Madeleine McCann's parents say 'we're waiting for you' in 20th & 21st birthday messages

Madeleine McCann's parents say 'we're waiting for you' in 20th birthday message

Madeleine McCann vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007, and ever since they have continued to hope she is alive and will be reunited with them one day

ByMartin FrickerSenior Reporter
Kieren WilliamsNews Reporter

   08:56, 12 May 2023Updated10:46, 12 May 2023

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann marked her 20th birthday today by telling their daughter: “We’re waiting for you”.

Madeleine was just three when she vanished from her mum and dad’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leics, have continued to hope she is still alive and will one day be reunited with them.

The couple will mark Madeleine’s birthday at a small private family gathering today.

In a Facebook post on the official Find Madeleine Campaign page, they wrote: “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”

They also posted a photo of their daughter taken on the fateful trip to the Algarve 16 years ago and a video of other photos.

A caption underneath the clip read: “Madeleine McCann is 20 years old today.

“She’s still missing, still missed and we are never going to give up trying to find her.”

In the post they wrote: “Happy birthday Madeleine. Still missing. Still very much missed. Still looking.

“For as long as it takes....”

The message was accompanied by a short video appealing for the public’s help in finding Maddie and sharing a number of images of her.

One sweet image showed a younger Maddie dressed in pink, grinning from ear-to-ear as she rode a bike.

Another showed her on the back of a Shetland pony, besides mum Kate, and in a third image, the then young girl was dressed up as a Disney princess.

German paedophile Christian Brueckner, who was living in a farmhouse close to Praia da Luz in 2007, has been named as the prime suspect.

But the 45-year-old, who is serving a jail term in his home country for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz, denies any involvement.

Earlier this month, the family held a candle lit vigil to mark the 16th anniversary of Maddie's disappearance.

Neither Kate nor Gerry addressed the crowd but one of the 'Tapas Seven' - who was with Madeleine McCann's parents the night the toddler vanished - spoke at the vigil.

The Tapas Seven were three couples and the mother of one of the mums who joined the McCanns in Portugal's Praia da Luz for a joint holiday, and the nine adults (along with their eight children) spent time together during their vacation.

They were Dr Fiona Payne, her mum Dianne Webster, Fiona's husband Dr David Payne, Jane Tanner, her husband Dr Russell O'Brien, Dr Matthew Oldfield, and his wife Rachael Oldfield.

Each of them willingly co-operated with the Portuguese and British police investigation and none were ever made 'arguido' - persons of interest - in the enquiries.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccanns-parents-say-were-29960268

YAWN !!!

If you want people to remember Madeleine for you, if you want people to help with your campaign to find Madeleine then, rather than trotting out the same bovine waste every year, do something positive to arouse public interest.

Big strapping hulk like burly Gerald surely could climb Everest to raise money for 'the campaign' - he could look for his missing daughter at the same time. Or even a hot air balloon global trip, then he could get a bird's eye view of the lawless lands across the continents - leave no stone unturned eh?

Sitting on your butt year after year repeating much the same mantra doesn't help .... does it?

Madeleine McCann's parents issue new heartbreaking statement to mark poignant moment


Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "never going to give up" on searching for missing Madeleine
PA

By Georgina Cutler
Published: 12/05/2023 - 13:46



Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "never going to give up" on searching for missing Madeleine as they issued a statement to mark her 20th birthday.

In a heartbreaking message, Maddie's parents shared their hopes of one day seeing their daughter again.

They wrote: “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”

The pair also shared a picture taken of their daughter from when she was on holiday as a three-year-old before she vanished.


Madeleine McCann disappeared while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007
PA

They captioned the photo: “She’s still missing, still missed and we are never going to give up trying to find her.”

The youngster disappeared while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007 and since then, there has been no conclusive proof that she is either dead or alive.

Her parents are today marking her birthday at a small family gathering.

Earlier this month, Madeleine's younger sister lit a candle at a vigil to mark exactly 16 years since her disappearance.

Amelie, 18 was pictured for the first time since she was a toddler alongside Kate and Gerry at the prayer gathering in their home village of Rothley in Leicester.

Amelie's twin brother Sean did not attend.

At the time of the gathering, Amelie said: “It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion.”

The family were hoping for a breakthrough as they paid tribute to Madeleine 16 years since her disappearance.

German prosecutors announced they were dropping rape charges against suspect Christian B who is serving a seven-year sentence in Germany over the rape of a pensioner in Praia da Luz, the same area in Portugal which Maddie went missing.

