McCanns were broke in 2007

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Back in the summer of 2007 when the McCanns stayed in Portugal for four months following the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine, the two wealthy doctors were in financial difficulty. Gerry McCann’s sister Patricia recently revealed that family members helped them to pay the mortgage payments on their house in Rothley, Leicestershire.

Quoted in the Daily Record (here), Patricia Cameron said:

“It is so hard to watch Kate and Gerry push themselves constantly. When Madeleine first went missing, family and friends had to step in to help them pay the mortgage.

“Money is constantly tight but they have to keep going. They will never give up looking and that costs money. Families of the missing still need to pay bills while they search but there is no right to any financial help.”

Back at the end of October 2007, it was revealed that the McCanns had used the fund set up to look for their daughter to pay mortgage payments on their home. This, understandably caused an outrage and their spokesman Clarence Mitchell clarified the situation in a BBC article (here). Mitchell said:

“The fund has always had the ability to assist the family financially if necessary. Kate and Gerry McCann stopped using the fund in September when they were made formal suspects in the case.”

Money, or lack of it, is always a motive in a homicide case. Why did the British Government deny the Portuguese police the necessary financial information on Kate Healy and Gerry McCann? Surely in a homicide case this information was crucial to the investigators in trying to establish if there was a motive behind Madeleine’s disappearance. Patrica Cameron has revealed what a lot of people believed at the time – that Madeleine McCann’s parents were in financial difficulty.

Here is the full article as published in the Daily Record on December 23, 2010:

Madeleine McCann’s aunt explains why she has joined charity for missing people.. and how search for little girl goes on

Dec 23 2010 Exclusive by Annie Brown

IN the window of Patricia Cameron’s porch is a photo of her niece Madeleine McCann with the caption, “Still missing, still missed, still looking.”

Another Christmas is about to pass, the fourth since Madeleine disappeared in May 2007, leaving only pain and longing behind.

Patricia said: “Christmas is one of the toughest times. But every family occasion is marred because there is a little person who is not there.

“It doesn’t get any easier. If anything, it gets harder.”

This week, Patricia became a family representative for the charity Missing People, who help with searches and support those left behind.

She wanted to take on the role to highlight the plight of the many left with a void in their life – the parents, the children, the sisters, the brothers, the uncles and the aunts of the missing.

The organisation are asking the Government to give families of missing people the same rights as victims of crime, access to legal and financial assistance and emotional support.

It hurts Patricia deeply to watch her little brother Gerry and his wife Kate grow emotionally and physically weaker because of the loss and endless searching for Madeleine.

Patricia said: “Gerry is the baby of the family. I feel very protective and it hurts me to see him looking so tired. They are both just exhausted. They have so much on their plate.

“They are overwhelmed by trying to be breadwinners, investigators and parents. That’s why I support the Missing Rights campaign. People need all the help they can get.”

Madeleine was snatched from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, as Gerry and Kate dined nearby.

For the McCanns, there was a desperate need for funds to pay for legal advice and a worldwide search.

Patricia said: “It is so hard to watch Kate and Gerry push themselves constantly. When Madeleine first went missing, family and friends had to step in to help them pay the mortgage.

“Money is constantly tight but they have to keep going. They will never give up looking and that costs money. Families of the missing still need to pay bills while they search but there is no right to any financial help.”

After Madeleine disappeared, Patricia took on the role of babysitter for Kate and Gerry’s twins, Sean and Amelie, now five, while their parents searched.

As a result, there is a close bond between Patricia and the children.

She bathes the twins when she visits the McCanns and chats to them about Madeleine and her memories of her.

Patricia said: “Kate listens sometimes. It is always nice for her to hear someone else’s memories of Madeleine, something more of her little girl.”

There are treasured photos of Madeleine as a toddler, with her aunt holding her in her arms. Patricia was Madeleine’s godmother and there was a special bond between them.

When Patricia and her mum, Eileen, visited her son, Paul, who was studying medicine at Cambridge, she would pick Madeleine up from the nearby McCann family home and take her on a special day out.

Patricia said: “She would say to the twins they were too little to come and so it was just her. That made her feel grown-up. We would have lunch and feed ducks in the park. Not expensive things, just precious memories.

“There were times she had my mum and I in stitches. She was so sharp and funny.”

And Patricia remembers vividly a holiday in Ireland with 46 extended family and friends, and playing rounders on the beach.

