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McCanns' holiday friends face new Madeleine police quiz Mail

Maddy police in hunt for blood at flat No 2


Sniffer dogs have detected blood in an apartment close to the flat from where Madeleine McCann went missing, it was claimed yesterday.

Detectives in Portugal, who suspect Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry of killing her, are waiting for the results of samples handed over to Britain's Forensic Science Service.

Police think tests will show Madeleine's body was hidden in the second apartment.

The blood claim was made by Portuguese magazine O Crime.


A senior police office in the case, Luis Sequeira, told them: "The fact sniffer dogs found the trail of Madeleine in another apartment in the complex is very important."

Detectives fear forensic evidence found in the McCanns' car will not support a prosecution unless cops can explain how hairs and body fluids, including blood, got there.

Prosecutors also believe proving that Kate and Gerry killed their daughter and hid her body would be difficult without suggesting where she was dumped or finding her remains.

Previous reports in the Portuguese press have linked the Praia da Luz flat from which four-year-old Madeleine vanished on May 3 to another apartment.

The PSS has supplied "significant" forensic evidence that Madeleine may have been in the boot of her parents' hired silver Renault Scenic at least 25 days after she vanished.

Scientists are believed to doubt her hairs were in the car by chance after allegedly finding several stuck together with body fluid.

Sources indicated the hairs were pulled out by the roots, which further reduces the chance of accidental transfer from Madeleine's packed-up clothes and toys.

An insider said: "Many eminent scientists have explained the possibility of innocent explanations for Madeleine's hair being in the boot. The FSS took this into consideration."

It emerged yesterday that Kate could face a second police interrogation after officers asked for permission to question her again.

Kate, 39, was grilled for 11 hours before being named a suspect last week. Sources said the prosecutor also wanted police to re-interview the couple's friends and family.

Detectives believe somebody could have helped them dispose of Madeleine's body.

Friends on holiday with the McCanns have furiously denied such a "hurtful" conspiracy.

As the investigation gathered pace, Portuguese media claimed Kate's diaries reveal her as a "hysterical" mother. It was alleged she wrote insults about her children and branded Madeleine hyperactive.

The newspaper Correio da Manha also claimed she moaned that Gerry, 39, did not help with family chores.

A family friend said it was "disgraceful" that Kate's private and emotional thoughts should be in the public domain - but insisted that the entries "add nothing" to the case.

The friend said: "Kate is kind and loving to her children and always has been." The judge who will decide on any prosecution has been asked to authorise police to formally acquire the diary and Gerry's laptop.

Yesterday two social workers interviewed the McCanns at their home in Rothley, Leics. The visit followed discussions about whether twins Sean and Amelie should be put on an "at risk" register.

Sources said Kate and Gerry assured the social workers they would not leave either of the twins alone in the house.

Friends said Kate contacted Leicestershire social services to tell them she wanted to prove the twins were not at risk.

A council spokesman said they could not comment on individual cases..
Mirror

McCanns in talks with leading PR adviser


The parents of Madeleine McCann are considering hiring a top PR adviser to manage their media campaign, signalling a change in strategy a week after being declared official suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

Kate and Gerry McCann have been in discussions with Phil Hall, the former tabloid editor turned media consultant, following the resignation of their media spokeswoman, Justine McGuinness, the Guardian has learned.

Mr Hall, former editor of the News of the World, is among a number of high-profile PR figures consulted by the McCanns with a view to managing the global interest in their case.


Mr Hall confirmed yesterday that he had been in discussions with the couple. "I have spoken to them a number of times and offered advice and [help] assessing the situation and what they are doing going forward and whether they need someone full-time or part-time," he told mediaguardian.co.uk.

Meanwhile, social workers visited the McCanns at home yesterday after the couple invited them for talks about two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie in the light of their being named as suspects in Madeleine's disappearance.

It is standard practice for a mother or father named as a suspect overseas to have their case considered by British authorities. In these cases social services can, in theory, take children into care or place them on the "in need" or "at risk" registers.

Mr and Mrs McCann have been pursuing an energetic media campaign to maintain the high profile of the search for their daughter since her disappearance on May 3, during which they have contacted senior Fleet Street and PR figures for advice.

Ms McGuinness, a public affairs consultant and former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, has been acting as their official spokesperson since July. Her resignation is not related to recent developments in the case, the Guardian understands.

