Sean McCann, swimmer

[TheAverageJoanne]

I noticed the swimmer Sean McCann is being described in every news story as Madeleine McCann's brother. AIBU to think this is unfair to the guy who's trained, qualified and got into the final? It feels very unfair.

It was completely normal for Mark Warner holidays. They actively advertised and promoted their baby listening service, including that if you went outside the hotel, leave a phone number where they could ring you.

Whether they used it or not, I cannot say, I wasn't there. It wouldn't have made a difference anyway under the circumstances.

When he was up and coming it was constantly mentioned. When he became famous it mostly stopped but was mentioned when he won Wimbledon the first time. He has talked about it in a documentary too.

Oh really? It’s definitely been mentioned at times but I haven’t heard it referenced for a long time.

I think you're right, this is the first time. Hopefully, his success will be the main story.

Oh wow. I am shocked to hear that service existed!

Not sure that is entirely accurate, no one I know with small children in that time left them alone in rooms to go out to dinner, it certainly wasn’t the norm…..
People won’t forgive and forget because it was just an utterly bizarre thing to do and many think they should have faced charges of neglect.

Its tragic for Sean that his achievements will always be overshadowed in the press by his missing sister and own parents poor choices, there was no need to mention his siblings at all.
The more success he has the more people will tell the story of a little toddler who has grown up not knowing his sister and living with whatever their reality is because of it.
The press won’t leave them alone because they haven’t been silent since that time, they have been very much out in the public domain, which probably hasn’t helped their other children either.

I do agree with this. In 2007, no-one would have been leaving babies alone in a foreign country one and a half thousand miles from where they live. Indeed, I don't think there has ever been a time when anyone would have gone abroad, (and gone out socialising with their mates,) whilst their 3 children - all under 4 years of age were alone in the villa or hotel room 5 minutes walk away.

do you think that
a. They would want to cheer on their son - of course
b. They asked the media to film them- of course not?

what a weird thing to say

I agree with OP BUT partly because of his name he apparently got the biggest cheers. Hopefully he appreciated that. Poor lad should be just left alone to get on with his swimming

Couldn't have put it better myself.

I had young children in 2000, to have left the kids in a hotel and gone out to the town would have been considered differently but a building within sight? I think back then there was more variety in what was considered acceptable among different people and in general people were definitely much more relaxed when it came to parenting than now. Of course still knew some people then who wouldn’t let there 12 year old to the shops on their own but then others who would let there 5-6 year old play out and wasn’t considered negligent, just different parenting styles. In fhe 90s I often babysat as a 12-13 year old. I think the pace of norms changes gradually and think I remember then reading the NSPCC recommended that only over 16s babysit but is only in last 20 years that’s really become the norm. I have young children still and parenting and what is considered normal and acceptable has changed hugely in the last 30 years, just as it was hugely different when my mum has young children. To be honest can imagine may of probably considered doing the same as them back then if friends were doing it too and was perceived as safe, but then not obviously after what happened to them, think scared a lot of us

The news reported they didn't use it.

But it’s the same for the parents, he’s a renowned doctor and researcher, I’ve been to places where he was a presenting speaker and once was on his table at a dinner, luckily everyone was far too polite to mention his family (she wasn’t there) and the topics were normal things at a science conference

His parents should never have left them alone. The more time goes on the more shocked I am at them and their holidaying friends. Unbelievable.

We went on one Mark Warner Holiday in Greece in 2000, and they did indeed advertise the baby listening service to encourage people to take up their holidays, it was a selling point. We used it, as did the two families we went away with. It was an enclosed resort which I don’t think the McCanns was. But there are a lot of people who shouldn’t be judging, there but for the grace of god etc.

What are they supposed to do? Stay at home?

It's awful journalism but I think anything that mentions Madeleine is such a click bait money earner for shitty 'media outlets' like the Daily Mail that they don't care and won't ever stop.

People shouldn't judge, but they do. As we've seen from this thread, it's still a huge discussion point.

I'm grateful for contribution to medical science but this is where I feel the whole problem is with this "story" -

If the faces were different lets say, and both were unemployed, and the events were someone nipping across to their neighbour's balcony on the estate to have a drink in the summer....and their poor child was abducted? Well it would be immediate calls for social services, the responses would be wildly different.

This country is still obsessed with class, and we believe anyone with erm, "traditional" backgrounds, in "professions" to have some sort of superior judgement which exonerates them in a way other more "recent" arrivals don't. If I look a certain way, am well connected, but I drive my car off a road by accident into people, I will be given understanding and protection. If I commit the same acts but I wear a hijab, I will be relentlessly profiled in the media, and there will be immediate calls for "why aren't you sharing the name and background" etc.

My god, it's been nearly 20 years.
Are they supposed to hide away in their home and not see their son swim? Wear sackcloth and ashes forever? Not grab a bit of joy?

He went to the primary school at the sane time as the awful massacre
He wasent in the same claas as the children that were murdered
Although im sure it hsd a profound affect on the whole school.

FFC, can't we leave this pointless discussion out of this thread? It has precisely zero to do with Sean McCann's achievements.

Given how accurate 'the news' so often is and the sheer volume of abuse, lies and hate that have been directed at the family, I would be extremely circumspect about the accuracy of that report.
If they didn't, that will most likely be because the offer of the service created and promoted an environment where it felt entirely normal to do as they did. The apartment was accessed from the outside anyway, so as I said, it would have made no difference.

Was he?! I actually didn't know that, which proves your point really.

So embarrassing he did that. Would he have done that had he been marrying Joe Bloggs daughter. I highly doubt it.

Good luck Sean. Always a highly sporty family obvs. Many years ago our son was competing in the junior London marathon and I think both twins were there for Leicestershire. Lovely to see them looking happy.