Abductions "like Madeleine McCann" nonsense stories

EXCLUSIVE:Mum in Portugal says conman tried to snatch child weeks before Maddie

SCOTLAND Yard detectives have interviewed a British woman whose three-year-old daughter narrowly escaped being taken by a paedophile suspect just weeks before Madeleine McCann disappeared.

By: James Murray
Published: Sun, September 14, 2014

         

The woman got a good, close-up look at the man who she feared was planning to kidnap her young child and it is hoped she can produce a quality e fit of him.

Officers from Operation Grange, informally named the Maddie Squad, have spoken at length to the woman and urged her to remember as much about the man as she possibly can.

Today we can reveal that the worrying incident happened early in spring 2007 at a rented villa which overlooks a large expanse of wasteland in Praia da Luz on the Algarve which was searched this summer by Met search specialists and sniffer dogs.

The woman was surprised by a knock at the door from a lone conman who said he was collecting money for a nearby orphanage, which doesn’t exist.

As she chatted on the doorstep the woman noticed the man was paying close attention to her daughter who was standing by her side.

Later as she walked to a primary school to collect her other child she noticed the same man hanging around at the top of her road.

The school is just a stone’s throw from the Ocean Club, from where Madeleine was taken on May 3 seven years ago.

She thought little of the encounter until the following day when, as she walked down stairs in her villa, she saw that a man had entered her property and was with her daughter.



Because of the angle she was standing on the stairs she was on, she only got a look at the man’s legs, but felt certain that it was the same person who had come to her door previously.

Realising that he was about to be confronted, the intruder fled and the woman, although startled, chose not to go to the police.

The incident happened in the weeks before Madeleine was taken and has only just come to light in a book published last week, Looking For Madeleine, by investigative journalists Anthony Summers and his wife Robbyn Swan. 

The authors did not speak directly to the British woman, who has since returned to live in the UK.

However, they spoke to a friend of hers who told them the story.

The book states: “A British citizen long resident in the Algarve has described the chilling episode when a man claiming to represent an orphanage came to the door of her friend, also English.

“There was a knock at the door, “ she recalled, “and the man standing there said he was collecting for some orphanage.

“He looked rather unkempt, scruffy. But what made her very uncomfortable was that, all the time he stood there, he wasn’t looking at her but past her – at her three-year-old daughter.”

This is the single most important new piece of information
Mr Summers

Her sense of unease increased when she saw him waiting at the end of the road.

The friend told the authors: “And the following day, she left her three-year-old daughter downstairs for a minute or two while she went upstairs to fetch some laundry.

“Then, when she was coming back down the stairs, she caught a glimpse of the man, really only his legs, in the living room with her child.

"He left rapidly as she came down the stairs, obviously.

“She thought he had got in through the sliding patio doors and believed, even then, that he had meant to take her daughter.”

Mr Summers said: “This is a significant development in the search for Madeleine. What is not clear is how the man gained entry to the woman’s home. 

“The worrying episode suggests that the man was targeting the child and looking for opportunities to get inside the home.”

Robbyn added: “This is the single most important new piece of information in our book.”

The week before Madeleine vanished a man had gone to apartment 5a, where she later stayed, and sought a donation for an orphanage.

Paul Gordon, a British man renting the property with his family, gave the man ten euros. He, too, has been interviewed by police.

On April 20, 2007, British tourist Gail Coooper answered the door to a caller at her rented villa who sought money for an orphanage.

Checks by the authors and this newspaper suggests the charity collectors, who showed leaflets and identity cards, were bogus as there are no nearby orphanages.



http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/510625/Police-told-conman-tried-to-take-girl-weeks-before-Maddie

"The authors did not speak directly to the British woman, who has since returned to live in the UK.

However, they spoke to a friend of hers who told them the story."

Says it all really hearsay from a 'friend'. The S & S book is one fantasy chapter after another.

