THE police chief who won a legal battle with the parents of Madeleine McCann is finishing off a second book on the case that criticises the way Scotland Yard handled their investigation.

Goncalo Amaral is busy working on the closing chapters while on a break in Switzerland and is looking for a British publisher.

Last week Portuguese supreme court judges in Lisbon ruled that he could publish his controversial first book on the case, called The Truth Of The Lie.

After Madeleine, then three, disappeared from apartment 5a of the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz on the Algarve on May 3, 2007, Mr Amaral worked as the investigation co-ordinator, pulling together all the strands of police inquiries and working closely with senior officers.

However, he was moved off the case and resigned six months later after accusing British police officers of not fully cooperating with the ­Portuguese investigation.

He faced financial ruin when the McCanns won legal battles to freeze his assets and stop him distributing The Truth Of The Lie in Portugal. 

Mr Amaral used police files to put forward a theory that Madeleine had died in the apartment. The McCanns took legal action on the grounds the claim was not substantiated by the evidence and was defamatory.

They believe that Madeleine is still alive and every effort should be made to find her. 

A friend of the author said: “Goncalo took no great pleasure from the court case because he fully expected to win. For him these battles in the courts are important because they protect freedom of expression.

“He could only afford to pay the legal bills thanks to donations, mainly from people in Britain, who have given more than £50,000. With the support in Britain he obviously thinks his second book on the case would sell well if translated into English and he is actively looking for a publisher.

“He would also ask any publisher if they would be interested in publishing his first book in English. “For the time being he is working hard on the second book in Switzerland but he wishes to thank his supporters in the UK for supporting his battle to protect freedom of expression.”

The timeline of events on the evening and night of May 3, 2007, has been examined by Mr Amaral, minute by minute, for a significant part of the book.

The friend added: “He is aware of the public statements made by Scotland Yard in their review and later investigation.


He gives his views on that approach. He has huge respect for Scotland Yard detectives but is critical of some of the things that have been said and done.”

Doctors Kate and Gerry McCann, both 48, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have said they will sue if The Truth Of The Lie is sold in Britain.