Brit parents wrongly accused by Portuguese police cleared

http://www.itv.com/news/2012-09-20/british-couple-speak-about-moment-their-daughter-was-taken-away-from-them-by-portuguese-authorities-outside-a-wine-bar/

9:20AM, THU 20 SEP 2012

British couple's anger after Portuguese authorities seize daughter

- last updated Thu 20 Sep 2012




Stephen Street and Colette McPartland are furious with the Portuguese authorities Photo: Daybreak

[video]

A couple have recalled the harrowing moment their daughter was taken away from them by Portuguese authorities outside a coffee shop - and their anger at the police's behaviour.

Stephen Street, 42, and wife Colette McPartland, 38, were accused of neglecting Scarlett, 2, but have since been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ms McPartland told Daybreak that "almost everythig that has been orginally reported is completely untrue":

It's a bit of a mystery to us.

There were lots of kids running around and Scarlett was never more than a few feet away from us...she was never abandoned.

I was not drunk and I was perfectly capable of looking after my daughter.

Mr Street attacked the authorities for "putting us through a terrible experience" and said he had not had an apology.

His wife added: "It's been hell. I don't know how we've through it but thank God our daughter is safe and she's with us again."

[video]

It comes as no surprise to anyone here; the outcome is pretty much as expected.

I trust all those forkers and haters who have been making vicious, false and libellous remarks will now be apologising as quickly as they condemned in their usual mindless fashion?

Makes the gloating about 'fetal alchol sydrome' [sic] look really, really nasty and cruel, doesn't it?

And I hope whoever stuck the child's picture on the police fb page is demoted to cleaning the station toilets and kept well away from children of any nationality.

Read it and weep, haters:

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/347187/Portugal-couple-reunited-with-child

PORTUGAL COUPLE REUNITED WITH CHILD

A British couple who had their young daughter taken into care in Portugal have been reunited with their child.
Stephen Street and Colette McPartland, who both work as teachers in Portugal, were accused of being drunk and failing to look after their daughter Scarlett.

Portuguese police said the couple had allowed their two-year-old daughter to wander off by herself next to a busy road in Carcavelos. But they said the accusations were lies and have now been given their daughter back.

Speaking on ITV1's Daybreak, Ms McPartland, from Teesside, said: "Those 10 days were the hardest in my life and it's such a relief to have her back. She's very easy going and adaptable so we hope she's going to be her old self again soon.

"I had drunk two glasses of wine as I'm four months pregnant and the doctor said it was no risk to my baby. We don't know why the police got involved. There were lots of children running around and she was never more than a few feet away from us.

"She was never far away from us and she was never near a busy road. Everything that has been reported is untrue and we are very shocked and very hurt by all the things that have been said. We still cannot believe what has happened."

The couple, who have lived in Portugal for five years, say they are now considering leaving the country.

Ms McPartland said: "We are not sure if we will stay here but it's too soon to make a decision. We were very happy here with lots of friends and jobs we enjoy but at the moment I don't feel safe. I'm scared to leave the house as I'm scared it could happen again."

Mr Street said: "It's not a nice feeling to know your children could be kidnapped by armed people. We were just having a very quiet family evening together and minding our own business.

"We have been made to feel like bad parents by the media but social services have completely exonerated us. It should be very interesting for the Portuguese police to hear that as there has been no apology.

==========

IMO, they will have to leave Portugal for their own safety, or they will keep being targeted.

Same story here:

'We’ve got her back': British couple arrested for 'abandoning their child while drunk' say they've been totally exonerated by Portuguese social workers
They appeared on ITV's Daybreak to deny the claims they let their two-year-old daughter wander off alone
Pregnant Colette McPartland said she had only had two glasses of wine
Said she felt fragile
She said they were 'shocked' and 'hurt' at the Portuguese police's 'lies'
They are thinking of leaving the country out of fear it will happen again


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2206007/British-couple-accused-drunkenly-allowing-year-old-daughter-wander-Portugal-reunited-child.html#ixzz270JFjmVP


No apologies yet for their pitchforking on the 'We hate the McCanns' sites; I expect they are trying to come to terms with just how sickeningly wrong they were, yet again.

If that had happened to me, I would first of all slammed a criminal kidnapping claim against the PJ then put my property up for sale and moved my family to temporary accommodation over the border in Spain. LL

Agree, LL. I cannot see the family being safe in Portugal after this; they are liable to be endlessly accused on trumped-up minor charges over parking, etc - anything the local police can think of.

