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Karsten Mayer was spotted by British holidaymaker with girl who looked
'groggy' But Swiss native insists girl with him was his own
daughter
A
Swiss father-of-three is being interviewed by police today after it
emerged he was the mystery man seen driving from the camping ground with
a girl who looked like Maddie McCann days after she vanished in 2007.
Karsten Mayer, 41, is a German-speaking Swiss native who lives near the
capital Bern whose own daughter was in the family car and who, he says,
was mistaken for the missing toddler by a British eyewitness.
The potential sighting came three days after Madeleine was abducted from
Praia da Luz in Portugal, a few hours drive away.
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Sighting: A blonde girl identical to
Madeleine McCann was supposedly seen with a German family at
the Cabopino campsite on Spain's Costa del Sol (pictured)
just three days after the British toddler went missing five
years ago |
It emerged yesterday that British detectives investigating her
disappearance have been told a German family paid extra after arriving
at the campsite with one more child than expected on May 6, 2007,
according to The Sun.
But Mr Mayer, who was spotted with the blonde girl, has since insisted
the youngster was not Madeleine, and was infact his own daughter.
Mr Mayer also pledged to speak to police to clear himself of any
connection to missing Madeleine following the media reports yesterday
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Missing: Madeleine was abducted from Praia da
Luz in Portugal, a few hours drive away from the Spanish
campsite, in May 2007 |
'I am turning myself over to police,' said Mr Mayer, a self employed
businessman, 'before these media reports get me arrested.'
He told Blick, Switzerland's biggest daily paper; 'I did have a girl
around about Maddie's age in the car - she was my own daughter who also
happens to have blonde coloured hair and was about the same age as
Maddie at the time.'
Karen Sisson, 49, the British woman who reported the sighting to police,
said the girl 'looked groggy' and seemingly 'alienated' from the family
she was with. She said the car had German plates that began with BE.
But the BE registration for the town and district of Beckum in western
Germany went out of use 38 years ago.
Journalists in Switzerland used the number of the car to trace Mr Mayer
to his home near Bern - BE standing for cars registered to the city and
surrounding area.
Mr Mayer added; 'I was at the camping ground with my family. It is
really unbelievable that I am some kind of suspect because we read about
Maddie's disappearance on a notice at the campsite. We were shocked and
we felt for the parents.
'It is quite possible that my daughter appeared distant. She was tired
after a very long road trip.
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The blonde
girl was said to be with a German family driving a Mercedes
Vito people carrier (pictured) that was first manufactured
in 1996 |
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Parents:
Kate and Gerry McCann pose with an artist's impression of
how their daughter might look now at the age of nine |
'We spent 12 days at the camping ground we journeyed further around
Portugal. I don't think a kidnapper would have done that.
'I find these media reports about me unbelievable and am reporting to
police immediately before I am arrested!'
CID officers in Bern say that he has already 'all but' been ruled out of
enquiries |
