MADDYWATCH: A Day Of Madeleine McCann
MADDYWATCH
Anorak’s at-a-glance guide to press coverage of Madeleine McCann
DAILY EXPRESS: Front page, plus pages 4 and 5, with logo (“THE HUNT FOR MADELEINE: Day 116”).
The paper reports that “the campaign of slurs against Kate and Gerry McCann continued last night after it was claimed the scent of a corpse had been detected on their car keys.”
The allegations, from a Portuguese paper were “the latest in a long line of lurid and hurtful stories hinting that the couple were somehow to blame for their daughter’s disappearance”.
The Express also announces (in a prominent headline): “Madeleine’s father loses faith in police”. Close reading of the article reveals this to be the paper’s own interpretation of Gerry McCann’s comments to the press that “obviously there is no sign of a breakthrough” and that “the only way I’ll be happy is when Madeleine is found”.
THE SUN: Small column on page 9 (“Maddie father in cop rap”). The paper infers that Mr McCann “hinted that he had lost faith in the police investigation”.
THE DAILY MIRROR: A third of page 11. “MADDY: IT’S OVER” – headline confusingly placed above a picture of Kylie “showing off her new look”. The paper confidently states that Mr McCann has lost faith in the police and “plans to wind down the media campaign”
DAILY STAR: Two-thirds of page 19. “We just can’t take much more of this” reads the headline, referring to the smear stories about the car keys. The story also refers to Mr McCann’s appearance at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, at which he said of the media coverage: “I don’t think it’s necessary in terms of bombarding people on a daily basis with Madeleine’s image.”
DAILY TELEGRAPH: One twentieth of page 6: “Father’s frustration over Maddy inquiry”. Notable only for the use of the tabloid-style “Maddy” in the headline – a name the McCanns have never used. Quotes Mr McCann as wanting to “get to the bottom of things”.
THE INDEPENDENT: One third of page 12 (media section): “Madeleine’s father in attack on media pack”. The paper says that Mr McCann told the Edinburgh audience that the levels of sensationalism in some of the news reporting had been unbelievable. He also TV for “saturation coverage with nothing to report.” The paper says that “some of TV’s news executives shifted uncomfortably in their seats”. Whether through embarrassment or physical discomfort after a long lunch is not explained.
THE GUARDIAN: No Madeleine news today.
Posted: 27th, August 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (131) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
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September 9th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
So what did the McCanns’s do with Madeline’s dead body for 24+ days in a warm May?
Did they stash her body under a bush or a shallow quickly-dug grave somewhere near the resort?
Did they hire or purchase a small freezer chest, remove the interior shelving and racks, then load her body in and run some length of flex to a back shed with a mains connexion?
A day before they depart Portugal for the Vatican for the Holy Father’s Blessing, the McCann’s hire a car, which has blood/body fluids detected in the boot area and the starter key fob by Brit sniffer dogs.
Why was the car hired the day before departure?
Me thinks these 2 docs gots lots of ’splainin to do…
September 8th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Thank goodness for one sensible, rational comment from SUBEDEI. Whilst I can entirely understand the degree of scepticism brought about by the high profile media campaign, the irrational vitriol contained in the majority of these responses takes my breath away.
All these people moved to comment and not a single brain cell between them!
I find this degree of animosity against this couple more disturbing than anything else associated with this case apart, perhaps, from the quite unbelievable incompetence of the Portuguese police. They are heading for significant embarrasment which will be very enjoyable to watch when it happens.
The McCanns are guilty of nothing more than an intelligent response to a horrendous personal crisis. Those of us who have not lost a child in these circumstances can only speculate on how inadequately we may have responded in similar circumstances.
September 7th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
I just commented on the new Anorak site regarding this….overdose, panic, drs in party try cpr or tracheotomey, blood, etc..body is bruised and in bad condition, looks like abuse, lose body…possible
September 7th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Current evidence/hearsay: Madeline possibly given overdose of sleeping tablets or some similar substance. Then - blood stains, detailed study of.
Simple observation: if someone dies from an overdose of sleeping tablets, they don’t bleed.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
The press exist to sell papers. If articles on gorilla dung sold papers, they would be full of articles on gorilla dung. Most press reports have to be considered with this in mind. They are largely uncoupled from ‘reality’ as such.
