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McCanns Feel Criticism Of Investigation Cost Is 'Unfair' Although They Do Feel 'Guilty'

McCanns Feel Criticism Of Investigation Cost Is 'Unfair' Although They Do Feel 'Guilty'

The cost is upwards to £11m

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

This Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary since three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from her family holiday apartment in Praia de Luz in Portugal.

The controversy surrounding the unexplained disappearance has sparked several conspiracy theories from a burglary gone wrong, to a murder.

Now, in a series of exclusive interviews both have renewed their expression of desperation in the search for their daughter.

Credit: PA

Whereas Kate says she feels 'guilty' about the cost of an £11m investigation, Gerry says it is 'unfair' to criticise the cost.

Mr McCann believes that anyone whose child had been abducted would think it 'reasonable' that everything that could be done to find their loved on was being done.

It was only last month that the Home Office confirmed £85,000 had been given to the Metropolitan Police inquiry to cover operational costs from April to September.

Credit: PA

Gerry said: "I think some of that criticism is really quite unfair actually, because I know it's a single missing child, but there are millions of British tourists that go to the Algarve, year-on-year, and essentially you've got a British subject who was the subject of a crime.

"There were other crimes that came to light following Madeleine's abduction, that involved British tourists, so I think prosecuting it to a reasonable end is what you expect.

"Others within law enforcement have made it very clear, this type of stranger abduction is exceptionally rare actually and we need to put into perspective and it's partly why Madeleine's case is attracting so much attention, thrown in with many other ingredients, but this type of abduction is exceptionally rare."

The case has sparked outrage from many with new theories arising all the time.

Credit: PA

Earlier this month the Portuguese cop who headed the case initially, Goncalo Amaral, dropped his second book (a follow up to the controversial, The Truth Of The Lie), whereas investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas believes Maddie disappeared when she went to find her parents, who were eating at a nearby tapas restaurant.

The public outcry has been well known with some suggesting the pair should sit a lie detector test, although Kate has threatened to sue social media users.

The McCanns have always denied any wrongdoing in the disappearance of their daughter.

Kate added that she'd grown to accept the rising costs of the case, and has compared them to other significant cases in history.

"I used to feel really embarrassed when people used to say about the amount of money," she added. "But then you realise that other big cases, like Stephen Lawrence, cost a huge amount of money.

"I guess the one thing, because you always do feel guilty as the parent of a missing child, is that other families haven't had the publicity and the money.

"The positive is that it has brought the whole issue of missing children to the forefront and I think people have benefited in different ways."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Kate McCann, Gerry McCann, Madeleine McCann