So well said...."And that collective compassion for a child is anything but shallow – it is people showing the best of themselves." I have a 2 year old. I was upset. I have questioned. I am inquisitive. I am not sure. I will never really know. I do know, however, this has made me so much more aware of the situations my daughter is in and my family's future security. For that, through this anguish, I feel strangely grateful.

Regardless of either eventual convictions or probable false etymology, a lesson has been learnt by so many. No matter what all the hate or positive muse is, may Maddy RIP.

Doug Snowden, Hinckley,

80 children are missing in Great Britain... A little boy was killed last week in the street... You have problems with violence, alcoholism and illiteracy... And what do you do to solve these problems?
You spend most of your time by insulting other people, other countries , even other laws.
You are much more concerned that a british citizen COULD have commited such a crime, than to find out the truth!

What a vanity, what an arrogance!
Shame on you all!!!

Isabel, Portimao, Portugal

I don't understand this need for comment and endless pages of speculation about this case. There is nothing I can do, i have no feelings beyond the abstract that it must be horrible to have a child dissappear and it must be horrible to be wrongly accused of something you haven't done. I don't understand how anybody who is not directly connected with the case can think or feel differently.

kelly lawes, london,

Too bad you english folks don't have acess to what's really happening and keep on jumping to false assumptions based on what you get from the tabloids!

It's a poor statement (and a very easy one for that manner!) to keep on blaming the portuguese police ... even though you know they're working in strict collaboration with your own national forces! No one here has yet said anything about murder. The "full match" is only a strong evidence when put together with the whole package...and no one but the police knows what's that so far. And it's just absurd for you to think that they'd point the finger on the mccanns (which they haven't so far) just for the sake of it!

"The secret of justice" (which i don't agree with, given the circumstances: it'd would have saved us a lot of speculation), we only know for fact :
1. a little girl is missing for 4 months;
2. there are now three "arguidos". Period.
Leave the investigation for the investigators. We're not a bunch of idiots, you know?

vanda, lisbon, portugal

As I live in Spain, I have followed this case mainly through the Spanish El Pais. Hence, the reporting has been more detached, and possibly more objective than the very emotional reporting in the UK media. However sad we all feel about Madeleine, we, and the Portugese authorities, cannot ignore the possibility that the parents were somehow involved. Recent events did not surprise me. I had, in fact, expected this to happen for some time. The police are, of course, keeping the abduction option open, but with the new forensic evidence (done in England), and the the McCanns' reluctance to answer key questions, what else can they do? The portugese police are clearly no "Keystone Cops"; they have been doing their job professionally in spite of extreme pressure and hostility. The McCanns have been treated politely and have been allowed home (would the English police have let them out?). Let us all hope the police here are wrong, but I fear they might be right.

Eivind Gilje, Motril, Granada, Spain

i live in portugal..but i am dutch..i never saw in this country a so extended work to find a missing child..and so lot compassion with the english family..but nvere forget..that they are masters in manipulate the media..and the millions euros that they collect..go now to the best lawyers to defend them from a horrible charge..
i wrote just now..that the adn of the little Madeleine was found in a car..rented 15 day afther the missing..how can the parents explain that?
the portugues police was cleaver..guessing a future charge of incompetence..and scapegoat..they late analyze the evidences in england..the serching dogs were from england..and the policemen helping..english..
imagine if the analyses were done in Portugal..

lorenzo van perg, cartaxo, portugal

I read in the Independent that one of the Police investigating the case was himself involved in some crime. I suspect the police might be framing this couple for something they might have done themselves.

Sandra, London,

"the real reason why people care about Madeleine is fundamentally decent"

I'd say the real reason that people care about Madeleine as opposed to say, girls taken forcibly from their villages in the Sudan and brutally raped by their gun wielding captives day after day is because we have been told to care for Madeleine.

Of course people feel sympathy for the parents, particularly those of us who are parents ourselves. But why do we feel more sympathy for these particular parents than for the many many others that are in just as horrific circumstances?

