protection for the mccanns

[mata hati]

What the heck did the Maccanns have police protection for? I read the police are withdrawing and they are having panic buttons installed instead. What are they being protected from? What are they frightened of? Why have THEY got protection when I've never heard of anyone else given this privilage. What are other opinions?

[daffy654]

I believe they were offered protection because of the nutters who were accusing them of killing their daughter. In this country they are innocent until proven guilty. I have an open mind on what happened to Madeleine.

[excelsior]

i have an open mind also ... there are some questions that doubt the validity of both sides of the did they/didn't they debate.

i only have two observations.

1. portuguese police have been inept
2. something is not quite right about the mccanns

[weeal]

i agree completely with excelsior

just a strange case isnt it

[excelsior]

thank you weeal. i cannot help but think that our police would have solved this well before now

[mata hati]

Why do you think the British police are blocking the mobile phone transcripts?

[excelsior]

possibly because their exposure could damage the investigation in some way

[mata hati]

but mightnt it help if they released it to the Portugese police?

[excelsior]

good question. could we be sure that the portuguese police would make proper use of the evidence/

[excelsior]

or .... they think the transcripts are inconclusive and do not want them to cloud the investigation

[nattyg18]

innocent until proven guilty
i just wondered if people are ever charged with leaving their children alone?
if they are then shouldn't they get the same treatment as everyone else

[excelsior]

agreed. innocent till proven guilty.

people should be charged with negligence for leaving young children alone - especially in a foreign place.

you have to admit however, that something somewhere does not add up

[mata hati]

Perhaps the British police are studying them themselves to decide what to do?

The whole set-up seems rather odd though. If they want everyone to concentrate on finding Madeleine - why do they keep thusting themselves to the fore with daily reports from their various spokesmen? fore the "not sure what happened" amongst us, it seem like they are digging a deeper and deeper hole to fall into.

Stay quiet but keep searching I say !

[mata hati]

Can you be charged in one country for what was done in another one?

[excelsior]

not certain. perhaps a question to be posted in the law section for someone in that profession to clarify

[saxy_jag]

Whilst my personal jury is still out over the guilt or otherwise of the McCanns (and I'll own, there's something very unstraighforward about this case), maybe I can set your mind at rest over this.

We drove past the end of their close last weekend, and the only evidence of a police presence was one uniformed copper standing at the end of the road, talking to a press photographer - who was also the only one of his kind that I could see. It was Sunday morning, so I guess this good catholic family would be out and about at that point and game for the press. Yet there was no-one else about, anywhere, other than regular villagers going about their regular business - and even that was in the village centre, about a mile away from where the family actually live.

[starmack]

Yeah, they should have protection. UK media tried to muscle in on their lives after 48 hours at home.

Always SHOCKS me when I see UK stuff which fails to acknowledge innocence of people until otherwise proven. Have you ever read your own f***** history.

[weeal]

yeah but they DID break the law starmack

[mata hati]

thank you starmack, but I don't have a f****** history, just an ordinary one - and neither did I say anyone was guilty!
I just asked why them, when others havn't - thats a sensible question I would have thought - not an accusation!

[trakcab]

they did leave their children on their own while they went out drinking, that should be a crime on it's own

[persianlady]

Maybe they are aware of some of the threats and vile accusations that have been made from nutters on forums such as this, and fear that someone will do something stupid. there are alot of nutters out there.
The McCanns are well that they did wrong in leaving the children on their own was the wrong thing to do. What greater punishment could you give them than what they have already received?
There was a case of a child being abducted from a tent a few years ago. the parents were in the house asleep. the tent was in the garden. Were these parents negligent?
Whilst we are on the subject , at what age is it safe to let your kids out to play without parental supervision? Most children that are abducted are very young, Sarah Payne was only 6 years old. Jamie Bulger was 3 years old when he wandered off from his mother in a shopping centre. Was his mother negligent. I am not saying that she was, I am just asking where do you draw the line. Of course there is alot the McCanns know and are not saying. I am sure there is a lot they would dearly love to say, but under Portugese law they are NOT ALLOWED to say anything. Why can people not see that? We are so used to the police here being very open about things particularly when a child goes missing . The police here rely on public help, they do publuc appeals. If aparent loses a child here the police handle all the publicity etc. The parents are confident that the police are doing all they can. Please remember that the McCanns had none of that police back up in Portugal. It is all done covertly and this has led to a lot of the IMO suspicion. we are not used to this and neither are the media. In the absence of truth they have invented a hell of a lot. With so many different allegations,rumours being printed and reported day after day, who knows what is truth and what is not? No ordinary member of the public that is for sure. It is like a giant game of chinese whispers.