The 45-year-old was charged with three offences of aggravated rape and two offences of the sexual abuse of children allegedly committed in Portugal.

These charges have now been dropped as they did not have jurisdiction over him.

https://www.gbnews.com/news/madeleine-mccann-update-parents-statement-birthday-message

Madeleine McCann's parents say 'we're never going to give up' looking for their missing daughter as they post poignant tribute on her 20th birthday

By Tracey Kandohla

Published: 14:24, 12 May 2023 | Updated: 14:28, 12 May 2023



Madeleine McCann's parents (pictured) have posted a poignant tribute to mark their daughter's 20th birthday today – telling her: 'We love you and we're waiting for you. We're never going to give up.' Kate and Gerry wrote 'Happy Birthday Madeleine. Still missing. Still very much missed. Still looking. For as long as it takes.' The message on the official Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page accompanies a cherished last photo of her as a three-year-old, beaming in a pink sunhat and clutching tennis balls.

The family also released a video including a collection of other photos of the youngster, including one of her riding a pink bike and another of her in a Disney princess costume. The website is viewed by thousands of supporters across the world. The McCanns' will remember their daughter 'quietly' during a small celebration at home with their eighteen-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. They hold onto a glimmer of hope she could still be alive 16 years after she was snatched from a Portuguese holiday apartment, in May 2007.

Maddie's great uncle Brian Kennedy said: 'Sixteen years without someone and still not knowing where they are is a very long time. Even if it was bad news, in some ways, it would give us some closure. But with no closure there is still hope.' Token presents and cards from family members and well wishers to mark the special day will be gathered and kept in a memory box. At one time Maddie's pretty pink bedroom at her home Rothley, Leicestershire, had become a shrine to her with memorabilia over the years adorning it. But it is unknown if the room has since been changed in use or given to one of her siblings as Gerry has previously said: 'Soon there will be the practical issue of what to do with a 'spare' room one of the twins may need.'

A family source said: 'Another birthday comes and still Kate and Gerry have no idea what happened to their daughter, and if she dead or alive and still out there waiting to be found. It is a difficult time for them but they will remember Madeleine with a quiet celebration behind closed doors. There will be gifts, prayers, cake, fond memories and above all hope.' Family, friends and supporters joined a poignant anniversary gathering for Maddie last Wednesday, May 3. Kate, wearing black jeans and a blue jacket, joined in prayers but neither she nor Gerry addressed the crowds. The Reverend Rob Gladstone, vicar of the local parish church, led prayers at the informal outdoor event. He told those gathered: 'We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will. We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time.'

Meanwhile, Kate McCann's best friend was at her side as they marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance last week. Fiona Payne, 50, who was one of the seven friends with the McCanns on the night Maddie vanished, has often been described as Kate's 'rock' over the years. Both doctors, the best friends, who were nicknamed 'Charlie's Angels' by a colleague at the hospital where they worked together, bear an uncanny likeness with their long blonde hair and both wearing reading glasses now. During Wednesday evening's gathering to remember Madeleine in Rothley, Leicestershire, Fiona and Kate chatted together alone and with other well-wishers. Fiona read a moving poem 'Hope is the thing with feathers' by Emily Dickinson.

Ex-GP turned medical worker Kate, 55, said afterwards: 'As we do every year, we gathered in our village to mark the anniversary of our daughter Madeleine's abduction. It was a special event and lovely to sense the hope and warmth of those who were there.' Kate and respected heart doctor Gerry, 54, had earlier that day posted a message saying their daughter was 'still very much missed' and they 'await a breakthrough' in the police hunt for her. They wrote: 'The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support – it really helps.' Pictured: Undated handout file photo of Madeleine McCann.

When three-year-old Madeleine went missing from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal (pictured), it was Fiona who helped comfort her devastated friend, and has been there for her ever since. Maddie had been left sleeping alone with her younger twin siblings while her parents were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant with their seven pals. Kate had said: 'We talked and cried and held onto each other. It was like a horror movie that refused to end.' Fiona and her husband David, were among seven friends of Kate and Gerry who had been dining together in a nearby tapas restaurant that night. The seven friends – three couples and the mother of one of the moms – had joined the McCanns in Praia da Luz for a joint holiday and the nine adults along with their eight children. The group of adults were dubbed the Tapas 7 as they were dining with Gerry and Kate at the hotel complex's tapas restaurant on the night Madeleine went missing.

