Comments on: Britt Lapthorne: A Body Is Found

By: annoyed

annoyed — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:11:33 +0000

I am not implying that the Lapthorne family’s despair and heartache isn’t genuine, but god they are a bunch of whingers. No publicity - boo hoo. No Australian government support - get a hold of yourselves - your kid went missing in CROATIA. Not AUSTRALIA. You’re lucky they even sent someone to that east european country to hold your hand. I mean, how much can a Australian policeman do for you in another country - where he has no jurisdiction or authority? Most countries wouldn’t give a clusterf*** about your kid going missing. All I hear is whinging and blaming the Australian government - how ungrateful. Thankfully this episode is nearing its conclusion.

That said, the handling by the Croat authorities has been abysmal. The whole affair has been one bungle after another.

By: lyn

lyn — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:34:01 +0000

Fancy having to wait 10 days before results are know. That would be enough to send anyone around the bend so to speak. With the advances in science surely DNA testing could be made more streamlined. The fact that a body was found in the area, and they don’t know what gender it is, it awful.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:59:58 +0000

mods

You had to edit me twice!!!

And I really was trying not to be contemptuous!!!

(Lord, I hope I haven’t done it again… ).

By: lyn

lyn — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:38:00 +0000

Britt may have been missing longer than is reported too. If someone was trying to post her passport they must have known she had gone! Tragic for the family. Not much news around about this girl though, strangely.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:55:12 +0000

agw

And it’s contempt of court… I really should pay attention….

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:53:05 +0000

agw

Sorry again - it’s been so long since they dug up his old house I forgot there hadn’t been a trial yet.

And another sorry…

By: Melbourne Girl & A Mother

Melbourne Girl & A Mother — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:52:14 +0000

Being a new mum who has had some crazy and amazing backpacker experiences in my past, I can only feel a deep sympathy for this young girl simply trying to see the world and for her family & friends who must be expecting the worst and probably now hoping only to find her body so that they can have some closure.
I am deeply disturbed to have read that the son of the hostel owners where Britt was staying has gone on Croatian media record saying that she was promiscuous and a drunk. Firstlty, he is talking about someone missing and very possibly not alive..secondly - so what? is that relevant? does that mean she “asked” for something to happen. Moron.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:47:05 +0000

agw

I was in satire mode… sorry….

It’s true, newspapers ignore lots of interesting stories. There are huge murder stories in Scotland that rumble on for months and are lucky to get half a paragraph in the English editions of the newspapers and almost never get on the national news on T.V.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:08:27 +0000

It still bothers me the haste by someone to cast aspersions on her good name …

By: June

June — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:50:14 +0000

And of course how many UK brunettes going missing in Oz? or nearby countries?

By: agw

agw — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:22:59 +0000

Blonde isn’t the issue. Initial failure to appreciate the situation by police (sound familiar?) was interesting in itself… and the Croatian effort to keep it’s fragile tourist industry intact by suppression of information coupled with the lack of a proper search for a missing 21-year-old traveller IS news.

The 15,600 Facebook entries also make it a new type of news story worth more than a casual glance. Friends and family forcing the Australian Government to DO something and send a liaison police officer to the scene.

Many of the world’s youngsters want to know the truth of the Bosnian horror and visiting the area is the way to find out.

The most chilling statement I’ve read in years was issued by the Deputy Head of police in Dubrovnik today.
Ivan Kukrika said of the badly decomposed body found today: “It is probably not her.”
In the most matter of fact way possible he explained why; he said many bodies were washed up from nearby Albania.
By very glad you can sit at the keyboard and the rain doesn’t come in.

But you are right…she is blonde.

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:15:44 +0000

To be fair - how many people go missing in the world - could the Brit press cover every story?

Having said that - she is a blonde…

By: June

June — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:36:16 +0000

The irony will be , it will be a UK resident?
Whoever it is - a tragedy