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Madeleine fund won't be used for legal fees

9:24am Tuesday 18th September 2007

comment Comments (21)   Have your say »


A PROSPECTIVE Wirral MP and trustee of the Madeleine McCann fund said that "not a penny" will be spent on Kate and Gerry McCann's legal fees.

The couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire have been named as formal suspects after their four-year-old daughter disappeared from an Algarve holiday apartment at Praia da Luz 139 days ago.

"At the heart of this campaign and fund is a little girl confused, lonely and in need of her parents and a family desperate for her return."

Esther McVey

Kate and Gerry, 39 - also parents of two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, both fiercely deny any involvement in the long-running mystery and believe they are being set up to cover up a bungled police inquiry.

This week, prospective MP Esther McVey, one of the six trustees of Madeleine's fund, met with lawyers to examine the legality of breaking into the £1m worth of public donations.

She said that the fund: Leaving No Stone Unturned was set up to find Madeleine, support the family, bring the abductor(s) to justice and subject to that, help other missing children.

But numerous angry postings from people who claim to have given donations have appeared on the internet asking if they are entitled to their money back if Madeleine's parents are prosecuted.

"Fund directors have decided not to pay for Kate and Gerry's legal defence costs," said Esther. "We stress that the family has not asked for these costs to be paid, however, people have already called in offering their financial support.

"Any such fund would have to be separately set up and administered."

She added: "At the heart of this campaign and fund is a little girl confused, lonely and in need of her parents and a family desperate for her return.

"This fund's money will be focused on finding that little girl and leaving no stone unturned."

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Your Say YourWirral Globe

Dave, Pensby says...
10:13am Tue 18 Sep 07

If they are arrested and found guilty will uou stand down and not seek election?

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Lily Smythe, Birkenhead says...
10:31am Tue 18 Sep 07

They are clearly NOT guilty though

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Dawn, London says...
10:37am Tue 18 Sep 07

I fail to see why Eshther McVey should stand down and not seek election if they are found guilty?

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Elaine, UK says...
10:38am Tue 18 Sep 07

They obviously aren't guilty anyway so the conversation is pointless.

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Dave, Pensby says...
11:42am Tue 18 Sep 07

Dawn wrote:
I fail to see why Eshther McVey should stand down and not seek election if they are found guilty?
It shows a lack of judgement. we have enough politicians with bad judgement do we really want more?

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David, Bebington says...
11:46am Tue 18 Sep 07

It will be interesting to see what the fund will be used for. As it is a private limited company, not a registered charity, the public may never know.

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Kat, Wirral, Merseyside says...
12:40pm Tue 18 Sep 07

The money is being used as it was intended... For the search of Madeline.

It has already been reported that her Parents Guilty or Not, will not be getting a penny from the fund for there Legal fees...

Hopefully some day soon everyoneÂ’s prayers will be answered and Madeline will be found. It is only at this point the trustees should decide what to do with whatÂ’s left of the fund. I personally think it should go to other charities for lost children. I pledged money to the Madeline fund and IÂ’m disgusted that people are asking for there money back. How low can you go? (How could you possibly refund it back fairly anyway?)

LetÂ’s not forget Madeline is still missing... The search MUST go on!

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Ray, Noctorum says...
3:41pm Tue 18 Sep 07

maybe they are not guilty directly but they where culpable by virtue of the fact they left three children in a room in a foreign country with the doors unlocked.
Would you do that even to go next door, I wouldn't.
I am amazed the speed the bandwagon got rolling and all the "names" put up these funds, very strange

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Mike, Bebington says...
3:53pm Tue 18 Sep 07

Ray wrote:
maybe they are not guilty directly but they where culpable by virtue of the fact they left three children in a room in a foreign country with the doors unlocked. Would you do that even to go next door, I wouldn't. I am amazed the speed the bandwagon got rolling and all the "names" put up these funds, very strange
Jog on Jerk off - With hindsight ye wouldnt do many things. If it wasnt Madeline im sure it would be another little girl somewhere. An maybe she wouldnt be British it wouldnt be as high profile. an i bet my bottom Dollar you wouldnt be so bothered to even pass judgment.

