Kate McCann leaves Our Lady of the Light church, in Praia da Luz, with friend Susan Hubbard

Madeleine World Exclusive: 'Bring them all back to Portugal', 05 May 2013

Madeleine World Exclusive: 'Bring them all back to Portugal' Sunday Express (paper edition)   Former Maddie suspect Robert Murat says key 48 hours must be re-enacted and that police probe is a mess From James Murray In Praia da Luz ROBERT MURAT today appeals for Scotland Yard to stage a filmed reconstruction of all the events surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Marking the sixth anniversary of her abduction, the Algarve-based businessman says a 48-hour timeline would help police conducting a £4.5million review of the case. Mr Murat, who was cleared as a suspect, said: "They need to start TURN TO PAGE 4 ---------------- Madeleine world exclusive: 'Bring them all back to Portugal' Sunday Express ROBERT MURAT today appeals for Scotland Yard to stage a filmed reconstruction of all the events surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. By: James Murray Published: Sun, May 5, 2013 Marking the sixth anniversary of her abduction, the Algarve-based businessman says a 48-hour timeline would help police conducting a £4.5million review of the case. Mr Murat, who was cleared as a suspect, said: "They need to start from the beginning." So far the two-year review by more than 20 detectives in London has not led to a breakthrough. Portugal's authorities have not been persuaded to reopen the investigation, although Policia Judiciaria policewoman Helena Monteiro liaises regularly with officers from the Yard's Operation Grange. Mr Murat, 39, spoke to the Sunday Express while sipping tea in Casa ­Liliana, his elderly mother Jenny's villa 150 yards from apartment 5a of the Ocean Club where Madeleine vanished. He said: "They need to speak to everybody, including myself, and they need to get the Portuguese involved in a much more constructive way. "To get somewhere now they need to have a joint team working here together in Praia da Luz. This is where it happened. It didn't happen in England. "The reconstruction should cover the critical period just before and after the abduction." Madeleine was three when she disappeared from the apartment at about 9.15pm while her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and seven friends ate at a tapas bar nearby. When the Judiciaria named the McCanns as suspects, they and their friends chose not to take part in a PJ-led reconstruction. It would be different now that they have been cleared, said Mr Murat. He said: "A reconstruction is a real necessity. I am sure it would fill in some of the missing pieces of the jigsaw. Even now after all this time, the timeline is still confused." Thirteen days after Madeleine's disappearance Mr Murat was named as a suspect. His mother's home, where he lived then, was searched, his computers were taken, he was questioned for 19 hours by Portuguese police and his property business was wrecked. His eagerness to help with the original investigation, helping police with translations, aroused a journalist's suspicions. Three of the McCanns' friends believed they saw him on the night Madeleine vanished but his mother confirmed to police he was with her all night at Casa Liliana. After being cleared as a suspect in July 2008 he won substantial damages from newspapers. Despite his ordeal he believes Madeleine's fate should be uppermost in everybody's minds as another anniversary passes. He said: "You cannot lose sight of the fact that a child was taken and we need to know what happened to her." He is still willing to be interviewed by the review team, which has made no effort to contact him. "I have no problem with that whatsoever," he said emphatically. "I am available to help on the proper legal basis. I think everybody who was around at that time, holidaymakers and people at the Ocean Club, should be interviewed again. The timeline needs to be made crystal clear because there is still so much confusion, such a mess."   Asked if he thought Madeleine's fate would ever be known, he brushed back his thick dark brown hair, rubbed his tanned chin and said: "I hope so, I believe it will come out one day." He said Portugal's financial crisis means "if the British do want to get to the bottom of this, it is a case of funding the Portuguese". Mr Murat, who grew up in Devon and Portugal, now has a young family with wife Michaela. They were both victims of the relentless media frenzy when Madeleine vanished and it has left its scars. For the first time during the interview he became emotional and said in a whisper: "There is no way to describe the impact this has had on our lives. Six years later it still affects me. I wasn't able to do much for years and years. "It was difficult getting back on the horse, so to speak, and do the stuff I was doing before." His property business went, partly because his computers were held by the PJ for so long, but now he has built up Newteq, an Apple-authorised service provider on the Algarve. He said he and Michaela live a quiet life, staying away from some events because people still come up to him and say: "You're that Mr Murat." Before 2007 he says he was one of those people who was always eager to help others, to get involved in the community. Now he is more guarded. When the original police investigation was at its height, he bumped into a British man, Steve Carpenter, who persuaded him to meet the McCanns because they needed his language skills. He said: "I met Gerry and said: 'I don't know what to say, there is nothing I can say but I do speak Portuguese and English and I will help in any way I can'." He helped Portugal's GNR military officers to search the Ocean Club apartments and translated statements from key witnesses, giving him a unique inside perspective on the case. He said: "From the experiences of the interviews there are some points that could be looked at. "There needs to be much more transparency, much more openness to dissipate a lot of the stuff that has been talked about on the internet and on blogs." He does not believe the results of the Yard's work should be made available to the public. "The Yard needs to get together with the Portuguese police and ­produce a final report," he said. "They need to sit down together and come up with a final version, a structured report. "The report should be done by the Portuguese with the support of the British." Last week Prime Minister David Cameron had a private meeting with the McCanns in London, promising them the review would not fall foul of budget cuts and giving them enough confidence to say on their website that they hope for a significant breakthrough in the months ahead. On Friday night Kate and Gerry, both 45, gathered around a candle which burns night and day for Madeleine outside their home village of Rothley, Leicestershire. A 50-strong crowd supported them as they marked the anniversary with prayers with Madeleine's ­siblings, eight-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. Mr Murat said: "It must be a ­tremendously difficult time of year for them and of course as a human being you feel for them and for the loss of their daughter. "At this time of year, like so many people on the Algarve, we have been thinking about this poor girl. "I just hope in the months ahead the PJ are fully involved because in my view that is the best way of solving the mystery." At St Vincent's church in Praia da Luz, where Kate and Gerry went regularly, worshippers also prayed for Madeleine, whose 10th birthday is on May 12. Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns' spokesman, declined to comment on Mr Murat's views last night, saying the couple were happy with how Scotland Yard is conducting the review. ----------------------- Express Comment Police must keep up effort to solve Madeleine riddle Sunday Express SIX years have now passed since Madeleine McCann went missing during a family holiday in Portugal. Published: Sun, May 5, 2013 Despite their unimaginable suffering, parents Kate and Gerry have campaigned without rest to keep their daughter's case in the public eye and maintain pressure on the police for that vital resolution. So we can only hope that the couple are justified in their current belief that a significant breakthrough in the case is just around the corner. In two years, the £4.5million case review by homicide detectives at Scotland Yard has failed to shed new light on events of that evening in 2007 or to persuade the Portuguese authorities to reopen the investigation. No one expects Operation Grange to provide a running commentary on its review but revelations that Scotland Yard has yet to interview key witness and former suspect Robert Murat must surely raise questions. The search must continue for Madeleine McCann Mr Murat has rebuilt his life since he was cleared of all suspicion over Madeleine's disappearance and stands ready and willing to help. He cannot understand why a full reconstruction of the night has not been conducted and believes other key witnesses have also not been reinterviewed. No matter how terrible the case, Scotland Yard must account for the public money being spent in pursuit of the truth. Questions must be asked as to whether all key witnesses will be reinterviewed and, if not, why not? The passage of time must not render the search for Madeleine any less exhaustive.

