General Chat

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have shown signs of strain as they face a growing backlash in Portugal. The lawyer of the only suspect in the case criticised their 'strange' behaviour in leaving their children alone on the night the young girl vanished. And Portuguese newspapers repeated claims that detectives now believe Madeleine was killed in the McCann holiday flat rather than abducted. Kate and Gerry McCann have moved to a new apartment in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz, where their four-year-old daughter disappeared on May 3. But this week they have been besieged by a 'huge gaggle' of Portuguese media outside their new accommodation, a family spokesman said. The couple have stopped their daily routine of taking their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie to the creche at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz. The move follows concerns about photographers and film crews taking pictures of their children and disturbing holidaymakers using the child-minding facility. Francisco Pagarete, lawyer of Robert Murat, the only suspect in Madeleine's disappearance, said he thought it 'strange' that parents would leave their children alone in a foreign country. Mr and Mrs McCann left their three children asleep in their apartment on May 3 while they ate with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant. The couple have strongly defended their judgment that it was safe to leave their children alone. The pair are also said to have found recent suggestions in the Portuguese press that Madeleine was murdered on the night she vanished 'very hurtful'. They have consistently said they believe their daughter is still alive.

This reported this evening below

hi lynn,i hope and pray she is alive,i think if they had just admitted they made a bad decision with awful consequences,people would have been more supportive to them.xx

That is fairly innocuous compared to the published article, click link to read, remove brackets first. http://www.thefirstpost(.)co.uk/index.php?storyID=8144 Sue

Just read it Sue. I am saying nothing. Marion

I didn't post it before because of all the arguments on here previously. I only offered the link because it is in the public domain. Sue

I agree Joy. I would never have been in the same situation as they were, but IF I was, the guilt would have got the better of me long before now. Marion

I hope and pray that this news article is a total fabrication although it's a highly dangerous game to play to print that kind of information and it not be the case. I have said on various threads many time, my opinion of the whole situation, something stinks and it needs to be sorted. I hope and pray too that little Maddie is alive and looked after well but I don't in my heart of hearts feel that is the case anymore. Poor little Maddie, whatever has happened I hope you didn't/haven't suffered. I hope you are alive and well looked after. Why would any parent want to leave you alone with your little brother and sister? Lyn x

Copy of First Post article Sue mentioned below: Phone intercepts ‘confirm Maddy’s death’ Intercepted telephone calls and emails between the McCanns and their friends have 'confirmed the death of Madeleine' say police, according to one Portuguese newspaper today. The intercepts are said to have been made in a joint operation conducted by Portuguese and British police officers. Diario de Noticias reports investigators have already concluded that the missing four-year-old was killed in the apartment where she slept in Praia da Luz. It says that Maddy's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann (right), and their friends who were holidaying at the Ocean Club, will be brought in for further questioning. Police are awaiting new tests from the McCanns' Renault Scenic. According to another paper, Jornal de Noticias, police want to examine inconsistencies in the statements of Kate and Gerry McCann, who wereinterviewed separately late into the night early on in the investigation. In particular, they want to focus on a three-hour period in which only the McCanns saw Madeleine. Respected news agency Lusa quotes one police source saying that they think 'there's light at the end of the tunnel' and that the authorities have 'an idea of what could have happened' to the four-year-old. Police have known 'for a month' that Madeleine had died in the apartment, it is widely reported. The tabloid newspaper 24 Horas says that the police are looking for Madeleine's body in the sea, helped by English sniffer dogs. They have intensified searches around the nearby town of Lagos and along the Algarvian coast, it says. Blood found in the apartment two days ago has arrived in Britain for DNA analysis: a result can be expected inside 48 hours.

Stella, Absolutely agree with you. Sue

I watched them being interviewed the other day. Marion

hi all well that just points to what i thought when did they actually check on the little ones? why do they keep going around the world leaving their other children with other people? he never looks at all bothered when you see him on tv? the police know the truth and will arrest the person sooner or later...hopefully in the meantime i do hope maddy is found:( jet

So ! ……………………. There are intercepted phone calls and e mails which confirm Maddy’s demise. Sounds pretty conclusive to me ………………….. Have they arrested and charged the McCanns yet ? And how is it that the police have known for more than a month that Maddy died in that room when the blood of “someone” was found only last week ? And would they really let other holidaymakers use that room before they conducted proper forensic investigations into a suspicious death ? If the McCanns were suspects from early on then why has their hire car been hired out to others and then brought back for examination ? Sounds bizarre to me ! And another thing ! ………………… why wait three months to tackle the McCanns about inconsistencies in their stories ? Were those inconsistencies not apparent on the night that their statements were given ? And if the McCanns and their friends have been in the frame all this time ………… why have the police been on Murat’s back for so long ? My questions are purely rhetorical and I am not looking for any answers. I flag them up only to keep thoughts in perspective. Still, we should all be most comforted by the news that yet another “respected” Portuguese news agency claims that their police see light at the end of the tunnel. For, until now, many of us have had the impression that they are forever doomed to be groping in the dark !

I agree R It all does seem very strange. Marion

The whole case becomes more and more baffling, God bless Madeliene, Caz xxx

But Marion .................... what do you believe ?

I have to agree with Robin , why only now are they examining traces of blood found in the apartment. Something just doesn't add up!!!!!!!!!

Well, I cant say what I think,but I have thought the same thing from day one. Marion

Strange it is! Speculation and rumors is all the Portuguese press have. The police did not and never have made any statement that Maddie, is no longer with us... They are researching the cliff top area as well as the waters surrounding the coast....this is a fact...as it is in plain sight for everyone to see. The apartment has been sold...they do not have sniffer dogs ( who look for dead bodies ) only rescue dogs and those that sniff out drugs...So British help was brought in... From day one everyone yelled kidnap... this is a very high profile case which has escalated worldwide... so the pressure is on... Three month old blood splatter could belong to anyone including the cleaning ladies that clean the flats once or twice a week. Personally I do not believe that the parents or any of their friends are involved... Hypothetically , Maddie could have woken up...found herself in strange surroundings, opened the front door...to look for the parents...started crying and someone...took advantage of the situation.... ' God help her' Lindy :( who is off to bed now...

Before you go Lindy !!!