Each of them willingly co-operated with the Portuguese and British police investigation and none were ever made 'arguido' – persons of interest – in the enquiries. As well as Fiona and her husband Dr David Payne, there was Fiona's mother Dianne Webster, Rachael Oldfield, a recruitment consultant, and her husband Matthew and Jane Tanner and her husband Dr Russell O'Brien. German police are convinced Maddie is dead and have been intent on charging prime suspect Christian Brueckner – sensationally named nearly three years ago – with her kidnap and 'no body' murder. But it recently emerged that the convicted [child sexual offender] may never face a trial in the high profile Maddie case, and with unrelated alleged [sexual assault] offenses, because of a legal technicality over foreign courts' jurisdiction. Brueckner, 45, is currently serving a sentence in a German jail for the [sexual assault] of an American tourist in the same resort of Praia da Luz Maddie vanished from in May 2007. He has vehemently denied any involvement in her abduction.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/galleries/article-12077067/Maddie-McCanns-parents-pay-tribute-daughter-20th-birthday.html?ico=topics_pagination_desktop

Madeleine McCann's parents say 'we're never going to give up' looking for their missing daughter as they post poignant tribute on her 20th birthday

Maddie McCann, three, vanished from a holiday apartment in the Algarve

By Tracey Kandohla

Published: 09:29, 12 May 2023 | Updated: 11:59, 12 May 2023

Madeleine McCann's parents have posted a poignant tribute to mark their daughter's 20th birthday today - telling her: 'We love you and we're waiting for you. We're never going to give up.'

Kate and Gerry wrote 'Happy Birthday Madeleine. Still missing. Still very much missed. Still looking. For as long as it takes.'

The message on the official Find Maddie Campaign Facebook page accompanies a cherished last photo of her as a three-year-old, beaming in a pink sunhat and clutching tennis balls.

The family also released a video including a collection of other photos of the youngster, including one of her riding a pink bike and another of her in a Disney princess costume.

The website is viewed by thousands of supporters across the world.

The McCanns' will remember their daughter 'quietly' during a small celebration at home with their eighteen-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

They hold onto a glimmer of hope she could still be alive 16 years after she was snatched from a Portuguese holiday apartment, in May 2007.

Maddie's great uncle Brian Kennedy said: 'Sixteen years without someone and still not knowing where they are is a very long time. Even if it was bad news, in some ways, it would give us some closure. But with no closure there is still hope.'

Token presents and cards from family members and well wishers to mark the special day will be gathered and kept in a memory box.

At one time Maddie's pretty pink bedroom at her home Rothley, Leicestershire, had become a shrine to her with memorabilia over the years adorning it.

But it is unknown if the room has since been changed in use or given to one of her siblings as Gerry has previously said: 'Soon there will be the practical issue of what to do with a 'spare' room one of the twins may need.'

A family source said: 'Another birthday comes and still Kate and Gerry have no idea what happened to their daughter, and if she dead or alive and still out there waiting to be found.

'It is a difficult time for them but they will remember Madeleine with a quiet celebration behind closed doors.

'There will be gifts, prayers, cake, fond memories and above all hope.'

Family, friends and supporters joined a poignant anniversary gathering for Maddie last Wednesday, May 3.

Kate, wearing black jeans and a blue jacket, joined in prayers but neither she nor Gerry addressed the crowds.

The Reverend Rob Gladstone, vicar of the local parish church, led prayers at the informal outdoor event.

He told those gathered: 'We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will.

'We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time.'

Meanwhile, Kate McCann's best friend was at her side as they marked the 16th anniversary of her disappearance last week.

Fiona Payne, 50, who was one of the seven friends with the McCanns on the night Maddie vanished, has often been described as Kate's 'rock' over the years.

Both doctors, the best friends, who were nicknamed 'Charlie's Angels' by a colleague at the hospital where they worked together, bear an uncanny likeness with their long blonde hair and both wearing reading glasses now.

During Wednesday evening's gathering to remember Madeleine in Rothley, Leicestershire, Fiona and Kate chatted together alone and with other well-wishers.

Fiona read a moving poem 'Hope is the thing with feathers' by Emily Dickinson.

Ex-GP turned medical worker Kate, 55, said afterwards: 'As we do every year, we gathered in our village to mark the anniversary of our daughter Madeleine's abduction.

'It was a special event and lovely to sense the hope and warmth of those who were there.'

Kate and respected heart doctor Gerry, 54, had earlier that day posted a message saying their daughter was 'still very much missed' and they 'await a breakthrough' in the police hunt for her.

