Maddy Mccann And 24-hour Rolling News

[Addie]

That’s a difficult one Slinky, but my answer would be NO.

 

The Portugese police have their way of doing things. They seem to keep things closer to their chests than UK police.

 

Rightly or wrongly, like it or loathe it, we have heard very little from official police sources. All we have are the endless briefings by family, ‘friends’, spokespeople and the ‘campaign manager’. All taking 15 minutes to tell the media that they actually know nothing new whatsoever.

 

It has been said elsewhere that it wasn’t the police that divulged her arguida status, it was the McCann team that briefed the press. The whole thing is media gone mad.

 

But, I truly don’t think that they have killed their daughter.

 

And if they did, certainly not deliberately. I feel it must have been an accident of some sort.

 

If it was an accident, then why try to hide the facts and also hide their daughter? And why would they hang around for months at the scene of their crime? It just doesn’t seem right.

 

I hope that the child is still alive and not being hurt by anyone. I find myself looking at children of her age and if I saw those eyes, I’d sweep her up, run somewhere safe and answer questions later.

 

I don’t think they are guilty of more than perhaps using a sleeping aide for the children whilst leaving them unsupervised and exposed to all manner of dangers.

 

Without finding Madeleine, dead or alive, what other case is there to answer at the moment?

 

The funds were given to assist in finding Madeleine, not fund a defence case.

 

And just in case interest wanes, now we have the grotesque Max Clifford oiling his palms and ready to sign up one Robert Murat, once Portuguese police declare his "arguido" status has been lifted

 

I’ve gone right off the media.

[Bananaman]

No smoke without fire

 

 

[Amadeus]

What a feckin media circus in total overdrive - BBC (and 90% of all other stations from around the world, judging by the amount of cameras in view) had live coverage this morning from their bungalow. The reason? They drove to the airport to fly to the UK.

 

I'm not kidding: A good half an hour long was the viewer treated to the sight of a bungalow in Portugal with no human movements to be seen. Pointless chatter with the correspondent on the scene, right down to the point were I thought they're gonna run out of irrelevant and meaningless quertions soon. Then 60 seconds of McCann's getting into car and driving off - the end. What sort of mad media circus is this? Aren't they supposed to look for a little girl somewhere? Has this minor point been drowned out by now?

[Pragmatopian]

Just to play devils advocate for a moment - if they do get charged with the death or abduction of their daughter.

 

The fund for the search of Madeline has reached around £1million and it is said that they may now need this money to fight their defence. Do you think that donated money should be used to clear their name? Seeing as it was donated for a different purpose.

 

Just looked at the Madeleine Fund website and it has the following details:

 

Madeleine’s fund is a non charitable not-for-profit company, which has been established to help find Madeleine McCann and to support her family and bring her abductors to justice. Any surplus funds will be used to help families and missing children in the United Kingdom, Portugal and elsewhere in similar circumstances. If there are surplus funds Madeleine’s Funds can be converted into a charity.

 

The Fund is following best practice governance procedures as set out in the Good Governance Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector. The directors of the company are Peter Hubner, Brian Kennedy, John McCann, Esther McVey, Doug Skehan and Philip Tomlinson. They have appropriate legal, business and charitable experience. An experienced Fund Administrator has been appointed to ensure the highest standards of transparency and accountability. This should enable the Directors to maintain an appropriate governance distance in the day-to-day operations of the Fund.

 

The Board and its individual Directors will ensure that the Fund is subject to required financial legal scrutiny. They will ensure that they receive reliable external advice and information, as the basis for making good decisions.

 

NOTE

 

1.1 The full objects of the Fund are:

 

1.1.1 To secure the safe return to her family of Madeleine McCann who was abducted in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Thursday 3rd May 2007;

 

1.1.2 To procure that Madeleine’s abduction is thoroughly investigated and that her abductors, as well as those who played or play any part in assisting them, are identified and brought to justice; and

 

1.1.3 To provide support, including financial assistance, to Madeleine’s family.

 

1.2 If the above objects are fulfilled then the objects of the Foundation shall be to pursue such purposes in similar cases arising in the United Kingdom, Portugal or elsewhere.

 

It's framed so widely that it may allow funds to be provided to Madeleine's parents for the purposes of funding a legal defense. I would suggest that this goes entirely against the spirit in which people donated money to the fund and I would find it abhorrent if the money were to be used in this way.

[bluemonday]

Without prejudging anything, I find it strange that after being named suspects, they straight away fly back to the UK-" in an attempt to restore a sense of normal family life for their twins" ( front page of todays Times. )

Ok to foment and encourage - till recent events - a media circus ( See Ams post above )

but all of a sudden, they up sticks................

[Albert Tatlock]

Without prejudging anything, I find it strange that after being named suspects, they straight away fly back to the UK-" in an attempt to restore a sense of normal family life for their twins" ( front page of todays Times. )

Ok to foment and encourage - till recent events - a media circus ( See Ams post above )

but all of a sudden, they up sticks................

I heard on the news that their accomodation was only rented until Monday (today), a date agreed well before they became official suspects.

[ai_Droid]

Without prejudging anything, I find it strange that after being named suspects, they straight away fly back to the UK-" in an attempt to restore a sense of normal family life for their twins" ( front page of todays Times. )

Ok to foment and encourage - till recent events - a media circus ( See Ams post above )

but all of a sudden, they up sticks................

