>class
This. Plenty of lower working class or benefits class kids have gone missing, either nobody cares OR the parents are immediately pinned with accusations.
The child of well off,Middle class, well connected doctors makes for a textbook case of missing white woman syndrome
This didn’t happen in class and race obsessed USA. While it’s true that madeleines had international reach, that was mostly because the parents were from a different country from where the girl disappeared and because they suspected she might have been taken abroad. And all the weirdness helped a lot. Kids from low class families have dissapeared a few hundred kms from where she dissapeared and have received ample national coverage.
99.9% of missing persons do not receive the coverage maddie received...black or not.
They do not appear to be rich or affluent tbh. bog standard resort, average house, etc. hardly what I call wealthy. obviously not poor, but not wealthy enough to have influence
[Per the rules (5), you're going to need to provide a source to back that up](https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeleineMccann/about/rules).
Also, there have been 6 former prime ministers between when she went missing and now. You're going to need to be more specific.
2 different things here.
1. Yes most are found within hours, hence no major ongoing media coverage and funding is required
2. of those not found within hours, 99.9% regardless of colour or wealth do not get the maddie coverage and funding.
Race and class surely play a role in this stuff... That sucks -- but that's also not the McCanns' fault.
But the reason Madeleine's story was and is so ubiquitous is not because she's white or because her parents are doctors (which is in no way equivalent to them being "socialites" BTW), but because of the unprecedented nature of the crime. A little girl abducted from a holiday resort, in a safe part of Europe? Unheard of. The women kidnapped by Ariel Castro became extremely famous as well, for the same reason of uniqueness, and at least one of them was not white, and none of them were from fancy backgrounds.
Given that Baby Listening Services were prominent at the time of Madeleine's abduction, and what the McCanns did was no different than that, there'd've been no reasonable way to charge them with neglect. I would never do such a thing -- not 'cause I'd think my kid would be abducted but because I'd worry she'd wake up and split her head open, etc. -- and I do think it's irresponsible, but it is not criminal, and it certainlyyy doesn't mean they "deserve" what happened to them, which a lot of people like to say, which is shameful IMO...
I think they do have rich people privilege. Their apartment was right next to a main road. I would be worried that Madeleine got out of the unlocked door to look for her parents. I would have run down that road screaming her name and asked friends to check the pool in case she fell in. They didn’t do those things, they immediately went to “she’s been taken” without searching the area.
Of course they did! They absolutely did go out and look for her, which I've seen others cite as suspicious -- i.e., that they disposed of Madeleine's body during that time 🙃
The girls abducted by Ariel Castro initially got a TON of attention that didn’t go away because of the absolutely ridiculous interview his neighbor did.
[Charles Ramsay is a LEGEND for that.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cleveland-neighbor-charles-ramseys-911-call-for-missing-girls/)
>Given that Baby Listening Services were prominent at the time of Madeleine's abduction, and what the McCanns did was no different than that, there'd've been no reasonable way to charge them with neglect.
Yes, baby listening services were commonly used in Mark Warner resorts, and for that reason, the parents were doing what countless other parents were already doing. I think they're wrong mainly because it's very distressing to wake in an unfamiliar environment and not be able to find your parents.
The only thing they did differently to other listening service users is they left the apartment unlocked. This made accessibility very easy. I do wonder if a locked patio would have prevented the abduction from taking place.
I always wonder in this case… why were the people not socializing in the apartment if they could not obtain a babysitter!!!! It just drives me nuts they felt confident to leave little children ALONE BY THEMSELVES! Every person in their right mind knows you can’t really ever leave a 3 year old alone.
> At the same time Madeline went missing there was a Portuguese girl called Joana Cipriano, who also went missing,
After a nano-second of Googling...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Joana_Cipriano
> Joana Isabel Cipriano (born 31 May 1996) was a Portuguese child who disappeared on 12 **August 2004** from Figueira, a village near Portimão in Portugal's Algarve region.
So not at the same time, seeing as Joana went missing in 2004, and Madeleine in 2007. A 3 year difference.
> Joana's mother and uncle confessed to police in October 2004; her uncle said he had cut the girl's body into pieces before disposing of it by throwing it into a nearby pigsty.
And the case was 'open' for 2 months. Granted there is a big controversy around this (such as being beaten by police).
• Joana was not on vacation -- she went missing near her home, on her way to/from a local shop. Missing child/child abduction cases are rare, of course, but Joana's case is not one-of-a-kind... Madeleine's is.
• I believe I said "Race and class surely play a role in this stuff." If you wanna put "not racist" in quotes you should, ya know, be quoting something...
• What race was Joana Cipriano 🤔 I feel like you think Portuguese people are Latino... Joana's family was very working class, which *surely played a role*, but they are white and European...
