UK officials have 'given up' on Madeleine, claims father
The father of Madeleine McCann urged the British government today to review her disappearance and said his “innocent, vulnerable” daughter had been “essentially given up on” by British authorities.
During a television interview days before the third anniversary of her disappearance, Gerry McCann said it was “cruel” that he and wife Kate had to lead efforts to find their child.
The couple have hired private investigators to look for Madeleine, who disappeared from a holiday flat in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.
In a pre-recorded interview broadcast today Mr McCann told GMTV’s Lorraine Kelly: “It’s not right that an innocent, vulnerable British citizen is essentially given up on.
“And I don’t think it’s right that as parents, that we have to drive the search. Of course we will, but not everyone has had the same resources and support that we have had to be able to do that. And I think it’s pretty cruel.”
Mr McCann said it was “incredibly frustrating” that police in Portugal and the UK were not doing more to find the missing youngster.
At the time of her disappearance, the couple were criticised for leaving their three children alone in a holiday apartment as they went for dinner nearby.
Mr McCann said that if they could go back, they would not have left her alone.
He said: “If we could turn back the clock and change what happened, obviously we wouldn’t have done it.
“We can’t. And what I would say is, you know, people have got to put themselves into our position. What would you do if it was your daughter? After this, what would you do?”
But he said that they have learned to ignore negative comments.
“Anyone who is in the public eye for whatever reason gets criticised. And early on when we were campaigning, you know, you would say, ’oh my goodness, we are getting criticised for doing this and doing that,’ and you start to let that influence what you do.
“But then you realise you get criticised whatever you do from some quarter. And what you need to do is make the decisions for the right reason and do it with the best intentions and really stick to your guns.”
The couple still believe Madeleine, who went missing when she was three, is alive and are releasing a pack for people to take abroad and put up posters featuring her picture.
Mrs McCann said: “Certainly in my heart I feel she is out there. I mean I know there is nothing to say that she isn’t, so we have to carry on working and thinking like that.”
The mother-of-three said she finds her daughter’s birthday, May 12, harder to cope with than the anniversary of when she vanished.
“Her birthday is actually (a) much more difficult day for us than May 3. May 3 really is just another day without Madeleine, but the 12th is obviously a day when we should be celebrating Madeleine, celebrating with Madeleine.”
She said that the couple spend lots of time with their five-year-old twins Sean and Amelie and manage to have some kind of “normality”, but the burden of Madeleine’s absence is always there.
“It will just suddenly stop you. We had a lovely day last week and it was really sunny, and you could smell the grass being cut and I thought, ’oh it’s really nice’. And then it just kind of gets you – Madeleine is still not here.”
At one point Amelie wrongly believed that her older sister had run away, but the McCanns, who are from Rothley, Leicestershire, told the twins that someone had taken her.
Mr McCann, who is a consultant cardiologist, said: “They believe that it was a man that took her, and it was a naughty man and we need to try and find him. So it’s part of what they say – that Mummy is working to help find Madeleine.”
Former GP Mrs McCann said she cannot give up until her daughter is found.
“If we haven’t found Madeleine, if we don’t know what has happened, you haven’t done enough. I mean there is obviously more that can be done.
“And it might just be time. There could be a group of people out there who are sitting with this on their conscience. And every time Madeleine is mentioned or every time there is an image – again, it’s just pricking their conscience.
“And it might just be a question of time until they come forward. Their situation might change and they may then feel comfortable to come forward.”
Mr McCann said whoever took their daughter is dangerous and must be caught.
“We need to have a proper review of all the information – that’s how we will move the investigation forward. And at the end of the day, the person that has taken Madeleine is still out there and they are a potential danger to other children, so they need to be brought to justice.”
