Podcasts by Mark Saunokonoko of 9News.

[Lace]

I can only speak for myself and those who I have been on holiday with.. and not one of them have ever went out and left their doors unlocked and left their kids at home. Maybe that's a Glasgow thing.. but then Gerry is from Glasgow. We're talking about mature adults here in charge of young children. Both doors exposed the children to real danger from traffic.

Has Gerry ever struck you as being that foolish?

I believe the McCann's had a nanny who looked after the children when they went out at home.

Some people behave differently on holiday,  don't know why,  they came to an arrangement with friends to do a Mark Warner checking system.   They thought the place was safe.

I've seen parents go to sleep whilst their children are playing in the pool on resorts,  would you go to sleep at home with your child in a pool?   No you wouldn't so why do people think it's fine to do that on holiday.   I've seen it on the beach too with the danger of the sea.

You say in Glasgow people don't leave their children alone at home with the doors open,  how about on holiday,  any of them go camping?   Any of them have caravans and meet up with other families on holiday at a resort and leave their children alone in a caravan or tent?   Go to sleep on the beach or by the pool,  get stuck into a good book on the beach or by the pool.   Children can get abducted outside as well you know.   They should have been safe tucked up asleep in their beds.    I would think that is that last place an abductor would look to abduct a child with so many of them outside not being looked after properly.

[barrier]

I believe the McCann's had a nanny who looked after the children when they went out at home.

Some people behave differently on holiday,  don't know why,  they came to an arrangement with friends to do a Mark Warner checking system.   They thought the place was safe.

I've seen parents go to sleep whilst their children are playing in the pool on resorts,  would you go to sleep at home with your child in a pool?   No you wouldn't so why do people think it's fine to do that on holiday.   I've seen it on the beach too with the danger of the sea.

You say in Glasgow people don't leave their children alone at home with the doors open,  how about on holiday,  any of them go camping?   Any of them have caravans and meet up with other families on holiday at a resort and leave their children alone in a caravan or tent?   Go to sleep on the beach or by the pool,  get stuck into a good book on the beach or by the pool.   Children can get abducted outside as well you know.   They should have been safe tucked up asleep in their beds.    I would think that is that last place an abductor would look to abduct a child with so many of them outside not being looked after properly.

Until its determined just what did happen,theres nothing to suggest the Ocean Club wasn't safe.

[G-Unit]

I believe the McCann's had a nanny who looked after the children when they went out at home.

Some people behave differently on holiday,  don't know why,  they came to an arrangement with friends to do a Mark Warner checking system.   They thought the place was safe.

I've seen parents go to sleep whilst their children are playing in the pool on resorts,  would you go to sleep at home with your child in a pool?   No you wouldn't so why do people think it's fine to do that on holiday.   I've seen it on the beach too with the danger of the sea.

You say in Glasgow people don't leave their children alone at home with the doors open,  how about on holiday,  any of them go camping?   Any of them have caravans and meet up with other families on holiday at a resort and leave their children alone in a caravan or tent?   Go to sleep on the beach or by the pool,  get stuck into a good book on the beach or by the pool.   Children can get abducted outside as well you know.   They should have been safe tucked up asleep in their beds.    I would think that is that last place an abductor would look to abduct a child with so many of them outside not being looked after properly.

Why do you assume it's just 'holiday behaviour' that you've observed? Leopards and spots spring to my mind.

[G-Unit]

Until its determined just what did happen,theres nothing to suggest the Ocean Club wasn't safe.

There's been a concerted effort to suggest that it wasn't, but where's the evicence? In my opinion it's all rumour and most of it originates in the UK.

[barrier]

There's been a concerted effort to suggest that it wasn't, but where's the evicence? In my opinion it's all rumour and most of it originates in the UK.

I believe there’s a debate about heresay some where around here.

[Lace]

Why do you assume it's just 'holiday behaviour' that you've observed? Leopards and spots spring to my mind.

I'm not it's just holiday behaviour,   it's just what I have observed whilst on holiday myself.

[G-Unit]

I believe there’s a debate about heresay some where around here.

I just don't understand why so many British people failed to make absolutly sure that the crimes they allrge were committed against their children were recorded by the Portuguese police. According to Kate McCann the British Consul only knew about the crimes because the tour operators told him. That suggests that none of the victims approached the British Consulate at the time either. It seems to me that not even one pf them made any fuss at all at the time.

[Wonderfulspam]

I just don't understand why so many British people failed to make absolutly sure that the crimes they allrge were committed against their children were recorded by the Portuguese police. According to Kate McCann the British Consul only knew about the crimes because the tour operators told him. That suggests that none of the victims approached the British Consulate at the time either. It seems to me that not even one pf them made any fuss at all at the time.

