The parents of Madeleine McCann have considered taking legal action over a tide
of slurs in the Portuguese media.
Kate and Gerry McCann were said to have considering suing one of Portugal’s most
famous TV reporters, Sandra Felgueiras, in a further sign of the couple’s
growing frustration over some of the coverage of their daughter’s
disappearance.
The couple are understood to be upset by remarks made by the 30-year-old
presenter, who works for station RTP, about Kate McCann in one live broadcast.
But the couple's spokeswoman Justine McGuinness said today that the pair will
not be suing Ms Felgueiras. She said: "Kate and Gerry are not planning to
sue anyone. They are focused on finding Madeleine."
The development comes as Mr McCann prepares to talk for the first time about
how becoming “household names” has taken its toll on his family since the
ordeal of losing his daughter.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival tomorrow, he is
expected to discuss how launching such a wide public appeal to find the
four-year-old has been a “double-edged sword”.
The worldwide campaign, now in its 16th week, has failed to achieve a
breakthrough, and the spotlight has turned on the parents, who have been
increasingly upset by the “aggressive and intrusive” Portuguese paparrazi.
A friend of the couple said they are considering taking libel action against
Miss Felgueiras under Portuguese human rights laws protecting the right to a
“good name”.
The friend said: “This is about trying to stop lurid accusations being aired”.
It is unclear how the McCanns first became aware of the live broadcast, in
Portuguese, but they are said to want transcripts of coverage a fortnight ago.
Miss Felgueiras last night denied any wrongdoing.
She said: "I never said that and I never insinuated anything like that. I
never in my life put anyone under suspicion but just told viewers that police
are investigating the possibility that Madeleine has died and that it is murder
or an accident.
"I’m absolutely sure that everything I said was only what the police were
telling us concerning this new lead of the investigation.
"If the McCanns presume that this is an accusation against them, then that
is their assumption, not mine. My conscience is completely clear.”
A friend of the reporter added: “It is the Portuguese newspapers that have been
outrageous, If they are going to sue anybody it should be them.”
Mr McCann also hit back yesterday at police claims that their main theory is
that his daughter was killed inside her apartment, possibly in an accident.
He said that nothing has changed his belief that the four-year-old was abducted
on the night she disappeared.
“I am not even close, I am a million miles away, from changing my mind about
what happened that night,” he said.
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