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Original poster

In England the McCanns would be arrested

1006 replies

LostPuppy · 18/05/2007 13:42

Off the bat, I of course hope with all my heart that Madeleine is returned safely

But her "parents" are a disgrace. They left Madeleine and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie sleeping in the apartment ON THEIR OWN. They had taken turns to return from the restaurant to check on their children.

Now hang on! In this country that is illegal, for very good reason.

Even if they 'checked on them' every five minutes that's plenty of time for one of the kids to wake up and try to go to the toilet and crack it's head open slipping on the bathroom floor, or something equally disastrous. They'd never hear the screaming from a bloody restaurant down the road!

Obviously it's unlikely, but I just cant comprehend the mentality of leaving three children under 3 alone on their own, ever, let alone at night in a foreign country!

OP posts:
Quattrocento · 19/05/2007 21:20

I would love to believe that it was okay to leave my children alone. Love to. Regular checks. Yup, that's the way forward.

Except we all know that's cobblers - unless we are capable of pretty great levels of selfdeception - we know that if we left a three year old alone - we would be doing so in our own interests.

tigermoth · 19/05/2007 21:21

ditto what cod said in her last post.

Quattrocento · 19/05/2007 21:27

No I don't do magistrates court work (of course). Nor do I do conveyancing. What does what I do matter? I only mentioned it because I was being lectured on the law by a non-lawyer. Actually maybe a non-lawyer is the best person to lecture on the law.

The fact is that legal opinions are built up out of the law. The law is built up out of statute and case law. Legal opinions are finely judged things. The law is not clearcut in this situation, but I have posted a legal opinion from someone who really does know this area of the law.

My take on people leaving their children alone is that they want to leave their children alone. I don't blame them. I often want to leave my children alone too.

thedogsbollox · 19/05/2007 21:28

Hmmm - there is something you should know about Xenia

Really you assume far too much!

thedogsbollox · 19/05/2007 21:29

And as you well know Quattro - I could procure an opinion which is the polar opposite tomorrow from an expert in the field should I need to!

Ladymuck · 19/05/2007 21:29

Errr are you by any chance under a misconception here?

pinballwizard · 19/05/2007 21:29

ah now which non lawyer is lecturing you?

bossykate · 19/05/2007 21:31

since last being on this thread 24 hrs ago... and starting another one which got a totally bizarre hysterical reaction...

hurrah for tdb and cod!

Ladymuck · 19/05/2007 21:34

My own suspicion is that there have been times on MN where the "lawyers" have outnumbered any other profession. Quattro, you're not the only solicitor on this thread, though none of the others (that I know of) seem to share your views.

Quattrocento · 19/05/2007 21:37

Well LadyMuck,I said this before, but I don't mind repeating myself.

Just because I am in a minority, does not of course make me wrong. Call me a dissenting opinion if you like, but I would not leave a toddler alone.

You say that none of the other "lawyers" - your inverted commas, not mine - share my opinion.

The only lawyer whose opinion I have seen on this subject is on the Alphamummy website. And by the way, that was a concurring opinion. To mine.

How odd is that?

pinballwizard · 19/05/2007 21:38

75% odd

thedogsbollox · 19/05/2007 21:39

Well you had a 50% chance of agreeing with teh one and only opinion that you were aware of, so it is hardly exceptional in any way that you agreed!

thirtiesmum · 19/05/2007 21:41

Isn't lawyer an american term??

Ladymuck · 19/05/2007 21:44

I don't disagree with whether one shold leave a toddler alone. But I disagree that in similar circs to the McCanns it would be illegal.

My inverted commas are because I can never remember who on here is a solicitor and who is a barrister (not to mention the various magistrates) - I was using "lawyers" as a bit of a catch-all term.

Quattrocento · 19/05/2007 21:47

Right you lot. Whatever you are, claim to be, avatars and real people, awyers and alleged lawyers and legal secretaries and paralegals and magistrates court clerks and their cousins, and their second cousins, yea even unto ....

The point at issue is whether or not you would leave a toddler alone. The alleged lawyers on this site are all baying that they would, they would too, more me-time, lots of it, who cares if the tots wake up and panic, who cares if they wake up and wander off, let's just have lots and lots more metime. It's a human right.

What a lot of self-serving rubbish. Put your children first for once.

toomuchtodo · 19/05/2007 21:48

quattro, you've talked a lot of sense on this thread

of course leaving small children alone is unacceptable

doesn't take a lawyer to know that, just someone with a bit of sense

I can image the vast majority of parents in this country know that

leave the thread before the self obsessed start bickering

Ladymuck · 19/05/2007 21:50

[whispers] be careful - you may want to call Xenia a jumped up office girl, but that title has already gone to princesspeahead...

Quattro - you may disagree with someone else's action, but that doesn't mean that it is illegal, nor that it is as clearcut as you appear to think. I'm trying to think which area of law you specialise in that is so black and white?

imaginaryfriend · 19/05/2007 21:51

I wouldn't dream of leaving dd alone (she's 6 months older than Madeleine) in any circumstances. Let alone 3 very young children in such an insecure environtment.

BUT I think it's so glaringly obvious that in that respect the parents did put their children at risk, if not of abduction of some other more innocuous event. so obvious and so dreadful that there's no point discussing it.

Is there? What do we want to prove?

thirtiesmum · 19/05/2007 21:52

I thought the point at issue is if it is illegal to leave toddlers alone??
The answer is...in this case no...Why is this a discussion?
I think i'll take the opinion of the experts used by the media rather than someone who claims on the net to be a "lawyer"/...You could work at the local Kwick Save for all we know..

bobbysmum07 · 19/05/2007 21:54

Quattro - I'd give it up as a bad job if I were you.

They're all mental on his threat.

No one NO ONE in their right mind could ever think it acceptable to leave three toddlers on their own in an unlocked building next to a main road and a swimming pool.

Anyone who says they do is either lying or a really bad parent.

GColdtimer · 19/05/2007 21:54

For crying out loud. Does it matter whether what they did is wrong or right?

They have lost a child for goodness sake.

Surely that is punishment enough without all and sundry putting the boot in.

thirtiesmum · 19/05/2007 21:56

Agree with two falls...what are people trying to prove here?

Quattrocento · 19/05/2007 21:57

Hey thirtiesmum

You are quite right to be sceptical. And you should not take any opinions provided on here. In fact I didn't ask you to take my opinion, that's why I cited someone else's.

What I am interested in is that you said you would take the opinions of others in the media, and that these had led you to conclude that this was legal.

What were these opinions, and where can I find them?

scootermum · 19/05/2007 21:59

So do I..this thread is making me quite sad..wether rightly or wrongly they will always blame themselves for whatever has happened..I dont think anyone else needs to to do it as well..

expatinscotland · 19/05/2007 22:00

Here we go again.

Always full circle with these threads.

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