Robert Murat's lawyer accused Madeleine's parents of "strange" behaviour, referring to the fact that they had left the three-year-old alone in their holiday apartment.

He then went on to claim that inhabitants of Praia da Luz in the Algarve, where Madeleine went missing, now just wanted "these bloody McCanns" to leave Portugal and return to Britain.

Gerry and Kate McCann have been subjected to an astonishing new attack by Murat's lawyer

The decision of Mr Murat's lawyer to go on the offensive today follows increasing signs that the case against his client may soon be dropped.

The rebuke will heap pressure on Gerry and Kate McCann who have been subjected to vitriolic smears in the Portuguese media in the past few days.

Yesterday the Portuguese daily newspaper Diario de Noticias continued its campaign against the McCanns by suggesting that police had intercepted incriminating emails between the McCanns and their friends

These attacks followed the discovery of traces of blood in the apartment, although tests are not yet back on whether the blood is Madeleine's.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, Francisco Pagarete, a lawyer who has known Mr Murat since childhood, declared: "As a Portuguese person I think it is strange that somebody would leave their kids.

"Then, after the first thing happened, they left their twins and went to see the Pope. It was like the McCanns on tour.

"When I was a small child my parents had me on a leash so I would not run away. Kids are like that. Incidents can happen. Maybe the poor child could open the door and got away.

"You would never leave them alone like that in a foreign country and go and have a drink. It is not a normal thing."

Mr Pagarete added: "People in Praia da Luz say, 'These bloody McCanns should just go away and leave this town. They are giving it a bad name'."

The series of attacks on the couple is understood to have prompted them to abandon a high-profile campaign to publicise their daughter's disappearance in Portugal.

Madeleine McCann has been missing for three months

The statements have been described as "hurtful" by a spokeswoman for the couple.

The McCanns, both doctors from Leicestershire, were considering a tour of the country to mark, on Saturday, 100 days since Madeleine vanished.

The tour has been abandoned and Gerry McCann has made it clear that the couple want to "stay low-key" until the current storm blows over.

It is understood that yesterday evening they visited police headquarters in Portimao to discuss progress in the hunt for Madeleine.

Police sources say that the McCanns were told again they were not suspects in the case after a series of allegations in local newspapers.

Mr Pagarete's intervention will not have helped the McCanns who are facing a backlash in Portugal, where they have taken up residence since Madeleine went missing on 3 May.

Mr Murat, 33, has been named an official suspect by police, although little if any evidence appears to link him to Madeleine's disappearance.

Mr Pagarete, 32, who has invited Britishborn Mr Murat to his wedding next week, said his friend and client just wanted to clear his name and get on with his life.

Mr Murat, a father of one, has also been subjected to smears in the media.

Mr Pagarete added: "If the police never clear this matter up, Robert Murat will always be pointed at in the street as the number one suspect. It has been a nightmare for him and a long one. Let's hope it finishes soon."