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]

Crimes are committed by criminals.

She didn't die in an accident, she didn't choke to death, she was abducted and killed (I think).

The entire fault lies with the criminal.

If they know the cause of death without a body, then they must have a confession?

"It’s incredible it’s taken 13 Yrs to solve if it’s him,"

Yes, especially if he was mentioned at he time-maybe they've only finally managed to track him due to him being in prison?

If you were there at the time, i understand, the police want you to check photos in case your photos include pictures of either the suspected van or car. This will help to track movements.
From newspaper reports, this person was first brought to attention after a tipoff, some years ago, and they have been investigating.
Obviously, we all have views on leaving young children alone in the apartment, although it should be remembered that the friends of the McCanns also left their children.
The publicity surrounding the case will make it less likely for others to leave their children, and maybe other people more tolerant of children being around

I disagree, Madeleine paid the highest price Fairy. You’re really going to argue that this would have happened unnoticed if two adults had been in the small apartment or they would have just let someone walk out with their child .

The adults made their own choices. The DC didn’t have any as evidenced when Kate herself said Madeleine has told her she’d woken up crying asking why she wasn’t there the night before it happened. If that wouldn’t make you think twice what would?

You can have compassion for parents losing a child but still have an opinion on their behaviour from what has been published in the media, from them themselves too, and the police reports.

Sounds like the German police have decent but inadmissible information so they are hoping that they can flush someone out who can add to what they have. Otherwise they are dependent on the suspect confessing. I hope that this is the break through that finally results for in a resolution.

My dad had a college who's
(teenage I think) child had disappeared and him and his wife were totally broken. The permanent living in limbo never being able to move on and grieve because there was always the possibility, however remote that she might come one day. Obviously they would also be devastated if they know she was dead but at least they wouldn't have to go through the wringer every time there was a knock on the door, every time a body was found. I so remember them saying that any resolution however dreadful would be better than not knowing.

Irrelevant to this thread really but on the subject of leaving children alone, years ago one of my mum's neighbours left her two toddlers napping while she went to fetch her older child from school. She left something simmering on the stove, confident that the children couldn't reach it. Unfortunately the pot overflowed and the flame went out, but the gas was still on and the two children died in their sleep. Naturally the woman was devastated that her dc died because of her poor judgement, but if any of the neighbours blamed her they kept it to themselves, she was treated with nothing but support and kindness. She never recovered from the guilt and sadness and died quite young. Maddie's parents made a terrible error of judgement but it amazes me how many people have so little empathy for them.

@Noeuf

Crimes are committed by criminals.

She didn't die in an accident, she didn't choke to death, she was abducted and killed (I think).

The entire fault lies with the criminal.

This x 1000.

They were just saying on R4 that the suspect made an admission to a friend / someone in a bar and showed him an explicit video that seemed to confirm it. I only picked up a bit of the report though, did anyone hear any more?

It's just all so awful, and blaming the parents is basically like blaming a rape victim for wearing a short skirt.

I think people are forgetting that Madeleine was the primary victim here. Her parents had a duty to protect her. Calling the parents negligent is not the same as victim blaming women who have been raped. What if I were a mother who knowingly started a relationship with a convicted paedophile, and that man then raped my child. Would that make me the victim?

I think that the McCann's have suffered enough and it was right not to prosecute them for leaving the children alone. But I'm just a bit tired of this 'victim blaming' narrative on here.

The thing that's always stuck with me is Madeleine asking Kate 'Mummy, why didn't you come when we were crying last night?'. And just hours later they left the children alone again to go to the Tapas restaurant. I've never understood that.

You can have empathy without condoning their behaviour.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that they were asking for what happened to happen what people are saying is that if they had acted responsibly it significantly decreases the chance that it would have happened. As a parent you are meant to look after and care for your children. You can't do that to the best of your ability when you're at the other side of a resort sipping wine and eating tapas with your friends.

They were negligent, it doesn't make them responsible for what happened it does make them responsible for increasing the chance that harm could have come to any of the 3 children left alone.

I've always held an unpalatable theory about this case. I've always hoped that I'd be proven wrong.

I spent some time reading around it a few years ago including the Portguese Police officers book among other sources.

What the German police are saying does not fill anyone with much hope as to her fate, but in essence its still better tnat what I've been thinkig all this time :(

The more I read about this the less convinced I am that this will have a satisfactory outcome.

Even if this bloke is guilty of her murder, the evidence appears to be very minimal given they’re looking for people to come forward etc.

I suspect it’s more likely that this will just fade away but that in future when this is talked about it will be updated to say that police have always suspected that had murdered her but that they had no evidence to charge him. Much like they’ve done in other murder cases where the suspected perpetrator is already inside for other crimes.

@InglouriousBasterd

They were just saying on R4 that the suspect made an admission to a friend / someone in a bar and showed him an explicit video that seemed to confirm it. I only picked up a bit of the report though, did anyone hear any more?

As I understood it the video on his phone was of him raping a woman, not Madeleine, but he did say to the person that he knew all about what had happened to the child.

I've always held an unpalatable theory about this case. I've always hoped that I'd be proven wrong.

I spent some time reading around it a few years ago including the Portguese Police officers book among other sources.

What the German police are saying does not fill anyone with much hope as to her fate, but in essence its still better tnat what I've been thinkig all this time

🙄

There are no palatable theories about what happened to a missing four year old.

I just can’t see how the evidence can be found to convict the suspect if it is him. After all this time, it will be very difficult. Unless he confesses.

Whilst I am a tad sceptical that much will come out of this, (although I hope it does), I cannot help but think that is the GERMAN police who are pursuing this. Alone it seems also, no Scotland Yard, or Portuguese involvement from what I can see.

I'm wondering if the fact that it is the German police will give more weight to its veracity. Anyway I still think they need concrete evidence to convict. That seems to be lacking. But maybe the justice system in Germany is different to our own. I don't know.

@FruitPastillesaregood

I just can’t see how the evidence can be found to convict the suspect if it is him. After all this time, it will be very difficult. Unless he confesses.

Some people confess to crimes for the notoriety. I doubt he will, he was snitched by friends/comrades in crime most likely.

Shaky at best, but we don't know what evidence the German police have.

Maybe they are waiting for corroborating evidence and where the little girl's body is.

I don't buy this argument that it was common practice to leave kids unattended.i have adult children so they were young before the days of MM and I don't know anyone who went out for the evening on holiday and left their children unattended . It was more common at places like Butlins in the 70s when I was a child but not in the last few decades.
I think the parents have suffered more than enough from that lapse of judgement though and really hope they get answers at last.

Where is your compassion or kindness?

It makes people feel more secure in their own parenting.

He didn't confess to anything, he said he knew what happened to her then showed his friend in the bar a video of him raping a woman.

From what I have read, a burglar broke into the suspects house and stole some videos, among other things. When he saw what was on the videos he went to the police. This led to him being convicted of raping the 72 year old American woman. I wonder if the police know Madeleine is also on those videos and that's why they know how she died

Sorry lists are you wanting people to ask you to expand so you can talk about child abuse? Or trafficking? What a strange post.

@FruitPastillesaregood

I just can’t see how the evidence can be found to convict the suspect if it is him. After all this time, it will be very difficult. Unless he confesses.

They have the car he owned at the time and are seeking the camper van. The camper van is believed to be part of the crime scene so I have interpreted that as meaning they believe Madeleine was in it at some point, so possibly her DNA could be found in it. I’m not sure whether it would be enough to be beyond all reasonable doubt but it could well be enough to convince the police and McCanns so that further investigation comes to an end.