Daniel Gearie, a 25-year-old from Dundee, dressed as missing Maddie a decade on from her disappearance from the Algarve in Portugal in 2007.

Since sharing his Maddie Halloween costume on Twitter, Gearie has received a lot of stick.

Gearie’s costume involved a wig and an Everton shirt to emulate an instantly recognisable image of the missing youngster.

He decided not to shave off his beard.

In response to his tweet, another person replied with a photograph of a guy dressed up as Karen Matthews, who was jailed for her part in the staged disappearance of her daughter Shannon.

After a lot of criticism – including from Kate and Gerry McCann – he has apologised for his costume, describing it as ‘stupid vile and disgusting’.

Gearie told Metro.co.uk: ‘At the weekend I made the most incredibly stupid, vile and disgusting decision of my life. I can honestly say that I am embarrassed and disgusted by my own behaviour and can only apologise for any offence that I caused anyone.

 ‘There is no hiding from what I did, I have to hold my hands up and take responsibility for my own actions.

‘I am genuinely sorry for the hurt that I have caused to my family over the past few days and hope that one day they and anyone else that I hurt can forgive me.’

He added: ‘For now though I have to reflect on who I currently am and how I can better myself as a person.’

A spokesperson for the McCanns said: ‘Kate and Gerry think he’s an idiot and at his age should know better.

‘What he did was deeply offensive and cruel,’ they told the Sun.

Madeleine went missing from an apartment in Praia Da Luz as her parents had a meal with seven friends elsewhere in the complex.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by BBC NEWS

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