RE the ‘middle class’ thing, there is a well-attested media phenomenon called ‘Pretty White Girl Syndrome’. The Anglo-Saxon media provenly lavishes far more pulp on pretty, white middle class girls under 35 than anyone else, especially if they go missing or are killed. Evolutionary psychology (sociobiology) has a theory or two about this. It probably relates to the fact that such girls are necessary for society’s self-perpetuation, in a way males or older women are not. Blacks also receive far less coverage, maybe because Anglo-American society remains covertly racist.
I think the hysterical hatred of the McCanns probably relates to a temporary backlash against this tendency rather than the emergence of real evidence against them. The eagerness of the press to beatify the working class boy shot on Merseyside seems also part of this - normally, such an event would be on page 18. In short, debates about class and the media should be debates about class and the media - because the media is appallingly classist, misandrist, ageist and racist does not make the McCanns guilty: it leaves the facts of the case untouched.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Just to correct the record here. Post No. 112 was NOT made by me … Molly (118) … just in case you think I’d had a sudden ODD change of point of view!! Sorry, I’ve just noticed this post … and I would certainly not use the term “Yous” …. obviously been posted by one of those “children” that are popping up every now and again!
August 29th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Edna .. it is one of those occasions where we are nations divided by a common language
Rag is indeed not used for feminine products here … but I can fully see why it would make hilarious reading for Americans LOL
It is a little like ‘Fanny Pack’, which we Brits find hilarious as over here Fanny refers to the front part of a woman’s anatomy
August 29th, 2007 at 10:59 am
I just stumbled across all these comments. I’m not going to mention any of them. I’m laughing too hard at The Daily Star’s headline, ” MADDIE’S DAD LOSES HIS RAG”. Unless the term rag isn’t used for feminine products in the UK, this is hilarious. I’m sure any Americans reading are having a laugh, too.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/14019/Maddie-s-dad-loses-his-rag/
August 29th, 2007 at 7:59 am
No Inhale, I do not believe my statement to be premature - even if everything in your post came true, the McCanns’ children would still know that their parents endangered them for the sake of a meal out with their friends.
A child’s trust is precious beyond any material possessions and any amount of public acheivement. Even if Madeleine were to reappear by some miracle, that trust has been destroyed. No matter what fragile trust would re-build between her and her parents, their neglect of her for their own selfish ends would forever be between them.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:35 am
Post 117 says: “the McCanns could have had all of that and more, but they threw it away for the sake of a Jolly”
Isn’t this statement bit e premature, biased and purely speculative? The public don’t have all the facts at hand and Mr and Mrs MCCann are not suspects, may never be suspects. They may get their daughter back one day. Then they may go on to write books and chair committees for missing and exploited children around the world. They may use every penny earned to protect abused and neglected children. They may do great things with their lives. No one knows how this will all play out.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:19 am
(119) Potsy -you must be a caring teacher. Your points are valid and shows you have a deep rooted concern for kids and a great spirit.
Do you practice Yoga? It helps to meditate and chant in times of distress like this. May I borrow from and expand upon your words?
“Let us shine light on every crevice and find the truth, beauty and goodness in mankind in all walks of life” which is indeed what everyone wants.
Namaste,
Yogini
August 28th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
I just wanted to make one last posting. As I said, I teach in the US, I have never gone on a forum before….wanted to express myself regarding the case of this poor missing girl.
I am surprised at some of the responses on this forum. People give opinions, and then someone calls them “sick”, etc…for expressing an educated opinion??? I looked at some other forums, but am afraid to “jump in” as the same thing is going on…vitriolic responses to some interesting, logical comments….These nasty comments seem purposeful and attempt to muddy the waters…so their is no illumination…no light shone on the facts. (facts that do implicate the McCanns, even if only towards neglect and media manipulation). Who are the people making these nasty comments? Do they have an affiliation or agenda?
Sad really…As a teacher, I know that 80% of child harm is by someone that they know. I had a 10 year old girl with a broken arm, I asked her how it happened…she told me five different stories. I went to my boss (the principal) and she told me that I was “sick” for thinking such a thing and social services was not called. Two months later, this child had a broken leg, the principal called social services this time. The father packed up the family and left that night. I still wonder how this poor little thing is…
These incidents are not isolated. It happens more than we wish to think of it. Most times it happens by “accident” (pj theory)….by anger or neglect (McCs)…or sedation to keep the kids in situ. McCs cannot claim ignorance if this one is true.
My cousin as a toddler fell on a gravel driveway and was scraped. The Doctor called social services because of her scrapes and bruises. My aunt and uncle were cleared and thanked the doctor. He was suspicious and did his job and ILLUMINATION cleared them.
