Madeleine McCann parents deny ‘spat’ with mother of missing Ben Needham

Kerry Needham, whose son disappeared in Greece 24 years ago, says she is 'deeply, deeply upset'

Madeleine McCann has been missing since May 2007 (Family Handout/PA Wire)

The parents of Madeleine McCann have denied any “spat” between the campaign to find their missing daughter and the one for another missing person, Ben Needham.

Kerry Needham, whose son disappeared in Greece 24 years ago, yesterday said she was “deeply, deeply upset” after the official Twitter account to find Madeleine was deleted following claims it had been subjected to abuse by people claiming to be supporters of the campaign to find her son.

A statement on the ‘Official Find Madeleine Campaign’ Facebook page claimed that @findmadeleine had been subjected to “toxic abuse”: “After talking with Kate and Gerry yesterday, we have decided to delete our Twitter account and focus on Facebook.


 Kate McCann
 (PA)

“They agree it’s time to remove ourselves from a place that allows so much toxic content to be directed at us and does not permit us the ability to protect ourselves from people who want to damage the search for Madeleine.”

Ms Needham told The Mirror: “I have myself had massive amounts of slanderous abuse from supporters of the McCann campaign in the past but I have never taken that personally.”

She added: “I have never criticised the McCann family. I have only ever criticised the authorities for the way the two cases have been handled so differently.”

A spokesman for the McCann family said: “Kate and Gerry McCann have always supported the Find Ben Needham campaign, indeed they have promoted it on their own Find Madeleine social media platforms.

“There is no spat between the two campaigns.

“Kate and Gerry continue to wish Kerry Needham the best for the future and hope she will one day be reunited with Ben, as they too hope similarly to be reunited with Madeleine.”

Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007. Ben Needham vanished on the Greek island of Kos in 1991 aged just 21 months. Both families believe their children are still alive.