CRIMESTOPPERS ISSUE POSTER APPEAL FOR MISSING MADELEINE

News

Staff Reporter / 2007-05-14 14:52:52

Madeleine has been missing since May

Have You Seen The Missing Four Year-Old?

Crimestoppers have issued the following poster appealing for information on missing Madeleine McCann, snatched from her hotel room in Portugal.

Spanish media have been alerted and asked to print the poster in the belief she may have been taken across the Portuguese border and could now be in Spain and residents and holiday makers alike up and down the Costas are being asked to be on the lookout.

Madeleine disappeared from an apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3rd, since then an international appeal has been set up and rewards of £2.5m have been offered to anyone with information leading to the four year-oldâ's safe return.

Now, a fighting fund has been set up so members of the public can donate to help continue the search. The family's lawyers are currently in Portugal setting up the fund and details will be released in the coming days.

The toddler's parents, Gerry and Kate, spoke to press on Monday May 14 saying they will not return home until they have found her. Speaking in Praia da Luz, Gerry McCann said the couple thought their child was being cared for, saying that until there was "concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe Madeleine is safe and is being looked after."

They say they have received tremendous support, especially over the weekend where Saturday marked their daughter's 4th birthday. A special mass was held in the Algarve and in a sign of solidarity, hundreds of Portuguese bikers set off to ride the length of the country distributing posters of the missing girl. In the UK, 50 pink balloons were released at the village of Queniborough, close to Rothley, Leicestershire, where the family lived until a year ago. Yellow ribbons were tied to railings in the family's home village, while others were worn by Celtic and Aberdeen fans at a football match in Glasgow.

Portuguese Police have now extended a web based plea for information. The latest appeal has been issued by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) at the request of the Portuguese authorities.

The appeal is cited at www.ceop.gov.uk and www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com. It appears in English, Portuguese and Spanish and urges people to come forward with any information that could help police find the missing youngster.

Any information should be passed to directly to the Portuguese police on 00 351 282 405 400 or call Crimestoppers on their international number - 0044 1883 731 336.

Tags: Crimestoppers, Madeleine Mccann