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| Madeleine McCann parents 'deny spat' with Ben Needham campaign | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Madeleine McCann's parents support the campaign to find Ben Needham and there is no "spat" between the two campaigns, their spokesman has said. | |
| Clarence Mitchell commented after the official Twitter account backing the search for Madeleine was deleted due to "abusive comments" on social media. | |
| The Find Madeleine webmaster said "hatred and sheer viciousness" had been directed at Kate and Gerry McCann. | |
| The Twitter account was deleted with the McCanns' consent. | |
| Mr Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry McCann have always supported the campaign to find Ben Needham, indeed they have promoted it on their Find Madeleine Campaign social media platforms. | |
| "However, it is a great pity that due to continued, ill-informed and abusive comments by some social media users, the decision has been taken to discontinue the Find Madeleine Twitter account." | |
| Mr Mitchell added: "Kate and Gerry continue to wish Ben's mother, Kerry, all the best and they hope that she will one day be reunited with Ben, just as they, similarly, continue to hope that they will be reunited with Madeleine." | |
| Ben Needham's mother told the Mirror she was "shocked and hurt". | Ben Needham's mother told the Mirror she was "shocked and hurt". |
| "I have myself had massive amounts of slanderous abuse from supporters of the McCann Campaign in the past but I have never taken that personally," she told the newspaper. | "I have myself had massive amounts of slanderous abuse from supporters of the McCann Campaign in the past but I have never taken that personally," she told the newspaper. |
| "I have never criticised the McCann family. I have only every criticised the authorities for the way the two cases have been handled so differently." | "I have never criticised the McCann family. I have only every criticised the authorities for the way the two cases have been handled so differently." |
| In a statement on Facebook, the Find Madeleine webmaster said "deleting our Twitter account is the only option left to protect ourselves and the search for Madeleine". | |
| "At times, it has had me in tears," the statement said. | "At times, it has had me in tears," the statement said. |
| "It is hard to accept that some people can be so cruel to a family that has already experienced the worst pain imaginable." | "It is hard to accept that some people can be so cruel to a family that has already experienced the worst pain imaginable." |
| The Facebook and Twitter accounts were started in 2008 to raise awareness of the campaign to find Madeleine, who disappeared during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. | The Facebook and Twitter accounts were started in 2008 to raise awareness of the campaign to find Madeleine, who disappeared during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. |
| Ms Needham's 21-month-old son Ben, from Sheffield, vanished from the Greek island of Kos in July 1991. |