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OMG. Anybody just seen GMTV? 3 yr old girl abducted on holiday on the Algarve.

858 replies

tiredemma · 04/05/2007 07:48

kate said reports just in, cant find anything on bbc.

bloody awful.

OP posts:
hippipotami · 05/05/2007 12:40

As there is no reply from Noodle, I assume she flew in, made some accusations and flew out. Thanks Noodle!

Scatterbrain, any more updates? I so desperately want this to have a good ending, I darent' leave my pc.

donnie · 05/05/2007 12:41

we have been on 3 MW holidays and chose NOT to go to Portugal as they DO NOT offer the child patrol/monitoring service.This is because the Algarve resort is too big and spread out.

The only people who are at fault here are the persons or person who targeted and abducted that child. Ever single parent on this thread will have left their child to a greater or lesser extent: asleep in the house while they are in the garden, in the car while they fill up at the petrol station or in the hotel room while they go for a drink, which DH and I have done plenty of times. That is because, as hippmummy says, you believe them to be safe and secure.

I defy any parent on this thread to deny having left their child to some point at least once. Think about it and stop somehow implying that the child deserved it or that the parents are at fault.

hippipotami · 05/05/2007 12:41

I know, I agree with Noodle, but I was not aware we were judging the parents. I for one have admitted to leaving the dc in certain circumstances, as many others do!

The parents are NOT to blame, this could have happened to any one of us.

donnie · 05/05/2007 12:42

RantotheHills - exactly, couldn't agree more.

tortoiseSHELL · 05/05/2007 12:42

It's feeling more hopeful I think. It's her birthday next week I think xenia - I really hope they are able to have a big celebration.

thedogsbollox · 05/05/2007 12:42

Well isn't hindsight a wonderful thing

The parents took a calculated risk - they are not stupid people and in their line of work will be well used to evaluating risk and determining what is acceptable risk or not.

The fact of the matter is that the risk of abduction in such a situation is infintesimally small. So small it is probably almost not measureable. Way less than the risk you take when you put your baby in a car, way less than when you decide to cross teh road with your child in a buggy, way less than even putting your child safely in their cot to sleep.

This couple will have discussed and evaluated the risk and put in place additional safeguards such as returnign to the room regularly to check the children. They were very very unlucky. In this case they were the random statistic - the outlier - the one that is the exception to the rule. With heartbreaking consequences

The fact that you might have evaluated the risk differently to them, is neither here nor there. We all have different risk profiles - of what is acceptable risk or not. And of course one might consider in hindsight that the couple misread the risks involved (although I personally think not).

What is lamentable, is the way that many people are using their own interpretation of risk to condemn what the family decided to do. This is judging at its worst imv. Totally inappropriate, not least in its timing!

NoodleStroodle · 05/05/2007 12:43

Hippo -

I am still here but I am fed up with all the MN who have never made a parenting mistake casting judgement...

But of course you are free to judge me about flying in and not reading the thread...

Obviously I was imagining posting on this thread Friday lunchtime

hippipotami · 05/05/2007 12:48

Allright, Noodle, I just didn't see you around this morning, so to me it felt like you came in, said something about judging and rushed out again.

I did't mean to have a go and apologize. At the end of the day we are all feeling a bit emotional about this, and perhaps I have been on this thread for too long (at least for 3 hours this morning) and should get off.

The dogsbollox - I was not aware that those of us who were illustrating that we have left our dc in the car/garden/house were judging the parents. We all take risks which can lead to disastrous consequences. I for my part was sympathising with the parents, as there but for the grace of God go I.
If that was perceived as judging, then fair enough, but that was not my intention.

ekra · 05/05/2007 12:49

thedogsbollox - Excellently put.

RanToTheHills · 05/05/2007 12:50

well I@m with you noodle, not least because I've taken exactly the same "risk" (in v similar circs at MW resorts) as this couple did. I didn't do this lightly, but it felt safe at the time. It's far less risky than parking outside a school or on a pavement for example (as S0 many parents do), it's far less risky than crossing a road, eating shellfish, having the occasional cigarette etc etc

LynetteScavo · 05/05/2007 12:51

In my experience of Mark Warner holidays the nannys go around regularly listening at the the childs door for any noise. If they don't hear anything they presume all is OK. In this instace, that wouldn't have alerted the adults to any danger.

spook · 05/05/2007 12:55

Thingsthatmakeyougohmm-shame on you. "gross irresponsibility" "probably used to a nanny doing it for them"
Lets hope something so tragic never happens to you because there will always be some crass know all's casting judgement.
What possible good can it do for these poor parents making comments like this whilst their baby is still out there without them.
I am shocked-I really am.

WendyWeber · 05/05/2007 12:55

This place isn't a hotel though, LS, so it doesn't do listening - it just offers some kind of creche in the evening, possibly not appropriate for this age.

RanToTheHills · 05/05/2007 12:56

I wouldn't be surprised if MW will have to get their act together a bit more on this now. It wouldn't be difficult/expensive to have phone monitoring baby-listening to each room going through to a central reception area as some hotels do.
Their nanny baby-listening is rather ad hoc and not v efficient, IME. They generally have only a few girls patrolling a large resort of 100+ rooms, easy to miss an imminent problem if they walked past the room at the long time or didn't step close enough to the door, happened to be simultaneously texting boyfriend in UK.

RanToTheHills · 05/05/2007 12:59

I remember chatting to a couple of girls working as nannies and they shattered by evening. From memory, i think they work something like 12 hr days 6 days a week. Doesn't help when they're so knackered by nighfall. I don't blame the parents at all but I do think MW should be reviewing their procedures/staffing levels.

LynetteScavo · 05/05/2007 13:02

I agree, but MW are one of the better holiday companies when it comes to child care. How many parents are now thinking "there but for the grace of God go I." Leaving my children alone isn't something I would do, but I've been given a very hard time by other parents who think I'm over protective.

ruty · 05/05/2007 13:02

agree rantothehills

hippipotami · 05/05/2007 13:02

Any news on the 1 o'clock news?

MaloryTowers · 05/05/2007 13:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ceolas · 05/05/2007 13:07

It's just truly horrific for all concerned.

scatterbrain · 05/05/2007 13:10

No more news that I can see - but they seem to be thinking now that it wa san organised abduction rather than a random one. the Sky reporter keeps saying "he" now - maybe I missed something - have just been for shower !

hippipotami · 05/05/2007 13:11

I am the same Malory, I have been here all morning, still in pj's searching for news.

Please please let her be returned/found soon, she is only little and needs her mum and dad.

hippipotami · 05/05/2007 13:11

thanks scatterbrain - organised abduction sounds very very bad.

am so worried for her.

RanToTheHills · 05/05/2007 13:12

at least she may be still alive, there's some hope.

scatterbrain · 05/05/2007 13:13

Me too - only just got up - so desp for news !

I guess we have to hope it is a misguided individual who just wants a pretty daughter - rather than anything nastier !

So awful