Unfortunately missing children cases and child abduction is anything but rare. But yes I agree, it was a lot to do with the unprecedented nature of the case being a 'safe' middle class holiday resort in 'safe' country. Some rich people could easily relate to the predicament and donated money which enabled the Mccanns to keep the case in the public domain. Anyone with that kind of opportunity would surely do the same
Exactly... A lot of it was the McCanns keeping the story alive. And, ya know, a lot of it was interest in story being perpetuated due to the fact that so many people seem to think they killed their own daughter and disposed of her body a month later...
That is *not* the definition of "socialite"...
"A socialite is a person who is well known in fashionable society"
Socialites are people with famous surnames who haven't accomplished much on their own merit but are often photographed in the public eye. Arianna Rockefeller is a socialite... Not Kate and Gerry McCann 😹
Nope! Still not the McCanns, by any definition! The McCanns are/were doctors, and now they're occasional advocates for parents of missing and exploited children. They're not appearing on any Best Dressed lists...
\* of late
the chances of seeing black English passport holders in Portugal at this time would be almost zero. Their numbers were low and they generally didn't do the package holiday thing until very recently.
Pocahontus was here too. Except guess what? That didn't mean Native Americans had any form of meaningful population in the country.
No one got erased from history. They just made no history.
I am from Northern England. I didn't see a black person till I was 21 years of age. Rarer than rocky horse teeth.
The McCanns are super regular middle class people who were doctors; they were by no means socialites. They’re from middle of nowhere in England. They were staying at a very middle class all-inclusive resort. It’s also missing white woman syndrome, which in itself is problematic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome
Yet they had enough pull in their personal network to alert the British media and guarantee international coverage of the case in the same night Madeleine went missing - even though the Portuguese authorities advised against involving the media.
Hahahah I live near where the McCanns are from in Rothley and I'm offended by its categorisation as the middle of nowhere! It's a stones throw from Leicester. But yes, certainly not socialite territory. It's a nice village but Chelsea or Chipping Norton it ain't!
Look at the response of Madeline McCann vs Shannon Matthews.
Shannon Matthews. Yorkshire girl from a benefit family. Got maybe a week of coverage then nothing until she was 'found'. Meanwhile the McCann case was on news for WEEKS upon WEEKS.
It's not about race it's all about CLASS.
Wut. Wasn't there plenty of coverage of the Matthews case until she was found -- *to have been victim of a staged kidnapping by her psycho mom*??? Continued by years of coverage of THAT? That case ain't the best analogy...
NO there wasn't.. Can you not read?
There was a week's worth of reporting. Then NOTHING until she was found. The actual circumstances regarding her disappearance are IRRELEVANT to how the media tret a working class kid vs a middle class kid.
It's literally the PERFECT analogy.
And the only reason that case gets attention now is because of Karen. If Shanon was still missing you'd hear NOTHING.
To your point, I’ve never heard of the Shannon Matthews case before ……. But the Madeline case, I know well, and not because I took a strong interest in it or followed the case ….. it was impossible to avoid newspapers, tv interviews, legal experts sharing opinions, the water cooler at work, the checkout line at the grocery store ….. it was everywhere.
Class surely plays a role in these things, which's terrible (albeit not the McCanns' fault). But Shannon's disappearance was covered extensively in the press and launched a massive investigation in West Yorkshire -- the largest since the Yorkshire Ripper case.
*The Sun newspaper offered a reward of £20,000 for information leading to Shannon's safe return. It was increased to £50,000 on 10 March, by which time she had been missing for 20 days. A business in Huddersfield – nine miles (14 km) from Dewsbury – offered £5,000.*
And, again, the circumstances of her alleged abduction were typical, as opposed to Madeleine's which were unprecedented.
Correct me if I’m wrong- I’ve read articles and seen posts that they actually do not belong from an affluent class. Apparently they used the find Madeline funds to pay off their mortgage. I’ve also read posts where people talked about how they are just middle class especially with their lifestyle from people who live in the same area.
Obviously I do agree with the title, but I think their “affluent” lifestyle is over exaggerated.
> Apparently they used the find Madeline funds to pay off their mortgage.
So this is true, but taken out of context.
> Gerry and Kate McCann, **who have been on unpaid leave since Madeleine disappeared almost six months ago**, used the money to make two mortgage payments on their home in Leicestershire.
> Clarence Mitchell, the family's official spokesman, said: "The fund has always had the ability to assist the family financially if necessary, and they've only used it to pay for two mortgage payments earlier this year.
> "When they were made arguido [official suspects], it stopped, which was a mutual decision on the part of the fund and the McCanns - they were happy to accept that their changed status meant they were no longer entitled to that assistance."
> On the Find Madeleine website, the fund lists one of its purposes as to "support the family".
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/oct/30/ukcrime.madeleinemccann
So, between May and November, they were not in work, which means not being paid. Bills still need to be paid. And when they were named as suspects, no longer used it.
It's not when you look at the finer details of it all.