So the woman 'chose not to go to the police.' Why? if she thought this man was intent on snatching children, surely as a mother she should have called the police? If he wanted to snatch her daughter why get into her home in the day when she is there and likely to come into the room? Surely a night time visit is more likely to be successful? If this man existed he is more likely to be a burglar. Criminals often 'case the joint' by calling and pretending to be collecting for charity etc.
And these 'investigative' journalists should have insisted on getting the woman's address in the UK to talk to her directly. Talking to her 'friend' about this 'alleged' incident which wasn't even reported to the police is meaningless.

http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2010/05/return-of-gail-cooper-and-creepy.html

This looks like an embellished rehash of James Murray's article from 2010.

This book seems to be a work of fiction and second hand fantasy stories.

It sometimes feels as though they are looking absolutely everywhere except the place they should be looking.

SO utterly depressing.

Hmmm - very opportune timing. No doubt this will be in all the other tabloids soon. At the moment I can only find mention of it elsewhere in two Scottish papers.

Freedom wrote:Hmmm - very opportune timing. No doubt this will be in all the other tabloids soon. At the moment I can only find mention of it elsewhere in two Scottish papers.

My thoughts precisely Freedom. I don't live that end of the island and afaik there has been nothing on the Cyprus news but as I don't have C TV I am only going on a friend who does and she hasn't seen it.
Denial would be typical of the police here but they were probably thinking of the tourist industry damage.
Will keep my ears and eyes open.
Cyprus has had a lot more crime in latter years after the Troika imposed their bailout conditions on the island meaning jobs dried up. Most crime is theft of property and I think this kind of incident is unprecedented. The Cypriots will be horrified if true as children are extremely revered here.

Here is an article about it from The Cyprus Mail today.
Home

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Police deny ‘attempted abduction’

June 18th, 2015 Cyprus 3 Comments

Police deny ‘attempted abduction’Cyprus





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By Constantinos Psillides

Police on Thursday denied the attempted kidnap of three young children from a Protaras hotel as British newspapers hyped up the story.

Under the headline, Holiday Hell, Scotland’s Daily Record reported that on Tuesday night a gang of three Romanians tried to lure three children into vans. The three children were with their parents at a wedding party at the Anastasia beach hotel.

The daily also reported that the gang were disguised as hotel waiters to blend in and that they had been stalking children for the past week by filming them around the pool and taking pictures.

The report says that their plan was foiled at the last minute by a tourist who saw the three gang members escorting the kids to the van while another was already propped against the wall.

Once realising what was going on, the tourists seized a man and a woman and took them to the hotel’s foyer where they called police. The report says that a second man fled the scene and that the holidaymakers heard a car crash not far from the hotel.

Police deputy spokesperson Nikoletta Tyrimou told the Cyprus Mail that the incident has been blown completely out of proportion.

“We have been receiving calls all day. I do not know how many ways more I can find to say this: It did not happen that way,” stressed Tyrimou, clarifying that police made one not two arrests and that there was no getaway car or people in disguise stalking children.

“Famagusta district police were indeed notified on Tuesday of an incident that took place at the Anastasia Hotel. Upon arriving at the scene, police officers arrested a 19-year-old man from Bulgaria who holidaymakers said had been filming their children and was trying to abduct them.

“We questioned the suspect, went through his phone and also searched his home. Nothing we found suggests that he is part of a child-abducting gang or that he was stalking children. He has since been released while police take statements from all those present at the scene. The investigation is still ongoing but I assure you that it did not happen the way it was reported in the press,” she said.

A press officer from holiday operator Thomas Cook told the Cyprus Mail that the company offered to move all holidaymakers who requested to a different hotel.

Snipped from Chirpy's post.

"...but I assure you that it did not happen the way it was reported in the press"

Sounds about right.

Perish the thought that the media might have had an agenda for running this non-story now.

I still think that it will turn up in other tabloids despite the police rebuttal.

Freedom wrote:Perish the thought that the media might have had an agenda for running this non-story now.

I still think that it will turn up in other tabloids despite the police rebuttal.

Desmond has it covered in his rag..

Oh dear, he should know better than to give people ideas with stories like this.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/585294/Gang-child-smugglers-dress-up-waiters-try-snatch-British-children-Cyprus-hotel-resort

It's now popping up all over Facebook too.

According to JeanMonroe officers from OG are preparing to fly out Cyprus to investigate this. She quotes ITV news. Anyone confirm.
Prepare your list of questions and I will pop over and grab Ms Wall for an update.

