Portugal holiday couple claim they were drugged not drunk before children were seized

A British couple who allegedly got so drunk on holiday that they passed out while in charge of their three young children believe they were drugged, it was reported today.

Bank of Ireland manager Eamon McGuckin, 34, and his wife Antoinette, 32,were due to attend a hearing at the Family and Minors Court in Faro, Portugal, yesterday afternoon but failed to appear.

A spokesman said: "There were no legal restrictions on them having to stay and there was no obligation for them to be in court."

Hotel staff in Vilamoura in the Algarve called police after the couple collapsed on Friday night.

They were taken to a health centre in nearby Loule while their children Adam, one, Amy, two, and Aaron, six, were temporarily taken into care at the Refugio Aboim Ascensao children's home in Faro.

The youngsters arrived at the home at 5am on Saturday and remained there until their parents came to collect them at noon after the on-duty public attorney ruled they should be returned.

The couple, who had arrived in the resort earlier that day, fear their drinks were spiked by robbers who target new arrivals, the Daily Mirror reported today.

The couple are said to have have told friends they became ill around 30 minutes after drinking a jug of sangria. The couple's former GP Dr Cyril Harkin said: "I've known them for years. They were drugged. I have no doubt."

Nationalist SDLP councillor Kate Lagan knows the family, who are from Maghera, Northern Ireland.

She said: "They are very quiet people and the local community is totally and utterly supportive of them. Everybody knows them and that is the important thing.


'Lives for his family': Eamon McGuckin holding a child
"They left Portugal because they were told there was no need for them to stay and they knew there would be a media frenzy around the courthouse."

She insisted that it was incorrect to suggest that they had been irresponsibly drinking and said that Mrs McGuckin was sick and that was why an ambulance was called. She added that the hot weather had an affect on the couple.



The incident happened just 45 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine McCann went missing from her family's holiday apartment while her parents dined nearby.



The parents and their children arrived at the Aparthotel Mourabel in Vilamoura on Friday for a week-long holiday.



On the same evening they had reportedly been drinking at a nearby bar with a happy hour promotion where a pint of lager is sold for just one euro.

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Interesting but why are people not shouting for their kids to be taken off them even though we only have one side of the story?

Surely, if they had been drugged, it would be easy to prove through tests.

Mandz - like you I am surprised that there aren't cries of "neglect" and "imprison them". It was written today in the Irish Independent that they were unlikely to face any neglect charges, yet on Vile's bleugh of hell there are only few comments and they are talking about Ikea, that Vile's bleugh is apparently international and she doesn't care about what English is used (whereas apparently we are sticklers for grammar!!!! - idiot woman), Hope has gone into martyr mode and LGC has decided that we are the bullies (obviously never reads the blog that she/he/whatever posts on). Yet not one mention of child neglect! Double standards?

The reason why they are not falling foul of the hang 'em and flog 'em brigade, is because they know this whole thing is dodgy.

I thought that something was not quite right about this right from the off. I thought it sounded really strange and I was wondering how two people could get paralytic at the same time. I wrote on another thread yesterday about this and said I thought their drinks were spiked and I thought it may have been done by someone who thought they could get to the children, once the parents were out of it. The papers here today say their drinks may have been spike by robbers, who knows? I believe this couple, I cannot believe that two people who their local community say this is completely out of character for would have so much to drink while they had three tiny children with them, 1 year, 2 years and 6 years? No way I just do not believe it.

As I keep saying something is very, very wrong in Portugal, you would not want to take your family on holiday there would you?

Thank God this attempt failed and they have got out of that country with their children intact!

I've not followed this story too much, my first thoughts were how convenient, another story of British parents behaving "neglectfully" on the eve of Madeleines anniversary. I think the timing of it very, very suspect. Sorry, I can no longer trust anything that comes out of Portugal.

People really do drink that much, so it could have happened. However, drink spiking is a big problem in many countries, so that is also very possible.

I must admit, I wondered about how they both collapsed at the same time. When my ex husband and I were younger and used to hit the grog sometimes, we usually passed out at different times. (just joking) but even when we did have a big drink, we were alwasy at different stages.

I must admit that Rosie's theory definitely gave me cause for a good think. And Sass is quite right, they could have been drug tested, and in fact, if they were taken to hospital in Aust, they would have been tested for GHB or any of the other drink spiking drugs. I wonder why that test wasnt done in Portugal. Hey, I know, because the hospital was told they had been drinking all day, the same as was reported in the press. Now, if they had been drinking steadily all day, then yes both would be drunk but would both have passed out at the same time. Also, the original reports had them passing out at different times but later reports had it at almost the same time.

Drink spiking could be the culprit for sure. And why ????

Tinks like you I think this is odd the timing etc perhaps this was a set up - publicity thing for example: look what we (Portugal) have to deal with etc
As Rosie mentioned their community seemed really shocked as well as their GP who said they were most defiantly drugged. Beware anyone going to Portugal and why did they not keep them their and stop them from leaving the Country?