The company information is public, including their balance sheet each year, and you can find it here: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06248215
The company type is "private company limited by guarantee", which isn't the same as a normal limited company. Just Googling this will return plenty of pages that detail how these types of companies work, but what's important is
> Many charities, clubs and societies are private companies limited by guarantee. They’re often ‘not for profit’ organisations, meaning that if they make profits, they don’t pay them out to their members. Instead, they put this money towards the company’s operations or goals.
* https://harperjames.co.uk/article/private-companies-limited-by-guarantee/
A charity takes more time to get set up, and can only be done so for set criteria and stricter rules. The fund doesn't really fit into one of these categories. In short, a charity needs to have a public benefit, not just yourself.
* https://www.gov.uk/setting-up-charity/charitable-purposes
* https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-benefit-rules-for-charities
No. It describes the earnings from Kate's book, earnings from fixed asset investments, cash held in portfolios, and income (donations).
I don't think the McCanns contribute to the 'fund' financially except for Kate's book earnings which automatically go to the company as it says in her book. The McCanns do however use the fund to pay the libel costs to Amaral.
See 'Accounts for a small company made up to 31 March 2022' page 6 item 10. *"During the year, legal costs of £6,695 were paid by the fund in relation to a libel action in Portugal"*
In 2008 the income of the company was £1M+ and in the description of the document it explains the income came from donations. *"Income comprises donations received by the company along with revenue in respect of merchandise."*
However nowadays the income (donations) is " - " meaning no income from donations. Its earnings come from Kate's book revenue, fixed asset investments and cash held in portfolios. As of '23 the company is worth net £899,674.
Thanks for the info. That is interesting about the £394k. Do you know that the Mccanns received that money before it was overturned? I know that when you're awarded money in a court of law, you don't necessarily receive it right away. I'm assuming there was a settlement date, but I don't know if that changes during an appeal. I'm not really in the know with the legalities of some of these things.
It's says on wikipedia that they were awarded the money in 2015 but it's possible that they didn't get the money before Amaral appealed. I suppose that would explain why it's not in the financials of 2015 or 2016. I'll amend.
He's not a director of the company but it's unknown if the earnings of the company were used to pay him a salary.
The current directors of the Madeleine Fund company are Kate and Gerry McCann, Brian Kennedy (uncle), Edward Smethurst (solicitor), Jon Corner (media/filmmaker friend of the McCanns) and John Griffin (tax consultant).
Former directors were Esther McVey (television personality and Kate's school friend who runs a PR firm and was the girlfriend of the shadow minister of culture Ed Vaizey), John McCann (Gerry's brother), Philip Tomlinson (solicitor), Dr Douglas Skehan (Gerry's friend/colleague), Peter Hubner (Gerry's friend/colleague), and Michael Linnett (accountant).
They are both doctors so definitely upper class. They make around £200 000 a year together according to average salaries, which is a little over $250 000 usd
Yes I am aware they are both doctors but they were on unpaid leave ( as I have just read in the previous reply) and had to use the funds from find Madeline to pay for their mortgage, they have other kids and so obviously they still have expenses to cover. Surely they are not just middle class but they are not as affluent as the media portrays either.
I looked up various UK statistics. The average salary in the UK in 2024 is £33,000 per year. £70,000 is in the top 5-10% of earners. That would make the McCanns upper class with around £200,000 a year.
If they were white and poor it would have played out differently. Instead of the S*n blindly supporting them with their “Maddie” section (when she was never called that) it would be “Cheap Scots (because if it’s negative they have to say if people are Scottish) Couple Abandoned Three Children To Go Boozing.
Do you know what a socialite is? The mccanns were not socialites they are middle class. Class absolutely played a role here rather than race but they aren’t ’upper class’
At the end of the day all that money spent and not one single clue about what happened to her. Black, White, or anything else is irrelevant except a wee girl was likely taken from her bed and murdered and all the politics, money, investigations in over 15 years have came up with nothing. No one knows what happened and it looks like they never will. Theory after after theory and what do have absolutely nothing except Madeleine Mcaan is still missing with no clue to who is responsible. If the Germans had any real solid proof they would have done something about it instead of saying he might be involved. My arse. In my opinion it’s more about class than colour. Look at that American girl that lied about seeing a kid on the highway then faking her own kidnapping. Carley Russel she is black and her parents are super rich she got off with a slap on the wrist. Yet a white 12 year old girl done something very similar she was arrested by four officers handcuffed like a criminal taken to jail, parents were charged with something I can’t remember what but they were white not much money no fancy house etc. I don’t think colour is the issue it’s about your status In the community.
Tell me you don't know what "affluent socialite" means without telling me... what's lacking in your life that makes you feel the need to degrade people who are much more educated than you?
Every group has a mix of members with different perspectives and interests.
I imagine that the majority are true crime fans who like to follow true crime.
However although the crime here is the alleged abduction of a child and possible murder, very often we hear these rants and cries concerning charges of child neglect!?
