Madeleine McCann’s sister has spoken publicly for the first time - at a moving vigil marking the 16th anniversary of her sibling’s disappearance.
The family gathered with around 70 others near their village of Rothley, Leicestershire, on Wednesday evening.
Amelie McCann, 18, told those gathered: “It’s nice that everyone is here together, but it’s a sad occasion.”
Madeleine was three years old when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in resort Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.
Amelie - who had been sleeping in a bedroom with her twin Sean, and Madeleine when the little girl was reportedly snatched - lit a candle at Wednesday’s vigil, for her sister and other missing children.
She joined those gathered in reading mantras including “never, never give up”, “leave no stone unturned”, and “still missing, still missed” while photos of Madeleine - who would now be 19 - adorned nearby railings.
A woman who was among family friends staying in Portugal with the McCanns when Madeleine disappeared read Emily Dickinson’s poem Hope is the Thing with Feathers, before hugging Kate.
Local vicar Rev Rob Gladstone led prayers calling for those gathered to “keep up hope”.
“We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will,” he said, according to LBC.
“We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time.”
Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate were also at the vigil, but did not address the crowd gathered.
Earlier on Wednesday, they marked the anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance by releasing a short statement on the official Find Madeleine Campaign website.
The parents thanked well-wishers and posted a moving poem, adding that their daughter is “still very much missed”, while they “await a breakthrough” in the case.
Convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner was formally identified as an official murder suspect in the case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
Brueckner has reportedly denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
Prosecutors in the northern city of Braunschweig, Germany, in October charged Brueckner in several separate cases involving sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The charges were not related to the McCann case.
A fortnight ago, it was decided that Brueckner will no longer face a possible rape trial, after a Braunschweig court deemed itself not to have jurisdiction over the case.
The court decided not to hear the case because the region where it is located is not the last place where Bruckner lived in Germany.