Patricia said: “Madeleine was a little daredevil. She was the only one who would go in the water. It was the Atlantic and it was freezing. She was a determined little thing.”

Madeleine’s grandparents suffer terribly. Eileen and Kate’s parents, Susan and Brian Healy, fear they’ll never see her again.

Patricia said: “My mum and Kate’s parents have become very close. They understand each other and what they are going through.

“It is hard for them. They think about Madeleine all the time and have some terrible days. A friend of my mum’s died recently. When she was sick, she told my mum she would send her a sign from heaven to let her know if Madeleine was there.”

Eileen calls the twins her bonny lassie and bonny laddie, and carries one under each arm.

Patricia added: “They are crazy about their granny.”

Christmas cards from the McCanns are still signed with the names of all three children.

And there are still Christmas presents in Madeleine’s room ready for her to come home.

In the meantime, Kate is exhausted juggling family life with writing a book she hopes will help finance the continued search for her daughter.

It is expected to be in shops next April, to coincide with the fourth anniversary of her disappearance.

Patricia is a nurse and the hands-on carer in the family.

Perhaps that’s why it is unusual for her to take on a task like this for Missing People. The lobbying and the campaigning have always been roles for Gerry and Kate.

But they are just too busy. Patricia spent a few days with them last week to give them a break before Christmas.

She said: “Gerry has changed. He is more serious and is always exhausted. It breaks my heart to see him like that.

“Kate has always been thin but they have just had the cold and she looks even thinner now.

“They are both drained emotionally, psychologically and physically.

“They are on a treadmill. They are trying to do their best for their wee daughter who is missing and they are trying to do their best for the wee twins in front of them.

“That’s why organisations like Missing People are vital. I wish at the beginning we had used the kind of support they offer.”

Patricia will never give up hope that Madeleine will be found.

She said: “There are cases of people being hidden and kept for years and those cases give you hope. You have to think like that.

“She could be alive. We just haven’t found her.”

There were over 40,000 incidents of people going missing in Scotland last year.

Missing People have caring, highly skilled staff and volunteers working around the clock all over the UK.

The role of Family Representative is the first of several planned new volunteer opportunities available in Scotland, and involves acting as a spokesperson to the media and local community.

See www.missingpeople.org.uk

Three years of heartbreak

TIMELINE

May 3, 2007 Madeleine disappears from Praia da Luz, days before her fourth birthday.

May 7, 2007 Police release a description of the kidnapper.

May 10, 2007 Police question Kate and Gerry about why their kids were alone in the apartment.

May 11, 2007 Search of local area called off.

May 12, 2007 Madeleine’s fourth birthday.

May 15, 2007 Local resident Robert Murat is named as an official suspect.

Late May 2007 McCanns enlist help of private investigators.

May 30, 2007 McCanns meet the Pope in Rome.

June 17, 2007 Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa claims vital clues may have been destroyed.

September 7, 2007 Gerry and Kate named as suspects.

September 9, 2007 Gerry and Kate return home.

September 16, 2007 Sir Richard Branson donates £100,000 for McCanns’ legal bill.

October 2, 2007 Policeman in charge of inquiry is removed from case and demoted.

November 1, 2007 Gerry returns to work as surgeon.

July 21, 2008 Robert Murat and Kate and Gerry McCann have official suspect status lifted.

July 21, 2008 Portuguese attorney general archives the case. It can be reopened if new evidence comes to light.

May 1, 2009 A projected photo of Madeleine aged six is released.

May 22, 2009 Convicted paedophile Raymond Hewlett denies anything to do with Madeleine’s disappearance.

December 21, 2009 Facebook page claiming to be created by Madeleine’s kidnapper is removed.

January 28, 2010 On 1000th day since disappearance, McCanns host a £150-a-head fundraising dinner.

November 2, 2010 McCanns launch online petition calling for joint review of the case by Portuguese and UK governments.

November 3, 2010 McCanns appeal for cash as Find Madeleine Fund, which once topped £2million, runs dry.




Comment by ThenThereWere4
February 24th, 2011 at 8:14 am
The McCanns had no money in the bank to pay their mortgage in June and July of 2007. Thank god for the fund.
The ‘affluent McCanns’ was always a media deceit. The Mark Warner holiday camp is nothing more than a Pontins on the Algarve. It’s clientele are not the UK’s wealthy but the Uk’s impoverished middle classes. Another lie.

