The parents of Madeleine McCann have accused British police of 'giving up' on their missing daughter.
Kate and Gerry McCann spoke out just days before the third anniversary of Maddie's disappearance, urging investigators to go back to the start and review the case. The McCanns fear their own £2million search - funded by public donations received since Maddie vanished from their Algarve holiday apartment - has stalled. They claim this is due to the failure of both Portuguese and UK police to investigate leads unearthed by their private investigators.
In a pre-recorded GMTV interview due to be broadcast today, Mr McCann said: 'It's not right that an innocent, vulnerable British citizen is essentially given up on. And I don't think it's right that, as parents, that we have to drive the search.' He added: 'We need to have a proper review of all the information --that's how we will move the investigation forward.'
Mrs McCann, a GP who gave up work to concentrate on the search for Madeleine, said: 'We do this in medicine. You know, if there is a case that you don't seem to be getting the diagnosis, somebody will come in and review it. They'll go back to square one... and that's where you find out what else needs to be done and it will help point you in the right direction.'
Leicestershire Police has carried out its own inquiries as has the taxpayer-funded Child Exploitation and On-Line Protection Centre. But neither is actively seeking the little girl. The three-year saga has already cost UK taxpayers nearly £500,000.
The couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, told GMTV's Lorraine Kelly it was 'incredibly frustrating' that police in Portugal and the UK are not doing more to find Maddie, who was three when she disappeared from the holiday complex at Praia da Luz on the evening of May 3, 2007. (Daily Mail)