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 Posted: 04-05-2007 17:43 Post subject: Toddler 'abducted' during holiday |
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Toddler 'abducted' during holiday
Madeleine disappeared while her parents were at a nearby restaurant
Sniffer dogs have been brought in to help search for a three-year-old from Britain who may have been abducted on holiday with her family in Portugal.
Madeleine McCann's parents, from Leicestershire, were at a restaurant near the Mark Warner Ocean Summer Club in Praia da Luz when she went missing.
Kate and Gerry McCann returned at about 2145 GMT to find an empty bed and the apartment door and window wide open.
The apartment has been cordoned off and local people are helping with a search.
'Devoted family'
Gill Renwick, a friend of the family, said Madeleine's parents - both doctors - had been having a meal in a tapas restaurant a few hundred yards from the apartment and had been checking on the little girl and her younger brother and sister (two-year-old twins) every half hour.
"They're a devoted family and love their children to bits. They live for their children."
Madeleine was reported missing at about 2200 BST on Thursday and tourists joined the police in an all-night search.
The McCann family had been holidaying with a larger group
Her aunt Trish Cameron, who lives in Glasgow, said she felt certain her niece had been abducted.
"They last checked at half past nine and they were all sound asleep, sleeping, windows shut, shutters shut.
"Kate went back at 10 o'clock to check. The front door was lying open, the window had been tampered with, the shutters had been jemmied open or whatever you call it and Madeleine was missing...
"She's an absolutely beautiful, wee blonde girl, blue-green eyes - one distinguishing feature is that one of her pupils runs into the iris of her right eyes. She's an absolutely gorgeous wee girl."
She added: "We feel that what's been going on in Portugal has been ineffectual.
"My brother and sister-in-law are absolutely distraught."
But the manager of the Mark Warner resort in Portugal, John Hill, said about 60 staff and guests at the complex had searched until 0430 GMT while police notified border police, Spanish police and airports.
Officers sealed off the area of the apartment for forensic checks and extra police teams were brought in from Lisbon.
'Sensitive case'
"As you can imagine Madeleine's parents are distraught and not doing very well at all," Mr Hill said.
"It's still questionable as to whether it's abduction," he said.
"We are hoping that Madeleine is found as soon as possible and safe and well."
The holiday firm has offered to fly other family members out to the resort.
A spokeswoman from the Portuguese police said they were being careful with the information being released.
"It is a sensitive case, it involves a child and we cannot give more information for now."
The British Embassy confirmed it had been informed about the toddler's disappearance.
The family was on holiday with a group of nine adults and eight children.
The toddler's father is a consultant cardiologist at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital.
Doug Skehan, another consultant cardiologist there, said: "(Dr McGann) is a popular hard working colleague, for whom we have great affection.
"The mood in the hospital is one of great concern and we hope that Kate and Gerry will have their daughter back very soon."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/6623127.stm
I fear the worst.
Last edited by Guest on 04-05-2007 20:04; edited 1 time in total |
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crunchy5 Great Old One Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Total posts: 1951 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 04-05-2007 18:22 Post subject: |
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Edited due to Megadeath shrewdly noting the mistake I unsportingly mocked, my bad
I can't believe how slack some people are when it comes to caring for their kids.
Last edited by crunchy5 on 05-05-2007 13:26; edited 1 time in total |
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| ginoide Great Old One Joined: 07 Sep 2001 Total posts: 999 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 04-05-2007 21:49 Post subject: |
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| you don't leave kids that small alone. sorry if i sound moralistic, but take turns to go out to frigging dinner. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17933 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 05-05-2007 19:53 Post subject: |
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| ginoide wrote: | | you don't leave kids that small alone. sorry if i sound moralistic, but take turns to go out to frigging dinner. |
You're not being moralistic, you're just talking common sense. Is a babysitter that expensive? |
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| rynner Location: Still above sea level Gender: Male |
| Posted: 05-05-2007 20:41 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Holiday girl abducted, police say
Police investigating the disappearance of a three-year-old British girl from a Portuguese holiday resort say it appears she has been abducted.