Not looked to see what JM has written but probably tongue in cheek like most stuff she writes.

Snipped:

The Foreign Office has described the apparent attempted abduction of British children at a holiday resort in Cyprus as "concerning".

In a statement to ITV News, a spokesperson said:
Our consular officers provided advice and support to the family involved following this concerning incident.

This is now a matter for the local police who are investigating.


Snipped from Sky News:

But speaking to Sky News, a spokesperson for the hotel, which is used by Thomas Cook, said the incident had been "exaggerated" - and insisted no attempted abduction took place.

Agreed Andrew. Probably meant as a joke but it looks like she is quoting ITV. I am having serious thoughts that this is a well timed stunt. Call me cynical.
So unfair too. Cyprus depends on tourism to a huge degree and something like this could ruin it for years to come. I find it very strange that the DR were on hand so quickly. 
There is no reason for them to be over here over this kind of incident. It is not as if the plan succeeded.  ( thankfully)
Another example of implanting fear into parents?

This is taken from the Famagusta Parents Network Face Book page.
False reports of Attempted Abduction in Protaras –



Concerning the reports of attempted abduction in Protaras, this is an official statement from the Cyprus Police.

The initial reports, shared so quickly across social media by well meaning people are in reality so damaging to the area and Cyprus tourism so PLEASE help us spread the word to stop the damage……

Many news reports have come out about the alleged incident but they are all conflicting and the incident did not happen.

Reports that tourists were moved to ‘nearby hotel in Paphos’ by Thomas Cook had not been made officially by the company. (and Paphos is as far away from Pernera as is possible whilst remaining in Cyprus)

Bad news travels faster than good, but please help us to debunk this story and share the fact that this story has been blown out of all proportion.



The facts that are known is that a someone who was not a member of the family or a guest of the hotel was apprehended for taking photographs on his mobile ‘phone, which was examined by police. No inappropriate imagery was discovered.





(translated Greek text below)

Concerning foreign media reports concerning allegedly attempted abduction of children in tourist area of the province of Famagusta, we inform the public, that this does not apply.


The incident took place as follows: On 16 June, 2015, tourists who were in event hotel in the province of Famagusta, considered that 19-year-old, filming with his cell phone underage children.

The stage was called and went where the police located the 19-year-old. With his consent became control on his cell phone. The phone was found a video of a dance band adults, which was dancing in the event of the hotel. Then became the home of 19-year-old, which is also not spotted anything untoward.

Of the deposits taken by both the 19-year-old, and by the tenants of the hotel, don’t suggest something
untoward.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/06/18/police-deny-attempted-abduction/
- See more at: http://www.famagustaparentsnetwork.com/false-news-reports-of-attempted-abduction-in-protaras/#sthash.2iBecsvf.dpuf

You can't help but think it was a McMate coming out with this due to the timing etc.

http://news.sky.com/story/1504348/police-cover-up-plot-to-kidnap-british-kids

Oh dear, it's dodgy foreign police officers covering things up again.

Just like a McStory. Changing all the time


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cyprus-hotel-child-abduction-hero-5908077

Not sure where to put this so here will do.

http://m.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Private-eye-jailed-using-false-hide-sleazy-past/story-26723167-detail/story.html

There is a bit of history surrounding this hotel. Some months back there was a near riot at the hotel when a young dog was found at the bottom of a crusher for rubbish. I won't reproduce the article as  it will upset some of you but will give a link. Don't look if you are easily upset.
Tourists were outraged because staff of the hotel were implicated in the dreadful treatment of the poor dog. Tsokkos Hotels were totally uninterested until a huge hue and cry ensued.
It lead to calls for animal cruelty to be dealt with more robustly by the courts.Billy's Law.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2689987/Expat-Britons-storm-Cyprus-hotel-staff-kill-stray-seven-month-old-puppy-waste-crusher.html
Could be a set up for revenge against Tsokkos. Could be the police and hotel are down playing it or it could be someone pressed the panic button without checking the facts.

My my what a surprise!!!!!!!!

The Mail as well.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3129270/Romanian-child-snatchers-caught-trying-kidnap-British-children-Cyprus-hotel-luring-cars-disguised-waiters.html

Delete.