Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
On 1 August 2007, three months after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Lagos, Portugal, Bennett set up a fund called The Madeleine Foundation to fund a private prosecution for alleged child neglect. In November 2007, he started such a prosecution against the parents of Madeline - Gerry and Kate McCann. The initial hearing was at Loughborough Magistrates Court where the application was dismissed on the grounds that it was a matter for the Portuguese authorities, and thus beyond the jurisdiction of British courts.
The foundation was formally constituted in January 2008 with Bennett as secretary. One of the actions for which Tony Bennett and the Foundation were criticized by the British press was the leafletting of the village of Rothley where the McCanns live. He referred the articles in the UK media, which called him and others in the Madeleine Foundation "sickos" and "stalkers", to the PCC The PCC replied that the newspapers had been justified in referring to him and other members of the Foundation in those terms. After receiving letter from libel lawyers Carter-Ruck dated 27 August 2009, Bennett gave an undertaking "Not to repeat allegations that the McCanns are guilty of, or are to be suspected of, causing the death of their daughter Madeleine McCann, and/or of disposing of her body, and/or lying about what happened and/or seeking to cover up what they had done".
In November 2012 it was reported that lawyers for the McCann family went to the High Court to argue that Bennett was not abiding by the terms of his undertaking and was continuing to spread false allegations agains them. Bennett for his part, in an interview with the Harlow Star said he still had valid arguments and that "Britain’s libel laws are so oppressive that I had no alternative but to agree to the terms of the formal undertakings set out by the McCanns’ lawyers in November 2009".
Read more about this topic: Anthony Bennett (English Politician), Private Prosecutions
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