British Detectives hunting Madeleine McCann have been accused of chasing a suspect who was cleared years ago

Portuguese former police inspector Carlos Anjos said the decision to award Scotland Yard an extra £85,000 to find the missing youngster was "shocking". Anjos claims the Met is trying to "forcefully place the blame on" a homeless drifter who cannot afford a lawyer.

The suspect was a worker at the Portuguese holiday resort where the then three year old Madeleine vanished in 2007 while her parents dined with pals in a tapas bar.

Police say the man had stolen a "handful of things from a bedroom" of an unlocked apartment at noon that day. But he was eliminated from inquiries as he was "far away" when Madeleine disappeared.

Portugal’s ex minister of internal affairs Rui Pereira suggested the new probe was a "reaction of the English authorities" to former detective Goncalo Amarals court battle with Madeleine’s doctor parents Kate 49 and Gerry 48 in Portugal’s Supreme Court. He said: "nothing else really explains that a new lead was followed now when it is in fact an old lead". A Met spokesman declined to comment.