Did the McCann"s sudden flight from Portugal engender suspicion?

[jassi]

As usual, you read wanted you wanted to see, rather than what I actually wrote.

[Mr Gray]

As usual, you read wanted you wanted to see, rather than what I actually wrote.

what I posted is perfectly reasonable imo

[Carana]

It basically closed down the Portuguese investigation seemingly. But if you had two other young children you were responsible for too you too might well decide to leave... Kate talks about this for quite a bit in her book...

How did leaving Portugal close down the investigation?

[Angelo222]

I think their decision to get out of Portugal asap was perfectly reasonable...you can have 200 posts on the subject but everyones mind is already made up on something that happened seven years ago and has been discussed a million times

They must have been considering fleeing the jurisdiction for a while as the pressure began to build around them.  The moment they found out that they were going to be named as suspects must have been the straw which broke the camels back imo.

But why flee?  Why attract criticism? 

[Carana]

They must have been considering fleeing the jurisdiction for a while as the pressure began to build around them.  The moment they found out that they were going to be named as suspects must have been the straw which broke the camels back imo.

But why flee?  Why attract criticism?

If you had people booing you outside a police station with an increasingly difficult atmosphere not just for themselves but also for the twins, with no idea what the chief inspector's next bright idea might be, wouldn't you rather be at home and try to move the real search forward from there?

They stayed while they thought that the police were still trying to find her. When it became apparent that the PJ was convinced that they were involved, they realised that no one was actually searching for Madeleine. Hence, the reason for staying no longer existed.

[lordpookles]

Carana - my misktake. For some reason I belived this to be the case as recently I read the final Portuguese case summary in which they actually refer to the refusal of some memebers of the tapas group to return and how there were important factors that needed to be cleared up. I assume Kate and Gerry leaving Portugal certainly did not help the investigation and Kate's refusal to answer those questions during her interview almost certainly hindered the investigation. As did the media intrusion around the case and perhaps political interference, but who knows about that. I would assume both countries working together would have similar priorities regarding the case....

[Mr Gray]

They must have been considering fleeing the jurisdiction for a while as the pressure began to build around them.  The moment they found out that they were going to be named as suspects must have been the straw which broke the camels back imo.

But why flee?  Why attract criticism?

because apart from a few on the net no one is criticising them

[Carana]

I'm not sure that "fleeing" is quite appropriate. Yes, they did leave as soon as they got permission to do so after the arguido interviews, but they had actually extended the rental of the villa in order to be present for those interviews.

[xtina]

of course its why they fled home ...i think it came as a very big shock when they became suspects wasn't they on first name terms with with some of the higher up PJ....

it certainly knocked the arrogance of g mcc.....they couldn't get home quick enough.....what happened to k mcc feeling closer to maddie ..the rented villa no stone left interned .....

it also makes you thing of the long term concert they was organising...k mcc a career in child trafficking the.... film [only canceled at public outrage.]....etc etc



if it was better for them to be at home ....they would have done that in the first place...

if they had nothing to fear they should have stayed .....it was there daughter missing ..fgs

[Alfred R Jones]

Can anyone tell me what not "fleeing" would have achieved exactly?  Do the McCann bashers think that Kate, Gerry and the twins should be living in Portugal until the mystery has been solved?

[jassi]

Certainly they got a nasty shock at the turn of events and decided they would be safer in the UK, but they wouldn't have stayed indefinitely in any case.
Kate might not have had much of a career, but Gerry's Consultant post couldn't have been left in abeyance for much long and without it how could they have paid the mortgage?

[Benice]

They must have been considering fleeing the jurisdiction for a while as the pressure began to build around them.  The moment they found out that they were going to be named as suspects must have been the straw which broke the camels back imo.

But why flee?  Why attract criticism?

IIRC They had already planned to go home before they were made Arguidos - in the event I believe they left one day earlier than originally planned.

I truly can't understand why people have a problem with their leaving PdL.  I can only assume some people have no ability to put themselves in another person's shoes.     No sane person would have stayed in those  circumstances IMO.   

[faithlilly]

IIRC They had already planned to go home before they were made Arguidos - in the event I believe they left one day earlier than originally planned.

I truly can't understand why people have a problem with their leaving PdL.  I can only assume some people have no ability to put themselves in another person's shoes.     No sane person would have stayed in those  circumstances IMO.

I believe the McCanns knew early in August that the focus of the investigation was turning to them. Could this be when arrangements to leave were made ?

[sadie]

They must have been considering fleeing the jurisdiction for a while as the pressure began to build around them.  The moment they found out that they were going to be named as suspects must have been the straw which broke the camels back imo.

But why flee?  Why attract criticism?

They left with permission Angelo ... which they requested and were granted

That is NOT fleeing.  Try not to overdramatise in your eagerness to run them down


The reasons, IMO:

1)  They had already decided to go home.  They had had to extend their rental for the "meeting", which turned out to be an attempt at indicting them

2)  They realised that they were in danger of being fitted up... lies and possible torture.   [ removed speculation ]

3)  The PT media were reacting to propaganda churned out, swingers etc. and turning the PT peeps against them

4)  They realised that the PJ were not searching for a living Madeleine, but for a dead one.    That the best way to forward the search would be the intelligent way using their resources from home, rather than in a Country that had a language they didn't understand, different Laws and very different ethics.

5)  The final straw was Gerry being told that Madeleines body had been carried in their hire car.  That the PJ had proof of this.  This downright lie was the final straw that broke the camels back IMO

6)   In addition, there is little doubt that the British Embassy would be urging them to return home. 
They knew all about
i)  The torture of Michael Cook by the local PJ and the massive injustices in that case. 
Was Jacintha Rees before, or after Madeleine? 
ii)  Also the Virgolino Borges torture case with the lies in that.

7)  And, the Embassy would know that:
i)  The lead detective Chief Inspector Goncalo Amaral was about to stand trial in a torture case accused of Perjury.  He was found guilty.
ii)  Another lead Inspector,Tavares de Almeida, was about to stand trial in Virgolino Bourges torture case.  He was found guilty.
iii)  Yet another lead Inspector, António Nunes Cardoso was also awaiting trial in a Torture case.  He was also found guilty.

8)  Their friends, family and legal advisors would be urging them to return home



Phew !  How they stuck there so long, I will never know.


IMO, the allegations about Madeleines body having been carried in their hire car was the final catalyst to returning home.  That the PJ had proof. 
[ removed speculation ]
He knew that two ordinary foreigners against the might of a PJ, in a country where they did not even speak the language, did not stand a chance



Time to go home.
And be amongst friends and family.  Support.

The term fleeing is so unjust Angelo.  It smacks of desperately trying to undermine The Mccanns.  [Propaganda effectively.] 
They left with granted permission, having extended their apartment rental to stay for the "meeting" that they had been asked to attend.

[Alfred R Jones]

If (as I believe) the McCanns had nothing to do with their daughter's disappearance can anyone tell me how staying in Portugal and fully co-operating with a police force who believed they were guilty would have solved the mystery?