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- author, Ashitha Nagesh
- To roll, BBC News
The father of missing girl Madeleine McCann is calling for greater scrutiny of the British press, after his family suffered “monstrous” treatment from sections of the press, as he told the BBC.
He claims that the press “repeatedly interfered in the investigation” into the disappearance of his daughter in 2007. And he believes that this made the search more difficult.
In a rare interview, Gerry McCann told the program Todayon BBC Radio 4, who wants the second phase of the so-called Lord Leveson inquiry, which was canceled, to resume. It would have examined the illegal actions of the press and the relations between journalists, politicians and the police.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has publicly supported Madeleine’s father. He said he “strongly defends all those who have been harmed by the illegal and unethical intrusions of the press.”
Madeleine McCann disappeared at the age of three, during a family vacation in Portugal. She was never found.
In a statement, the prince expressed his “full support for the implementation of the recommendations of the Leveson inquiry, seen as essential reforms to protect the public, while upholding free, fair and responsible journalism.”
McCann told the BBC that in the months after her daughter’s disappearance, her family had “reporters coming to the house and photographers literally slamming their cameras against our car window, with the terrified two-year-old twins in the back seat.”
“We were lucky to survive,” he said. “We received a lot of support, but I can say that there were times when I felt like I was sinking. And it was mostly because of the press.”
“That’s what happened and that’s how it was all described, with you being suffocated and buried,” he recalled. “I felt like there was no way out of this.”
McCann points out that, more than a year after Labor came to power in the United Kingdom, “press regulation is no longer a priority”.
He and his wife Kate are among a group of more than 30 people who signed a letter sent to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking him to reverse the decision made by the previous Conservative government in 2018 not to proceed with the second phase of the Leveson inquiry.
“Action must be taken”
The BBC had access to the letter requesting a meeting with the British Prime Minister.
“We understand that you recently took the time to meet with News Corp. Chairman Lachlan Murdoch,” according to the letter.
“We hope that you will now meet some of the British citizens whose lives have been turned upside down by the illegal practices and abuses associated with your company.”
The British Prime Minister’s office confirmed receipt of the letter on Wednesday (12/10).
McCann told the BBC that “it is quite obvious that the press barons can meet the Prime Minister, but the people who have suffered at their hands cannot.”
News Corp.’s British subsidiary, News UK, declined to comment.
British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the television program BBCBreakfast that the government “abandoned” the second phase of the investigation. For her, the press scenario is now “very different” and most people consume their news online.
But she added: “I recognize that action needs to be taken” and said she would meet with McCann.
Their findings were published in 2012 and led to the creation of the industry-funded press regulator Ipso.
Credit, PA Media
McCann told the BBC he believed the second phase of the inquiry “almost certainly” did not happen because British politicians were afraid of the press.
He said that in the run-up to last year’s UK general election, Labor politicians pledged to implement the recommendations made in the first part of the Leveson inquiry. McCann was “extremely disappointed” that this did not happen.
“This government has been in place for more than a year and there has been no change,” he laments. “For me it is unacceptable that now, more than a year later, Leveson and the regulation of the press are no longer a priority.”
A spokesperson for the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) told the BBC it “recognizes that, for victims and their families, incidents of harassment and press intrusion cause significant distress.”
“The Culture Secretary has met with individuals and families who have suffered this type of intrusion in the past and the government is committed to ensuring that these failures do not happen again,” says the spokesperson.
“We put morality aside”
McCann stressed that he and his wife felt like “devil’s advocates” when they worked with The Sun newspaper in 2011 to have the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance reviewed. This illustrates the influence of the newspaper.
“A letter was published on the front page of The Sun and then Prime Minister David Cameron ordered this review,” he says.
“That’s the power they had. So we put our morality aside to work with them and get what we wanted.”
In criticizing media coverage of the investigation, McCann said they “published documents that should have been kept confidential, should have been passed to the police, witness statements and many other things that were published.”
“So if you were the perpetrator, you would know way more than you should have. And as a victim, as a parent, it’s absolutely disappointing.”
“Inventing stories”
McCann gave a witness statement to the Leveson Inquiry, on behalf of himself and his wife, in November 2011.
He described at the time that the press “made up stories” about them and published a “prolonged series of inaccurate and malicious headlines in several newspapers, which gave the impression that we were somehow responsible or involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.”
He also claimed that at the time of his daughter’s disappearance, the now-defunct News of the World newspaper had published full transcriptions of Kate McCann’s personal diary.
The Portuguese police had confiscated this newspaper as part of their investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance. The couple “does not know exactly how News of the World obtained a copy,” according to investigation files.
In your interview with the program TodayMcCann said that “Madeleine has been missing for 18 years and the fact is we still don’t know what happened to her.” He stressed that “there is no proof.”
“I’m not even trying to talk about ‘convincing’ evidence. There is no evidence that says she is dead,” the father continues. “Now we completely understand that she may be dead and that it may even be probable, but we don’t know for sure.”
A spokesperson for regulator Ipso told the BBC it could intervene directly in cases of press harassment.
“We encourage anyone concerned about press behavior to contact us for assistance,” the agency said.
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