Believe in Magic (Podcast)

[TheArtisticMouse]

That male friend had weird vibes. He seemed determined to believe Jean and Meg’s story even after hearing all the facts - that line about the facts must be wrong if they don’t align with his beliefs sums up the worst parts of our society today!

I wonder if he got manipulated by Jean when he texted her after Meg died? He seemed naive and easily led.

 

[InkHeart]

Yeah, in this country you can basically go into A&E and say you feel weird, and you can get at least a picture of you on a trolley hooked up to a heart rate monitor. She might also have gone in for a review of her head valve or something. Or... are the machines even real? They might have just had some old medical equipment lying around and stuck the wires to her, it doesn't look like anything highly specialised.

The question the TV show answered for me was whether Meg was in on the con. I believe she wasn't. When she texted her friend that Jean had said, "My life is going to be so good in a few months [when Meg is dead]", that shows that Jean was really telling Meg she was dying. When you listen to the podcast it's easy to imagine that Jean and Meg decided to set up a charity and live the high life on the money. But from the tv show I got the impression that Meg was childlike and Jean easily manipulated her.

I felt so sorry for the pilot. He was psychologically harmed by the whole thing. Imagine spending hours thinking you're going to die and that you have to make the decision to kill a child so that the other 3 people can live. (Unimportant side note, but I cringed so hard at when Meg was telling him they were getting a private plane with beds and a minibar, and then it was just a bus with wings. That's just the kind of thing that would have made me die of embarrassment when I was their age )

I couldn't figure out the male friend. I do think at the end he was basically saying, "Yes I know they did the awful things they're accused of, but it's too big for me to cope with, so I survive by telling myself it wasn't true." He might even feel guilty that charity money was spent on him going on holiday.

My other big take away was how cool the parents who investigated it were. All the Facebook sleuthing and stuff, especially when they were going through the hardest time in their lives.

It was disgusting that the charity would throw luxury events for some kids and leave others out. Especially have events at places where you couldn't take a wheelchair! For a charity like that, it should be "Either all kids can come, or we don't do the event."

 

[InkHeart]

Ooh, I just found out we can block out spoilers.

Spoiler: Spoilers incoming

I do believe Jean killed Meg. The timing is just too suspicious. Meg died RIGHT when Jean needed a "Gotcha, she really was ill" moment? I just don't buy that such a young woman died of a lifestyle disease like that. It's hard to find pictures of her that aren't just selfies, but she really isn't all that big. Even people of 40 stone routinely live into middle age. I know that the sisters said she had an unhealthy lifestyle, but - she died RIGHT when the net was closing in? Really?

When the presenter said about their airport photos that Meg had gained a lot of weight, I thought it was unnecessary of him to say such a thing. But what if he was hinting at something serious? Something that changed in her health while they were in America? The fact that Jean intentionally fed her other daughter Bovril when she had a kidney problem, casts such a horrible light on her enabling Meg's binge eating. But then again, you normally have to be VERY big to die from it at such a young age. It's also, as he presenter said, not a "glamorous" way to go.

I just think Meg died of something else. Obviously I don't know what they looked for in the autopsy, so I can't really say what, but I do think Jean induced it. A woman who would try to get her kids' skulls knocked in by a falling tin is capable of anything.

I don't quite understand what they were looking for in the Kingston review? Does the fact that it said it was likely MBP mean that they reviewed and found out that Meg died of something Jean induced, or did they not review the cause of death?

Another thing I didn't understand: they were talking about Jean and Meg being obsessed with getting morphine prescriptions, but was it Jean taking them, or was Meg also taking them?

Also, did I misunderstand, or were they really at Disney World for FOUR MONTHS?

 

[BucketsOfTea]

It was kind of hinted around by the podcast about the suspicious morphine prescriptions, unclear who they suggested was possibly abusing the drugs.

I thought it was all such a sad story. A wasted young life.

 

[Incywincy]

The low pressure flight to America was odd.. the pilot thought she was 10! But in the photo with him she had massive boobs (I know that's possible but still.. maybe 13 or 14.. not 10 lol).. why did her mum not go? Why did her friend not remember if she actually went to the hospital when they arrived????

