The Root of all Evil...

Latest news on the book release is that it is to be delayed yet again because the initial release date clashed with the royal wedding.  This is the only clash expected - the date.  I have news for you - the world will not stop revolving on the 29th April... In the lives of people all round the world, everyday mundane things and special events will still go ahead on that day - they will not clash with the royal wedding. Only a true narcissist would take it personally.

Hmm, so we now know that Madeleine won't be found before what would have been her 8th birthday on 12th May.  How unfortunate... they're so good at predicting when she won't be found, can they predict when she will?  Fortune telling is not one of their known talents, maybe the book will surprise us.

Anyway, if the said book is to aid the search for their daughter, why is the release date not being brought forward instead of being postponed?  I'm sick of saying it... time is off the essence in a missing child case.  Everything should be now, now, now. Not then, then, then.

If the book is to aid the search to find their daughter, why don't the McCanns take full advantage of the royal wedding and grasp the fact that throngs of people from every nationality will be descending upon the capital on the 29th April?  The day which should have seen the original release of the book.  It could and would be the fastest circulated book in the UK in one day.  The McCanns, their extended family and friends could finally and physically do something to help Madeleine by distributing books, posters, wristbands, travel packs... outside train stations, tube stations, even a nice spot outside Westminster Abbey.  They could finally walk the streets to help their daughter.

Stop.  This is Cuckoo Land and I'm wearing my rosey tinted specs, because although the McCanns have been "working very hard", this is not their thing - especially giving away something for free.  The book will have a price, and despite being beneficial to Madeleine with a £0 price tag and 99% more readers, that won't add anything to their private limited company masquerading as a fund.

They say money is the root of all evil... but is it worth putting the search for a child on hold?  I'm not so sure Madeleine will appreciate the delay.

Missing... Blathnaid Timothy and Nathan Tomlinson

These important missing person cases have caught my eye that I'd really like to highlight.  

While the public read and listen to the rolling news broadcast in the Joanna Yeates case, these people have been missing since mid-December, yet don't warrant the same coverage.  Their cases are being continually highlighted online by family and friends.

Please read and share, these people deserve the same amount of coverage as anyone.  They're just as important and newsworthy as the next person, yet they are almost invisible to the general public.  Their families have (I can only imagine) struggled through Christmas and the new year without their loved ones, not knowing where they are or what has happened to them.  Every day must be a nightmare, my heart goes out to them.

Blathnaid Timothy

Aged 33 years

Last seen 14th December 2010 in Howth, Co Dublin

In Howth Village or Harbour Road/Howth Pier area

Anyone with any information please contact Gardai on 016669500

There is a Facebook support group for Blathnaid here.

***********************

Nathan Tomlinson

Age 21 years

Missing since 17th December 2010

Last seen walking past Manchester Cathedral, walking towards Salford

Anyone with information about where Nathan is should call police on 0161 872 5050

Credit to McCannExposure Blog for highlighting Nathan's case.

**************************

Serena Beakhurst

(also known as Serena Dennis)

Age 14 years

Missing since 15th December 2010

Last seen in the Tulse Hill area of South London on her way to college

There is a Facebook group set up to help find Serena here. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lambeth Missing Persons Unit on 020 8649 3423 or 0300 123 1212 quoting ref: 10MIS049123.

Edited to update 05.01.11

Serena has been found.  Details are sketchy at the moment, but it appears she is well and now with her family.  Please contact the police if you have any information about Blathnaid or Nathan, and don't forget all those missing persons who for some reason don't warrant the rolling attention of the media.

Missing Child Rapid Response UK

Help Find My Child

Missing People

Shadows of the Past

This question was asked shortly after Madeleine's disappearance and four years later, the question remains the same... what do we know of the McCanns past?  And that of their family and friends?  