Let us shine light on every crevice and find the truth…whatever it may be. Isnt that basically what everyone wants?
Sick, yes actually, I have a summer cold…
August 28th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Desiree,
maybe there are different distances to school in our countries. There are a lot of primary schools in Germany and they are very small. My daughter will go to school next year, that school is just over the street. (Nevertheless I don’t think I would let her go alone in the first year - and later I will stand on the balcony wringing hands every morning ;-)) I read in a swiss newspaper, that the police is warning people to take there kids to school by car, because the traffic is dangerous to all children who walk the way by feet.
Here is one link about that poor girl Ylenia, but of course it is only in german: http://www.suedkurier.de/region/konstanz/kreis/art2974,2771422
(Gern geschehn:-))
August 28th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Julie (111)
I KNOW I shouldn’t rise to the bait, but what the heck, I couldn’t resist (a girl has to have a treat every now and again
)
I can assure you 100% that I am in NO way jealous of the McCanns… why would I be?
I come from the kind of middle class background that they can only aspire to, I too have a university education and a respected profession, money is not an issue … and what is more I have 3 beautiful almost adult children who work hard, are self sufficient and who care about others. They also know that I have never left them alone while I went out to indulge myself … the McCanns could have had all of that and more, but they threw it away for the sake of a Jolly.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Desire Ylenas parents behave completely differently, than the McCanns. They do not stand in the public! No nobody makes for parents of reproaches that Ylena alone into the swimming pool went! Such a thing cannot suspect! Van Aesch had definitely Ylena in the car! The DNA proves! The police does EVERYTHING around its body to search! Many employments of the police take place! All areas become checked! But of reproaches no speech can be! The municipality had held and had gebetet a service!
August 28th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Hi Elke, In the U.S. very few kids walk to school by themselves. They take busses or the parents drive them there. If they walk, they walk in groups and they are over 10 or 12 years old. It just isn’t safe anymore. To think that Yleni was just going to get some shampoo at her house and met with a fate that no child should have to endure makes me think that school bussing children is a good idea afterall. At least they are in a group with adult supervision.
Do you have any links to share on this story from the Swiss press?
Danke Schoen!
August 28th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Desiree (113),
german newspapers are reporting about Ylenia - as they do about Madeleine. Sadly, there is not too much to report. Ylenias mother is a single parent, I do not believe anybody blames her. They live nearby the swimming pool, where the girl was abducted. Her daughter went to fetch a shampoo, which she forgot the day before. The girl was 5 and a half year old. I don’t know how the habits are in England, but in Switzerland - like in Germany - the kids go to school with 6 and most of them walk the way sooner or later alone. In Switzerland a lot of children walk the way alone to kindergarden, too. It’s always a difficult matter to decide, when and how to give the children the possibility to act independend, isn’t it? But I don’t think this is comparable to the behaviour of the Mccanns. Leaving three such small children alone in the night - I guess most parents all over the world would find this irresponsible.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Post 12 - In response to Stephanie: I agree Stephanie. There is no way to simply generalize what the German Police would do differently on this case than the PJ.
They may have done things the very same way. Many of the Swiss police are from German origins. They too have not discovered the grisly details of the missing Swiss girl Yleni or uncovered the full details of that crime.
Are you seeing much coverage of that story in Germany? What are they saying about Yleni’s parents over there? Are they getting support or a bum rap like the Mccans are for negligently allowing their 5 year old to be unsupervised at a swimming pool where the abduction took its toll?
Inquiring minds want to know!!
August 28th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Hello Pat! What would the Germans do? What exact do you mean? One cannot generalize German in such a way! Many Germans feel deep sympathy with Maddie! Many for parents also! Some German of people mean, the McCanns radiates an ice cold weather out could be somehow involved! Many German people stand completely clearly behind parents! I am convinced that the German police also EVERYTHING would do, in order to find Maddie! Exactly the same as the British police! I am not always reliably whether portu the police always well work! I would never leave my children alone! That really accuse I the McCanns! That is not correct! In any case ones we wait Germans for the break-through and always pray for small Maddie! Is Pat male or a female name?
August 28th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
You are all sick sick sick people. The jealousy in you all is very obvious and sooooo strange. I wouldn’t swap place with the McCanns for any any amount of money. It’s not their money you stupid clowns, they haven’t spent it on themselves. Yous are stupid stupid people, Bet not one of you has a university degree, never mind the ablility to be a doctor. Jealousy will get you nowhere, only bitterness. You all deserve nothing………….
