Portuguese police took our girl into care because of the "Maddie effect.

[carlymichelle]

A British couple whose baby girl was seized by police during a holiday in Portugal have furiously denied being too drunk to look after her.

James Moreland and Lee-Ann O’Donoghue said they had been handcuffed by police with guns, who told them their heavy-handed response was because of the ‘Madeleine McCann effect’.

The couple’s 14-month-old daughter, who we have been asked not to name, was taken into emergency care on Sunday after reports they had drunkenly thrown her into a pool and staggered around with her on an eighth-floor hotel balcony.



Miss O’Donoghue and Mr Moreland, on their first family holiday together since the baby’s birth, said they were at a loss as to why their daughter was placed in a hospital, and branded reports of their antics as ‘ludicrous, downright lies’.

They also claim Mr Moreland, 29, was beaten by police and £500 – all of their holiday spending money – was stolen during the assault.

Miss O’Donoghue, 34, who is on maternity leave from her job as a hospital personal assistant, said: ‘We are so scared and shaken up.

‘The police told us they had acted like they did, that they had been heavy-handed, because of the Madeleine McCann effect. They said the case had been very bad for them and that they had to be very careful when it came to the welfare of British children on holiday.’

The family were staying at the Hotel Paraiso in Albufeira – 40 miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished in 2007 – as part of a week-long Thomas Cook package trip.

Their story first emerged in the Portuguese press, which quoted unnamed hotel guests as saying that while sat by the pool, they had seen Miss O’Donoghue on the balcony behaving dangerously.

The reports also said the daughter had bruised legs after her mother dropped her and that a drunken Mr Moreland hurled her into the pool in front of horrified holidaymakers.

But both parents vehemently deny any of this took place – especially as their room, which they showed to the Mail, does not overlook the hotel pool but a car park, from where Miss O’Donoghue could not possibly have been seen.

Looking drained, she said: ‘You can see from my daughter’s legs there are no bruises. I did not drop her, I have never dropped her and I was not drunk.

‘She is my first and only baby and I adore her. I am such a protective mother. I just can’t believe the lies I am hearing.’ Mr Moreland, who is covered in bruises he says were inflicted by the police, said: ‘To say I threw my daughter in the pool is just ridiculous.’

Their ordeal began on Sunday afternoon when they joined friends at a bar in Albufeira. Miss O’Donoghue said: ‘I had three cocktails and was merry, not drunk by any stretch.’ At 8pm, after they returned to the hotel, police knocked on the door.

‘They said they wanted to check on the baby,’ said Miss O’Donoghue. ‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).

‘The police saw the bottle and said that it was an “illegal drug in Portugal” and  they were taking her to hospital for tests to see if we had sedated her. They were very brusque and had guns.’



The family were staying at the Hotel Paraiso in Albufeira - 40 miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished

Miss O’Donoghue was allowed to go to the hospital too. But when medics ‘started sticking needles’ in her baby for drug tests, she protested and was handcuffed. Soon afterwards, Mr Moreland arrived at the hospital but was refused entry.

He claimed: ‘I did get angry and started to shout and swear as I wanted to see my baby. A group of about seven policemen started hitting me, they put me in handcuffs and threw me on the floor in the back of a police car.

‘They yanked my arms up behind me until I screamed. They checked my wallet for ID and when I got home I saw that all of our spending money had gone.’

The couple, from Belfast, were not arrested but the case was referred to the local equivalent of social services.

They were finally given their baby back on Tuesday.

A Portuguese police spokesman said: ‘We were called to the hotel because of reports of a drunk and disorderly disturbance.’

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636767/Police-took-girl-care-Maddie-effect-Parents-deny-drunk-holiday-Portugal.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[carlymichelle]

...she  was teething 

‘They said they wanted to check on the baby,’ said Miss O’Donoghue. ‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).


if they were checking on her she  was clearly in the room??

[Wonderfulspam]

'Their ordeal began on Sunday afternoon when they joined friends at a bar in Albufeira. Miss O’Donoghue said: ‘I had three cocktails and was merry, not drunk by any stretch.’ At 8pm, after they returned to the hotel, police knocked on the door.'


Indeed, it doesn't say wether they had left the kid indoors or taken it out on the piss with them.

I reckon either is possible [ moderated ]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636767/Police-took-girl-care-Maddie-effect-Parents-deny-drunk-holiday-Portugal.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[Benice]

...she  was teething 

‘They said they wanted to check on the baby,’ said Miss O’Donoghue. ‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).


if they were checking on her she  was clearly in the room??

Since when has teething been considered an illness?   It was the police who went to the room to check on the baby - not the parents.   They were in there with her when the police arrived.   How could they have 'hurled her into the pool' if she had been left in the room?

[Eleanor]

The baby wasn't sick, she wasn't left alone, and Calpol isn't a drug.