Recently we've been subject to the most invasive reporting in the arrest of the landlord in the Jo Yeates murder case, which shows just how far our media are prepared to go.  So in the McCann case, where are the comments from people who knew them :

Friends

Colleagues

Neighbours

Nanny

Patients

Collapsed passenger

Cabin crew and passengers on the flight

Blah blah and anybody else who knows them and would stick up for them

There is always someone out there... the usual suspects.  Those who want their 5 minutes of fame and those who want to make a little bit of dosh.  Those who have crossed them, and those who just want to defend and help.  Have they all been gagged, and if so why?

There were the usual rants from the family (to be expected) but nothing since day one from anyone else, absolutely no-one coming out the woodwork?? Not even a "Kate McCann treated my bunion - lovely girl!"  What about that passenger on the infamous London bound flight who's life was saved by the strapping hero that was Mr McCann?  No flight crew or fellow passengers to describe his forceful "stand back, I'm a doctor!" and life saving expertise?

In the early days, two interviews were shown to give us an insightful reference of the McCanns but they soon disappeared into oblivion when they turned out to be the landlady of the local boozer and a nursery teacher.  Not good PR to have such people giving character references of 'caring' parents.


I would stick my neck out and say that it's quite plausible that the McCanns could have any number of skeletons in their cupboards. We don't know them, we don't know anything about them or what they're capable of doing or not doing.


I do know that (amongst other things) :

a. they're capable of appointing a comprehensive legal team within 48 hours
b. meeting MPs at the drop of a hat
c. having tea with the High Commissioner of the British Consolate
d. commanding an audience with the Pope.


What of the tragic story of Mr McCann's sister Jackie.  It was revealed by Philomena McCann in Hello! Magazine that Jackie had sadly discovered the body of her murdered boyfriend.  Now there's a tragedy that our great British media would normally love to trundle out to their readers.  Yet no mention and all reference to the sad tale also disappeared into oblivion.


Two people who knew the McCanns from past days were Katherina and Arul Gaspar.  They are both doctors, Mr Gaspar knew Mrs McCann from their Dundee University days and were such good friends they even holidayed together in Majorca.  However, it would be their last holiday together after they were witness to an allegedly alarming conversation between Mr McCann and his other doctor friend David Payne.  The following is snipped from Mrs Gaspar's official police statement...

"One night, when we were on holiday, the adults, in other words, the couples that I mentioned were on a patio outside the house where we were staying. We had been eating and drinking.  I was sitting between Dave and Gerry whom I believe were both talking about Madeleine. I don't remember the conversation in its entirety, but it seemed they were discussing a possible scenario. I remember Dave telling Gerry something like 'she', referring to Madeleine, would do this?

When he mentioned 'this', Dave was sucking on one of his fingers, pushing it in and out of his mouth, whilst with the other hand he circled his nipple, with a circulating movement over his clothes. This was done in a provocative manner there being an explicit insinuation in relation to what he was saying and doing.

I remember that I was shocked at this, and looked at Gerry, and also at Dave, to see their reactions. I looked around (page 4) to see did anyone else hear this, or was it just me?. There was a nervous silence noted in the conversations of all the others and immediately afterwards everyone began talking again.

I remember thinking whether he looked at the girls in a different way from me or from the others. I imagined that maybe he had visited Internet sites related to small children. In short, I thought that he might be interested in child pornography on the internet."

Perfectly understandable why the McCanns wouldn't want these type of skeletons rearing their very ugly heads, much worse than the local landlady's character reference of spitting in the bucket and paying their tab on time.  The question is why would Leicestershire police sit on these statements for 6 months before forwarding them to the investigating team in Portugal?  Not a nice route to take in an investigation, but one which should have been allowed and ruled out if necessary.


Another blast from the past was Yvonne Martin who was so convinced that she recognised David Payne in her capacity of work as Social Services Manager for Child Protection that she wrote to the police pleading with them to check the Paedophile Register to see if Mr Payne was on such a list.  Another skeleton destined to be buried in an unmarked closet.

I don't particularly care what the neighbours/colleagues/nanny etc have to say - I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE PRESS DON'T!!  

