'Portuguese police took our girl into care because of the "Maddie effect"'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636767/Police-took-girl-care-Maddie-effect-Parents-deny-drunk-holiday-Portugal.html

'Portuguese police took our girl into care because of the "Maddie effect"': British couple reveal how their baby was seized by armed officers during package holiday
James Moreland and Lee-Ann O'Donoghue 'handcuffed by armed police'
Accused of throwing 14-month-old daughter into pool on their first holiday
Couple claim allegations are unfounded, and say Mr Moreland was beaten
Police told them heavy-handed response was due to 'Madeleine Effect'

By Rebecca Evans

Published: 21:51 GMT, 22 May 2014 | Updated: 06:06 GMT, 23 May 2014


A British couple whose baby girl was seized by police during a holiday in Portugal have furiously denied being too drunk to look after her.

James Moreland and Lee-Ann O’Donoghue said they had been handcuffed by police with guns, who told them their heavy-handed response was because of the ‘Madeleine McCann effect’.

The couple’s 14-month-old daughter, who we have been asked not to name, was taken into emergency care on Sunday after reports they had drunkenly thrown her into a pool and staggered around with her on an eighth-floor hotel balcony.

Ordeal: James Moreland and Lee-Ann O'Donoghue with their 14-month-old daughter before she was removed
Miss O’Donoghue and Mr Moreland, on their first family holiday together since the baby’s birth, said they were at a loss as to why their daughter was placed in a hospital, and branded reports of their antics as ‘ludicrous, downright lies’.
They also claim Mr Moreland, 29, was beaten by police and £500 – all of their holiday spending money – was stolen during the assault.

Miss O’Donoghue, 34, who is on maternity leave from her job as a hospital personal assistant, said: ‘We are so scared and shaken up.

‘The police told us they had acted like they did, that they had been heavy-handed, because of the Madeleine McCann effect. They said the case had been very bad for them and that they had to be very careful when it came to the welfare of British children on holiday.’


Vanished: Portuguese police said their heavy-handed response was due to the 'Madeleine McCann

The family were staying at the Hotel Paraiso in Albufeira – 40 miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished in 2007 – as part of a week-long Thomas Cook package trip.

Their story first emerged in the Portuguese press, which quoted unnamed hotel guests as saying that while sat by the pool, they had seen Miss O’Donoghue on the balcony behaving dangerously.

The reports also said the daughter had bruised legs after her mother dropped her and that a drunken Mr Moreland hurled her into the pool in front of horrified holidaymakers.

But both parents vehemently deny any of this took place – especially as their room, which they showed to the Mail, does not overlook the hotel pool but a car park, from where Miss O’Donoghue could not possibly have been seen.

Looking drained, she said: ‘You can see from my daughter’s legs there are no bruises. I did not drop her, I have never dropped her and I was not drunk.

‘She is my first and only baby and I adore her. I am such a protective mother. I just can’t believe the lies I am hearing.’ Mr Moreland, who is covered in bruises he says were inflicted by the police, said: ‘To say I threw my daughter in the pool is just ridiculous.’

Their ordeal began on Sunday afternoon when they joined friends at a bar in Albufeira. Miss O’Donoghue said: ‘I had three cocktails and was merry, not drunk by any stretch.’ At 8pm, after they returned to the hotel, police knocked on the door.

‘They said they wanted to check on the baby,’ said Miss O’Donoghue. ‘My daughter was crying because she is teething so I gave her some Calpol (a brand of paracetamol for children).

‘The police saw the bottle and said that it was an “illegal drug in Portugal” and they were taking her to hospital for tests to see if we had sedated her. They were very brusque and had guns.’

The family were staying at the Hotel Paraiso in Albufeira - 40 miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished


Miss O’Donoghue was allowed to go to the hospital too. But when medics ‘started sticking needles’ in her baby for drug tests, she protested and was handcuffed. Soon afterwards, Mr Moreland arrived at the hospital but was refused entry.

He claimed: ‘I did get angry and started to shout and swear as I wanted to see my baby. A group of about seven policemen started hitting me, they put me in handcuffs and threw me on the floor in the back of a police car.

‘They yanked my arms up behind me until I screamed. They checked my wallet for ID and when I got home I saw that all of our spending money had gone.’

The couple, from Belfast, were not arrested but the case was referred to the local equivalent of social services.

They were finally given their baby back on Tuesday.

A Portuguese police spokesman said: ‘We were called to the hotel because of reports of a drunk and disorderly disturbance.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636767/Police-took-girl-care-Maddie-effect-Parents-deny-drunk-holiday-Portugal.html#ixzz32WIgAZJH
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I despise UK press.

Thanks Karen.

Miss O’Donoghue and Mr Moreland, on their first family holiday together since the baby’s birth, said they were at a loss as to why their daughter was placed in a hospital, and branded reports of their antics as ‘ludicrous, downright lies’.

  
Clarrie Bingo!          *** waves card in air ***

almostgothic wrote:Thanks Karen.

Miss O’Donoghue and Mr Moreland, on their first family holiday together since the baby’s birth, said they were at a loss as to why their daughter was placed in a hospital, and branded reports of their antics as ‘ludicrous, downright lies’.

  
Clarrie Bingo!          *** waves card in air ***

The pink one needs some new buzz words. He is becoming a little predictable, he needs to spice things up to keep us readers guessing   

Baby is 14 months and she's still on maternity leave....just how long do you get these days?

Can't wait till they start publishing the comments.

Iris wrote:Can't wait till they start publishing the comments.

