much in the news. Unfortunately, according to the Children’s Society, some 130,000 children go missing in each year in the UK - one every five minutes - for a variety of reasons, and although most are recovered, too many are not. This UK hotline should be part of a Europe-wide network, which is desperately needed.”
Only four European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France and Portugal) have a US-style missing children bureau. On Tuesday, March 4th, the European Commission told a Brussels European Children Forum meeting that a 116000 number had been established for child alert cases, but the take-up had been poor.
PACT Chairman Lady Meyer - whose two sons were illegally retained by their father, her first husband, in Germany - said: “PACT believes that a UK National Resource Centre will force central government, the police and the voluntary sector to work on a united front.” She outlined a US-style child alert system at the UK National Police College on Wednesday with Caroline Humer - Program Manager of the Washington-based ‘Amber Alert’ hotline; 97 per cent of missing children each year are recovered by the US system, some 400 each year.
Mr McMillan-Scott, a father and grandfather, who has been campaigning for years for higher standards in child cases across Europe, said: “Each case of child abduction, whether by parents or others is a tragedy. Some are made worse by the way they are handled by countries, courts or public agencies. We also need to look at the principles of child law across Europe. The Conservative Government brought in the Children Act in 1989. This provided for independent legal representation for children among other measures, which are barely known elsewhere in the EU, let alone internationally.”
*Mr McMillan-Scott’s campaign concerned Jessica Ferguson who was born in Scunthorpe and lived in Spain with her father Victor (58), a Benidorm nightclub owner, and her mother Stacey (30) until their relationship broke down and she was brought back to the UK by her mother.
After a High Court ruling to send the child back to Spain last January, Mr McMillan-Scott took up the case. An appeal, which had to be financed at a cost of over £10,000 by Lord Stockton - grandson of Harold Macmillan and son of former Halifax MP Maurice Macmillan, overturned the ruling and the child stayed in Britain.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Gandolf, I hope it’s your magic wand you’re talking about.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
dcb
Its better to be aware and around. Giving each child the freedom they can cope with, but on call just incase.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Gandy
You’ve lost the factual high-ground and you’re now in the pit of speculation slime.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Candy
Its worse than freezing to death crying in a foxhole
March 7th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Gandy
That’s undignified at her age.
And at your age you should be careful you don’t get a heart-attack.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
228 Brandon
I know
And, stupid question I asked - of course, they do consider that and follow all lines … but, unlikely in Madeleine case, there is a possibility like that … I’ve been thinking - what if she did commit suicide and someone hid the body for the fear of being implicated? Let’s say, if some homeless guy with a dodgy past found it and freaked out?
March 7th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Reader views (1)
Add your view
Here’s a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
Had these poor people been doctors they would be on their way to see the Pope on a private jet by now and there would be a huge outcry that the finger is pointed at the stepdad. Where all the high flying help now?
- Steve, London
Stevet
Is this you?
March 7th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
“There are around 79 child murders each year in the UK, a figure which has remained constant for around 30 years, according to the NSPCC. However, the number of children allowed to play outside over the same time has plummeted, with research by the Children’s Society suggesting 43 per cent of adults think children should not be allowed out alone until the age of 14.”
March 7th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Matty
The interviews are for real!
March 7th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
candy
March 7th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Karen thats cos you keep falling of your bike, and lucky bastard that I am, I get convinced every night, ooooer missus!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LInnwrSGLJU
March 7th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
224
June
Interesting I wonder how he got him to do it!
March 7th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I think we did not consider one horrible possibility - that Shannon might have commited suicide. She has been distressed and bullied - when last seen, she was crying - and it did happen before, that people her age (or younger) took their own lifes.
In that case, the body should be found - unless she has drowned somewhere. Do you think the police is considering that?
March 7th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
News breaking about Milly Dowler
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20080307/tuk-man-held-in-milly-investigation-dba1618.html
not much so far
March 7th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
FREEDOM WITHOUT COMPROMISING SAFETY
Experts agree that parents can give their children freedom without compromising their safety, so:
DO
1. When walking to and from school, agree a safe route in advance that they must stick to. Always make sure the route is well-lit and busy. Try to make sure they have a friend to walk with.
2. Know exactly what time school finishes, how long the journey takes and when they are expected home. That way, if they don’t show within the time-frame, alarms bells will ring sooner.
3. Keep in text contact with your child. Some mobile phone providers offer a mobile phone tracking service so you can check where they are. If they are out and not answering their phone, you can call the company and they can come back with an exact location.
4. If they’re out playing, make sure the area is overlooked and safe. Make sure your child has a busy schedule after school – the busier the child, the less need there is for you to keep them occupied.
5. Most importantly, encourage them to keep mum and dad informed. If things change, teach them to get in touch immediately.
DON’T
1. Don’t allow them to walk along dark paths, secluded routes or anywhere where houses don’t overlook the route home.
2. Don’t assume all children are the same. Every child is different and needs different levels of independence and protection. Parents should use their knowledge of their own children in making decisions.
3. Don’t panic. It is important for us all to remember that child abduction is a very rare occurrence. Parents want to do everything they can to protect, but it is important not to do them damage by overdoing the cotton wool.
4. Don’t accept lack of communication. Drum it into them that they must adhere to rules and stay in touch.
5. Don’t allow them to play alone in a secluded area, such as a park or field. While abduction is rare, accidents are not.
• Advice from Steve McGill, youth engagement officer for Lothian and Borders Police, and Maggie Mellon, director of children and family services at Edinburgh-based charity, Children 1st
March 7th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
“Is it better to be safe than sorry?”
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features/Is-it-better-to-be.3854713.jp
March 7th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
213
Gandy
I’ve never heard you expound a theory before. You usually just tell us off for thinking Kate and Gerry are guilty.
Have you always thought it was an organised kidnap or did you get convinced last night???
March 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
211 Julie
Weather is not a problem. A passion between both of you will melt the snow
March 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Scarlett, he’s having you on, it’s the nob that is measured in metric now, most lady’s I know preferred a good linear foot.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Dave, Norwegian dancers, whatever floats your boat
http://youtube.com/watch?v=a6bVQXVQivs
March 7th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
207 Gandolf
In that case, I will have to do all the dancing
210
Lapland dance sounds good, but it can be bloody cold
what, with all that ice and polar bears around 
March 7th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
at least that’s what they say when offered an extra tenner…
March 7th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Most of the dancers I get are from Norway…
March 7th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Gandolf, he hasn’t bought any bubbles for ages cos he’s skint after having to convert all his hammers to metric.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Jo, they didn’t find her because she wasn’t there, she was in a taxi with four adults, none of whom are British residents. See the PJ haven’t made it a “”murder”" inquiry yet, because she is still alive.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Could send them up north to join the Geordie Dancer
http://youtube.com/watch?v=puA73Ylm5Pk
March 7th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Candy … potato field … no problem! Weather … huge problem! Will have to import him over here
March 7th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Gandolf - you would just have to make do with the Lapland lap dancers!