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| MADDIE: Still missing, 2 years on
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MADELEINE MCCANN:
Still missing, 2 years on
DETECTIVES believe a man being held in a UK prison on a murder charge
may hold vital information about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
They say he was in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on the day
Madeleine vanished in May 2007, just before her fourth birthday.
The investigators working for the McCann family are now trying to build
up an extensive picture of his movements in the Algarve resort at the
time.
They are anxious to learn if he was staying near the McCanns’ holiday
apartment and if he had any contact with the family.
The astonishing development came in the wake of huge international
publicity last month which included a televised reconstruction of
Madeleine’s disappearance and an emotional appeal for help from parents
Kate and Gerry McCann.
The man in the spotlight cannot be identified for legal reasons because
he is in jail accused of a murder which took place in this country.
Retired Detective Inspector Dave Edgar, who is heading the McCanns’
investigation, would like to question him about his movements in
Portugal but recognises that he may not get an opportunity to speak to
him until after his trial.
The Sunday Express can reveal that he is one of seven potential suspects
Mr Edgar is trying to rule in or out of his complex investigation.
He has recently been to Praia da Luz to try to check the alibi of a
British paedophile who strongly resembles a the description of a man
seen looking intently at the McCanns’ apartment shortly before Madeleine
disappeared.
The man, who lives permanently in Portugal, was interviewed by Portugese
police two years ago because of his child-abuse past.
During intensive questioning he told detectives he was visiting the
capital Lisbon when Madeleine was went missing on May 3.
To back up his alibi, he produced receipts showing he withdrew cash from
ATM machines in Lisbon that day which he said proved he was hundreds of
miles away at the relevant time.
However, Mr Edgar understands the man regularly stayed at an address in
the Praia da Luz area during the summer and had once rented an apartment
there.
He is trying to discover if there was any CCTV operating at the machines
where the man withdrew the cash, which would conclusively prove he was
in Lisbon at the time or whether someone else withdrew the money.
Confidential information on him was gathered by Portugese detectives who
wrote several pages about him for their 14-volume dossier on the case.
However, their vital information on the potential prime suspect was
among 100 pages withdrawn from the dossier just before it was released
to the public last year.
He, too, cannot be identified for legal reasons, but he is said to bear
close resemblance to the description of a man seen peering intently at
the apartment where Madeleine was staying shortly before she vanished.
The news came as Kate and Gerry made a fresh appeal to travel firms and
holidaymakers to help “increase the chance” of finding their daughter.
The doctors from Rothley, Leicestershire, said yesterday: “We have
recently been planning a summer campaign in the hope that holiday
makers, travel companies and transport agencies will help us again in
our search for Madeleine.”
In their internet appeal Kate, 41, and Gerry, 40, wrote: “So far, things
are looking promising and we will soon have ‘travel packs’ available via
the website for anyone willing to help.
“We greatly appreciate the continued help and support we are receiving
from the general public.”
In Portugal a police officer who attended the kidnap scene on the night
Maddie disappeared has been dramatically suspended over allegations of a
suspicious £100,000 payment.
He and a colleague were widely criticised for failing to seal off the
crime scene or keep people away, potentially destroying vital forensic
clues.
The uniformed officer is now under investigation It is not yet known if
the payment he allegedly received was in any way connected with the
Madeleine investigation |
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