Madeleine McCann - new suspect

[KatherineJaneway]

A 43-year-old German prisoner who travelled around Portugal in a camper van is now the focus of Scotland Yard's investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52914016]

@knittingaddict

The timing of this one is very convenient though, it detracts nicely away from George Floyd and the government’s handing of COVID.....

Blimey Alternative, you can't care about more than one thing at a time? That must be mortifying.

Not sure why it would be embarrassing but it does suggest the poster has limited capacity for caring about more then one thing at a time and also assumes that everyone else is also too stupid to do so.

Yes, all our guts are equally valid. Mine tells me not to give any credence to the views of people whose only qualifications in psychology, law or criminal investigation come from the University of ITV4.

, you can't care about more than one thing at a time? That must be mortifying. who said I couldn’t. But have you never heard the term “it’s a good day to bury bad news”?

The timing of this one is very convenient though, it detracts nicely away from George Floyd and the government’s handing of COVID.....

Jesus, the amount of crap spouted on these threads

Totally agree about the crying. When I'm most shocked and fraught, I can't cry, I get hysterical but can't cry. I usually cry very easily.

So true ItsSpitting. When we had the dog put to sleep I was incredibly upset. He was one of the family and irreplaceable. We were all in the room when he was put to sleep and I was sort of laughing/crying at the same time. It was very strange and totally not in my control. I was mortified that anyone would think I found it at all amusing. People don't react in the same way to stressful situations, so you can't judge them on that alone.

Fairy
I wonder what the statement will be? New information or just tying up what's already been released?

I really hope this is the final outcome for the family and they get their daughter back (I don't think she's alive but to have a funeral or service would allow some peace of mind surely).

They shouldn't have released anything until he was charged.

@AlternativePerspective

, you can't care about more than one thing at a time? That must be mortifying. who said I couldn’t. But have you never heard the term “it’s a good day to bury bad news”?

A quote from 2001, the world in general and news in particular has moved on, it's no longer applicable imo and not relevant anyway as no one is trying to sneak a bad news story in.

They were appealing for help from the public, weren't they?

@DocJane

They shouldn't have released anything until he was charged.

The man's in prison, they're asking for the public to help with info, what do you mean?

I don't follow German politics that closely, I have a vague idea what's going on but not the day to day stuff. Can anyone who actually does tell us would there be a potential benefit to the German government in announcing this now, rather than at an earlier time?

The funding did run out in March so even if they did want more funding, I personally wouldn’t argue against it. This suspect feels different, they’ve been following the idea it was a German for quite a while, there was the previous suspect and the barmaid in February who said they came to ask her about her german boyfriend and asked for phone numbers. The police have the cars in their possession. I really want them to nail this one. The German police chief sounds like he is pretty certain it’s this guy.

They shouldn't have released anything until he was charged. I think it’s a difficult one.

On the face of it they’re looking for people who might have information, but on the other hand they’re not allowed to release his name, only a description which could fit a number of people in the area at that time.

And nobody is likely to remember someone’s phone number from thirteen years ago. The whole concept of mobile phones has changed since then, so it’s highly unlikely anyone would still have this man as a contact in their phone.

The details just seem far too vague, and there are likely to be hundreds of responses which are completely useless but which will take time to go through.

Unless he or someone else who knows him has made some kind of confession I can’t see how it can possibly have a satisfactory outcome.

@knittingaddict

I wonder if that poster is doing the standard issue Dunning Kruger schtick too? There's a positive epidemic of people who know the square root of bugger all about trauma responses wading in when it comes to the McCanns. It's mystifying.

I mean, this isn't an area I'm remotely qualified to make a call on, because I have no professional expertise or lived experience of anything like this situation. So I don't. It's really easy. Yet it eludes so many.

Blackberry, it's their gut, innit.

Well my gut tells me the parents are innocent. Just as valid.

This issue is that you are allowed to post your gut feeling, but those of us who have the opposite gut feeling are not permitted to post.

When I say both McCann parents make my skin crawl, and always have done it’s not speculation, (which it seems is not permitted), it’s fact. I get the same feeling about Tony Blair.

