And a wallet can be replaced.
Madeleine McCann
- Thread starter Fergies Gum
- Start date
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
@Shamwow I thought "suffer distress" covered that. 
Oh yeah missed that one
I think we can all agree too that if it was abduction, they paid a price none of us would wish on anyone. Especially that poor little girl.
In that we can all have sympathy.
In that we can all have sympathy.
They weren't distancing themselves from the earliest stage of the investigation at all. They helped all they could until it became clear that the Portugese investigators were going down the route of only looking at them as suspects.
Now, if you were a parent whose child had gone missing and realised that the police, instead of following up the many leads to try and find her, were intent on blaming you then I've no doubt you would very quickly become distressed and refuse to answer some questions, particularly because you knew that with every step they took towards you they were moving another step away from finding your child. If I had been in their situation I'd have jumped on that plane well before they did.
Everyone by now knows how investigators can twist the most innocent answer to imply guilt. That's their job in a way. Most of us (well at least I hope so) are aware that if that sort of thing starts to happen you keep schtum, innocent or guilty. The main problem with this investigation seemed to be that those Portugese detectives had very little experience of investigating such crimes and perhaps the easy and quickest way to solve it and get everyone off their backs was to blame the parents. Certainly saved on leg work. money and effort anyway.
I don't know whether you remember but there was a case of another young girl who had gone missing from just a few miles away and the police, finding no obvious clue to her disappearance, immediately blamed it on the mother (she was the last person to see the little girl) and shoved her in prison. Apparently there was no evidence to indicate that the mother was guilty of anything but it did close the case nicely.
We must remember that some countries do not have the same investigative training as others and for a detective the easiest way to look good and get ahead is to appear to solve every crime and whether the person convicted is innocent or guilty is not always the main concern. Appearing to solve the case is the main concern.
Very good point.
There was certainly something odd about it , I agree. I will never in a million years understand why those children were left behind by themselves at night.
http://news.sky.com/story/1283299/mccanns-angry-as-libel-trial-is-delayed-again
"The McCanns have described a delay to a libel trial against a Portuguese policeman which had been due to end as "cynical".
Kate and Gerry, the parents of Madeleine McCann, had been due to speak at the trial of former police chief Goncalo Amaral, who was accused of making defamatory statements about them in a book he wrote.
At the last minute, Mr Goncalo's lawyers submitted a letter to the court asking for a postponement.
Kate, her voice cracking with the strain as she was surrounded by the Portuguese media, added: "We need to make it clear to people that we took on this case because of the pain and distress that Mr Amaral has brought to us and our children.
"Every time he postpones the case like this it brings us more pain and distress. Every time we come here we have to make arrangements for our children to be looked after, we have to book flights, we have to book hotels, we have to take time off work."
"The McCanns have described a delay to a libel trial against a Portuguese policeman which had been due to end as "cynical".
Kate and Gerry, the parents of Madeleine McCann, had been due to speak at the trial of former police chief Goncalo Amaral, who was accused of making defamatory statements about them in a book he wrote.
At the last minute, Mr Goncalo's lawyers submitted a letter to the court asking for a postponement.
Kate, her voice cracking with the strain as she was surrounded by the Portuguese media, added: "We need to make it clear to people that we took on this case because of the pain and distress that Mr Amaral has brought to us and our children.
"Every time he postpones the case like this it brings us more pain and distress. Every time we come here we have to make arrangements for our children to be looked after, we have to book flights, we have to book hotels, we have to take time off work."
It's not a bloody novel, for Christ's sake.
I know - every article on them has the same kind of dramatic prose. I know any newspapers who have questioned the 'official' chain of events has been sued, but it feels like they are going too far the other way.
The other part that resonated was:
"Every time we come here we have to make arrangements for our children to be looked after"
...
Yeah, unfortunate phrasing...
Complacency, Erica. They would have believed it perfectly safe. In hindsight, stupid, but people can get lulled into a false sense of security on holiday - I can remember leaving my kids in the care of 'the chalet patrol'. Everyone did it, but I look back now and wonder what on earth I was thinking of. Admittedly, there were intercoms so everything could be heard in the control room, but even so, I would never, ever do it now.
I can understand it with intercoms, that way you can be alerted immediately but the suggestion it was just like being in the garden ( from Gerry ) was just daft !
They're both medics, and according to my Consultant boss, it's common practice amongst those kind of professionals.
Madness. But they've learned the hard way. I feel sorry for them because although stupidity isn't an excuse, they really would have believed there was no problem. The 'nothing will happen' syndrome.
It was an incredible stupid desicion to leave three young children alone that night. That poor girl might never be found because of her parents bad call and that must be a horrible way to live your life. We all make bad desicions but with outcomes like this one.
