Magic Money Tree given a shake for MADDY

[Goldstone1976]

This expenditure equates to about a one thousandth of a penny from each tax payer.

*Pedant Alert*

That would equate to 15 Billion UK income tax payers, or roughly twice the entire global population. The true figure is a shade under half a penny per individual income tax payer (30.3m UK income tax payers).

Your underlying point (it's not a great deal of money in macro-economic terms) is, of course, correct.

 

[GT49er]

*Pedant Alert*

That would equate to 15 Billion UK income tax payers, or roughly twice the entire global population. The true figure is a shade under half a penny per individual income tax payer (30.3m UK income tax payers).

Your underlying point (it's not a great deal of money in macro-economic terms) is, of course, correct.

Well, they're very welcome to my half penny - don't begrudge it at all. Hope they can find what happened to the poor wee mite. The parents' parenting skills were certainly not great, but the penalty they are suffering as a result is way over the top.

 

[Hastings gull]

I wouldn't deny that the parents made a horrendous error of judgment and will pay the ultimate price for it every day of their lives. I object to comments relating to class warfare being bought into the discussion. Their financial status shouldn't be a precursor to some of the heartless comments that I've read. About 15 years ago my partner and I took our daughter, who was a toddler then to a water park in Spain. Both of us only had eyes for her and weren't negligent or easily distracted. The slides weren't transparent, there were kids running around and parents everywhere and somehow we lost her. I've replayed this a thousand times mentally and cannot begin to explain how she went missing. We both wandered around like zombies desperately searching for her, to no avail. After what seemed like an eternity, during which time I had come to the conclusion that I'd never return to the UK until she had been found, we went to an information point and some bloke had handed her in. There but for the grace of god, we got lucky. He could have been a paedophile and we may never have seen her again. I'd disagree that the parents are only getting what they deserve. No one deserves to suffer like they have.

Good post. The parents were somewhat irresponsible, and their lack of judgement will haunt them forever, as you rightly point out. We had a similar experience on a crowded beach one day many years ago, when a friend's child who was with us just wandered off in a split second, and we frantically spent some time searching for her, only to be told by the parents, when we narrated the tale, that she tends to do that . . I am sure that many parents will have similar stories.
What I find so depressing about this thread is the level of unpleasantness, and the crude attempt to link it with class and politics.

 

[Triggaaar]

I wouldn't deny that the parents made a horrendous error of judgment and will pay the ultimate price for it every day of their lives. I object to comments relating to class warfare being bought into the discussion. Their financial status shouldn't be a precursor to some of the heartless comments that I've read. About 15 years ago my partner and I took our daughter, who was a toddler then to a water park in Spain. Both of us only had eyes for her and weren't negligent or easily distracted. The slides weren't transparent, there were kids running around and parents everywhere and somehow we lost her. I've replayed this a thousand times mentally and cannot begin to explain how she went missing. We both wandered around like zombies desperately searching for her, to no avail. After what seemed like an eternity, during which time I had come to the conclusion that I'd never return to the UK until she had been found, we went to an information point and some bloke had handed her in. There but for the grace of god, we got lucky. He could have been a paedophile and we may never have seen her again. I'd disagree that the parents are only getting what they deserve. No one deserves to suffer like they have.

Indeed, no one deserves to lose a child. The difference with your story however, is that you were trying to keep an eye on her, and lost sight of her. Had you let her go off to play while you went for a sambuca and then had to pick her up from lost property, you'd also be getting blamed for your actions. The Mccann are rightly (IMO) blamed for not looking after their child properly. But no, of course they don't deserve to have lost their child forever.

 

[marcos3263]

I once 'lost' my son in a soft play centre - the one in Moulsecoomb. As I was paying, he darted in and disappeared. I was completely safe in the knowledge that he was in the building somewhere but I couldnt find him. I suddenly realised that I didnt know what he was wearing (what bloke REALLY pays attention) and a lot of the kids both boys and girls had long blond hair. I looked around for a good 10 minutes where I did start to get a little giddy and panicky and running around like a loony only to find him happily and obliviously going down a slide.

However that is as far as he has ever been out of our sight and we tailor our holidays and weekends around him and other couples with their kids. Yes it means we didnt go abroad for a few years and recently has an overnight at pepper pig world cos thats what you do as a parent.

not exactly relevant but its a Friday so I am sharing.

 

[Steve in Japan]

I once 'lost' my son in a soft play centre - the one in Moulsecoomb. As I was paying, he darted in and disappeared. I was completely safe in the knowledge that he was in the building somewhere but I couldnt find him. I suddenly realised that I didnt know what he was wearing (what bloke REALLY pays attention) and a lot of the kids both boys and girls had long blond hair. I looked around for a good 10 minutes where I did start to get a little giddy and panicky and running around like a loony only to find him happily and obliviously going down a slide.

However that is as far as he has ever been out of our sight and we tailor our holidays and weekends around him and other couples with their kids. Yes it means we didnt go abroad for a few years and recently has an overnight at pepper pig world cos thats what you do as a parent.

not exactly relevant but its a Friday so I am sharing.

