Madeleine McCann

[JustOne]

I could only watch so much, as I find what happen gut wrenching. Can not imagine what the parents have gone through, and as for the little girl I try not to think about it.

I didn't watch it at all for the same reason.

If I see a 10yr old girl with a 'drippy eye' I know who to phone.


I would search to the ends of the earth for one of my own, I feel the pain of all involved. Finger pointing can come later in my book.

 

[FairwayDodger]

Seem to be a lot of heartless people on the forum. Must be nice to never make a mistake or an error of judgement.... Or to be lucky enough to get away with it when you do.

I have nothing but sympathy for the McCanns.

 

[Kellfire]

If they had something to hide do you really think they would have mounted the campaign they have? Do you really think they would have pushed and pushed for continued police involvement and investigations?

Gut feeling, that's all I've said. I'll admit that the evidence is against me.

What the evidence does show is a clear case of neglect; that's beyond doubt. A shame so many people allow their sympathy towards the McCanns for their loss to cloud their judgement.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

What annoys me about this is how a significant number of people are heaping ALL the blame on the Parents.
Yes, they were wrong to leave the kids.
Yes, they should have known better.

The "crime" they have commited is relatively minor compared to the perpetrator of the real crime.

Yes, if they hadn't left her in the apartment she wouldn't have been there to be taken. Does that mean whoever took her is innocent..?

And anyone - anyone - who says they've never left their kids anywhere for any length of time or put there kids in any sort of danger - ever - try being honest with yourselves for a change.

People make mistakes every day, some bigger than others. I just hope that all those who never make mistakes don't, one day, make one that costs you as much as this.

And what 'crime' have they committed - for me - driving with a child as a passenger at 90mph or after having a couple of pints is much more negligent than anything the McCanns did as those actions by parents expose the child to a much greater level risk of injury or death.

 

[chrisd]

Gut feeling, that's all I've said. I'll admit that the evidence is against me.

What the evidence does show is a clear case of neglect; that's beyond doubt. A shame so many people allow their sympathy towards the McCanns for their loss to cloud their judgement.

I don't agree, sorry. The sympathy I have for the McCanns is that as a result of not thinking about the implications of their actions that their beloved daughter has quite probably been murdered. In cases where young children have been abducted and murdered it is the abductors fault, not that of the parent, even if their judgement is impaired as to the care quality towards their child.

 

[Hobbit]

A shame so many people allow their sympathy towards the McCanns for their loss to cloud their judgement.

Or maybe they just apply a different judgement. It could be as simple as that.

 

[SocketRocket]

Gut feeling, that's all I've said. I'll admit that the evidence is against me.

What the evidence does show is a clear case of neglect; that's beyond doubt. A shame so many people allow their sympathy towards the McCanns for their loss to cloud their judgement.

You must take great comfort from your position in the moral high ground. A shame you allow your cynicism and high standards to cloud your judgement.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Note to self. Add threads on Madeline McCann to those about Scottish Independence, Scottish or English football, young people looking for jobs, Andy Murray and TaylorMade as ones not to bother reading on this Forum as it only brings out the worst in people.

Though HK - this one I hope also brings out and shows the humanity, reasonableness and fair-mindedness of some people.

 

[bozza]

Like I said earlier, if you as a parent left your child with a childminder and something happens to them due to the childminder neglecting to do their job correct because they were across the road having a coffee and a natter I bet you would want some sort of action taking against them?

So why should it be different if you are the parent of the child?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There seem to be two camps...

1) Prejudice and conjecture
2) Humanity and known facts

I know which camp I'm glad that I'm in

 

[ADB]

Like I said earlier, if you as a parent left your child with a childminder and something happens to them due to the childminder neglecting to do their job correct because they were across the road having a coffee and a natter I bet you would want some sort of action taking against them?

So why should it be different if you are the parent of the child?

I wouldn't be pointing fingers and looking for retribution - I would be doing everything in my power to find out what happened to my child, which is exactly what the McCanns are doing.

 

[Robobum]

Do I think it's acceptable for me to be in a bar opposite my house whilst my 4yr old is asleep in bed?

What if she was sick in her bed? A fairly common occurrence. Would it be right of me to leave her with sick all over herself for 1/2 hr until it came to "check up time"

What if she just had a bad dream? Would it be ok to leave her sobbing her little heart out for 30mins until check up time?

No one deserves the outcome that has cursed these poor people. Making a considered decision to leave a 4yr old child alone is not acceptable in my view.

 

[Khamelion]

Seem to be a lot of heartless people on the forum. Must be nice to never make a mistake or an error of judgement.... Or to be lucky enough to get away with it when you do.

I have nothing but sympathy for the McCanns.

I readily admit I have made mistakes in the few years I have been on this planet, but at the very least when my daughter was the same age I had the good common sense never to leave her alone unattended. A mistake is putting sugar in someones coffee who doesn't take sugar, and error in judgement is thinking you could jump the red lights and get away with it, what the the McCanns did is neither, it was a conscious decision to leave their child unsupervised. Can anyone on this forum condone that action?