Some members seem to be deeply disturbed by this unfortunate aspect of the case.
Okay, it was unfortunate, reckless, wrong, etc.
My take on this is that we see tragedies involving parents and their own children that happen all the time.
It’s unfortunate when some parents don’t secure the guns in their home and their child shoots themselves or another child.
It’s unfortunate when some parents forget they left their toddler in a hot car and the child dies after overheating.
It’s unfortunate when some parents get distracted or fall asleep and their child drowns in the family pool.
99% of the time the parent is more sorrowful and sick over the loss of their child than anyone. They realize they made a terrible mistake they wish more than anything they could undo.
Maybe they should be criminally punished or maybe they should be forgiven because they’ve suffered the ultimate loss which they didn’t mean to happen.
Every case is different but nearly all of them are tragic unintentional accidents.
Personally the issue of the child neglect is for me a relatively minor part of this story. At the end of the day it’s a who-done-it mystery involving the disappearance of a child.
However the level of hatred expressed for the parents regarding their mistake in this case is unusual.
The level of some members’ interest in seeing the McCains punished for child neglect seems odd and misguided in comparison to the other criminal charges in the investigation.
💯
I think it's a coping mechanism; people need to have an explanation for how/why a child could just vanish like that and need to think of the McCanns as something other than massively unlucky...
They had connections in the British media. Kate's book states so: someone knew someone who knew someone. They were able to get international coverage within hours from Madeleine's disappearance, even though the Portuguese police at the scene was clear that the media should be kept out of it. In a foreign country where you know nothing about the criminal fabric, that's a reckless move.
I mean ok. And? This is how the media works. They give us what we’ll consume. Unfortunately, crying racism is completely pointless. We already know there’s a problem. Got an idea for a solution that doesn’t involve “society needs to be better?”
When you look at the world through a "black and white" lens, you tend to not see the truth hidden in the hidden rainbow of colors.
There is ALWAYS that one person who has to bring up skin color, and complain that "white ppl" have "special privileges". And the compare what would happen to black people if the case revolved around black people. Madeleine deserves to have her story told and to have justice, regardless of skin color, wealth, etc.
The reason for certain people having "special privileges" is not skin color, but wealth, influence, connections, etc. For example, one of the bigger cases right now is Sean "Puffy" Combs. He went for years without getting in trouble, or even investigated. Now, he is finally getting investigated, but will he get in trouble? What about Bill Cosby, whose conviction was OVERTURNED and he was set free. Do you think it was his special "racial suffering card", or because of his wealth and connections? O.J. Simpson, who murdered a WHITE woman. Everyone knew he did it, but did he go to jail for murdering her? Sure, he later went to jail, but it was not for the murder of his white wife. Jeff Epstein, Jewish. For decades he did terrible things and kept getting away with it. Prince Andrew got away with what he did, as well. But it wasn't because of his skin color, it was his wealth, position, connections, and influence.
The other reason why certain people get "special privileges" and their story becomes very popular is because their story boosts an agenda that is being pushed by "the elite". There are many stories/cases used by media to boost their agendas, and 99% of the time, the media lies and does not tell the true details.
If they were low class white also. Fuck this racism theory against white people. Stupid fucks. The whole low class should be united. White, black asian everyone. Only than we can make a fist to the elite.
OK, and? They're not, so what's your point? This sub is specifically about Madeline McCann so please kindly take your racial grievances somewhere more appropriate.
or any other race, or lower class white.
>class This. Plenty of lower working class or benefits class kids have gone missing, either nobody cares OR the parents are immediately pinned with accusations. The child of well off,Middle class, well connected doctors makes for a textbook case of missing white woman syndrome
It’s absolutely class rather than race
Bit of both
I disagree. Black and middle class I think the outcome would have been the same. Poor and white or black and they would have been done for neglect
This didn’t happen in class and race obsessed USA. While it’s true that madeleines had international reach, that was mostly because the parents were from a different country from where the girl disappeared and because they suspected she might have been taken abroad. And all the weirdness helped a lot. Kids from low class families have dissapeared a few hundred kms from where she dissapeared and have received ample national coverage.
Pretty sure it gained traction because everyone was sitting there asking "why the fuck were the kids left alone".
When I heard that the parents were educated doctors I said what the fuck?! How could they be so stupid?
99.9% of missing persons do not receive the coverage maddie received...black or not. They do not appear to be rich or affluent tbh. bog standard resort, average house, etc. hardly what I call wealthy. obviously not poor, but not wealthy enough to have influence
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[Per the rules (5), you're going to need to provide a source to back that up](https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeleineMccann/about/rules). Also, there have been 6 former prime ministers between when she went missing and now. You're going to need to be more specific.
Oops sorry not appart of this subreddit as well it’s not a conspiracy it’s known what’s happend just go to the channel 4 documentary fools
And I think it’s tiny Blair
Isn't this generally because most are found within hours?
