Why the hunt for Maddy has hit crisis point
THE parents of Madeleine McCann have axed their long-serving PR spokesman as part of a cost-cutting exercise to enable them to keep on hunting for their missing daughter.
Kate and Gerry McCann have begun drastically scaling back costs as the Met Police investigation team concludes a £12million inquiry into the long-running mystery.
With just five more weeks of guaranteed Government funding they have decided to part with their official spokesman Clarence Mitchell after nine years working together.
He was told his “services were no longer needed” in a text message from heart doctor Gerry who explained that the family had to “cut costs” from their budget.
The former BBC journalist is understood to be “hurt” by the decision but respects the couple’s “more pressing agenda”.
There has been no dispute and the McCanns have offered to call on his expertise on an ad hoc basis when needed in the future.
It is the first time since the threeyear-old vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal’s Praia da Luz in May 2007 that the family have not had an official spokesperson.
Mr Mitchell said: “I will continue to help them as circumstances require.”
In April then home secretary Theresa May sanctioned a further £95,000 to allow detectives to carry on their Operation Grange inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine until October.
But there are doubts if any more funding will now be made available due to a lack of progress.
That has left Kate and Gerry preparing to use reserves from their official Madeleine’s Fund to carry on the investigation.
It is understood the fund totals about £480,000 but the couple are embroiled in a bitter Portugese libel battle that could see them forced to pay £434,000 damages to former Portuguese police chief Goncalo Amaral.
They are appealing a decision against them to Portugal’s highest court in Lisbon.
Former GP Kate and Gerry, both 48, from Rothley, Leics, fear the dispute could wipe out much of the fund to find Madeleine. A family source said: “We hope the appeal will be successful. But if they lose there will be a big legal bill to pay which will come from the fund.
“They can’t rely on the Met Police inquiry continuing for ever and are making contingency plans to finance their own private investigation again.
“They will never give up searching for Madeleine.”