. I suspect council house mum whose child got snatched whilst she buggered off to bingo would be greeted with such "woe is her" responses.
'Might never be found'? Think we are past that point thanks to their 'desicions'.
Should have said probably not found. And I don't think they had anything to do with her disappearance at all, they were irresponsible thou.
I couldn't understand it at the time because anything could have happened. Madden could have toddled to the windows to see if she could see her parents ( and remember she had screamed for them for over an hour the night before) and fallen and hurt herself or the twins could have been sick and choked on it ( both extreme I know but possible ) all of which would have been heard on an intercom. There was always something not quite right with those two.
I'm not a Catholic but would jetting off to see the Pope help so much two days after their daughter's disappearance?
Even without going into what could have happen if you leave your kids alone in a house, the fact that she was so upset the previous night when she had been left alone would have been enough to make me not leave her alone the following night.
One thing I dont understand is that they left their other two children under the care of other people whilst they went off to meet the pope etc. Surely you would hold on to your remaining children and not let them leave your sight.
Link please?
I think perhaps they thought that they needed as much publicity as possible to raise international awareness in the immediate aftermath of her disappearance, in the hope that it would result in her being found quickly.
If you google Joana Cipriano there are lots of articles.
Exactly . Unbelievable. Obviously as I'm C of E I don't understand the attraction. I would have been all over the resort looking for the child. I
Yes she had screamed for over an hour according to a neighbour ( which also begs the question that they were supposedly checked on every half hour )
IF I had left my kids all alone for one night in that situation (which I would never personally do), the guilt I would feel once I learned one of them had been up crying and screaming for an hour would mean I would never go out again the next night. Doesn't matter if you thought they would be safe etc, just from a parents perspective I do not see how they could be so purely selfish to leave them alone the following night.
There really is something not quite right about them. Not in a sinister "maybe they sold her" way, I mean more like they seem a bit detached from reality in the things they say and do(/did).
Yes i agree. When I used to take my son abroad when he was young, ie 3 or 4, we used to take him with us for our evening meal then we all.used to go to bed together at 10 pm ish. It was all part of the holiday . The only time I ever left him alone on the room was one night in the Imperial in Blackpool as they had a listening service over the intercom but I was on pins and needles during that hour he was by himself .
Yes I've always had that impression. There are a lot of conspiracy theories about them - all untrue no doubt but I did once find one piece of information - which frankly I wish I hadn't . Look for " the Gaspars statement "
Forgot about that. It is grim but hearsay at best tbf. I wouldn't want non-family bathing my kids, barring a few trusted friends. This makes it sound like a weird loosely-knit bunch of families...
This thread demonstrates why the tabloid press are so popular
Yep.
Or it demonstrates how some people enjoy perceiving themselves to be superior and oh so much cleverer than others.
Of course it does.
Is it common practice to put young children in a nursery whilst on holiday? I havent been abroad in years so I'm not too familiar with it.
I'd imagine so. I don't have an issue with them doing that.
Although I do kind of question why take kids on holiday just to dump them in the nursery. Why not leave them at home with an au-pair or a relative for the week? It seems fairly selfish to take young children away on an adult holiday anyway. What enjoyment is a 5 year old to gain from sitting quietly by the pool sunbathing? If I had kids I'd probably take a holiday for me and my other half and then have a family holiday somewhere loud and frightful with loads of annoying kids activities to do.
But was it an adult holiday? I'm sure they all brought their children with them. I agree with you.
Lots of holidays/resorts have childcare facilities. Usually just for a few hours at various times in the day. Kids get to hang out with a bunch of other kids of similar ages and the parents get a bit of time to themselves. Evenings can be tricky as most young kids are used to going to bed at 7 or 8pm, so they'll be out of their minds with tiredness and unbearably cranky if the parents want to have a late(ish) evening out. The only solution then is getting a baby-sitter or hanging out right beside where you're staying and using a baby monitor.
Two similar holidays abroad every year (one with kids, one without) is completely impractical, for all sorts of reasons. I'm sure most parents go for the odd weekend away without young kids but it's a logistical nightmare (not to mention crazy expensive) to find someone to look after your kids for a whole week (or two) while you sit by the pool somewhere, then do it all over again as a family. Not to mention that you'd miss the little shits if you were apart that long.
Two similar holidays abroad every year (one with kids, one without) is completely impractical, for all sorts of reasons. I'm sure most parents go for the odd weekend away without young kids but it's a logistical nightmare (not to mention crazy expensive) to find someone to look after your kids for a whole week (or two) while you sit by the pool somewhere, then do it all over again as a family. Not to mention that you'd miss the little shits if you were apart that long.
There are usually children's groups during the day but part of a holiday with your children is to play in the sea or mini golf yourself I would have thought. The McCanns kids were in the children's groups all day every day from what I.have read