If it was a black, working class couple from Hackney who left their children alone while they enjoyed a meal with their mates, I think the whole spin on the story would be somewhat different.
The sad story of Madelaine McCann has stayed with us 1 It was a slow news day 2 Madelaine was a girl.....extremely young, beautiful, blond, blue-eyed (yes it does help alot) 3 It happened in a foreign country (lots of jingo-ism) 4 The police were shown (by our media) not to be as good as our bobbies...more jingo-ism 5 The police accused the parents (who were also very attractive and articulate)....ultra-jingo-ism 6 The parents leaving their child and then the child went missing...one way or another that touch people (either why did they leave the child or "there for the grace of God go I) 7 The parents were extremely articulate and decently wealthy and used every inch of their ability to keep it in the news, as they knew that was the only way You are right, other children do go missing...many gypsy children as was shown in the recent case....but they are not as "attractive" as Madelaine is. I admire the McCanns for the perseverance, that must take so much emotional energy...and in doing so their lives are "unable" to start again. As I say many of us, myself included, think there for the grace of God...I took my eyes off my youngest in a bookshop when she was about 4 (soon after the Jaime Bulger case). It took us about 10-15 minutes to find her...possibly the worst 10 minutes of my life ever....Those 10 minutes are why I follow the case so deeply
Still feel for parents but feel they brought it on themselves by leaving her unattended in the apartment which is something i would never ever dream of doing abroad.
Ben Needham (born 29 October 1989 in Sheffield) disappeared on 24 July 1991 at the age of 21 months from the Greek island of Kos.[1] Despite numerous reported sightings over the years, no trace of the British child has ever been found.[2] It is one of the longest missing persons cases in British history.[2] Disappearance[edit] Ben Needham had been holidaying with his parents on Kos[3] (to which his maternal grandparents had emigrated) in the village of Iraklise when he went missing on 24 July 1991. On the day of his disappearance Ben had been left in the care of his grandparents while his mother went to work at a local hotel. He was playing outside a farmhouse the family were renovating when, at approximately 2:30 pm, the adults realised he had disappeared.[4] The family first searched the area for Ben, assuming he had wandered off, or that their teenage son, Stephen, had taken him out on his moped. When no trace of the boy was found, the police were notified. However, the police extensively questioned the Needhams, holding them as prime suspects, and delayed informing airports and docks.[5] Eventually they widened their search for the child. Police investigations[edit] Use of age-progression imaging techniques[edit] In 2003, shortly before the twelfth anniversary of Ben's disappearance, Private Investigator Ian Crosby contacted the Metropolitan Police Facial Imaging Team and suggested they could consider creating an updated photograph of Ben.[6] They did and used age progression techniques to alter a toddler photograph of Ben to how it would look when he was thirteen years old.[7] Another age-updated photograph was constructed in 2007.[8][9] Accidental burial theory[edit] In October 2012 police from the UK travelled to Greece to search an area that they believed might contain Needham's remains. On 19 October Greek police, assisted by a team of specialist search advisers from South Yorkshire Police, began an operation to examine the grounds of the property from which Ben disappeared.[10] The operation, involving geophysical survey equipment, forensic archaeologists and Human Remains Detection (HRD) dogs, was triggered by a police line of inquiry that Ben had been accidentally buried by an excavator driver dumping building rubble nearby.[11][12] The operation failed to detect any trace of the child.[13] Alleged sightings[edit] There have been more than 300 sightings of boys matching Ben's description reported, both on the Greek mainland and on Greek islands. Most were called in shortly after his disappearance during the period of 1991 to 1992. There were also a number of instances where it looked as if the mystery had been solved. In late 1995, private investigator Stratos Bakirtzis found a blond boy, aged around six years old, living with a Gypsy family in a camp located in Salonika, Greece. The child claimed he had been given to the Gypsies after being abandoned by his biological parents and his adoptive mother claimed to have bought the boy from another Gypsy. However, there was no evidence found to suggest this was Ben.[14] In 1998, British holidaymaker John Cookson saw a blond boy of about ten playing on a beach in Rhodes. Cookson said that the child was known as 'the blond one' by his friends and was the only fair-haired child in the group of dark-haired Greek children. Suspicious, he took photographs of the children and used the pretext of tousling the boy's head to acquire a hair sample for DNA analysis.[15] However, DNA testing proved the boy was not Ben,[16] and the Greek boy's family also provided infant photographs to prove he was their child.