McCanns light candles for April Jones at emotional service, 05 May 2013

McCanns light candles for April Jones at emotional service Sunday Express THE parents of Madeleine McCann remembered five-year-old April Jones in an emotional service to pray for the safe return of their own missing daughter. By: Tracey Kandohla Published: Sun, May 5, 2013 As Madeleine's great aunt Janet Kennedy lit a candle for April at the service, Kate McCann struggled for composure and had to be comforted by husband Gerry. Janet, addressing wellwishers on the sixth anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance on Friday night, said: "I am the first here to light a candle to remember April and her parents. "This week has been extremely trying for them, to say the least. They are very much in our thoughts." Kate sobbed as she told a gathering in her home village of Rothley, Leicestershire: "It's not just the pain of having a missing child, it's the confusion, uncertainty and living in limbo." She then read a poem, The Contradiction, her voice faltering as she said: "I make you there when you're not there. I cannot hold you, yet I do. How can you be so near and far?" Gerry, equally emotional, then addressed the supporters: "Six years! Sometimes it feels like yesterday and today it feels like an entire lifetime. It has been a very rocky road for our family and those close to us. "But the support we have had from them all and the general public has really kept us going." He also broke down as he finished, saying: "We don't actually take anything for granted. Thank you for coming here and being with us. It is hugely appreciated." As the 50-strong crowd applauded him during the low-key dusk ceremony, Madeleine's siblings, eight-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, joined other village children to light candles. Families gathered outside the village war memorial where a candle burns around the clock for Madeleine. Yellow ribbons symbolising hope were tied to the black railings alongside pictures showing her and other missing children. Among the locals were eight-year-old Anya Hillier and her brother Lawrence, six, who are pupils at the school which still holds a place for Madeleine. Their father Des said: "We're here to show our support for Kate and Gerry. It is so tough for them but they have shown such strength, courage and dignity." Earlier Janet had urged the desperate couple: "Never, never, never give up!" Madeleine's parents, both 45, are still hoping for "a significant breakthrough" in the review being carried out by Scotland Yard. In a new message to mark the milestone anniversary, Kate wrote on the Find Madeleine website yesterday: "We remain as determined as ever to find her and to know what has happened. We're here for the long haul, for as long as it takes." Mark Bridger is on trial for the murder of April Jones in Wales last October.

April is in our prayers, 05 May 2013

April is in our prayers Daily Star Sunday (paper edition)   KATE and Gerry McCann wept as they prayed for tragic April Jones, inset, during a service to mark the sixth anniversary of daughter Maddie's disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann exclusive SEE PAGE 6 ------------------ McCanns Thinking of April Daily Star Sunday By Tracey Kandohla 5th May 2013 THE parents of Madeleine McCann remembered murdered schoolgirl April Jones during a service to pray for the return of their missing daughter. Tearful Kate and Gerry spared a thought for the tragic youngster and her family despite their own heartache. Maddie's great aunt Janet Kennedy lit a candle for April on Friday evening – the day a court heard her mum Coral and dad Paul's agonising recollections of the night last October when the five-year-old went missing. Addressing well-wishers on the sixth anniversary of Maddie's ­disappearance, Janet said: "I am the first here to light a candle to ­remember April and her parents. "This week has been extremely trying for them, to say the least. They are very much in our thoughts." As Janet paid tribute, Kate, 45, struggled for composure and was comforted by Gerry. She sobbed as she told a ­gathering in her home village of Rothley, Leics: "It's not just the pain of ­having a missing child, it's the ­confusion, uncertainty and living in limbo." Kate then recited the poem The Contradiction, her voice faltering as she read: "I make you there when you're not there. I cannot hold you, yet I do. How can you be so near and far?" Maddie vanished from the ­family's holiday flat in Praia da Luz, Portugal, just days before her fourth birthday in May 2007. At the time her parents were ­dining with pals at a nearby ­restaurant. Gerry, 45, said: "Six years...sometimes it feels like ­yesterday and today it feels like an entire lifetime. "It has been a very rocky road for our family and those close to us. But the support we have had from them all and the general public has really kept us going." He broke down in tears, pausing before continuing: "We don't ­actually take anything for granted. "Thank you for coming here and being with us. It is hugely ­appreciated." As the 50-strong crowd applauded him, children including Maddie's siblings, eight-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, lit candles. The youngsters gathered near the village's war memorial where a candle burns around the clock for Maddie.

Former Madeleine McCann suspect calls for reconstruction of her disappearance, 06 May 2013

Former Madeleine McCann suspect calls for reconstruction of her disappearance Daily Star By Tammy Hughes 6th May 2013 A FORMER Madeleine McCann suspect has called for a reconstruction of her disappearance complete with everyone there at the time. Robert Murat claims a re-enacted 48- hour timeline of events would help police with their investigation. After two years a review by more than 20 British detectives has not led to a breakthrough. Businessman Mr Murat, 39, who was cleared of any wrongdoing, said: "They need to start from the beginning. "They need to speak to everybody, including myself. "The reconstruction should cover the critical period just before and after the abduction. "I am sure it would fill in some of the missing pieces of the jigsaw. "Even now, after all this time, the timeline is still confused." Madeleine was abducted from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, just a few days before her fourth birthday. Her parents Kate, 45, and Gerry, 44, of Rothley, Leics, were dining at a tapas bar nearby with seven friends. A spokesman for the couple declined to comment on Mr Murat's views last night, saying the couple were happy with Scotland Yard's investigation.

We pray for Madeleine McCann every day, says Archbishop, 06 May 2013

We pray for Madeleine McCann every day, says Archbishop Christian Today Published 06 May 2013 | Susie Turner The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu The Archbishop of York and his staff say prayers every day in the chapel of Bishopthorpe Palace for missing Madeleine McCann. She was abducted from a Portuguese resort six years ago last Friday while on holiday with her family. Archbishop John Sentamu said: "I continue to pray for her safe return. Here at Bishopthorpe Palace prayers are said every day for Madeleine. "Her picture is on the wall of our chapel – there is one photo of how she looked when she was abducted and one to show how she may look now. "We should not give up hope, nor should we stop supporting those that are hurting." Prayers were said in the chapel again on Friday for Madeleine and her family, including a special prayer written by the Archbishop on the first anniversary of her disappearance: Father God, We pray for Madeleine McCann. Keep her safe and take away her fear and anxiety. May your holy angels guard and protect her. We pray that she may be reunited with those who love her. Give hope to all her loved ones And hear our cry for her safe return We offer our prayer in the name of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord. Amen. The Archbishop asked Christians to keep the McCanns and all families of missing children in their prayers. "Please do keep Madeleine's family in your prayers – and also other families who still have children missing. Pray for peace and love to surround those who are suffering. When we see suffering, let us bring God's hope and comfort," he said.

Kate McCann returns to Praia da Luz to 'feel closer to missing Madeleine', 07 May 2013

Kate McCann returns to Praia da Luz to 'feel closer to missing Madeleine' Daily Mirror By Martin Fricker 7 May 2013 00:00 She is making the pilgrimage alone just three days after the sixth anniversary of Maddie's disappearance Kate McCann yesterday flew to the resort where she last saw daughter Madeleine as a friend revealed: "She feels close to her there." She made the lone journey three days after collapsing in tears at a prayer service at her home village to mark the sixth anniversary of Maddie's disappearance. One of her first visits will be to the medieval church of Nossa Senhora da Luz, or Our Lady of the Light, in Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve to pray and light candles. It was here devout Catholic Kate, 45, of Rothley, Leic, prayed daily for four months when her three-year-old daughter vanished. A friend said: "She will spend a few days in Praia da Luz. She feels close to Madeleine there. "It is a private trip alone, away from the spotlight, and a time for quiet reflection. She still has a lot of friends there." It was not known if she will visit the apartment that Maddie disappeared from.

Maddie mum in sad trip, 07 May 2013

Maddie mum in sad trip Daily Star (paper edition)   ----------------- Kate McCann's Portugal return Daily Star By Jerry Lawton 7th May 2013 MADELEINE McCann's mum yesterday made an emotional return to the holiday resort where her daughter vanished. Kate McCann, 45, flew out to Portugal three days after collapsing in tears at a public prayer service to mark the sixth anniversary of the disappearance. One of her first visits will be to the Our Lady Of The Light church in Praia da Luz where the devout Catholic prayed daily for her daughter in the four months after she was snatched. A friend said yesterday: "She will spend a few days in Praia da Luz. She feels close to Madeleine there." During the trip, Kate will be reunited with her English and Portuguese friends. But it is not known whether the former GP will visit the Ocean Club where her daughter disappeared during their holiday in May 2007. It is believed Kate has never ventured back into apartment 5a, where Madeleine was last seen asleep in bed. At the time Kate, husband Gerry, 44, and seven pals were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant. The returning mum is likely to find a resort with few reminders of her daughter. But Kate has asked the public: "Please don't forget Madeleine." And during TV interviews she urged: "Take posters of her when you go on holiday. "Please help keep her in the public eye." Kate is due to fly back to the Britain in time for Madeleine's 10th birthday on Sunday. -------------------- Adjusted headline/picture [07 May 2013]: Kate McCann jets back to Portugal to mark anniversary Daily Star By Jerry Lawton 7th May 2013 MADELEINE McCann's mum yesterday made an emotional return to the holiday resort where her daughter vanished. Kate McCann, 45, flew out to Portugal three days after collapsing in tears at a public prayer service to mark the sixth anniversary of the disappearance. One of her first visits will be to the Our Lady Of The Light church in Praia da Luz where the devout Catholic prayed daily for her daughter in the four months after she was snatched. A friend said yesterday: "She will spend a few days in Praia da Luz. She feels close to Madeleine there." During the trip, Kate will be reunited with her English and Portuguese friends. But it is not known whether the former GP will visit the Ocean Club where her daughter disappeared during their holiday in May 2007. It is believed Kate has never ventured back into apartment 5a, where Madeleine was last seen asleep in bed. At the time Kate, husband Gerry, 44, and seven pals were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant. The returning mum is likely to find a resort with few reminders of her daughter. But Kate has asked the public: "Please don't forget Madeleine." And during TV interviews she urged: "Take posters of her when you go on holiday. "Please help keep her in the public eye." Kate is due to fly back to the Britain in time for Madeleine's 10th birthday on Sunday.

