It is really hard to know what to think about the idea that Kate McCann is now being treated as a suspect in the disappearance of her daughter Madeleine. I know there are people out there who have always suspected the parents; I have spoken to a few of them and have read various blogs where people have stated as much. I though cannot believe that you would willingly put yourself through the media spotlight, travel around Europe meeting various dignitaries including the Pope if all along you knew you had killed your child. Their’s has been a personal crusade, they have remained in Portugal, apparently to remain close to Madeleine when to me it seemed more likely the child was dead and little could be gained from remaining.
They certainly seem to have made some major errors. They did not act in the best way as parents on the night in May when Madeleine disappeared. After all, if you go on holiday as a family, even with friends then you should spend the time together as a family. If you want an adults night out then use some kind of baby sitting service. Leaving 1 child is bad enough, but leaving 3 children as young as these appears to be negligent. But what is done is done. They have been stung by people’s harsh words; they have been both praised and vilified in the press, using it as a medium for their own ends but then appearing surprised when people accuse them. They have courted publicity, but then they have been on a mission, a mission to find their daughter and you can’t really blame them for that. Why though would you put yourself through that whole circus if you had killed the child yourself?
One thing is certain, there is much more about this case to emerge. One would hope that would involve finding Madeleine, whether that is alive or perhaps more likely dead. I’ll bet that right now TV and newspaper companies have journalists travelling to Portugal, after all many had scaled back coverage. If the McCann’s thought the worst that could happen already had, I suspect they were very much mistaken. Whatever happens they are in for a very rough ride.
I am left wondering though if the Portuguese police, who have been criticised along the way are now looking to hang this on someone so that they can wrap up the case and get out of the spot light of the British and world media. What better way to do that than to blame the crime on one or both of the parents who after all are English?
A very interesting post, and one that touches on many of the issues. I have posted something regarding the ways in which all search for ‘the truth’ of things like this on my blog, and it is very tempting to speculate. I believe that ‘the truth’ will stranger than any of expect and at the risk of indulging in ‘conspiracy’ theory the following might well be possible:
Portuguese Police under pressure to ‘remove’ Mcanns from Portugal…Senior politician/ policeman involved in paeadophile ring using McCann accusations to divert attention from real perpetrators and abusing power and status to play the systme against them.
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In Britain at least, we are supposed to consider a person innocent until proven guilty. I therefore think we should at least suspend judgement on the McCanns unless and until strong evidence emerges implicating them.
They have chosen to use the media in their campaign. They have discovered what many have discovered before them, namely that the media are dangerous allies. They start by supporting you and then suddenly turn against you, often for no obvious reason. This is now happening to the McCanns. Victoria Beckham could have warned them.
There have been occasions when we stayed in a hotel and spent the evening in the bar, allowing our young son to sleep in his room alone. Would I do that today? If the McCanns are telling the truth, then leaving the children alone might have been a mistake but it was not a crime like the crime of stealing a child.
Too often in cases like this, the criminal who commits the act is almost forgotten and the parents who “let it happen” receive the full weight of blame from media and public. This is wrong. Kidnapping is far more serious a crime than leaving your child alone even if that too is a bad thing to do. Blame should be proportionate to the fault.
The British public likes to blame people. Anyone will do. In the absence of a kidnapper, the parents serve the purpose just as well. This disgusts me.
It is unfortunately true that many children are kidnapped and murdered. Few receive the media coverage the McCann case has received. We are here in the throes of a bandwaggon effect like the Diana case. For whatever reason, public and media have gone into a feeding frenzy on this.
Sad as the case is, there are far more important issues awaiting our attention. It is time the media stopped flogging the McCann story and got back to reporting what is happening in the world.