Madeleine McCann's parents 'shocked' as troll pretends to be their missing daughter, mocks them for eating out
Madeleine McCann's parents, who recently became victims of online trolling, released a statement saying that they were left "shocked and saddened" by the incident.
The pair reportedly went out for a meal on Saturday night in Glasgow when someone took their picture and posted it on social media, ridiculing them.
The couple's three-year-old child Madeleine mysteriously disappeared from their vacation apartment at The Ocean Club Resort in Portugal on the night of May 3, 2007. At the time, her parents were just 50 meters away from the apartment, dining at a tapas restaurant with several close friends while Madeleine and her twin siblings slept in the house. Madeleine's disappearance is the most widely-reported missing person's case in modern history.
The toddler's parents, Kate and Gerry, both 51, made a rare trip out to Beijing Banquet in Renfrew, near Glasgow, on Saturday night while they were visiting their family in the area.
However, someone photographed the couple carrying plates of buffet food to their table. The picture was posted on Facebook, with a troll writing: "Mum and dad are closer than I thought." A sick reference to the night when Maddie vanished while her parents dined in a restaurant.
The troll reportedly made a fake account of Madeleine and pretended to be their missing daughter.
The missing toddler's parents were dismayed by the comments as a family source told the Sun: "Kate and Gerry are both shocked and saddened that someone could stoop this low. It seems they can't even enjoy a meal out with family on the eve of Remembrance Sunday without some lunatic abusing them and for what purpose? They find it despicable."
"It's more than sickening and sad that a time to remember our war heroes people are hitting out at Madeleine's parents. It's been going on since day one and they wonder if it will ever cease. It's cruel, it's callous, it's mindless," the source added.
The troll also drew heavy backlash from other social media users as they called the person "bloody sick" and "absolutely disgusting." One user posted: "The poor girl could be dead and you're sat here making up stupid accounts you horrible person," according to the Daily Mail.
While another posted: "I'm shocked at the amount of sick minded people. A three-year-old has been missing for 12 years, I dread to think what she's been through if she's still alive."
Kate and Gerry, earlier this month, had thanked the public for "being by their side" as they vowed to continue searching for their daughter after receiving a £300,000 funding boost. The official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page stated: "Thank you for being by our side as we continue to search for Madeleine."