Posted on 05/14/2007 7:45:46 PM PDT by Peace4EarthNow
Some of England's wealthiest celebs are shelling out a fortune to help fund the search for a 4-year-old British girl who has gone missing in Portugal. This gives new meaning to the term "giving back."
Harry Potter authoress J.K. Rowling, Virgin titan Sir Richard Branson and "Idol" judge Simon Cowell have all ponied up to help find Madeleine McCann, who has been missing since May 2. According to the News of the World, Rowling donated in excess of $495,000, while Branson and Cowell chipped in $198,000 and $99,000, respectively.
Rowling's fortune has been estimated at $1 billion, Branson's at a megastore $7 billion, while Simon's said to be worth about $85 million ... slightly more than "Idol" raised in the recent "Idol Gives Back" event.
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Kate and Gerry McCann from Leicestershire took their 3-year-old daughter Madeleine with them on holiday to Portugal. The family were staying at the Mark Warner Ocean Club Summer Beach Resort in Praia da Luz on the Algarve.
Last night (3rd May 2007) Kate and Gerry went for a meal at a tapas restaurant, checking on Madeleine in their nearby apartment every half hour or so. When they returned at around 9:45pm GMT, a window was open and Madeleine was gone. Staff and guests searched the holiday complex into the early hours of the morning, but failed to find the missing toddler.
It's not been confirmed by police that Madeleine was abducted, but it's thought she couldn't have left the room on her own, and the apartment's shutters had been forced.
(snip)
The apartment the McCanns were staying in was on the ground floor, and was within sight of the restaurant the parents were dining at. (snip) I couldn't help but notice this on the Mark Warner website:
Childcare
Mark Warner's superb childcare facilities for all ages from four months upwards are available and a unique service on offer at the Ocean Club is our 'Dine Out' option. As accommodations are spread throughout the village, we offer to keep an eye on the little ones while you go out to eat - just drop them at our kids club, ready for bed and pick them up when you've finished.
The resort is tailored to meet the needs of families and it does seem strange, if this option was on offer, that the McCanns chose not to take advantage of it.
LISBON, Portugal — The home of a British man was being searched Monday by police looking for missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in Portugal on May 3. The man, Robert Murat, was taken to a police station.
His mother told Sky News that he has not been arrested. She said no trace of Madeleine had been found at the villa.
The property is just 150 yards from the apartment where Madeleine's family were staying, in the southern Portuguese resort of Praia Da Luz.
The house, known as Casa Liliana, was sealed off with tape by police while men in white suits and masks began a search inside. They are believed to have drained the villa's swimming pool. Police guards were on the doors outside. More at: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1265689,00.html
They left a 3 year old by herself while on vacation in strange location?
That seems exceedingly stupid
Thanks for the additional info. This is a terrible case, please pray for this child and her family.
I wondered if this is commonplace in other parts of the world? It does seem stupid to me. I pray the little girl is found safe and in addition that other parents take it as a cautionary tale...small children should not be left unsupervised even if you really really want to have dinner out.
susie
Prayers for Madeleine & her family & the hope she be found safe and unharmed. ~P~
Not just a 3 year old, they also left 2 year old twins in the room. Oh, and they are doctors, too.
I’m glad to FINALLY this story turning up on FR. The big story, which seems to be generating precious little outrage, is the Portuguese legal system and the police’s slavish adherence to it. They claim it’s illegal to release any information about a criminal investigation . . . so they just don’t, regardless of the fact that timely release of key information could very well save a sweet little 4 year old girl from getting viciously raped, tortured, and murdered. They also helpfully < /sarc> announced right after the first big reward offer was publicized that it would be a crime for anyone in Portugal to call a media outlet with information about the case.
It took these idiots a whole WEEK to release the information as to what Madeleine was wearing the night she was taken. And the security camera footage of the suspicious couple with a little blonde girl fitting Madeleine’s description, at the filling station on the highway heading to Spain? We STILL haven’t seen that, even though they keep talking about it. Nobody gets a chance to look as these images to see if they recognize them, unless the Portuguese Keystone Kops happen to personally select you for an interview.
Honestly, I don’t want to hear a word about the shortcomings of Madeleine’s parents (who have obviously already deeply regretted their decision, and would never repeat their mistake), until the Portuguese legal system and the idiot politicians that stubbornly maintain it are pummelled into submission. It’s that legal system that’s making Portugal a haven for organized pedophile networks.
Another, more in-depth story I read on this said that the restaurant they went to for the meal is a one-minute walk away from their room within the resort that they were staying in. I’m not saying it was a smart idea to go off and leave three little kids in a room unattended, but it isn’t like they took a cab and went “off campus” for a meal. Most nice resorts have reputable, screened baby-sitters available if parents want an evening out.
Anyone with kids know they have to be watched all the time at that age.
Not stared at constantly, but basically kept in eyesight or earshot by a trusted adult.
Exceedingly fishy.
Looks like this hotel had it ~ unfortunately, they didn't take advantage of it:
Mark Warner's superb childcare facilities for all ages from four months upwards are available and a unique service on offer at the Ocean Club is our 'Dine Out' option. As accommodations are spread throughout the village, we offer to keep an eye on the little ones while you go out to eat - just drop them at our kids club, ready for bed and pick them up when you've finished.
Yes, but still, anyone with sense knows how quickly small children can get into trouble. Once my youngest crawled out of his crib (first time) when I had fallen asleep putting his brother down for his nap. I woke to hear a sound in the kitchen, and that baby had not only climbed out of his crib, but had pushed a chair up to the kitchen counter and was crawling up to explore the cabinets! I think he was about 18 months old at the time.
I just hope other people learned a lesson here. And of course that Maddie is returned home safe and sound.
susie
All well and good. Do you know these people and are you convinced they had nothing to do with their daughter's disappearance?
Absolutely. I had 3 all within 3.5 years. So I know how tiring it can be. And hey, I couldn’t afford a vacation in Portugal!
susie
“It’s that legal system that’s making Portugal a haven for organized pedophile networks.”
That may or may not be true. However only a complete IMBECILE would leave a 4 year old and two 2 year olds unsupervised for even five minuts. And in a strange place? A foregin country? Their remaining children should be removed from their custody immediately.
The parents must be feeling suicidal. What an oversight! Your precious, beloved child, and you didn’t protect her. When I was a child and we went to places like that, my parents always brought along a nana to take care of us while they were out.
One of the few pieces of information the Portuguese police have released is that the parents are not under any suspicion. Given that British law enforcement is also working with the Portuguese police, and indications from all quarters have been that the parents are not under any suspicion, I think it can be safely assumed they had nothing to do with it (other than leaving the children unattended).
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