LONDON — A dossier of online abuse and death threats aimed at the family of missing British girl Madeleine McCann is being investigated, officials said Thursday. The messages include graphic tweets and Facebook posts calling for violence against the girl’s parents, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed to NBC News.
The three-year-old vanished from her hotel room in Portugal in 2007 while mother Kate and father Gerry dined nearby with friends.They were initially named as suspects by Portuguese police but that status was lifted in July 2008.
The McCanns sued Britain's Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Star on Sunday newspapers over their coverage of the case. They later printed front-page apologies for suggesting the parents were to blame for her death and paid the McCanns £550,000 ($891,000) in damages . They are currently suing the Sunday Times.
The 80-page document was submitted by members of the public on September 9, police said. The messages included calls for the McCanns to be tortured and killed, with one saying they should "burn in hell." Another said: "I hope that the McCanns are living in total misery."
There are calls for the couple to be assassinated, run over by vehicles, and almost endless doctored images of the McCanns, some of them very graphic.
"These 2 should burn in hell," "I will supply the petrol," "I'll supply the lighter - happily," read the posts on one message board, while others include direct threats; "We need some numbers for some assassins on taps," and "I hope that the McCanns are living in total misery" ... "I want to see them smashed up the back of a bus or trampled by horses," even one calling for "terrorists" to murder the couple.
The content of the messages was first reported by Britain's Sky News. The Metropolitan Police Service, or The Met as it's known in Britain, confirmed that it was taking the dossier to the nation's prosecutors. The Met said it was working with the McCanns and the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service "to find the best way to take this forward."
There are so many conspiracy theorists on the internet who have their own idea of what happened to Madeleine. Far too many blame the McCanns, as though they aren't suffering enough. The theories range from the absurd to the ridiculous, and if you ask them to document their claims, they ignore you. They seem to have forgotten that one of the pillars of democracy is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. They've turned that completely up-side-down.
They just have theories - imaginings - they're all different and they all think they are right while completely ignoring the findings of the Portuguese police and the Met. The experts are wrong; the loonies are right! They are so convinced of their 'rightness' that they pour their venom out on the internet adding to the intolerable suffering of Maddie's parents. Is there no compassion left in this world?
There are fears that one or more of these loonies is liable to try and fulfill their threats. How stupid can people be? Really, really stupid, and mean! They would murder Kate and Gerry and then what? What if they actually find Maddie and she's still alive, only to come home and find that her parents had been murdered, like Maddie hasn't suffered enough. Then there are the twins - why should they become orphans because some idiot has a stupid theory.
If you have a theory by all means put it out there along with all the documentation to prove your theory. If you can't supply the documentation then just shut-up.
The McCanns sued Britain's Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Star on Sunday newspapers over their coverage of the case. They later printed front-page apologies for suggesting the parents were to blame for her death and paid the McCanns £550,000 ($891,000) in damages . They are currently suing the Sunday Times.
The 80-page document was submitted by members of the public on September 9, police said. The messages included calls for the McCanns to be tortured and killed, with one saying they should "burn in hell." Another said: "I hope that the McCanns are living in total misery."
There are calls for the couple to be assassinated, run over by vehicles, and almost endless doctored images of the McCanns, some of them very graphic.
"These 2 should burn in hell," "I will supply the petrol," "I'll supply the lighter - happily," read the posts on one message board, while others include direct threats; "We need some numbers for some assassins on taps," and "I hope that the McCanns are living in total misery" ... "I want to see them smashed up the back of a bus or trampled by horses," even one calling for "terrorists" to murder the couple.
The content of the messages was first reported by Britain's Sky News. The Metropolitan Police Service, or The Met as it's known in Britain, confirmed that it was taking the dossier to the nation's prosecutors. The Met said it was working with the McCanns and the U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service "to find the best way to take this forward."
There are so many conspiracy theorists on the internet who have their own idea of what happened to Madeleine. Far too many blame the McCanns, as though they aren't suffering enough. The theories range from the absurd to the ridiculous, and if you ask them to document their claims, they ignore you. They seem to have forgotten that one of the pillars of democracy is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. They've turned that completely up-side-down.
They just have theories - imaginings - they're all different and they all think they are right while completely ignoring the findings of the Portuguese police and the Met. The experts are wrong; the loonies are right! They are so convinced of their 'rightness' that they pour their venom out on the internet adding to the intolerable suffering of Maddie's parents. Is there no compassion left in this world?
There are fears that one or more of these loonies is liable to try and fulfill their threats. How stupid can people be? Really, really stupid, and mean! They would murder Kate and Gerry and then what? What if they actually find Maddie and she's still alive, only to come home and find that her parents had been murdered, like Maddie hasn't suffered enough. Then there are the twins - why should they become orphans because some idiot has a stupid theory.
If you have a theory by all means put it out there along with all the documentation to prove your theory. If you can't supply the documentation then just shut-up.
No comments:
Post a Comment