Child snatched on holiday( new sightings and CCTV)

McCann 'extortion' pair in court

The latest developments regarding these miscreants...

A couple are to appear in court accused of trying to extort money from the parents of missing Madeleine McCann.

BBC News

Where is Maddy and what happened with the spanish reporter who claimed the main suspect s a french peadophile?

According to the Portuguese newspaper "Jornal de Notícias", that couple arrested this week may be involved in an illegal adoption network.

On the apartment where they live the Spanish police found many photos on their computer and newspaper clippings of news about Madeleine, and they also found "biological traces" that are being analyzed.

The couple, 61 years old Danilo Chemello, Italian, and the Portuguese Aurora Vaz Pereira, 54 years old, may be part of an illegal adoption and child traffic network and/or an international network of sperm and ovums traffic, in cooperation with an US laboratory and a Greek doctor.

The French police had informations that many children were seen in and around their house when they lived in Saint Tropez, and one boy that is still missing was supposedly seen there.

Two girls, one looking 8 years old and the other 10, supposedly sisters and daughters of the Portuguese woman, were taken by the authorities.

Source, in Portuguese.

Hey! Armap,

Got an update on your Poroguese story about the outcome?

Unfortunately there are no new informations about this case.

The Portuguese police is awaiting the results of the tests made in the house of the Italian man and the Portuguese woman who were arrested in Spain.

The Spanish judge has marked the case as a case that should be protected by judicial secrecy, so they have not published any information.

Robert Murat was interviewed by the police yesterday and today.

Three friends of the McCann's, the ones who were dinning with them on the night Madeleine disappeared, were also interviewed by the police, apparently to make them meet Robert Murat face to face to see if they remembered anything about him.

António Toscano, the Spanish freelance journalist that says that he has evidences of connections between a known paedophile and the couple that was arrested in Spain presented to the police yesterday a file about the case.

Thanks for your update Arp..



Just really trying to work out if this is a case of child selling or murder?

I have to admit, and i almost feel guilty for saying this, but i'm struggling with the McCann's now.

I just read this on Sky News website.....

The parents of Madeleine McCann have given a TV interview to warn how common child attacks are.

Gerry and Kate McCann said they were shocked to learn just how many child abductions take place every year, and said something must be done to stop paedophiles.

Speaking on RTP, the state channel in Portugal, Kate said: "I think there are lots of people out there who aren't aware of the scale of the problem, and should be.

"I think it's something that needs to be publicised to make people aware - and something needs to be done about it."

McCann's warn others about paedophile attatcks

The first thought that jumped into my head when i read this was, "How dare they lecture me when i've never left my kids unattended and wandered off for a meal and drinks!"

I do not need reminders from people who are one day going to be questioned about the care of thier children, when i do my utmost to ensure the safety of mine during every given second.

This is'nt something new, there has always been sick people out there willing to take kids, something that you'd have thought a couple of doctors would be more than well aware of.

Sorry if this sounds callous, i really do feel for them as parents who have lost a child, however i also feel for the millions of parents who are now watching these two undergo an all expenses paid fact finding and sightseeing tour of the world.....with a generous lecture for us thrown in every now and again.

CX.

Sadly, you are bang on the money there CX.

As you have already said, I have the deepest possible sympathy for them as parents but there response to what has happened has been deeply disturbing. I simply cannot comprehend how anybody in their position could be so anxious to step into the limelight as they have done.

Now they not only seek to lecture others on how to protect their children but they also make what appears to be a completely unfounded link to paedophilia.

I have a horrible feeling that any desire to assist the police through publicity ended a long time ago and I suspect we will be seeing these two on our screens for years to come whenever a similar incident occurs. It has just become distasteful now.

If they didn't do what they were doing Madeleine would have been forgotten in the first couple of weeks. As it is, I haven't seen this couple on the news for a while and I'd forgotten about Madeleine till I read this. I had a few arguments with my neighbour regarding Maddie's parents and their behaviour. She thinks the parents deserve what they're getting. I give them the benefit of the doubt. They've showed maps of the resort and apartment on the news but I wasn't there and I believe they had no idea of any danger when they went out to eat and left the kids in the apartment. I remember them saying it was like having lunch in your garden while the kids are upstairs in bed. I also remember Maddie's gran saying "I've heard my daughter howling like an animal." I really don't think they're enjoying their "free holiday". There's a lot of other things on the news I find far more stomach-churning.

You're quite right of course wigit, I am sure they're not enjoying it one little bit.

This is probably not the time or place to restart the "why on earth did they go out and leave them" debate but there are plenty of ways of keeping this in the public domain without the parents themselves making such regular TV appearances and doing what ends up looking like some form of self promotion.

We are all different I suppose but in a similar position I cannot begin to believe I would want to be anywhere near a TV camera.

“For every adversity there is the seed of equivalent or greater benefit.”

When I first heard of this child napping I was really angry to think that educated people (Doctors to boot) like Gerry and Kate McCann could be so stupid to leave their children unattended. But then hundred’s do every day and nothing ever happens.