So far

Karen, London, 1 hour ago
So we are supposed to believe these loving sober parents did nothing at all and the nasty hotel guests picked on a random couple? Sorry, I find that hard to believe. I have seen too many of these type of parents on holiday. There is much more to this story than these parents are saying
Reply New 1 10 Rated
Interesting news, Down the road, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago
Bom para a policia---good for the police
Reply New 2 5 Rated
rosie86, Manchester, 1 hour ago
Not something I would be telling to the English press. The police didn't just come on a whim, pick a random room and decide to take the baby for fun. The hotel guests obviously saw something they weren't happy with and decided to call the police. Drinking alcohol when in charge of young children in a foreign country where there are pools at every turn, isn't a sensible idea and they should have realised this, learnt their lesson and keep their mouths shut.
Reply New 1 9 Rated
bellangeorges mummy, nottingham, 1 hour ago
Ok... something doesn't add up here. I'm sure authorities don't just take children without good reason, well not outside of the UK anyway.
Reply New 1 9 Rated

Neverfaraway, around town, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago
"Armed police" all police carry guns in Europe.
Reply New 0 10 Rated
Mrs P, Cheshire, 4 hours ago
If the child is 14 months old, how can the mother still be on maternity leave?
Reply New 106 598 Rated
bellangeorges mummy, nottingham, 1 hour ago
Aren't we a judgemental woman.... mind your own business love.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2636767/Police-took-girl-care-Maddie-effect-Parents-deny-drunk-holiday-Portugal.html#ixzz32WgGHmb5
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

do people really think we are stupid, you get pi$$ed and don't take care of your children, what do they think anyone in any country would do? good on the PJ. Oh yes Clarrie is upset because it gives a negative for the McCs who allegedly left their children, could that be because its the lesser of two evils. jimo.

The Daily Mail have been asked "not to name the child" and have pixelated out her picture (quite rightly so). But this daft bint has the kids picture, name, details and every last movement all over her Twitter timeline, which is wide open to the public. The rest of the timeline is full of TOWIE, Katie Price and Robbie Williams. Says it all IMHO.

Oh, and being from Belfast, I'd not be at all surprised if they are even related to the nasty wee Mick in some way.

If you had done what they did, wouldn't you have come home hid away in embarrassment in the hope know one finds out it's YOU?


Instead, they put their picture in every newspapers so the whole world can see who you are and what you look like.

They wait to get home to say their money was nicked....

He claimed: ‘I did get angry and started to shout and swear as I wanted to see my baby. A group of about seven policemen started hitting me, they put me in handcuffs and threw me on the floor in the back of a police car



OTT

kitti wrote:He claimed: ‘I did get angry and started to shout and swear as I wanted to see my baby. A group of about seven policemen started hitting me, they put me in handcuffs and threw me on the floor in the back of a police car



OTT

They must have bloody big Police cars in Portugal if they can get 7 cops and a suspect in there.   

So the Portuguese are gun totting thugs who beat you and nick your spending money.


And bungling wasn't mentioned once...

This pair are from the less salubrious end of Belfast and they're saying they have never seen armed police before? Aye. Right.   

Iris wrote:

kitti wrote:He claimed: ‘I did get angry and started to shout and swear as I wanted to see my baby. A group of about seven policemen started hitting me, they put me in handcuffs and threw me on the floor in the back of a police car



OTT

They must have bloody big Police cars in Portugal if they can get 7 cops and a suspect in there.   

Perhaps they were the 7 dwarfs fallen on hard times and now working for the 'bungling' Portuguese Police?

anything to bash the PJ. he was carrying £500 in his back pocket was he. you cant make it up. oh gosh and the PJ stole it, why didn't they call for consular assistance?

Pathetic people.

And the papers should be sued for printing unverified accusations of theft against Policemen........that's utterly disgraceful!!

fred wrote:

Iris wrote:

kitti wrote:He claimed: ‘I did get angry and started to shout and swear as I wanted to see my baby. A group of about seven policemen started hitting me, they put me in handcuffs and threw me on the floor in the back of a police car



OTT

They must have bloody big Police cars in Portugal if they can get 7 cops and a suspect in there.   

Perhaps they were the 7 dwarfs fallen on hard times and now working for the 'bungling' Portuguese Police?

    

Didn't see it, but Sandra Felgueiras did a report on this on RTP1 this evening.  The girl reported her husband bashing her up to the receptionist and it all went downhill from there.

Seen it now, and here it is:-
http://www.rtp.pt/play/p1047/e155087/sexta-as-9-ii

Starts at 6.50

They don't seem quite so keen on talking to the press here!   

fred wrote:Didn't see it, but Sandra Felgueiras did a report on this on RTP1 this evening.  The girl reported her husband bashing her up to the receptionist and it all went downhill from there.

Seen it now, and here it is:-
http://www.rtp.pt/play/p1047/e155087/sexta-as-9-ii

Starts at 6.50

My Portuguese is next to non existent.  Did the manager say that the woman had gone to him saying that the baby was missing?  Why is the word "raptor " (kidnapper) in the subtitles? Then it turned out that the child was with her father in the bar?  Was this stupid woman actually the one who was going for the "Maddie effect"?  If her twitter TL is anything to go by, I think she just want to emulate her z-list celebrity heroine Kate!

I think we can now safely assume that the Daily Fail story was a load of old pony set up merely to sanctify a couple of chavs and trash (once again) the Portuguese police.

I saw that Twitter TL.
It looks like it belongs to some soppy, semi-literate adolescent.

Babalou ‏@B_balou  16m
In comments on Textusa re British baby in PT taken from parents last week. Hotel manager on RTP1 last night. #McCann pic.twitter.com/G7SiKIwJ3M

https://twitter.com/B_balou/status/470124243427295232/photo/1/large

Thanks weiss.

Good to get the real story from the hotel manager.

You wouldn't want those two on your dinner party guest list, eh?