Madeleine's grandparents hit back a critics

Aug 12 2007

The grandparents of missing Madeleine McCann hit back at critics of their daughter as they took to the streets of Liverpool to raise awarenes about their grand-daughter's disappearance.

Susan and Brian Healy, Kate McCann’s parents, described the last seven days as the worst week since their granddaughter vanished.

Kate and Gerry McCann have come under increasing pressure from the Portuguese media in recent days.

Francisco Pagarete, the lawyer of the only suspect in the disappearance, has criticised her parents’ alleged “strange” behaviour in leaving her alone on the night she vanished.

He also claimed people in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, where the four-year-old went missing on May 3, wanted “these bloody McCanns” to return home.

Mrs Healy, 62, said, “It’s been very hard this week.

“I think where Kate and Gerry tell us to stay strong, not to take some of the criticism on board, it is not helpful, it is very hurtful and a lot of it is speculation.

“I understand this lawyer has made comments which we are not even going to comment on because, quite honestly, in all this time Kate and Gerry have not said anything detrimental about anyone involved.

“We don’t know what’s happened, it’s as simple as that.

“For this guy, whoever he is, to make comments like I heard yesterday - he is his own worst enemy, let him get on with it.

“The criticism comes from a small number of people, they have their own agenda, I don’t know what that is, but for every critical remark made there is hundreds and hundreds of well wishers and well meaning people who have given support to us in this situation and who desperately want Madeleine to be returned safely.”

Mr and Mrs Healy were marking the 100 days today by manning a stall in the city centre of Liverpool, where they live.

Shoppers were asked to make a donation to receive T-shirts, car stickers, wrist bands, balloons and posters to keep up awareness of Madeleine’s disappearance.

Mr Healy, 68, added: “The response here today has been fantastic, it’s given us such a boost and lift, people are not only buying things but giving words of comfort and hoping things work out for us. Hopefully they will.”

The couple urged holidaymakers to take posters of Madeleine abroad with them to pin-up and asked if possible they could try to travel outside the resorts to publicise the campaign in more remote areas.

Both also thanked the British public for their support already.

“I could not have got through this without the support of the public and friends and family all helping each other,” Mrs Healy added.

“Even though we do have tearful moments, we would not be in this situation if not for the support you are all giving us. We desperately want Madeleine back, we still believe Madeleine is alive.”

Both grandparents also spoke of the toll it has taken on themselves - and the hopes and fears of the last 100 days.

Mrs Healy said: “It is very hard, we feel the loss of Madeleine as well. She was our first grandchild, we waited a long, long time for her and she was such a perfect and such a lovely little child.

“Some nights I sleep out of sheer exhaustion. Last night was not a good night.

“In the early days we kept waiting for that phone call, we thought it was going to happen immediately and now because it is so long I no longer run to the phone, occasionally I do, occasionally I think ’that could be!’ - and I grab the phone.

Mr Healy added: “Hopefully there will be one magic phone call that will solve the whole thing.”