Madeleine McCann update: Kate 'collapsed in tears' but why?, 07 May 2013

Madeleine McCann update: Kate 'collapsed in tears' but why? examiner.com   MAY 7, 2013 | BY: CHELSEA HOFFMAN Where is Madeleine McCann? On May 7, 2013 the UK Mirror reported that Kate McCann took a private trip by herself to Portugal where little Maddie McCann vanished six years ago. However, it's reported that she "collapsed in tears" shortly before her trip. Were her tears out of the despair of not knowing where Madeleine has gone, or were they tears of guilt from leaving her behind all those years ago to suffer whatever fate she experienced while all alone with her younger siblings? Furthermore, why isn't Gerry McCann going back to Portugal with her? The UK Mirror says that she "feels close" to the area because of what happened there, but it's not clear if she plans on visiting the apartment where she and Gerry abandoned Maddie and the twins the night she was allegedly "kidnapped." A friend close to Kate and Gerry McCann said the following: "It is a private trip alone, away from the spotlight, and a time for quiet reflection. She still has a lot of friends there." Could Kate's tears have anything to do with Rober Murat's recent request to film a reenactment? Kate, Gerry and the rest of the adults involved in the night Maddie vanished have famously refused to participate in such a thing, which only appeared to hinder the investigation. Now Robert Murat wants Scotland Yard to stage a filmed reenactment of the events of the night Kate and Gerry left the children alone in their vacation rental to drink with friends. If Scotland Yard decides to stage such a reenactment, it could be required of the adults and that means they may all be forced to reveal whether or not their stories match.

Statement from the McCanns following the discovery of three women abducted a decade ago in Ohio, 07 May 2013

Statement from the McCanns following the discovery of three women abducted a decade ago in Ohio Clarence Mitchell Twitter [Text version of above]   Clarence Mitchell @mitch_1uk Pt 1/4 Kate & Gerry: The discovery of these young women reaffirms our hope of finding Madeleine which has never diminished 11:35 AM 7 May 2013 Pt 2/4 Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods. 11:36 AM 7 May 2013 Pt 3/4 So we ask the public to remain vigilant in the ongoing search for Madeleine. 11:37 AM 7 May 2013 Pt 4/4 Our thoughts are with the women in America and their families. Kate and Gerry McCann 11:38 AM 7 May 2013

Madeleine McCann's parents: Cleveland discovery offers fresh hope, 07 May 2013

Madeleine McCann's parents: Cleveland discovery offers fresh hope The Guardian Kate and Gerry McCann say hopes of being reunited with Madeleine 'reaffirmed' after three women found in Ohio Ben Quinn Tuesday 7 May 2013 19.39 BST The parents of Madeleine McCann have said that the discovery of three women who were apparently held against their will for more than 10 years in the US state of Ohio has given them fresh hope that their daughter will be found. Days after they marked the sixth anniversary of her disappearance, Kate and Gerry McCann said on Monday that the events in the city of Cleveland had "reaffirmed" their hopes that they would be reunited with Madeleine, who vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal on 3 May 2007. "The discovery of these young women reaffirms our hope of finding Madeleine, which has never diminished," the couple said in a statement. "Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods. So we ask the public to remain vigilant in the ongoing search for Madeleine. "Our thoughts are with the women in America and their families." Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight, who all went missing in separate incidents a decade ago, were found in a house in Cleveland, Ohio, after allegedly being held prisoner by three brothers. Berry disappeared, aged 16, on 21 April 2003 on her way home from work at a burger restaurant. DeJesus went missing aged 14 on her way home from school about a year later. Knight went missing in 2002 and is 32 now. They were rescued from the house, just a few miles from where they vanished, along with a six-year-old girl born to one of them while in captivity, after Berry was freed by neighbours who heard her screaming. Kate McCann is currently visiting Portugal, and is expected to return home to the UK shortly. She and her husband marked the anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance last week by attending a ceremony in the village of Rothley, Leicestershire. The couple said last week that their family, including twins Sean and Amelie, now eight, had found a "new normality" since Madeleine's disappearance. A Scotland Yard review of Madeline's case, called Operation Grange, was launched last year after a request from the home secretary, Theresa May and supported by the prime minister, David Cameron.

Here's proof Kate McCann's right never to give up hope, 07 May 2013

Here's proof Kate McCann's right never to give up hope Daily Mail   By SANDRA PARSONS PUBLISHED: 23:55, 7 May 2013 | UPDATED: 00:28, 8 May 2013 On Monday, Kate McCann flew to Portugal. She'll spend a few days alone there because it's where she feels closest to her daughter Madeleine, who was snatched from the resort of Praia da Luz six years ago. Grief is etched permanently on to Kate's familiar, angular face. But she's never given up hope of finding Madeleine, convinced as only a mother can be that her daughter is still alive. Even some of those closest to her will, from time to time, have privately asked themselves why she hasn't given up. One or two may have gently suggested that, for her own sake and that of her other two children, eight-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, she should 'move on'. There have been times, no doubt, when Kate herself has wondered if she's foolish to keep stoking the fire of her fierce maternal conviction. But yesterday morning's astonishing news that three girls who were abducted almost a decade ago have been found alive in America will surely have fanned the flames of her hope ever brighter. Yesterday morning's news that three girls who were abducted almost a decade ago have been found alive in America will surely have given Kate McCann new hope that her daughter Madeleine is still alive -------------------   None of us can know how we would react should the unthinkable happen and one of our children disappears. We've all known that heart-stopping moment when you turn back in the supermarket or on a crowded beach and suddenly they're not there; the throat-constricting panic as you frantically search — and the sweet flood of weak-kneed relief when they turn up again. To have to live with that dread and fear day after numbing day, year after miserable year, is almost unthinkable. Yet that's what so many mothers do. It's 22 years since toddler Ben Needham disappeared while playing in fields outside a farmhouse his grandfather was renovating on the Greek island of Kos, yet his mother Kerry's advice to Kate McCann when they met was: 'Never stop searching and never give up — I haven't and I won't.' Three years before Madeleine was abducted from the holiday apartment where she was sleeping, Gina DeJesus disappeared while walking home from school in Cleveland, Ohio. She was 14 and less than a mile from home. That was April 2, 2004, and as her mother Nancy Ruiz said just last year, on the eighth anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance: 'It gets worse as the days go by, as the years go by.' On that day, Nancy was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt emblazoned with Gina's photograph and the slogan Have You Seen Me? 'Wearing the shirt keeps me going,' she said. And now, in what must seem to Nancy nothing less than a miracle, her faith has at last been rewarded. Amanda Berry, right, was 16 when she went missing in 2003, while Gina DeJesus, left, was just 14 when she vanished in 2004. Both women were found on Monday after a decade-long search ---------------- Gina DeJesus — together with two other girls, Amanda Berry and Michele Knight — has been found alive. Amanda Berry's mother, Louwana Miller, never gave up hope her daughter would be found, but died 'of a broken heart' three years after she disappeared. By contrast, Michele Knight's mother, Barbara, has moved to Florida and seems to have believed her daughter had simply run away. If true, this is an agonising betrayal for her traumatised daughter to have to bear — a heartache made all the more bitter in contrast to the unwavering belief shown by Gina's mother and Amanda's sister, Beth. Of course, fathers keep fighting, too. Gerry McCann has been unceasing in his battle to keep Madeleine's name in the public eye. Determined to be the rock on whom his wife and other two children can depend, he projects an unbreakable quality that must have been tested repeatedly over the years.   A father's fight: Gerry McCann has been unceasing in his battle to keep Madeleine's name in the public eye. He projects an unbreakable quality that must have been tested repeatedly over the years -------------------- But it's Kate who's kept Madeleine's bedroom just as it was when the McCanns ('a boring, ordinary family' as Kate described them in her book two years ago) left their home in Leicestershire to go on holiday — and Kate who still goes in there to open and close the curtains twice a day. It's Kate whose face crumpled at a prayer service last week to mark the sixth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance, and Kate who still fills Christmas stockings for three: 'There is part of me that has to do it.' Like Ben Needham's mother — indeed, like every mother of the estimated 200,000-plus children and teenagers who go missing in Britain every year — she is sure her child is out there somewhere. Most are found within a few hours, but some remain missing for years. Kate says that every time she sees a car with a Madeleine sticker go past, every time someone asks for a poster to display, she feels a little bit more hopeful: 'You feel you aren't on your own any more. To know people care is a huge help.''' Keep the faith: Let's refocus on the image of Madeleine and keep it fresh in our minds. Let's put up more stickers and posters. And let's pray that one day soon her mother's unerring faith will be rewarded ---------------- This Sunday will be Madeleine's tenth birthday. Her family will buy her presents as they do every year, and this week her mother will light candles for her in the tiny church in Praia da Luz as she battles to keep her daughter's name alive. 'I don't think we'll ever reach a point where we feel we've done everything we can,' she says. 'If Madeleine's still missing then we haven't done enough.' Nor have we. Let's refocus on the image of Madeleine and keep it fresh in our minds. Let's put up more stickers and posters. And let's pray that one day soon, like the families of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, her mother's unerring faith will be rewarded.

