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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Madeleine police inquiry shelved | Madeleine police inquiry shelved |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The police investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been shelved, Portugal's attorney general has said. | |
| The child's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and a third British national, Robert Murat are no longer formal suspects he also confirmed. | |
| Her parents said they were "relieved" to be cleared of any involvement, but there was "no degree of celebration". | |
| Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, disappeared on 3 May 2007, aged three. | |
| The McCanns and Mr Murat all strongly denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance from her holiday apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. | |
| And attorney-general Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro said the 14-month investigation had uncovered no evidence of a crime by any of them. | |
| Speaking after the announcement, the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "It's far too early to give their immediate reaction yet, but they are, of course, liaising closely with their lawyers in Portugal and Britain," he said. | |
| "Once they have digested the content of the attorney-general's statement and any implications, they will give a reaction a little later this evening." | "Once they have digested the content of the attorney-general's statement and any implications, they will give a reaction a little later this evening." |
| The McCanns have said they want their own private investigators to see detectives' files so they can keep looking for their daughter. | The McCanns have said they want their own private investigators to see detectives' files so they can keep looking for their daughter. |
| Mr Mitchell said: "The main thing now is to get everything back to finding Madeleine. All of this has damaged their good reputations and they will have to assess where they go from here." | Mr Mitchell said: "The main thing now is to get everything back to finding Madeleine. All of this has damaged their good reputations and they will have to assess where they go from here." |
| Libel case | Libel case |
| Detectives submitted their final report at the start of July to prosecutors. | Detectives submitted their final report at the start of July to prosecutors. |
| Former lead detective Goncalo Moral talks to Steve Kingstone | Former lead detective Goncalo Moral talks to Steve Kingstone |
| Last week Mr Murat received a £600,000 settlement and apology after a libel claim over allegations in 11 UK newspapers. | Last week Mr Murat received a £600,000 settlement and apology after a libel claim over allegations in 11 UK newspapers. |
| In March Mr and Mrs McCann reached a libel settlement and got an apology from Express Newspapers for suggesting they were responsible for her death. | In March Mr and Mrs McCann reached a libel settlement and got an apology from Express Newspapers for suggesting they were responsible for her death. |
| In an interview with the BBC, Goncalo Amaral - the former police chief leading the Madeleine inquiry - said he believed she was dead. We tried and we worked hard, so we can't be accused of incompetence or failure Goncalo AmaralFormer head of Madeleine inquiry | In an interview with the BBC, Goncalo Amaral - the former police chief leading the Madeleine inquiry - said he believed she was dead. We tried and we worked hard, so we can't be accused of incompetence or failure Goncalo AmaralFormer head of Madeleine inquiry |
| "The evidence that we had gathered by the time that I left the case pointed to the girl being dead - and having died inside the apartment," he said. | "The evidence that we had gathered by the time that I left the case pointed to the girl being dead - and having died inside the apartment," he said. |
| "I don't know what happened next, I can't say. We'll have to wait for the case files to be made public." | "I don't know what happened next, I can't say. We'll have to wait for the case files to be made public." |
| Mr Amaral was removed from the case last October after reportedly criticising the British police. | Mr Amaral was removed from the case last October after reportedly criticising the British police. |
| He is now publishing a book about the investigation and denied that Portuguese police had failed to carry it out properly. | He is now publishing a book about the investigation and denied that Portuguese police had failed to carry it out properly. |
| "Let's wait, and people will see that the Portuguese police and the British police did a good job - because various British agencies were involved. | "Let's wait, and people will see that the Portuguese police and the British police did a good job - because various British agencies were involved. |
| "We tried and we worked hard, so we can't be accused of incompetence or failure." | "We tried and we worked hard, so we can't be accused of incompetence or failure." |
| Mr Amaral also insisted that despite them being made formal suspects, there was "no persecution" of the McCanns. | Mr Amaral also insisted that despite them being made formal suspects, there was "no persecution" of the McCanns. |
| "The police don't want to persecute anyone - just to investigate what happened in a given case," he said. | "The police don't want to persecute anyone - just to investigate what happened in a given case," he said. |