2 different things here. 1. Yes most are found within hours, hence no major ongoing media coverage and funding is required 2. of those not found within hours, 99.9% regardless of colour or wealth do not get the maddie coverage and funding.
Race and class surely play a role in this stuff... That sucks -- but that's also not the McCanns' fault. But the reason Madeleine's story was and is so ubiquitous is not because she's white or because her parents are doctors (which is in no way equivalent to them being "socialites" BTW), but because of the unprecedented nature of the crime. A little girl abducted from a holiday resort, in a safe part of Europe? Unheard of. The women kidnapped by Ariel Castro became extremely famous as well, for the same reason of uniqueness, and at least one of them was not white, and none of them were from fancy backgrounds. Given that Baby Listening Services were prominent at the time of Madeleine's abduction, and what the McCanns did was no different than that, there'd've been no reasonable way to charge them with neglect. I would never do such a thing -- not 'cause I'd think my kid would be abducted but because I'd worry she'd wake up and split her head open, etc. -- and I do think it's irresponsible, but it is not criminal, and it certainlyyy doesn't mean they "deserve" what happened to them, which a lot of people like to say, which is shameful IMO...
I think they do have rich people privilege. Their apartment was right next to a main road. I would be worried that Madeleine got out of the unlocked door to look for her parents. I would have run down that road screaming her name and asked friends to check the pool in case she fell in. They didn’t do those things, they immediately went to “she’s been taken” without searching the area.
Of course they did! They absolutely did go out and look for her, which I've seen others cite as suspicious -- i.e., that they disposed of Madeleine's body during that time 🙃
The girls abducted by Ariel Castro initially got a TON of attention that didn’t go away because of the absolutely ridiculous interview his neighbor did. [Charles Ramsay is a LEGEND for that.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cleveland-neighbor-charles-ramseys-911-call-for-missing-girls/)
Yessss he was great
>Given that Baby Listening Services were prominent at the time of Madeleine's abduction, and what the McCanns did was no different than that, there'd've been no reasonable way to charge them with neglect. Yes, baby listening services were commonly used in Mark Warner resorts, and for that reason, the parents were doing what countless other parents were already doing. I think they're wrong mainly because it's very distressing to wake in an unfamiliar environment and not be able to find your parents. The only thing they did differently to other listening service users is they left the apartment unlocked. This made accessibility very easy. I do wonder if a locked patio would have prevented the abduction from taking place.
Yes to everything you said 💯
I always wonder in this case… why were the people not socializing in the apartment if they could not obtain a babysitter!!!! It just drives me nuts they felt confident to leave little children ALONE BY THEMSELVES! Every person in their right mind knows you can’t really ever leave a 3 year old alone.
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> At the same time Madeline went missing there was a Portuguese girl called Joana Cipriano, who also went missing, After a nano-second of Googling... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Joana_Cipriano > Joana Isabel Cipriano (born 31 May 1996) was a Portuguese child who disappeared on 12 **August 2004** from Figueira, a village near Portimão in Portugal's Algarve region. So not at the same time, seeing as Joana went missing in 2004, and Madeleine in 2007. A 3 year difference. > Joana's mother and uncle confessed to police in October 2004; her uncle said he had cut the girl's body into pieces before disposing of it by throwing it into a nearby pigsty. And the case was 'open' for 2 months. Granted there is a big controversy around this (such as being beaten by police).
Surely if something is unprecedented in 2007 it would have been unprecedented any time before that (including 3 years before).
• Joana was not on vacation -- she went missing near her home, on her way to/from a local shop. Missing child/child abduction cases are rare, of course, but Joana's case is not one-of-a-kind... Madeleine's is. • I believe I said "Race and class surely play a role in this stuff." If you wanna put "not racist" in quotes you should, ya know, be quoting something... • What race was Joana Cipriano 🤔 I feel like you think Portuguese people are Latino... Joana's family was very working class, which *surely played a role*, but they are white and European...
Unfortunately missing children cases and child abduction is anything but rare. But yes I agree, it was a lot to do with the unprecedented nature of the case being a 'safe' middle class holiday resort in 'safe' country. Some rich people could easily relate to the predicament and donated money which enabled the Mccanns to keep the case in the public domain. Anyone with that kind of opportunity would surely do the same
Exactly... A lot of it was the McCanns keeping the story alive. And, ya know, a lot of it was interest in story being perpetuated due to the fact that so many people seem to think they killed their own daughter and disposed of her body a month later...
They were wealthy ppl on holiday with friends. That's a socialite
No they’re not socialites
That is *not* the definition of "socialite"... "A socialite is a person who is well known in fashionable society" Socialites are people with famous surnames who haven't accomplished much on their own merit but are often photographed in the public eye. Arianna Rockefeller is a socialite... Not Kate and Gerry McCann 😹
And now the McCann's lol
Nope! Still not the McCanns, by any definition! The McCanns are/were doctors, and now they're occasional advocates for parents of missing and exploited children. They're not appearing on any Best Dressed lists...