Hold on a second ...

Pontins in the Algarve or not - who books a holiday when they can't pay their mortgage?

Who buys strawberries in M&S when they are hard up?

A consultant cardiologist salary is between £42k and £142k a year and a locum GP (which Kate was in 2007) between £41K and £145K per annum, pro rata.


http://www.empire-locums.co.uk/doctor-salary.asp

Now I know that people tend to live to their means ... but there is plenty of room for personal belt tightening here. This is just another 'feel sorry for the McCanns' piece but from a different angle - one which is presumably meant to justify them living off of the fund and deflect any criticism of them for doing so ... which makes me wonder just what is about to be revealed

This strengthens my belief that this was all a giant financial hoax with the aim of setting up the McCanns for the rest of their unsavoury lives. Originally I hoped that Madeleine had been stashed away somewhere safe but there is now too much evidence that she is dead.

She bathes the twins when she visits the McCanns and chats to them about Madeleine and her memories of her.

Patricia said: “Kate listens sometimes. It is always nice for her to hear someone else’s memories of Madeleine, something more of her little girl.”

---

the mccanns will have to spend the rest of their lifes on edge the day will come when it wont be nice to hear someone else's memorie of madeleine

I think some people are being unfair to the McCann's - and I am no supporter of theirs!

They had no money to pay their mortgage in June and July (2007) someone posted. Well their holiday was the first week in May and in the normal course of events they would have returned to work after that holiday. Now I understand that Gerry was on unpaid leave after the 'disappearance' and that their mortgage was £2000 pm. Also Kate has never returned to work as a GP.

How many couples with three children could pay their mortgage if their income stopped?

And it is likely that the McCanns had no savings as having IVF treatments as they did is very expensive.

I don't have a problem with the Fund being used to pay the mortgage (ie keep a roof over their heads - and the twins) while Gerry was on unpaid leave. Obviously when he returned to work such financial support would be unacceptable - but there is not suggestion that such support was given then.

Someone has said they shouldn't have been buying Marks and Spencer strawberries. This is very petty - and plays into the hands of McCann supporters who want to brand we McCann cynics as evil and vindictive people.

It would be useful to know their financial situation at the time of the holiday. Its possible they were in debt due to the IVF treatments, and/or to other factors of which we are not aware. if this was the case, it would not prove anything - but would explain why they did not book the babysitting service even though Kate has said not using the service was 'not about the money.'

I would also like to know how much went on salaries in the Fund and in particular for John McCann who apparently gave up his permanent job despite mortgage and family commitments to work for the fund. Information from the accounts posted on another discussion thread is scanty. In Ireland, limited company accounts have to include a note detailing the total gross salaries figure (ie total paid to all employees) and the no of employees. This may not be the case for UK accounts.

I thought I read somewhere that Gerry remained on full pay for quite some time but I can't remember any details, perhaps someone else might know? I accept that even if I did read it, that's no proof that it's true!

Jean wrote:I thought I read somewhere that Gerry remained on full pay for quite some time but I can't remember any details, perhaps someone else might know? I accept that even if I did read it, that's no proof that it's true!

Presumably the NHS has a policy on special leave with pay - does anyone know what it is? I think however it is doubtful that Gerry would have had months on full pay when on leave despite the special circumstances. Unpaid leave yes, but I would have thought a month maximum on full pay.

Does Kate's book which is 'truthful' give us this information?

Well imo an abduction of a child, leading to untold stress, not sleeping, eating, etc., would qualify for sick leave. How could someone go about their job, especially such a job as dealing with life threatening decisions. I would have thought that you wouldn't even need to ask for sick leave, it would be given in such circumstances, especially as it was such a high profile case in the media. How would it have looked if the employers looked so uncaring. I could just see the newspaper headlines...... I can't think of any employer that would not be sympathetic.

pauline wrote:I think some people are being unfair to the McCann's - and I am no supporter of theirs!

They had no money to pay their mortgage in June and July (2007) someone posted. Well their holiday was the first week in May and in the normal course of events they would have returned to work after that holiday. Now I understand that Gerry was on unpaid leave after the 'disappearance' and that their mortgage was £2000 pm. Also Kate has never returned to work as a GP.

How many couples with three children could pay their mortgage if their income stopped?

And it is likely that the McCanns had no savings as having IVF treatments as they did is very expensive.