Inspiring mothers who fought for missing daughters keep hope of Madeleine McCann miracle alive, 08 May 2013

Inspiring mothers who fought for missing daughters keep hope of Madeleine McCann miracle alive Daily Mirror ALISON PHILLIPS COLUMN By Alison Phillips 8 May 2013 01:00 The discovery of three women held captive in a house for 10 years can only have reignited hope Madeleine may one day be found Last weekend Kate McCann boarded a flight alone to return to Portugal where her daughter Madeleine was abducted almost exactly six years ago. She was going back to the spot where she lost her three-year-old daughter and to the moment she last saw her, tucked up in bed with Cuddle Cat. Kate was also going back to where she lost her own life, the life she had before it became defined by loss forever. The pain of returning to that whitewashed town on the Algarve must be horrific. And yet friends say Kate does it to feel close to Madeleine. Presumably immersing herself in the pain of her loss is preferable to that awful alternative – forgetting about her little girl. And Kate can't do that. She more than anyone knows that she wasn't there when her daughter needed her most. So now she must fight for the rest of her life to ensure that if Madeleine is still alive, she knows her mother is there for her now. Even if she is dead, Kate's job remains to keep her daughter's memory alive because while memory remains, so does life. It must be an exhausting, agonising experience. And this week Kate's pain must be even more acute as the discovery of three women held captive in an American house for 10 years can only have reignited hope that Madeleine may too one day be found. Like Kate McCann, the mothers of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, had fought tirelessly to keep the stories of their missing daughters in the public eye in the hope that one day it might help bring them home. Gina DeJesus' mother Nancy Ruiz had plastered posters of her missing daughter all around the neighbourhood after she went missing aged 14 as she walked home one day from school. One of the posters somehow made it into the home where she was chained up. However bad her life must have been in that suburban dungeon – and it must have been horrific – there must have been some crumb of comfort for Gina knowing her mum was still looking for her, waiting for her to return. Just as Amanda Berry's mother Louwana Miller scoured the streets for her daughter until she made herself sick and finally died, broken-hearted, seven years ago. And that is why Kate McCann cannot give up her search, however painful it might be. Even if it is the remotest chance, she has to ensure if Madeleine is alive she knows her mother is waiting for her. These mothers were all extraordinary in their own way in refusing to stop fighting for their missing daughters. But in another way they were totally ordinary – isn't it what any mother would hope to do in this situation? And that's what is extraordinary about motherhood – the superhuman strength it gives to women. "The nightmare is over," Cleveland FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony said during a press conference yesterday in Ohio. For Kate McCann the nightmare goes on until she either dies herself or Madeleine is found. Every day she must relive the nightmare for Madeleine, just as the mothers of Amanda, Gina and Michelle did for 10 years. In doing so, these dedicated women are an inspiration to mothers everywhere.

New Hope for Parents of Missing Madeleine McCann, 08 May 2013

New Hope for Parents of Missing Madeleine McCann Newsweek by Barbie Latza Nadeau | May 8, 2013 8:24 AM EDT Madeleine McAnn's been missing for six years. But the escape of three Cleveland women this week offers new hope for the British girl's parents. Just last week the parents of missing Briton Madeleine McCann marked the six-year anniversary of their daughter's disappearance by attending a poignant ceremony in their hometown church in Leicestershire, England. They made the local television rounds, reminding holiday makers heading to the Algarve, Portugal, where Madeleine disappeared in 2007, to take along posters of what their daughter would look like now. A few days later, Madeleine's mother, Kate, set off for Portugal to revisit the scene where her daughter disappeared in an attempt to "feel closer" to her. She said she felt more optimistic than ever that her daughter would be found. Those feelings were amplified on Monday when three American women who had been missing for a decade were found in a ramshackle house in Cleveland. Amanda Berry, who was abducted when she was 16, Gina DeJesus, who was abducted when she was 14, and Michelle Knight, who went missing at the age of 20, were rescued on Monday night. The women had been abducted on separate occasions, and they had lived together in captivity for a decade before Berry literally broke through the door of the house and caught the attention of the neighbors. A 6-year-old girl identified as Berry's daughter was also discovered with the women. Like McCann, the mothers of the missing women had never given up hope. Last year, on the eighth anniversary of DeJesus's disappearance, her mother wore a bright yellow T-shirt with a photo of her daughter taken days before she disappeared with the words "Have You Seen Me?" Berry's mother died three years after the abduction, news that her daughter would have learned only after she was freed this week. Knight's mother had always assumed her daughter ran away by choice and had waited for years to hear from her. "The discovery of these young women reaffirms our hope of finding Madeleine, which has never diminished," the McCanns said in a statement. "Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods. So we ask the public to remain vigilant in the ongoing search for Madeleine. Our thoughts are with the women in America and their families." The three Cleveland women call to mind several other high-profile missing children who were discovered many years after their disappearance. Jaycee Dugard, who was held captive for 18 years in a squalid series of tents by her abductor, who fathered her two children. Dugard was found in 2009. Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted in 2002, was raped almost daily for nine months before escaping her captor. In the United States, there are currently around 500,000 missing children on the national database, of which roughly one third are believed to have been kidnapped by parents, often in custody battles. Of those missing children, 57 percent will eventually come home alive, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. More than 97 percent of those are found in the first 72 hours. In Europe, the number of missing children is much lower than in the United States, with less than 200,000 missing children reported across the 27-country euro zone, and the chances of finding them are much higher, at nearly 90 percent, according to Missing Children Europe which keeps an active database. For the McCanns, the statistics and news from Cleveland offer fresh hope. According to Kate McCann, even the terrifying ordeals told by the women who survived years of sexual and psychological abuse in captivity cannot compare to the daily tragedy of not knowing if her daughter is alive or dead. Like so many of the parents of missing children who are eventually found, the McCanns take comfort in their unwavering belief she is still out there. McCann says she still feels like her daughter just disappeared. "In many ways, nothing's changed," Kate McCann wrote on the Find Madeleine website on the anniversary of her death. "We still worry about her, we miss her as much as we ever did, we remain as determined as ever to find her and to know what has happened."