[Eleanor]

well she  was teething 

‘They said they wanted to check on the baby,’ said Miss O’Donoghue. ‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).


if they were checking on her she  was clearly in the room??

The Portuguese Police wanted to check on the baby.  The child's mother was clearly in the room with the child.

[Carana]

Perhaps the FO should issue a travel warning not to take paracetamol on holiday to Portugal...

‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).

‘The police saw the bottle and said that it was an “illegal drug in Portugal” and  they were taking her to hospital for tests to see if we had sedated her. They were very brusque and had guns.’

 

[slartibartfast]

'Their ordeal began on Sunday afternoon when they joined friends at a bar in Albufeira. Miss O’Donoghue said: ‘I had three cocktails and was merry, not drunk by any stretch.’ At 8pm, after they returned to the hotel, police knocked on the door.'


Indeed, it doesn't say wether they had left the kid indoors or taken it out on the piss with them.

I reckon either is possible [ moderated ]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636767/Police-took-girl-care-Maddie-effect-Parents-deny-drunk-holiday-Portugal.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

Probably within the bounds of responsible parenting though.......

[Victoria]

Dreadful behaviour by the police. And people wonder why the UK government was so quick to come to the aid of the McCanns - because the british diplomats out there know exactly what the local police force is like, that's why. I dread to think what would have happens to Kate and Gerry if they hadn't got that help.

[pegasus]

... ‘They said they wanted to check on the baby,’ said Miss O’Donoghue. ‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).
if they were checking on her she  was clearly in the room??

I think it's important to read carefully the meaning of the pronoun "they".
The meaning is IMO "They (the police), after the family of 3 had returned home, wanted to check on the baby"
And BTW notice the couple were in the bar in the afternoon (not late at night) and I would assume that they had their toddler with them at the bar, which is perfectly acceptable in Portugal.
Nowhere in the article are the parents accused of leaving their toddler home alone.

[icabodcrane]

So the police told this couple that  because of the Madeleine McCann case they now had to be  careful  where the welfare of British children were concerned

Then these police,  who were being 'careful'  not to have a repeat of the McCann debacle,  proceed to beat the  British father up and steal his money

What a crock

[pegasus]

...Calpol isn't a drug.

No way is paracetamol a sedative or anything like that.

[colombosstogey]

See there is now an update on this case. The couple are now blaming everything on the Portugese Police lol, even though at the time they admitted they had been a bit irresponsible.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/maddie-mccann-police-took-our-baby-because-we-gave-her-calpol-belfast-couples-portugal-holiday-hell-30375896.html

Also from Joana Morais blog.

http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-case-of-irish-baby-girl.html

This couple were drunk in charge of this child, they were seen by GUESTS of the hotel, and the mother was unsteady on the BALACONEY holding her child etc.

Now they are saints and crying they were brutalised blah blah blah.

They were drunk in charge of a child. The thing with Calpol is if you drunk you can give the child too much.

It is always the same, BLAME SOMEONE ELSE.

She would not have been blaming anyone if she had dropped that child over the balconey these things happen and a lot of accidents do happen to children whilst people are on holiday, a 5 year old suddenly drowned in cyprus pool yesterday.

.....

A five-year-old British girl has drowned in a swimming pool in Cyprus while on a family holiday.

The girl, from County Durham, was spotted at the bottom of a pool at the Evalena Hotel in Protaras, on the island's south-east coast, on Monday.

Cypriot officers are looking at CCTV footage to find out what happened.

Famagusta Police said another holidaymaker saw her, dived in and took her out "but it was already too late".

"It seems that the parents had not seen the child," a spokesman said.

"She was in the bottom of the pool for around five minutes."

A post-mortem examination carried out at Larnaca General Hospital confirmed the cause of death was drowning.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said it was aware a British national had died in Cyprus on Monday and was "providing consular assistance to the family at this sad time".

It is understood the accident happened on the day the girl and her family arrived for a week's holiday.

...........................................................

5 minutes thats a long time, where were the parents? The Cypriot police will not mess about if there is any chance the child was neglected. Lets hope not for the parents sake.

[Brietta]

Having read the Belfast Telegraph face book page regarding this incident I was struck by the number of posters who expressed disquiet about holidaying in Portugal.  Some saying they would never return and others saying that now they definitely would never visit.
It was discussed on our forum that Portugal is a holiday venue of choice for the Irish. 
IMO the publicity given to the couple’s version of events has severely damaged the tourist industry in Portugal. 

I was appalled in particular at the treatment meted out to the child.  She was forcibly separated from her mother.  Invasive procedures were carried out on her without parental consent.

That 'drugging' their child with Calpol seems to have been the motivating factor in this verifies without doubt the effect Dr Amaral's book has had on the psyche of the Portuguese. 

[Montclair]

IMO, this is a cock and bull story made up by the parents to look like victims.