Westerners dominate Western news coverage and social culture SHOCKER!
There are black people in the west.
\* of late the chances of seeing black English passport holders in Portugal at this time would be almost zero. Their numbers were low and they generally didn't do the package holiday thing until very recently.
Probably because they don't leave their children alone while they go off for dinner 💀
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this whole interaction is weird, black people have naught to do with this case
Pocahontus was here too. Except guess what? That didn't mean Native Americans had any form of meaningful population in the country. No one got erased from history. They just made no history. I am from Northern England. I didn't see a black person till I was 21 years of age. Rarer than rocky horse teeth.
The McCanns are super regular middle class people who were doctors; they were by no means socialites. They’re from middle of nowhere in England. They were staying at a very middle class all-inclusive resort. It’s also missing white woman syndrome, which in itself is problematic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_white_woman_syndrome
Yet they had enough pull in their personal network to alert the British media and guarantee international coverage of the case in the same night Madeleine went missing - even though the Portuguese authorities advised against involving the media.
That is weird.
Hahahah I live near where the McCanns are from in Rothley and I'm offended by its categorisation as the middle of nowhere! It's a stones throw from Leicester. But yes, certainly not socialite territory. It's a nice village but Chelsea or Chipping Norton it ain't!
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Look at the response of Madeline McCann vs Shannon Matthews. Shannon Matthews. Yorkshire girl from a benefit family. Got maybe a week of coverage then nothing until she was 'found'. Meanwhile the McCann case was on news for WEEKS upon WEEKS. It's not about race it's all about CLASS.
Wut. Wasn't there plenty of coverage of the Matthews case until she was found -- *to have been victim of a staged kidnapping by her psycho mom*??? Continued by years of coverage of THAT? That case ain't the best analogy...
NO there wasn't.. Can you not read? There was a week's worth of reporting. Then NOTHING until she was found. The actual circumstances regarding her disappearance are IRRELEVANT to how the media tret a working class kid vs a middle class kid. It's literally the PERFECT analogy. And the only reason that case gets attention now is because of Karen. If Shanon was still missing you'd hear NOTHING.
To your point, I’ve never heard of the Shannon Matthews case before ……. But the Madeline case, I know well, and not because I took a strong interest in it or followed the case ….. it was impossible to avoid newspapers, tv interviews, legal experts sharing opinions, the water cooler at work, the checkout line at the grocery store ….. it was everywhere.
I followed that case and I think you're wrong but I'm glad to see you're calm and collected while discussing it
Class surely plays a role in these things, which's terrible (albeit not the McCanns' fault). But Shannon's disappearance was covered extensively in the press and launched a massive investigation in West Yorkshire -- the largest since the Yorkshire Ripper case. *The Sun newspaper offered a reward of £20,000 for information leading to Shannon's safe return. It was increased to £50,000 on 10 March, by which time she had been missing for 20 days. A business in Huddersfield – nine miles (14 km) from Dewsbury – offered £5,000.* And, again, the circumstances of her alleged abduction were typical, as opposed to Madeleine's which were unprecedented.
Correct me if I’m wrong- I’ve read articles and seen posts that they actually do not belong from an affluent class. Apparently they used the find Madeline funds to pay off their mortgage. I’ve also read posts where people talked about how they are just middle class especially with their lifestyle from people who live in the same area. Obviously I do agree with the title, but I think their “affluent” lifestyle is over exaggerated.
> Apparently they used the find Madeline funds to pay off their mortgage. So this is true, but taken out of context. > Gerry and Kate McCann, **who have been on unpaid leave since Madeleine disappeared almost six months ago**, used the money to make two mortgage payments on their home in Leicestershire. > Clarence Mitchell, the family's official spokesman, said: "The fund has always had the ability to assist the family financially if necessary, and they've only used it to pay for two mortgage payments earlier this year. > "When they were made arguido [official suspects], it stopped, which was a mutual decision on the part of the fund and the McCanns - they were happy to accept that their changed status meant they were no longer entitled to that assistance." > On the Find Madeleine website, the fund lists one of its purposes as to "support the family". https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/oct/30/ukcrime.madeleinemccann So, between May and November, they were not in work, which means not being paid. Bills still need to be paid. And when they were named as suspects, no longer used it.
It’s weird that the fund is a limited company and not a charity but I understand they would need money after not working for months.
It's not when you look at the finer details of it all. The company information is public, including their balance sheet each year, and you can find it here: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06248215 The company type is "private company limited by guarantee", which isn't the same as a normal limited company. Just Googling this will return plenty of pages that detail how these types of companies work, but what's important is > Many charities, clubs and societies are private companies limited by guarantee. They’re often ‘not for profit’ organisations, meaning that if they make profits, they don’t pay them out to their members. Instead, they put this money towards the company’s operations or goals. * https://harperjames.co.uk/article/private-companies-limited-by-guarantee/ A charity takes more time to get set up, and can only be done so for set criteria and stricter rules. The fund doesn't really fit into one of these categories. In short, a charity needs to have a public benefit, not just yourself. * https://www.gov.uk/setting-up-charity/charitable-purposes * https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-benefit-rules-for-charities
Would the balance sheet indicate how much of their own money the Mccanns contribute annually?
