Maddy McCann missing in Portugal

[Chloe O'brien]

There was no need for Gerry and Kate to leave those kids alone however far away the restaurant was from the apartment. They were on holiday with a group of friends who also had children, were their kids locked up in their apratment alone as well? if so why haven't they been charged with neglect? It was 7pm on a hot summer evening and they were on holiday those kids should have been outside running around not shoved to bed. If the McCann's wanted some time alone they had plenty of friends they could have asked to babysit. It makes you wonder if it wasn't the first time that they had left their kids alone, but I guess we will never know until Maddy is found.

[Hannelene]

If she is ever found is it likely after all this time that she will be found alive?

[Siobhan]

They were 200 yards away from the apartment, which was unlocked, and was not visible to them... hardly the same thing as being in your garden entertaining, and your kids being upstairs.

There are worse crimes, though child neglect is pretty bad in my books, but the McCanns have sought to keep this in the media... hence the coverage.

PB.. the distance, as they kept saying, was 50 metres... this is as the crow flies and they could only see the top apartment which isn't the one Madeleine was left alone in with her brother and sister.. the actually distance (cause they couldn't walk straight across the 50 meters unless they can walk on water and climb fences) was 120 meters.. does anyone know who has a back garden that big???

[Siobhan]

There was no need for Gerry and Kate to leave those kids alone however far away the restaurant was from the apartment. They were on holiday with a group of friends who also had children, were their kids locked up in their apratment alone as well? if so why haven't they been charged with neglect? It was 7pm on a hot summer evening and they were on holiday those kids should have been outside running around not shoved to bed. If the McCann's wanted some time alone they had plenty of friends they could have asked to babysit. It makes you wonder if it wasn't the first time that they had left their kids alone, but I guess we will never know until Maddy is found.

One of the quotes from Gerry (or maybe it was Kate) in regards to this was "It was our holiday too".. like the kids were an afterthought.

[Trinity]

There was no need for Gerry and Kate to leave those kids alone however far away the restaurant was from the apartment. They were on holiday with a group of friends who also had children, were their kids locked up in their apratment alone as well? if so why haven't they been charged with neglect? It was 7pm on a hot summer evening and they were on holiday those kids should have been outside running around not shoved to bed. If the McCann's wanted some time alone they had plenty of friends they could have asked to babysit. It makes you wonder if it wasn't the first time that they had left their kids alone, but I guess we will never know until Maddy is found.

One of the quotes from Gerry (or maybe it was Kate) in regards to this was "It was our holiday too".. like the kids were an afterthought.

Some people are perhaps too selfish to have kids.

[Joanne]

There was no need for Gerry and Kate to leave those kids alone however far away the restaurant was from the apartment. They were on holiday with a group of friends who also had children, were their kids locked up in their apratment alone as well? if so why haven't they been charged with neglect? It was 7pm on a hot summer evening and they were on holiday those kids should have been outside running around not shoved to bed. If the McCann's wanted some time alone they had plenty of friends they could have asked to babysit. It makes you wonder if it wasn't the first time that they had left their kids alone, but I guess we will never know until Maddy is found.

One of the quotes from Gerry (or maybe it was Kate) in regards to this was "It was our holiday too".. like the kids were an afterthought.

That was Kate, early on "It was our holiday too you know". What a piece of work.

[lizann]

Who leaves their young kids alone in an apartment in a foreign country so they can go out and enjoy themselves? Answer Bad Parents

I dont think after all this time she is alive

[Hannelene]

This story is so sad

[Abbie]

i cant see why he waited 2 yrs, surely his wife wouldnt have minded if he was only talking to this woman?

Thats what I thought when I read it in the newspaper, I mean thats a very poor excuse not to come forward with information

[tammyy2j]

Kate and Gerry McCann have signed a deal to write a book about the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.

After a major bidding war, Transworld won the rights to the couple's account of how the little girl vanished on a family holiday to Portugal in 2007 and their efforts to find her.

All proceeds from the book will go to the McCanns' official fund to look for Madeleine, which had been in danger of running out next year.

Precise details of the publishing deal have not been released, but a source said it included a "substantial" advance and "enhanced royalties", giving the couple a bigger share of profits from sales.

The book, simply entitled Madeleine, will be published on April 28 next year to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the child's disappearance.

Mrs McCann, 42, said: "My reason for writing is simple - to give an account of the truth.

"Publishing this book has been a very difficult decision and is one that we have taken after much deliberation and with a very heavy heart.

"However, in the last few months, with the depletion of Madeleine's Fund, it is a decision that has virtually been taken out of our hands.

"Every penny we raise through its sales will be spent on our search for Madeleine. Nothing is more important to us than finding our little girl."

Her husband, also 42, added: "We are hopeful that this book may help the investigation to find Madeleine in other ways too."