August 28th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
(106) Moderation: glad there are at least two of us who aren’t rushing to conclusions on this. That doesn’t mean I have a closed mind to other possibilities (I have discussed them on this site) but I see them as that and a lot less likely.
Hey, its gone very quiet, where are all the conspiracy theorists?
Sally (107). This is a week old. Is this an attempt by the Portugese press to say the PJ are so smart that they are using misinformation to help the case?
One could almost beleive the UK tabloid and Portugese tabloid journo’s are all off having a glass of sangria while talking through how they can collectively build up the next wave of reports ie. so in the absence of info, they can report on & slag each other off.
August 28th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Could this perchance be the same Toby Serter who reported earlier in August that the DNA on the bottle from the cafe in Belgium matched Madeleine’s?
August 28th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
and your point is, Sally???
August 28th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Seeing as though everyone quotes the papers - here’s one:
The tragic case of missing Madeleine McCann has exposed the best and the worst of human nature.
On the one hand there are the hundreds of thousands of people who desperately want to show their support in whatever way they can for Kate and Gerry McCann.
(and this is specially for all of you):
On the other hand, there are those who feel it is justifiable to insult and spread nasty rumours about a couple who are struggling to deal with the disappearance of their daughter.
It is inevitable that due to the media interest in the case the McCanns would come under public scrutiny, but what started out as whisperings of disapproval over their decision to leave their children unsupervised has transformed into a full blown witch-hunt.
Hundreds of websites, blog- spots and internet chatrooms are inundated every day with slurs against the McCanns and unfounded speculation about the fate of their daughter.
Unlike the McCann’s supporters, the majority of their critics prefer to hide behind the anonymity of a computer when carrying out their public persecution of the couple.
Overnight the case created a media frenzy which has shown very little sign of abating and due to intense pressure for the press to produce new and exclusive stories much of this on-line speculation is being recycled in national newspapers in the UK, Portugal and across Europe.
While it is important for the couple to ensure their daughter’s plight remains in the public consciousness, the McCanns have in a sense become victims of the publicity the case has generated. The story is no longer about Madeleine but about her parents.
Madeleine’s father Gerry McCann has described the publicity as a “double-edged sword” and said he finds it difficult to understand why Madeleine’s disappearance has generated so much media coverage and why it has been so sustained.
In his daily blog this week he said he was certain that the coverage would not have been nearly as great if this had happened 10 years ago.
“No doubt Madeleine’s physical appearance also captured the public’s imagination as well as the highly unusual circumstances of a foreign child being abducted on holiday,” he said.
Gerry added: “Our family decided to try and make as many people as possible aware that Madeleine was missing quickly.
“After the first few weeks we fully expected the media attention to die down, but this has just not happened.
” Some sections of the media now question their roles in the coverage of the news story that is Madeleine.
“Kate and I quickly realised that much of the coverage was pure speculation, which was often negative and certainly unhelpful for us.
“We decided to rely on information only from official sources and this has certainly helped us remain on a fairly even keel, despite some of the lurid headlines.”
The incessant, negative, media coverage has begun to take its toll on the McCanns and it is likely it is one of the main factors that swayed their decision to return home.
Gerry said that while it will be difficult leaving Portugal without Madeleine he now feels that staying there may be ” counterproductive”.
In an interview at the Edinburgh Television Festival recently, Mr McCann said: “We cannot sustain that level of interest and Kate and I want to withdraw from the campaign.”
However, whether their move home within the next few weeks will help switch the media agenda away from them and back to Madeleine remains to be seen.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:59 am
I was horified to hear that the Mccanns were coming home my initial thoughts were leaving poor Madeleine there, I have thought though reading newspaper articles that something just did not add up
1. First Mccanns would not leave Portugal until Madeleine is found (then they are retruning home)
2. Media Campaign is going to be scaled down (but Jerry asks fund for money to help with posters, Awareness etc)
3. Jerry saying that he and Kate know something that they cannot release to us under Portugese law.
4. All this she is Alive then Dead a messed up burgulary, parents did it then they didn’t, then they are suspects and now they are not, press and police trying to push them out of portugal and then asking them to stay, I then stumbled across this report in a Google search
Madeleine McCann alive in Spain – new discovery following Portuguese Police false press tactic.
Article by Toby Serter
Wednesday 22nd August 2007, 18:17
Missing 4 year old Madeleine McCann is apparently alive and has been living in Spain with a young couple, it is alleged by Portuguese papers.