Yep, I've been through similar with our young son. I try really hard not to be too obvious about it, but basically take few chances and trust few people. It's not exactly healthy, I realise that, but this sort of case scares most parents. Absolute hell.

 

[BigGully]

Totally agree. My son is ten and it was only last year when on holiday that we felt comfortable letting him go and fetch stuff from our room on his own while we were by the pool etc (he is massively forgetful so that was part of it).

We're far from overprotective though, but the idea of leaving a kid in a room while you go out getting pissed is just anathema to me, and we like a drink.

What's wrong with kids staying up late on holiday anyway? Surely that's part of "being on holiday". Smacks of shit parenting if you don't like/can't control your children on a night out.

I am not trying to impinge on your parental decisions, but on the point of this quite miserable discussion you have condemned the Mccanns and offered up an example of you letting your 10 year old do something for himself and then underpinned your decision of him leaving your side for a few minutes driven by your own angst by saying 'but we're not over protective'.

How exactly does your 'not being overprotective' look like, just saying it doesn't make it true ?

 

[Whoislloydy]

Only £11million spent so far. How much is the total spent annually on missing persons investigations in the UK I wonder

Struggling to find overall figures but in Feb Suffolk Police announced they had spend £23.5m over 4 years on missing persons

 

[Stat Brother]

If this is what Maddie's mother looked like, this thread wouldn't exist.



Chances are she might even be out on license by now!!

 

[LlcoolJ]

I am not trying to impinge on your parental decisions, but on the point of this quite miserable discussion you have condemned the Mccanns and offered up an example of you letting your 10 year old do something for himself and then underpinned your decision of him leaving your side for a few minutes driven by your own angst by saying 'but we're not over protective'.

How exactly does your 'not being overprotective' look like, just saying it doesn't make it true ?

Eh? I said that last year (when he was 9) was the first time we'd felt OK about him walking through a hotel complex back to our room to get stuff for himself. Partly because, prior to that he would probably have got sidetracked by something and forgotten whatever it was that he was fetching, taken ages and had my wife worrying. Not over protective for an 8 year old really.

Unlike a lot of parents we've been letting him walk to school on his own since the last term of last year. He's independent compared to a lot of kids his age who are still totally cossetted by their parents. I don't really understand your point.

 

[btnbelle]

Are you seriously suggesting that the McCanns valued their cash and cards more than their kids?

No I am saying they didn't think about their children's safety. I bet they did think about the safety of their valuables. I am sure as parents they would consider their children to be more important. They just didn't behave like that was the case.

 

[Buzzer]

If this is what Maddie's mother looked like, this thread wouldn't exist.

View attachment 89830

Chances are she might even be out on license by now!!

The public and police reaction to the Shannon Matthews 'kidnap' makes that statement utter scollobs. From the moment she was reported kidnapped the police, the newspapers and everyone went full out trying to find her.

 

[btnbelle]

The public and police reaction to the Shannon Matthews 'kidnap' makes that statement utter scollobs. From the moment she was reported kidnapped the police, the newspapers and everyone went full out trying to find her.

Shannon was believed to have been abducted on her way home from school. Had her mother have left her home alone while eating out nearby in the UK or Portugal, everyone would have searched for the poor child or any children caught up in such cases. Social services would have been involved though.

 

[BLOCK F]

My God, there are some sick bas---ds on NSC.
I feel quite ashamed for even reading some of the comments on here.

 

[Chicken Run]

Political point scoring and a class war over the abduction of a small child. This board can be the absolute pits sometimes.

What do you expect, the OP is a smug, shit stirring crusty who has more imaginary friends on a message board than in the real world!

 

[Chicken Run]

If this is what Maddie's mother looked like, this thread wouldn't exist.

View attachment 89830

Chances are she might even be out on license by now!!

Yes it would!

 

[Ernest]

What do you expect, the OP is a smug, shit stirring crusty who has more imaginary friends on a message board than in the real world!

 

[Thunder Bolt]

No I am saying they didn't think about their children's safety. I bet they did think about the safety of their valuables. I am sure as parents they would consider their children to be more important. They just didn't behave like that was the case.

They were within the complex, just 100 yards away, with either one of them, or one of their friends, checking the children every 15 minutes.

 

[Insel affe]

They were within the complex, just 100 yards away, with either one of them, or one of their friends, checking the children every 15 minutes.

Yeah, they say they checked it every 15 minutes not that that is a good enough excuse and yeah a 100 yards away out of eyesight and the property had outside access, also I think one of them went back and noticed a window was open and closed it.

I just do not understand why you would leave them alone, other than they wanted to have a good time and me time.

 

[The Wizard]

My God, there are some sick bas---ds on NSC.
I feel quite ashamed for even reading some of the comments on here.

Sorry petal. xoxox

There is NO excuse for leaving your two children alone in an apartment, regardless of if they were checking every minute or 10 yards away, it's completely irresponsible behaviour and to me that makes them at least partitally responsible for whatever happened to the girl.

Regardless of this what is another £150000 going to do 10 years after? It's farcical, meanwhile other missing person files collect dust.