So back to my point, I think the McCann’s are now trying to find a way to make this horrendous situation have some meaning and perhaps the ‘benefit’ is in their speaking out so other people might just take a moment and think before they act irresponsibly. I believe this is a way of coping for them. Might not be what we would do but we have to manage as best we can.

Who would want to be in their shoes?

[edit on 17/7/2007 by Lady of the Lake]

Having kids of my own I feel a genuine fear and panic when I hear stories like Madeleine's on the news. Often at the beginning I can't sleep for thinking about it. My daughter is six and just by letting her walk three doors up to her friends I get worried. I remember when I was small we'd all go out to play in the morning and come home when we were hungry. We'd play down the docks near the water, or in condemned buildings, or on new building sites, or up at the fields a couple of miles from home. How things have changed.I'm a regular to the BBC news web-site. On the one hand they report missing kids and on the other they print stories about over-protective parents who spoil their kid's lives by practically locking them up and keeping them indoors.Just recently a man lifted a little girl up in our local Woolworth's store, put her under his arm and attempted to carry her off. There was a struggle, he dropped her and ran. He dropped his mobile phone and I'm assuming he was caught but there wasn't even a mention in our local paper, never mind the big news.

I do wonder about the double standards in this case.

Think of all the people that have been charged with child neglact, or other charges relating to children being left alone and something happening.

Many people say that the McCann's have paid the ultimate price for leaving thier daughter that night. I'm sorry, but Madeleine paid the ultimate price for that night, not her parents.

So lets take the case of someone who left thier child in a car in the hot sun for an hour whilst they popped into the pub. The child dies or is seriously harmed as a result. This is not unheard of and the parents are always charged because of it.

The parent has still suffered because of thier stupidity, as has the child, yet the parents are ALWAYS charged.

This is the same for many thousands of people out there. I'm very suprised that none of them have come forward to complain of unfair treatment. Not that what they did was right, but they have received very different treatment than the celeb lifelstyles the McCann's now have.

Should we blame the media for that and not blame the McCann's for taking up the oppurtunity of attention for the case?

To be honest i'm not sure what i'd like to see come out of this. I would certainly like to see as much press attention being paid to every other child that is missing at the moment.

No-one can blame the McCann's for continueing the search for Maddy, but i feel it is so wrong to let the wrong-doing in this case to be swept under the carpet. It's not a good example to other parents, especially from professionals who should know better.

I would'nt like to see the McCann's charged with a crime whilst they are looking for thier possibly dead daughter, this would for sure only add to thier grief. However every other person who has acted wrongly towards thier children has been charged during thier grief so why not the McCann's?

Is it a money or class thing?

CX.

More Children abuse


Hi,

The latest book of Harry Potter will have a poster from Madeleine, and contacts to help find Madeleine.

The news about the San Francisco Catholic Church sexual abuse of Children with a compensation of 660 million USD, in this case justice came later but happened.

I just don’t understand why Portuguese missing Children don’t have the same efforts from the Portuguese Police.

brotherthebig.

Originally posted by brotherthebigI just don’t understand why Portuguese missing Children don’t have the same efforts from the Portuguese Police.

That is a really interesting point. What is the general attitude of the Portuguese public now? I am sure that everyone would be happy to see the child found safe and well but ids there a feeling of discontent that a greater effort is made for a tourist's child than for a local girl or boy?

As far as I have noticed, most people do not give much importance to the special effort made by the police in this case.

It's understandable that someone who can be considered as a guest (although a paying guest) should be treated with all the care, and in that case we see it as a normal, although somewhat unjust, that a foreigner gets better attentions that we do.

Also, many people understand that the British media is all over the case and Portugal has much to loose if we loose the British tourists.

But I haven't talked with many people about this, this is just my understanding of other people's opinions, I may be completely wrong.

So wha happened to the people that were arrested? Are there ny updates?

As far as I know, the judge responsible for the arrests declared the case a "closed case", so all people involved are forbidden from talking about it.

I dont understand why some people are jealous because this case is receiving attention. It isnt about tourism or about them being English, its about a poor little girl that was kidnapped and has yet to be found. Was it her parents fault? absolutely! but as someone pointed out already, its not her parents that paid the ultimate price for their ignorance, its that poor little girl. As much as the parents are hurting, I guarantee you, that little girl is hurting much worse, that is if she is still alive.
Of course I hope she is found alive, although its rare, these do sometimes have happy endings (Elizabeth Smart.)
Although I am not a very religious person and very rarely pray, the next time that I do, I will ask for her safe return.

Latest news, police are taking seriously an alleged sighting of Madeleine in Belgium.

New possible Maddy sighting

I'm not sure if i've said this before, but every time i hear that someone has possibly seen Madeleine with someone, i cannot for the life of me understand why you would not approach the child and whichever adults she was with at that very moment?

If it turned out not to be Maddy, i'm sure the parents would be understanding about such a concern.

If it turned out to be the missing child, there would be obvious tel-tell signs of awkwardness as soon as the adult was approached. I appreciate that not everyone would have the confidence to do this incase it got nasty, but i reckon anyone with a decent bone in thier body would come to your assistance.

I just find it very frustrating when people come forward after the event and possibly let the abducter escape once again.

Heres hoping they get something good from the drinks bottle.

CX.