News & Politics - Madeleine McCann abducted from holiday apartment. - Page 4

elisheva · 06-08-2007, 04:14 PM

What I don't get is what on earth they met with the Pope for. I mean, yeah, I guess they want their daughter's case to get publicity...but I really don't see what an audience with the Pope will do for that. It kind of makes me feel that this is only happening because she's cute and blonde/white and from a developed country...while I totally sympathize with the parents and can't even imagine how awful they must be feeling to have no idea where their child is, why does this girl get such treatment and not all the other children that are hurt or kidnapped around the world?

chicah · 06-09-2007, 12:29 PM

elisheva, one of my friends asked just that question today. Why does her case get so much attention? Kids disappear all the time, withouth Beckham and J.K. Rowling donating any money to them. We all agree it's horrible, but it is a form of special treatment. If she and her parents had been Iraqi or Pakistani, would the case get so much attention?

**Just Peachy.** · 06-10-2007, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elisheva (View Post)

What I don't get is what on earth they met with the Pope for. I mean, yeah, I guess they want their daughter's case to get publicity...but I really don't see what an audience with the Pope will do for that. It kind of makes me feel that this is only happening because she's cute and blonde/white and from a developed country...while I totally sympathize with the parents and can't even imagine how awful they must be feeling to have no idea where their child is, why does this girl get such treatment and not all the other children that are hurt or kidnapped around the world?

I think that's a fair point to make. And I coudln't help but think the same thing.

Old news, that I didn't see posted.

Quote:

HELP FIND MADELEINE MCCANN (29/05/07)

Can you help?
British holiday makers are being asked to further help in the hunt for missing toddler Madeleine McCann.

Police are urging anyone who holidayed in the area around the time that Madeleine went missing to come forward with any photographs they have that might help the investigation.

The appeal was launched by the UK law enforcement agencies assisting the Portuguese authorities – Leicestershire Constabulary, Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the CEOP Centre leading the appeal said

'Many people both here and abroad have already helped in a number of ways in assisting the hunt for Madeleine. But now we need to go further and by asking for photographs taken in the area we can utilise the latest technology to build a larger intelligence picture.

'The CEOP Centre has already applied facial recognition software in our wider work and now by taking in pictures from the public we can move the investigation forward – looking for people who might seem out of place or behaving strangely.

'No matter how small or insignificant the information may seem to you, it could be the missing part of the jigsaw so let us decide if it is important.

'We are looking for anyone who was at the Ocean Club Resort or surrounding area in the two weeks leading up to Madeleine disappearance on Thursday 3 May who have photographs that might help our work. We don’t want scenery shots, or pictures that just show your family, but look at your prints and see if there are, for instance, people in the background of the picture that at first you may not have noticed.

'These are the pictures we want and we want you to upload them onto a new website at Help Find Madeleine McCann.

Alternatively if you are not sure then go into any photographic shop and ask them to help you upload them onto the site. You will also find a basic 'how to' guide on the site to help you.

'We will then assess those pictures – at a rate of 1,000 pictures per hour – so that over a quick period of time we will pass meaningful information to the Portuguese authorities.

Anne Harrison, Detective Chief Superintendent from the NPIA said:

'We also want anyone who took part in the initial search for Madeleine that took place before the Portuguese police arrived at the scene of her abduction but who have not yet come forward to contact us on 0800 096 1233.'

'Similarly if anyone out there thinks they may have seen something suspicious or have suspicions as to who may have taken Madeleine or believe they may have seen her then ring us now.

'Finally to anyone who believes they may know where Madeleine is being concealed or hidden. We do not know the reason why she was taken but the Portuguese authorities have searched extensively around Praia da Luz and she has not been found. It is possible she is being hidden or concealed in some way and if you know where then by now you may have realised it is in everybody's interest that she is returned to her family.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

News?Foreign & Commonwealth Office

**~+Yamiko** · 06-11-2007, 02:34 AM

It seems like an interesting method...but may take some work because you have to look closely, especially if something suspicious such as that may be far away or a distance shot in the background.

welshgirlyUK · 06-11-2007, 03:59 AM

I think they were saying they have special technology for it, but this came out so long ago i cant remember what was said about it. The only thing is, it wasn't really British tourism season.

Her parents were on TV talking this morning from Morroco, they look so exhausted. My heart just goes out to them, they seem so heartbroken.

-Kelly- · 06-12-2007, 01:36 AM

Madeleine McCann Case Shock: Cop Charged in Another Missing Girl Case
By Lynda Johnson
Jun 11, 2007

The investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is now in even more chaos. The Portuguese cop in charge of Maddie's case, the man that is coordinating the hunt for her abductor, was charged with criminal offenses over another notorious missing child case in Portugal. Goncalo Amaral and four other Portuguese police officers were charged over the weekend with offenses relating to the inquiry into the disappearance of Joana Cipriano from a village seven miles from where Madeleine was abducted.

Amaral had been investigating the case of nine-year-old Portuguese national who disappeared without trace in southern Portugal in 2004. Joana's mother then confessed to killing her daughter to the police. The woman had allegedly wanted to conceal an incestuous affair with her brother which her daughter had found out about.

***

The mother was sentenced to 16 years and eight months imprisonment, although the daughter's body has never been found. However, the accusations now is that the confession was coerced by torture.
Joana's mother, Leonor, has alleged that she was beaten into a confession during a police interrogation that took place without her lawyer or the knowledge of the public prosecutor.

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were informed of the charges by a Foreign Office representative yesterday. A spokesman for the family said: “They do not remember meeting Goncalo Amaral face to face but naturally they were concerned to hear of the charges."

***

According to the UK Times, Police sources said that Mr. Amaral was "very angry" about the allegations and was considering taking action against the Ministerio Publico. "He is very professional and has had a lot of success in solving cases,” the source said. “He is very upset because reporters never speak of these successes.”