Officers say they have a suspect in mind, and believe Madeleine McCann remains in the area and is still alive.
Her parents, from Leicestershire, left her at their apartment at Mark Warner's Ocean Club in Praia da Luz on Thursday, while they were at a nearby restaurant.
Doctors Gerry and Kate McCann have spoken of their "anguish and despair".
In the first official briefing on the case, Guilhermino Encarnacao, director of the judicial police in the Faro region, said officers are working on the assumption she is being held between 3km and 5km (1.8 and 3.1 miles) from the resort.
They had about 30 calls from potential witnesses and have created an artist's impression of a suspect.
Responding to criticism that the police had been slow to respond, Mr Encarnacao said officers arrived at the scene 10 minutes after being alerted to the disappearance.
An investigation unit began work within 30 minutes, he added.
Police are expected to provide a further update on their investigation later.
Window opened
Relatives have flown to the Algarve to be with the couple, who were holidaying with their three children.
Speaking to press on Friday evening, Mr and Mrs McCann, from Rothley, pleaded for the return of their "beautiful" Madeleine.
Mr McCann, with his wife at his side, read out an emotional statement outside the holiday apartments on Friday evening.
"We cannot describe the anguish and despair we are feeling as parents of our beautiful daughter Madeleine," he said.
"We request that anyone with any information relating to Madeleine's disappearance, no matter how trivial, contact the Portuguese police and help us get her back safely."
The Ocean Club resort offered a creche service but the couple decided to leave Madeleine and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie sleeping in the apartment.
They had taken turns to return from the restaurant to check on their children.
When Mrs McCann went to check on her about an hour later, she found the bedroom's outside shutter and window had been opened and her daughter missing.
Police were notified and resort staff and guests helped the McCanns search the complex grounds into Friday morning.
Pictures of Madeleine have been widely distributed, and ports and the Spanish police put on alert.
British Ambassador John Buck, who is with the McCanns in the Algarve, said they have been joined by three Family Liaison Officers from Leicestershire Police.
Mr McCann's sister Philomena, criticised the Portuguese police for initially "playing down" their response to the disappearance.
She has been in phone contact with her brother.
Speaking from her home in Glasgow, she said: "He thinks it's just too little, too late.
"It was hours before the local police turned up [?] and we're talking two bobbies that totally downplayed the incident and said that Maddie had maybe just wandered off."
However, she said that the family was elated to hear the police believed Madeleine was still alive.
"There was a distinct feeling of elation, you know - but it's been a while since we actually heard it and it's really important to keep your motions in check," she said. [Well, yes!  ]
The Mayor of Lagos, Julio Barraso, defended the police from accusations that they had been too slow to act.
He told BBC News 24: "During all the night of Thursday until Friday they have been here and they started the investigation and I believe that humanly it's not possible to ask for more."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6627605.stm |
Confused reporting, and poor sub-editing don't help things along. |
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| escargot1 Joined: 24 Aug 2001 Total posts: 17896 Location: Farkham Hall Age: 4 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 05-05-2007 21:53 Post subject: |
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| ramonmercado wrote: | | Is a babysitter that expensive? |
When people complain that I'm too cautious, often costing money, such as buying new tyres before the old ones are illegal, I always say, 'It's cheaper than a funeral...'
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| Quake42 Warrior Princess
Great Old One Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Total posts: 5310 Location: Over Silbury Hill, through the Solar field Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 06-05-2007 00:28 Post subject: |
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It's a very odd story... reminds me of the JonBenet Ramsay case.
Sure, the parents probably shouldn't have left their kids, but they were inside an upmarket holiday resort and were eating a hundred yards or so away... I can see why they thought they'd be safe.
