A former property developer paid libel damages after being named as a suspect by police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal is to take part in a debate about the tabloid press at Cambridge University.

Robert Murat, who is in his mid 30s, was listed as an "official suspect" by police investigating the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann while she was on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Detectives later lifted his "official suspect" status and Mr Murat, who was living in Praia da Luz after leaving Hockering, Norfolk, accepted damages from newspapers and a television company.

He will take part in a discussion at Cambridge University on Thursday evening and propose the motion "This House Believes Tabloids Do More Harm Than Good" during the debate at the Cambridge Union Society.

His lawyer, Louis Charalambous, said: "Mr Murat accepted Cambridge Union Society's invitation to propose the motion as it represented the most favourable forum within which he could personally and once and for all, set the record straight about his experience at the hands of the British tabloids.

"He has chosen this as his sole and only opportunity to share these experiences and the plight of victims of the press pack."

Four national newspaper groups apologised for publishing false allegations about Mr Murat at a court hearing in July.

News International, Mirror Group Newspapers, Express Newspapers and Associated Newspapers acknowledged making "false claims", in a statement read out in the High Court.

In November, Mr Murat accepted libel damages in settlement of an action against British Sky Broadcasting