Madeleine McCann's parents say Ohio case offers hope, 08 May 2013

Madeleine McCann's parents say Ohio case offers hope USA Today By Melanie Eversley May 8, 2013 5:17 PM Almost six years to the day that their young daughter disappeared on a vacation in Portugal, the parents of Madeleine McCann say the Ohio case in which three abducted women were found more than 10 years after their disappearance gives them hope. Kate and Gerry McCann said through a statement that the Cleveland discovery that has resonated worldwide underscored their hope they would find their little girl. In the Ohio case, three women and a girl borne to one of them during captivity were discovered after allegedly being held for years by three brothers. "The discovery of these young women reaffirms our hope of finding Madeleine, which has never diminished," The Guardian and other news organizations report the couple said in a statement. "Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods. So we ask the public to remain vigilant in the ongoing search for Madeleine." The statement continued, "Our thoughts are with the women in America and their families." The McCanns observed the anniversary of their little girl's disappearance by attending a ceremony in Rothley, Leicestershire, in the United Kingdom. Madeleine McCann, then 3, disappeared from her family's vacation apartment in Portugal on May 3, 2007, while her parents thought she was sleeping. May 12 will mark Madeleine's 10th birthday. That sentiment of hope appeared to be shared on social media too. On a Facebook community page titled "Madeleine McCann" that has attracted 1,199 "Likes," one follower wrote Tuesday morning, "Amanda Berry in Cleveland found after 10 years!!!!!!! We must not give up... There is so much hope!!!!" Another wrote Tuesday afternoon, "Finding those young women alive gives hope that little Madeleine will come home one day." Meantime, Scotland Yard - London's Metropolitan Police - issued an age-progressed photo of Madeleine McCann last month, along with a statement saying the agency believes the girl is still alive. A review of the investigation started in May 2011 and has focused on three strands: the investigation in Portugal, inquiries made by law enforcement in the United Kingdom and the work of private investigators or agencies, according to a Scotland Yard statement. The department plans to present Portuguese authorities with 195 "investigative opportunities," the statement said. "The objective of the review team is to work with the Portuguese authorities with a view to having the case, which has remained closed since 2008, re-opened in due course," the statement read.

Kate McCann returns to Portuguese resort on sixth anniversary of daughter Maddie's disappearance as she reveals renewed hopes of finding her, 09 May 2013

Note: The woman who accompanied Kate McCann to the church in Praia da Luz was not her mother, Susan Healy. It was Susan Hubbard - the wife of Haynes Hubbard, the former Anglican priest in Praia da Luz - who had travelled from Glenburnie in Canada to be with Kate in Portugal. Kate McCann returns to Portuguese resort on sixth anniversary of daughter Maddie's disappearance as she reveals renewed hopes of finding her Daily Mail Kate MCann lit a candle for her missing daughter in Praia da Luz church Afterwards she appeared visibly upset and was comforted by her mother It is just over six years since the then three-year-old Maddie disappeared Family say discovery of three kidnapped women in Cleveland has given them renewed hope By DANIEL MILLER PUBLISHED: 00:08, 9 May 2013 | UPDATED: 20:07, 9 May 2013 Kate McCann returned to the Portuguese resort where her daughter Maddie disappeared six years ago and revealed renewed hopes of finding the missing girl. Mrs McCann, accompanied by her mother Susan Healy, lit a candle for Maddie in the little church in Praia da Luz, Algarve where she prayed for her daughter's safe return before being comforted by locals. Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry said the discovery of three women who went missing separately 10 years ago in the US has given them fresh hopes that their daughter will be found. Hopes: Kate McCann, accompanied by her mother Susan Healy, pictured in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, where her daughter Madeline disappeared six years ago ------------------   A visibly shaken Kate McCann visits the little church in Praia da Luz, Algarve six years after her daughter Maddie's disappearance ------------------------- Madeleine, then aged nearly four, vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal's Algarve on May 3 2007, as her parents dined with friends nearby. Today, the McCanns said the rescue of the women in Ohio 'reaffirmed' their hope of finding their daughter. 'The discovery of these young women reaffirms our hope of finding Madeleine, which has never diminished,' they said in a statement. 'Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods. 'So we ask the public to remain vigilant in the ongoing search for Madeleine. 'Our thoughts are with the women in America and their families.' Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, who all went missing in separate incidents a decade ago, were found alive and well in a house in Cleveland, Ohio, after allegedly being held prisoner by three brothers. Ms Berry disappeared aged 16 on April 21, 2003 on her way home from work at a burger restaurant. Ms DeJesus went missing aged 14 on her way home from school about a year later. Ms Knight went missing in 2002 and is 32 now. They were rescued from the house, just a few miles from where they vanished, along with a six-year-old girl apparently born to one of them while in captivity, after Ms Berry was freed by neighbours who heard her screaming. She made a frantic telephone call to emergency services and told them she had been abducted. Neighbours said they previously had no idea the women were in the house and were first alerted when they heard someone kicking at a door, yelling for help and trying desperately to get outside the house. Kate McCann decided to return to Praia da Luz on the sixth anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance to pray for her safe return -------------------------- Last week, Kate and Gerry McCann marked the sixth anniversary of their daughter's disappearance. Mrs McCann is currently visiting Portugal, and is expected to return home to the UK shortly. Last week she and her husband said their family, including twins Sean and Amelie, now eight, had found a 'new normality' since Madeleine's disappearance. They also said they remained as hopeful as ever - if not more so - as a case review by the Metropolitan Police was under way. The McCann family say the discovery of three Cleveland women (L-R) Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight, who went missing 10 years ago has given them fresh hopes that their daughter will be found

Kate McCann and Mum Pray for Madeleine at Portugese (sic) church, 09 May 2013

Note: The woman who accompanied Kate McCann to the church in Praia da Luz was not her mother, Susan Healy. It was Susan Hubbard - the wife of Haynes Hubbard, the former Anglican priest in Praia da Luz - who had travelled from Glenburnie in Canada to be with Kate in Portugal. Kate McCann and Mum Pray for Madeleine at Portugese church Daily Star By Emily Hall 9th May 2013 KATE MCCANN prayed for her daughter at a small church close to where Madeleine was abducted. The former GP sat quietly with her mum Susan Healy in the medieval church of Our Lady of the Light in Praia da Luz, Portugal. They lit candles for Madeleine, who went missing six years ago last Friday and would have been celebrating her 10th birthday at home this weekend. Devout Catholic Kate, 45, says she'll never stop praying for Madeleine's safe return. As they left the church Susan put her arm around her. Kate planned the emotional pilgrimage after telling friends she felt closer to her daughter there. A source said: "It is a very tough journey for Kate to make, but no matter how difficult she feels it is something she has to do to remember her little girl." Praia da Luz villagers threw themselves into the search for Madeleine. The source added: "Local worshippers have been of great comfort to Kate by giving her words of hope that Madeleine may still be found." Kate and husband Gerry, 44, were boosted by this week's discovery of three kidnapped American girls after 10 years being held captive. In a statement, the McCanns said: "Their recovery is further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods." They also urged the public to carry on taking pictures of missing Madeleine on holiday with them in a bid to jog people's memories.

Robert Murat wins slander case as Kate McCann visits Luz, 09 May 2013

Robert Murat wins slander case as Kate McCann visits Luz The Portugal News BY BRENDAN DE BEER · 09-05-2013 10:23:00 A Lisbon court has ruled national daily Correio da Manhã pay a total of 15,000 euros to Robert Murat who was dragged into the case of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann after volunteering to act as a translator between Portuguese authorities and the McCanns. In its judgment, the court found that publishing false allegations such as "Robert Murat is a predator who visits sites containing sexual violence" was not in the public interests and infringed upon his rights. The newspaper frequently quoted anonymous police sources and alleged leaks by investigators in their coverage of the case to substantiate its claims. "This is the 33-year old Englishman police believe dragged little Maddie from the bed in which she was sleeping up to the house where he lives with his mother", the newspaper wrote in May 2007 shortly after Mr. Murat was declared a person of interest or arguido and questioned by police in a marathon 19-hour-long interrogation session in Portimão. Following these and several other extraordinary statements as to his alleged personality and behavioural traits, Mr. Murat was forced to regularly wear a disguise when going out in public, all the while receiving threatening telephone calls and letters. His real estate business was ruined as a result of the negative publicity, though he has since managed to set up a successful computer business in the Algarve. Back in 2008, Robert Murat received 757,000 euros in damages from a number of British newspapers for false allegations they published. Amongst them were the Sunday Express, to which Robert Murat gave an exclusive interview last Sunday which was published on their front page under the headline, 'Bring Them All Back to Portugal'. This was a call made in reference to Kate and Gerry McCann and the remainder of the so-called Tapas 9 coming to the country to carry out a reconscontruction of events leading up to Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Meanwhile, Kate McCann this week visited the Algarve. One of her first visits was to the Nossa Senhora da Luz church to pray and light candles. Sources close to the family said "she will spend a few days in Praia da Luz. She feels close to Madeleine there. "It is a private trip alone, away from the spotlight, and a time for quiet reflection. She still has a lot of friends there", the source was quoted as telling the Daily Mirror. In a post on the findmadeleine.com site, Kate McCann confided that "it's difficult to know what to write as each year passes, still without news of Madeleine. In many ways, nothing's changed. We still worry about her, we miss her as much as we ever did, we remain as determined as ever to find her and to know what has happened." She praised the "significant progress" over the last year in the work of the Metropolitan Police and said the family remains greatly encouraged by their work and the many things they have managed to uncover so far. "We continue to hope and pray that the Met working with the Portuguese Authorities will lead to a significant breakthrough. We need to find Madeleine and bring some peace to our family."