Random abductions of this sort are thankfully extremely rare. I can't help thinking there is more to this one and that this wasn't a wholly random event. |
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| morningstar667 Small brown and green thing-may be a vermeer
Great Old One Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Total posts: 280 Location: Directly above the centre of the earth Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 07:28 Post subject: |
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| Interesting that there seems to be very little criticism of the parents, IMO if they'd been from, let's say an inner city council estate, the media would have been singing a very different tune:ranting that they were unfit parents. |
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| OldTimeRadio Great Old One Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Total posts: 5539 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio USA Age: 72 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 08:04 Post subject: |
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| Had this happened locally here in Greater Cincinnati the parents would likely lose custody of all their children, no matter the results of the search for the missing child, happy ending or not. |
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| Xanatico Great Old One Joined: 11 Nov 2005 Total posts: 1141 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 12:18 Post subject: |
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| They were 200 meters away, they were checking on the children every half an hour. I don´t think they seem like bad parents. But then in my country it is not uncommon to leave your child sleeping in it´s pushcart while you go in shopping for groceries. |
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| escargot1 Joined: 24 Aug 2001 Total posts: 17896 Location: Farkham Hall Age: 4 Gender: Female |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 14:59 Post subject: |
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Pushcart? In what country are children put into pushcarts?
Children of nearly 4 wake up at night and may get out of bed, especially in a strange place. Unattended, they might go looking for Mum, or decide to run themselves a bath or make toast or switch the kettle on.
They might even try to take a baby brother or sister out of a cot for a cuddle, with disastrous consequences. (Something like that happened at a nursery in northern England a couple of years ago.) So a child of that age shouldn't have been left unattended with the babies, in any case.
Kids can come to plenty of harm without any intruders or abductors around if they are left alone.
That's why checking every half-hour amounted to inadequate supervision. I had 4, and they were never left alone. If I'd wanted a social life I'd have stuck to keeping dogs.  |
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| OldTimeRadio Great Old One Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Total posts: 5539 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio USA Age: 72 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 20:28 Post subject: |
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| Xanatico wrote: | | They were 200 meters away, they were checking on the children every half an hour. |
I don't think that would fly here.
One heck of a lot of bad things can happen in 29 minutes.
As it apparently did in this case. |
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| Quake42 Warrior Princess
Great Old One Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Total posts: 5310 Location: Over Silbury Hill, through the Solar field Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 23:08 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Had this happened locally here in Greater Cincinnati the parents would likely lose custody of all their children, no matter the results of the search for the missing child, happy ending or not. |
Well if true that's frankly ridiculous - I'd much rather a child took its chances with loving parents who might occasionally leave him/her alone for half an hour than with the "care" system which all too often results in physical and/or sexual abuse, not to mention the vastly increased likelihood that the child will in later life end up in prison or a similar institution. In my view children should only be removed from their parents when there is a clear and present danger, and not because the state may disapprove of aspects of the parents' lifestyle.
| Quote: | | Pushcart? In what country are children put into pushcarts? |
I read that as meaning a pushchair or stroller - doesn't sound terribly unusual to me. |
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| OldTimeRadio Great Old One Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Total posts: 5539 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio USA Age: 72 Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 23:22 Post subject: |
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| Quake42 wrote: | | Well if true that's frankly ridiculous |
Frankly ridiculous, maybe.....but it's the Law.
There's a woman in prison here because a fire broke out in her apartment and killed her kids, during the less than 15 minutes she was absent buying them food down at the corner market.
29 minutes is TWICE that long. |
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| rynner Location: Still above sea level Gender: Male |
| Posted: 07-05-2007 23:30 Post subject: |
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| OldTimeRadio wrote: | Frankly ridiculous, maybe.....but it's the Law.
There's a woman in prison here because a fire broke out in her apartment and killed her kids, during the less than 15 minutes she was absent buying them food down at the corner market. |
Well, everyone knows the law is an ass.
If the law thinks that someone who has lost their kids needs even more punishment,
then the law is an ass with VERY long ears. |
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