Madeleine McCann Development

[OldBlueLady]

Absolutely - they made a bad judgement call and have paid the ultimate price, and you would expect people working in that profession to have made a better initial choice but whatever influenced those decisions (and I don't think that night was the first time that holiday) what happened, did. I don't think even they can dispute the facts surrounding that night, what they did was grossly irresponsible but I'm not sure if it is technically "neglect".

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Absolutely - they made a bad judgement call and have paid the ultimate price, and you would expect people working in that profession to have made a better initial choice but whatever influenced those decisions (and I don't think that night was the first time that holiday) what happened, did. I don't think even they can dispute the facts surrounding that night, what they did was grossly irresponsible but I'm not sure if it is technically "neglect".

Leaving under 5's technically home alone, IE, nobody in the apartment, probably is neglect.

It's like me putting my kids to bed and going over the pub opposite me for a drink, leaving the kids on their own.

 

[Hotman]

absolutely, it is neglect, not a ****ing "mistake". A mistake is leaving your mobile at home, not your child

 

[Hotman]

and for those who;ve got kids, you know how bloody noisy they are, there's no way you could go out and not realise that you made a "mistake" and forgot to bring them.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Leaving under 5's technically home alone, IE, nobody in the apartment, probably is neglect.

It's like me putting my kids to bed and going over the pub opposite me for a drink, leaving the kids on their own.

Child Protection is a bit of a strange one, of course any normal, sane thinking person wouldn't dream of being so irresponsible BUT, if the children are fast asleep - as children of that age invariably are - then considering they were supposed to be in view and were checking every 30 minutes, they could definitely argue it. I'm not defending them here on the night Madeleine went missing, I DO think they were absolutely wrong to leave three under 5 children unattended but I'm just saying that it does happen.

As a smoker when my own kids were that age, I used to be on edge going out in the garden to have a ciggy and would always dash back upstairs to check on them. I just wouldn't dream of leaving little uns alone like that.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Leaving under 5's technically home alone, IE, nobody in the apartment, probably is neglect.

It's like me putting my kids to bed and going over the pub opposite me for a drink, leaving the kids on their own.

absolutely, it is neglect, not a ****ing "mistake". A mistake is leaving your mobile at home, not your child

The world has moved on in many different ways, and it's been mentioned on previous McCann threads, in years gone by at British holiday camps parents would leave kids alone in their chalets. If a baby was crying then an announcement or a board with the chalet number went. That could have been my parents or yours for that matter. Paedophile wasn't the vogue word then, but as kids we were often warned away from people who appeared "strange".

I can't defend the McCanns because in this day and age they should have either employed a baby sitter, stayed in their apartment or taken the children out with them.

Sadly I fear that Madeleine is dead and it's unlikely that her body will never be discovered, and worse for the family they will have no final resting place to mourn at.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Indeed Harry, I agree. It was absolutely the norm to leave children in their chalets/hotel rooms and someone would patrol and the parents would be alerted if their child was crying. No CRB checks or anything back then!

Indeed, I know of a case very recently where the parents have recently split up and the father insisted on taking the child, aged 5, away with him and his new girlfriend for the weekend because it was his access time. Only to go to a hotel to attend a 40th birthday party and to leave the child unattended on a Saturday night in the hotel room, while he and the new girlfriend went to the party until the early hours. Irresponsible, neglect or just plain stupid?

 

[Hotman]

Indeed Harry, I agree. It was absolutely the norm to leave children in their chalets/hotel rooms and someone would patrol and the parents would be alerted if their child was crying. No CRB checks or anything back then!

Indeed, I know of a case very recently where the parents have recently split up and the father insisted on taking the child, aged 5, away with him and his new girlfriend for the weekend because it was his access time. Only to go to a hotel to attend a 40th birthday party and to leave the child unattended on a Saturday night in the hotel room, while he and the new girlfriend went to the party until the early hours. Irresponsible, neglect or just plain stupid?

all three.

 

[Hotman]

Sadly I fear that Madeleine is dead and it's unlikely that her body will never be discovered, and worse for the family they will have no final resting place to mourn at.

They might as well mourn at the room they left her in, after all that is effectively where they left the poor girl to die.

