Madeleine McCann's Parent Urges Stricter Media Regulation Following Accounts of Press "Monstering".

Gerry McCann, father to Madeleine McCann has issued a call for more robust oversight for the UK media, describing how sustained media attention made him feel like he was being "drowning under the pressure".

The McCanns Subjected to Media Intrusion

Gerry McCann stated that his family was subjected to press "intrusions" and that the media had "repeatedly interfered with" the search for answers regarding his daughter's going missing in 2007.

He noted that the media attention exacted a "huge toll" on his family. "We endured sustained interest and inaccurate reports for 15 months or more that forced us to take legal action to stop it," he explained.

"We were fortunate. We survived. We received strong support. However, I assure you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he reflected.

An Appeal for Restart Press Regulation Review

McCann and his wife, Kate, are among more than 30 people who have put their names to a letter calling on ministers to revive the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, which was intended to examine the links between the media and the police.

He expressed that it was unacceptable that more than a year on, press regulation was "off the agenda". He described how his family had been subjected to "monstering" by sections of the media and that the press was "camped" outside his home for an extended period after the disappearance.

Describing the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, he said: "Journalists coming to the house, photographers pushing their cameras against our car window, when we had young twin children in the back who were terrified, and how distressing that is for you as a parent."

"It's the half-truths. It's the fabrication of stories to drive a headline, rather than the facts, which causes immense harm," he added.

A Demand for Stronger Oversight and Redress

He argued this behavior highlighted why there needed to be tougher press regulation. "At night, as we prepared for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be splash stories about ourselves and unverified claims," he told.

"That almost pulls you under, and you can see how people are broken by it and think they can't get out of it. The impact is devastating, and we need that protection. There must be accountability. And at the minute, for most of the major publishers, there is no redress," he argued.

Government Position and Changing Media Landscape

A government minister said that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been ruled out and that the news environment was now drastically altered.

"We share the view that the context has evolved profoundly from the time the second part of Leveson was proposed: people now are more likely to get their news from the internet, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they explained.

The minister further stated that weighing the needs of those affected with the need for a free press was a "complex balance to get right," but recognized that "action is needed in this area".

A Continued Hope for Closure

Madeleine McCann disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 when she was three years old. It was stated that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had frequently obstructed with the investigation.

"Confidential details which ought to have remained private... So if you were the perpetrator, you knew much more than you should have done," he explained.

Regarding the ongoing search, he said the chance he would find his daughter was "small but still alive". "Our wish is to find her alive, but we need to establish the facts and see justice served, and others are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he concluded.