The move follows a similar shift in the couple's legal strategy, after they were named as suspects last Friday. They have contracted a highly respected team of British lawyers to work alongside their Portuguese representation, who have advised them that they must not discuss any details related to the investigation. Mr and Mrs McCann, who have since returned to the UK, vehemently deny involvement in their daughter's disappearance and presumed death.

It is not clear how the couple plan to pay for the services of PR advisers. On Wednesday the couple said the Find Madeleine campaign fund, which has raised more than £1m in public donations, would not be used to meet their legal expenses.

In a separate development, investigators on the Algarve have asked the magistrate presiding over the case if they can put further questions to Mrs McCann after studying her diary, it was reported yesterday. According to the newspaper Publico, the authorities photocopied pages of Mrs McCann's diary two months ago.

The diary pages read by police included private comments about the "unruliness" of her children's behaviour, according to the newspaper.

guardian

Girl's Case 'May Solve McCann Mystery'



Portuguese detectives have been urged to ditch their case against Gerry and Kate McCann and re-open the investigation into a girl who disappeared in similar circumstances to Madeleine.

Crime expert Mark Williams-Thomas believes there are far too many similarities between the two cases for it not to be a strong line of police inquiry.

Mr Williams-Thomas, a former detective who is now a child protection specialist, said: "I can't accept that Gerry and Kate as parents of the child could have been involved in her murder - even based on the fact that over 90% of murders are domestic-related.

"What I have difficulty in understanding is they would have killed her and stored her body for at least 25 days and left no evidence.

"At the very least the body would have started to decompose, especially in a hot country. And there was a huge risk of someone finding that body."

He believes the answer to the case may lie in the disappearance of an eight-year-old Portuguese girl in 2004.

Joana Cipriano vanished from a village just seven miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine disappeared.

Neither body has been found.

Joana's mother and uncle were jailed for her murder, but five police officers have now been accused of forcing false confessions out of them.

Mr Williams-Thomas believes that because of the huge doubts over the convictions, whoever abducted Joana is more than likely to be behind Madeleine's disappearance.


He said he could not understand why the police are pursuing their "ludicrous" investigation into the McCanns, when such a strong line of inquiry remains open.

He added: "There's not a single case in the UK where two children who are unknown to each other have been abducted or disappeared within a period of four years in a seven-mile radius.

"On that basis it has to be a serious line of inquiry to eliminate it as a huge coincidence.

"Portugal is a small country with very, very few abductions so two young girls vanishing out of thin air with their bodies never being recovered is something that needs to be investigated."

Joana vanished on September 12, 2004, after setting off from home in the village of Figueira to collect groceries. She never returned.

Like Madeleine McCann's case, the police investigation got off to a bad start. They failed to seal off the house where she was last seen.

Joana's mother Leonor and her brother Joao were jailed for 16 years for her murder.

But they claim they were set up and police have been named as suspects in their "torture".

Cipriano alleges police beat her to make her confess. A photograph of her heavily-bruised face was published in Portuguese newspapers.

She says the interrogation took place without her lawyer present and without the knowledge of the public prosecutor.

Police claimed Joana discovered Cipriano and her brother having sex when she returned with the groceries.

They said the pair were afraid Joana would tell what she saw and killed her.

Mr Williams-Thomas says because of the doubt over the safety of the convictions, the case should be re-opened.

But to compound the Madeleine investigation further, a senior detective in the hunt is one of the five officers alleged to have extracted the confessions.

Goncalo Amaral, who is number three in the Madeleine inquiry, and his officers have been accused of torture, omission of evidence and falsification of documents.

Portugal's Ministerio Publico has not revealed who has been accused of which offence.

Mr Williams-Thomas said: "This casts huge doubt in my mind about the integrity of the investigating officer.

"Even if we work on the basis that he is innocent, given this allegation against him, he shouldn't have anything to do with the Madeleine investigation."

He stressed: "There are so many similarities between the cases it has to be eliminated.

"Therefore to consider solely Kate and Gerry McCann as suspects rather than considering all the options is ludicrous."

The former detective also heavily criticised the Portuguese police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance.

Commenting on their emergency application to seize Gerry McCann's laptop computer and reportedly even Madeleine's favourite toy Cuddle Cat, he said: "I think it's amazing that they haven't already seized them.

