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Home / World

Cop finds disturbing echoes of tragic Maddie McCann case in hunt for missing teen Nora Quoirin

NZ Herald
9 Aug, 2019 03:50 AM4 mins to read

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Nora Quoirin, 15, was reported missing from a resort in Malaysia on Sunday. Photo / Supplied

Nora Quoirin, 15, was reported missing from a resort in Malaysia on Sunday. Photo / Supplied

A top British police officer says the disappearance of 15-year-old Nora Quoirin has disturbing echoes of the tragic case of Madeleine McCann.

Nora Quoirin has gone missing while on holiday with her parents in Malaysia.

Police have released photos of the hotel room window they say was found propped open and which they believe is the only way the British teen could have left the cottage from.

Unknown fingerprints were reportedly discovered earlier on the same window.

"Only the glass window exit was used. We are certain about this," a police officer told Malaysian media.

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Nora's family reportedly believe she was almost certainly abducted.

Police are now investigating the fingerprints.

"She would not have been able to open the window on her own and it was found propped open," Matthew Searle, of the Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT) told The Sun, on behalf of the family.

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"They also know Nora would not have walked off anywhere on her own."

Child protection expert Jim Gamble says Nora's case resembles that of Maddie McCann, who went missing on a family holiday with her parents and siblings in Portugal.

He also likened it to the disappearance of Ben Needham, who also went missing on a family holiday.

"Ultimately, the cases of children go missing abroad are so rare that we tend to know the names of all of them," he said.

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"This is now one of three cases that are similar... Ben Needham who went missing many years ago, Madeleine McCann who is still on everybody's minds and now Nora."

He says the British National Crime Agency has the expertise required to solve this case.

Nora, 15, is from London and disappeared from a holiday resort near the Berembun Forest Reserve on Sunday.

Hundreds of officers are part of a full-scale search for the missing teen, who has special needs.

The British expert says he hopes specialist help will be enlisted to join the officers already on the case in Malaysia.

"This is not because the Malaysian police do not have the necessary expertise... it is because the NCA is in a unique position to offer the world's very best help," he told The Sun.

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Gamble says the family is going through everybody's "worst nightmare".

"I am reassured talking to family that there are lots of resources from police doing structured work with regards to missing side of the search," he said.

"These cases are so rare that very few police forces have significant levels of experience in this.

"I hope the authorities, if they feel it would be helpful, are able to get access to the best technical and operational resources available to them.

"We all hope they used a belt and braces approach during the precious golden hours after Nora was first reported missing.

"They should have been checking whether there were any disgruntled staff members at the hotel or whether there has been any recent burglaries at the resort or in the surrounding areas."

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Gamble is a former police chief, who carried outside a full-scale review into the disappearance of Madeleine.

He says there are three possibilities about Nora's disappearance.

She could have walked off and got lost, she could have been harmed by someone she knows or she could have been abducted.

"I know that family are seriously considering the abduction theory, the police still seem to be pushing ahead with the missing (theory)," he told the BBC.

"The key thing is that the police, while they pursue their favoured missing theory, do not lose sight" of the other possible scenarios, he said.

Gamble described the family as "devastate" and "anxious beyond belief".

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Police in Malaysia will play a voice recording of Nora's mother over loudspeakers as they continue the hunt for the teen.

The message is "Nora darling, I love you... mum is here. Mum is here, Nora darling, my love."

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