They wrote: 'The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support - it really helps.'

When three-year-old Madeleine went missing from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, it was Fiona who helped comfort her devastated friend, and has been there for her ever since.

Maddie had been left sleeping alone with her younger twin siblings while her parents were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant with their seven pals.

Kate had said: 'We talked and cried and held onto each other. It was like a horror movie that refused to end.'

Fiona and her husband David, were among seven friends of Kate and Gerry who had been dining together in a nearby tapas restaurant that night.

The seven friends - three couples and the mother of one of the mums – had joined the McCanns in Praia da Luz for a joint holiday and the nine adults along with their eight children.

The group of adults were dubbed the Tapas 7 as they were dining with Gerry and Kate at the hotel complex's tapas restaurant on the night Madeleine went missing.

Each of them willingly co-operated with the Portuguese and British police investigation and none were ever made 'arguido' - persons of interest - in the enquiries.

As well as Fiona and her husband Dr David Payne, there was Fiona's mother Dianne Webster, Rachael Oldfield, a recruitment consultant, and her husband Matthew and Jane Tanner and her husband Dr Russell O'Brien.

German police are convinced Maddie is dead and have been intent on charging prime suspect Christian Brueckner - sensationally named nearly three years ago - with her kidnap and 'no body' murder.

But it recently emerged that the convicted peadophile may never face a trial in the high profile Maddie case, and with unrelated alleged sex offences, because of a legal technicality over foreign courts' jurisdiction.

Brueckner, 45, is currently serving a sentence in a German jail for the rape of an American tourist in the same resort of Praia da Luz Maddie vanished from in May 2007.

He has vehemently denied any involvement in her abduction.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12076181/Madeleine-McCanns-parents-say-never-going-looking-20th-birthday.html?ito=msngallery

Tracey Kandhola wrote:
The McCanns' will remember their daughter 'quietly' during a small celebration at home with their eighteen-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

Of course, they never did anything for themselves did they , they didn't even bother to 'search' for their own missing daughter did they.

However, there is nothing to suggest that Madeleine has come to any harm, according to the parents on the website. Bizarre statement.

I don't think Madeleine will be seen again, sadly. Poor child, I hope she didn't suffer too much.

I don't like to think about what she might have endured.

Ladyinred wrote:I don't like to think about what she might have endured.

That is the saddest thing of this entire charade isn't it, a few words here and there uttered by Kate McCann and her husband, meaningless words about their lost daughter but a whole lot more about themselves, their own suffering and heartache and loss.

There lies the clue ....

Lest they forget..

this above and lots more are for me telling the story of a child that died.

you can harm a living child, not so much harm a dead body, you can look for a living child, but why look for a corpse.

if madeleine died accidentally, and in a quick manner, she never had time to experience harm, or pain or fear.
i do think that they know madeleine is dead. it does not mean their emotions are not real, and there is little difference between sorrow for a person that died, or a person that is missing by unknown fate. 

you can use the same words for a child that died and a child that is missing, like 'she is taken', 'she is gone', and even 'we do not know where she is'. 

both the parents are sound minded enough to not speak out about a pedo predator that must have taken her, and there is no proof of harming her. there is no sense in that. also harm is not only physical, but also has a mental burden. 
so if the child was taken by a third party, she would of course have been harmed, because she lost all her roots in life. so even if there was no physical harm, she would be mentally harmed. 
so again, to keep it on, you can only be using such wordings, with that stamina, if you do know she never could be harmed any longer. it is never spoken as a question, or with insecurity, but as a statement. 

all those strange sentences during the years, are only strange if your mind tries to fiddle it around a living child. do the same with a child that died and it becomes no longer strange at all.

even their religion helps. it is quite heavy founded in the catholic church, body and soul to be different things, but at the same time you never can be sure where the soul is. after death the body is no longer important, and you cannot be sure to know where a soul is gone. they are supposed to end up somewhere nice and good, but the dedicated catholic is never sure about that happening to others. they always keep the option open some more work is needed.

your mind is only getting mixed up, as long as you hear or read their sayings from a situation madeleine was and could be alive in body and soul at the moment the words are spoken. but when you start from a child that died there is nothing to mix it all up.

and this is the thing why they do not have to lie. why they have also true emotions to show. they still have to look around if people still believe their story. they worked hard so no one will ask them questions they dop not want to answer.

