Seeing as the press cover has pretty much covered every part of the whole story already, even down to accusations that he was seen by people who knew him carrying a bin bag to the river, I have a very nasty feeling that a fair trial is going to be impossible!

Absolutely, tbh i find the opinions of those above trying to lay blame at the parents door dispicable.

This. A 5 year old girl was playing out in her street with her friends. There will be kids her age playing on my street tonight, and long may it continue. These things do happen very occasionally , it’s absolutely heartbreaking, but thankfully its incredibly rare.

Kay Burley should lose her job, disgusting reporting.

No, I wouldn’t, but plenty would. It’s the McCanns all over again. The parents are in the wrong, but now’s not the time to get into that.

And its in West Wales, so lighter than most of the rest of the UK – and were you not allowed out at 5?

No, I wasn’t.

My kids (8,4 and 3) are not allowed to roam unsupervised either.

My kids (8,4 and 3) are not allowed to roam unsupervised either

who said April was roaming unsupervised???

She was abducted by someone known to the family/area…..

This is so sad, and makes me feel sick to the stomach. I too have a 5 year old and would be inconsolable, so I cannot imagine what the parents are going through.

Why can’t we just live out our own lives without having to interact with scum?

Just see the interview by Skys Kay Burley which is an abhorrent sectionalisation of a tragic storey, this is an example of the lowest form of journalism.

Feeding on an horrific situation just to fill 24hr news sickening

No, I wasn’t.

My kids (8,4 and 3) are not allowed to roam unsupervised either.

We were, but then cul-de-sac and 40 years ago with few cars.

My youngest wasn’t allowed so much when younger, but that was due more to the house location and road than anything else.

As someone who’s been out searching for April, I have to say it really is like looking for a needle in a haystack, in places you could be as little as 5 feet from something and not know it’s there. I think the local community is resigned to the fact we’re now looking for a body … very sad days.

would you let a 5 year old play in the street at 19:00 in the evening unsupervised?

Yes – my 5yo is occasionally out in the street near our house unsupervised (though playing with other kids). The only reason it’s not frequent rather than occasional is that we also have a 3yo who does get supervised.

You know what one of my greatest regrets with my kids is that I can’t just let them out to play (despite a hige parade ground / green in front of my house) they’ll never experience the freedom I had when I was their age, and yet as we’re quickly discovering the early 70s I grew up weren’t the innocent times we thought they were..

The 70s were in general no more or less innocent than now. If you survived being given some freedom, then so will they. Why exactly can’t you let them out to play? You do realise that the reason this case is getting so much publicity is that it’s so incredibly unusual?

an example of the lowest form of journalism

It’s not journalism.

A terrible situation for those involved, but the griefmongering in the media has been despicable. I had to turn the news off the other morning when they had an expert on talking in great detail about the various medical conditions the little girl was suffering from – cerebral palsy, irritable bowel syndrome etc. Details like this don’t need publicised and it only fuels the grief hounds. Incidents like this create some truly bizarre reactions in people. Yesterday on Facebook I noticed someone was attending a “Facebook candlelight vigil for April Jones”. How that works is beyond me.

Bottom line is I hope the girl is found safe and well and returned to her family. Everything else is just ghoulish voyeurism.

Just to be clear I was asking a genuine question. I dont know the area, if others do, then I bow to their superior knowledge.
I watched her mother on TV and I couldn’t hold back my tears. My son is only 5, if anything happened to him, I honestly think I’d just fall apart.
I can only hope that shes found alive and well.

You do realise that the reason this case is getting so much publicity is that it’s so incredibly unusual?

Actually, it’s because that’s what CEOP does when a child goes missing – they ensure maximum and ongoing media coverage, especially in the so-called “golden hours”.

As someone who’s been out searching for April, I have to say it really is like looking for a needle in a haystack, in places you could be as little as 5 feet from something and not know it’s there. I think the local community is resigned to the fact we’re now looking for a body … very sad days.

Brave man. Machyn is a lovely place – pass through it on way to/from visiting my mum (near Cardigan). It’s famed for its close community, and for being somewhere so friendly.

Hope the wounds heal in due course.

i can’t stand stories like this because of the way they’re covered. not thrilled to see this here tbh, unless for example it’s likely a cyclist would have been in the area, can’t see the relevance in this forum. just so much voyeurism, urgh.
time to go watch BrassEye paedophile special?
edit: not talking about people in local area, those searching etc., where obviously it’s very relevant.

Just to be clear I was asking a genuine question. I dont know the area, if others do, then I bow to their superior knowledge.

I (and I think most others) took it as one. Not specific to that area – I was commenting on my area, though I acknowledge there are plenty of places I wouldn’t let my 5yo out on his own. The question then is how old do they have to be to be let out on their own. What age would that be for you, bigyinn?

smiff.

It was put on the forum to see if locals and riders from outside the locality might be able to assist in some way. Mach is a known MTB area (this place might be a fertile ground for witnesses). I thought that would have been fairly obvious! Nothing to do with voyeurism??? Riders from other parts travel to the location – they might have seen something relevant. 🙄

Actually, it’s because that’s what CEOP does when a child goes missing – they ensure maximum and ongoing media coverage, especially in the so-called “golden hours”.

Yes, but if it happened all the time, would CEOP be able to get this level of publicity?

deluded. sorry but just sticky saying “anyone cycling in area” and local police # would have been fine, by now anyone would have seen national/international coverage. kid obviously dead. discussion (same crap we hear every time) can be had on dailymail.co.uk or wherever.

edit: alright, it’s an emotional issue for lots of people. the reference to BrassEye was intended as criticism of the media, not anyone here.
you were absolutely right to post this thread, but by now, it’s serving no purpose. just like most of the media coverage. unfortunately.

I’m a police officer that has worked on countless murder enquiries.

I posted this thread about 1/2 an hour after it hit the BBC News site.

It’s simple. People from all over the country travel to Mach to cycle mountain bikes some of whom might frequent this forum. A MTB’r may have been in possession of a piece of information that could have helped to find her (at that stage it was a suspected abduction). It was a long shot sure, but one worth taking. In my experience sometimes these long shots to canvass for witnesses pay off.

EDIT.

I hope she is found alive and well, but I am not optimistic. If there was something I could usefully do, I would do it, but there is not. It’s so sad. Half of me wants to hover over the 24 hour news channels to see if she’s been found and the other half feels it’s ghoulish and intrusive.

MODS – the purpose of this thread does seem now to have elapsed. Feel free to lock.

Yes, but if it happened all the time, would CEOP be able to get this level of publicity?

Indeed.

The question then is how old do they have to be to be let out on their own. What age would that be for you, bigyinn?

Probably best discuss on a new thread, rather than clog up this with trivia.