People are condemned for critisising the McCanns and their friends when they know nothing about them - yet there are also plenty of people defending them when they too know absolutely nothing.  It works both ways...

Click here to read the Gaspars' statements in full and here for Yvonne Martin's statement.  Thanks to the McCann : PJ Files website, please click to visit.

Season's Greetings...

Just a short note to wish all visitors a very happy Christmas.  Here we are, once again... It's such a shame that we are now seeing another Christmas and little Madeleline is still missing, without a trace. 

The customary appeal was overtaken this year by the scandalous Wikileaks cable which revealed that the British police had 'developed' evidence against the parents. Did they show their fury by tackling Assange or even the British police?  No, they released a statement denying their involvement.  Instead of the begging bowl, we were privy to these denials and the revelation that the re-opening of the case is the last thing that the parents want.

Why do I think that?  Well they appear to view Goncalo Amaral's attempts to reopen the case as a threat.  How bizarre...  The whole Wikileaks thing appeared to morph into Amaral's fault... what can they blame him for next I wonder.

Latest on the novel... it appears that it won't actually be a best seller as Waterstone and Amazon predicted with their hiked up, inflated (wishful thinking) price. Amazon have cut their pre-order price by 15% to £17.00.  Tesco have cut an astonishing 30% off at £14.00 but way ahead in the running is WH Smith who have snipped off a whopping 38% and currently offering the book at £12.40...

At this rate it looks like it's destined to be offered at POUND store prices, like many of the McCann sympathisers...

Even better value if it comes with a wipe clean cover for jotting down those cobbled, nobbled timelines.

Here's another little niggle for you to ponder upon... what do you think Sr Rebelo is in the act of describing in this photo below, and where are they all positioned?...

Well, time to say goodbye... Santa has reached Guinea according to Norad so I'd better go and put out the milk and cookies (and carrots).  Have a wonderful Christmas season, all of you.  I wish you a prosperous and joyous 2011 and again, hope this will be the year that Madeleine receives justice.

~~ooOoo~~

Missing Madeleine...

How do you identify a missing child when the information given to the public is misleading and inacurate?   In those crucial days and weeks after Madeleine's disappearance, we were told to look for a small, blonde girl who had a 'special mark' on her eye.  The following photos were released...

Who do we look for?  A blonde little girl, with that special mark in her eye as advised?   None of these photos show a little blonde girl - Madeleine has mousey coloured hair in these photos..  Are we looking for blonde or brown, are we dismissing blonde or brown?  Are we looking for both or looking for neither? 

We are missing Madeleine.

Next the eye.  Against all police and expert advice, the McCanns, family and friends release information about that very special mark on Madeleine's eye, a coloboma. It's only visible when up close - so we can rule out all children who are asleep, far away or not looking at us.

We are missing Madeleine.

Three weeks after Madeleine's disappearance, a photo is released.  Known as the 'pool photo' but one which came to be known as the 'last photo'.  There is no confirmation that this is the last photo, but looks as if it was taken on that fateful holiday.

Surprisingly, this photo shows an altogether different child from the one that we've been looking for in the weeks gone by.

We are missing Madeleine.

And finally, one of the most distinguishing features a person can have - a birthmark.  Not many people know that Madeleine has a chestnut birthmark on her left calf because it's something that the parents or family have failed to mention in any of their interviews or statements.  In fact, the only place where it is publicised is on the Policia Judiciara official missing persons page.  If Madeleine had indeed been abducted, what better feature to look for - easily spotted no matter what size and whatever activity the child is taking part in, especially if she's wearing a skirt, dress or shorts.  Even cropped pyjama bottoms.

We are missing Madeleine.

Who have we been looking for and who are we looking for?  From day one, confusion has reigned.  In the case of a missing child, time is of the essence yet there has been continuous dissaray of information released.  And in the case of the birthmark, information held back.  Smoke and mirrors... why?

Hence, almost 4 years later, it sadly looks like we have missed Madeleine.