Madeleine ad complaints rejected

Madeleine disappeared while her parents were having dinner nearby

The advertising watchdog has rejected complaints from parents about a cinema commercial highlighting the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The advertisement was shown before the U-rated film Shrek the Third and prompted hundreds of comments on a mothers' website.

It showed pictures of Madeleine, four, who vanished in Portugal, and said she had been snatched.

But the advertising watchdog said it did not contain distressing images.

Heated debate

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 22 complaints from people who said the commercial was distressing and unsuitable to be shown with a U-rated film in cinemas.

It was part of the huge media campaign to publicise Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz on 3 May, and appeared on the internet and some TV channels.

Nine of those who complained said their children had been upset by it. Complaints on the Mumsnet website led to a heated debate.

The ASA acknowledged that the idea of a child disappearing was inherently upsetting, but said the film was not sensationalist and did not contain any distressing images.