Selfish about Maddy

May 3 2009 by Ken Oxley, Sunday Sun

I WAS sickened to read of how locals in Praia da Luz jeered Gerry McCann when he visited the Portuguese resort recently for the filming of a reconstruction of his daughter’s disappearance.

Incredibly, people who turned out in their droves in the aftermath of her abduction have now turned on the McCanns because of the damage the “Maddie” affair has done to the resort’s reputation.

Of course, you can see their point, can’t you? How dare Gerry and Kate McCann try to keep the story in the public eye when restaurants and souvenir shops are feeling the pinch!

It is exactly two years to the day since Madeleine went missing and the McCanns refuse to give up hope that she is alive or that they will see her again.

On such a significant anniversary, they can hardly be blamed for trying to reinvigorate interest in the case.

Tomorrow, they will be interviewed on US TV by Oprah Winfrey and on Thursday a documentary about Madeleine’s disappearance will be broadcast on Channel 4. A doctored photo showing what she would look like now has also been released.

I hope for their sake a new line of enquiry is uncovered.

The McCanns made a terrible error of judgement in deciding to leave their children alone, but they have paid a high price for it.

Much higher than a handful of businesses that appear more interested in their bank balances than the fate of an innocent little girl. If anything were to put me off visiting Praia da Luz it wouldn’t be what happened to Maddie . . . it would be an unwillingness to put money into the pockets of such selfish people.