Day 2037: 29 November 2012 Thursday, Madeleine Beth McCann

NOVEMBER 2012

Day 2037: 29 November 2012 Thursday, Madeleine Beth McCann

 

Updates 29 November, 2012

I welcome Lord Leveson's report today and hope it will mark the start of a new era for our press in which it treats those in the news responsibly, with care and consideration.

 

Needless to say, more time will be needed to read, digest and understand all the implications of the report but my initial impressions are positive (assuming implementation). 

 

Some important points are worth labouring, especially when there is an element of scaremongering (intentional or otherwise) through the use of misleading language: 

 

We, and the other core participant victims, are all totally in favour of freedom of speech. Nobody is advocating a loss of this basic human right. But freedom of speech does not equate to freedom to slander. 

 

None of us want, or is requesting, a government-controlled press. We want a free press but one which is responsible, accountable and independently regulated. This is not a big ask. The press can do a lot of good -we’ve experienced this. But it can also destroy lives -and we’ve had a more than a fair share of that too. Any professional organisation or industry which has the potential to do harm should be accountable for its actions. Why should the media be exempt from this? Ensuring responsible journalism and accountability is paramount.

 

It is important to keep in mind what the Leveson Inquiry is about. We gave evidence to the inquiry last year because we don’t want anyone else to suffer as we, our family and the search for our missing daughter did at the hands of our press. It is this need to prevent such harm to others in the future that has driven the core participant victims to assist the inquiry. We need a system such as that recommended by Lord Leveson to have any hope of achieving this.

 

Legislative underpinning is not statutory regulation and implementation of such is quite some way from ‘crossing the Rubicon’.

 

I hope the Prime Minister, like the other party leaders, will embrace Lord Leveson’s report and act swiftly to ensure activation of his recommendations within an acceptable and clearly defined time-scale.  

 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lord Leveson and the legal team for their colossal efforts throughout the inquiry to date. I truly hope it will lead to an historic and more importantly, crucial achievement for all in our society. 

Kate

Day 1693: 21/12/2011 Wednesday. Madeleine Beth McCann

DECEMBER 2011

Day 1693: 21/12/2011 Wednesday. Madeleine Beth McCann

 

Updates
Do you hold the missing piece of the puzzle?

 

It's Christmas - again. A time of mixed emotions for our family and many others in similar positions around the world. A time to hold together.

 

Thank you to all our supporters for your help throughout the year and for remaining united with us in our longing and determination to find Madeleine.

 

The year has ended on a positive note. Our search for Madeleine and the Metropolitan Police review of the case are progressing well. In addition, this December saw a landmark event for the protection of, and support for, missing children and their families left behind. The Government's Missing Children and Adults' Strategy aims to reduce the number of people who go missing; to protect the missing whilst they are away and to give families access to support, similar to victims of crime. The strategy follows 12 months of campaigning by individuals and organisations like the charity Missing People.

 

Thank you to everyone who supported this campaign and influenced this significant development.

 

This Christmas, please keep Madeleine and all missing loved ones and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

 

 

The support you give enables us to move into 2012 with renewed energy and continued hope. 

 

Kate and Gerry 

 

Day 1638: 27/10/2011 Thursday. Madeleine Beth McCann

Day 1638: 27/10/2011 Thursday. Madeleine Beth McCann

 

Updates Thursday, 27 October, 2011  

 

My grandparents always used to say that the years pass more quickly the older you get. It certainly feels that way.

 

I still dream of being able to stop time. Our only alternative however is to continue doing as much as we can to the best of our ability to enhance the search for Madeleine. So that is what we'll do. 

 

Thank you to everyone who has bought and read my book. Not only is this helping to fund our investigation and campaign, it will also improve and maintain awareness of Madeleine and our need to find her. It seems obvious that the more people who are informed worldwide, the more eyes and ears Madeleine will have assisting the search for her. We are really grateful for your support.

 

 

We also appreciate the general public's help in achieving a review of Madeleine's case. It is a big relief to us that our government finally agreed for a review to take place. We are grateful to them and to the Metropolitan Police Service for undertaking this fundamental and highly valuable procedure which has been underway now for several months. Although it will be a lengthy and difficult process, it is definitely a major step forward for Madeleine. 

 

I would also like to thank everyone who has written to us or sent their support in some way over the past six months. We have once again been touched by the incredible kindness and commitment shown to us and Madeleine, and bolstered by the continuing encouragement and positivity.   