"This is the whole problem with the case. They are treating Kate and Gerry McCann as suspects but aren't dealing with them as suspects.

"Why didn't they do that when she went missing? They are back-tracking.

"They are trying to recover the situation, forensically and evidentally, they lost at the first opportunity."

Another crime expert believes even if the police do charge the McCanns they will struggle to convict them - because Madeleine's body is still missing and there is no evidence that has been made public to suggest she is even dead.

Desmond Thomas, a former deputy head of Hampshire CID who is now a forensic management consultant, says he does not believe anyone will be found guilty unless a body or weapon is discovered.

He said: "I think the Portuguese police are struggling. Of course, we cannot be sure about exactly what is in the dossier they have prepared.

"But from what we know this far, if I was bringing the charges, I would be nervous about it being successful.

"The only way I can see anyone being successfully charged is if the body is found and they can link it clearly to them."

This may be some solace to the McCanns, but then Portuguese courts may have a different conviction rate to UK courts.

After all, detectives managed to "solve" Joana's murder, and there was no body or weapon found.
Sky

That is terrible. Poor Gerry and Kate - as if they haven't been through enough already with their daughter going missing. Why ever are they not linking this case with the other one?

Police: Maddy's body may never be found



Police fear Madeleine McCann's body may never turn up.

In a bizarre new twist to the hunt yesterday, they said the four-year-old may have been weighted down with stones and dumped off the Portuguese coast from a British-owned yacht.

Another wild theory was that an accomplice of parents Kate and Gerry could have helped hide the child's body before it was incinerated. The couple have angrily denied any involvement in their daughter's disappearance from their holiday flat on the Algarve.

The Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias said: "The police admit the body doesn't now exist.


"One of the most credible possibilities would involve the body having been thrown in a sack of stones at sea from a yacht." Another paper, 24 Horas, reported that detectives may be relying on the McCanns making a confession.

A "high-ranking" officer, not named, told the paper that if the case did get to court the only charge could be that of hiding a body, given the current evidence.

He added: "Was she strangled? Could she have been beaten? They are questions which only the parents could clarify in an eventual confession." Meanwhile, hairs found in the boot of the McCann's hire car have been sent for analysis to discover whether Madeleine may have been drugged.

Yesterday a friend of the McCanns said the couple were astonished at the lack of communication from detectives.

"They feel the Portuguese police are playing a game with them."
Mirror

I would have thought there could easily be a connection with the other abduction which happened near the same place a few years ago. So, this could be someone local and if there is really evidence of Madeline in the hire car, then either they could have planted it there to make the McCanns look guilty, or otherwise they may have used the hire car themselves. The police should check to find out who hired the car before the McCanns, especially around the 3rd May.

'Dingo' mother backs parents


Australian wrongly convicted of murdering baby sees 'mirror image' of her ordeal

Esther Addley, Giles Tremlett and Brendan de Beer in Praia da Luz


Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, the Australian woman wrongly convicted of murdering her baby after telling police it had been snatched by a dingo, has spoken out in support of the parents of the missing Madeleine McCann, claiming they could suffer a similar miscarriage of justice to her own.

Ms Chamberlain-Creighton, now 59, was jailed for life in 1980 after her account of the disappearance of her two-month-old daughter, Azaria, during a camping trip in the outback was dismissed by Australian investigators. No body was ever found, but she was convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence. The conviction was overturned in 1988 after some of Azaria's clothing was discovered. "What that couple are going through sounds like a mirror image to what happened to me," she said yesterday. "Lie and tell us you did it, and you can go free, tell us the truth and you can't, the police will be saying."


Her intervention came amid reports that the Portuguese investigating magistrate, Pedro Anjos Frias, was to order Kate McCann back to Portugal to face fresh questioning, possibly in the next week.

The couple were again forced to defend themselves yesterday as further unsourced allegations emerged apparently incriminating them in the disappearance of their four-year-old daughter. The latest revelations include claims that Madeleine's body had been weighted down with stones and dumped in the sea off Portugal from a British-owned boat.

A French tabloid, citing an unnamed Portuguese police source, reported on Thursday that toxicology tests on hair reportedly discovered in the McCanns' rental car showed Madeleine had taken a large quantity of sleeping tablets.

Speaking through an unnamed friend, Mr McCann reportedly told the Sun that the suggestion, along with others in the past week, was "ludicrous", saying: "We are frightened and have been backed into a corner...There are large craters in every one of these theories, in these just ludicrous accusations."

