Consider this scenario - Would a guilty person keep their case alive for many years?

[Alfie]

They didn't ask for it to be reopened, they asked for the evidence so far to be reviewed.

With a view to what outcome?

[faithlilly]

With a view to what outcome?

Police  reviewing the evidence that you know is not strong enough to bring you to trial and putting the rumours of you guilt to rest. A new investigation was never on the cards.

Of course, at every step, the fact they were requesting a review was all over the media. A sure fire way to make yourself look innocent I'd have thought.

[ShiningInLuz]

It is YOU making the claim that fame and fortune was the motivating factor.  Appearing on CBB is one route open to B and C list celebs and media personalities to pursue this.  Why is my suggestion more farcical than your suggestion that asking for a police review into their child's disappearance, thus risking their future liberty, was done to increase their fame and fortune?

I didn't make such a claim.  It is not possible to make such a claim in a purely hypothetical case.  It is, however, one indisputable reason for a hypothetical couple doing it, in your hypothetical scenario.

There are lots of others, in your hypothetical scenario.  They are just a lot more realistic than corpse-hiders-appear-on Celebrity-Big-Brother.

Hence the use of the term farcical.

[Alfie]

Police  reviewing the evidence that you know is not strong enough to bring you to trial and putting the rumours of you guilt to rest. A new investigation was never on the cards.

Of course, at every step, the fact they were requesting a review was all over the media. A sure fire way to make yourself look innocent I'd have thought.

How is a review of the evidence going to put the rumours of your guilt to rest any more than they already have been by the fact that the case was shelved due to a lack of evidence?  How can you be 100% certain that a review of all the evidence isn't going to lead to something previously overlooked coming back to bite you on the arse big time?  It's not and you can't.  Simples.

[Alfie]

I didn't make such a claim.  It is not possible to make such a claim in a purely hypothetical case.  It is, however, one indisputable reason for a hypothetical couple doing it, in your hypothetical scenario.

There are lots of others, in your hypothetical scenario.  They are just a lot more realistic than corpse-hiders-appear-on Celebrity-Big-Brother.

Hence the use of the term farcical.

Here is part of your response to my post:

"Why would they continue to seek fame and fortune?  Hmm, let me think about that.  Could it be - more fame and fortune?"

That is your suggestion re: a hypothetical motive in a hypothetical case, is it not?

Would you find it farcical if OJ Simpson had appeared on a reality show prior to his more recent incarceration?

[Alfie]

If I were the protagonists I would seek help from my own government first as they are in a far better position than a lowly individual such as myself to exert pressure on authorities in another country.  If that didn't work I might very well do what you suggest.  Out of interest is this what Kerry Needham did - petition the Greek government first before asking help from UK authorities to re-open the case into Ben's disappearance?

[G-Unit]

I'm reminded of a saying from my childhood; 'There's nowt as quare as folk'. Translated it means there's nothing so strange or unpredictable as human beings.

I have a horror of being in the public eye. Others crave it. Celebrities have been accused of being addicted to fame.

Why would fame be desirable to our hypothetical couple? What did it give them? A fan base.

People who believed everything they said. People who wrote to them sending money, cards, toys, love and sympathy. They really appreciated that, it kept them going through the bad times.

It also brought criticism, but they were able to dismiss that. Those who criticised were sad lonely people with nothing better to do, they didn't count.

Fame led to validation by the general public as far as they were concerned. Most people thought they were innocent and supported them. When official interest cooled after they were made arguidos their supporters continued to offer love and support. They were outraged that the pair were suspects. They were outraged that the search was being harmed. No matter what, their fans were there for them.

Popular support needs maintaining. Had they chosen obscurity people would have lost interest and taken up another cause.

[Alfie]

I'm reminded of a saying from my childhood; 'There's nowt as quare as folk'. Translated it means there's nothing so strange or unpredictable as human beings.

I have a horror of being in the public eye. Others crave it. Celebrities have been accused of being addicted to fame.

Why would fame be desirable to our hypothetical couple? What did it give them? A fan base.

People who believed everything they said. People who wrote to them sending money, cards, toys, love and sympathy. They really appreciated that, it kept them going through the bad times.

It also brought criticism, but they were able to dismiss that. Those who criticised were sad lonely people with nothing better to do, they didn't count.

Fame led to validation by the general public as far as they were concerned. Most people thought they were innocent and supported them. When official interest cooled after they were made arguidos their supporters continued to offer love and support. They were outraged that the pair were suspects. They were outraged that the search was being harmed. No matter what, their fans were there for them.