[17][18] In 2003, private investigator Ian Crosby made a visit to Kos with Ben's uncle Danny,[19] followed by further visits to meet Greek police. Crosby has also investigated a photograph, sent to him by a holidaymaker who visited Turkey in 1999, which depicts a number of Turkish village children, including a blond boy who resembles the age-progression photo of what Ben might look like aged thirteen.[20] Crosby said, "I get many hundreds of reports every year from people on holiday who think they have seen Ben. It is impossible to investigate many of these claims. It is very sad to realise how little is actually done to find missing children like Ben and Madeleine McCann. Many British people who I have discussed Ben's case with are amazed when I tell them that no British police officer has ever travelled to Kos or Greece in connection with Ben's case. I even offered to pay for police officers to go, my offer was turned down. Sadly it remains therefore highly unlikely that the majority of children in these types of cases will ever be found." The Needham family believe that Ben was kidnapped with the intention of selling him for adoption, or he was taken by child traffickers. However, there is no evidence and some consider an accident more likely.[
Very much this. Not only did they leave their kids alone, the sedated them to make sure they didn't wake up. Probably shouldn't go down this route as it ends badly, but I don't buy the McCanns side of the story. There is so much that doesn't add up, endless amount of lies imo. Here in Norway the case was front page as late as last Thursday.
[/QUOTE] According to scientific studies taken from the hair of the two twins in 2007 they did not sedate the children...well the twins at least (20 October 2007 David Pilditch in Praia da Luz SCIENTIFIC tests now support the denials by Gerry and Kate McCann that they ever sedated their children, it emerged yesterday. The development further undermines an essential plank in the case being prepared by the Portuguese police. The development suggests other scientific and DNA test results will explain other disputed allegations against them. The tests were carried out on the couple's two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie, as part of their defence case. It could reduce the likelihood of them being charged. Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell refused to discuss the development, but added: "I am happy to confirm once again that Kate and Gerry have never, ever, used sedatives on their children." Friends of the McCanns said they believe Portugese police are behind a smear campaign against them, which would account for recent claims that Gerry is not Madeleine's father, there were seven children in their apartment the night she vanished, and that they sedated their children. But Portuguese police admitted yesterday they made a crucial error.[/QUOTE] There is alot of rumour and speculation about the case...and I too do not know what quite to believe..it is all just too sad
I suppose the reason this has global media attention still is the fact that it happened whilst on holiday abroad and it could have been any nationality that had the child kidnapped, people from anywhere in the world can relate to that fear of your child being snatched, had she been taken on a day trip to Brighton I doubt anyone outside the uk would really know about her. As it is not known what country she is now in(if alive) the families campaign is a global one that keeps it in the spotlight. With regards to opinions about why the family haven't been slated more for leaving her alone, I suspect it is more to do with the false allegations that they had killed her and hidden it rather then their social standing!
All I will say on this subject is this; who amongst us as parents can truthfully say that at all times and in all situations our children were never in danger whilst in our care? A phone rings, one child goes one way and you have to leave the others to catch them, paying for petrol etc. Imagine having the world's media focused intensely on how you deal with every single situation in your parenting life; would all your actions stand up to scrutiny? The point has been made about how well off, successful and attractive the McCanns are. At some level society loathes people who are fortunate in those respects.
Thanks for the later replies all. i have always had the notion that maybe the families social standing, wealth or contacts had been what kept this story running. It may be true butt you cant blame the parents for doing everything they can and using every bit of influence to keep this in the publics mind. I dont really buy into the "they did it theory" as they have gone above and beyond in thier efforts to trace her. As someone posted earlier, had this ben a black working class mother from a council estate, i think it would have been covered very diffrently if at all. its not right but thats the way it works i guess.
Just to say...I would use every penny I had, every breath I had, any means possible to get a child of mine back. We all would. I feel for them so much
Spot on Beth, thats why I say you cant blame them There is no amount of debt that could stop my trying to find my kids. Would love to see a happy ending to this one, but not holding my breath in all honesty.
Agree !! A story you just couldn't make up, all the twist and turns, incompetent police, media interference, you just keep on expecting another twist.
If it was a white, working class couple from Hackney it'd be the same still. Don't think colour is the issue, more ''class''. Really?!?!