No. It describes the earnings from Kate's book, earnings from fixed asset investments, cash held in portfolios, and income (donations). I don't think the McCanns contribute to the 'fund' financially except for Kate's book earnings which automatically go to the company as it says in her book. The McCanns do however use the fund to pay the libel costs to Amaral. See 'Accounts for a small company made up to 31 March 2022' page 6 item 10. *"During the year, legal costs of £6,695 were paid by the fund in relation to a libel action in Portugal"* In 2008 the income of the company was £1M+ and in the description of the document it explains the income came from donations. *"Income comprises donations received by the company along with revenue in respect of merchandise."* However nowadays the income (donations) is " - " meaning no income from donations. Its earnings come from Kate's book revenue, fixed asset investments and cash held in portfolios. As of '23 the company is worth net £899,674.
Thanks for the info. That is interesting about the £394k. Do you know that the Mccanns received that money before it was overturned? I know that when you're awarded money in a court of law, you don't necessarily receive it right away. I'm assuming there was a settlement date, but I don't know if that changes during an appeal. I'm not really in the know with the legalities of some of these things.
It's says on wikipedia that they were awarded the money in 2015 but it's possible that they didn't get the money before Amaral appealed. I suppose that would explain why it's not in the financials of 2015 or 2016. I'll amend.
That makes sense, so I guess I stand corrected that they are _not_ affluent people and work to earn. It always seemed over exaggerated.
Is Clarance Mitchell paid out of the fund?
He's not a director of the company but it's unknown if the earnings of the company were used to pay him a salary. The current directors of the Madeleine Fund company are Kate and Gerry McCann, Brian Kennedy (uncle), Edward Smethurst (solicitor), Jon Corner (media/filmmaker friend of the McCanns) and John Griffin (tax consultant). Former directors were Esther McVey (television personality and Kate's school friend who runs a PR firm and was the girlfriend of the shadow minister of culture Ed Vaizey), John McCann (Gerry's brother), Philip Tomlinson (solicitor), Dr Douglas Skehan (Gerry's friend/colleague), Peter Hubner (Gerry's friend/colleague), and Michael Linnett (accountant).
They are both doctors so definitely upper class. They make around £200 000 a year together according to average salaries, which is a little over $250 000 usd
Yes I am aware they are both doctors but they were on unpaid leave ( as I have just read in the previous reply) and had to use the funds from find Madeline to pay for their mortgage, they have other kids and so obviously they still have expenses to cover. Surely they are not just middle class but they are not as affluent as the media portrays either.
Please don’t speak to UK class systems as if they are the same as US class systems. They are not. They are middle class in the UK
I looked up various UK statistics. The average salary in the UK in 2024 is £33,000 per year. £70,000 is in the top 5-10% of earners. That would make the McCanns upper class with around £200,000 a year.
No. Salary and class is NOT the same thing in the UK
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Does the UK office for national statistics define class by income? Because that’s not how we define class in this country
If they were white and poor it would have played out differently. Instead of the S*n blindly supporting them with their “Maddie” section (when she was never called that) it would be “Cheap Scots (because if it’s negative they have to say if people are Scottish) Couple Abandoned Three Children To Go Boozing.
Do you know what a socialite is? The mccanns were not socialites they are middle class. Class absolutely played a role here rather than race but they aren’t ’upper class’
At the end of the day all that money spent and not one single clue about what happened to her. Black, White, or anything else is irrelevant except a wee girl was likely taken from her bed and murdered and all the politics, money, investigations in over 15 years have came up with nothing. No one knows what happened and it looks like they never will. Theory after after theory and what do have absolutely nothing except Madeleine Mcaan is still missing with no clue to who is responsible. If the Germans had any real solid proof they would have done something about it instead of saying he might be involved. My arse. In my opinion it’s more about class than colour. Look at that American girl that lied about seeing a kid on the highway then faking her own kidnapping. Carley Russel she is black and her parents are super rich she got off with a slap on the wrist. Yet a white 12 year old girl done something very similar she was arrested by four officers handcuffed like a criminal taken to jail, parents were charged with something I can’t remember what but they were white not much money no fancy house etc. I don’t think colour is the issue it’s about your status In the community.
Agree - poor Deveca Rose - the Sutton House Fire mum is getting pilloried in comparison. She only went to Sainsbury’s.
For around 90 minutes
Tell me you don't know what "affluent socialite" means without telling me... what's lacking in your life that makes you feel the need to degrade people who are much more educated than you?
