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Original Source:
Express 22 May 2007 [Now removed from internet] |
Tuesday
May 22,2007
Julia White for express.co.uk |
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THE
parents of missing four-year-old
Madeleine McCann vowed today to “travel
wherever is necessary” in their quest to
get their daughter back.
Gerry McCann, who returned to his wife,
Kate, in Portugal today after a series
of meetings in Britain, said they were
prepared to cross Europe in their search
for their daughter.
Mr McCann said that as Madeleine may no
longer be in Portugal the family would
extend the search for her "far and
wide".
And he said the couple were nowhere near
ready to leave Portugal and return home.
Gerry and Kate McCann say they will
search far and wide for Maddy
He said: "We will travel wherever is
necessary to ensure people across Europe
recognise Madeleine's picture and we
will encourage them to come forward with
any information which might lead to
Madeleine's safe return."
Mr McCann praised efforts being made to
track down Madeleine’s abductor,
including a mass trawl of holiday snaps
initiated by police to search for clues.
He appealed for anyone who was on
holiday in the area in the two weeks
before Madeleine was snatched on May 3
to send in their photographs in case a
clue is hidden in the background.
Police will scour the photographs,
looking at apparent bystanders and
strangers before running the faces
through a biometric facial recognition
programme to compare them against a
database of known paedophiles and other
criminals.
They will also be on the look-out for
anyone who crops up repeatedly in the
background.
A special website -
http://www.madeleine.ceopupload.com
- has been launched to receive digital
photographs.
4-year-old Maddy has been missing for
nearly three weeks
Among places Mr McCann visited on his
short trip to the UK yesterday was the
family’s home village of Rothley in
Leicestershire.
Last night he stopped at the war
memorial in the village which has been
decked in thousands of yellow ribbons,
cards, flowers and cuddly toys as a
focus for people’s prayers for
Madeleine.
Speaking from the heart about his trip
to Britain Mr McCann said: “It was
extremely difficult to leave here
without Kate and when I went to Rothley
I knew we should have been coming home
as a family of five, there’s no doubt
about that.”
Standing by his side, Kate McCann said:
“It was quite moving for me to see Gerry
in Rothley again. It has just emphasised
to us how much support we have got there
and everywhere really, and that really
help
In a direct intervention following days
of scrutiny surrounding the life of
local man Robert Murat, Mr McCann urged
everyone to consider any suspects
innocent until proven guilty.
Asked if he knew Mr Murat, who was seen
going in and out of the cordoned-off
area around the McCanns’ apartment in
the days after Madeleine’s disappearance
offering his services as a translator,
Mr McCann refused to comment.
But he said: “I would say as a family,
we hope that everyone else treats any
suspects the way we would hope to be
treated and they are presumed innocent
until someone is charged, arrested and
convicted of any criminal offence.”
Mr Murat, 33, who has joint British and
Portuguese nationality, is the only
person so far to have been classed as an
official “arguido”, or suspect, in the
case.
Mr Murat, who is said to have collapsed
under the strain in front of his family
last night, strenuously denies any
involvement in Madeleine’s abduction.
He has not been charged, or even
formally arrested, but remains a suspect
more than a week after he was taken in
for questioning by police and his house
searched.
Mr McCann also revealed that he and his
wife intend to travel to the shrine of
Fatima in Portugal tomorrow.
The couple have spoken publicly of how
their Catholic faith has sustained them
during the turmoil of Madeleine’s
abduction.
Mr McCann in particular is said by
friends to have found renewed faith in
recent days while his wife’s religious
belief is long-standing.
Ten days ago, around 300,000 pilgrims
flocked to Fatima to mark the 90th
anniversary of a vision of the Virgin
Mary at the site.
The pilgrimage coincided with
Madeleine’s fourth birthday, which
received coverage across Portugal and
around the world.
Among those gathered at Fatima - with a
representative of the Pope - were many
holding up pictures of Madeleine and
praying for her safe return.
Mr McCann said today: “Both of us have
taken a great deal of strength from our
faith.
“Tomorrow we want to visit the shrine at
Fatima to pray for Madeleine’s return to
us.”
There have been numerous apparent
sightings of Madeleine across Europe and
even North Africa which have been and
are being investigated by police.
Portuguese police said today that
officers have not travelled to
Marrakech, Morocco, to investigate a
claim by a Norwegian woman that she saw
a girl matching Madeleine’s description
asking “When can I see mummy?”.
The police said the matter is still
being investigated and officers have
spoken to the woman by telephone,
although they have not yet taken a full
statement.
Mr McCann said such sightings would be
investigated in their respective
countries by local police under the
direction of Interpol .
He added that if it was felt that those
investigations were not satisfactory,
they would “consider sending somebody
out”.
But asked specifically if his campaign
would include hiring private
investigators to scour Europe for clues,
paid for from the Madeleine fund, he
said: “We have taken advice about the
level and extent of resources both in
this country and the UK which are being
directed to Madeleine’s search.
“At this stage we don’t see a role for
private investigators.”
Mrs McCann also spoke briefly about her
husband’s visit home and the warmth he
received in Rothley, in Leicestershire,
in particular.
She said: “Gerry has told me about the
overwhelming support we received
yesterday back home.
“The love and messages he received are
very moving. Both of us are really
grateful for all the support we have
had. It gives us strength and keeps us
focused.
“We are also overwhelmed by the response
to the fund and the number of people
using the website is unbelievable.” |
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