There seem to be two camps...

1) Prejudice and conjecture
2) Humanity and known facts

I know which camp I'm glad that I'm in

What predujice and conjecture is there in the events as shown on Crimewatch this evening, as written above the McCans made a conscious decision to leave their child unsupervised, that is not conjecture, that is fact.

I sincerely hope that Madelaine is well, in good health and will one day be reunited with her parents, but I'm not arguing that. All along I have written that the McCanns made a the wrong choice, showed a distinct lack of common sense and that their actions were tantamount to neglect. What they did was shameful and as a parent I cannot fathom why they did what they did.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Thanks guys i thought it was just me

+1 on that.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Gut feeling, that's all I've said. I'll admit that the evidence is against me.

What the evidence does show is a clear case of neglect; that's beyond doubt. A shame so many people allow their sympathy towards the McCanns for their loss to cloud their judgement.

Maybe because most peoples initial thought would be a degree of sympathy, but then there is always some contrary pub bore, that feels that they know more.

So what is this gut feeling, you skirt around the issue a lot, but what is it, Columbo?

 

[richart]

I don't think anyone is condoning what the parents did, but do they deserve what then happened, and more importantly did their little girl ? If you can get beyond how she was snatched, this is a heart breaking case, and the people that took her should be brought to justice. There should be no place on earth for them to hide.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

What predujice and conjecture is there in the events as shown on Crimewatch this evening, as written above the McCans made a conscious decision to leave their child unsupervised, that is not conjecture, that is fact.

Don't know abut events shown on Crimewatch tonight as I was out - but in general...

Prejudice - having already decided that the McCanns are - as a minimum - guilty of negligence, a guilt compounded by their general demeanor throughout.

Conjecture - reaching conclusions on what might have happened involving the McCanns, rather than basing any view - or indeed judgement (as many seem to jump to) on known facts and balanced view on probability/likelihood of events and subsequent events.

So yes - Prejudice and Conjecture

 

[Ethan]

I've made no criminal allegations, I've said that my opinion is that something they are known to have done is more serious than they have been judged to have been by the relevant authorities. Despite the way you seem to want me to be doing something wrong, I'm not. I'm perfectly within my rights to say what I have here.

When you see any televised criminal case and the accused is found innocent you regularly see the victims or the victim's family state outright that the decision is wrong. Does anything happen to these people such as cases of slander taken against them?

No. For obvious reason. So stop trying to paint me as the bad guy here, which you're obviously trying to do for no other reason than I have a different opinion to you.

As for this dangerous territory you speak of, you're being ridiculous. Again I've made no allegation of anything and gone so far as to say anything I do think beyond that which is known is gut instinct.

Why do we live in such ridiculous times when people think any discussion of a serious nature is litigious?

I am afraid you do not understand the charge of slander. You do not have to allege a criminal offence, nor is slander a criminal offence - it is a civil one in which you simply have to say something which could cause reputational damage. Internet debate has been determined to be slander rather than libel. Hinting at something more than meets the eye (or whatever it was you said) could suggest you think the McCanns had a direct hand in the disappearance, for example, and you could be asked to explain exactly what you suspected and what evidence you had for that opinion. Good luck with the defence of gut instinct. You might be better saying a leprechaun appeared to you in a dream. At least a defence of insanity might play.

Complaining about a court verdict is entirely different because the fact there was a cause brought in the first place is evidence that there were adequate grounds to believe the accused was guilty and a conviction might occur. Losing the case does not negate those grounds. And people are not found innocent, they are found not guilty which is not the same thing at all.

Also, saying the McCanns are now unfit to look after their two other kids is not a huge stretch at reputational damage either.

I am not trying to paint you as the bad guy. You are doing it all by yourself. You really should stop.

 

[JustOne]

Reputational damage?... ooooooooohhh

I've been slandered too many times on this forum - watch out from now on you lot!!!

 

[chrisd]

I don't think anyone is condoning what the parents did, but do they deserve what then happened, and more importantly did their little girl ? If you can get beyond how she was snatched, this is a heart breaking case, and the people that took her should be brought to justice. There should be no place on earth for them to hide.

Sums it up well for me Rich.

All of the people at dinner that night had sleeping children it appeared and they all made that (quite wrong) call that it was ok to check them every half hour. I also recall the distance being quoted as 50m and not the 500m said, I believe, on here. I would be willing to bet that many on here have slipped round to next door for supper when kids have gone to bed and popped back to check them frequently, never had a problem and never considered it wrong.

If you havnt ever done that, consider for a moment the day you decide that your child is old enough to walk to school alone, will it be your fault that some deranged person just happens to choose that day to snatch a child? You will always feel guilty but was it your fault or the abductors?