Leicester Mercury: Five years on, Kate and Gerry stay positive

**bb1** Thu May 03, 2012 8:23 pm

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Madeleine-McCann-years-Kate-Gerry-stay-positive/story-15989154-detail/story.html

Madeleine McCann: Five years on, Kate and Gerry stay positive

Madeleine McCann's parents say they have not given up hope that she will one day be found safe and well.

Kate and Gerry McCann urged people in Leicestershire to keep supporting them in the ongoing search for their daughter, who disappeared from the family's holiday apartment in Portugal five years ago today.

The couple, who live in Rothley, told the Leicester Mercury yesterday they are more positive than ever that Madeleine, who was three when she went missing, could still be alive.

Last week, they received a boost from Scotland Yard's review of the case and the news that British detectives are following up almost 200 new clues to Madeleine's whereabouts.

The release of an "age progressed" photograph of the youngster at the age of nine will also give fresh momentum to the search, the couple hope.

Mr McCann, 43, said: "The only way everyone will be able to move on is for the case to be solved, and that is for Madeleine to be found and the perpetrators brought to justice.

"Then everyone can move on. Until then, it's not going to go away. It can't go away."
Leicester Mercury crime reporter Ciaran Fagan spoke exclusively to Gerry and Kate McCann yesterday as they marked the fifth anniversary of her disappearance.

The conviction that their daughter Madeleine could still be found alive burns in both Kate and Gerry McCann.

The couple spoke privately to the Leicester Mercury yesterday before facing the massed ranks of the domestic and international media.

Today, they will mark the fifth anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, as they dined with friends nearby.

Gerry, a 43-year-old cardiologist, will report for work at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital. Kate, 44, will be at home in Rothley with their other children, twins Amelie and Sean, both aged seven.

The couple said yesterday that they were more positive than they had been in some time, because of an ongoing inquiry by a team of detectives from the Metropolitan Police and the promise of vital new leads in the search.

Q How are you both and how does the prospect of another anniversary affect you?

Kate: "Every day is no different to any other for us. The anniversary simply marks the passing of another year since Madeleine was abducted."

Gerry: "We know anniversaries bring a lot of media attention. But this year it's more positive than in previous years because of the message we have heard from the Metropolitan Police."

QThe Metropolitan Police said this week its review of the case had unearthed 195 possible new leads. Where do you think this will lead and how confident are you that your daughter's disappearance is getting the attention it deserves?

Gerry: "We know some of the specifics about the investigation but we wouldn't claim to know of the detail.

"Tremendous resources have been brought to bear on the case and we have an incredibly dedicated and thorough team of detectives working to find our daughter."

Kate:"We have total confidence in the police officers who are working to find Madeleine."

Q However, the Portuguese authorities also said this week they remain unconvinced of the need to reopen their side of the investigation.

Gerry: "There's an ongoing dialogue between the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police and the Portuguese authorities.

"I can't explain to you how much better that is, because before the onus was on us to do that. We ultimately believe the case will be reopened."

Kate: "We believe the best chance of finding Madeleine lies in reopening the case and we believe ultimately it will be."

Q Your other children, Sean and Amelie (who were just two when Madeleine disappeared) – what is their understanding of what has happened to their sister?

Kate: "They have dealt with all of this really well. Earlier on we were advised to be as honest with them as we could. We let them take the lead and ask us the questions they wanted and we answered them as honestly as we could.

"They're still very young, but they're at the point now where they understand that Madeleine was taken from her bed and they also know that it is wrong to take someone, or something, that doesn't belong to you. They also know why their mother and father are so busy and that all the work we do is about finding their big sister."

Gerry: "They have grown up with the fact that their sister is missing.

"They have been tremendous for us, giving us a lot of joy and love. Hopefully, we will find Madeleine soon as I know, if it got to that stage, they would never stop looking for her either. They have an undeniable logic – Madeleine is missing, we need to find her and there is nothing to suggest we can't do that."

Q You have spoken before about the scale of public support for your campaign. What would you like to say to those people who have stood with you throughout this?

Kate: "We want to thank all of the people who have been so supportive from the very beginning. The fact that we got a review of the case, and we're in the position we are now, is because people petitioned on our behalf.

"Even though neither of us are originally from Leicestershire, the people there have been so supportive

"The people of Liverpool (where Kate was born) have been brilliant too, including both Liverpool and Everton football clubs.

"When I'm there, people will come up and slap me on the back and say, 'keep going girl'."

Gerry: "Our main message today is that there is a real probability Madeleine can still be found alive.

"We know we've asked this before, but we'd like people to take a look at the age progression photograph of Madeleine which has just been released and circulate it as widely as they possibly can."

Q Will you ever give up hope?

Kate: "There are cases where abducted children have been found years, sometimes decades later. These are the cases we have to hang on to.

"We can never give up as long as we believe there is a real possibility she can still be found alive."

Gerry: "We don't know what has happened to our daughter, there are lots of scenarios.

"Generally, children older than Madeleine are taken to be sexually exploited.

"The younger the child, the more likely it is they have been taken to be kept.

"Our real message is that there is no evidence she has been harmed and there is still a real possibility she can be found alive."

Information about Madeleine's whereabouts can be passed to the Metropolitan Police's Operation Grange team by calling 0207 321 9251.

www.findmadeleine.com