Madeleine McCann's Father Calls for Stricter Press Regulation Amid Accounts of Media "Tormenting".

Gerry McCann, father to Madeleine McCann has demanded greater scrutiny of the UK media, describing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel like he was being "drowning under the pressure".

The McCanns Tormented by Media Intrusion

According to Gerry McCann, his family was subjected to press "excesses" and that the media had "frequently disrupted" the investigation into his daughter's going missing in 2007.

He noted that the intrusion took a "heavy burden" on his family. "We endured ongoing coverage and misleading headlines for over a year that led us to take legal action to stop it," he commented.

"We were fortunate. We survived. We received strong support. But I can promise 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.

A Call to Restart Leveson Inquiry

The McCanns are among more than 30 people who have endorsed a letter asking the government to revive the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, which was due to examine the relationship between the media and the police.

He expressed that it was not acceptable that over a year later, press regulation was "not being prioritized". He said that his family had been endured "monstering" by sections of the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for months after Madeleine went missing.

Describing the Harassment

Detailing the events, he said: "Reporters arriving at our home, photographers pushing their cameras against our car window, when we had two-year-old twins in the back who were terrified, and how traumatic that is for you as a parent."

"It's the inaccuracies. It's the fabrication of stories to suit a narrative, rather than the facts, which ruins lives," he stated.

The Need for Stronger Oversight and Accountability

He said the conduct showed why there needed to be stricter press regulation. "We'd be getting ready for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be front-page headlines about ourselves and what supposedly happened," he described.

"That can drag you down, and you can see how people succumb to it and think they can't get out of it. It's so damaging, and we need that protection. There must be accountability. And at the minute, for most of the major publishers, there is no effective recourse," he asserted.

Government Position and Evolving News Environment

A government minister said that a follow-up part of the inquiry had been discounted and that the media landscape was now very different.

"Our position aligns that the context has evolved dramatically since the second part of Leveson was proposed: people now are more likely to get their news from diverse digital platforms, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they explained.

It was also noted that weighing the needs of those affected with the principle of press freedom was a "really difficult thing to get right," but recognized that "steps must be taken in this area".

A Continued Search for Closure

The child went missing from a family vacation apartment in 2007 when she was three years old. Gerry McCann said that it was "absolutely dismaying" how the press had frequently obstructed with the investigation.

"Confidential details which was meant for police only... Consequently, anyone involved, you knew far more than you should have done," he noted.

Speaking about hope, he said the chance he would find his daughter was "small but still alive". "I'd love to find her alive, but we need to establish the facts and hold the perpetrator, and others are at risk while whoever is responsible is free," he stated.