Madeleine McCann's parents vow to take lie detector test

Sep 21 2007

The parents of Madeleine McCann are prepared to take a lie detector test to prove their innocence, it was revealed today.

Friends say Kate and Gerry McCann want to show they have nothing to hide over the disappearance of the four year old who went missing on a family holiday in Portugal in May.

The couple’s decision is the latest stage in a high-profile fightback led by family and friends against police suspicions they may been responsible for Madeleine’s death and staged an elaborate cover-up.

The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, were declared “arguidos” or official suspects by detectives two weeks ago after DNA traces in a car hired after her disappearance were used to suggest the vehicle had been used to carry Madeleine’s body.

The couple have returned to Britain after a four-month stay in Portugal and have been told that police do not have enough evidence to justify interviewing them again.

But they remain suspects and say they are determined to clear their names and continue the search for Madeleine who they believe may be still alive.

Friends have revealed a series of details in recent days which could form part of their defence if they were ever charged with causing Madeleine’s death and disposing of her body.

It emerged this week that partial DNA matches found in the Renault Scenic hired by the family almost a month after her disappearance could potentially be explained by contact with Madeleine’s clothes which were transported in it when they moved to a rented villa.

The car was also used on a daily basis to transport bag-loads of household waste including her younger siblings Sean and Amelie’s nappies.

The couple believe its use as a “dumper truck” ferrying rotting meat, chicken carcasses and food scraps to nearby bins during the summer could also explain the excited reaction of specialist sniffer dogs when shown the car last month as part of a review of the case.

Yesterday an eyewitness to the events of May 3 also spoke about their visible horror at Madeleine’s disappearance, something they said could not have been faked.

The couple’s demeanour in recent months has been the subject of intense scrutiny with some criticising them for their calm public persona despite what had happened.

Now they hope taking the test will eliminate remaining doubts.

A friend said: “If they are asked to take a lie detector test by police they would.

“They have said all along that they want to cooperate fully with the Portuguese police, but as of today they have received no such request from the Portuguese authorities.

“Kate and Gerry are happy to do anything that will help clear their names.”

A judge examining a 4,000-page dossier of evidence in the case is now believed to have completed his review and handed the files back to prosecutors.

But no details of any rulings have so far been made public.

Two days ago the senior prosecutor in the case announced that police were to continue investigating all options, suggesting that they have not ruled out the possibility that Madeleine was indeed abducted as her parents have insisted all along.

The announcements was interpreted in some quarters as meaning police had been sent back to the drawing board.

It is thought it could pave the way for fresh searches and operations.

Yesterday detectives visited the remote and heavily fortified mountainside home of a convicted bomber who incinerated dead dogs in a furnace behind his house until it was closed down by police.

Eef Hoos claimed police had asked him about the possibility that he might have incinerated a child instead of a Labrador dog.

He also said he had been repeatedly asked if he had had any contact with the McCanns.