Anyone watching Channel 5's Under Suspicion Kate McCann?

[ilovebrie8]

It was on last night

I think that we should all spare a thought for Ben Needham and his family. They have never been given a fraction of the money or coverage that the Mccann’s have received

A small child was seen being carried away by a man. They actually have a suspect who was living locally at the time. The same man also bragged to people about killing a Addie. It’s not just a possibility, the child was taken.
There is literally no other ‘possibility’.

I had three children under 4 at one point and it always puzzled me them leaving the children alone. I wouldn’t have thought of abduction but I was always wary of the tiled floors abroad and toddlers falling over - had to be constantly vigilant at that age and on edge. Wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving them let alone if one of them has said they cried the night before. But I still don’t think either of them were involved.

I have DCs born 80s/early 90s. We used to sit on our balcony whilst they slept inside and we'd play cards, and even get takeaways when we were abroad!

I don't understand anyone saying the apartment was in line of sight. I saw a map once back then, and surely it wasn't... it was a couple of minutes walk wasn't it?

And I also don't understand how they got so much money thrown at the investigation for decades, despite other parents with missing children not getting this. It got renewed year after year after year. £15million I believe.

I feel for the parents desperately but they can never complain it wasn't investigated.

I don’t think I even agree with the whole ‘if they’d been from a council estate…’ argument anymore, I think them being wealthy, middle class professionals (the whole ‘tapas 7’ or whatever it was) actually made people see them as arrogant and smug and I think made them less sympathetic. I feel really sorry for them, I see Kate every now and again (live in their area) and she looks so traumatised.
i would also add that it is very likely social services would have been involved due to the case but the public aren’t entitled to that info and it would very likely not meet any thresholds for the other kids being removed as people often think. As many others have said, they were using a babysitting service and the worst possible thing happened.

What I don't understand is why they didn't just have their dinner earlier on and then the kids could have been with them and gone to bed almost at their usual time? That's what happens in these Southern European countries - the kids stay up until late into the night and dine with their parents/families.

There were absolutely NOT using a babysitting service.

My biggest worry would have been one of them getting up and falling on a tiled floor without an adult there. That’s the bit I can’t understand. There are so many physical safety risks e.g tiled floors, balconies, that we don’t have in the UK which would worry me. We always took our kids with us for meals, no problems when abroad as more a child friendly culture and if they were up late it just meant they slept later in the morning.

I think that’s what baffles people - it was such an unnecessary risk to take. They could have eaten early and then all had a drink on one of the balconies and lifted the children through at the end of the night. I still don’t think they were involved but cannot fathom their estimation of risk

Absolutely, a lot of mediterranean countries just love kids. I will never forget seeing a lovely spanish family with 4 boys, from 1 or 2 to 8 or 9, just sat up with their parents enjoying the meal. Yes, they got down occasionally, yes mum and dad had to just keep an eye on them but they were an absolute delight. And this was about 11pm!
(And I actually went over to tell them what a delight their DCs were!)

We have always taken our DCs out when abroad to show them how it should be. Of course, it doesn't always work. One of us has gone home early because one of them was too tired, you know what I mean.

Rubbish. She could have got lost whilst looking for her parents. There was a lot of building work going on someone could have panic and covered up a traffic accident. There's no certainty of foul play. The taking of a child from it's bed by a stranger is incredibly rare. The supposed sighting is questionable to say the least.

It was noticeable, to me anyway, that the police asked Kate why she didn't take the children to dinner with her.

The English are known for strict bedtimes, maybe relaxed a bit on holiday and special occasions but they don't usually take young children out to dinner.

I must say we always did when we were on holiday and, as someone said above, loads of other children were out with their parents until late. It wouldn't have occurred to me to put mine to bed and go out to eat without them. However I'm not criticising, I accept people feel differently about such things and require some adult time.

I think it shows they have very poor judgement and don't understand the dangers of leaving toddlers alone and going out

I have started to watch it. I think now being a mum myself I am even more perplexed why they thought it was ok to leave the kids?! Maddie was 3 and the twins even younger. It is awful. They should have been having dinner together not abandoning the kids and eating with their pals. Can not get my head around that at all.

I think an Irish man came forward to identify himself as that man (tourist on holiday with his kids)

Sorry no I don't agree that this was the "done thing" at all. I never knew anyone who would leave their kids alone like this.

Yes. My parents remember it too. It was done at UK holiday camps too. If every parent who'd used it had had their kids removed, as some on this thread think should have happened, the children's homes would have been overflowing.

What's done is done and there is no doubt they wish they had done differently but they don't deserve the vilification they have received over the many years since; they made a mistake, are not bad people.

All I hope is that they can get closure.

I don’t understand the resort’s set up has apartments that are open to the road with doors that don’t lock! Massive security risk surely? Makes it very easy for someone to go in and steal stuff.

Yes. I agree. I think if I was going to leave my kids like this, I would have locked them in at least 🤔

Kate said the veranda doors were only lockable from inside. So I would have done that and locked everything else from outside. Although an open window is another issue. Plus there is the fire risk of them being locked and not being able to get out! There is no solution really apart from.not leaving them at all.

No, it was not common in the 80s for parents to leave their children and go out.

That's what my mum said. They never left us, never.

There were 8 children on the holiday altogether and Madeleine at not quite 4 was the oldest. They booked the same table every night because there was only one table that accommodated 9. I think they didn’t want a load of wriggly, hot and tired babies and toddlers to look after and they didn’t want to split into smaller groups. Anyone can see how a dinner of 9 adults is a different vibe to 9 adults and 8 pre-schoolers and I guess it must have seemed like an acceptable stance for some reason. All of the kids were left including the 2 siblings who had granny there. At least one couple had a baby monitor to listen.
They didn’t have an informal babysitting service. They left at 8:30, Gerry checked at 9, The woman who saw the man carrying a child checked her own kids at 9.15 but not the McCann kids, Kate was going to check at 9:30 but didn’t because the other man offered to (but didn’t actually check - just went into the apartment) and Kate checked at 10. They were checked on twice in 90 minutes, both times by their own parents but tbf they did think the other man had done it. When it happened they made out that parents were taking it in turns to check all the kids at a rate of about every 10 minutes but in reality they weren’t at all.

Some people left their children. A lot of people didn’t. My parents didn’t. We didn’t. My group of friends & my family didn’t. We holiday accordingly. In my parents holiday home, or hotel room with dcs in bed & dh and I with a drink on the balcony but even that had me worried!

Watching it now whilst everyone else is still in bed.

Tragic is the word. They are guilty of being neglectful parents, and they're outwardly cold people. But I don't think they are murderers, which the portugeuse police accused the mum of being. The investigation was a cock up - accusing her (and offering a lower sentence if she admitted it) was an easy way out. A known paedo in the area, lived in a van. I watched the video /podcast ref above too, that guy does not seem credible at all.