An the doors werent unlocked - hence the tampered shutters on the windows.

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Jon, Oxton says...
5:10pm Tue 18 Sep 07

The whole 'Madeleine' media circus is a complete joke. The sooner it is dropped, the better. Papers like the Daily Mail and Express make me sick. They like nothing better than to wallow in other people's misery, dragging their pathetic ghoulish readership along with them for the ride. The whole thing is vile and nauseating. A cheap holiday in other people's misery.

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Ray, noctorum says...
5:37pm Tue 18 Sep 07

WRONG- the patio doors where not locked check back on the reports.
Your incorrect about your other beliefs as well

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Jenny, Hoylake says...
8:10am Wed 19 Sep 07

No smoke without fire as they say!

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Jack Frost, Wirral says...
4:28pm Wed 19 Sep 07

Oooh such high and mighty attitudes here ! Let those without sin blah blah

These people deserve support not disturbed criminal analysis, leave that to the daily mail readers

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amanda, says...
5:28pm Wed 19 Sep 07

so they deserve support because THEY LEFT there children alone and little maddie was taken,i dont think so.

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Neil Acrod, West Kirby says...
6:02pm Wed 19 Sep 07

The fact that McVey has given her time to such a cause speaks volumes on the ladyÂ’s character.

What type of person; if asked by a school friend to help coordinate and administer the campaign would turn the family down?

Remember the purpose of the fund is to find a missing child ; and we should wish them all well in their endeavours.

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jack frost, wirral says...
12:02am Thu 20 Sep 07

OOhh, well said, she is very photogenic isn't she.

I don't see how McVeys's involvement in this tribulation can help, except to make the media readers stare at her pretty face and miss Maddy walking past them...

Come home soon Maddie

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David, Bebington says...
4:41pm Thu 20 Sep 07

Although I'm not a supporter of the McCann parents who are so arrogant that they won't admit to their gross negligence and lack of parental responsibility when they left their children in an insecure apartment, I have some respect for Esther McVey and the other directors of the McCann fund. They could so easily have spent the money, much of which was donated by people far less wealthy than the McCanns, on legal costs. It makes me wonder whether the fund was necessary in the first place because the whole operation seems to have been more than adequately bankrolled by wealthy supporters such as Richard Branson and Philip Green. Maybe the fund should now be handed over to a recognised charity for the benefit of missing children from less fortunate backgrounds than the McCanns.

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Stephen, West Kirby says...
10:29pm Thu 20 Sep 07

Neil Acrod wrote:
The fact that McVey has given her time to such a cause speaks volumes on the ladyÂ’s character. What type of person; if asked by a school friend to help coordinate and administer the campaign would turn the family down? Remember the purpose of the fund is to find a missing child ; and we should wish them all well in their endeavours.
What a load of rubbish, clearly a McVey supporter!!!

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Neil Acrod, West Kirby says...
1:54pm Fri 21 Sep 07

Stephen wrote:
Neil Acrod wrote: The fact that McVey has given her time to such a cause speaks volumes on the ladyÂ’s character. What type of person; if asked by a school friend to help coordinate and administer the campaign would turn the family down? Remember the purpose of the fund is to find a missing child ; and we should wish them all well in their endeavours.
What a load of rubbish, clearly a McVey supporter!!!
So Stephen ; you dont want to find the child then?


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pat, wirral says...
3:06pm Wed 26 Sep 07

I dont think its the fact that we dont sympathise with the parents, but I do think that if they were just the average joe(theyre both doctors)would high profile people want to help?

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Neil Acrod, West Kirby says...
2:28pm Wed 3 Oct 07

Well the Portuguese equivalent of Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau is no more!

Hopefully now some cooperation can happen between the Portugal police and the Forensic Science Service and presumably Leicestershire Police. I am sure the Met Police would love to help right now too...

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Comments are closed on this article.

ESTHER MCVEY: Trustee of £1m Madeleine McCann fund ESTHER MCVEY: Trustee of £1m Madeleine McCann fund

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