BEFORE the singing of You'll Never Walk Alone at Anfield on the final day of the season, the stadium announcer asked fans to spare a thought for the missing youngster Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from her bedroom during a family holiday in Portugal.

This made me think of a conversation I had heard earlier in the day, which went like this: "Isn't it terrible about that little girl?"

It needed no further elaboration, and anybody hearing the remark would know what was being talked about.

The next bit of the conversation went: "But I wouldn't have left those kids alone."

Perhaps not, but I bet there isn't a parent alive who hasn't taken some sort of calculated risk. We do it all the time. We leave them on the changing table while we grab a nappy; we let them go down the slide alone for the first time, or allow them to walk to school alone for the first time.

A niggling inner voice may urge caution, but life is a series of risks and most of the time we trust all will be well.

It is easy to criticise. We do it to make ourselves feel better and to prove to ourselves that as parents we have absolute power over every situation.

The truth is, we don't and terrible, unthinkable things happen all the time. We just hope that when they do, they don't happen to us.

The McCanns simply made a decision they thought was for the best, and thought they had covered every angle, only this time they were wrong.

How could anybody not have been moved at the sight of Kate McCann clutching that cuddly toy, sniffing it to keep the smell of her daughter near? How would we cope, how would we hold up in these circumstances?

Kate McCann's face answers that question, the lines of grief and terror say it all. Nobody should judge her for what has happened, she will do that for herself. She will be haunted and plagued by "what ifs".

What if they hadn't gone out that night, what if they had chosen a different resort, what if they had gone a week later The only person to blame is whoever took Madeleine.

I have a daughter, and it sickens me to think there are people out there who harbour sick desires for children. It turns my stomach. What possible gratification do they get? What sets them off in pursuit of kids? What triggers such cravings?

I fully support every person who campaigns for the names and pictures of convicted sex offenders to be made public. These people are the scum of the earth, and 99 per cent of them will find it hard not to re-offend.

This puts every child in the land in danger.