NEW HOPE IN MADDIE HUNT
Boost as police get more cash to continue search
THE parents of Madeleine McCann yesterday received a massive boost in the hunt for their daughter.
They were given fresh hope after police were handed £154,000 to continue their investigation into her disappearance.
Last night Gerry McCann and his wife Kate said they were “extremely grateful” that the Scotland Yard inquiry will now continue for a further six months. Nearly £12million has been spent on the hunt for Madeleine, left, who disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal in May 2007.
She was three when she vanished from an apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz as her parents dined nearby with friends. The couple had
feared the six-year Operation Grange inquiry could have been shelved tomorrow when funds ran out. But yesterday the Home Office announced it was ploughing in more money at the request of the Metropolitan Police.
The same number of officers – just four – will remain working on the case.
Last night the McCanns’ spokesman Clarence Mitchell said Kate and Gerry were “extremely thankful to both the Home Office and Scotland Yard for the continued funding”.
He added: “They are very encouraged that there remains work to be done that requires this extra budget.
“They are grateful to all those officers who are still working on the case and are actively looking for Madeleine. They appreciate everything the police have done and are doing to get a resolution after all this time.
“It gives Kate and Gerry hope that after more than 10 years they may finally find out what happened to their daughter.”
Upgraded
Leading cardiologist Gerry and former GP Kate, both 49, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have vowed never to give up hope of finding Madeleine.
They were forced to hire private investigators after police in Portugal shelved their inquiry in July 2008.
Since 2011, Scotland Yard has been assisting with the search for Madeleine after Prime Minister David Cameron stepped in and promised new action.
A task force of 37 detectives carried out a review of the case before Operation Grange was upgraded to a fullscale investigation two years later after a series of potential new suspects and leads were identified.
Portuguese police reopened their investigation in 2013. No arrests have yet been made.
Last year the Met’s former Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said his squad, which in 2015 was reduced from 30 detectives, was expecting to close the investigation into a final lead within months. He said: “That line of inquiry probably at the moment is the conclusion of this inquiry.”
In May, Kate and Gerry faced the agony of marking 10 years without their daughter.
At the time the couple spoke of their “decade of pain” but added: “Thankfully there is an active police investigation to try to find Madeleine and bring her abductor to justice.” Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said in May that there were “significant investigative avenues” that were of “great interest” to both the British and Portuguese teams.
He added: “We want to solve it, we want a breakthrough.”
Just weeks earlier the Home Office granted officers £85,000 to cover “operational costs” to continue with the investigation until September this year. The new funding means the total cash awarded to Operation Grange for the 2017-18 financial year is £309,000.
That covers operational costs of £239,000 plus an extra £70,000 for administration.
Last night the Home Office said: “Following an application from the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office has confirmed funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2018.
“The resources required are reviewed regularly and careful consideration is given before any funding is allocated.”