Madeleine McCann's parents 'angry' after being targeted by trolls in the wake of new documentary
Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of Madeleine McCann, have reportedly been bombarded with hate mail following the release of Netflix's 'The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann,' which chronicles the girl's May 2007 disappearance and subsequent investigations.
Madeleine disappeared from her bed in her parents' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve region of Portugal on May 3, 2007 when they had gone out for dinner at a nearby restaurant. The case has since become "the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history."
The Netflix docuseries, which features eight one-hour-long episodes, has controversially repeated claims made by Gonçalo Amaral. Amaral, who was initially the coordinator of the inquiry into her disappearance but was later removed, claimed in his book that Madeleine had died in an accident, and that in a bid to cover it up, the McCanns had faked an abduction.
It also mentioned how Kate had refused to answer 48 questions about her missing daughter during the initial days of the investigation. She answered just one. Amaral also claimed Kate and Gerry had entered a 'Pact of Silence' with friends to hide the truth.
Kate and Gerry had reportedly refused to participate in the documentary despite being asked numerous times and had even urged family members and friends to not talk to the makers. Before the documentary's release, family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said, "Kate and Gerry didn’t ask for it and don’t see how it will help the search for Maddie on a practical level, so they chose not to engage."
The abuse directed at them after the release seems to have vindicated their decision. According to The Sun, the hate has been directed at the official campaign website set up by Kate and Gerry to help find their daughter and has prompted a sternly-worded statement warning trolls their vile abuse would not be tolerated.
"As a reminder, all posts are hidden until they are approved. If you make a nasty comment, your post will be deleted and you will be banned," a message posted by the page's unnamed digital coordinator read.
Speaking about the abuse, a family friend said, "Kate and Gerry are angry and upset that people continue to write false and malicious things against them. Every time a positive story appears, the trolls kick in with even more abuse. It’s been going on for nearly 12 years. Thankfully, the website is not airing their vicious bile."
Operation Grange, Scotland Yard's inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance which was opened in 2011, has already spend £11.75 million ($15.55 million) in taxpayer money in their hunt for the girl with a November 2018 injection of £150,000 ($198,000) by the Home Office covering costs until the end of this month.
Now, both Kate and Gerry are said to be anxiously waiting to see if the Home Office will approve a fresh request by Scotland Yard for more money — reported to be another £150,000 — so the investigation can continue for another 12 months. A spokesperson for the Home Office told the Sun that a decision on the matter had not been taken yet.