By CECÍLIA PIRES
AUTHOR JK Rowling has agreed to use the official launch of the last Harry Potter book on Saturday (July 21) to support the Find Madeleine campaign.
In an interview in Praia da Luz on Monday (July 16) afternoon, Gerry McCann said the news was fantastic, adding: “We have said many, many times that we have had lots of help and now we have this new support.”
In what’s known as a pooled interview, Kate and Gerry McCann spoke with a group of just three journalists, one from Portuguese state-owned television station RTP, one from the UK’s Daily Telegraph and a reporter from Portugal’s The Resident.
Asked how they had managed to secure the involvement of the author, Gerry said one of their friends had approached her to see if she could do something to help raise the awareness of Madeleine’s disappearance.
To their delight, a positive response came back via her agent, followed by a personal letter directly to the McCanns.
When launching the new Harry Potter book at the weekend, bookstores and retailers in the English speaking world will display a poster with Madeleine’s picture and contact details for information on her whereabouts.
“JK has asked that this poster is displayed in all the bookshops selling the book”, said Gerry. “We hope very much that this will help us find Madeleine and also raise awareness of other missing children.”
Asked if she liked the Harry Potter books, Kate said that she had read the first three.
“But since the children came along I have not had much time for reading,” she said. “I did get Madeleine a DVD and, like most children, she is a fan.”
When asked how it was on a recent family trip back to the UK without Madeleine, Kate said it was very difficult.
“The hardest part was being with the family and Madeleine not to be with us. She is a huge part of our family and she is very special.”
During the trip, the McCanns took the opportunity to have meetings with different agencies involved in campaigning against child abduction.
As a result, they say, they are now more aware of the issue. “Both of us knew these things happen and that what happened to us is exceptionally rare,” said Gerry. “I don’t think we were overly naïve about it, and we probably knew as much as anyone.”
Kate said it was the scale of the problem that they were not aware of: “It’s something that definitely needs publicising.”
Commenting on the secrecy of justice laws in Portugal, the McCanns said there main concern was simple: “We just want to make sure that when that key piece of information comes in, it is acted on immediately.”
António Toscano, the Spanish reporter alleged to have a secure line of investigation on who he claims is Madeleine’s abductor, has asked to meet the McCanns but they have turned down his request.
“We are not police investigators. We can’t act on the information as they do. What we ask people with information to do is to contact the police”, said Gerry.
The couple said their recent lower profile was not about being secretive, just that they felt it was better not to talk about the investigation.
Kate added that talking about the ongoing investigation could “potentially jeopardise the investigation and potentially our daughter.”
In concluding the interview, Kate said: “Madeleine is the most important thing and we have to remember that.
“We will not be happy until Madeleine is back with the family.”
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