Missing Girl In Portugal

[gcol]

This implies something that I think you didn't mean it to, which is that there's something wrong with parents leaving children in the care of someone else.

No I didn't mean to imply that - my daughter goes to nursery but it is securely run - passwords and burly nannies etc..
These holiday "site nannies" cannot monitor children in apartments effectively enough to warrant the parents swanning off for a meal and leaving them alone - even if they kept returning every 30 mins (which I don't believe for one second by the way).
I wouldn't leave my child with a hotel "child entertainer" either - that's as good as entrusting the welfare of your child to a stranger in my opinion. A parent should carefully choose whom they entrust to look after their children and I'm not just saying this because of what's happened.

 

[masona]

Something not right here if it's true but aren't the parents of the missing child are doctors

Professional and well educated

 

[gcol]

http://www.theherald.co.uk/mostpopu...glasgow_doctor_feared_abducted_in_algarve.php
Mr McCann is a consultant cardiologist at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester who colleagues today described as "popular and hardworking", and Mrs McCann, from Liverpool, is a GP in Latham House Medical Practice in Melton Mowbray.

 

[Stulz]

The more one reads about this story, the more one comes to the conclusion that there is something very wrong about the whole affair.

The story of patrolling nannies, parents regularly leaving children alone etc seems to be a fantasy. I have stayed in many apartment complexes in Portugal over the years and I have never had experience of this type of behaviour or service.

Her parents, both doctors aged 38 from near Leicester in the English Midlands, said they had left her asleep with her two-year-old twin sister and bother at the resort near the village of Praia da Luz in the Algarve on Thursday evening.

They had checked back regularly from the nearby restaurant, and when they returned at around 10pm, they discovered their daughter missing and the door of the room and a window open.


Gill Renwick, a family friend, told British television channel GMTV Friday that her parents were certain she had been abducted. “They were just watching the hotel room and going back every half-hour.”
“She’s obviously been taken as she couldn’t have gone out on her own and the shutters had been forced open,” she said.

This is even worse to be honest, it was not one child, but THREE, the oldest of which was 5 years old.

The story is crap, if the shutters of the apartment/room had been forced open, then that imjplies that the person forcing them knew that there was a child in their all alone and it was safe for them to take the child. Apparently all three children where in the same bed, so why did the others not get disturbed, I cannot walk into my childrens room without all of them stiring, as I am sure most parents can attest.

Now the local Police have arrested a local man, who happens to be a loner, with no friends who just conveniently has convictions for child abduction and false imprisonment. What they have not said, but has been reported in the Portuguese media and repeated in Spain, is that his conviction stems from abducting his children when he split with his wife and keeping tham against the orders of a court, the children later returned to live with their mother. He is not a paedophile as the British press have reported or the Police are implying.

The whole case is as fishy as a can of pilchards.

 

[BoxBasher]

WTF is all that about? Is this a chain of holiday sites where negligent parents take their kids so they don't have to look after them?

I can remember from trips to Pontins (well over 15 yrs ago) there used to be regular announcements and even a blackboard entitled "baby crying" accompanied by chalet numbers, so leaving kids unattended whilst on holiday isn't a new, or unheard of, phenomenon.

I had actually heard that the complex/resort has creche, nannying and kids club facilities but the parent had chosen not to use any of them. The details were reported as "a supervised creche facility where parents can drop their kids off ready for bed, and collect them later when the yreturn to the resort"


I have to admit that the theory (or speculation) that Stulz has come up with had crossed my mind although this was just a knee jerk "bet the father did it" reaction rather than basing my assumption on any illness she may or may not have...

 

[Stulz]

Well Boxbasher I sincerely hope that I am wrong on this, that the young kiddy is safe and is returned to her parents in good health, however we need to bear in mind the part of the world we are dealing with.

I'll say no more for fear of causing offense.

 

[gcol]

You won't offend me Stulz - I've been to Portugal once and found the people to be generally rude and obnoxious. Hence I won't be going back.

 

[Belrose]

Since the respondents to this post have all been male, I thought I had better stick a female oar in (mlb3c, where are you.....).

It is a matter of astonishment to me that any parent(s) manages to keep a child alive to even five ! I haven't got children but have on many occasions looked after my two nephews - now safely teenage, DG - when they were tiny babies and toddlers. When I was in sole charge for a few hours I was worried about even going to the loo for two minutes. That is enough time for a child to choke in, let alone half an hour !

The thought that the parents were somehow involved is such a horrendous thought that I do not even want to go there so I am taking the charitable view until more is known.

What I find it most hard to understand is how two medics would fail to take into account the possibility of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. I read that the complex, which in fairness seems to have an excellent reputation, also provides for individual paid babysitters if required (as well as the creche). I have never been to Portugal but I would imagine that the Portuguese love children and the people employed would be naturally very caring. I wouldn't have thought the parents in question would have a problem with being able to afford to employ one for a couple of hours each evening!

I think it is a bit hard to say that the parents should never go out to eat
without taking the kids. PROVIDED, of course that they have made safe and proper arrangements. Most parents go out to dinner occasionally at home and leave their children with a trusted babysitter and more often than not they are more than a few hundred yards away.

My gut feeling is that the family (and probably every other family with 'suitable' children) had been watched over several days by the perpetrator/s who was ready and waiting for the opportunity.

