Madeleine McCann's Father Calls for Stricter Press Regulation Following Accounts of Press "Monstering".

The father of Madeleine McCann has demanded increased oversight for the UK media, detailing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel like he was being "suffocated and buried".

A Family Subjected to Press "Abuses"

According to Gerry McCann, his family was subjected to press "excesses" and that the media had "consistently hampered" the search for answers regarding his daughter's going missing in 2007.

He noted that the media attention exacted a "significant emotional cost" on his family. "We faced sustained interest and misleading headlines for over a year that compelled us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.

"We were fortunate. We got through it. We had strong support. But I can promise you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he reflected.

A Call to Revive Press Regulation Review

The McCanns are among more than 30 people who have signed a letter asking ministers to restart the second part of the Leveson investigation, which was due to examine the links between the media and the police.

McCann said it was unacceptable that more than a year on, press regulation was "no longer a priority". He said that his family had been subjected to "relentless targeting" by certain the media and that the press was "posted" outside his home for months after the disappearance.

Recounting the Harassment

Detailing the events, he said: "Media at our doorstep, cameras being shoved their cameras against our car window, when we had our toddler twins in the back who were scared, and how distressing that is for you as a parent."

"It's the half-truths. It's the invention of stories to fit the agenda, rather than reality, which destroys people's lives," he emphasized.

A Demand for Tougher Regulation and Redress

He argued this behavior demonstrated why there needed to be stricter press regulation. "At night, as we prepared for bed, we'd put on the news, and there'd be splash stories about ourselves and unverified claims," he described.

"That can drag you down, and you can see how people succumb to it and think they can't get out of it. The impact is devastating, and we need that protection. There must be accountability. And at the minute, for most of these mainstream media, there is no redress," he concluded.

Official Response and Changing Media Landscape

The Culture Secretary stated that a second phase of the inquiry had been rejected and that the news environment was now very different.

"We agree that the context has evolved profoundly since the Leveson's second phase was recommended: people now are more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has thrown up new and different challenges," they stated.

The minister further stated that weighing the rights of victims with the principle of press freedom was a "challenging task to get right," but acknowledged that "steps must be taken in this area".

A Continued Hope for Answers

Madeleine McCann disappeared from a family vacation apartment in 2007 as a three-year-old. Her father expressed that it was "absolutely dismaying" how the press had consistently meddled with the investigation.

"Published material which ought to have remained private... This meant a potential culprit, you knew a lot more than you should have done," he said.

On the prospect of finding Madeleine, he said the possibility he would find his daughter was "slim but it's not extinguished". "Our wish is to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and bring whoever's responsible, and people are at risk while whoever is responsible is free," he affirmed.