Kate McCann prays in Luz, 10 May 2013

Kate McCann prays in Luz Algarve Resident Updated: 10-May-2013 Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine went missing six years ago from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz where the family were staying, flew from England this week to pray in the local church. Kate made the journey on Monday without the company of her husband Gerry, and stayed in the house of an English friend in the village. During her visit, which coincided with the birthday of Madeleine, Kate went to the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz where she lit candles and said prayers which, she said, made her feel closer to her daughter who disappeared on May 3 2007. While in Praia da Luz, she spent time with her friend and spoke to local residents and foreigners while strolling along the promenade near Baptista supermarket. "Kate made the journey alone in order to be able to reflect calmly in the locality where she feels closest to her daughter," a friend told the Daily Mirror newspaper. Murat on Madeleine case Interview || Robert Murat, a British Algarve resident who was cleared as a suspect in the Madeleine case early on in the investigation, believes the authorities need to re-interview all those present in Praia da Luz at the time of the toddler's disappearance to construct a more reliable timeline. In an exclusive interview in the UK's Sunday Express to mark the sixth anniversary since Madeleine went missing, Robert Murat said he believed the PJ should be involved because, in his view, "that is the best way of solving the mystery". He said officers from Scotland Yard's Operation Grange, conducting a £4.5 million review of the case, "need to speak to everybody, including myself, and they need to get the Portuguese involved in a much more constructive way. "To get somewhere now they need to have a joint team working here together in Praia da Luz. This is where it happened. It didn't happen in England. The reconstruction should cover the critical period just before and after the abduction." Madeleine's 10th birthday would be this Sunday (May 12). CM ordered to pay compensation for "moral damages" Decision || National daily newspaper Correio da Manhã has been ordered to pay a compensation of €15,000 to Robert Murat by the Lisbon Court of Appeal for "moral damages", as he was portrayed in a derogatory way in their reporting of the Madeleine case in the early stages of the investigation. According to the judges, "the objective of increasing paper sales cannot interfere with journalistic ethics, of respect for presumed innocence, of not producing statements and images that may affect a person's dignity, as well as publishing news reports that raise discriminatory issues". In May 2007, Correio da Manhã published a report describing Murat as an apparently "friendly and helpful" individual who turned out to be "a predator who accessed websites depicting scenes of sexual violence". The court ruled that the reporting had violated Murat's right to peace and quiet and ordered the publication and the three journalists responsible for the news articles to pay up €15,000 compensation. In mid-2008, Murat saw his status of arguido dropped by the Portuguese authorities. In an interview with the Algarve Resident in 2012, Murat said his life had been turned upside down by the Madeleine case and that he doesn't expect anybody to be on his side. "I just want the truth," he said. In November 2008, Murat received a settlement of £600,000 in damages from various British publications following allegations in more than 100 articles.

Joan Burnie: Love thy neighbour? Maybe not, but at least check up on them, 10 May 2013

Joan Burnie: Love thy neighbour? Maybe not, but at least check up on them Daily Record By Joan Burnie 10 May 2013 00:01 THE release of the Cleveland Three gives hope to the parents of Madeleine McCann and should inspire us all. OBVIOUSLY the release of the Cleveland Three must give a small, desperate shred of hope, something the McCanns can cling to, along with anyone else whose loved one has vanished into thin air. It will be Madeleine's – I am deliberately using the present tense – 10th birthday on Sunday and six years since she disappeared in Portugal. I've never been able to understand those who think Kate and Gerry should give up and stop searching for their lost daughter. Of course they can't. Who could? I wouldn't, not until I had taken my last breath or there was irrefutable evidence that my child was dead. Meanwhile, questions are being asked in America about how Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight, as well as a six-year-old child, could be imprisoned for almost 10 years without anyone noticing. Why didn't the neighbours do more? Why didn't the police put more effort into finding the girls? Why, why – so many whys. After all, the house in which they were held captive wasn’t in the back of beyond, but slap bang in the middle of a suburban street. So how DID Ariel Castro get off with a triple snatch and keep them for so long? But then, we've been here before. Not just Utah's Elizabeth Smart but Jaycee Dugard – kidnapped in California aged 11 and held for 18 years – and the Austrian woman, Elisabeth Fritzl, whose father imprisoned her in a basement dungeon and forced her to have seven children by him. Closer to home, for years Fred West was picking up random victims whom he and his wife held, raped and murdered within the comfort of their own cellar. Again, in the centre of a community. Victims hidden in clear sight. How can these horrors happen? Easily. Too many lives these days are lived behind closed doors and curtains, shutting out the rest of the world because we are reluctant to interfere or become too involved with our neighbours. A recent survey showed the vast majority of us couldn't even tell you their names, never mind talk to them. So we turn up the TV if we hear a scream in the night and ignore the sound of a fist thumping into flesh again and again and again. We don't question the fact, say, of a strange child who suddenly appears or disappears in our street. We don't ask why a baby such as Declan Hainey – whose dead, mummifed body was eventually found in his cot – is no longer seen out and about, not until it is way, way too late. Fortunately, it was not too late for those three women in Cleveland. Pray God it is not too late also for Madeleine McCann. Meanwhile, we are, or rather should be, our neighbours' keepers. Better to be thought nosy than to shrug our shoulders and walk on by.

Home alone... but it's always mum who takes blame, 10 May 2013

Home alone... but it's always mum who takes blame Nottingham Post Friday, May 10, 2013 WHAT age is the right age to leave children home alone before heading for a night out? Dads do it with impunity – but when it's mum, it seems to be a whole different ball game. Image: Hogarth's 18-th century engraving Gin Lane. Women don't just carry the baby for nine months, they carry the moral burden for a lifetime. British painter and satirist William Hogarth played a blinder on this one. In his famous engraving Gin Lane, there is a bare chested slattern of one ugly woman holding a bottle. Let's face it – she's out of it. To be fair, everyone is. So far, so Friday night on Upper Parliament Street. What makes it different and what makes it shocking, is that heading west over her shoulder is a baby that has just been swinging on her exposed chest. Gin-vixen is a mother – and that's a game-changer. Never mind the fact that the ugly, sleeping cadaver on her right is probably dad. He pales into insignificance next to her. And frankly, that distinction is taking the proverbial. I mean, mum is blatantly multi-tasking here? She's found some hazardous steps to crash down onto, she's feeding the baby and she's juggling gin. The least dad could do when she takes a nap is wake up and catch the baby. Careless. Not much has changed since the 18th Century – and not just on Upper Parliament Street. In a week that's seen a reassessment of the six years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, it is no coincidence that the bulk of the attention has focussed on Madeleine's mother Kate. Dad Gerry always looks on, and is looked on benignly – heart surgeon, nice Scottish accent, supportive and strained. Kate is scrutinised for emotion, or regret, after what must have been every mother's worst nightmare – the loss of a child. It's a case of there but for the grace of God go thousands of other families on holiday each year. Catholic guilt clings to motherhood like children wanting fish finger sandwiches. Hence my dilemma this week. When Mr Jane is away, how should I play? Ideally a doting aunt or grandparent would baby-sit (pause for hysterical laughter) but failing that, surely a ten-year-old spending an hour or two with an Xbox and a 14-year-old brother with a Blackberry Messaging drip-feed is okay? Isn't it? I'm not sure – and I'm not even Catholic. But take a look at the NSPCC website – Home Alone: your guide on keeping your child safe – and there is actually no age limit in law. Who knew? Our hypercritical inner mother is so guilt-ridden and self-critical and intimidated by those mothers who are excited by cupcakes and cross-stitch that we don't even check. The guidance says: "follow your instincts." That's invariably what Kate McCann did and how much have we made her suffer? Too much for a night out. For the record, I went out. Call the Social.

Sometimes miracles do happen, 11 May 2013

Sometimes miracles do happen Daily Express WHEN I heard about the remarkable escape of three young women in Ohio after 10 years in captivity inside an ordinary suburban house, the first person I thought of was Kate McCann. By: Richard and Judy Published: Sat, May 11, 2013 Poignantly, tomorrow will be her daughter Madeleine's 10th birthday and Kate is flying out to Portugal to spend some time in the place where she feels closest to her little girl. Every instinct in Kate insists that Madeleine is still alive, even though it is six years now since she was snatched from her parents' holiday apartment in the picturesque village of Praia da Luz (where Richard and I and the kids have spent many happy weeks in spring and summer). In the tiny, beautiful church there, with its golden interior, Kate McCann will be praying for the safe return of her daughter. I hope her anguish has been at least a little assuaged by the extraordinary story of abduction and survival in Ohio.

