Paul Clark
Its half past ten on the third of November. You’re watching UTV Live
Tonight. Good evening and welcome to the programme. I’m Paul Clark and
welcome to the programme. She’s been missing for more than three
years and now the family of Madeleine McCann fear the search for their
daughter could be nearing its end. A vigil is held for the pensioner who
died after collapsing during a robbery at a shop in west Belfast. A
girl who died trying to save her family from a fire started deliberately
by her father is rewarded for her bravery. And as Barack Obama suffers
a humiliating defeat in the mid-term elections. Has he become a lame
duck President?
Madeleine McCann’s abduction touched the hearts of millions of people
throughout the world, not least in Donegal where she holidayed with her
family just weeks before she vanished. But there’s still no sign of
Maddie. A private investigation launched by her parents is running out
of cash, fast. On top of that they fear the authorities have given
up the hunt for their daughter. Sharon O’Neill reports.
Kate McCann
If it wasn’t for the kindness of the general public there wouldn’t have
been a search at all for Madeleine. Without Madeleine’s fund there would
have been no investigation at all in the last two years.
Gerry McCann
If Madeleine was found it would almost be by chance and it shouldn’t be
right that this crime is solved by another child being abducted.
Sharon O’Neill
Madeleine McCann is at her happiest here. Its the Easter holidays and
she’s is in Donegal, where her grandparents live, enjoying an ice cream
with friends. But just weeks after this photograph was taken the three
year old vanished, snatched from her parents’ holiday apartment in the
Algarve in a tragic story which has gripped the world.
GM
I mean there are days when you feel like you can’t go on and, you know,
its a burden that you carry constantly but as Kate said, you know, its
like a treadmill that you’re on and you can’t get off as parents. Even
if you wanted to, you can’t. And, I think you know, we will keep going
till the end.
SO’N
While Madeleine’s parents will never give up hope, they fear those in
power have.
KM
I expected more and whether my expectations were higher than they should
have been. I don’t believe so because we are British citizens and even
opening Madeleine’s passport on the front page it says that we will
provide you with assistance and protection and I feel she could have a
lot more.
SO’N
Madeleine disappeared while on holiday with her family in the Portuguese
resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve. Just days before her fourth
birthday she was kidnapped from this ground floor apartment as her
parents ate a restaurant nearby. A massive search was launched as soon
as they realised Madeleine was gone and that search turned global.
David Beckham
Please could you go to your local authorities or the police and give any
information that you have, any genuine information that you have.
Please, please help us.
SO’N
But despite tip-offs and alleged sightings of Madeleine, she’s never
been found. Frustrated by the lack of progress in the
investigation by Police in England, where they live, and the Portuguese
authorities the McCanns set up their own privately-funded investigation
boosted by the generosity of the public. At its peak £2 million
pounds was in the fund. But the cash is running out and the
investigation is in danger of winding up. Today the McCanns made a
final appeal to the UK and Portuguese authorities. They want a full
review of the case.
KM
Well the case was officially closed in July 2008 so that’s what, two and
a quarter years ago. I suspect there’s probably little that was
done proactively after we were declared arguido in September 2007.
GM
I think that will probably come as a surprise to most people. And
(let me be clear here????) there are reactive elements of new
information comes in. I’m sure the British police will take it
forward, prioritise it and send it through to Portugal and our own team
have passed information through. But what we want is a fundamental
review of all the major facts looking at all elements of information,
looking at the processes that were undertaken and say this could have
been done better. And the goal is to, obviously to find Madeleine and
who took her but that person or those responsible are still at liberty
and they should be brought to justice.
SO’N
The Mccanns have close links to Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Gerry’s father Jack went to school in Londonderry but he grew up in the
village of St Johnston just over the border in Donegal and he ran this
pub with his wife Eileen up until he died. St Johnston became a
retreat for Gerry, Kate and their young family and people here feel they
have been badly left down.
Local Man
They think of them as one of their own, do you understand? And
they take it very much to heart the thing, exactly what has happened.
So everybody is feeling for the McCann family, knowing that they came
from this part of the country.
Local Woman
People everywhere have, you know, huge sympathy for the family and what
they are going through. And I think its terrible that there still
hasn’t been anything done, you know, up to date about her. I’m
sure somebody somewhere knows where she is and, you know, some more
should be done to help them find her.
SO’N
This is how Madeleine may look today. Three years older but still
with those big innocent eyes which captivated the world. Gerry and
Kate believe their daughter is still alive.
GM
We all know it will be very difficult to find Madeleine. There’s
been enough cases of other children who have been missing for very
prolonged periods, including Jaycee Dugard, Sean Hornbeck and others who
have been recovered after being abducted and been physically well.
So there’s absolutely no evidence to suggest Madeleine is not out there
and what we need to do is to make sure that the authorities are doing
everything within their power to find Madeleine and those responsible
for her abduction.
SO’N
Madeleine’s younger brother and sister, who were also in the apartment
at the time she disappeared, are also waiting for her to come home.
KM
Oh they’re fantastic. I mean they’re five and three quarters now, as
they’ll tell you, erm, and they’re unbelievable. They really are
amazing. Erm, they still talk about Madeleine all the time I
mean every day they’ll talk about Madeleine. Erm, they understand
that we’re having to look for her, that we have various people looking
for us. They understand why people have car stickers, why people
have wrist-bands. Erm and they still talk about when Madeleine
comes home, you know. How will they share the bedrooms? Will
the three of them be together, well you know? What colour bedroom
will we have, you know? They’re desperate for her to get home so
she can open all those presents that are sitting in her room, you know.
But they, you know, they keep us going and this would be so much harder,
unbearable in fact, if it wasn’t for Sean and Amelie.
SO’N
The McCanns have suffered every parents’ worst nightmare but they still
haven’t lost heart that one day they will see Madeleine again.
Sharon O’Neill, UTV Tonight |