KATE and
Gerry McCann have met Home Secretary
Theresa May to discuss the search
for their missing daughter Madeleine, officials have confirmed.
The
couple used the meeting on Wednesday to appeal for extra help from the
coalition Government to look for the little girl.
It is
more than
three years since
Madeleine disappeared from a holiday resort
in southern Portugal.
Mr and
Mrs McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, want a full independent review
of the police investigation into what happened to her.
They
complained in February that they encountered "reluctance" when they
asked the British authorities to re-examine all the information held by
law enforcement agencies around the world.
Mr
McCann said: "I think people are reluctant to undertake a review because
there's been difficult, sensitive issues.
"But
Madeleine's rights should be put first. She's missing, she's innocent,
and whoever's taken her is still out there, and that has to be of
paramount importance."
A Home
Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary held a private meeting with
Kate and Gerry McCann on Wednesday to discuss the case of their missing
daughter Madeleine.
"The
Government's primary concern in this matter is the wellbeing of
Madeleine McCann, and to ensure that everything feasible is being done
to progress the search for her."
Madeleine was three when she went missing from her family's
holiday flat
in
Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3 2007 as her parents dined with
friends nearby.
Portuguese police launched a massive investigation with the support of
British officers, but the inquiry was formally shelved in July 2008
without reaching any firm conclusions about the child's fate.
Private
detectives employed by the McCanns are continuing to investigate the
case. |