I would also be laying charges against the police for putting the child's photo on bl**dy fb UN-pixillated, as it was when I first saw it.

I´m happy with this: "have been cleared of any wrongdoing. daughter is safe and she's with us again."

I shouldn't think the social services people were any too pleased when it dawned on them that they were being played for fools by the police, Pedro.

I suspect that that pic on facebook would have made them start asking questions about just what was really going on?

About "I shouldn't think the social services people were any too pleased when it dawned on them that they were being played for fools by the police", this proves that social services cannot trust in the police, instead of listening police, social services should talk with those who saw the couple with their daughter, ask questions about their behaviour, also talk with the couple, also talk with the child.

I am sure that that is what happened, Pedro, and thankfully, social services realised the allegations were a pack of lies.

This is odd, there are still no apologies for pitchforking and smearing this family appearing on the hate sites; are they too ashamed, or something?

Sickeningly, some of the McCann-haters were demanding that the little girl be permanently taken from her family - on the basis of false allegations.

What does that say about the likes of them?

Disgusting; far from apologising, one of the hounders is trying to organise hatespam:


It strikes me that this is a golden opportunity to get our views of the McCanns on the Have Your Say facility - both comments there at the moment have done just that...


And then they wonder why the media detests them?

I agree with you bb1: "I am sure that that is what happened, thankfully, social services realised the allegations were a pack of lies." about pitchforkers, perhaps these morons should suffer the same, at least, for moments, to feel the despair in their skins, but, I doubt that, even under such despair, they showed any concern, except for themselves.

Perhaps they should pay more attention to things like this:

http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/actualidade/familia-ignora-bebe-asfixiado-com-video

A Portuguese woman who allegedly killed three of her young children in succession before anyone noticed.

I agree with you bb1, these antis should also look at this:

http://www.jn.pt/paginainicial/interior.aspx?content_id=2732615

Castro Marim: PJ investigates alleged crimes of homicide and suicide by the mother of the children

Faro, 23 Aug (Lusa) - The Judicial Police are investigating whether there were crimes of homicide and suicide in the case of the explosion on Wednesday in a villa in Castro Marim, which killed a woman and her two children, said that police source.

"Everything points to a picture of homicide and suicide by the mother of the children," the same source said, adding that among the victims was a jerrican transportation fuel, a lighter and the room was showered with fuel.

Besides children - a girl of 11 years and a boy of 13 -, the explosion caused the death of his mother, a dentist of 40 years, a Brazilian national.

I've read a bit about that one, Pedro - horrible.

Yes bb1, horrible indeed.

So, how does all the guff we are being continually told about how much children are universally loved in Portugal fit with this?

http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/detalhe/noticias/nacional/portugal/bebe-enterrado-sem-despedidas

Take: Killed by his mother at birth in Figueiró Wine

Baby buried without goodbyes

It was like a funeral in there was never any cemetery Marmelais in Tomar. Fast, silent and hopelessly lonely. The baby killed by mother in Figueiro dos Vinhos, was buried on Tuesday at the end of the day, 25 days after his death.



Flowers were placed baby's grave by undertaker

The tiny casket was carried by an employee of the funeral home and on-site witnessed the act two employees of the cemetery. There were no tears, no goodbyes. No family moved to the cemetery.
"It was very sad, very shocking," said Paul Besteiro, one of the gravediggers Cemetery Marmelais. Father of two children in infancy, told the CM that was so disturbed by the case that the next day was, himself, put a small bouquet of flowers in the little grave. These are the only flowers that boasts.
The boy did not actually have a name. Is the number 94 M plot, the cemetery reserves the graves of children.
The body of the newborn has been in recent weeks, the Institute of Legal Medicine of Tomar, since her mother, Alexandra, 27, was arrested by the PJ and confessed his son's death, as well as two others in recent years in similar circumstances.
Went into labor and once the baby was born, placed it in a plastic bag, choked him and hid him in a wardrobe in his bedroom in the house where he lived with his parents.
The family ensures not have noticed anything, not even pregnancy. The family also complained not the body of the newborn, who was buried after undergoing several tests expert, a social funeral.
Alexandra is provisionally arrested in Prison Santa Cruz do Bispo in Matosinhos.

-----------

And no-one showed the child the slightest respect in death except for the grave-diggers and undertaker.

Descansa em paz pequenino, a tua alma está agora e para toda a eternidade protegida por Deus.

Rest in peace little one, your soul is now under God´s protection for all eternity.