The McCann family Parent Calls for Stronger Press Regulation Amid Accounts of Press "Tormenting".

The father of Madeleine McCann has urged for more robust oversight for the UK media, detailing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel as if he was being "overwhelmed".

The McCanns Subjected to Press "Abuses"

According to Gerry McCann, his family was deeply affected by press "intrusions" and that the media had "frequently disrupted" the search for answers regarding his daughter's 2007 disappearance.

He stated that the intrusion took a "significant emotional cost" on his family. "We had constant scrutiny and inaccurate reports for many months that forced us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.

"We were fortunate. We got through it. We had tremendous support. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, primarily, not the situation we were in," he reflected.

A Call to Restart Press Regulation Review

The McCanns are among dozens of individuals who have endorsed a letter asking the government to restart the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, which was set up to look into the dynamic between the media and the police.

McCann said it was unacceptable that more than a year on, press regulation was "not being prioritized". He said that his family had been endured "monstering" by parts of the media and that the press was "camped" outside his home for months after the disappearance.

Describing the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, 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 scared, and how upsetting that is for you as a parent."

"It's the misleading narratives. It's the invention of stories to fit the agenda, rather than the facts, which destroys people's lives," he emphasized.

The Need for Tougher Regulation and Redress

He stated these actions showed why there needed to be more robust press regulation. "At night, as we prepared for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be splash stories about ourselves and alleged events," he said.

"That almost pulls you under, and you can see how people are broken by it and think they can't get out of it. The impact is devastating, and we need that protection. There must be accountability. And at the minute, for most of these mainstream media, there is no redress," he concluded.

Official Position and Changing Media Landscape

The Culture Secretary commented that a second phase of the inquiry had been discounted and that the news environment was now very different.

"Our position aligns that the landscape has transformed significantly since the second part of Leveson was recommended: people now are more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has created new and different challenges," they explained.

It was also noted that balancing the needs of those affected with the need for a free press was a "really difficult thing to get right," but conceded that "steps must be taken in this area".

An Enduring Search for Closure

The child went missing from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007 at the age of three. It was stated that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had frequently obstructed with the investigation.

"Published material which was meant for police only... This meant a potential culprit, you knew a lot more than you should have done," he explained.

On the prospect of finding Madeleine, he said the chance he would find his daughter was "slim but it's not extinguished". "I'd love to find her alive, but we need to establish the facts and bring whoever's responsible, and people are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he stated.