I think what a lot of people can’t comprehend was why they left them alone in a foreign country. Next door, back at home in a familiar setting and taking precautions (like you mentioned, baby monitor), sure. Still a bit risky imo but not as much.I don't believe ve parents were involved. Think there was a bit of a witch hunt cause they were Dr's and had left kids alone, folk thought if it was a couple from a counsil estate they'd probably get done for some sort of neglect etc. Tbf the kids were sleeping in an apartment across a pool. It's like something I would do, don't judge me! In my opinion it's better than going from pub to pub at all hours with the kids in a pushchair like a lot do on hols. I went to a neighbours house for nye and left my wee one sleeping, the baby monitor worked in their house and I went an checked. No parent is perfect and we all make mistakes. If they had done her in then they wouldn't have been trying to keep her in the media for so long esp as with every bit of publicity they get vilified. The 'drugging' was calpol and the Portuguese police threw that out there. I have melatonin for my kid, doesn't mean I drug him. Just my 2ps worth. No hate please
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Out of interest what do you think facing charges of child neglect would achieve? Should they have had community service, a big fine, a prison sentence? Would it have been reasonable to throw them in prison and leave the twins without their parents under the circumstances? What would that have achieved for you?
And what about all the other parents who used perfectly legal listening services instead of a baby sitter? What should happen to them?
And what about all the other parents who used perfectly legal listening services instead of a baby sitter? What should happen to them?
and they left them alone every night of the holiday. Every night. That just doesn’t sit well with me at all
Short of causing problems for the twins, I don’t think it would have achieved anything tbh. The people who cry out for the other two children to be taken away from them are usually the ones who believe that the parents had an active involvement in her disappearance or killed her.
The apartment wasnt just across the pool though, it was behind a wall and bushes.
The neglect suits their agenda though, that's why you'll never hear them speak about it to defend or otherwise. Them and their friends not checking/regularly/being present suits their narrative of stranger abduction.
The neglect suits their agenda though, that's why you'll never hear them speak about it to defend or otherwise. Them and their friends not checking/regularly/being present suits their narrative of stranger abduction.
Plus it was outside the walls of the complex not just across the pool.It would be like you leaving your kid in an empty house the nxt street down from where you live.. in proximity ! totally negligent IMO
However, I knew a doctor couple who I’d met at a playgroup and one relatively well back then. They had two young boys (similar ages to Madeleine and the twins) and they had a very McCann-like demeanour about then. Lots of money, an arrogance about them, and I could absolutely see them leaving their kids like the McCanns did based on other stuff they used to do (it wasn’t unusual for them to put the kids to bed and have friends over for wild parties at which there would be swinging, everyone was drunk and doing lines of coke). Completely anecdotal and means nothing but I do find it interesting that they were the only parents I knew who I could imagine would do the same and they were doctors with a similar social standing too.
I find that interesting, as in some families are very used to leaving their children with babysitters and the hired help, for many reasons. No judgement here. For others, me included, my children are with us constantly apart from occasional sleepovers with friends and visits to grandparents. I am comfortable with them going to a kids club for a few hours in the day and they are also of an age that they would recognise Inappropriate behaviour from another party, plus they would go together. In the evenings though we would be together. I just could not and would not leave them at such a young age, in another country, every night of the week. It wouldn‘t even enter my head that this was an option.
I’ve been reading this thread for about an hour! It’s so interesting and there so much weird stuff around the case - My personal opinion was always that she died accidentally, either wandered off or came to some harm inside the apartment. I did think that to leave 3 young children alone in a room was a very strange thing to do - and I really do think they may have sedated them or given them some strong antihistamines or something?
I don’t think there was any massive conspiracy for her parents to sell her or murder her. I always hoped in a way she just never woke up and they panicked and made a plan to cover it up, or she woke up and went to look for them and fell out of the window or something. Still, this doesn’t explain a lot of inconsistencies.
The fact they have arrested this guy... I’m still not convinced by it. All these years and they never looked into him before? Was he looking for a child or was he trying to rob the apartment.... if he was trying to rob the place why take the kid with you? It doesn’t make any sense. If he was looking for a child to kidnap he must have been watching the place to know they were inside... if it was random he would have tried several apartments first surely? If he was watching the place how did nobody see him. So many questions!
I don’t think there was any massive conspiracy for her parents to sell her or murder her. I always hoped in a way she just never woke up and they panicked and made a plan to cover it up, or she woke up and went to look for them and fell out of the window or something. Still, this doesn’t explain a lot of inconsistencies.
The fact they have arrested this guy... I’m still not convinced by it. All these years and they never looked into him before? Was he looking for a child or was he trying to rob the apartment.... if he was trying to rob the place why take the kid with you? It doesn’t make any sense. If he was looking for a child to kidnap he must have been watching the place to know they were inside... if it was random he would have tried several apartments first surely? If he was watching the place how did nobody see him. So many questions!
so true. We met people on holiday last summer and one night their little boy wasn’t very well so grandad stayed in the hotel room with him while grandma and the parents went for drinks in the hotel bar which was by the pool. You could literally see their hotel room balcony from the bar and they still had someone in there with him. Grandad came onto the balcony and waved at us all at one point. It just never makes sense to me that they were nowhere near the room their kids were asleep in!I can’t and don’t want to imagine what you went through. You are an incredibly strong lady.
