"A special £3.5 million grant is being given to Scotland Yard to fund the Madeleine McCann inquiry. The Home Office cash will fund a team, led by an experienced detective, which is being set up in the next few days to carry out a review of the entire investigation. It will cover the cost of man hours, flights to Portugal, hotels, consultation fees from forensic firms and any other expenses. There will also be a hefty cost for translation work on the thousands of documents requested from Portuguese authorities."
What about all the other missing children? Every year in the UK, 140,000 children go missing - 383 children per day. A staggering amount, which includes parental abductions, runaways, criminal abductions and children who are lost and injured. Are the government willing to stump up £3.5 million to cases similar to the McCanns or do only special ones warrant the attention?
Kerry Needham thinks the government should help. I'm sure she would dearly love such an injection of cash into the search for her missing son, Ben.
"After the breaking news today I am happy to see the government's involvement with reviewing missing people cases abroad. I am pleased for the McCann family and look forward to the government offering the same support to all families with loved ones missing abroad." Kerry Needham, May 2011
What makes this case so special? Has anyone taken any notice of the police files and are they really up to speed with Portuguese law? The McCanns could have prevented the case being shelved in the first place and they could request the case be reopened today. This could be done for free, thereby saving the UK taxpayer a bucketload.
"If they wanted the case to be reviewed, they would ask for the crime process and the investigation to be reopened, and they would supply all of the reports from the various private detectives that they have hired. To ask for the process to be reopened, all it would take is a letter to the Prosecutor, as it has already happened in so many other cases. It costs them nothing, just the stamp on the letter." Goncalo Amaral May 2011
Amongst other things, the £3.5 million will be used for hotels, travel costs and the translation of documents requested from Portugal. Forgive me, I have deja vu... although I suppose it's heartwarming that the money won't be used for mortgage payments and that ever growing mountain of legal debts.
Instead of being cockahoop and jumping for joy at the news, Mr and Mrs McCann appeared to find it difficult to summon up much enthusiasm, but thought it was 'a step in the right direction'...
So, is a child worth £3.5 million? I would say yes, but so are all the other children. In this case though, just who is running the show because I don't believe the parents are worth it.
Please take a moment to visit the official campaign website to help find Ben Needham, you can do so by clicking here. It would also be appreciated if you could sign Ben's petition...
 |
| Ben at 21 |
Not a lot to ask, is it really? It's already been done. In the Sun. For added entertainment however, maybe next time the McCanns and the Prime Minister can communique a la Jeremy Kyle?
The parents are not worth a cup of cold piss.
ReplyDeleteThey should be behind bars.
So the police are operationally independent from the Government and must judge how best to proceed and if asked Cameron will give his support.
ReplyDeleteUmmmm no,not quite, that is only correct if your name is Kerry Needham,
Now if your name is McCann Cameron will INSTIGATE help from Scotland yard AND get the tax payer to foot a bill for 3.5 million pounds.
Ben and Madeleine both went missing abroad yet Madeleine gets ALL the help and the money to look for her and Ben gets none !!!WHY?????????
Anyone care to answer ???
Don't you understand that Madeleine "is so special" ?
ReplyDeleteDon't you understand that Madeleine "deserves..." ?
Cameron understood... and did a "first step in the right direction"
Would he try to go backwards if some superior authority advised this is actually the real right direction ?
Why only £3.5 ?
ReplyDeleteAlthough we don't know the true figure the McCanns have already spent that, well.... not extirely on their investigation. And no knowing how much they received indirectly i.e. payment of original legal fees that the fun refused to meet.
When the MET starts how frequently do they meet with TM investigators and share ? Who's translations do they use, since TM have already spent £100k
£300K down the drain on Halligen who is waiting extradition to the USA on legal aid.
£3.5k emmm ....this time next year will the McCanns contribute to the MET budget when it over runs.
But back on topic, why not a special investigation advancing this money for ALL THE MISSING, since they are someones loved ones.
And none of this was necessary since the MCanns failed to exercise their legal right to have the case remain open, why ?
Good luck to Mrs Needham, but I'd imagine she would have preferred to be acknowledged as an individual not tagging onto the shirt tails of the McCanns.
Anyone having difficulty in posting you might have to press POST COMMENT about three times, then you will get a code. Enter CODE
ReplyDeleteAny one know where exactly is this £3.5 million
ReplyDeleteis coming from.
UK Tax Payers
ReplyDeleteSomething like central budget
Think of the poor sods who can't get treatment on the nhs
But there again, how much has it cost for 18 months in prison and legal aid for Halligan !
So back to the quiet and lull until Christmas. Wonder if the begging bowls have been put away ?