From the start I felt this was an abduction for wealthy childless parents prepared to pay and ask no questions. Now it seems that's the official view.

I'm not convinced and I would say 'authorities' know fuck all and their photo fits convince me they are attempting to show they are 'doing something'

One can buy half a dozen kids in the Third World without the drama- why take a chance with stealing a middle class white kid in Portugal ?

coming tomorrow..dramatic news about the death of Princess Diana..don't what it is as we haven't made it up yet .

Who sticks his snout in this morning but little Williams Thomas. 'Unhappy about BBC programme'. Ditch the programme, he's just unhappy with the BBC, period. Apparently he thinks the BBC is at fault for not forcing Portuguese TV to show the programme. And of course for not hiring the modern Sherlock to front it. He reminds me more and more of the character Richard Briers played in Ever Decreasing Circles - Martin Bryce. I bet he has turned the attic room in his house into an Operations Centre.

I thought MWT was involved with the McCanns or said he was and was told to stay away by their lawyer.

tis indeed a great mystery.

I think if you were right JK surely she would be spotted if she was living in a 'normal' family. After all she is one of the world's most famous people now.

You'll enjoy my novel, Hedda; say no more!

The elephant in the room for me is the fact that one of the photofits looks like the father. I am not saying that he abducted her, just witnesses after this length of time may have been confused by seeing him perhaps carrying the child to bed earlier in the evening. Lets not forget that this was a holiday destination and at night so memories are blurred by drink etc.

I actually think she may probably turn up in years to come and her abductors exposed. Who, after all, would have thought that some guy in Austria would keep his daughters and grandchildren locked in a dungeon for years unbeknownst to his wife and lodgers?

"1,000 people came forward with fresh information"

gee just like the Savile 'investigation.'

Ah, Hedda - great minds think alike. The power of the media - and we all know (including the police and the media) that 99% of them turn out to be loonies.

My favourite during my case was the man who took time to go to the police to say I once stopped and offered him a lift - and he turned me down!

Some peoples' brains???

Other people are so stupid!

That's funny - I think other people are so stupid, too!

You're a genius!

And you're a genius, too!

What are you up to later?

I've just found a typewriter. I thought I'd write a novel.

You're wonderful!

You're wonderful, too!

I was always puzzled why Mr & Mrs McCann had not been arrested for neglect. Who leaves their child out of sight?

You put on another "Crimewatch" to have another 50 witnesses come forward, saying they think they saw something. Trouble is, what they actually saw was a similar looking kid & not the McCann's neglected 6 year old.

I recall a case where 2 girls were running away from a "strange" looking man. The neighbourhood watch fella (a dozy herbert with failing eyesight to boot)then apprehends the wrong man, that was just collecting his window round money!

bh wrote:
I was always puzzled why Mr & Mrs McCann had not been arrested for neglect. Who leaves their child out of sight?

You put on another "Crimewatch" to have another 50 witnesses come forward, saying they think they saw something. Trouble is, what they actually saw was a similar looking kid & not the McCann's neglected 6 year old.

I recall a case where 2 girls were running away from a "strange" looking man. The neighbourhood watch fella (a dozy herbert with failing eyesight to boot)then apprehends the wrong man, that was just collecting his window round money!

Leaving children home alone is a criminal offence in Portugal,but the reason they were not charged is that it might compromise any more serious charges that might be brought later.
The theory they were working on was that the child was already dead, and "leaving them alone" was a cover up.

bh wrote:
I was always puzzled why Mr & Mrs McCann had not been arrested for neglect. Who leaves their child out of sight?

You put on another "Crimewatch" to have another 50 witnesses come forward, saying they think they saw something. Trouble is, what they actually saw was a similar looking kid & not the McCann's neglected 6 year old.

I recall a case where 2 girls were running away from a "strange" looking man. The neighbourhood watch fella (a dozy herbert with failing eyesight to boot)then apprehends the wrong man, that was just collecting his window round money!

the usual knowledgable hedda knows nothing about Maddie .... leaving these kids alone was a great lapse of judgement that many parents may do....but it was still not something I would do , certainly with the amount of publicity in the last 20/30 years on disappearing kids.

## dearest hedda at the age of 3 was placed in the back of a delivery van by his 4 year old brother..supposedly as a joke...and the little mite was not discovered until 30 miles away in the next village.

Image the poor van driver today !!..he would be charged with kidnapping and parents possibly on some charge for leaving 2 kids alone in the front garden!!

but being the 1890s, times were different.

Looking at today's news (little blonde girl in Greece) - my theory about abductions for childless couples is boosted... I've always felt this is the most likely scenario and from the start thought that should have been the avenue investigated.

I would not be surprised if the McCann's sold Maddie, made look like a abduction, the parents just look shifty during interviews.

Only David Cameron can leave a child in a pub.