BLOOD traces found in the bedroom where Madeleine McCann, left, was sleeping on the night she was snatched were not hers, it was reported last night.

Forensic results suggest the blood came from a man.

The results come at the end of a fortnight in which speculation has been rife that the child was murdered in the Praia da Luz apartment.

There have been numerous reports in the Portuguese media quoting police sources as saying detectives believe Madeleine died in the apartment on the night she went missing.

The technical analysis of the tiny spots of blood found smeared on the bedroom wall show it probably comes from the "north-east European sub group". This conclusion is said to be 72 per cent accurate due to the sample's degeneration.

Further tests are now being carried out. It was also reported that detectives may soon name new official suspects.

Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa is said to have not ruled out the possibility that friends of the family could be connected to Madeleine's disappearance.