Kate

Day 1471: 13/05/2011 Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann . Our Letter to David Cameron, 11 May, 2011

Day 1471: 13/05/2011 Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann 

 

(put on line 24 may 2011) also as update)
  

Our Letter to David Cameron, 11 May, 2011Dear Prime Minister, 

( campaign page)

Request for An Independent Review of Madeleine's Case 

 

Our Letter to David Cameron, 11 May, 2011

Dear Prime Minister,

As a devoted father and family man, you know the importance of children. Our beloved eldest child, Madeleine, was abducted from Praia da Luz, Portugal, four years ago. Since then, we have devoted all our energies to ensuring her safe return.

 

Today we are asking you - and the British and Portuguese governments - to help find Madeleine and bring her back to her loving family.

 

We live in hope that Madeleine will be found alive and returned to us. One call might be all that is needed to lead to Madeleine and her abductor.

 

To this end, we are seeking a joint INDEPENDENT, TRANSPARENT and COMPREHENSIVE review of ALL information held in relation to Madeleine's disappearance. Thus far, there has been NO formal review of the material held by the police authorities - which is routine practice in most major unsolved crimes.

 

It is not right that a young vulnerable British citizen has essentially been given up on. This remains an unsolved case of a missing child. Children are our most precious gift. 

Please don't give up on Madeleine. 

Kate & Gerry McCann 

David Cameron's Response Link

 

Day 1326: 19/12/2010 Sunday. Madeleine Beth McCann

Day 1326: 19/12/2010 Sunday. Madeleine Beth McCann

 (Date edited from 17 Nov to 17 Dec 19/12/10) 

 

Updates Friday, 17th December, 2010  

This month marks our fourth Christmas without Madeleine. We hope with all our hearts that wherever she is, she is safe and well and whoever may be with her is treating her with the love and respect she so deserves.

 

We would like to thank all our supporters for 'staying at our side' in spite of the injustices that we continue to be subjected to. Madeleine is the person who suffers most from all of this injustice. It is this fact alone which causes us the most distress. It is absolutely heart-breaking.

 

The Wikileaks 'news' this week has led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and in Portugal in particular. This has been seized on as an opportunity by those who wish to compound our suffering and hamper our efforts, including the very person who was entrusted with finding our daughter. Those who could help Madeleine but choose to do nothing are also complicit in this injustice. Without the love and help from so many good people around the world we would not be able to find the strength to continue the fight to find our daughter.

 

Thank you to all those who have signed our petition calling on the UK and Portuguese Governments to conduct an independent review of Madeleine's case. The petition is still on-going. If you haven't signed and would like to further the search for Madeleine, please sign our on-line petition or sign a paper petition form. The latter can be downloaded from the website and distributed to shops, post-offices etc. and returned to us.

 

Along with our family, we would like to thank everyone who has sent us Christmas cards, letters, donations and gifts at this difficult time of year. It is impossible to find enough positive words to describe such kindness or the hugely important and heart-warming effect it has on us. Without any doubt, it helps us immensely and we are incredibly grateful.

 

We wish you all a merry Christmas and a very happy, healthy and positive 2011. Please remember to spare a thought and a prayer for all the children who will not be with their families this Christmas.

 

Thank you.

Kate and Gerry

Day 1324: 17/12/2010 Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann

 

DECEMBER 2010
Day 1324: 17/12/2010 Friday. Madeleine Beth McCann

  (Put On line 17/12/10)

Updates Friday, 17th November, 2010 This month marks our fourth Christmas without Madeleine. We hope with all our hearts that wherever she is, she is safe and well and whoever may be with her is treating her with the love and respect she so deserves.

 

We would like to thank all our supporters for 'staying at our side' in spite of the injustices that we continue to be subjected to. Madeleine is the person who suffers most from all of this injustice. It is this fact alone which causes us the most distress. It is absolutely heart-breaking.

 

The Wikileaks 'news' this week has led to the repetition of many unfounded allegations and smears both in the UK and in Portugal in particular. This has been seized on as an opportunity by those who wish to compound our suffering and hamper our efforts, including the very person who was entrusted with finding our daughter. Those who could help Madeleine but choose to do nothing are also complicit in this injustice. Without the love and help from so many good people around the world we would not be able to find the strength to continue the fight to find our daughter.

 

Thank you to all those who have signed our petition calling on the UK and Portuguese Governments to conduct an independent review of Madeleine's case. The petition is still on-going. If you haven't signed and would like to further the search for Madeleine, please sign our on-line petition or sign a paper petition form. The latter can be downloaded from the website and distributed to shops, post-offices etc. and returned to us.