Popular support needs maintaining. Had they chosen obscurity people would have lost interest and taken up another cause.

As I have already pointed out earlier today, there are less risky ways of maintaining your "fan-base" than asking the government to instruct the police to review all the evidence against you.

[sadie]

Why do these people care what I think, and why risk their freedom on it?  Far better to allow people like you and me to lose interest in the whole affair by slinking off into obscurity safe in the knowledge that there is no evidence against them.  That makes far more sense to me, if not to you.

Exactly.  Best would be to slink off to fade away from peoples thoughts.

There would be safety in that, cos even the police would put them on back burner.

[Lace]

I'm reminded of a saying from my childhood; 'There's nowt as quare as folk'. Translated it means there's nothing so strange or unpredictable as human beings.

I have a horror of being in the public eye. Others crave it. Celebrities have been accused of being addicted to fame.

Why would fame be desirable to our hypothetical couple? What did it give them? A fan base.

People who believed everything they said. People who wrote to them sending money, cards, toys, love and sympathy. They really appreciated that, it kept them going through the bad times.

It also brought criticism, but they were able to dismiss that. Those who criticised were sad lonely people with nothing better to do, they didn't count.

Fame led to validation by the general public as far as they were concerned. Most people thought they were innocent and supported them. When official interest cooled after they were made arguidos their supporters continued to offer love and support. They were outraged that the pair were suspects. They were outraged that the search was being harmed. No matter what, their fans were there for them.

Popular support needs maintaining. Had they chosen obscurity people would have lost interest and taken up another cause.

Don't you see though GUnit,   how easy it would have been to have let the hypothetical case disappear into history?   If they lost the support then they could have just let it fizzle out,  they didn't they fought and fought hard.  You have to admit that even now years later they still make the headlines, even if it's negative it would all help to keep the child's name in the news wouldn't it?

[ShiningInLuz]

Sadie,

I don't think you have yet grasped that this is a purely hypothetical scenario which has nothing to do with reality.

Therefore I am free to come up with reason after reason, explanation after explanation, without fear of upsetting anyone reading this hypothetical tale.

Up until Alfie introduced the hypothetical files, I didn't know such files existed.  Nor have I studied the hypothetical files for a second.  I can't have as they are purely hypothetical.

[ShiningInLuz]

Full of stuff including all the evidence against the hypothetical protagonist.  Why you have to pedantically pick me up on everything to try and score points beats me.

Would this be the evidence against the hypothetical protagonist that led to no charges first time round?

As to why this thread needs to be rebutted, the answer is obvious.

[Alfie]

Sadie,

I don't think you have yet grasped that this is a purely hypothetical scenario which has nothing to do with reality.

Therefore I am free to come up with reason after reason, explanation after explanation, without fear of upsetting anyone reading this hypothetical tale.

Up until Alfie introduced the hypothetical files, I didn't know such files existed.  Nor have I studied the hypothetical files for a second.  I can't have as they are purely hypothetical.

When police investigate someone they usually keep files of that information do you dispute this?  Therefore if I state in my scenario that the protagonist has been thoroughly investigated by the police it stands to reason that there will be files of evidence remaining once the case has been shelved. 

[ShiningInLuz]

When police investigate someone they usually keep files of that information do you dispute this?  Therefore if I state in my scenario that the protagonist has been thoroughly investigated by the police it stands to reason that there will be files of evidence remaining once the case has been shelved. 

The nearest parallel I can think of at the moment is Boris Johnson.

I said shelved with no charges.  And that I cannot study hypothetical files.  Hopefully you are not going to argue these points.

They got away with it, enjoyed the fame and fortune, and came back for more, purely hypothetically.

My sincere advice is to let this silly thread sink to the bottom.  But do what you will.

[Alfie]

The nearest parallel I can think of at the moment is Boris Johnson.

I said shelved with no charges.  And that I cannot study hypothetical files.  Hopefully you are not going to argue these points.

They got away with it, enjoyed the fame and fortune, and came back for more, purely hypothetically.

My sincere advice is to let this silly thread sink to the bottom.  But do what you will.

In my opinion I think it has shown how utterly nonsensical is the idea of putting yourself up for further scrutiny by the police and all the risk that such a strategy entails simply for fame and fortune.  You think this idea is utterly reasonable.  But at the end of the day, all opinions are equally valid aren't they?