I don't have a problem with the Fund being used to pay the mortgage (ie keep a roof over their heads - and the twins) while Gerry was on unpaid leave. Obviously when he returned to work such financial support would be unacceptable - but there is not suggestion that such support was given then.

Someone has said they shouldn't have been buying Marks and Spencer strawberries. This is very petty - and plays into the hands of McCann supporters who want to brand we McCann cynics as evil and vindictive people.

It would be useful to know their financial situation at the time of the holiday. Its possible they were in debt due to the IVF treatments, and/or to other factors of which we are not aware. if this was the case, it would not prove anything - but would explain why they did not book the babysitting service even though Kate has said not using the service was 'not about the money.'

I would also like to know how much went on salaries in the Fund and in particular for John McCann who apparently gave up his permanent job despite mortgage and family commitments to work for the fund. Information from the accounts posted on another discussion thread is scanty. In Ireland, limited company accounts have to include a note detailing the total gross salaries figure (ie total paid to all employees) and the no of employees. This may not be the case for UK accounts.

The gist of the OP article is Patricia Cameron's belief that the McCann's (and other Families who have filed missing persons reports) should be entitled to some kind of Government Financial Support.

In that context buying strawberries at M&S is relevant ... can you imagine the outcry if single mothers on benefits were all able to shop at M&S?

Seven years ago I was diagnosed with cancer, requiring surgery and a minimum of three months away from work. I was the sole breadwinner, had 3 children to support, no savings and received only SSP (as full sick pay isn't mandatory in the UK) .... yet I still had to meet my mortgage, bills etc. Like thousands of other people who find themselves in that situation yearly, we survived on credit, by economising, with a little leeway being cut by our creditors and by my returning to work in under six weeks Why didn't the McCanns do the same?

My understanding too is that, much like Local Gov't, the NHS is extremely generous in regard to paid leave and that Gerry McCann was on full, paid, compassionate leave.

LittleMissMolly wrote:

pauline wrote:I think some people are being unfair to the McCann's - and I am no supporter of theirs!

They had no money to pay their mortgage in June and July (2007) someone posted. Well their holiday was the first week in May and in the normal course of events they would have returned to work after that holiday. Now I understand that Gerry was on unpaid leave after the 'disappearance' and that their mortgage was £2000 pm. Also Kate has never returned to work as a GP.

How many couples with three children could pay their mortgage if their income stopped?

And it is likely that the McCanns had no savings as having IVF treatments as they did is very expensive.

I don't have a problem with the Fund being used to pay the mortgage (ie keep a roof over their heads - and the twins) while Gerry was on unpaid leave. Obviously when he returned to work such financial support would be unacceptable - but there is not suggestion that such support was given then.

Someone has said they shouldn't have been buying Marks and Spencer strawberries. This is very petty - and plays into the hands of McCann supporters who want to brand we McCann cynics as evil and vindictive people.

It would be useful to know their financial situation at the time of the holiday. Its possible they were in debt due to the IVF treatments, and/or to other factors of which we are not aware. if this was the case, it would not prove anything - but would explain why they did not book the babysitting service even though Kate has said not using the service was 'not about the money.'

I would also like to know how much went on salaries in the Fund and in particular for John McCann who apparently gave up his permanent job despite mortgage and family commitments to work for the fund. Information from the accounts posted on another discussion thread is scanty. In Ireland, limited company accounts have to include a note detailing the total gross salaries figure (ie total paid to all employees) and the no of employees. This may not be the case for UK accounts.

The gist of the OP article is Patricia Cameron's belief that the McCann's (and other Families who have filed missing persons reports) should be entitled to some kind of Government Financial Support.

In that context buying strawberries at M&S is relevant ... can you imagine the outcry if single mothers on benefits were all able to shop at M&S?

Seven years ago I was diagnosed with cancer, requiring surgery and a minimum of three months away from work. I was the sole breadwinner, had 3 children to support, no savings and received only SSP (as full sick pay isn't mandatory in the UK) .... yet I still had to meet my mortgage, bills etc. Like thousands of other people who find themselves in that situation yearly, we survived on credit, by economising, with a little leeway being cut by our creditors and by my returning to work in under six weeks Why didn't the McCanns do the same?

My understanding too is that, much like Local Gov't, the NHS is extremely generous in regard to paid leave and that Gerry McCann was on full, paid, compassionate leave.