The news comes as the McCann family had announced several ground-breaking statements that they were virtually giving up all hope for their missing daughter and were considering returning to England.
The allegations are the Madeleine McCann who was snatched more than 110 days ago from a holiday resort in the Algarve, had been taken to a remote house in the hills in Southern Spain.
Sightings of a girl resembling missing Madeleine have recently been reported in the village of Competa and others have suggested that the child had been holed up in a remote mountain hide-away for months and was taken there on the night she disappeared.
Kate and Gerry McCann gave interviews to Spain’s three top-selling newspapers in which they insisted there was a “very real possibility” their daughter had not been killed.
These latest allegations appear to go against recent Portuguese police statements acknowledging for the first time that Madeleine could be dead.
The couple refused to say whether police have told them the young girl could be in Spain, but their interviews will fuel speculation that detectives have a new lead.
It is now 111 days since Madeleine vanished from her bed in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz while her parents ate with friends in a nearby tapas restaurant.
A senior Portuguese police officer said yesterday that detectives had a “positive feeling” about the investigation as they await key DNA test results.
It is alleged that the Portuguese Police released false statements about giving up the hunt for Madeleine in order to try and flush out new evidence.
A Portuguese press spokesperson said “This is mainly the reason why the Police do not deal with the press during cases such as these, so that they can use them to their advantage and not give any advantages to the possible kidnappers”.
The Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham is still analysing blood specks found by British sniffer dogs on the wall of Madeleine’s bedroom in the McCanns’ holiday flat.
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, the spokesman in the case, said the forensic results were needed to test the hypothesis that Madeleine is now dead.
In recent weeks the focus of the investigation has moved away from Anglo-Portuguese ex-pat Robert Murat, 33, still the only official suspect in the case.
Unconfirmed reports this week said the inquiry was at a “decisive phase”, with police poised to launch fresh searches in the Algarve.
The McCanns have acknowledged there has been a “shift in the investigation”, but today they said nothing had changed in the past fortnight.
Pledging to ensure his daughter would not “become a statistic”, Mr McCann told El Mundo: “There is a very real possibility that Madeleine is alive and we want the police to look for her.”
He went on: “The possibility that Madeleine is alive and in Spain is real. It is something we did not consider at the beginning, but now we are seriously weighing up.
“The border between the two countries is very big. If someone had a car, it is clear they could cross into Spain. There is no border guard and no one closed the border the night Madeleine disappeared.”
Asked if the couple had received concrete information from Spanish police that Madeleine was alive and in Spain, Mr McCann said: “They are involved in the investigation, but I cannot tell you what they are working on, they will have to tell you officially.”
Preliminary DNA tests on the blood traces found in the flat have revealed it probably came from a man from north-eastern Europe, The Times reported last week.
The McCanns refused to discuss the report today, but Mrs McCann told El Pais: “That the samples could correspond to another person is not that surprising.”
Mr McCann also strongly defended the friends the couple were dining with on the night Madeleine went missing.
Dr Russell O’Brien, 36, was forced to issue a statement yesterday condemning “completely untrue and extremely hurtful” smears about him published in the Portuguese press.
Mr McCann told El Mundo: “We know the police have to investigate all possibilities. But what remains clear is that we have not the slightest doubt in and fully trust our friends.”
It was reported today that police have advised the McCanns to stay in Portugal in case there is a major development.
A spokeswoman for the family said she was aware of the reports, but stressed that the couple are not suspects and can return to Britain whenever they choose.
Mr McCann plans to travel to Scotland on Friday to speak at the Edinburgh Festival the following day.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Yay Jonathan. It is so nice to hear a reasoned approach. I really thought I was alone in wanting to be ‘fair’.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Hi Pat , on other forums when I said “time to go now and hand over to Pat” I meant that I am an hour in front of UK and usually log off at about 5, Pat you are obviously in USA so as I go off you come on. and believe it or not, I enjoy reading your posts the next day. i think you have some real valid points and I look forward to them. I also get too involved and often end up in tears over news stories, this forum is very slow today, because I sense the focus is shifting…..
August 28th, 2007 at 11:51 am
I do respect other people’s right to have a different opnions, but I going to say that the UK and other developed countries adopt an innocent until proven guilty strategy based on hundred/thousands of years of experience. The speculation that has been reported, amplified and echoed here and other places is still just that. On Friday, the PJ made it clear the Ms were not suspects, they were awaiting results and they had theories. Thats basically it.