Pete, Sheffield, UK

If police told me that DNA of my adbucted child had been found in the hire-car, my reaction - if I were innocent - would be one of great relief. At last, there's the lead we're looking for. Please check who had thired he car at the time of the abduction and afterwards. They must have something to do with it. ---- I don't know if the mother had the presence of mind to react in this way. And I loathe the stupid speculation about guilt or innocence. Can't we wait for results?

alan, cologne,

Jonathan in Helsinki - "Whatever happened to Habeas Corpus? ....."

Thats not what habeas corpus means. Habeas corpus ad subjiciendum = "you may hold the body subject to examination"

It is an ancient right (hardly ever used now) under common law whereby a court can order that a person held by the authorities is brought before them so that the legality of their detention can be checked. It only exists in the UK and former British colonies like the US.

It dosnt mean that the police have to produce a body before they can accuse someone of muder - in fact you dont have to have a body to prove muder at all.

Having said all that, the idea that the McCanns killed their daughter, then hid the body and disposed of it with all the world's media watching is laughable - the portugese police are clutching at straws now.

Mark, London, UK

I find it astonishing and highly noticeable that the McCanns so-called friends, with whom they dined that fatal night, have appeared to have vanished off the face of the earth.

Whereas their family seemed to have surrounded them with support and love, their friends seem to have gone to ground at a time when their memories and understanding of the events which happened that night may be of vital assistance in the hunt for this poor little girl.

God bless her and bring her home.

Nigel, Bridgend, Wales, UK,

One question - Supposing there is confidentiality, why are the Portuguese police apparently leaking information daily, yet the McCann's face prosecution if they disclose anything surrounding the investigation?

It's ridiculous - it seems the McCann's case will now first be heard in court, after we, and most importantly the Portuguese jury they face, have all decided they're guilty based on information leaked by the Portuguese police to the newspapers.

Guilty or not, the way they are being treated as uncharged suspects seems scandalous.

Does anybody else see a problem with this, or is it just me?

John, london, UK

Regardless of who did what to a 3 year old child, I feel I should be wary of giving too much sympathy to parents whose idea of a holiday is to put their small children in a creche for the afternoon, pick them up at 6 to get them ready for bed, then leave them go out for drinks and a meal at 7.30. Perhaps it's inevitable that what is lost suddenly seems more precious. But it's how we look after children when they're with us that counts....

Sibyl Ruth, Birmingham,

In respect of the work of the Portuguese Authorities on this matter, should they not also be considered "innocent until proven guilty" and allowed to continue their work without the frequent, oft shrill, almost xenophobic and hydrophobic mass hysteria generated by the British mass media in this case.

It might be interesting for readers to note that RTP1, one of the main channels here in Portugal had a 3 hour - repeat - three hour open live debate on the Madeleine affair last night in which all aspects of the case, including police incompetence were openly and freely debated by experts from Portugal and Spain in front of an substantial live audience.

I would like to see Sky News or BBC1 hold a similiar event....But it would not match their chase for ratings and "sound bite mentality."

Let the police get on with their job and let's pray Madeliene, who should be at the heart of this, can be found one way or other so that there can be closure.

George Kennedy, Lagos, Portugal

It's incredible how much people say when knowing so little.
Let's compare crime rates between both countries shall we...
At least we can agree wich police does a better job preventing crime. So let them do their job solving this very complicated issue. Because in the end it's what people should be worried about... solving the crime and listening to the evidence no matter what..

Joao, Manama, Bahrain

Lovely article with a slightly different perspective from most others I have read.
If Madeleine is pretty and that gets her newspaper space so be it! She was probably taken because of her appearance. There was a couple photographing pretty young, blonde girls in Praia da Luz not long before Madeleine's abduction. I'd prefer a little girl like Madeleine get the media space than Paris Hilton or Jordon. Since Madeleine's abduction I have educated myself on the plight of paedophile smuggling rings and child abduction in general. I find it difficult to believe I was so blissfully ignorant before. Thank you again for your lovely piece.