Littlemissmolly, i hope you have recovered well hun. and that it stays away.

Hugs
Mini Sleuth

Awww - Thank You Hon

From the Horse's mouth. (Kates book).

We had been in Portugal ourselves for almost three weeks.
For the moment, Gerry was on paid compassionate leave. As a locum, I wasn’t entitled to this but the partners at my surgery
all agreed they wanted to give me two months’ pay, which was greatly appreciated.

So, that confirms they were broke, they were both getting paid, yet the Fund paid the Mortgage.

Baronstu wrote:From the Horse's mouth. (Kates book).

We had been in Portugal ourselves for almost three weeks.
For the moment, Gerry was on paid compassionate leave. As a locum, I wasn’t entitled to this but the partners at my surgery
all agreed they wanted to give me two months’ pay, which was greatly appreciated.

So, that confirms they were broke, they were both getting paid, yet the Fund paid the Mortgage.

Thanks Baronstu

Further in the book:

Meanwhile, on 2 July, we had moved out of the Ocean Club and into a rented villa, the cheapest we could find that suited our
requirements (Gerry was now on unpaid leave), in Parque Luz, about ten minutes’ walk away.

I find that hard to believe, the NHS like most Public employers is very generous with their time off, usually 6 months full pay, six months half pay.

Baronstu wrote:Further in the book:

Meanwhile, on 2 July, we had moved out of the Ocean Club and into a rented villa, the cheapest we could find that suited our
requirements (Gerry was now on unpaid leave), in Parque Luz, about ten minutes’ walk away.

I find that hard to believe, the NHS like most Public employers is very generous with their time off, usually 6 months full pay, six months half pay.

But doesn't that refer to sick pay? Public employers are indeed generous re sick pay.

Gerry was not sick and by their own account they didn't have sleeping problems etc. An earlier poster has referred to sick leave being warranted in this case as parents in this position would not be able to work efficiently (especially a surgeon) due to stress. But it was really special leave he was on.

It would appear as though Gerry got up to 2 months on full pay. I actually would trust Kate on this one! So assuming no savings they would have needed financial help with the mortgage from July 2007. They apparently got 2 months mortgage money which covered the time he was not paid until he returned to work.

Baronstu wrote:Further in the book:

Meanwhile, on 2 July, we had moved out of the Ocean Club and into a rented villa, the cheapest we could find that suited our
requirements (Gerry was now on unpaid leave), in Parque Luz, about ten minutes’ walk away.

I find that hard to believe, the NHS like most Public employers is very generous with their time off, usually 6 months full pay, six months half pay.

Yes, I find it hard to believe that Gerry McCann was placed on unpaid leave as early as July ... especially considering the huge publicity surrounding the case. I also find it hard to believe because the McCanns or their extended family never miss/missed an opportunity to play the victim in the media - and playing the 'we can't afford to stay in Portugal because Gerry isn't being paid by the big, bad, NHS' card would have been irresistible

Don't I also remember that the villa was lent to them rent free?

I agree that the six months on full pay and six months on half pay would normally be the case if someone were sick. It would be difficult to for Glenfield to justify GMc being on sick pay in the circumstances. Despite the stressful circumstances, the extensive travelling and publicity undertaken by the Mccanns might result in any decision to put him on sick pay being subsequently challenged if it became public knowledge.

I suspect that GMcs absence from early May to November 2007 ( when he returned to work part time) would have been covered by a combination of compassionate leave, outstanding annual leave and some unpaid leave.

However, I have always found these statements about paying their mortgage to be odd. Would it not have been possible for the Mccanns to arrange a mortgage holiday for this period? Remember this was at the time when banks and building societies were falling over themselves to give people money...

Be that as it may, my cynicism in relation to anything the Mccanns say has made me wonder whether they needed a sum of money quickly from the fund and it had to be explained away by saying it was to pay their mortgage. Do we have any concrete proof that mortgage payments were actually made?

I can actually remember seeing Kate and Gerry talking to the media and they were standing outside and talking about the Fund and Gerry said "Keep the money coming in". I thought at the time that Madeleine had only been missing a week or so and why were they desperate for money when the police were still investigating her disappearance.

