Madeleine McCann's Father Calls for Stricter Media Regulation Following Recollections of Media "Tormenting".

The father of Madeleine McCann has demanded greater oversight for the UK media, describing how sustained media attention made him feel like he was being "overwhelmed".

The McCanns Tormented by Press "Abuses"

According to Gerry McCann, his family was tormented by press "intrusions" and that the media had "repeatedly interfered with" the search for answers regarding his daughter's 2007 disappearance.

He noted that the media attention exacted a "heavy burden" on his family. "We endured sustained interest and inaccurate reports for many months that forced us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.

"We are lucky. We survived. We received strong support. Yet, I must tell you, there were times where I felt like I was overwhelmed, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he recounted.

A Call to Revive Press Regulation Review

McCann and his wife, Kate, are among more than 30 people who have put their names to a letter asking ministers to restart the second part of the Leveson inquiry, which was due to examine the relationship between the media and the police.

McCann said it was not acceptable that over a year later, press regulation was "no longer a priority". He said that his family had been endured "relentless targeting" by parts of the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for an extended period after Madeleine went missing.

Describing the Harassment

Recalling the harassment, he said: "Reporters arriving at our home, cameras being shoved their cameras against our car window, when we had two-year-old twins in the back who were frightened, and how traumatic that is for you as a parent."

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

The Need for Stronger Regulation and Accountability

He argued this behavior demonstrated why there needed to be tougher press regulation. "In the evenings, we'd put on the news, and there'd be major reports about ourselves and what supposedly happened," he said.

"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. People deserve recourse. And at the minute, for most of the large media outlets, there is no redress," he concluded.

Government Position and Evolving Media Landscape

The Culture Secretary stated that a second phase of the inquiry had been discounted and that the media landscape was now drastically altered.

"We share the view that the landscape has transformed profoundly from the time the second part of Leveson was recommended: the public is now more likely to get their news from the internet, which has thrown up new and different challenges," the minister said.

The minister further stated 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 "reform is required in this area".

A Continued Search for Answers

The child went missing from a family vacation apartment in 2007 when she was three years old. It was stated that it was "absolutely dismaying" how the press had repeatedly interfered with the investigation.

"Leaked information which ought to have remained private... Consequently, anyone involved, you knew far more than you should have done," he explained.

Regarding the ongoing search, he said the possibility he would find his daughter was "faint yet persistent". "Our wish is to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and see justice served, and people are at risk while whoever is responsible is free," he affirmed.