Well, it's official. Gerry and Kate McCann have become the Ramseys of Europe. Just as the Christmastime murder of six year old JonBenet Ramsey went officially unsolved, it appears that resolving the disappearance and probable death of five year old Madeleine McCann will suffer the same fate.

That is a terrible shame for three reasons.

First and foremost, a little girl is, in all likelihood, dead, and justice will not be served. The daughter of two British doctors, Madeleine disappeared from a Portuguese beachside resort in May 2007 while she slept. While statements have been made, ad nauseum, by Gerry, Kate and their vaunted PR machine that Maddy was kidnapped, there is absolutely no evidence to substantiate this claim. Of course, there wouldn't be any debate whether Maddy was in fact kidnapped if Gerry and Kate had exercised even a fraction of something called parenting. Which leads us to point # 2.

As "Freindly Fire" has stated emphatically in numerous columns, the McCanns are guilty, period. Of this, there is no doubt. They are possibly guilty of harming Madeleine, accidentally or otherwise, as many Portuguese investigators believe. But, at the least, they are definitely guilty of negligence and, the case can be made, of child abandonment.

You see, what the bought-and-paid-for British media simply glosses over is the fact that the McCanns left their three children, with a combined age of seven, alone in their resort room, at night, on numerous occasions that week. Call me crazy, but that's not just selfish, it's unconscionably irresponsible. They chose paella over the kids. Now I've been to the Algarve, and the paella there is even better than that in Spain, but it's not quite good enough that I would abandon my kids. If the McCanns had taken their children with them, brought a nanny from home, or used the resort's babysitting service, one thing is sure: Madeleine would not have disappeared that night.

But taking personal responsibility is not something the McCanns feel they have to do. It's hard to look in the mirror, so Gerry and Kate figured out that it's much easier to just blame everyone and everything else. Just listen to their spokesman, Clarence Mitchell: "If it's true the police are about to shelve this case, on the one hand that will be welcome because it means that Kate and Gerry will be seen to be the innocent couple that they are - they are innocent of any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance and have been since Day One - and this wrongly-imposed arguido (suspect) status must be lifted..."

Innocent of any involvement? Clarence, how do you sleep at night?

They are guilty and should be held accountable. Showing Gerry and Kate's "remorse" on television (and that remorse is debatable), still doesn't absolve them from their crimes. Why aren't they being charged, either in Portugal and/or Britain?

Probably because we don't like to punish celebrities. And the McCanns have created a huge cause celebre. Remember, these globe-trotting celebrities had an audience with the Pope, met with America's First Lady, and are seen as "ambassadors" for kidnapped children everywhere. If that's what it takes to become an international star, I'll be more than happy to remain obscure.

The royal treatment of the McCanns sends the horrendous message that it's OK to be negligent and greedy, even if it means exposing children to harm, as long as you have good barristers, lots of money, and the best marketing firms money can buy---especially if that money comes from well-wishers not familiar with the true facts of the case.

But worst of all, when leaders in our society welcome people like the McCanns with open arms instead of shedding light on their abhorrent behavior, it condones a mentality that breaking laws---whether laws of the state or laws of morality and common sense--- is acceptable, as long as you look good in front of a camera.

And who can forget the British media and its journalistic "integrity"? Not only did it blindly defend the McCanns and blame the Portuguese for everything, but it failed to conduct even a modicum of investigation to ascertain what really happened to Madeleine. Inconsistencies abound, both in media reports and in statements given by the McCanns and the friends they dined with that night. But hard-hitting questions and thorough research were, and still are, in short supply. To top it off, once the McCanns were named as suspects last September, the British media turned on them and all but pronounced their guilt. Now that charges will not be forthcoming, the tune has changed yet again. The McCanns were innocent all along!

Sticking a wet finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing is something that should be left to the politicians, but it has no place in the media.


As stated in the past, Freindly Fire has never accused the McCanns of killing their daughter, and they are entitled to the presumption of innocence in that regard until a court of law can prove differently. But not so with the negligence they have shown. For the sake of Maddy and all the other children potentially at risk because of such criminal behavior, the McCanns should be charged.

Anything less would be a disservice to Madeleine McCann.


Chris Freind can be reached at [email protected]

©The Evening Bulletin 2008