The McCann family Father Calls for Stricter Press Oversight Amid Recollections of Media "Tormenting".

The father of Madeleine McCann has demanded greater oversight for the UK media, describing how being "monstered" by the press made him feel as if he was being "drowning under the pressure".

The McCanns Tormented by Press "Abuses"

According to Gerry McCann, his family was tormented by press "excesses" and that the media had "repeatedly interfered with" the search for answers regarding his daughter's 2007 disappearance.

He stated that the intrusion took a "heavy burden" on his family. "We faced constant scrutiny and sensationalized stories for many months that led us to take legal action to stop it," he reportedly said.

"We are lucky. We got through it. We received tremendous support. However, I assure you, there were times where I felt like I was drowning, and it was the media, mainly, not the situation we were in," he recounted.

A Call to Restart Leveson Inquiry

McCann and his wife, Kate, are among more than 30 people who have signed a letter urging the government to restart the second phase of the Leveson inquiry, which was set up to look into the links between the media and the police.

He expressed that it was not acceptable that after more than a year, press regulation was "not being prioritized". He said that his family had been subjected to "monstering" by sections of the media and that the press was "stationed" outside his home for months after the disappearance.

Describing the Harassment

Describing the intrusion, he said: "Reporters arriving at our home, photographers literally ramming 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 making up of stories to drive a headline, rather than reality, which destroys people's lives," he emphasized.

The Need for Stronger Regulation and Accountability

He argued this behavior highlighted why there needed to be tougher press regulation. "In the evenings, we'd put on the news, and there'd be splash stories about ourselves and unverified claims," he told.

"That feeling is overwhelming, and you can see how people give in to it and think they can't get out of it. The impact is devastating, and we need that protection. People deserve recourse. And at the minute, for most of the major publishers, there is no effective recourse," he argued.

Official Position and Evolving News Environment

A government minister said 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 significantly from the time the Leveson's second phase was recommended: the public is now more likely to get their news online from a whole variety of sources, which has created new and different challenges," they stated.

The minister further stated that balancing the needs of those affected with the need for a free press was a "challenging task to get right," but acknowledged that "action is needed in this area".

A Continued Hope for Closure

The child went missing from a family vacation apartment in 2007 as a three-year-old. It was stated that it was "profoundly disappointing" how the press had repeatedly interfered with the investigation.

"Leaked information which ought to have remained private... Consequently, anyone involved, you knew much more than you should have done," he said.

Speaking about hope, he said the hope he would find his daughter was "small but still alive". "I'd love to find her alive, but we need to discover the truth and hold the perpetrator, and others are at risk while that perpetrator is free," he concluded.