If Madeleine had been found, what did they intend to do with the money?

alison wrote:I agree that the six months on full pay and six months on half pay would normally be the case if someone were sick. It would be difficult to for Glenfield to justify GMc being on sick pay in the circumstances. Despite the stressful circumstances, the extensive travelling and publicity undertaken by the Mccanns might result in any decision to put him on sick pay being subsequently challenged if it became public knowledge.

I suspect that GMcs absence from early May to November 2007 ( when he returned to work part time) would have been covered by a combination of compassionate leave, outstanding annual leave and some unpaid leave.

However, I have always found these statements about paying their mortgage to be odd. Would it not have been possible for the Mccanns to arrange a mortgage holiday for this period? Remember this was at the time when banks and building societies were falling over themselves to give people money...

Be that as it may, my cynicism in relation to anything the Mccanns say has made me wonder whether they needed a sum of money quickly from the fund and it had to be explained away by saying it was to pay their mortgage. Do we have any concrete proof that mortgage payments were actually made?

Incomings:

£1,223,629.31 + merchandise sales + interest (official findmadeleine.com website no longer carries a running total for the fund so impossible to say what current figures are)

£550,000 from Express Group settlement

£1,773,629.31 Total incomings, although this must be higher due to interviews/donations which have not been publicly declared

Outgoings:

£300,000 - Setting up the fund/Misc expenses/Promotional

£51,000 - Fees to Justine McGuiness as official spokesperson, based on £350 per day for 89 days (£31,150) + overtime payments and expenses - including bar and restaurant bills (£19,850).

£300,000 - Metodo 3 (based on 6 month contract @ £50,000 per month).

£4,000+ - Mortgage payments + 'living expenses'

£655,000+ Total outgoings


http://www.mccannfiles.com/id58.html

alison wrote:
However, I have always found these statements about paying their mortgage to be odd. Would it not have been possible for the Mccanns to arrange a mortgage holiday for this period? Remember this was at the time when banks and building societies were falling over themselves to give people money...

Be that as it may, my cynicism in relation to anything the Mccanns say has made me wonder whether they needed a sum of money quickly from the fund and it had to be explained away by saying it was to pay their mortgage. Do we have any concrete proof that mortgage payments were actually made?

This is a very good point. As a doctor with a good salary and given the circumstances, any bank/building society would have extended the loan for a few months so they need not pay for the period immediately after the 'abduction.' As you say the financial institutions were flush with cash - and would not have risked bad publicity by not facilitating the McCanns.

If they had debts from the IVF treatment, why not say so? That would get them sympathy. Such treatment is very expensive as I know from a relative who tried it for several years - it took all her savings and an inheritance from her mother. But she got a healthy baby when she was 44.

Doctors have many ways of making money. I'll bet the McScams never stopped bringing in the bucks for one second.

Wonder what the incentives/remunerations were for being on the subcommittee of COMARE?



GM's name remained on the members list for quite some time before it was whooshed I recall.

I can't believe that a doctor in his position was only living from one month to the next and wouldn't have anything in the bank for rainy days. Most people, surely, have at least a couple of months back-up. He also worked at Spire Hospital which is private and would pay more per hour than Glenfield.

Anna wrote:I can't believe that a doctor in his position was only living from one month to the next and wouldn't have anything in the bank for rainy days. Most people, surely, have at least a couple of months back-up. He also worked at Spire Hospital which is private and would pay more per hour than Glenfield.

I've worked in finance for many years and believe me you cannot assume people have money because they are professional and on an appropriate salary. Sometimes its the people with modest incomes who have significant savings because they don't spend. People are different. Generous people regardless of their actual income in my experience rarely have much saved. As I have posted earlier, I think the IVF treatments could have left the McCanns with a loan other than the mortgage loan on their house.

Does anyone know what the takehome pay of a married man would be on £75000 after tax and national insurance?

I may not be remembering this correctly but I do recall something whereby after the original fund was set up a second fund was mentioned. I think it was going to be a seprate fund from Madeleine's money and it was going to be a "fighting fund" for their legal expenses etc.

If I am remembering wrong than apologies but I am sure there was talk about such a thing by Mr McCann.

It does appear that many people have had a share of Madeleine's fund for one reason or another. Whether that is wrong or right depends on how the individual views what counts as a cost in searching for Madeleine.

pauline wrote:

I think the IVF treatments could have left the McCanns with a loan other than the mortgage loan on their house.

How do you know that they even had to pay for their IVF?

They could have entered into a funded program for research purposes and got it all done for free.