Who'd want to have to make these decisions?

Folk in the UK will have had to follow the Madeleine McCann case with appalled interest - it's hardly ever been out of the news since 3-year-old Madeleine disappeared from the hotel bedroom in Portugal four months ago, while the parents were eating dinner at the restaurant 100 m away. The parents, with support in the highest places (Gordon Brown was involved at some stage) have mounted a huge publicity campaign and posters of the child were all over UK airports during the summer. The Portuguese police has constantly been criticised, partly also because foreign media do not really understand police processes in different countries.

Now, it seems, British investigators have found DNA evidence which links Madeleine to a car that her parents hired 25 days after she disappeared. The suggestion is that Mrs McCann accidentally killed the daughter and somehow they disposed of the body together. Both parents are now officially suspects. The family who had vowed not to leave Portugal without Madeleine, departed, with the permission of the police, a day or two after they were officially made suspects.

Now, as if this is not enough, given that the family are now suspects in this case, this means that the social services are beginning to take an interest in the other two children in the family, and their safety. Should they be removed?

Imagine being the McCanns, and imagine if this accusation is erroneous - not only have they lost their daughter, but they may lose their other children, too. Of course, if the accusation is not erroneous...

Imagine also being the police officers if they have drawn the wrong conclusions and being responsible for potentially depriving the other two children of their parents.

Imagine being the two-year-old twins whose world has also been turned upside down enough already, with distraught parents around them, and now potentially being removed without understanding anything.

I'd hate to have to deal with this!