James Gorrod and his wife Charlotte

A BRITON told yesterday how he became caught up in the investigation into missing Madeleine McCann after suspicious staff at a hire car firm tipped off police.

Lawyer James Gorrod, 34, rented a blue Opel Corsa in Portugal five days before the four-year-old vanished. Staff at rental firm Sixt, based at Faro airport, raised the alarm when he returned the vehicle on May 6 – because it was fitted with a child seat and they believed he was travelling alone.

Mr Gorrod was later contacted by British police after it was discovered he had close links with friends who had been on holiday with Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry. In a statement, Mr Gorrod said last night: "A British police officer directly liaising with the Portuguese investigation team recently contacted me to eliminate the vehicle I hired for a holiday with my wife and two-year-son in Praia da Luz at the time Madeleine McCann disappeared.

"The vehicle has been identified and I have been told by the British police officer that he has no plans to interview me or my family, and he does not expect me or my family to have any further involvement in the investigation. We are, of course, deeply saddened by Madeleine's disappearance and hope for her safe return."�

Mr Gorrod's wife, Charlotte, yesterday said it was 'absolutely ridiculous' to suggest the couple were in any way linked to Madeleine's disappearance. She said: "Horrible things have been said about us and our friends but none of them are true."
The Gorrods live in Exeter, Devon, just two minutes from their friends, hospital consultant Dr Russell O'Brien and Jane Tanner, who are both key witnesses in the investigation. The two couples met up during their week-long holiday in Portugal and it is believed Mr Gorrod and his family were staying at the same resort in Praia da Luz as the McCanns and their seven friends.

Coincidentally, chief suspect Robert Murat, 33, was in Exeter for 10 days shortly before Madeleine vanished on May 3. The British expat arrived back in the Algarve just 48 hours earlier on May 1. He has since been questioned several times by police but has always protested his innocence.

Mr Gorrod, his wife, and their two-year-old son William flew out to Portugal on April 28 "the same day as the McCanns and their friends began their ill-fated holiday. Police were alerted after Mr Gorrod returned the car eight days later. The vehicle was never examined by Portuguese police and was leased out five more times.

Three months into the investigation British police carried out a major review of the case and car hire bosses were ordered to take it off the road last Monday. The vehicle was traced to Lisbon and has now been placed in a compound awaiting examination.

Yesterday Mrs Gorrod, 32, said how hurtful speculation about the couple's involvement in the case had been. She said: "This is all absolutely ridiculous. We know Dr O'Brien and Jane Tanner because we both have children of about the same age and we were staying in the same resort. At the time, the Portuguese police asked the O'Briens if they knew anybody who had access to a car and they gave our names.

"We were happy to talk to the police but they did not approach us.

"We know what is being said now and it is ridiculous. The car has been checked out and there is no problem. It is surprising it has come up now and very upsetting for me because I have just come out of hospital after giving birth to my second child.

"We have been told that the family and friends of the McCanns are not under suspicion. My husband has spoken to the police and given them all the details of the car. We just want to help really and we could do without all this hassle.
"My husband was on holiday with myself and our son who is aged two. And that is why we needed a baby seat. It was our last chance to have a holiday before I got too pregnant to fly."�

Dr O'Brien, 36, has told police he saw Murat outside the McCann's apartment around the time of the abduction. He was among three members of the McCann's party who insist they saw Murat close to the apartment that night.

Miss Tanner claims she saw a man rushing away from the complex with a child wrapped in a blanket at around 9.10pm, 50 minutes before the alarm was raised.

Portuguese police were last night still awaiting the results of DNA tests being carried out in Britain on specks of blood found in the McCann's holiday apartment.

Yesterday, the respected Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias reported that British sniffer dogs had carried out searches along the coastline close to Praia da Luz. The newspaper claims police are working on the theory that Madeleine's body was thrown into the sea. It is possible her corpse was placed in a rubbish bag weighed down by rocks. It is also claimed that police believe Madeleine died in the family's holiday apartment “either by accident or murder.

But, despite the speculation, the McCanns insist they will carry on believing Madeleine is alive until they are shown evidence to the contrary.