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Murat addresses Cambridge Union | |
(about 8 hours later) | |
A man who won damages from newspapers after being named a suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has said his life has been scarred by the tabloid press. | |
Robert Murat, who previously lived in Hockering, Norfolk, was a suspect, or arguido, under Portuguese law before being cleared of any involvement. | |
In a Cambridge Union debate, Mr Murat said his "life will be scarred forever" due to "lies" printed in the tabloids. | |
The debate is on whether tabloid newspapers do more harm than good. | |
Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared while her family was on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. | Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared while her family was on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. |
Mr Murat, who is in his mid-30s, proposed the motion, "This house believes tabloids do more harm than good" during the debate at the Cambridge Union Society. | |
'Pack of hounds' | |
"There was never a shred of evidence that I was in any way involved despite eight months of lurid headlines," said Mr Murat. | |
"But could the acres of newsprint devoted to publishing inaccurate and hurtful stories about me have been put to better use in finding Madeleine? | |
"I have dwelt on that a lot, agonised about it and the fact is we'll never know." | |
He said he felt like "a fox being pursued by a pack of hounds", and added: "Often I felt like I was somewhere between a Kafka novel and the Will Smith movie Enemy Of The State." | |
Mr Murat said that after Madeleine disappeared, he, like other locals, felt a natural urge to help. | |
He said since he was fluent in English and Portuguese he "pitched in" by helping police translate British witnesses' statements. | |
He became a suspect after "one particular tabloid journalist" approached police to convince them that he was "acting suspiciously". |