Madeleine McCann's birthday today.

[KZNSeagull]

The McCann's made a mistake that night which they'll live with forever,
but it still took a one in a million chance that a pervert happened to be passing or stalking, and got what he wanted.

Was not just that night. Apparently Madelaine told them that day that she woke up the previous night and could not find her parents in the apartment. I am just sorry that it took something like this for them to realise that their parenting skills were a little suspect.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I have the deepest sympathy for the parents, and like everybody else hope that they are reunited with their child.

HOWEVER, part of me can't help wondering whether if the McCans were a working class family on a package holiday to Spain and had left their children in a room unaccompanied and had this happened that there would be a much different slant on the story. I'd imagine people would be spouting the usual tripe about not being 'fit' to raise children and why social services were not involved.

Being middle class probably saved the younger children from being taken into care by Social Services.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Was not just that night. Apparently Madelaine told them that day that she woke up the previous night and could not find her parents in the apartment. I am just sorry that it took something like this for them to realise that their parenting skills were a little suspect.

Who released that bit of info? Not heard it before and doesn't sound like something the parents would give out

 

[Pavilionaire]

I reckon she's in Pakistan.

 

[ROSM]

Who released that bit of info? Not heard it before and doesn't sound like something the parents would give out

It's in the book although not quite as has been written here.

Apparently mother McCann was having breakfast with her daughter the next day when her daughter asked why she hadn't come when she and her younger brother had woken up the previous night. Apparently the child then changed the subject and starting talking about other things.

Don't get me wrong here, I was very critical of someone leaving their kids whilst they went to dinner but others who have used mark warner locations have since told me that they offer a baby minding service (as Butlin's used to do) which involves a person listening at doors every 40 mins or so. The parents and friends chose to do their own version of this but every 30 mins or so which involved actually going into the room.

It's easy to see how they got lulled into a false sense of security. Something they will doubtless question themselves over every day.

 

[Simster]

Don't get me wrong here, I was very critical of someone leaving their kids whilst they went to dinner but others who have used mark warner locations have since told me that they offer a baby minding service (as Butlin's used to do) which involves a person listening at doors every 40 mins or so. The parents and friends chose to do their own version of this but every 30 mins or so which involved actually going into the room.

They do indeed, we've been with MW and that is exactly what they offered. However, their Praia de Luz location differs from most of the others in that outsiders are free to come and go from the complex. The one we went to was a completely secure complex - you couldn't just walk in off the street.

I don't think I'd have been happy with relying on the listening service knowing that my apartment backed straight onto the road in a resort that allowed outsiders in, which is what the McCann's did.

 

[bhaexpress]

They do indeed, we've been with MW and that is exactly what they offered. However, their Praia de Luz location differs from most of the others in that outsiders are free to come and go from the complex. The one we went to was a completely secure complex - you couldn't just walk in off the street.

I don't think I'd have been happy with relying on the listening service knowing that my apartment backed straight onto the road in a resort that allowed outsiders in, which is what the McCann's did.

I can understand that, I just think they were too complacent, Portugal doesn't have any reputation for abduction as far as I know but there again, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

[KZNSeagull]

It's in the book although not quite as has been written here.

Apparently mother McCann was having breakfast with her daughter the next day when her daughter asked why she hadn't come when she and her younger brother had woken up the previous night. Apparently the child then changed the subject and starting talking about other things.

Don't get me wrong here, I was very critical of someone leaving their kids whilst they went to dinner but others who have used mark warner locations have since told me that they offer a baby minding service (as Butlin's used to do) which involves a person listening at doors every 40 mins or so. The parents and friends chose to do their own version of this but every 30 mins or so which involved actually going into the room.

It's easy to see how they got lulled into a false sense of security. Something they will doubtless question themselves over every day.

Fair enough - I heard it from Kate McCann on an interview she gave to Sky News yesterday. Kate McCann now believes that someone may have been in the apartment the night before and disturbed the kids, but she had not given a second thought to what Madelaine had said until after she disappeared.

 

[Bold Seagull]

They will always ask themselves the question of periodic checks, but at 4 years old, my daughter fell out of bed on holiday, smacked he head on the floor, cried for a bit, then went back to sleep. It was only when I went in to check 5mins later that I noticed she had a huge cut on her head with claret everywhere, and I rushed here to A&E where it needed stitches and she was checked for concussion. Had I not heard her and I was checking say 20mins later by popping my head round the door in the dark, I wouldn't have known it had happened.

On holiday, I wouldn't have given intruders much of a thought really, but my main concern would have been if they got up for the toilet, slipped or something. They were wrong to leave those kids on their own, not because of the eventual abduction, but kids that age can end up doing anything, especially waking up from a sleep.

 

[ROSM]

I don't think I'd have been happy with relying on the listening service knowing that my apartment backed straight onto the road in a resort that allowed outsiders in, which is what the McCann's did.

I do agree entirely, I wasn't attempting to defend fully the parents and the location does make all the difference. I admit i wasn't aware of how open it was both in terms of location and visitors to the site until recently. One piece in the book that is interesting is that the group had the same table at the same time every night. In the restaurant booking book was a note saying they needed to have the same table and the was a note of the reason too. It said 'room nearest appartments needed as small children will be left in the room'. You wonder if anybody could have read that.

I can understand that, I just think they were too complacent, Portugal doesn't have any reputation for abduction as far as I know but there again, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Apparently there is an issue with potential abductions and room break ins in Portugal but the police didn't publicise this and even the complex didn't know about it. However many people contacted the McCann's afterwards to report these issues and all had crime references from the local police. However no linkages between cases had been made and no progress could be seen.

Fair enough - I heard it from Kate McCann on an interview she gave to Sky News yesterday. Kate McCann now believes that someone may have been in the apartment the night before and disturbed the kids, but she had not given a second thought to what Madelaine had said until after she disappeared.

Indeed and this too will be something they will be asking themselves for a long while yet.

 

[brunswick]

child sacrifice....harvesting more energy......thread over. how can people still really believe the mainstream media?

 

[bhaexpress]

Apparently there is an issue with potential abductions and room break ins in Portugal but the police didn't publicise this and even the complex didn't know about it. However many people contacted the McCann's afterwards to report these issues and all had crime references from the local police. However no linkages between cases had been made and no progress could be seen.

Now that does sound plausible, let's face it they are hardly going to want to discourage tourism are they ?