Madeleine McCann's Father Demands Stronger Press Oversight Following Accounts of Press "Tormenting".

Gerry McCann, father to Madeleine McCann has issued a call for more robust scrutiny of the UK media, describing how intense press coverage made him feel that he was being "drowning under the pressure".

The McCanns Tormented by Media Intrusion

Gerry McCann stated that his family was tormented by press "intrusions" and that the media had "consistently hampered" the investigation into his daughter's disappearance in 2007.

He stated that the intrusion took a "huge toll" on his family. "We had constant scrutiny and sensationalized stories for 15 months or more that led us to take legal action to stop it," he commented.

"We are lucky. We got through it. We received strong support. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was overwhelmed, and it was the media, primarily, not the situation we were in," he reflected.

A Call to Restart Press Regulation Review

McCann and his wife, Kate, are among dozens of individuals who have put their names to a letter urging ministers to restart the second phase of the Leveson investigation, which was intended to examine the relationship between the media and the police.

McCann said it was unacceptable that more than a year on, press regulation was "off the agenda". He said that his family had been subjected to "relentless targeting" by sections of the media and that the press was "stationed" outside his home for months after the disappearance.

Describing the Intrusion

Detailing the events, he said: "Reporters arriving at our home, photographers literally ramming their cameras against our car window, when we had our toddler twins in the back who were scared, and how traumatic that is for you as a parent."

"It's the half-truths. It's the making up of stories to fit the agenda, rather than reality, which destroys people's lives," he stated.

A Demand for Stronger Regulation and Redress

He stated these actions highlighted why there needed to be more robust press regulation. "In the evenings, we'd put on the news, and there'd be major reports about ourselves and what supposedly happened," he told.

"That feeling is overwhelming, and you can see how people are broken by it and think they can't get out of it. The harm is profound, and we need that protection. There has to be redress. And at the minute, for most of these mainstream media, there is no effective recourse," he asserted.

Official Position and Changing News Environment

A government minister commented that a second phase of the inquiry had been ruled out and that the news environment was now drastically altered.

"Our position aligns that the situation has changed dramatically from the time the Leveson's second phase was recommended: people now are more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they explained.

It was also noted that balancing the rights of victims with the principle of press freedom was a "really difficult thing to get right," but recognized that "reform is required in this area".

A Continued Hope for Answers

The child went missing from a family vacation apartment in 2007 as a three-year-old. It was stated that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had frequently obstructed with the investigation.

"Confidential details which should have been confidential... So if you were the perpetrator, you knew a lot more than you should have done," he noted.

On the prospect of finding Madeleine, he said the hope he would find his daughter was "slim but it's not extinguished". "We hope to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and bring whoever's responsible, and others are at risk while whoever is responsible is free," he affirmed.