Madeleine McCann police report 'leaked on Internet'

Jul 22 2008

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Portuguese police’s final report on their investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance was apparently leaked online today.

The lengthy document was posted on a newspaper website the day after prosecutors shelved the case and formally lifted the suspect status of the little girl’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.

The couple’s lawyers in Portugal are still awaiting official notification that they can now examine the police files in detail.

It is hoped they will gain access to the dossier, thought to stretch to 13 volumes, by the end of this week.

A 57-page report dated June 20, 2008 and written by an Algarve-based inspector with the Policia Judiciaria - Portugal’s CID - was placed on the website of the Portuguese newspaper Expresso today.

McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell criticised the apparent leaking of the document.

He said: "As always we simply will not comment on anything that appears to be from the usual anonymous sources.

"If any elements of the police report are being placed online, that would not only be wrong, you have to ask yourself who is behind it and why.

"Gerry and Kate’s lawyers in Portugal will be applying formally for access to the complete file and they will be analysing everything in it in their own time without making elements public at this stage."

The leaked document appears to be a summary of the huge police dossier which was handed to prosecutors at the start of this month.

It details the many leads that Portuguese detectives followed up - including interviews with resort staff, witness sightings and house-to-house inquiries at 443 properties in the village where Madeleine went missing.

The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, hope the opening of the files will provide fresh leads in their own private investigation into their daughter’s whereabouts.

Mr and Mrs McCann will "bide their time" before speaking out on the police inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance, Mr Mitchell said today.

Legal action against the Portuguese authorities is an option, but that is not the couple’s priority, he added.

Mr Mitchell said: "It’s going to be a long, slow process, both for the lawyers in examining the volumes and for Kate and Gerry to be informed of their contents and whether there’s any need for legal redress.

"The priority has always been finding Madeleine so the investigative work is first and foremost.

"If there are any leads from the files, for instance new sightings, that’s what the private investigators will focus on in the first instance.