Photo caption: Madeleine disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday.

An English newspaper spoke to the Portuguese man who claims to have seen a suspect wearing dark glasses close to the apartment rented by the McCanns, 24 hours before Maddie’s disappearance in 2007.

The British newspaper The Mirror” spoke Mário Fernando Madeira Marreiros, a 47 year old Portuguese man, who is a witness in the case of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, and who claims to have seen a suspect ignored by the Portuguese authorities.

At the time of the disappearance, Mário was working as a laundry man in Praia da Luz, Lagos, where the McCann couple and their children were on holiday in 2007. On the eve of Maddie’s disappearance, the Algarvian claims that he saw a strange man wearing dark glasses, hidden in a stair well outside the McCann’s rented apartment.

Mário told “The Mirror” that whilst he was collected linen from the apartments “we almost bumped into each other. He seemed embarrassed and nervous”, the Portuguese man told the newspaper, adding: “I had never seen him before. I know all the people staying at the resort and this was not one of them”.

As regards the actions of the authorities and of the investigators, Mário says that he felt “uncomfortable” with the PJ investigation. In his first statement to the PJ, which was made public, no reference is made to the suspect whom he allegedly spotted and which is described by the British paper. However, a few months later, Mário passed this information to the PJ, having spent “hours with a detective looking at photos and videos”. However, they did not manage to identify anyone.

But the laundry worker from the Algarve, who had only been working at the resort for a month before the event, thinks that the stranger could be related to Maddie’s disappearance in some way, either as abductor or perhaps an accomplice who was observing the timing and behavior of the McCanns.

Six years after the girl’s disappearance, Mário Marreiras is now asking the British authorities who never requested any statement from him nor showed any interest in him, to be heard by Scotland Yard.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY FILES and DOCUMENTS MARIO FERNANDO MADEIRA MARREIROS

LAUNDRY 08 MAY 07 

03-Processos Vol III Pages 555-557 Witness statement of Mario Fernando Madeira Fernandes 2007.05.08

06 -Processo - Page 1659  is for the OC handyman Moreiras  "Luz Ocean Club

Witness Statement

Date: 2007/05/08

Mario Fernando Madeira Marreiros

Occupation: Laundry worker

Place of Work: OC

He has worked at the OC since the 5th March 2007 as a laundry worker as well as the driver of the laundry vehicles of the resort, delivering and collecting laundry (towels and sheets) from the apartments that make up the resort.

With relation to the events being investigated he states that on 4th May 2007, upon arriving at work at about 10.00 he saw that next to an apartment block there were various cars and police as well as members of the press, which he found strange.

Later, when he arrived at his place of work he was informed by colleagues that this "apparatus" was due to the disappearance of a little girl who had been staying at the resort.

He was informed that the girl was three years old, of British nationality and he observed that posters with her photograph and details were already up, with indications to follow in the case of information about her disappearance. 

When questioned he said that he did not know the girl or her family, only having heard about them after the event.

When questioned about the day of the disappearance (03 May 2007) of the girl whose name he does not remember, he says he carried out his normal routine, arriving at his place of work at about 10.00, with a lunch break from 13.00 to 14.30, returning to work until 18.00. After work he returned home where he stayed with his wife until 21.30 when he went alone by car to Barao de Sao Joao, where his step son works.

After having picked up his step son he returned home where he stayed until the following day when he left for work. 

He only knew about the events from the press and from his colleagues. 

He knows nothing more apart from that the girl was on holiday with her family and twin siblings as he was informed later.

He does not know of anything suspicious that could be related to the events. 

Reads, ratifies, signs