I no longer feel sorry for the McCanns

[chirpychirpy]

Kate & Gerry McCann appeared at the Leveson Inquiry today to state that media coverage hindered the search for their missing daughter Madeleine. Lots of people go missing every day, and the cases that receive any publicity are greatly assisted by the media spreading the word. Madeleine's disappearance received global coverage, as a result of which only people in remote areas of the World will have been unaware of the case. That kind of free publicity is beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Sure, not all of it was positive, but that was largely because some of the McCanns' decisions were dubious at best. Strikes me the McCanns should show immense gratitude to the media rather than this horrible bitterness. What do you think?

[mumsie_wumsie]

The bottom line in all this, is this:-Maddie is still missing;Kate and Gerry have still not got their daughter back home;the twins have not got their sister. What must they all be going through, day in and day out. They have to live with this awful "what if" for the rest of their lives.

[ravenmiss]

Well said mumsie.

[naomi24]

What happened to them would be my worst nightmare.

[sara3]

she write a diary, the Portuguese police seized it, and extracts appeared in the British gutter press.

and camera lenses banging on their home windows? shocking.

it's shameful. regardless of what they did or didn't do, they have a living hell every day.

[Teddy_boy]

In my day we never abandoned our children to go drinking. You reap what you sow.

[welshlibranr]

sadly they live with the fact that they left their children to go out with friends, when they clearly should not have done this, the children were too young to be left alone......Sad, but true!.......

[askyourgran]

They have lost an adorable daughter, gone without any trace. How would you feel? not so chirpy I would think. I think they have an enduring heartache. Not helped by the press.

[Teddy_boy]

No amount of press appeals or tv interviews can change that. You cant shift the blame.

[sara3]

I'd like to know who, out of all the parents here, never let go of their children's hands, never turned their back for one minute, lost sight of them in the supermarket..

are you all perfect then?

[Teddy_boy]

England is possibly the only country in the world where a woman can put a cat in a wheelie bin and get death threats and demands she is sacked from her job.But a couple abandon 3 young children on holiday to go drinking , resulting in 1 disappearing , and you get tea and sympathy.
The mcanns are like marmite.

[Kassee]

Anybody that has a child snatched and then lives their life not knowing what happened to their baby - must be living a nightmarish hell every day of their life. Do they want you to feel sorry for them - I doubt if they care what you feel about it.

I think they are frantically trying to keep her name in the spotlight by whatever means they can. It is their only hope of ever finding her, they are not looking for sympathy. They are looking for their daughter.

[Prudie]

Don't know when your day was Teddy but when I was a child in the 60s my parents left me alone to go out in the evening regularly. As i was allowed the dogs on my bed they never even considered they were doing wrong. Parents today are far more vigilant in my opinion.

[ummmm]

I lost my youngest son in Milton Keynes shopping centre. I thought my Mum had his hand.....

Luckily he stood still and started screaming....which I'd told him to do.

I mentioned on here quite a while back that there was a toddler walking in the middle of the road on her own. I ran and grabbed her....but I could have been anyone. Her parents didn't know she'd got out. It was a simple mistake of someone not shutting the front door properly.

[ravenmiss]

The OP didn't mention blame, regardless of how it happened I still feel sorry for them, their family and also for Madeleine. Blame and how this came to be is a different matter entirely.

[Teddy_boy]

Quite a simplistic comparisson and far from the facts of the case in matter .
Who ever went out night after night on holiday, leaving 3 toddlers , so they could go drinking? Anyone care to admit to what some seem to think a normal occurance.

[Mamyalynne]

I have often wrestled with their actions etc, but as stated , do I feel sorry for them? - a categoric Yes!!

[sara3]

ummmm, I've picked three toddlers up in the middle of the road over the years.. bizarre, but obviously that happens often.

[ummmm]

Did they go out night after night?

[Khandro]

"I no longer feel sorry for the McCanns".... Really! I'm sure that really distresses them, and they speak so highly of you.

[Teddy_boy]

The family made a terrible catalogue of errors of judgement , resulting in their daughters disappearance.It is terrible , but they must accept responsibility. They have however received an excessive amount of publicity compared to many parents who have lost children through no fault of their own , which the mccanns cannot say