That friend was so weird, I honestly thought he was in on it for a while 🫠

 

[xvictoriax]

The fact that Jean blamed Meg for the faked drug prescriptions really angered me. Regardless of how she makes out the events she was involved in helping her daughter obtain and continue an addiction to medication. Is there no way she could be charged for historical child abuse. It won’t help Meg now but would perhaps serve as a warning to anyone thinking of such actions.

 

[xvictoriax]

Had heard of the charity but not the scandal of it.

Having binged the episodes last night I really find the vibe of the male friend questionable. It’s almost as if he’s very measured in his responses compared to Meg’s other friends who seem to at least see issues with both Jean and Meg even if they are more willing to see Meg as a victim. Even when presented with clear facts he’s still mumbling on about it’s impossible for Meg not to have had a brain tumour. That flight was ridiculous and again seems odd if she was so poorly and air pressure could potentially cause her significant and detrimental effects, according to Jean, for it to go ahead. It wasn’t as if she was abroad needing to get home.

 

[Insomiaflamingo]

100% believe Jean killed Meg

 

[Spidey2020]

Has anybody listened? Crazy, fascinating and sad.
I had never heard of Meg and her mum prior to listening so it was all new to me.
Not sure what the spoiler rules are so don’t want to say to much!

 

[Spidey2020]

100% believe Jean killed Meg

Ooh we’re talking about it!
I was thinking this too, they were very careful in the edit but definitely the vibe I got. If not to kill her but make her ‘sicker’. Her poor sister too that shows she’s capable of this sort of thing. I think Meg was just more susceptible to the grooming or she started earlier.

 

[LemonPledge]

I listened to the podcast a while ago and binged the documentary as soon as it was released. Such a wild story - the flight in the private jet was crazy and I’m amazed it was allowed to happen.

Shines a light on how people take advantage of the “be kind” mantra.

 

[Milliemoo99]

I wondered if the flight, was part of the scam.... after they had begged for money to get her to a specialist hospital in the USA, a private plane creates the illusion of poor Meg, unable to fly in a normal plane! And one they had started, they had to continue with the flight!

I did get a bit confused by the timeline, as the show goes all over the place. I think the scam for treatment in the USA, came after Meg had tried to do a runner and to go and stay with her friends when she was 19. So her mum when she called the police, and got Meg back, then had to get Meg away from her friends, so removed her to Disney land, for months. Then when they run out of money, they had to come home again!

The male friend was .....I thought, confused and not completely clear about what had been going on! I wondered how he had got back home to the UK after the flight, or did he end up in Disney land as well?

RE the scripts from Harrods, That was so dodgy, it looked as if Jean had managed to circumvent the system, by ordering the drugs directly, without a presecription, by pretending to be a pharmacy direct!

It must be confusing as a child or young adult to not believe the adults around you that you trust. If your mum is telling you you have a brain tumour, you must be likely to believe them, and take whatever drugs you are given. especially as Meg was home schooled and didnt seem to have a lot of family around her. If the police hadnt investigated Megs death, Jean could have got away with everything without a hint of suspicion about her activities

 

[Probablylurking66]

I think the doctors did see through the lies eventually. When they stopped the pain medication that Meg was on, leading to the scam prescriptions from Harrods!! Its hard to get the time line clear, but I think this links up with Meg trying to leave her mum, and her mum taking her to America, which was when she was 19 ish?

I think the trouble with any prosecution, is that so much of it is speculative! Meg has now died, and her inquest recorded to some extent an open verdict. Yes there was a suspicion of some kind of munchhausen by proxy...but it wasnt conclusively proven.

She didnt get away scott free though, the charity was shut down, for financial mismanagement, so she did lose access to the funding.

I think Megs older sister, is trying to put together a case... but it cant be simple.... so much of this is obvious, and links together , but legally its probably still circumstantial.

It really bugs me that Jean hasn't faced any criminal charges. Surely the sister could at least go to the police with the evidence of Jean fraudulently accessing morphine!