 

[OldBlueLady]

all three.

Amen to that - my sentiments exactly, trouble is, he's far too arrogant to see it.

 

[shrimpfan]

Indeed Harry, I agree. It was absolutely the norm to leave children in their chalets/hotel rooms and someone would patrol and the parents would be alerted if their child was crying. No CRB checks or anything back then!

Indeed, I know of a case very recently where the parents have recently split up and the father insisted on taking the child, aged 5, away with him and his new girlfriend for the weekend because it was his access time. Only to go to a hotel to attend a 40th birthday party and to leave the child unattended on a Saturday night in the hotel room, while he and the new girlfriend went to the party until the early hours. Irresponsible, neglect or just plain stupid?

absolutely the norm!!!! dont think so oldest boy 40 younger 35 never left them while on our hols.Come to think of it my mum and dad didnt with my twin and me

 

[OldBlueLady]

absolutely the norm!!!! dont think so oldest boy 40 younger 35 never left them while on our hols.Come to think of it my mum and dad didnt with my twin and me

Did you never go to Butlins or Pontins? There used to be a big board in whatever the function room was (and it usually was only one!) saying "Baby crying in...." and then the chalet number.

 

[shrimpfan]

Did you never go to Butlins or Pontins? There used to be a big board in whatever the function room was (and it usually was only one!) saying "Baby crying in...." and then the chalet number.

sorry no, Went to other camps and chalets and hotels. When me and sue take the grand childron away now 3 kids with 1 and 2 with the other son its such a worry but we come home with them ALL. just the way me and sue are.

 

[OldBlueLady]

sorry no, Went to other camps and chalets and hotels. When me and sue take the grand childron away now 3 kids with 1 and 2 with the other son its such a worry but we come home with them ALL. just the way me and sue are.

No, I agree completely. Times have changed, the point I think both Harry and I were making was that years ago it was not unusual and no-one blinked an eye, now if you are a responsible parent you just wouldn't even consider it.

 

[Pubey]

Did you never go to Butlins or Pontins? There used to be a big board in whatever the function room was (and it usually was only one!) saying "Baby crying in...." and then the chalet number.

Just because it happened, doesn't make it right or acceptable. I would hope that if I was from that era I still wouldn't have done it. As has been said, it was neglect, not 'an accident'. Posters and especially the media have done a good job in protecting the McCanns (rightly or wrongly), imagine if instead of them being White well-off and respected people it was a single junky mum from Leith, I think everyone would have differnt view, and that's the real hypocacy and why some don't really buy into the McCann love in.

the parents neglected their child, and MADDIE paid the ultimate price

 

[ibwiajwa]

For a couple that would leave their child out of site, unattended while having a good drink up......no respect. EVER

Boy, it's cold up there where you are, davewebbsbrain.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

My opinion of the parents is well documented on here, although I think I maybe have slightly mellowed after the Cutting Edge doc that was on a couple of weeks back.

However, the constant manipulation of the media, the employment of expensive PR consultants and the mortgage "subsidy" question still leaves question marks about them. This is even before you get into the fact that no matter how they disguise it, leaving children alone like that was inherently wrong.

 

[manor15]

One of the worst parts for the parents must be what I saw on a documentary about it the other day where they lived with the family for a while and Madeleines sister kept saying when Madeleine comes home she can wear my shoes, when she comes home I can give her this, it must really hurt the parents but they have to keep fighting for the other kids

 

[Hotman]

One of the worst parts for the parents must be what I saw on a documentary about it the other day where they lived with the family for a while and Madeleines sister kept saying when Madeleine comes home she can wear my shoes, when she comes home I can give her this, it must really hurt the parents but they have to keep fighting for the other kids

awww boo hoo poor parents... Shouldn't you be feeling sorry for her siblings instead, who most likely had no control over her being left alone? I'm sure that when they grow up they'll think their parents are ***** as well.

 

[EastStandBlue]

The mortgage payments tipped the scales for me... I kind of sympathised with them for making a mistake which will haunt them for the rest of their lives, even though it was entirely their own fault, but to use public donations to pay your own mortgage? **** off...