Madeline Mccann

[Barsel]

I know this has probably been discussed before, but I really thought this would have ended by now. Your thoughts please?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41197076

[murraymints]

perhaps not, but young children need their parents to be vigilant at all times .. including holidays.. parental responsibility never goes on vacation !

[Prudie]

Every time this topic comes up there are always 100s of posts which only proves how inconclusive it all is. To dismiss odd theories as nonsense is pompous. Absolutely none of us know what happened.

[murraymints]

Indeed Prud.. the one and only constant is ; they should NEVER have been left alone....

[ummmm]

We know that Minty.

And parents can't be vigilant at all times. Anything bad can happen when you turn your back.

[Georgiesmum]

Yes, exactly Murraymints, There was a child minding service available there so why didnt they use it?

[Georgiesmum]

The morning after Madeleine went missing, the parents were filmed walking along the beach hand in hand looking like an average couple on holiday. They certainly didnt look like a couple that had been up all night crying. That alone rang alarm bells for many people. including myself.

[Kathyan]

They took their children on a family holiday. They put their children in the creche all day and left them alone every night so that they could go out with their friends wining and dining. Some 'family' holiday!

[jackthehat]

It still appears to be so quite a few of you that the Mccanns worst crime is that of being 'middle-class'.....

[murraymints]

being middle class is not a crime... being afforded leniency because of status is not fair or justifiable.. I rather doubt Gary and Tracy from a humble backgroud and lesser intellectual abilities would have been treated thus ! I personally know one person that had the book thrown at them in this country upon return for leaving their child in a Spanish Hotel room alone to dine downstairs... that person did not fit the McCann profile for sure !

[ummmm]

It took 169 answers for you to tell us that.

[jackthehat]

In Spain.....and NOT middle-class....?

Gosh, it's just the same, isn't it?

[murraymints]

I'd rather thought most people would be of a similar mind that being middle/upper class is not a crime ?

[murraymints]

yes it is actually.. a child left alone in a foreign land whilst parent dines out...

[ummmm]

So they were arrested in Spain and prosecuted here?

[NoMercy]

No one knows what happened to Madeleine but I don't think for one minute her parents had any involvement in her disappearance and there's no cover up.

They have paid the ultimate price for their complacency and ironically, they were only trying to do the right thing by not dragging their children out with them late at night.

I cannot begin to comprehend the depth of their anguish and despair. None of us would ever want to be in their situation, so how about a bit of compassion.

[murraymints]

they were shipped home and social workers were involved.. the child was put in care pending investigation and is now back home but with regular input from child protection...

[Sqad]

NoM...I agree, but like most tragedies in life, compassion is transient an the public in general are running out of compassion and of money.
My input ....she was abducted , abused and was dead within 48 hours.

[murraymints]

of course their suffering is great NOM..rightly so... rather than drag children out late at night , their own dining arrangements should have been tempered to allow the children to join them at an earlier time... I have some kind of sympathy for them..not a lot ! A family holiday means inclusion..an Adult's holiday means leaving the children with other responsible adults and going alone...

[ummmm]

Minty....how many times have you been on holiday with toddlers?

[vulcan42]

As far as I'm concerned a child's safety pre-empts all other issues, whether you are on holiday or not.