Madeleine McCann’s parents Kate and Gerry will not be charged for child neglect after Tony Bennett a retired solicitor failed in his bid to issue a summons against the pair.
The summons believe that Kate and Gerry neglected their children when they left them in their holiday apartment in Portugal while they went for a meal in the evening on the 3rd May when Madeleine went missing.
At the Leicester Magistrates’ Court the judicial communications office decided to turn the summons request down.
A spokesman told Sky News: “After careful consideration, the request to issue a summons against Gerald and Kate McCann for alleged offences contrary to section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 has been refused as it is clear this court does not have the necessary jurisdiction.
“All applications are considered in two stages. The first stage is whether the court has the jurisdiction to issue a summons, the second is if there is sufficient evidence.
As with this application, if the first stage is not passed the second stage is not considered.”
Mr Bennett, of Chippingfield, Harlow, said before the court’s decision: “I’d already got some concerns about the case. I’ve researched it quite thoroughly over the last six to eight weeks.”