I also don’t understand why there is such an issue bringing up the fact the parents left 3 children under 5 alone night after night. An action that was neglectful at best. I don’t think the passage of years alters that fact. It doesn’t make it any less neglectful.

If the mods remove this post I would appreciate them explaining in more detail why.

I think the other persons number was published to push them to come forward... not just for others to come forward. They want a girlfriend to crack. “Your loyalties may have changed”.

This issue is that you are allowed to post your gut feeling, but those of us who have the opposite gut feeling are not permitted to post.

When I say both McCann parents make my skin crawl, and always have done it’s not speculation, (which it seems is not permitted), it’s fact. I get the same feeling about Tony Blair.

I also don’t understand why there is such an issue bringing up the fact the parents left 3 children under 5 alone night after night. An action that was neglectful at best. I don’t think the passage of years alters that fact. It doesn’t make it any less neglectful.

If the mods remove this post I would appreciate them explaining in more detail why.

Shall I tell you what the difference is? I shouldn't have to by the way.

The difference is that my gut feeling that they didn't do it is hurting no one if I am wrong. If you are wrong and the parents didn't do it, can you imagine their pain and distress? It's called empathy. Possibly try to find some.

So yet another thread with all the posters crawling out from under their rocks to point figures because of some YouTube videos they've watched and because Kate MCCann didn't cry enough.

Was an interesting development, now awaiting thread deletion thanks to those who just can't help themselves.

I know Noeuf. I really hope it stays as I think the lead looks promising and I hope so much that the family can get some resolution to this awful case.

I think though that this notion that you can’t have an opinion on the events that night is that that view exists because of what happened.

If a parent left their children unattended in the same way, and one had disappeared and either been found safe, or had come to grief by their own means e.g. had fallen into the swimming pool or suchlike, people would have had, and been able to voice, the opinion that the parents shouldn’t have left the children.

But because she was never found it was deemed unacceptable to voice that opinion at the time because of the ongoing investigation and feelings of the parents, and more latterly it is pointless because we’re thirteen years in and there is nothing to be achieved by casting that judgement.

It would be nice to have a serious discussion about the new developments rather than the rehashing of “the parents did it” or “it’s the parents fault for leaving her” It’s quite frankly getting old, actually it got old about 12 years ago.

It is called kicking people when they are down. It isn't necessary, and doesn't achieve anything, except for the judger.

@AlternativePerspective I agree

I can’t see how there can possibly be any conclusive outcome unless this suspect is willing to speak. And why would he?

When I read the news, I thought about cases which have been solved years or even decades later. But in all of those cases, the common link seems to be that there is some forensic evidence. Sometimes it’s a case of waiting decades for scientific developments- analysing DNA for example. Or Sometimes DNA from a victim is stored for years and then a match comes up on the database much late when someone commits another crime. But I can’t see that this is relevant here.

This man may be a suspect but any ‘evidence’ seems to be purely circumstantial. He was in the locality at the right time and is a paedophile. Sadly: Him and how many others? I remember reading reports of just how many people fitting that description there probably were within a small radius... it seems the area was quite a hotbed, unfortunately.

It would bring about some sort of resolution if this case were solved. But unless this suspect speaks and makes a confession I can’t see how it possibly can. And even a confession without conclusive evidence, wouldn’t be absolute proof; it’s weird but there have been other cases where people confess to crimes they didn’t actually commit.
We can hope, but I honestly can’t see how this ‘lead’ is any different to many others and I can’t see how it will lead to anything conclusive

I was a few weeks from giving birth to my PFB when Madeleine went missing. It was the first time I properly had a sense of how horrendous it must be to be a parent and see harm come to your child.

I really hope this is it, at last

I heard on the news earlier there is going to be a press conference today does anyone know what time

Evidence beyond DNA may exist. He may have kept something from Madeleine, or taken photos/videos of her. It’s horrible to think about, but it does happen.

I really hope this is the start of them truly being able to bring this to a close for those poor tortured parents and their family. It seems like a reasonably promising lead and they might have some evidence that they've been waiting for.

I can't imagine anything more hideous than what they have been through, and I don't think for a microsecond that they had anything to with it - makes no sense.
I feel sick to the bone when I imagine something like this happening to one of my children and like them, I would never ever stop searching or trying to bring it to attention.