this latest anniversary i found the wording of we are never going to give up trying to find her.  trying? never going give up trying? they have a bad form when it is about trying, it means you have to actually do something, it is not something that can be done from just saying it. 

but their religion can fill even that gap, living your live to hopefully end up in that same place as the soul of madeleine must reside, asks a lot of trying to live as a good catholic person. 
so again, it feels a bit strange when we start in our minds of a child still alive, but start with a child that is dead, it does no longer sound strange. the catholic soul is there forever. and all have a chance to get to that same place, there are a lot of fixes for the in between times, it is extremely hard to loose your chance of a seat. the soul is what keeps being alive forever. so the soul is still out there.

think back to kate her wish for that push button, so all would be over and all are together again. 

often there is the idea they are just lie about everything, but do they really? isn't the lie not mostly in how we translate their words. 
when kate spoke the words, it happened differently, i know because i was there, she was not lying, and she did not need to lie about it. i think their was no lie in that.

all their behavior makes far more sense when you start thinking from a child that died. and i think even more sense because it was a accidental death. something they could not have changed, even if they have been in 5a. being absent when it happend is a different event. certainly kate never got into a frenzy when there is spoken about a child that died in 5a, it all starts as soon as guilt is put onto them, like killed their own child, or even murdered their child. 

in her book she has many dreams about madeleine, in the same manner most people talk and dream about people who died. their early contact with the psychics and the south african with his magic box. the tale of the grey stone slab. it is not done for a living child.

even telling madeleine is still missed very much. and always will be missed. it is absolutely normal to speak these same words about someone you once loved very much, but that died. 

and that it is always again about them, the ones that are still living has logic too, catholics have no caring to do for people who are dead. because they are already cared for. remembering them openly is pretty standard to do. shrines i do remember from the older folks, who also paid for saying mass on birthdays, or more often name days or death days. the soul lives forever on, it is perfectly normal for a catholic to say she is still out there alive. the body does not count that much. and as they are living still in a body and mind, that needs that care, work and attention, it is not strange to see that happening. 

and it is made easy for them, no one ever ask them to explain what they really mean by what they say. so even they had and have massive exposure in the press, no journalist is doing its job, and that is asking questions about the meaning. just telling what you see is just being a reporter.  a kind of one man or woman view, it is not bringing the complete story. it would be different if the tracy's of the world simply ask, what do you mean by saying these words. what are you talking about, so much more important than knowing who was wearing a black jeans and a blue jacket, puffed or not. 

at least that last sentence gives room for thinking 3 may 2007 was not the actual day madeleine died, because it is quite a harsh tradition to put yourself out in more appropriate colors, like grey and black, or dark blue with some purple and gold in it for the very dedicated ones. the same dedicated who would seek time to visit mass that day. 
i still think it is theoretically possible madeleine died in 5a that evening of may 3, 2007. still not vested in that, because more time, even some hours, do open up much easier solutions. 

luckily d notices are only for the media, so i can just offer my opinion as i think it. is their really still a d notice out on this story? it is a bit crazy to see for a country that calls it self a democratic one, to still muzzle their media in this way. or is it just the media that choose to keep their muzzles on, and a fair pair of heavy blinkers for just this story. even after the courts have spoken they are not cleared as suspects.

I imagine Sean was probably doing something more productive with his time. I mean,why would be put himself out there like his sister? Now we all know what she looks like. No good Kate complaining about the media when Amelia is thrust into the limelight.

It's about time they stopped this annual pantomime.

I remember when that fairy story emerged. I would say not true.

Enter Christian Brueckner ....

The German prisoner who fits the profile of a paedophile that might abduct/kidnap/snatch a Madeleine McCann - so say the criminal profiler. Once upon a time it was a man named Raymond Hewlett, another German paedophile who fit the profile that might abduct/kidnap/snatch a Madeleine McCann - only he buggered-up the whole plan by dying prematurely.

That aside, there was a concerted effort to destroy the life and reputation of the Madeleine McCann case coordinator, Gonçalo Amaral, they tried every trick in the book and in a manner of speaking, it could be said their campaign was successful.

Why the school bus radio, why not just the radio? Far more likely - surely? As always Messrs McCann over-play their story.

You can't apportion blame on Gonçalo Amaral for something stated on UK national radio by the press and/or media. Perhaps Ms McCann should have advised her son not to take too much notice of press and media reports - at least that would be closer to reality than using the opportunity to crucify the case coordinator. The only team if I might add who worked tirelessly to solve the Complete Mystery of Madeleine McCann.