The McCanns' status as official suspects has opened the floodgates on a wave of reports, claiming to originate from police leaks, which apparently link them to Madeleine's presumed death. But since they have not been charged with any crime, the couple's legal team have not been given details of the alleged evidence being amassed against them, meaning that they are unable to examine or challenge the accusations.

Mr and Mrs McCann are understood to have been advised by their new British legal team, which includes the leading QC Michael Caplan, not to speak out about the case. The couple spent much of yesterday in meetings with lawyers.

Among the unconfirmed allegations to emerge in the past few days are suggestions that bodily fluids and a "substantial" quantity of hair belonging to Madeleine were found in the car which the couple hired 25 days after she disappeared. It was alleged yesterday that sniffer dogs had found blood in a second apartment at the complex where the family were holidaying when Madeleine vanished on May 3. It has also been claimed that a sample of blood was found in the McCanns' holiday apartment. Portugal's chief of police has said blood from the car had been analysed but denied it had been proved that it was Madeleine's.

A local newspaper yesterday quoted an unnamed "high-ranking" officer as saying that the authorities did not have a concrete case against the couple. The officer reportedly told 24 Horas that without more evidence it would be impossible to determine what had become of Madeleine, adding that even if the samples taken from various locations were confirmed to be Madeleine's DNA, it would prove only that the child had been there at some point.

Investigation: Key questions

What evidence do the police have against the McCanns?
Police have confirmed that they have tested a sample of blood from the McCanns' hire car. There have also been reports of body fluids and hair in the vehicle, allegedly linked to Madeleine. It is believed police have tested a small trace of blood on the floor of the holiday apartment; there were unconfirmed reports yesterday of another trace of blood found in a second apartment. Investigators are also investigating a trail detected by British sniffer dogs, described as a "scent of death".

Is there anything else behind their suspicions? Local media have said that Mrs McCann's "manner" - apparently not appearing sufficiently distraught - has been suspicious. The respected newspaper Publico reported yesterday that one police question was how the three children could be asleep at 7.30pm, which would be unusual in Portugal.

What else might the police want to investigate? The investigating magistrate, Pedro Anjos Frias, may empower police to seize Cuddle Cat, Madeleine's favourite toy, the original of Mrs McCann's diary, or her husband's computer. Police may wish to re-examine the couple's hire car, which they are keeping "in a safe place" in case they want to commission their own forensic tests.

What happens next?
Judge Anjos could impose stricter bail conditions or even decide to charge the couple, though the last is believed to be unlikely at this stage.
guardian

MADDIE MUM'S CONFESSION


POLICE are to quiz the priest Kate McCann turned to after her daughter disappeared to see if she confessed to him. Detectives will put pressure on Father Jose Pacheco to break his Catholic vow of silence.

They have already spoken to him “informally” about the bond he developed with Madeleine’s parents in the days after she vanished.

Now they plan to question him in a bid to force him to reveal if devout Catholic Kate, 39, confessed to him she had killed her four-year-old daughter.

But priests are bound by an oath never to reveal churchgoers’ confessions – even under threat of death.

Last night an assistant to the priest, who for weeks led prayers for the McCanns at his hillside church in Praia da Luz, said he had a duty to God not to speak out.

He said: “It is the job of the police to investigate and our job to remain silent.”

Fr Pacheco met the McCanns the day after Madeleine vanished from their holiday apartment on May 3.

As the search for Madeleine continued the couple attended daily Masses at his church.

Fr Pacheco gave them the keys to the tiny chapel so they could pray round the clock.

But when the finger of suspicion was pointed at the McCanns their relationship with the priest changed, according to locals.



Before they quit Portugal for Britain last week, hours after being named official suspects, they had stopped
seeing him.

They did not say goodbye and handed the church keys to an Anglican priest.

In his sermon the day after they left Fr Pacheco did not mention Madeleine by name and simply asked the congregation to pray for help to get over their “recent troubles”.

A church source said: “He is a marvellous man who has devoted his life to God. But everything that has happened has shaken him. He appears anguished.

“He had formed a bond with the little girl’s parents, but is confused by what has happened since.”

The priest admitted he had had “informal discussions” with police, but refused to give details.

His church has become a focal point of the inquiry since sniffer dogs trained to detect corpses followed a “trail of death” there from the apartment where Madeleine vanished.

