http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ben-needhams-mum-hits-back-6580099Ben Needham's mum hits back at Madeleine McCann's parents as they shut Twitter account due to 'trolls'
5 Oct 2015
By Lucy Thornton, Tracey Kandohla
Kate and Gerry said it was “a great pity” they had to take the action but felt negative postings were hampering the worldwide hunt for their daughter.
Hurt: Kerry Needham, mother of Bed Needham, has hit back at the McCann's
Ben Needham's mum has said she is "shocked and hurt" after Madeleine McCann's parents have closed down a Twitter account after “toxic” abuse by supporters of missing Ben's family. Kate and Gerry said it was “a great pity” they had to take the action but felt negative postings were hampering the worldwide hunt for their daughter.
READ MORE: Madeleine McCann's parents remove official Twitter account because of 'continuous abuse' from trolls
Kerry Needham said: “It feels like a personal attack on me. It is deeply, deeply hurtful.
“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.
“It’s freedom of speech. But it is getting the names of two missing children out there which is really important.
“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.”
Trouble erupted with the Twitter accounts when the official ‘@findmadeleine’ Twitter feed blocked the ‘@FindBenNeedham’ account at the weekend.
Getty Kate McCann
Closed down: Kate McCann and her husband Gerry McCann have made the decision to shut the Twitter feed
The Greek account @findbengreek was also blocked.
A few hours later both accounts were unblocked after an outcry but now the Madeleine feed has been closed down.
Kerry added: “People were furious at the weekend when they blocked our campaign, so of course they were bound to get more negative comments.
“Ben’s campaign has never been anti McCann - we can’t help the fact that some members of the public give their opinion about the McCann case just the same as people give their opinion about Ben’s case.”
The web chief who runs the official Find Madeleine Campaign and Twitter, endorsed by the McCanns, said of their decision: “They agree it’s time to remove ourselves from a place that allows so much toxic content to be directed at us and does not permit us the ability to protect ourselves from people who want to damage the search for Madeleine.”
Kerry Needham recently questioned the vast amount of British taxpayers’ money spent by police looking for Maddie.
So far £10.1 million has been used by Operation Grange with a further £2 million pledged while less than £800,000 has been spent on the campaign to find Ben.
Kerry’s 21-month-old son Ben vanished in July 1991 from the Greek island of Kos. Three-year-old Maddie disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal’s Praia da Luz in May 2007. Both families believe their children could still be alive.
McCann family spokesperson Clarence Mitchell said: “Kate and Gerry have always supported the campaign to find Ben Needham.
Indeed, they have promoted it on the Find Madeleine Campaign social media platform.
“However, it is a great pity that due to continued, ill informed and abusive comments by some social media users, the decision was made to close the Find Madeleine Twitter account.
“Kate and Gerry continue to wish Kerry Needham the best and hope that one day she will be reunited with Ben, just as they continue to hope that they will similarly be reunited with Madeleine.”
A source close to Maddie’s parents said closing down a Twitter account because of abuse should not be seen as an attack on Ben’s family’s side. Former GP Kate and heart doctor Gerry, both 47, of Rothley, Leics, made the decision to shut down Twitter despite not being social media users themselves. The Facebook campaign will continue to run....
Good to see Kerry being courageous enough to speak out. No need for 'pals', 'sources' or 'webmaster's' to hide behind.