The only choice is to hope, 12 July 2013

The only choice is to hope Irish Examiner Sunday, May 12, 2013 THE news from Ohio, while sending reverberations of disbelief around the world, may offer a shred of hope to one mother and father many thousands of miles away. By Suzanne Harrington For the three young women in Cleveland, missing presumed dead turned out to be just that — a presumption. A reasonable one, after a decade of being gone, but one that was wrong. They were not dead after all. "My name is Amanda Berry and I am here and I am free now," said one. A neighbour commented to the young woman moments after her escape that she could not be Amanda Berry, because Amanda Berry was dead. And yet there she was, alive, free, breathing. Does this give hope to the family of another missing girl, albeit a younger, and far more defenceless, one? Madeleine McCann will be 10 tomorrow. Or would have been 10 tomorrow. It's hard to know in which tense to write about her. Missing since May 3, 2007, a week before her fourth birthday, her disappearance made her the most famous missing person in the world, a child who is still featured regularly in newspapers, particularly the tabloids. Her mother believes she is still alive. The child's disappearance caught international attention, because of who she was and how she vanished. Here's what Madeleine was not: At risk, in care, on a child protection list, neglected, abused, living in a chaotic family, the child of active addicts, or any of the other stuff we associate with kids who go missing. She did not fit the socio-economic pigeon hole for children who run away from dysfunctional domestic lives, or disappear under appalling circumstances. Her family were not badly deprived or messed up; it was their very middle class normality which made their child's disappearance headline news everywhere for so long. People could relate. It could have been our child. In the years that have passed since the abduction on Praia de la Luz, Kate and Gerry McCann have experienced daily, unendingly, unimaginable loss. In a recent interview, Kate McCann mentioned how she recently left her twins, now eight, in the back of the family car for the first time when she went in to pay for petrol in a garage. They were in her full view, but it was the first time she had ever dared to do it. Imagine normal parental paranoia, multiplied by infinity. The McCann parents, in the midst of their anguish, underwent an extraordinary trial by media. The Portuguese police had no idea what had happened, and so blamed the parents. All sorts of smear suggestions appeared in print: That the parents had administered a sedative to make their children sleep so the adults could have dinner in peace, and Madeleine had died as a result of an accidental overdose. This was actually posited as a theory. And then there was the endless criticism that it was their fault in the first place for leaving their children unattended, despite checking on them every 10 minutes. That they were bad parents. In their agony, they were bad parents. Kate McCann recently ran the London Marathon to raise money for the British charity Missing People, for whom she is an ambassador. In Britain, a quarter of a million people go missing each year. But perhaps none quite so traumatically as Madeleine, because she was so young and has never been found. Her family, unable to attain closure, still put birthday presents in her bedroom every year, a room which they have left unchanged since her abduction. They have trained themselves to avoid morbid reflection as much as possible so that they don't get overwhelmed by their feelings of helplessness, rage and terror, but because they don't know what happened to their child, they cannot stop looking for her. Two years ago Scotland Yard stepped in, so that they don't have to fund private investigators by themselves any more. But despite sightings as far away as New Zealand, where a recent DNA test showed that a child thought to be Madeleine was not her, the McCanns' eldest child is still missing. So are loads of other children, by the way. In Ireland, there are 114 missing children, most of them of African or Asian origin, 106 of whom were in State care when they disappeared. Do we know any of their names? Are there sustained and highly publicised campaigns to find them? Unfortunately not. In the UK, the number of children going missing is estimated at 140,000 per year, or one every three minutes. In the US, 800,000 children are reported missing every year — that's 2,000 missing kids a day, mostly abducted by people known to them. Murder is rare, although sexually motivated abduction is not. At the moment, a man is on trial for the abduction and murder of missing Welsh girl April Jones, 5, who was taken in Oct 2012. Her DNA was identified in blood and bone found in his home. The killer of London schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, was convicted of her murder in June 2011, nine years after her disappearance. And the killer of the two 10-year-old girls murdered in Soham, Cambridgeshire in 2002 — Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman — is currently serving life imprisonment. Their families know what happened to them, who did it, and that their murderers are in prison. Does that make it any better? Is the extinguishing of hope better or worse than the lack of knowing, the "void" as Kate McCann describes it? Child murders in Ireland are quite rare. In 2010 when 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl Michaela Davis was killed by a 19-year- old man, her death was widely reported as the first child murder in Ireland since 2005. This is not quite true. On another day in 2010, four children — two sets of siblings — were murdered by their fathers, but given the 'domestic' nature of their deaths, there was less media fuss than about abductions by strangers in the case of children such as Madeleine McCann. In terms of media attention, the only case which temporarily rivalled that of the McCanns' was the disappearance of Shannon Matthews in Feb 2008 in Yorkshire. Shannon was 10 at the time of her disappearance. It transpired that her mother and other family members had kidnapped her and hidden her themselves, in the hope of raising some reward money. Unlike Madeleine McCann, she was from a chaotically dysfunctional household, her story serving to reinforce class prejudice as her mother was jailed for, among other crimes, perverting the course of justice. Shannon's whereabouts are now known only by the authorities, in a belated bid to protect her from the public, the media, and elements of her own family. Another girl, Tia Sharp, 12, was reported missing by her grandmother in Croydon, South London last August. Her body was found 10 days later in the loft of her grandmother's house. Her grandmother's boyfriend, who had formerly been the boyfriend of Tia's mother, was accused of her murder and goes on trial this month. All of these cases have had the same kind of nightmarish conclusion. Meanwhile, a comparable case to Madeleine McCann's is that of toddler Ben Needham, who disappeared on the island of Kos while in his grandparents' care. He was last seen in what sounded like a safe place — the garden of the family's farmhouse. Ben was almost two when he disappeared in 1991. He would be 23 now. No trace of him has ever been discovered, and his family continue to look for him, because they can't do anything else. Madeleine's parents cannot stop looking for her either. They have no choice but to keep going.

Broken-hearted Kate's presents for Maddie on tenth birthday, 12 May 2013

Broken-hearted Kate's presents for Maddie on tenth birthday Daily Star Sunday By Tracey Kandohla 12th May 2013 KATE McCann will place birthday presents in her missing daughter's bedroom today and hopes one day she will be back home to open them. The anguished mum said: "Madeleine should be here and we should be ­celebrating with her." Maddie's tenth birthday, which falls nine days after the sixth anniversary of her ­disappearance, will be marked with a low-key party for family and friends. Kate, husband Gerry and well-wishers will pray for Maddie's safe return as they light candles on her cake. Former GP Kate, 45, told in a recent ­interview how they would remember the youngster on her birthday. She said: "The family will get together and celebrate, which is wonderful – but Madeleine should be here. We still celebrate her and her being part of our lives." Kate returned on Wednesday from a ­poignant trip to Portugal's Praia da Luz, where she last saw her daughter in May 2007 before she was snatched from a holiday flat. The McCanns have decorated the front gates and lanterns at their home in Rothley, Leics, with green and yellow ribboned floral tributes – the colours representing hope. The presents will be kept in Maddie's pretty pink bedroom, which has remained untouched since she vanished. Heartbroken Kate still visits her eldest child's room twice a day, opening and closing the curtains. She said last week: "I go into Madeleine's room and I don't even have to talk – I can just think. It's as it was really, that's her room and I'm not ready to change it." Kate said that for the sake of her eight-year-old twins Sean and Amelie the family has "as near a normal life as we can". She added: "We always include Madeleine in everything. She is in my head and my heart every minute of every day." Maddie’s birthday celebration comes just over a week after Kate collapsed in tears at a public prayer service to mark six years since her abduction. A family friend said yesterday: "It's a small get-together to remember Madeleine and to let her know their thoughts and prayers are with her, wherever she is." Kate and heart surgeon Gerry, 44, believe their daughter could still be alive. They have been boosted by David ­Cameron's pledge that Scotland Yard's police review into her disappearance will continue – and by revelations that three missing American women were found alive after ten years.

