The Madeleine story touches us all, especially parents. Few of us could honestly say we have never done anything which might have put our children at risk; for example breaking the speed limit with the kids in the back of the car.

The very idea that comments from the public on the McCanns behaviour should be censored is a disgrace, in my opinion.

I’ve read all here, and it seems to me that the majority are critical of the McCanns as parents. I am very critical too, and this word “mistake” which people keep using is the understatement of the year.

One doesn’t need parenting classes to know that leaving such very young children alone is wrong. Wrong! To leave toddlers alone like that — even if the worst that befalls them is hysterical crying when finding themsleves alone — is cruel. But add to that the dangers of suffocation, strangulation, fire, choking … what if Madeleine had got out of bed and assisted one of the twins out of theirs? What if they’d wandered out the door of their own accord? One of the twins could be dead or missing in such circumstances.

My children were babysat by their grandparents until the age of 9-10, when a local babysitter took over for us. Why why why did the McCanns not use a babysitter when one was obviously available?

The reference to “gardens” is a red herring. I have seen an aerial (helicopter) shot of the restaurant which also took in the apartment, and the distance shocked me. They left three children under four years old and went THAT distance to have a meal and drinks with their friends? And they did this every night?? It’s UNBELIEVABLE.

And their father says what they did was not considered bad parenting??

We, the public, had this story right ‘in our faces’ at top of the News, night after night after night. The McCanns were portrayed as poor sad victims - along with little Madeleine, who indeed is the poor sad victim, god help her. But NOBODY came on air to express any criticism of the parents. If there was any, it was kept well away from us on Sky. I saw none.

The very idea that we the public, concerned for that poor little girl AND looking askance at her parents, should be gagged, then or now, is preposterous.

You don’t have to believe this, but during the period of the early coverage, I said to my husband, “I’ll bet that at some stage, irrespective of the outcome, there will be a backlash against the McCanns on the grounds of negligence. It’s incredible that there hasn’t been already”.

I sincerely hope that no newspaper or TV channel was actually censoring critical comments in those early days. TV channels gave almost unlimited publicity to people who in my opinion are guilty of gross negligence. The appeal was warranted for the little girl — but NOT WITHOUT discussion of her parents’ behaviour.

I wish the McCanns to be tried and prosecuted for neglect amongst other charges. But their protestations of innocence and “mistake” do not sit well with me at all.

OF COURSE my priority is to see Madeleine found safe! It’s ridiculous that I should even have to say that before signing off. But I’m also fascinated to see that the vast majority of people seem to have felt the same as me, even if they had nowhere to express it in the early days.

Frankly, the media got this one wrong. Publicity in order to help find the child? Sure! But treating the parents as being saintly and without blame was a big mistake, and the public are now telling the media so. In spades. And I see nothing vindictive (in the vast majority of cases) at all.