Officers have asked for permission to search the church.

They allege Kate accidentally killed Madeleine with an overdose of sedatives to help her sleep.

Detectives claim she and husband Gerry, 39, might have hidden the body close by shortly after she died.

The McCanns strongly deny all the allegations against them.

Algarve Bishop Manuel Quintas yesterday said: “It’s not up to us to judge or adjudicate blame, but simply to lend our support.”

Dailystar

POLICE: WE'LL FIND MADDY'S BODY

15th September 2007


DETECTIVES investigating the disappearance of Mad-eleine McCann have vowed they will find her body.

Police fear they will only ever be able to charge her parents, Gerry and Kate, if they have a corpse.

So Portuguese officers are now pulling out all the stops to locate it, as they realise a prosecution based mainly on forensic evidence might fail.

Police believe Maddie died after overdosing on sedatives which her parents gave to her, so forensic scientists are now re-checking DNA samples for traces of sleeping pills.

If high levels of any drug are found, that would strengthen their case that the McCanns were responsible – and it is likely they would then face charges similar to accidental death.

The McCanns, both 39, reject all such allegations as “ludicrous”.

The search for Madeleine’s body is now expected to centre around the local church in Praia da Luz.

Nearby roadworks, which were recently filled in, will also be dug up.

Last night a friend of the family said Madeleine’s parents were “not cracking up”, despite the intense pressure they were under since the Policia Judiciaria formally passed their 4,000-page dossier of evidence against them to Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses.


He immediately ordered that the 10 files should go before a criminal instructional judge who has until next Thursday to make a decision on how the case will be handled.

lPortuguese police have major problems to overcome if they are ever to solve the case, a former top British detective said last night.

So far no evidence has emerged in public to suggest that the missing four-year-old is even dead, said Desmond Thomas, former deputy head of Hampshire CID.

The forensic management consultant who has worked on cases where no body has been found, says he does not believe anyone will be convicted over Madeleine’s disappearance unless a body or weapon is discovered.

He said: “I think the Portuguese police are struggling. From what we know thus far, if I was bringing the charges I would be nervous about it being successful.

“In the McCann case, police have no body and no weapon – so it is going to be very difficult.”
Dailystar

16 September 2007
ANOTHER TWIST OF THE KNIFE FOR MCCANNS
EXCLUSIVE MISSING MADDIE: THE NEW BLOWS LOOMING People

Is vanished Joana the key to it all?
THE SEARCH FOR MADELEINE DAY 136 People

Burner at pet crem sealed off by police People

Exclusive: McCann pals slam Portuguese police


ADVISERS to Kate and Gerry McCann have blasted the chaotic investigation into their daughter's disappearance as "a cross between Life On Mars and The Sweeney."

Lawyers and friends of the couple say the Portuguese police case against them is so full of holes they are unlikely to be charged with Madeleine's death.

And one close friend told the Sunday Mirror: "The case is based on such flimsy evidence, it is as if Gene Hunt from Life On Mars is leading the investigation helped by Jack Regan from The Sweeney."

Today the Sunday Mirror can reveal how:

* The Renault Scenic car at the centre of the investigation was used by up to 15 people, making any DNA evidence unsafe.

* Police failed to interview key people close to the McCanns, including an adviser who kept a diary of events.

* The officer who fingerprinted Kate and Gerry hours after Madeleine vanished blundered, and had to take the prints again the next day.

* Lawyers now believe Kate and Gerry may never appear in a Portuguese court - and will argue that if they do they will not get a fair trial.

The friend added: "What is happening is an absolute disgrace. There is not a jot of evidence to convict Kate or Gerry. We are told one day the DNA evidence is 100 per cent Madeleine's and then the next day that it is not.

"We are told there are Madeleine's body fluids in the car - but they could belong to the twins, Sean and Amelie.

"What they are left with is speculation, innuendo and implication. It is a deeply flawed process.

"Kate and her lawyer have repeatedly asked the Portuguese to reveal what evidence they have got, but they won't."

The case against Kate and Gerry apparently centres on traces of DNA found in the silver Renault Scenic car - which was rented by them 25 days after Madeleine went missing on May 3.

But as many as 15 people used the car before police finally took it away to have it searched by sniffer dogs and take forensic samples.

One search even took place in a public car park rather than a sealed area.