I don't know whether there has been a sudden steep rise in paedophilia or whether we have only recently become aware of it because of high profile cases. And still parents are so naieve. When I see toddlers on the beach, completely naked except for their sunhats, I want to go over to the adults and give them a mouthful ! Surely they must know that the little ones are never too young for the attention of the perverts ? And who could be sitting behind/next to them, unobserved behind his windbreak ? (Rant...)

The thought that the little soul is suffering/has suffered terror and pain
is heartbreaking. Probably the poor parents were no more than stupid
beyond belief and the emotional and psychological price they will pay even if the child is returned to them alive is not something any of us would ever wish to experience.

Bel

 

[clf-gas]

ERE,ERE Bel.

 

[BoxBasher]

On the subject of "checking every 30 minutes" - how many people here have been to a restaurant? (come on, hands up)

Would much more likely that they checked after ordering, then after starter, checked after main course. Maybe the main course came out straight after the starter was cleared...

Maybe (and just maybe) they didn't check at all....

Who knows?

 

[Softus]

Whatever checking they did, I expect it was often as any parent would have checked in the same circumstances. However, not all parents would have placed themselves in those circumstances.

As Bel already said, and with amazing empathy, it's a wonder that any of us survive long enough to grow up (well, ok, reach an adult age then), because of the hazards lurking behind every sofa, on every counter top, at every kerb, whether planned, intended, careless, negligent or reckless.

It's amazingly tempting to analyse what's happened, and I'm as guilty as anyone else of being drawn in, but we don't have very much to go on other than reports from the media, and I know how little credence I personally give those...

 

[Stulz]

Whilst in general I agree with and applaude Bels comments, I do object, or at least not agree with, the comments about children on the beach.

Of course sick people exist everywhere, but in proportion to population are there any more now than 50 years ago, I would argue no. the reporting of incidents has increased exponentially so there is a perception of an increase, but the stats imply a decrease due to the public, educators, the Authorities and even children being more aware of the subject matter and ways to mitigate the dangers involved.

Is the world so paranoid now that we stop our children being children? My children ran about many beaches in their birthday suit, they should not be made to feel nudity is dirty, this is part of the problem. My children are happy with their bodies, but they also know when it is inappropriate to be naked too, well I hope they do! In reality most child molesters come from within a family or friend grouping, rarely are they total strangers, though it does happen.

It is not the stranger on the beach you should be wary of, but the priest wearing his smoke and a buldge!! (sorry but it was too tempting to avoid)

 

[hermes]

I agree with Stultz. If you look at the figures, children are at no more risk now than they have ever been. To teach a toddler that there is something wrong with nakedness is just awful. Even if there is someone on the beach who has more than a casual interest in the children, there has got to be a far smaller chance of anything happening to the child than being run over, for example, but no parent would stop children from crossing roads.
I wonder if the people who think that children should be covered to stop unwanted attention would agree that women should be prevented from wearing short skirts, tops etc so that they won't get raped?

 

[wanabechippie]

Been yakking about this very topic today at work. Mate of mine highlighted the point that, because these parents are 'upper-class' professional types (doctors), the media is depicting them as the good parents who diligently checked on their home-alone kids every half hour etc, and were just unlucky.

Point is; what if these parents had been (as he put it) 'council estate trash'? Put them in the exact same circumstances (same resort, same restaurant, same half-hour checks...). The media would be crucifying them! 'Bad parents! Get DSS in to take the other 2 kids away...!'.

I've only been following this story on the radio1 news, so I don't know all the 'in-depth details' but the 'terminal child' angle seems to strike a 'euthanasia' chord with me as well. Euthanasia is a huge hot-potato in the medical world. These parents, being doctors and all, would know the implications of letting this terminal disease come to term and, in their eyes at least, would want the best for their wee girl, whatever that may be...

I really would like to believe that this is 'just' a case of child abduction and that no parent could really be so calculating. I hope it is and that the wee lass is returned safe and sound.

 

[Belrose]

To Stulz and Hermes -

No, of course I am not suggesting that children should be taught that nakedness is dirty ! Simply given to understand in a low-key way that it is 'inappropriate' (your word Stulz....) to be naked in a public place. For heavens sake ! I am only talking about a minuscule pair of 'knickers' - not a full Victorian bathing costume! Nor am I suggesting that that the perv behind his windbreak is going to molest the child later on in the day. Where do you think the thousands of pictures of children available on the child porn websites come from ? At least some of them will have been taken by a bloke behind his windbreak (or even a woman, to be PC) and I know I wouldn't want a child of mine to be drooled over on some filth's computer ! And you wouldn't even know about it......

You are quite right that child molestation is most often delivered by friends, relatives, priests, teachers, etc but parents are often completely oblivious of the abuse their child is receiving from these people, so they don't do anything that might have prevented it. But you can prevent your child being a perv magnet on the beach, an obvious 'watering hole' for the pervs (not such easy pickings in Tesco...)

As for women wearing short skirts, no knickers and cleavage down to their navels, that is their prerogative, after all they are not toddlers who depend on the common sense of their parents to protect them. If however they attract the wrong kind of man, and they must be dressing like that to attract someone ? then they have to put up with it if males accept the implied invitation.

No, don't bother to enquire if I am saying 'they are asking for it '.......

And no, I am not an old bag in thick stockings with a felt hat !

Annabel
PS When I looked at the 'preview' I noticed that the filter had changed
porn to porn (see what I mean ...) I wonder what will happen if I type 'pornography' - odd, that ?