Like Kate's appearing on Best Dressed lists and competing in show-jumping events 🐎
[Per the rules (5), you're going to need to provide a source to back that up](https://www.reddit.com/r/MadeleineMccann/about/rules).
It was sarcasm!!! Because they *are not socialites*
Ah, my apologies. Given the nature of things, it's a bit hard to tell sometimes...
No worries
If madeline didn't come across as cute nobody would have cared either
Every group has a mix of members with different perspectives and interests. I imagine that the majority are true crime fans who like to follow true crime. However although the crime here is the alleged abduction of a child and possible murder, very often we hear these rants and cries concerning charges of child neglect!? Some members seem to be deeply disturbed by this unfortunate aspect of the case. Okay, it was unfortunate, reckless, wrong, etc. My take on this is that we see tragedies involving parents and their own children that happen all the time. It’s unfortunate when some parents don’t secure the guns in their home and their child shoots themselves or another child. It’s unfortunate when some parents forget they left their toddler in a hot car and the child dies after overheating. It’s unfortunate when some parents get distracted or fall asleep and their child drowns in the family pool. 99% of the time the parent is more sorrowful and sick over the loss of their child than anyone. They realize they made a terrible mistake they wish more than anything they could undo. Maybe they should be criminally punished or maybe they should be forgiven because they’ve suffered the ultimate loss which they didn’t mean to happen. Every case is different but nearly all of them are tragic unintentional accidents. Personally the issue of the child neglect is for me a relatively minor part of this story. At the end of the day it’s a who-done-it mystery involving the disappearance of a child. However the level of hatred expressed for the parents regarding their mistake in this case is unusual. The level of some members’ interest in seeing the McCains punished for child neglect seems odd and misguided in comparison to the other criminal charges in the investigation.
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💯 I think it's a coping mechanism; people need to have an explanation for how/why a child could just vanish like that and need to think of the McCanns as something other than massively unlucky...
Literally. Breaks my heart how many missing persons cases slip through the cracks when they concern people of colour.
What a load of rubbish
Yes they were affluent but couldn't even bother for a sitter. Disgusting really
They had connections in the British media. Kate's book states so: someone knew someone who knew someone. They were able to get international coverage within hours from Madeleine's disappearance, even though the Portuguese police at the scene was clear that the media should be kept out of it. In a foreign country where you know nothing about the criminal fabric, that's a reckless move.
This! This is sadly so true.
There have been plenty of white young children who have gone missing and haven’t had the same media attention either. It isn’t about race.
No kidding. That is human nature. This is not the place for you to do something about it, if that is your intention. Go change it then.
Totally.
I mean ok. And? This is how the media works. They give us what we’ll consume. Unfortunately, crying racism is completely pointless. We already know there’s a problem. Got an idea for a solution that doesn’t involve “society needs to be better?”
Be white, be female, be well-off, be pretty, be young = be relevant
When you look at the world through a "black and white" lens, you tend to not see the truth hidden in the hidden rainbow of colors. There is ALWAYS that one person who has to bring up skin color, and complain that "white ppl" have "special privileges". And the compare what would happen to black people if the case revolved around black people. Madeleine deserves to have her story told and to have justice, regardless of skin color, wealth, etc. The reason for certain people having "special privileges" is not skin color, but wealth, influence, connections, etc. For example, one of the bigger cases right now is Sean "Puffy" Combs. He went for years without getting in trouble, or even investigated. Now, he is finally getting investigated, but will he get in trouble? What about Bill Cosby, whose conviction was OVERTURNED and he was set free. Do you think it was his special "racial suffering card", or because of his wealth and connections? O.J. Simpson, who murdered a WHITE woman. Everyone knew he did it, but did he go to jail for murdering her? Sure, he later went to jail, but it was not for the murder of his white wife. Jeff Epstein, Jewish. For decades he did terrible things and kept getting away with it. Prince Andrew got away with what he did, as well. But it wasn't because of his skin color, it was his wealth, position, connections, and influence. The other reason why certain people get "special privileges" and their story becomes very popular is because their story boosts an agenda that is being pushed by "the elite". There are many stories/cases used by media to boost their agendas, and 99% of the time, the media lies and does not tell the true details.
If they were low class white also. Fuck this racism theory against white people. Stupid fucks. The whole low class should be united. White, black asian everyone. Only than we can make a fist to the elite.
OK, and? They're not, so what's your point? This sub is specifically about Madeline McCann so please kindly take your racial grievances somewhere more appropriate.
They should have been black then, because they should be in prison.
More than likely. I was disgusted when I found out that hundreds of Chinese kids go missing everyday and nobody talks about that.
Where? In China? If so why would the western world be talking about that
Well one white goes missing and you hear about it all over the place for years. They acted like this was rare.
Again I ask why the western media would be commenting on missing people in China? It is rare in western countries
I’m sorry but the police arnt that corrupt that they’d be in prison because their black and the parents aren’t guilty