 

[hannahsaurusrex]

Oh I’m so glad there’s a thread on this. I listened to the podcast when it came out and like others here, binged the documentary. I definitely came away from the documentary feeling that Meg was totally manipulated by her mum, it seemed she genuinely believed she was unwell. I remember in the podcast, one of jean’s other daughters talked about how she’d had a kidney transplant and Jean would insist on her drinking bovril, salty drinks that would be bad for her kidney. It’s so sad that her other children managed to break free of her but Meg wasn’t able to.

The male friend was such a puzzle- he was clearly conflicted about what to think, and I think the poster here who said he may feel guilty regarding charity funds being used to send him on holiday made an excellent point.

 

[marsaud]

Totally agree, such a waste. Just getting to last few episodes now. Jean is monstrous. Felt so sorry for the sisters. They must have really resented Meg for what they thought was attention seeking. The story about the pretend faint I could really relate to. Witnessed a woman doing a pretend faint at a party. She was known for bullshitting and being the worst attention seeker you could meet. Everyone ignored her when she “fainted” and she just picked herself up after a minute. But the disgust it created behind her back was visceral. Something about faking illness for attention really angers people.

 

[Lola UK]

Wow just finished. What a crazy and sad story. Meg was definitely groomed as a child by Jean, but surely she knew she wasn’t as ill as Jean was claiming and going on holiday in Disney with the charity money?!

I’m also confused how Meg actually died if there was nothing wrong with her? They didn’t really go into that, unless I missed it. I know they said she had a bad diet but she was still young and relatively healthy. The whole thing is very strange.

 

[Spidey2020]

If anyone wants a recommendation, I’ve been listening to another similar podcast called Scamanda which is just as crazy!!

Thanks for the rec really enjoyed this so far looking forward to Monday for more!

 

[emm]

Jumping on your thread 🫣

But stumbled across this channel surfing and honestly it’s nothing I’d normally watch, but it intrigued me so much I then binged all three episodes.

I feel so disgusted so much by two things, that the farce continued for so long and no authority or doctors etc saw through the lies and stopped it sooner. I mean all the medical records and photos and videos of her on machines and blood lines, why wouldn’t a doctor say “go home your fine”.

Secondly how has she been allowed to get away Scott free? Not only clear abuse and possibly suspicious death, fraud. But even the charity scam, all Scott free?

Do you think this renewed interest by documentary could bring her back out, not by choice but suspect some journalist or crime blogger will hunt her down now?

I hope it brings renewed interest, what I found so crazy when I first heard Bout the case on a podcast was that it was in the uk. I'd heard of things in the US where people "doctor shop" and can go around and get drugs etc but for this to have been in the uk shocked me a lot tbh

 

[Milliemoo99]

Meg did have some kind of hypertension in her brain as a teenager, that caused her headaches, She did have a stent fitted, and she was pulled out of school when she was 13.
So she had an illness, but after she left school, her life was very controlled by her mother. She was tested for brain cancer, but the results were negative. But is sounds as if Jean pretended it was real and started a huge drug regime for Meg to start. and told everyone that Meg was ill.

Some of the early aspects of the charity sound amazing, and it did start by doing some incredible things for some very ill children. with the help of one direction and their families it did do some incredible things.

Its also an interesting case of how influencers work! And how social media can be used to try to crush doubters, by encouraging followers to pile onto the critics!!

But poor Meg, her life was tragic!

 

[Spidey2020]

Totally agree, such a waste. Just getting to last few episodes now. Jean is monstrous. Felt so sorry for the sisters. They must have really resented Meg for what they thought was attention seeking. The story about the pretend faint I could really relate to. Witnessed a woman doing a pretend faint at a party. She was known for bullshitting and being the worst attention seeker you could meet. Everyone ignored her when she “fainted” and she just picked herself up after a minute. But the disgust it created behind her back was visceral. Something about faking illness for attention really angers people.

It’s sad though that Megan had learned that the way to get attention or connection from Jean was to be ‘sick’.