I believe Madeleine was abducted from the beginning because the basic story is that the M’s went to the tapas bar and when they came back she wasn’t there. There is no EVIDENCE officially stated to the contrary, so sorry folks. The rest of the conspiracies about friends, money, fame, and fortune are so unlikely they make me laugh.
As for the DNA evidence taking a long time - this really isn’t another info gap for conspiracy theorists to fill. There are two basic tools for producing DNA profiles - centrifuges and electrophoresis gels. The centrifuge is used to spin samples causing heavier samples to ‘fall’ to the bottom of a tube where they can extracted and then ‘run’ using an electrophoresis gel to produce the classic banded photos we see from time to time. Thats easy when there is really only one source of DNA - an overnight process. When you have many mixed DNA sources it becomes extremely difficult to seperate them and therefore the bands. Imagine a whole load of jigsaws pieces from many (complex) jigsaws in one box and you can’t sort them out until you successfully find all (and just the bits) for each jigsaw. You can then remove those pieces so to speak and keep going until you have all the jigsaws made. (My lab experience on this is 20years old, so I’m sure that computer analysis plays a large part - makes it actually possible). Each complete jigsaw is one person’s DNA profile which you can try to then match against a database. Thats is probably the only reason why the forensic analysis is taking time.
Note that this doesn’t apply to the blood samples which will be a more pure, but damaged source of DNA. The results for the blood spots, if possible, have probably been made available ages ago. If they are, how come nobody has been arrested?
August 28th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Stephanie Last night I saw a new picture of the complex where the McCanns were staying. There was no way to view the room on the back from the Tapas. After looking at the picture from the back of the area, which really will make you nervous, much could happen. You might have been worried to have the children using that room while on holiday even if you were there. I know you worry like I do! One point, I doubt seriously the McCanns were leaving the door unlocked to the children’s room on the back of the complex.
I also read that the apartment the McCanns were staying was rented to MW. I don’t know if people actually live in them, such as Mrs. Fen?, or if they are all used as holiday apartments. Considering Spudgun’s view about the dogs it is impossible to know if someone might have died in the apartment at another time, especially if people live in the apartments. Does anyone know if the dogs went to the bed Madeleine was sleeping or the location? I read that the dog got real nervous when entering the apartment. The dog info doesn’t sound good, quite honestly, but the only information that I have read comes from the dutch study and no official information from the UK or Portugal police, or is there?
I am not questioning the integrity of the Dutch study because if there is a strong indication that a search for a missing child is misleading people need to know. There is also another area of interest for them to consider.
I have read an official Portugal police statement that the strong theory is that Madeleine died the night she went missing. I think but unsure that the info about having more evidence of a death other than dna or dog was mentioned officially too?
What I think for now is the telling part will be what the parents do. If an accident was covered, as suggested by some, the campaign will find some way to stop the search? If there was possibly a death, unknown to parents, the campaign must continue searching for the responsible person or the death info could be incorrect and Madeleine could be alive? If there are e mails and phone info that suggest a death that must be confronted to avoid a misleading campaign.
My guess is that the people who initially put up the large donations will not approve of a continued search for an alleged accident victim. There is so much public scrutiny that one way or another the obvious will surface.
Stefanie what would the Germans do?
August 28th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Yes… a very big own goal by Brown…
August 28th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Yes Pepe, I think you raise some valid points that people who do not understand or care for Portugal too readily overlook. In support I would say:
1. Of course the PJ want to solve the crime and prove the country is “safe” for law-abiding families, (toursim in the Algarve is very important to the economy). This is a vastly different situation to the alleged scandals involving Portuguese orphanages or institutions, where perhaps there may have been reasons to cover things up. This is not the case in this instance.
2. The PJ have hardly covered themselves in glory, however and were clearly confused/ mislead in the early part of the search / investigations which resulted in their competence and motives being open to question. They need a positive result to restore public confidence.
3. There have been very similar scandals in Britain, the USA and (I expect) most countries throughout the world, so I do not think we should put Portugal in the dock for it’s treatment of children. In my personal experience they are a very caring people.
4. The point you make about Brown aligning himself with the McCann’s is typical of the way that Politicians try to jump on the bandwagon of a popular cause that will gain them favour with the public, although he’s been very quiet on the matter recently….
It would have been great if he’d condemned the McCann’s for leaving their children and warned they (and others who do the same) could be guilty of negligence and therefore prosecuted. However, he took the easy option and lined up alongside the footballers, the popstars, the clergy and UK media in the rush to blindly support them.
That’s politicians for you, maybe a new career for McCann?