 

I gather the police scheduled the suspect style questioning because they knew the Mccanns were leaving.

 

I'm not surprised they decided to come home, their reception in Portugal has become very frosty.

[feelslikeitshould]

I'm just getting tired of it all now. Everyone seems to have become some-what desensitised by it all now. I'm sure the media hounding the family are secretly hoping that the McCanns do get charged because that will really sell papers. I find it hard to believe that they are involved, how could you keep stirring up public interest in the case when you've got her body hidden somewhere, ready to transport in the middle of the night in the boot of a hire car 25 days later, while every media corresponent in the world is camped outside your house? I really don't think either of them are capable of keeping up such an elaborate charade for so long, especially after watching the statement Gerry read out, I was watching Kate the whole time and to me, she is a broken woman whose child is missing and possibly dead.

 

Until watching that, it had reminded me slightly of Ian Huntely giving an interview and Billy Joe Jenkins dad going on the tv to plead for the killers to be found, only for them to be found guilty themselves in the following trials. This case is a step beyond that though and I hope the McCanns weren't involved and if that's the case, I really hope they aren't charged. I can't imagine anything worse than having nothing to do with it at all and feeling guilty as hell for leaving those kids alone, only to have your twins taken away for the duration of a trial while you have to fight to prove your innocence, all the time knowing your child is still out there somewhere and no-one is looking because you're on trial?

 

Murat was as good as branded a baby raping murderer when he was taken in for questioning, oh yes, they've caught the bad guy, all's well. Hang on, he's been released without charge....

 

The McCanns have asked for this degree of interest but now it seems to be for the wrong reasons. As for the funds raised, they (according to the press....) have said they can't use it for their defense, if it comes to that.

[ans]

Billy Joe Jenkins dad

 

Just as an aside, he was subsequently cleared

[feelslikeitshould]

Billy Joe Jenkins dad

 

Just as an aside, he was subsequently cleared

 

Yes he was, he still had to sit through a trial and the subsequent media attention and the treatment he got in the press for daring to go on tv and give an emotional plea for his daughters killers to come forward even though "he'd done it".

 

Which is why I'm more inclined to feel sorry for the McCanns at this time. They haven't been charged and they certainly haven't been found guilty but they may have to go through a foreign trial while people become more frosty towards them, take away thier other children and stop looking for a missing girl.

[bluemonday]

I heard on the news that their accomodation was only rented until Monday (today), a date agreed well before they became official suspects.

Nothing else available there accomodation wise then?

 

Times report today says they have consulted Michael Caplan QC an expert in international criminal law who prevented the extradition of General Pinochet.

[Do the Navan Walk]

Good Afternoon

 

Unfortunately I do not believe this little girl is alive and have felt that way from the outset.

 

I have read bits and pieces and am not fully up to speed on this case so I don't mind being subjected to correction.

 

As far as I am aware the Portuguese police have acted upon British forensic evidence and thus I feel that the Portuguese police have been unfairly slated by the Brit media.

 

As to the McCann’s guilt or innocence, I really don’t have a clue.

 

It does surprise me that to the best of my knowledge none of their friends, associates or colleagues who were on holiday with them have made any public or vociferous defence of these two people.

 

As for no smoke without fire I could not be bothered to look at the link as one is innocent until proven guilty or admits guilt before trial.

 

God Bless the little girl and that is where my thoughts are, I hope that I am wrong and that she is safe and well and not frightened, the other side of the coin is an unbearable thought.

 

Best Wishes

 

Do the Navan Walk

[ai_Droid]

As far as I am aware the Portuguese police have acted upon British forensic evidence and thus I feel that the Portuguese police have been unfairly slated by the Brit media.

 

You think british police involvement makes them somehow immune from critisism? The case has clearly been a mess from the beginning, with focussed police attention only coming after the media hit big and too late for the scene to have been obliterated by the locals hoofing all over it. And now recently, the car that appears the centre of the latest evidence was actually handed back to the mccanns after it was searched, so wouldn't be admissable as evidence anyway?

 

It does surprise me that to the best of my knowledge none of their friends, associates or colleagues who were on holiday with them have made any public or vociferous defence of these two people.

 

If I was involved, I'd be happy to help the couple but would definately want to stay out of the media attention. Look at how it's going with the Mccans now? Also those on the table have come in for some critasism themselves, one was at the meal while their kid was sick in their apartment, another witnessed a child being carried but didn't say anything, and another checked in on the Mccans kids but couldn't actually remember seeing madaline or not.

 

God Bless the little girl and that is where my thoughts are, I hope that I am wrong and that she is safe and well and not frightened, the other side of the coin is an unbearable thought.

 

Agreed.

[ans]

I'm pretty sure there's some provision under Portuguese law which forbids anyone to talk directly about the details of the case, meaning that their friend's are not allowed to talk to the media about events that night. Gerry McCann has expressed his frustration at not being allowed to answer questions put to him in press conferences before now.

[The Old Git]

As far as I am aware the Portuguese police have acted upon British forensic evidence

 

Given the other recent thread about DNA I'm interested in how much a part it is going to play in this case if it goes to court.