Sunday 5 April 2009

You’re not wanted here, McCann told

Metro on Sunday April 5th 2009

The father of missing Madeleine McCann was yesterday told to go home by angry residents during a fresh visit to Portugal.

Gerry McCann, 40, sparked critic­ism after returning to the Portug­uese res­ort to launch a fresh TV app­eal and film a documentary.

But his arrival coincided with the loss of 21 staff at the Ocean Club complex, which management blamed on the 'Maddie effect'.

We don't want to be uncharitable but we had more than our fair share of bad publicity when little Madeleine went missing,' said one bar owner at the resort.

'This new appeal just stirs up unp­leasant memories and we can't see it leading anywhere,' he added.

Madeleine McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing on May 3, 2007, during a family holid­ay at the resort of Praia da Luz. She would now be aged five. A police inquiry came to nothing and has since been closed.

Last week, posters appealing for information were torn down at the resort and the flat in which the family stayed was vandalised.

The Find Madeleine Fund, which arranged the international TV app­eal, said residents had never been asked about what they saw.

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