Portuguese police 'taking harder line' with McCanns
Portuguese police have suddenly adopted a harder attitude towards the parents of missing Madeleine McCann in recent days, a source said tonight.
As Kate and Gerry McCann prepare to mark the 100th day since their daughter’s disappearance, detectives have started to treat them with a new formality, the source said.
The change in tone between the McCanns and the investigation team comes amid a series of unconfirmed Portuguese newspaper reports that police now believe Madeleine was killed in her family’s holiday flat in Praia da Luz and the McCanns are suspects.
The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have strongly denied these suggestions and insisted they would not be “bullied” into leaving Portugal by the growing backlash against them.
Mr McCann told the BBC: “It’s incredibly difficult when people are implying that your daughter is dead and that you may have been involved in it.”
On Monday Mr McCann met senior officers in the case at the British consulate in Portimao for a routine briefing, the source said.
But when he and his wife next spoke with detectives, two days later, the meeting took place at the police station in Portimao and the tone was much more formal.
Portuguese papers have claimed that investigators are now focusing on the McCanns and the seven friends on holiday with them when Madeleine vanished.
But Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, of Portugal’s investigative Policia Judiciaria (PJ), stressed this week that the family were not suspects.
Madeleine has not been seen since she vanished from her bed in the family apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3.
Until now the police investigation has centred on Anglo-Portuguese expat Robert Murat, 33, the only official suspect in the case.
But Mr McCann said today that detectives could now be “starting with a new slate”, fuelling speculation Mr Murat will be formally cleared in the coming weeks.
Mr McCann was apparently referring to a second search of Mr Murat’s house last weekend – which reportedly uncovered no new evidence – and the discovery last week of blood traces in the apartment where Madeleine went missing.
He told the BBC: “There has been a shift in the investigation and the way it was proceeding previously...
“Now if that means we’re starting with a new slate, we’ve always said all scenarios are possible, and we have always done everything to co-operate.
“We’ve stayed here, we’ve worked with the investigation, and everything that we have done in the last 100 days has been with the belief that Madeleine was taken alive, and I haven’t seen any concrete evidence to the contrary.”
Mr Murat, who has always insisted he is entirely innocent, hopes to receive a letter formally clearing him of his status as a suspect in the coming days or weeks, his lawyer Francisco Pagarete said.
It was reported today that Portuguese police want to question a British man on holiday in Praia da Luz at the same time as the McCanns who helped in the search for Madeleine.
The man arrived in Portugal on April 28, the same day as the McCanns, and left on May 6, the day they should have flown home, according to the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias.
Police have recovered an Opal Corsa he rented from a car hire company in Faro, about 60 miles from Praia da Luz, the paper said.
Detectives are now reportedly trying to establish whether this man had any connection with the McCanns.
Portuguese police could not be reached for comment, but in the past they have consistently refused to confirm or deny reports about the investigation.
The McCanns helped to launch a new section on the popular YouTube video-sharing website today to highlight the search for missing children.
The new site – www.youtube.com/dontyouforgetaboutme – is aimed at the millions of young people around the world who visit the site every day.
It will be managed and policed by the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in Washington DC.
There are already 229 videos connected to the Madeleine campaign on YouTube, one of which alone has been visited 50,000 times.
Mrs McCann said: “With Madeleine’s abduction, we have been concerned about her crossing borders, and the internet reaches the whole world.
“We have had so much goodwill and support from everyone, we wanted to give something tangible back to help others.”
US First Lady Laura Bush recorded a message of support for the new site, appealing for people to watch the videos and look out for the missing children in their communities.
Madeleine’s family are expected to mark tomorrow’s grim 100-day milestone with a series of events, including a special Catholic prayer service in Praia da Luz.
The occasion will be marked in Britain by prayers and pledges of support by sports stars, including Jonny Wilkinson, Frankie Dettori and Everton Football Club.
