Man apologises for dressing up as Madeleine McCann for Halloween

The parents of Madeleine McCann have criticised a man for dressing up as their daughter for Halloween.

The man, Daniel Gearie, shared an image of his costume on Twitter with the caption "you've taken it too far daniel (sic)." His outfit, an Everton soccer jersey and a blonde wig, mimics a photo of the little girl that was released after she disappeared in Portugal in 2007. "And before you say 'this is sick' etc I know it is but I'm not the one who left a child unattended in a Portuguese hotel," he wrote in another tweet. The stunt got a huge backlash online and prompted a statement from Madeleine's parents. "Kate and Gerry think he's an idiot and at his age should know better. What he did was deeply offensive and cruel," a spokesperson for the family said. Daniel Gearie has apologised for dressing up as Madeleine in another post on his Twitter account, which he has since made private.

"At the weekend I made the most incredibly stupid, vile and disguisting 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's 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. "For now though I have to reflect on who I currently am and how I can better myself as a person."

Madeleine was a week shy of her fourth birthday when she went missing during a family holiday at the Praia Da Luz resort in the Algarve in May 2007.