Metropol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west ... 339248.stm

Leaflets warning people not to take the law into their own hands over the Shannon Matthews inquiry have been circulated by police.

Speaking hypothetically of course, if you were to try and hide a kid to get money as this lot have been accused... what would you do afterwards? Would the kid mysteriously appear again? How could you rely on said child to tell the police the right things, and would you be able to keep the money?

I find this quite baffling.

A case of a complicated scenario hatched by thick amateurs methinks. People thinking that they are far more intelligent than they actually are.

indeed, i've personally found this case absolutely fascinating.

if you saw the despatches programme on channel 4 a few weeks ago, it was pretty clear that the family were very unintelligent. karen matthews had to have articles from a newspaper read to her.

if the wildly speculated theory that this whole escapade was some sort of stunt to obtain money from the press or well-wishers, i really don't think they even thought about what would happen in the end. i think it is quite clear that even their closed friends and supporters didn't know of the scam - their reaction when shannon was found seemed genuinely emotional.

but, there are so many things at the moment that just don't add up.

One thing is for sure, NOW everyone is trying to cash in on it. For example, in the Daily Mirror today Karen Matthew's sister was saying how she is an unfit mother and all the usual crap. Eventually the whole family and the families friends and the families friend's golfing partners will have sold some sort of tiresome 'revelation' about the parents and then everyone will have made a fair bit of poke from it.

If it's correct well it's saying something when you've been inspired by an episode of Shameless.

Something just hasn't been right at all, from the start I thought it was just a normal kid gone missing, but for me when the day Shannon was 'found' I just found it so odd and unconvicing in their reactions, any normal parent or family member would probably try and see their child as fast as you could and take them home and maybe say a quick thank you to the Media. Where as they simply left their house and started chucking bottles of Champagne in not a too familar style to when they give the trophies away at the end of a Formula 1 race, I don't think anyone would be like that....would they?

I give it to the McCann family they seem to have a little more dignity and pride in themselves and appearances.

It's not a scam. It's a lot more complicated than that.

Chie wrote:It's not a scam. It's a lot more complicated than that.

How much probing will there be before you withdraw that statement as well then?

Ronnie Rowlands wrote:

Chie wrote:It's not a scam. It's a lot more complicated than that.

How much probing will there be before you withdraw that statement as well then?

The rumour about Karen organising the whole disappearance in order to gain money isn't official either though, is it :roll: She won't be charged with obtaining money by deception, because she didn't receive a penny from anyone - it wasn't about money at all.

Dr Lobster* wrote:if you saw the despatches programme on channel 4 a few weeks ago, it was pretty clear that the family were very unintelligent. karen matthews had to have articles from a newspaper read to her.

Let's not get carried away here by branding people with stereotypical images about northern communities. There are some positive aspects here:
There was a very strong community spirit (possibly 40% proof)
The police did find the child (unfortunately £5M isn't normally the cost of a game of 'hide & seek')
The police have arrested and charged people (unlike in Portgual until they get them back there)

The McCanns knew how to play this game and milk it, now they'll regularly pop up to make a bit of noise because of it. These guys didn't and the sort of vigilante justice the loss of Madeline generated might just backfire onto them.

Also, they were very tidy and didn't leave a body, not at least a living one so no paper trail so to speak.

... and now another THREE women are being questioned about perverting the course of justice.