A Scottish Halloween reveller has come under widespread fire for donning a controversial Madeleine McCann costume.
Computer programmer Daniel Gearie took to his Twitter page at the weekend to post an image of a famous snap of the missing girl dressed in a blonde wig and Everton shirt.
The image he posted echoed a well-known one of the child from a public appeal.
Little Madeleine vanished from the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal in May 2007, aged just three.
Now, though, the backlash the 25-year-old from Dundee received saw him bombarded with messages from upset users around Britain and further afield.
This is so so wrong.. You clearly do not have kids
— Northern union (@Northernunion1) October 28, 2017
@DanielGearie you sir are a sick twisted individual who only apologized due to the backlash! I hope you get everything that is coming Ur way
— paul williams (@cursinghomer) October 30, 2017
If your kid was murdered would you be ok with someone dressing up for Halloween? And posting on Twitter. And others liking it?
— Kev Trent Darby (@kevtrentd) October 29, 2017
My point was about some sad idiot thinking it funny to use dead girl as some kind of humour. Nevermind.
— peter-maurice (@petermauriceuk) October 31, 2017
@DanielGearie when this has died down and you think it has gone away you will get what is coming to you..
— paul mahoney (@layersofwarmth) October 30, 2017
Seen what you did, pretty much a disgrace, you are pond life. @DanielGearie
— Hauntings Of England (@Leicparanormal) October 31, 2017
He has since made his Twitter page private.
However, Mr Gearie has since emerged to admit: “I took this too far.”
He continued: “It was just me and my mates at the party and I posted the photo. I thought if someone else puts it up, it makes it look even worse.
READ MORE: Australian TV show claims to have solved mystery of tot's disappearance
“It was a good-natured night that I’m afraid I took too far. I shouldn’t have done it. I am embarrassed.”
“When it goes as far as reaching my mum and dad’s friends, I know I have totally embarrassed them and made them look foolish,” he also told The Scottish Sun.
A spokesman for the McCann’s also got involved and insisted Kate and Gerry McCann “have never dignified this sort of cretinous behaviour with any comment.”
READ MORE: Top ex-officer reveals what he thinks happened to the child
“It’s right that this material has been deleted,” he added, according to The Sun.
More than £11 million has been spent on the probe to find the missing girl.
Four weeks ago, the Evening Times reported that Madeleine’s parents had been given new hope after police were granted an extra £154,000 to continue the investigation into her disappearance.
READ MORE: Second crime expert makes astonishing claim over girl's disappearance
Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have vowed never to give up hope of finding their daughter.
Since 2011, the Met Police have been assisting with the search for clues about what happened to Madeleine, with officers visiting the holiday resort in 2014.
In March, the Home Office granted officers £85,000 to cover “operational costs” to continue with the investigation, between April and September this year.
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