Page last updated at 05:03 GMT, Thursday, 1 May 2008
06:03 UK
The parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann have made fresh appeals for information in the run up to the
first anniversary of her disappearance.
Gerry McCann said they had always hoped they "would not get to this stage".
His wife said the key message was that Madeleine was still missing, she had been the victim of a "horrific
crime" and the perpetrator was "out there".
They told the BBC they kept hope alive because Madeleine was "so important" to them that they would never
give up.
"We need that key bit of information... then this could all be over," said Kate McCann.
Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday in Praia da Luz, Portugal,
on 3 May last year. Her parents were eating with friends in a nearby tapas restaurant.
The McCanns still have arguido - or suspect - status in Portugal but deny any wrongdoing.
In an interview with the BBC's Huw Edwards the couple said they had researched abduction cases in the US,
and found hope in stories of missing children being found.
Reeling off names of children recovered after long periods of abduction, Gerry McCann said the evidence suggested
that the younger a child was when they were taken the lower the chance they had suffered serious harm.
As long as there was no evidence of harm being done to Madeleine, they would not give up, he said.
"And what a disservice it would be to Madeleine to assume otherwise, without any evidence," said Mrs McCann.
"She's still out there and we're asking for help to find her," added Gerry McCann.
Information 'missed?'
The couple, whose campaign was the subject of a two-hour ITV documentary on Wednesday night, said they were
convinced someone had details that could "unlock" the mystery of Madeleine's disappearance.
They have launched a new hotline number for information - 0845 8384699 - which can be called from within the
UK or outside the country.
"We will guarantee anonymity for anyone who wants it," said Mr McCann.
Mrs McCann said even if people had come forward previously with information, they should make another approach.
She said there had been such a volume of information at the beginning that things could have been missed or
not "slotted into place" at the time.
The couple said they had had no direct contact with police in Portugal, and were not aware of what was being
done to find their daughter.
They said they wanted more information but added that the situation was not unusual in the Portuguese system.
The McCanns said that they realised there would be less intensive media coverage of the campaign after the
first year had passed, and would only be appearing in the press if they felt they had something new to say.
The ITV documentary revealed the extent of hate mail the family had received, showing one message calling
the pair "scum".
But the couple told the BBC they did not want to expend too much energy and focus on talking about those who
had sent them hate mail, because they were a minority among well-wishers.
Mr McCann said they hoped the documentary would - among other things - help remind people they were real people.
"We are not characters in a soap opera or a fiction. This is about a real child and real family who have been
traumatised by this."
They said their twin children Sean and Amelie were "very happy" and enjoying as normal a life as possible.
They had taken professional advice about how to deal with the children's questions, which they were answering
truthfully but on a basic level, they said.
"They are still only three," said Mrs McCann. "They talk about Madeleine a lot, which is lovely. They just
say 'Madeleine is missing' and we say 'yes, we're all looking for her'."
Declaration
Meanwhile, the family is campaigning for an EU-wide quick response system to be introduced to help find abducted
children.
So far, France and Greece are the only EU countries to have introduced full alert systems along the lines
of the American Amber scheme which involves immediate broadcasts on radio and television about missing children and information
about possible suspects.
A European Parliament declaration demanding the alert system opened for signatures last week, but needs the
names of at least half the 785 MEPs before it has formal status as a resolution.
To date the declaration has attracted 127 names, but needs at least 393 by the end of June.
