The parents of
Madeleine McCann
had evidence against
them ‘developed’ by British police as they were investigated by
Portuguese authorities over the disappearance of their daughter, a
senior official has claimed.
The UK’s ambassador to Portugal, Alexander Wykeham Ellis, told his
American counterpart that police in Britain were working with Portuguese
officers to build a case against the McCanns.
He made the claims on September 21, 2007, according to secret diplomatic
cables published by WikiLeaks.
![](mail-14-12-10-mcs.jpg) |
Tough
times: Kate and Gerry McCann were subject to a Portuguese
police investigation, allegedly aided by evidence
'developed' by their British counterparts |
Two weeks earlier, Portuguese police had named
Gerry and Kate McCann
as ‘arguidos’, or formal suspects.
In a cable to Washington marked confidential, U.S. ambassador Al Hoffman
wrote: ‘Without delving into the details of the case, Ellis admitted
that the British police had developed the current evidence against the
McCann parents, and he stressed that authorities from both countries
were working co-operatively.’
The cable does not specify what evidence British police are alleged to
have gathered, or whether UK investigators were involved in the decision
to formally name the McCanns as
suspects.
The comments suggest British police had a far greater role in the
investigation of the McCanns than has previously been thought.
The widespread perception at the time was that Portuguese authorities
were the driving force behind their treatment as suspects.
![](mail-14-12-10-mbm.jpg) |
Missing:
Madeleine McCann disappeared while on holiday in Portugal |
In one of two cables which refer to the case, U.S. ambassador Hoffman
also noted: ‘Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in the south of Portugal
in May 2007 has generated international media attention with controversy
surrounding the Portuguese-led police investigation and the actions of
Madeleine’s parents.’
He said the British ambassador thought ‘the media frenzy was to be
expected and was acceptable as long as government officials keep their
comments behind closed doors’.
The McCanns have said that there was ‘absolutely no evidence to
implicate them in Madeleine’s disappearance’.
After they were named as suspects, Madeleine’s parents remained under
official suspicion until July 2008, when Portuguese police shelved the
investigation into their daughter’s disappearance.
Speaking when their suspect status was lifted, Mrs McCann said: ‘It is
hard to describe how utterly despairing it was to be named arguidos and
portrayed in the media as suspects.’
Following the WikiLeaks revelation, a
spokesman for the McCanns said: ‘This
is an entirely historic note that is more than three years old.
‘Subsequently, Kate and Gerry had their arguido status lifted, with the
Portuguese authorities making it perfectly clear that there was
absolutely no evidence to implicate them in Madeleine’s disappearance.’
Madeleine went missing from an apartment in the Algarve village of Praia
da Luz on May 3, 2007, when she was three years old. |