The McCanns used the car to pick up visiting friends and relatives from Faro airport 80km from Praia da Luz every few days.

It was also driven by Kate's cousin Michael Wright, another relative and one of their advisers.

A friend said: "How can this car, used by so many people for so long, contain any key forensic evidence?

"The people who travelled in it went from the apartment where the McCanns were staying. Madeleine's DNA could easily have been transferred to the car."

Police believe the McCanns had a sinister motive for hiring the car - to move Madeleine's body after they had already buried it once. The timing of the rental on May 28, two days before they flew to Italy to visit the Pope, led to lurid speculation in the Portuguese press.

But we can reveal it was rented for them on that day so they could drive to nearby Lagos to buy suitable clothes to meet the Pope.

A friend said: "Kate and Gerry searched Praia da Luz in vain for modest clothes. It was suggested they go to Lagos to shop and someone from their holiday firm Mark Warner arranged the car for them."

The friend added: "How can they possibly say the vehicle was involved when it was under 24-hour watch? It was parked in the open driveway outside Kate and Gerry's apartment.

"It was so visible it might as well have had a neon sign on it."

Police have seized a copy of Kate's personal diary, started five days after Madeleine went missing, claiming it proves she was a stressed-out mum struggling to cope with her overactive children.

But they have failed to interview key people who spent hours with the McCanns at the time when they are claimed to have covered up their daughter's death and moved her body. Clarence Mitchell, the first media advisor sent to help the McCanns by the Foreign Office on May 21, is baffled that he has never been questioned.

He told a friend: "Why haven't police asked me for my diaries and monitored my email traffic? I spent every day with the McCanns, from 8am to late in the evening.

"I travelled many times in the hire car they are said to have used to dispose of Madeleine. I even sat in the seat they claim to have taken her DNA from. It is incomprehensible I have not even been approached."

The only time Portuguese police showed interest in talking to Mr Mitchell was when he told them of a psychic who claimed to have information on Madeleine's disappearance. They even went to the trouble of tracking the psychic down and taking a statement.

Lawyers believe police have made Kate the main suspect because she is emotionally weaker than Gerry and they can force her into making a confession.

They are accusing her of killing Madeleine with a dose of sedatives meant for herself to help her sleep. But we can reveal Kate has not resorted to any pills to help her cope since Madeleine went missing.

A friend said: "If Kate is not on Valium now, with all the strain she is under, why on Earth would she have been on anything while on holiday?

"Kate and Gerry would not, did not and could not have given their children sleeping pills or sedatives. To suggest otherwise is complete nonsense." The close friend also dismissed rumours Kate was suffering from depression in the months before Madeleine disappeared.

The friend said: "That is another slur. She is a strong, resolute person - and is even coping now."

One of the biggest police blunders was made by the first fingerprint expert to investigate the McCann's holiday apartment.

He took Kate and Gerry's fingerprints, but when the samples arrived at the lab they were so poor they could not be read and had to be redone.

The McCann's friend said: "How can they be presenting a case based on forensic evidence when they can't even take fingerprints properly?"

The McCanns are angry that they are learning supposed allegations against them from Portuguese newspapers which are quoting "police sources." Gerry's sister Philomena said yesterday: "The secrecy laws seem to apply to Gerry and Kate, but not to the Portuguese police.

"Where are all these leaks coming from? Gerry can't talk about anything because if he does he could face two years in jail."

The McCanns' team believe Portuguese police have a history of trying to cover up abductions in their country and throwing the spotlight of suspicion on the parents.

One element being worked on by their defence team is that they cannot be given a fair trial in Portugal because they have been persecuted by the Press there.

A friend said: "It is inconceivable they can be tried in Portugal and that it will be fair. And that is the first thing their legal team would say.

"They are being tried and convicted every day with stories in the Portuguese Press." Kate and Gerry have received no formal approach to return to Portugal yet.

Speaking in the couple's home village of Rothley, Leics, family spokeswoman Natalie Orringe said: "They won't be returning unless requested to do so - but the pressure on the family is very intense."

Yesterday two of Kate McCann's childhood friends - Linda McQueen, 45, and Nicky Gill, 39 - defended the beleaguered couple.

Asked if she had ever doubted Kate's innocence, Linda said: "No, not at all.

"They are the most loving, caring, family-oriented couple you could ever meet."
Mirror