Flowers of hope for Madeleine as parents stage low-key gathering to mark missing daughter's tenth birthday, 12 May 2013

Flowers of hope for Madeleine as parents stage low-key gathering to mark missing daughter's tenth birthday Mail on Sunday It has been six years since the McCann's daughter 'Maddie' vanished Kate and Gerry McCann plan on spending her birthday with loved ones Birthday gifts will be laid in her bedroom, which has been left untouched By TRACEY KANDOHLA PUBLISHED: 00:50, 12 May 2013 | UPDATED: 11:35, 12 May 2013 The parents of missing Madeleine McCann will today mark her tenth birthday with a low-key gathering for family and friends. Kate and Gerry McCann will join well-wishers in praying for the return of their daughter, who went missing on holiday in Portugal when she was three. The McCanns have decorated the front gates at their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, with green and yellow floral tributes, symbolising hope. Unending grief: Kate McCann seen here in Praia da Luz last week --------------------- In a TV interview last week, Mrs McCann said: 'The family will get together and celebrate, which is wonderful, but Madeleine should be here. 'We still celebrate her and her being part of our lives. I go into Madeleine's room and I don't even have to talk – I can just think. It's as it was really and I'm not ready to change it.' The McCanns try to keep life as normal as possible for the sake of their eight-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie. Still missing: Madeleine McCann aged three in 2007 before she disappeared while on holiday with her parents ------------------- Imagining: Last year the Metropolitan Police released an age progression picture of what Madeleine McCann would look like on her ninth birthday -------------------------- 'We always include Madeleine in everything. She is in my head and my heart every minute of every day,' Mrs McCann said. Gifts will be laid in Madeleine's bedroom, which has remained untouched since she vanished. Mrs McCann, 45, said it was full of photographs, drawings, unopened Christmas stockings and birthday gifts. Not losing hope: Kate McCann, left, after running the London Marathon this year and right, holding hands with husband Gerry McCann as they give a TV interview earlier this month nearly six years after she vanished ------------------- The former GP returned from a visit to Portugal on Wednesday during which she lit a candle in the church in the resort of Praia da Luz and prayed for Madeleine's return. The McCanns said their spirits were lifted last week when three young women, who had been missing for up to ten years, were found alive in a house in Cleveland, Ohio. They said it had given them fresh hope that Madeleine is still alive. She disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in the Algarve just over six years ago.

Ohio gives McCanns hope, 12 May 2013

Ohio gives McCanns hope Sunday Express KATE and Gerry McCann will mark their missing daughter Madeleine's 10th birthday today with a small "celebration" as a relative of an Ohio kidnap survivor urged them never to give up their search for her. By: James Murray Published: Sun, May 12, 2013   Tasheen Mitchell, whose cousin Amanda Berry was one of three women rescued from a dungeon in a suburban house in Cleveland last week, said her thoughts are with the McCann family this weekend. Amanda, now 27, was 16 when she was snatched a decade ago and gave birth to her captor Ariel Castro's daughter Jocelyn six years ago. Tasheen, 26, told the Sunday Express: "Miracles do happen, just look at Amanda. "The McCanns should not give up hope. If the parents have hope then there is always a chance. They have got to keep on praying. Someone, somewhere has got their daughter." In response to the Ohio rescue, the McCanns said in a statement: "The discovery of these young women reaffirms our hope of finding Madeleine, which has never diminished. Their recovery is also further evidence that children are sometimes abducted and kept for long periods." Madeleine was snatched from a holiday apartment in Portugal on May 3, 2007, when she was three. Since then her parents have kept her bedroom ready for her and her birthday presents will be put there today.

Valerie Nettles: I'm glad kidknapped [sic] girls were found, it gives me hope, 12 May 2013

Valerie Nettles: I'm glad kidknapped girls were found, it gives me hope Sunday Express FOR Valerie Nettles, every day is the same: she wakes up thinking of her missing son, Damien, and she falls asleep wondering where he could be now. By: Jane Clinton Published: Sun, May 12, 2013 He disappeared aged 16 on November 2, 1996 in Cowes, Isle of Wight, and since then Valerie, her family and a band of supporters have tried to discover what happened to him. Her anguish is all the more poignant in light of the dramatic escape of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight in Cleveland, Ohio this week. They had been kidnapped and missing for a nearly a decade. Their discovery and freedom has offered Valerie and other families hope. "I am absolutely delighted for the families and that they are finally getting some resolution," she says. "It just goes to show you can never give up. It's inspired me and everybody like me to feel justified and confident that what we are doing is the right thing." The battle to find out what happened to Damien has been exhausting for the Nettles family. "There are times when I have felt like we are not getting anywhere," admits Valerie, 60, who works as a secretary. "At one point I thought: 'I will do this for 10 years and then if we have got nothing I will just have to admit we are not going to get anywhere' but I couldn't do it. I couldn't give up. "I just know I will be looking for him until the day I die. I can't not look for him, he's my son. I can't let it go. We just miss him desperately every day. We miss him as part of the fabric of our family and it is just painful all the time." Valerie's children, James, 29, Melissa, 34 and Sarah, 35, all have children of their own, so the bulk of the campaigning for Damien is done by her. "I don't think I have neglected my children at all but a large slice of my attention has gone on looking for Damien," she says. "Our lives are not whole. Everybody muddles along but he is always an open question. He is always in our thoughts. Always. Damien always saw the funny side of things and made us laugh so much. Before he went missing I remember saying to him: 'Be careful, because if anything happened to you I think I would just die.' I always felt I needed to say that to him more than I did with the others." Despite family and friends' tireless efforts to find out what happened to Damien, it remains a mystery. (In 2011 detectives arrested eight people on suspicion of murdering Damien. They were questioned over the course of a year but released with no further action). The campaign for Damien has been complicated further by the fact that Valerie moved to Texas with her family in 2001. Leaving England (her husband Ed, now 64, had gone over in 2000) she admits, was the hardest decision she has ever had to make and she "fought" it but the promise of a job for her husband was something she could not ignore. "There is not a day goes by that I don't wish that we could be back in England," she says. "I deal with Damien's case as best I can from a distance. It is difficult and it adds another anguish into the whole equation." As well as support from the UK charity Missing People (for which she is a Family Representative) and the charity, Forever Searching, social media has made a huge and "phenomenal" difference for Valerie and her campaign. On May 25 it is International Missing Children's Day. According to Home Office figures around 140,000 people under the age of 18 go missing in the UK every year. (In total 250,000 people go missing every year in the UK). Unfortunately, Valerie believes Damien's case was not taken seriously enough in the crucial 48 hours after a disappearance. "The missing issue is very much gender and race and age biased," she says. "The ones that pop up are usually female and rightly so: I don't object to that. It is not the same for boys. I was told by the police that Damien had gone off for a "funny five minutes" and that he would be back by tea time. But I knew it didn't make any sense." A £20,000 reward for information was put up by Hampshire Constabulary for six months and it expired last month, despite Valerie calling for it to be extended. At present Hampshire Constabulary is reviewing all the information it has to date on the case, which it says, remains open. "We are not giving up," insists Valerie. "Somebody has volunteered to bring cadaver dogs over to the island where the police won't search. There are two sites that I am aware of. I just want Damien's bones if that is what I am looking at. I want to know where he is and I want to know what happened. Because I don't know anything I imagine everything: that is the worst part. "Justice would be nice but at this point I want him home and back with the family in some way, just to be able to bury him." Although she is prepared for the worst, Valerie admits that the case in Cleveland, Ohio, does make her think. "I wondered from day one if someone has just kept Damien locked up somewhere," she says. "Of course, it would be nice to think he was out there somewhere. I cannot believe, knowing Damien, that he would have kept quiet so long." Despite her campaigning, Valerie has not met Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine has been missing since 2007. "I'd love to meet her," she says. "She sent me a little book with advice for siblings on how to cope." Valerie's advice to those, like her, with missing loved ones has sadly come through years of experience. "Stay focused and never stop looking," she says. "Although it may feel like you cannot breathe and you cannot cope, it gets easier. You learn to live this new normal and you don't die. You have to keep going. The biggest thing is, don't give up, because miracles happen." For more information on the search for Damien Nettles go to damiennettles.com. Valerie and her family are fundraising at justgiving.com/Sarah-Nettles to raise a reward and funds for ongoing searches. Forever Searching is at foreversearching.com. The Missing People helpline is 116000 or visit missingpeople.org.uk International Missing Children’s Day is on May 25. The Big Tweet for Missing Children will take place on the same day. Visit http://www.missingpeople.org.uk/bigtweet for more information and follow @missingpeople on Twitter