 

Along with our family, we would like to thank everyone who has sent us Christmas cards, letters, donations and gifts at this difficult time of year. It is impossible to find enough positive words to describe such kindness or the hugely important and heart-warming effect it has on us. Without any doubt, it helps us immensely and we are incredibly grateful.

 

We wish you all a merry Christmas and a very happy, healthy and positive 2011. Please remember to spare a thought and a prayer for all the children who will not be with their families this Christmas.

 

Thank you.

Kate and Gerry

Day 1280: 03/11/2010 Wednesday. Madeleine Beth McCann

NOVEMBER 2010

 

Day 1280: 03/11/2010 Wednesday. Madeleine Beth McCann

 

Updates Wednesday, 3rd November, 2010 

It is exactly three and a half years since our daughter Madeleine was so cruelly taken from us. Three and a half years without her seeing her brother, her sister, her Mummy, her Daddy or her best friends.  

 

We are still searching for her. Our small team continues to review all available information, even though we STILL don't have access to ALL of the information that the UK and Portuguese authorities have. Our team has interviewed hundreds of witnesses, received over 1000 calls, dealt with over 15,000 emails and maintained a computerised database of all information they have received. Despite the difficulties resulting from lack of official assistance, they 'follow up' all new leads to try and get fresh information into the investigation.

 

It is incredible to think that for the last two years and three months NO police force has proactively been doing anything to help us find Madeleine. Crucially, there has been NO formal review of the material held by the police authorities - which is routine practice in most countries, and especially when a key piece of the 'jigsaw' may have been overlooked.

We have tried in vain to get the authorities to play their part but our requests have seemingly fallen on deaf ears. It is simply not acceptable that they have, to all intents and purposes, given up on Madeleine. We need the authorities to do more.

 

However we know we are not alone. We have the tremendous support of family, friends and of course you the public. A lot of this support comes in the form of people saying to us 'if there's anything we can do, just let us know or 'I'd like to help but I don't know how'. To these people, and indeed yourself, my plea is simple:

 

We need your support to continue to lobby the British and Portuguese Governments to undertake a joint or independent review of Madeleine's case.

 

 

How can you do this' Simply visit: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/madeleinemccann_case_review/ today and sign the petition to call on the UK and Portuguese authorities to conduct an independent and transparent review of all information in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine. And in turn, please spread the word and encourage as many others to do the same. Together we can, and will pull all of the loose ends of Madeleine's case together and find her.  

Thank you. 

 

 

Looking for our daughter is not without significant cost. 

Another way you can show your support is by continuing to help us fund the search for Madeleine.

 

To carry on searching for Madeleine and to ensure that the process has continued in a meaningful and proactive way, we have been able to utilise the generous donations paid in to Madeleine's Fund by the general public, libel damages paid to ourselves and our friends and money raised through a variety of fund-raising efforts. The fund has allowed;

 

• Our investigation team of ex-police officers to operate and conduct enquiries in the UK, Portugal and further afield. 

• A Portuguese assistant/translator.  

• A 24 hour telephone line with translators to receive information from the public

 

• Media liaison in Portugal and the UK to ensure that we convey the simple factual messages: there is absolutely no evidence that Madeleine has been physically harmed; we must keep looking for her and those who took her.  

• Awareness campaigns in Portugal, Spain and further afield.

 

• Website hosting and development and social network site campaigns to raise awareness through the internet 

• A part-time campaign coordinator 

 

If Madeleine's Fund remains as it is, with the current rate of expenditure, it will run out in Spring 2011. This would essentially mean that any kind of proactive search for Madeleine would cease. So again we need your help. If you can,

 

please consider donating to Madeleine's fund.

·         £1 pays for the multi-lingual call centre availability for 1 hour

 

·         £2 per month pays for 12 travel packs that are distributed to holidaymakers going all over the world

·         £10 pays for 1000 posters that are translated and distributed across the world.

 

·         £25 pays for the access to a 24 hour multi-lingual telephone service for 1 day

 

·         £50 pays for the running costs of investigation office (and staff) for 2 hours

 

·         £420 pays for 10,000 multi-lingual prayer cards for Madeleine, with photograph and contact details 

 

Someone knows what has happened to Madeleine. We simply need to reach that person. We need to obtain that key piece of information, that 'missing piece of the jigsaw'. One call may be all we need to find Madeleine and who took her.

 

Our little girl is now seven years old; innocent, vulnerable and waiting to be found. Please, please sign the petition and help us to find her. 

 

On behalf of my family, thank you. 

Gerry