None of the victims families bothered to approach the press & give warning to other families that a nocturnal nasty was at large & being ignored in the Algarve.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this smelly, pot bellied, surgical masked, serial rogue intruder didn't actually exist.

I've seen more evidence of the existence of Father Christmas to be fair.

[G-Unit]

None of the victims families bothered to approach the press & give warning to other families that a nocturnal nasty was at large & being ignored in the Algarve.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this smelly, pot bellied, surgical masked, serial rogue intruder didn't actually exist.

I've seen more evidence of the existence of Father Christmas to be fair.

Norad tracks Santa every Christmas!

[Eleanor]

Norad tracks Santa every Christmas!

Yay.  I watch that.  Really good fun.

[Brietta]

I just don't understand why so many British people failed to make absolutly sure that the crimes they allrge were committed against their children were recorded by the Portuguese police. According to Kate McCann the British Consul only knew about the crimes because the tour operators told him. That suggests that none of the victims approached the British Consulate at the time either. It seems to me that not even one pf them made any fuss at all at the time.

Once again you have got it entirely wrong.  Kate wrote in her book ...
Snip
One of the most concerning and upsetting pieces of information to emerge quite early was the record of sexual crimes against children in the Algarve.
This discovery made me feel physically sick. I read of five cases of British children on holiday being sexually abused in their beds while their parents slept in another room.
In three further incidents, children encountered an intruder in their bedrooms, who was presumably disturbed before he had the chance to carry out an assault.

I guessed these were the reports that Bill Henderson, the British consul at the time of Madeleine’s abduction, had told me about.
These incidents had occurred within an hour’s drive of Praia da Luz over the three years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance.

The PJ had never mentioned any of them to us. In fact, I gathered from the files, some of them hadn’t even been recorded by the authorities at the time they were reported (evidently, they were not considered to be actual crimes).
So they might never have come to light if the parents of these children hadn’t been brave enough to come forward to the British police after Madeleine was taken and relive their nightmares.
They did so in the belief that there could be a link between what had happened to their children and what had happened to her.

It broke my heart to read the terrible accounts of these devastated parents and the experiences of their poor children.

Unbelievably (or maybe not, by this time), there was a familiar thread running through them all. The parents had called the police; they hadn’t felt that the crime was taken seriously, by the police or by their tour operators; statements were often not taken; DNA and fingerprint evidence was frequently not sought.

In most instances there was no sign of a break-in. I cried for hours after reading a letter of complaint from one mother to the GNR regarding the sexual abuse of her daughter and the lack of proper attention paid to it by the authorities.
The final line in particular has haunted me ever since:
It is difficult to see with this lack of investigation or interest how a profile of this man can be built up. It did not appear to us that there was any great incentive or determination to find the offender and bring him to justice . . . Furthermore, it could all have been so much worse . . . indeed this man could go on to do much worse to another child if he’s not stopped now.
Kate McCann

The Portuguese police did know at the time of these attacks ... they just didn't bother to take any action.  But the knowledge of what had happened to these children should have dictated that the investigation into Madeline's disappearance should have taken an entirely different tack from the one followed by Amaral.

[G-Unit]

Once again you have got it entirely wrong.  Kate wrote in her book ...
Snip
One of the most concerning and upsetting pieces of information to emerge quite early was the record of sexual crimes against children in the Algarve.
This discovery made me feel physically sick. I read of five cases of British children on holiday being sexually abused in their beds while their parents slept in another room.
In three further incidents, children encountered an intruder in their bedrooms, who was presumably disturbed before he had the chance to carry out an assault.

I guessed these were the reports that Bill Henderson, the British consul at the time of Madeleine’s abduction, had told me about.
These incidents had occurred within an hour’s drive of Praia da Luz over the three years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance.

The PJ had never mentioned any of them to us. In fact, I gathered from the files, some of them hadn’t even been recorded by the authorities at the time they were reported (evidently, they were not considered to be actual crimes).
So they might never have come to light if the parents of these children hadn’t been brave enough to come forward to the British police after Madeleine was taken and relive their nightmares.
They did so in the belief that there could be a link between what had happened to their children and what had happened to her.

It broke my heart to read the terrible accounts of these devastated parents and the experiences of their poor children.

Unbelievably (or maybe not, by this time), there was a familiar thread running through them all. The parents had called the police; they hadn’t felt that the crime was taken seriously, by the police or by their tour operators; statements were often not taken; DNA and fingerprint evidence was frequently not sought.