Jo, Sydney, Australia

who hired the car on the date when madeline went missing, the Mc canns hired it 21 days later, why havent the portugese police try to find this other person who hired the car?

jim parker, basildon, uk

I think the partisanship is very strong.. At the very least we have 2 parents who were selfish enough ( by their own admission ) to leave 3 small children alone in a strange apartment while they went out enjoying themselves.. If Maddie had woken up and found herself deserted by her parents, imagine the stress she would have felt.

we were told that their was a babysitting service available but the McCanns could not be bothered to arrange it... well,,, well.. well.

Don't criticise the Portuguese police who are doing their job... they are not to blame for what happened...The truth will be known very soon and partisanship may turn to downright hatred of a selfish couple who conned the Nation.

Kevin Brown, salford, England

people in england probably dont realise how different it is here, away from the resorts on the coast where the portugese live is a backwater of a country that is itself a backwater of the eu. rather old fashioned, polite, deferential where traditionaly employment has been servicing tourism or cleaning for the french or working in the fields of east anglia.. the influence of dictatorship lingers in a resigned acceptance of officialdom , including the police, which is totally unaccountable to the citizen. due process takes place in secret and you just wait quietly. the media pressure created by the mc canns must have been an unwelcome shock to the police whose investigations seem not to have revealed much. the mc canns having resisted a confession and returned to england will no doubt maintain their campaign . the police here will probably hope to return to normal, privately reviewing the case from time to time and waiting for something to turn up.

edward goldman, faro, portugal

Have the Keystone Cops investigated beyond all possible doubt, by whom and for what possible purposes, the hired car might have been used before it entered into the McCann's possession?

Our thoughts and prayers remain with this unfortunate family in their appalling circumstances.

David, Solihull,

What should I believe, evidence collected carefully by highly skilled professional forensic experts or the emotional outpourings of the friends and relatives of a couple who left their children while they went drinking? Not too hard, is it?

C Blackmore, Melksham, England

Shade os Lindy and Michael Chamberlain or shades of Susan Smith who strapped her children into the back seat of a car and rolled it into a lake claiming they were abducted? Unfortunately, we aren't privy to the evidence the British and Portuguese police have, so we'll have to wait and see.

Denise, Washington, DC, USA

Lets get this into perspective, the issue is to find Madeline, the Police in Portugal are trying to frame Madelines mother so they get Tourisam back.
The parents are telling the truth they are not hiding anything lets all get together and help find the litlle girl and prove the police wrong.
A mistake was made by the parents but lets be honest every one at some time or other have made mistakes, the parents are trying to find their precious little girl.
Please please help them and not take notice of what the police are implying and the papers that are against the family and lets focus on finding this little girl.

GLORIA QUINN, swindon, ENGLAND

TWISTING THINGS AROUND

It must quite convenient for pedophiles when a disappearance for which they are responsible is made to look like a murder... "Case closed" means nobody looks for the child any more! The pervert can do whatever he wants with the kid. And a wealthy pedophile can have accomplices in good places.

Francine Forest, Montreal, Canada

' Is it a further example of the Diana syndrome – the mass transference of public empathy on to individuals we don’t know,...?" Yes. got it in one.

J Davis, Sydney, Australia

With the portuguese police trying to get the McCanns to confess to their daughters murder, exactly how sure are they that Madeleine is definitely dead ?
Surely they couldn't ask this of Gerry and Kate if there was any chance in their minds that she is still alive.
I beleive that she could still be alive and i beleive the McCanns.
Jane from London-- Most people DO care about the poor African children, but we don't see it every day in newspapers like we do with Madeleine (due to the hard work of her parents and friends) and i for one believe that charity begins at home.
Most people i know make donations to charities weekly, but there is not much more we can do living in the west.