Gonçalo Amaral was/is the target of a malicious campaign to derail the Portuguese investigation - there can be only one reason for that .... GUILTY !!!

Kate McCann was very foolish, foolishly advised, to state the claim about her son's hearsay in a courtroom. A court case is all about evidence and provability - there was no evidence to support Kate McCann's words, they count for nothing and that is the crux of the entire charade - no evidence, nothing to support a single word from the mouths of the McCanns or their group of holiday friends.

So here we are today.

The fictional story was widely reported by the British press at the time - one such example..

Kate McCann's son asked about claims she 'hid Madeleine'

   Published

8 July 2014


Media caption,
Gerry McCann: "Sean and Amelie are not immune to the rumours"

Kate McCann was asked by her son about claims she was involved in the disappearance of her daughter Madeleine, a court has heard.

Mrs McCann was speaking at a Portuguese libel case relating to the claims - made by ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral.

The court heard her son Sean had asked about whether she "hid Madeleine", but she told him the Portuguese detective had said "a lot of silly things".

Madeleine was three when she went missing in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

At the time, her siblings - Sean and his twin sister Amelie - were aged two.

Mr Amaral - who coordinated the original investigation into Madeleine's disappearance - alleged in a book that she had died in the family's holiday apartment in the Algarve, and that Kate and her husband Gerry had simulated her abduction and hidden her body.

He made the claims in a book about the case that has been a bestseller in Portugal.

'Severe damage'

On Tuesday, Mr and Mrs McCann both delivered personal statements at Lisbon's Palace of Justice in the libel case brought by them against Mr Amaral.

Mrs McCann told the court her son had brought up the allegations after he heard them on the radio on a school bus.

"Sean asked me in October, 'Mr Amaral said you hid Madeleine'. I just said that he said a lot of silly things," she said.

Mrs McCann also told the court the detective's claims had done "severe damage" to efforts to find her daughter.

She said that when she had first found out about the allegations she was "quite desperate because of the injustice I felt towards my daughter and our family as a whole".

"It was very painful to read and I also felt anxious and fearful because of the damage I felt it was doing here in Portugal," she said.

Mrs McCann said she was aware the couple did not have a high level of support in the country, telling the court she found that "distressing and upsetting because we need the Portuguese people to help us to find Madeleine".

She said: "It also makes me feel uneasy and uncomfortable when I come to Portugal because I think people are thinking negative or really bad things about us."

'Very painful'

But Mrs McCann added after the hearing: "It's never too late for someone to come forward with key information. And if this action helps us to reach that step, then it's a positive thing, and that's what we're aiming for."

Speaking outside the court, Mr McCann also spoke about the couple's efforts to protect their children from press reports related to the case, saying: "Obviously they are not immune to the media. They hear things, they go to school, they hear the radio.

"They hear the theories and Sean has obviously asked Kate explicitly, 'Why did Mr Amaral say you hid Maddy?' - so we will have to deal with that and we are doing everything in our power."

"We hope that the current investigation being run by the Metropolitan Police does lead to a real breakthrough."

He added the couple feared their daughter's kidnapper could strike again, and said the perpetrator must have been laughing at Mr Amaral's claims.

The McCanns are suing Mr Amaral, his publisher and a company that produced a documentary based on his book for 1.2 million euros (£1m) in damages.

'More pain'

The libel case has faced substantial delays, the last of which came in June after Mr Amaral sacked his legal team at the last minute.

Kate and Gerry McCann said the delays had caused them "more pain and distress".

No date was set for the next hearing as investigators look into Mr Amaral's financial affairs.

Closing speeches are not expected to take place before September.

The hearing comes as the police investigation into the case has seen renewed activity in Portugal.

Police have questioned suspects and searches have been carried out in connection with Madeleine's disappearance.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28211250

But we digress ....

I will gladly move this discussion to a more appropriate thread if member's wish to continue; the persecution of Gonçalo Amaral is after all a fundamental element to the case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

The latest anniversary is already yesterday's news, discussion about more important matters will be lost hereon.

Madeleine's 21st birthday today.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13408767/Madeleine-McCanns-parents-share-heartbreaking-message-mark-daughters-21st-birthday-saying-missing-missed-looking.html

 "There is absolutely nothing to suggest that Madeleine has been harmed"

So they think being 'abducted' isn't harmful. At the same time, they know that she's dead.  How sweet they are.

Yes, as it's still on the website I thought I would copy it here again.

Ridiculous.