In most instances there was no sign of a break-in. I cried for hours after reading a letter of complaint from one mother to the GNR regarding the sexual abuse of her daughter and the lack of proper attention paid to it by the authorities.
The final line in particular has haunted me ever since:
It is difficult to see with this lack of investigation or interest how a profile of this man can be built up. It did not appear to us that there was any great incentive or determination to find the offender and bring him to justice . . . Furthermore, it could all have been so much worse . . . indeed this man could go on to do much worse to another child if he’s not stopped now.
Kate McCann

The Portuguese police did know at the time of these attacks ... they just didn't bother to take any action.  But the knowledge of what had happened to these children should have dictated that the investigation into Madeline's disappearance should have taken an entirely different tack from the one followed by Amaral.

So after Madeleine disappeared these crimes were reported to the British police. How was Kate McCann able to read about them then?

[ShiningInLuz]

Once again you have got it entirely wrong.  Kate wrote in her book ...
Snip
One of the most concerning and upsetting pieces of information to emerge quite early was the record of sexual crimes against children in the Algarve.
This discovery made me feel physically sick. I read of five cases of British children on holiday being sexually abused in their beds while their parents slept in another room.
In three further incidents, children encountered an intruder in their bedrooms, who was presumably disturbed before he had the chance to carry out an assault.

I guessed these were the reports that Bill Henderson, the British consul at the time of Madeleine’s abduction, had told me about.
These incidents had occurred within an hour’s drive of Praia da Luz over the three years prior to Madeleine’s disappearance.

The PJ had never mentioned any of them to us. In fact, I gathered from the files, some of them hadn’t even been recorded by the authorities at the time they were reported (evidently, they were not considered to be actual crimes).
So they might never have come to light if the parents of these children hadn’t been brave enough to come forward to the British police after Madeleine was taken and relive their nightmares.
They did so in the belief that there could be a link between what had happened to their children and what had happened to her.

It broke my heart to read the terrible accounts of these devastated parents and the experiences of their poor children.

Unbelievably (or maybe not, by this time), there was a familiar thread running through them all. The parents had called the police; they hadn’t felt that the crime was taken seriously, by the police or by their tour operators; statements were often not taken; DNA and fingerprint evidence was frequently not sought.

In most instances there was no sign of a break-in. I cried for hours after reading a letter of complaint from one mother to the GNR regarding the sexual abuse of her daughter and the lack of proper attention paid to it by the authorities.
The final line in particular has haunted me ever since:
It is difficult to see with this lack of investigation or interest how a profile of this man can be built up. It did not appear to us that there was any great incentive or determination to find the offender and bring him to justice . . . Furthermore, it could all have been so much worse . . . indeed this man could go on to do much worse to another child if he’s not stopped now.
Kate McCann

The Portuguese police did know at the time of these attacks ... they just didn't bother to take any action.  But the knowledge of what had happened to these children should have dictated that the investigation into Madeline's disappearance should have taken an entirely different tack from the one followed by Amaral.

This is at total odds with my understanding of the case and our family experiences in Portugal.

First, I have seen NO reason as to why Kate would get a complete set of files, while T D & H got files with key bits removed.  The annex on sexual offences was removed because Portuguese law required that it was removed.  Using one of your favourite words, to suggest otherwise is risible.

Second, we have had a number of 'run-ins' with the police and the bombeiros.   They are just as bureaucratic as UK police.  There's a form for everything.  I would not be surprised in the least to find there is a form for f*rting in a public place.

Luckman seemed quite unaware of this spate of assaults.  Doesn't that tell you something?  Were NONE of these people going to the local English press with their story?

[Miss Taken Identity]

So after Madeleine disappeared these crimes were reported to the British police. How was Kate McCann able to read about them then?

Indeed!

...and why did those parents of those children not come forward to the sun sleazepaper to make a few bob-

If you read between the lines Kate is telling us that it didn't matter that they were out drinking and dining- Maddie could have been abducted and sexually abused anyway- deflection!  Also, worth noting she mentions the sex attacker managed to get in and out while parents were sleeping without much evidence of a breakin. Yet  their story is a BIG DRAMA that shutters are jemmied- curtains blowing etc.


I am not saying I do not believe police can hide/ignore complaints about sex abuse - It happened for many years  in the UK with the Asian Grooming gangs. It may have happened in PDL.

 I also know as a fact that paedophiles will be more likely to live/hang around holiday resorts/play areas/ schools -or befriend families with children.to gain access to their 'prey'. Again, very plausable that a paedo gang was/is active in the Med area.
Do I believe Maddie was abducted from her bed by one of them... No.

[Robittybob1]

There's been a concerted effort to suggest that it wasn't, but where's the evicence? In my opinion it's all rumour and most of it originates in the UK.

I proved the other day that at least one of the Tapas staff knew the parents of 4 families with kids (and there could have been others that we don't know about) had left kids in the apartments while the parents were dining.   

What Ocean Club couldn't guarantee was that the door at the secondary reception would remain open at all times just in case any of the children ventured out to find their parents.

To me that is a dangerous situation that had not been resolved.