Monday, May 28, 2007
Madeliene abandoned for at least 2 hours
It is an offence under section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 to neglect or abandon a child under the age of 16 for whom a parent or carer has responsibility. At the very least, Gerry and Kate McCann abandoned 18 months old twins Sean and Amelie for at least 2 hours when they went out for a tapas meal. And, if Madeliene was also there, at the time, then it is clear that she was also abandoned for the same length of time. It has been claimed, in some reports, that the children were checked every half hour. However, there are weaknesses in these version of events. It is claimed that Kate McCann discovered Madeliene missing at 10pm. And, that their family friend, the so-called witness, joined the McCanns for dinner at 9.30. So, who was checking on the children at 9.30? Nobody. A report claims that she claims to have seen what she saw at 9.30. Another report claims that it is believed that Madeleine was taken between 9.10pm and 9.15pm. If this is to be believed, then the children had been neglected and/or abandoned for at least 45 minutes. We are talking about a 3 year old, and two 18 month old babies, being left to fend for themselves, by two professional adults who should have known better. It might not have been so bad, but still a criminal offence, to have left children of this age for 20 minutes. But at least double that time? It might not have been so bad had the children been locked in, however, the rear patio doors to the apartment had been left unlocked to allow easy access for regular checks by the parents in the group. A report claims that one of the group might have checked the apartment, but not checked on the children, only that it was quiet, and left. This was thought to have occurred after 9.10, but nobody seems sure of anything. If the front of the McCanns apartment faced the tapas bar, why leave the back patio doors open when it could not be seen from the tapas bar? Would it not have been safer to have left the front door open? So, when did one of the McCanns or anybody else last check on the children? If it was 9 'o clock, that still leaves them being neglected and/or abandoned for one hour. If that is the case, that's three times longer than the minimum 20 minutes to satisfy a criminal prosecution in this country. Obviously, culpability is decided on a case by case basis. Both the McCanns are doctors. Gerry McCann has become a spin doctor with the media. The children were left unguarded and unchecked for a minimum of one hour. What is to say that they were not checked for 2 hours?
UPDATE: A local newspaper today reported that Mr and Mrs McCann had failed to check on their children, including two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, on the night Madeleine disappeared.
The couple claimed they were checking on the apartment every half hour as they dined at a tapas restaurant with friends, only 100 yards away.
But the Diario de Noticias, which has consistently attacked the parents’ actions, today discredited their account. The paper claimed that staff at the Mark Warner complex told them “they did not leave their table to go and check on the children while they were having dinner.”
UPDATE: As the McCanns allegedly put all three children to bed at 7pm, and Kate McCann checked on them at 10pm, that now makes it 3 hours the children were neglected and/or abandoned.
Hello, John.
ReplyDeleteI probably don't see eye-to-eye with your perspective on a lot of things, as I'm a bit of a conservative right-winger and all that. I have a read of your blog every few weeks or so, as it's quite interesting, but I tend not to comment. But in this case, I just wanted to say I think you're bang on the money. There is something very odd about this whole case, it doesn't add up and, like you, I feel strangely suspicious about the whole thing.
Hi Tom
ReplyDeleteI don't think that many people will see eye to eye with me on most things. Sometimes I swing left and sometimes I swing right and sometimes I am in the middle.
I felt it was odd from day one. I think that they can think themselves lucky it happened abroad. I feel that the questioning would have been tougher over here and that the social services might have got involved. This is why I feel that they have decided to stay in Europe and travel. I don't suppose that many people in many countries in Europe wouldn't have seen the Madeliene photos and know of the story, so the excuse of publicising it further doesn't ring true.
Ideally, I would like them to come home and one go to one police station and one to another and for them to face some tough questioning. It needs getting to the bottom of it.
This would not be allowed, but, if they were subjected to a group therapy session at HMP Grendon Underwood, the inmates would verbally tear them to pieces just by questioning and unravel falsehoods like opening a ball of wool.
If it was a genuine abduction, I feel sorry for them. But, I am not convinced even of that. If it was, then their stories of events don't add up. I think that Robert Murat and the Russian are red herrings. Any dealings that they had together I feel are unconnected to this case.
Gerry McCann has played to the media gallery, and by and large they have been going easy on them. If the audience (media) suddenly turned he could find it all back firing on him. If you are going to leave no stone unturned you cannot pussyfoot around. Let's have a look at what is crawling underneath.
The time line of events that night seems to constantly change.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it so difficult to state at what time ALL three children were last seen by a responsible adult?
Not widely reported by the British press is that Portuguese paper Diario de Noticias claimed that staff at the Mark Warner complex told them “they (McCann's) did not leave their table to go and check on the children while they were having dinner.”
What is certain from all the Time Lines out there, the Children were NOT being sighted Half Hourly as initially claimed.
anonymous: Thanks for the link. I had worked it out that the McCanns were lying through their teeth. Now it's just a question of finding out why. Perhaps, the Pope will hear their confessions?
ReplyDeleteThere is something very suspect about the whole thing. I am not following the story much, but what are two GPs (as I believe they are) doing leaving small children unattended. Also in some of the photos of the little girl show her eyes to be wrong, almost devoid of life. There is just something not right about the whole scenario. And what is this whole Pope thing, and media interviews. It just doesn't ring true. There again I do hope to God that she is safe and well and if abducted it was by some misguided people who just wanted a child of their own. If it was some paedophile scum why only take one child not all three?
