Were the Gaspar statements nothing more than a red herring?

[faithlilly]

Isn't that enough?      People who may have known something but decided not to risk coming forward to the PJ - are hardly going to advertise that fact are they?

No it isn't enough. How are we even sure that that is why Mrs Murat set up her stall ?

[Lace]

Mrs. Gaspar cannot remember what the conversation was about.  You would think she would remember wouldn't you,  if she was so shocked it would stick in her mind.   Mrs. Gaspar didn't even know if it was about Madeleine she said she 'THINKS' it was about Madeleine.

It was thoroughly investigated by the police and nothing came of it, ..... ..... is still working as a Dr. and SY have said the parents and their friends are not suspects.

[Alfred R Jones]

Mrs. Gaspar cannot remember what the conversation was about.  You would think she would remember wouldn't you,  if she was so shocked it would stick in her mind.   Mrs. Gaspar didn't even know if it was about Madeleine she said she 'THINKS' it was about Madeleine.

It was thoroughly investigated by the police and nothing came of it, ..... ..... is still working as a Dr. and SY have said the parents and their friends are not suspects.

Oh please.  That's far too simplistic.  How do you know the Met haven't bugged the ...... and McCann household for the last few years and are busy gathering evidence of lewd hand gestures and obscene language even as we write?!  They might have you know, anything's possible in "Sceptic" Land!

[faithlilly]

Mrs. Gaspar cannot remember what the conversation was about.  You would think she would remember wouldn't you,  if she was so shocked it would stick in her mind.   Mrs. Gaspar didn't even know if it was about Madeleine she said she 'THINKS' it was about Madeleine.

It was thoroughly investigated by the police and nothing came of it, ..... ...... is still working as a Dr. and SY have said the parents and their friends are not suspects.

It was Mrs Gaspar's word against ..... and Gerry, what do you think would happen ? The majority of rape accusations never see the inside of a court for much the same reason.

[Eleanor]

Oh please.  That's far too simplistic.  How do you know the Met haven't bugged the ...... and McCann household for the last few years and are busy gathering evidence of lewd hand gestures and obscene language even as we write?!  They might have you know, anything's possible in "Sceptic" Land!

Dare I say, "Tick Tock?"

[Benice]

Mrs. Gaspar cannot remember what the conversation was about.  You would think she would remember wouldn't you,  if she was so shocked it would stick in her mind.   Mrs. Gaspar didn't even know if it was about Madeleine she said she 'THINKS' it was about Madeleine.

It was thoroughly investigated by the police and nothing came of it, ..... ..... is still working as a Dr. and SY have said the parents and their friends are not suspects.

And despite world-wide publicity - in 8 years not a single person has come forward claiming to be a victim.

[faithlilly]

And despite world-wide publicity - in 8 years not a single person has come forward claiming to be a victim.

Many abusers never abuse outside their family.

[Benice]

Many abusers never abuse outside their family.

DP isn't a member of Madeleine's family.    No allegations or suspicions were directed  at Gerry.

[Brietta]

The reported conversation was between DP and GM and the inference is they may have been joking about abusing a child? It's a strange thing to say don't you think? The explanation could be this is just a snippet of conversation and likely taken completely out of context or an insider joke which caused the confusion.

I found a comment on the internet which mirrored my own thought about the improbability of Dr Gaspar not hearing what was said in the conversation bearing in mind where she was seated.
It went a little further by pointing out the absolute rudeness of the pair 'talking over' her as if she weren't there.

It made me think about past conversations at dinner tables ~ some of them round as in this tale ~ in a similar situation when people on either side were in conversation.

• you lean back in your chair ... you hear every word being said ... you participate in the conversation
• f you are really not interested in either golf or football or rugby or in this case perhaps a medical anecdote, you lean forward to engage in conversation with the person opposite, leaving the two on either side of you in a conversation at your back.  In which case you neither hear their conversation nor do you see their gestures

The whole setting for the scenario as related by Dr Gasper really doesn't work for me.

[stephen25000]

I found a comment on the internet which mirrored my own thought about the improbability of Dr Gaspar not hearing what was said in the conversation bearing in mind where she was seated.
It went a little further by pointing out the absolute rudeness of the pair 'talking over' her as if she weren't there.

It made me think about past conversations at dinner tables ~ some of them round as in this tale ~ in a similar situation when people on either side were in conversation.

• you lean back in your chair ... you hear every word being said ... you participate in the conversation
• f you are really not interested in either golf or football or rugby or in this case perhaps a medical anecdote, you lean forward to engage in conversation with the person opposite, leaving the two on either side of you in a conversation at your back.  In which case you neither hear their conversation nor do you see their gestures

The whole setting for the scenario as related by Dr Gasper really doesn't work for me.

Now there's a surprise.

Can you tell me that the behaviour witnessed by Mrs. Gaspar is normal male behaviour ?

[Alfred R Jones]

Many abusers never abuse outside their family.

It has been suggested that that is precisely what went on here though, isn't it?

[Alfred R Jones]

It was Mrs Gaspar's word against ..... and Gerry, what do you think would happen ? The majority of rape accusations never see the inside of a court for much the same reason.

If the police took Gaspar's claims seriously I would think that social services would take his kids into care, at least to give them physical and mental appraisal, and furthermore impound his home and work computers to see if there was any evidence to back up the claims, wouldn't you?  Now tell me perhaps they did! 

[faithlilly]

DP isn't a member of Madeleine's family.    No allegations or suspicions were directed  at Gerry.

Of course they were. The fact that Gerry seemed to listen to what ...... was suggesting without doing him physical would suggest a joint understanding.

[faithlilly]

It has been suggested that that is precisely what went on here though, isn't it?

Is it ? No one is suggesting ....... abused Madeleine.

[faithlilly]

If the police took Gaspar's claims seriously I would think that social services would take his kids into care, at least to give them physical and mental appraisal, and furthermore impound his home and work computers to see if there was any evidence to back up the claims, wouldn't you?  Now tell me perhaps they did!

If the police did not take Mrs Gaspar's statement seriously then they failed in their duty of care towards both the ...... and McCann children.