Russell, Cork, Ireland

For a case that has turned on the basis of forensic evidence, it beggars belief that the relevant cime scenes were left so long to be contaminated before a foreign (UK) police force was brought in to examine.

chris, newcastle, UK

Excellent article.

Leslie, Los Angeles, CA

A wee girl has been stolen away and no trace of a culprit has been found. So let's wrap it up and blame the poor defenseless parents. The McCann family has my deepest sympathy.

JohnMcDonald, London,

One question I'd like to see addressed is who hired the car before the McCanns?

Dave, Whitchurch, Shropshire

Exactly rachel! Have people not seen the documentaries about children abducted by gangs in Africa? They make them stone each other. I don't see people caring about those children

Jane, London,

Whatever happened to Habeas Corpus? A body has yet to be found which would prove that Madelaine is no longer alive. How do you go so far as to allege manslaughter on the basis of story built around some microscopic fragments and the frantic behaviour of some dogs? This seems like some bizarre medieval judicial process rather than something fit for the 21st century. I guess the police in the Algarve are crossing their fingers that Madeleine doesn't turn up alive somewhere. If that happens they are going to look as flat-footedly incompetent and ridiculous as the Keystone Cops. They must be pretty sure of themselves ...

jonathan Stiles, Helsinki, Finland

the mccanns are innocent till proven otherwise! why not offer a lie detector test? newspaper could conduct this.

mike monahan , newcastle upon tyne, england

I really haven't been obsessed about them as everyone else - this happenes all the time! I'm sad that maddy's missing but this case isn't any different to the murders we read about each day or the abducted children in Africa.

Either the parents are the best actors in the history of the world and should win every coming Oscar, or they are telling the truth!

My idea is that the abductor planted something to put the police on their trail and off his/hers OR the police dont want to seem idiotic and have made it all up or planted it themselves.

Either way I still believe them...they can't be acting it because its just too good!!

Jane, London,

I wonder why it is that so many people think they know what happened. I don't know what happened, other people don't know what happened and nor does any of the journalists covering the story. Impartial reporting has gone out of the window here. The Portuguese have a different system so it must be worse - another form of racism.

Sue Cain, El Paso, Tenerife Province, Canary Islands, Spain

Whatever happened to inncoent until PROVEN guilty???

Julie, Helena, mt

"Logically, and heavily weighted by instinct my unwaivering belief is, Madeleine is alive. We must continue to search for her...."

I suspect we operate under differing definitions of logic.

Alex T, London,

You say yourself that it's due partly to the fact that the main characters are attractive. How, then, can any moral high ground be claimed?

Yes, most people are concerned and want Maddy returned safe and well. But compassion can spill over into more destruction. Will it help other children at Maddy's school that a desk and peg are being kept ostentatiously clear for her? Will emetically slushy videos on YouTube assist the investigation?

How much of this noble concern would we be seeing if Maddy were an ugly black girl from a working-class estate?

Rachel, London,

If, as seems possible, the McCanns are proven culpable in this matter, can anyone tell me how their actions can be explained to the many, many children who have followed this tragic case day by day, often asking their own parents "Where is Madeleine?"

Dave Gordon, East Linton,

Shades of Lindy and Michael Chamberlain and their daughter Azaria at Ayers Rock all those years ago.

Duncan McGregor, Melbourne,

So nicely put. It really is about time we started caring about what happens to other fellow human beings without fear of being accused of being over emotional etc.

I am a professional woman, from a typical middle class family, married to a British Army Officer. I am no emotional looney but I am passionate about people and I do give a stuff about what happens to others.

I always have been and will continue to be - someone who will not kick another human being when they are down and am equally as quick to lend my support to a drunken smelly tramp or in this case, a middle class family who might have been deemed to 'have it all' not so long ago.

I am not frightened to stand up and be counted and say, my cause now is to help find Madeleine and somehow rally a defence of any description, to prevent the ruination still further of this poor family. Logically, and heavily weighted by instinct my unwaivering belief is, Madeleine is alive. We must continue to search for her....

Karen, Notts,