ReplyDeleteTheo Spark: They are doctors and are a professional couple. However, their leaving the children for so long without any adult supervision beggars belief. I cannot help but think that the meal out was trying to establish an alibi for Madeliene's disappearance. I don't expect that they will find her in the Vatican City, nor anywhere else that they have got planned to visit on their European Tour. They've turned it into a fucking freak show...
ReplyDeleteI hope the child is found. The problem is that it is now a freak show yes, I have to agree. Something else seriously wrong? Oh dear I hope not.
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteI think I put myself in the same camp as Tom. I often come here and have a frown or two, but you're one of the few bloggers who really seems to agree with me on this.
I just don't understand why the public are able to pick holes in their stories, despite not having all the evidence, and why the police seem to be refusing to do exactly the same thing. Of course it's entirely possible that they really are the victims of bad luck, and that they just don't come across well etc. But everything about it screams something sinister and calculated. And I am also fed up with the BBC's constant updates on the story. Every time the parents open their mouths it's frontpage news.
Perhaps "Team Mark Warner" should speak out. Just about everything they have said and not widely reported coniflicts with "Team (Gerry) McCann". :Yet another example
ReplyDeleteTrish Cameron, Mr McCann's sister, said on Friday that she received a telephone call from her brother, who was "hysterical and crying his eyes out".
She said: "They had put the kids to bed at 7pm and checked on them every half-hour as they had dinner nearby with the rest of the party. Gerry said the window was open, the shutters broken and the door, which had been locked, was hanging open."
But Robin Crossland, the administrator of the resort said he had been present when the McCanns were first interviewed by police soon after Maddy vanished. "They clearly said that they had left the French windows unlocked as they were using them to access the apartment to check on the children throughout their meal," he said
My gut feeling is that it would take a very Brave portuguese Plod to haul "team McCann" in as suspects now that the Pope is on side.
On another tack, why did Gerry reveal Madelein's faulty eye to the World ? Surely this revelation put Madeleine's life into immediate danger. No illegal adoptive parents would run the risk of Madeleine finding out her True identity in the years to come. Why not leave this most significant information to the investigating authorities and interpol, medical records would have brought it to their attention sooner or later.
Hi John, I wrote about this 3 weeks ago:
ReplyDeletehttp://tuscantony.blogspot.com/2007/05/home-alone.html#links
Not happy with their story, in the slightest.
The one thing that concerns me, is not whether she was taken out of the room, but whether she was actually in there in the first place. This is something only 5 people can answer - the McCanns, Madeline and the two year old twins.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone traced the parents movements prior to that meal on the day Madeline went missing, and found anyone other than the McCanns who saw Madeline that day and if so where and what time. Also did anyone see the McCanns return to their room with Madeline before they went for the meal
Tuscan Tony: Hi at best it is gross negligence at worst its criminal. As anonymous says under your comment, was Madeliene even in the room?
ReplyDeleteJohn, I don't want to read too much into it, but the fact that she goes jogging every day seems pretty weird to me,...
ReplyDeleteTheo commentis rem acu tetegisti
ReplyDeleteThe press interview with the parents was remarkable if only for the complete lack of emotion on either side. Most odd.
ReplyDeletejosephine bloggs: I have found them remarkably unemotional all the way through. I would love to have had a long range microphone picking up their conversation together on their walk on the beach...
ReplyDeleteI WOULDNT LEAVE MY 9 AND 10 YEAR OLD ALONE SLEEPING AT HOME, MUCH LESS A STRANGE COUNTRY, IN AN APARTMENT THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO. I AGREE IT IS CRIMINAL TO ABANDON YOUR CHILDREN LIKE THAT. I guess they won't leave the other two they are still responsible for?
ReplyDeleteanonymous: Let's hope that they have learnt their lesson.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone thats left a message on here is a horrible, uncaring person. I have a 4 year old daughter who looks just like Madeleine. Although I would never have left her asleep in a room on holiday whilst my husband and I went out for a meal, I do think about other times when I do leave her without me. If I go to a petrol station, I leave her in my car while I go to pay. If I am just popping into the corner shop for some milk, I leave her in the car directly outside. I believe that if someone wants to take your child for whatever reason, it would not matter whether you were having a meal or were just popping into the local shop! Stop giving her parents grief. They do not need this right now. Their main focus is to get her back and although if it was me I would not be able to function at all, I would still hope to find the strength to do exactly what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in finding Madeleine.
anonymous: It is one thing to leave your child for a few minutes. Quite another to leave them for three hours. In this case, I don't believe that Madeliene was abducted at all. I strongly suspect the McCanns to be involved in her disappearance.
ReplyDeleteexcuse my inglish,
ReplyDeletebut entbody think it is a rare coincidence that the girl is taken the same night tthe parence leave her alone? or can it be the were leaving her alone every night to go out for dinner and the one(s) who took her knew that..... I think it is al very strangs and I tink the parends are not free of bleem.
I have a 2 yaer old, how is is posible you laeve a child alone to go to dinner or by some milk in the corner shop! i don´t understand
Hi guys im a secret agent and a spy i dont want you to know this but i have fond madeline but i will not say were nobody knows but i think its good to give yall some high hopes good luck people
ReplyDelete