07 05 09 BBC Madeleine's Grandparents speak out

TRANSCRIPT

REPORTER On Saturday its Madeleine McCann's birthday. She'll be four. She's been missing for six days now. In Portugal her parents, Gerry and Kate, who's originally from Liverpool, today thanked everyone involved in the search for their daughter. In Liverpool her grandparents defended her parents against suggestions that they shouldn't have left the toddler in the apartment while they ate at a restaurant yards away.

SUSAN HEALY Why would you think something like this would happen? You make a decision. You think its OK. And this time it wasn't and Kate and Gerry have to live with that which is dreadful. They don't need pressure from people saying that they made a mistake. They know this was a mistake but it wasn't child neglect, it wasn't not caring for your children. Kate and Gerry's children are the most important thing in their lives.

BRIAN HEALY I'm proud of my daughter and I am proud of her choice of husband. (??They're) excellent. A really good, caring father. He plays with their kids. He looks after them, takes his turn. You couldn't get any more protective family than them.

REPORTER The family also revealed how important media coverage of the case is to them.

SUSAN HEALY The media coverage is really the only tool we have at the moment and our hope for finding out where Madeleine is or for keeping Madeleine in the public eye because I think it is the public that we're going to rely on to get information.

BRIAN HEALY (speaks behind Susan Healy but unintelligible).

REPORTER Prayers for Madeleine and her family have been said at Kate McCann's old school at Everton in Liverpool.

ANDY GILL As Madeleine's family here in Liverpool wait for news, Portuguese police have widened their enquiry by launching an internet appeal in Portuguese, English and Spanish. And two psychological profiling experts from the British Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre have flown to the Algarve to help local officers there. Andy Gill, Northwest Tonight, Liverpool.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Madeleine McCann
• Brian Healy
• Susan Healy
• Andy Gill

[TheKathie20]

@KaOssis That is right. 100% premeditated FRAUD

[TheKathie20]

So if it wasn't child neglect Mrs Healy. what the fuck would you call it then ? Are they above everyone else or something ? Everyone else would have been pure maulled by the media and the public. Little kids under 4 should never ever be left unattended. Have you got that ? but you people are so up your own back sides and so selfish that you can't seem to be able to grasp that. its a mistake. It wasn't baby dolls that could be tossed a side. Kate should grow up

[KaOssis]

Making money out of a mistake isn't innocent, it's FRAUD!

[TheKathie20]

They should have gave Kate a punch in the jaw.

[COCACOLAwithpizza]

OF COURSE IT WAS NEGLECT BITCH

[sooouuuuper]

ty for the old vid