The paper points out the mirror image of the cases. "In echoes of the Madeleine case, the investigation into Joana’s disappearance got off to a false start when the Republican National Guard failed to seal off the house where Joana was last seen. Mr and Mrs McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have also expressed frustration at delays in the early stages of the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance."

***

Police in Portugal have been criticized for their delays in responding to witnesses and what appears to be a general lack of energy in investigating the case.

The Australian reports that yesterday it emerged that a witness who claims to have seen Madeleine, aged four, days after she disappeared had still not been properly interviewed, although detectives had assured the McCann's that they had fully investigated the sighting.

***

Mari Olli says she saw the girl at a petrol station on the outskirts of Marrakesh in Morocco on June 9. Despite contacting Portuguese, Spanish and British police, she has still not been formally interviewed and no statement has been taken. Portuguese police admitted last week they were still waiting for CCTV footage from the petrol station.

A McCann family source said: "We had got the impression that they had sat down with her and gone through her statement in detail, which is not the case. The Portuguese police have complained about the lack of cooperation from the Moroccan authorities. None of it fills you with confidence."

source

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They have no chance getting Maddie back if he's in charge

chicah · 06-12-2007, 08:08 AM

OMG that was a big shocker. I heard that the Norwegian woman who claimed to have seen Madeleine was never properly interviewed, I'm also Norwegian, she was interviewed by Norwegian press and there she said that she was still waiting to be called in for an interrogation.
I think this entire thing is very scary, and I might be pessimistic, but I doubt that Madeleine is still alive. I just hope they'll get her back so they can have a proper funeral.

(As far as I think I've heard, in missing children cases the kid is often found within the first 24 hours or not found at all)

Indian Summer · 06-12-2007, 11:17 AM

Whatever. This doesn't really concern me in the slightest. All cops screw up, and it doesn't really mean he's screwed up on the McCann case. In addition, four other cops were charged in that case, so it's not like the error was just his own.

-Kelly- · 06-12-2007, 11:10 PM

Petition over Madeleine's treatment

Jun 12 2007

An online petition has been launched urging social workers in Madeleine McCann's home county to investigate the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

By Monday night, more than 1,700 people had signed it, calling on Leicestershire social services to "investigate the circumstances which led to three-year-old Madeleine McCann and her younger siblings being left unattended in an unlocked, ground floor hotel room".

The petitioners claim Leicestershire social services have a "statutory obligation" to investigate those circumstances.

The petition - on a website called petitiononline.com - added: "We ask that they do this to reflect an even-handed approach to the important issue of child protection."

Speaking to the BBC, John McCann, brother of Madeleine's father Gerry, described the initiative as "not helpful".

Brian Kennedy, the little girl's great uncle, told the Press Association: "It's not worthy of comment."

Madeleine disappeared from a hotel room in Portugal on May 3, while her parents, Gerry and Kate, were eating at a nearby restaurant.

The Rothley youngster, now four, has not been seen since and her mother and father have faced criticism about their decision to leave her, and her younger brother and sister, in the hotel while they dined.

The couple said had been close by and made regular checks on the children.

Responding to the petition to the BBC, Leicestershire County Council said it always discharged its duties in a "full and professional manner", then added: "All agencies are acutely aware of the traumatic ordeal that the McCanns are experiencing."

source

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They left the door un-lock?

chicah · 06-13-2007, 07:12 AM

Okay, if they left it unlocked, I'll withdrew what I said about not blaming the parents. That is very weird behaviour, I have to say. Let's just hope, either way, that she's found.

Indian Summer · 06-13-2007, 07:13 AM

What I don't get is why it took so long for this to get started, lol. I'm surprised Parents' groups weren't all over it from the start.

eta: even without knowing for certain, I always figured they left it unlocked. The average three year old can't really unlock a door- at most they usually just pull on the door handle.

Indian Summer · 06-13-2007, 08:43 AM

Sorry to double post, but...

I just heard a newscast in Dutch saying a letter had been sent to De Telegraaf claiming Madeleine was buried under rocks in a deserted area a few kilometers away from where she went missing. A map accompanied the letter. All I can find referencing it right now is this which doesn't give any of the details. It's a tip good enough that the Portuguese police are searching the area though...

chicah · 06-13-2007, 02:23 PM

It could be a hoax, like that phone call the parents arrived a couple of days ago. But let's hope they find her.

welshgirlyUK · 06-13-2007, 03:16 PM

Theres been too many mistakes made by the police in this case. So many people have reported seeing a little girl like her and haven't been interviewed by the police and when they have been its days/weeks later. The borders weren't closed until a long time after and police then monitoring them sat in there cars and didn't check the cars going through, thats just off the top of my head. A couple of mistakes happen, they shouldn't, but they do, but this many is unacceptable.

I'll be suprised if that petition amounts to anything here right now. The British public have become too emotionally involved to call for one, its still too raw and painful. It seems a little insensitive and really isn't gonna help find her any quicker. I'd be very suprised if Leicester council took this case up, maybe later on yes, now, no.

**sunnykerr** · 06-14-2007, 09:23 AM

Yeah, I've really debated posting on this issue myself, because my heart bleeds for her parents. No matter how stupid or negligent they have been, their child is still missing (and probably dead, too, at this point). But, on the other hand, I can't stop thinking about all the kids who go missing every day, of all the children in Africa who are literally kidnapped out their homes and forced to enter militias as child soldiers or sex slaves, and who never get this kind of attention from police or authorities, never mind the media and the freaking Pope.

So I don't know what to say... I hope the McCanns get answers and closure. Better yet, I hope they somehow find that little girl still alive.

But I also wish all children got this much attention.