Totally agree with that last comment. Wouldn’t it of made more sense for one couple to stay behind each night ( so take turns ) and babysit all the kids while the others dined out and everyone could then relax and they’d be no need for the checking every 20minutes which I’m sorry but is absolute balls. They would’ve been up and down, up and down all night long. When the drink is flowing and I’m with mates I can easily loose three hours and not know where the time’s gone!
P.S can I also add your avatar always makes me smile.
Rewatching the doc series, and this couple didn’t know she was missing and she saw her on the telly and said this is the girl I saw, and she said that the girl said ‘when can we see Mummy’ if you look behind this girl who looks a bit like her, you can see the person who fits Christian B’s features? Or is it just me. Also im 50/50 on parents and abductor!
Maybe the fact doctors can switch off in certain situations ? it's called bedside manner..
That can’t be her - you can clearly see that the little girl in that picture has long plaits. Madeleine’s hair was about shoulder length or shorter.
Ah yeah just realised! Apparently there was a call today saying that was the man/efir they gave from the petrol station, how true that is, I have no idea!! Could be, might not be who knows
Yes I totally agree with this thanks for sharing
I saw a few people mention phone logs earlier which reminded me of another interesting point!
So, remember a suspect named Robert Murat had been identified? It has been speculated that Robert might be more significant that we think. That he maybe has involvement high up, perhaps governmental (stick with me here!
)
Robert had dual portugese and British citizenship and split his time between both placed (had a German girlfriend
) He had been a police translator for Norfolk at one time.
Anyhoooo, for some reason, Robert booked a flight to portugal at midnight of Sunday 30th April and a few hours later was at the airport and in Portugal for Monday the 1st May. On 4th May, he volunteered his translator expertise but acted so suspiciously he got himself arrested and dodgy stories about him began appearing. HOWEVER, could this have been a deliberate attempt to distract?
What is VERY interesting is on Wednesday 2nd May at 3PM both Robert and Gerry turned their phones off, within 6 minutes of each other. BOTH phones remained switched off for 32hrs and BOTH were switched on at 11pm on 3rd May, 1 hour after the Madeline alarm was officially raised. That's a mad coincidence!!
When Gerry was asked by a reporter If he had previously known Robert, he looked shift AF and said "no comment." Pretty unusual answer if you didn't know some dude in Portugal.
So, was Robert drafted in and connected to the same influential, powerful people that Gerry was connected to? Was he deliberately brought in to aid in the cover up? And does this add any weight to the theory that something happened earlier than 3rd?!
So, remember a suspect named Robert Murat had been identified? It has been speculated that Robert might be more significant that we think. That he maybe has involvement high up, perhaps governmental (stick with me here!
)Robert had dual portugese and British citizenship and split his time between both placed (had a German girlfriend
) He had been a police translator for Norfolk at one time.Anyhoooo, for some reason, Robert booked a flight to portugal at midnight of Sunday 30th April and a few hours later was at the airport and in Portugal for Monday the 1st May. On 4th May, he volunteered his translator expertise but acted so suspiciously he got himself arrested and dodgy stories about him began appearing. HOWEVER, could this have been a deliberate attempt to distract?
What is VERY interesting is on Wednesday 2nd May at 3PM both Robert and Gerry turned their phones off, within 6 minutes of each other. BOTH phones remained switched off for 32hrs and BOTH were switched on at 11pm on 3rd May, 1 hour after the Madeline alarm was officially raised. That's a mad coincidence!!
When Gerry was asked by a reporter If he had previously known Robert, he looked shift AF and said "no comment." Pretty unusual answer if you didn't know some dude in Portugal.
So, was Robert drafted in and connected to the same influential, powerful people that Gerry was connected to? Was he deliberately brought in to aid in the cover up? And does this add any weight to the theory that something happened earlier than 3rd?!
Don’t shoot me because I wouldn’t do this, but why are people saying they should be charged with neglect or have the twins taken off them? There isn’t a law here that the youngest a child can be left alone (I know as I trawled the govt sites and all relevant stuff when my child was starting secondary school to see if she would be ok to be at home for half an hour before I got in). The law is that there is no age as long as the children aren’t at risk. Yes I know there was allegedly a kidnapping but it’s a grey area with saying they were at risk from an intruder as really, anyone anywhere is at risk of an intruder when being home. They could argue the children were left in a safe environment eg no hazards nearby etc. I spoke to my daughter and she argued with me that they left the door unlocked so therefore it was neglect but I don’t know if they did or didn’t. Is there a law in Portugal to that subject that they would fall under? I *know* that it’s horrifying that they did what they did and still have another 2 children in their care, but if there was a law being broken then the twins would have been taken away. Everyone knows what they did and it wasn’t right, but they have no cause to be prosecuted in the eyes of the law.
Exactly. They either prioritized socializing over the safety of their three children which is horrifying in itself or they made up this narrative because the truth was much worse...
Who in their right mind would admit to leaving their kids alone knowing full well the amount of abuse they would get?
Also why are they so keen to push the abductor theory. Why could she not have simply wandered out and got lost/hurt herself? Why is being abducted any more plausible than an accident happening? There’s no evidence to support or deny either so surely from a police investigation view it should never be ruled out? No sign of Maddie leaving the apartment and only a few efits all of which look like different people.
100% this. Which makes me wonder why they are so keen to go along with that neglect being a big issue. What is worse that they could be hiding?
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