Madeleine McCann ‘Died In Holiday Apartment’

A report into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, signed by a police chief, said she had died in the family’s holiday apartment, a court has been told. Skip related content

The lawyer in charge of the original inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance said the report was signed by Tavares De Almeida, who was chief inspector of police at the time Madeleine vanished.

Jose Magalhaes e Menezes also revealed that text messages sent by Kate and Gerry McCann were intercepted by police who were suspicious about their role in their daughter’s disappearance.

But the texts were not considered as part of the investigation because a judge would not allow it.

Mr Menezes was the first witness called at a libel trial brought by the McCanns against former police chief Goncalo Amaral. His book claimed Madeleine had died in the family’s apartment in the holiday resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007.

But Mr Menezes said he thought the probability of Madeleine being alive was 50/50.

He said the decision to designate the McCanns ‘arguidos’ – or suspects – was taken by police after sniffer dogs brought to Portugal from England had carried out their searches.

Giving evidence, Mr de Almeida said that the dogs identified blood and the smell of a human body inside the dining room of the holiday flat and in the car the McCanns were using.

The animals also found a scent on a piece of cloth in a flat rented by the McCanns after they left the apartment.

One of the dogs was in a nervous, excitable state, and wanted to get into the room, according to a report by British police, said Mr de Almeida.

Mr de Almeida accused both the British authorities and British police of hindering the investigation by withholding information.

The McCanns are seeking £1m compensation and a final ruling preventing Mr Amaral from repeating the claims he made about them.

The McCanns’ lawyer told the court that the couple were prepared to give evidence but only after Mr Amaral had done so.

The case may now last longer than its expected three days because a new witness – named as Luis Frois – is being called by the McCann team.

Mr Amaral was in charge of the investigation launched when Madeleine McCann disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday.

He was taken off the case the following October after criticising British police in a newspaper interview.

Mr and Mrs McCanns’ status as arguidos was lifted when the investigation was shelved in July 2008.

The same month, Mr Amaral published a book called Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie, in which he called into question the McCanns’ account that she had been abducted.

Arriving in Lisbon, Mr McCann said: “No-one can be allowed to say that our daughter can’t be found without very good evidence. That’s what this court case is about.”

Mrs McCann said: “We’re looking for justice.”

The couple, both 41, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have said that any damages awarded to them would go towards paying for private investigators to look for their daughter.

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Posted by Gary Vine on Jan 12 2010. Filed under Worldwide News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry