A Dundee man who dressed up as Madeleine McCann for a Halloween party has admitted he took things too far, as he issued an apology for the stunt.

Daniel Gearie, 25, had posed in an Everton football shirt to resemble the pictures of Madeleine that were used in the media after the three-year-old disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007.

The computer programmer’s costume stunt was uploaded to Twitter, where Mr Gearie was widely condemned.

Mr Gearie, who donned a blonde wig and Everton top before condemning parents Kate and Gerry McCann for leaving their child unattended in a hotel, admitted he knew the stunt was sick.

A spokesman for the McCanns said that the family has never dignified the “cretinous” behaviour, saying the tweet was rightly deleted.

Mr Gearie admitted he “took it too far” before admitting he was ashamed and embarrassed after the “good-natured” stunt had backfired. He added: “On reflection my costume was in very poor taste.

“I’d like to apologise to all those who have been deeply offended.”