Kate McCann has branded 'a disgrace' the
Portuguese detective who led the hunt for her
daughter.
In her first interview since
being cleared of involvement in Madeleine's
disappearance, Mrs McCann openly criticises
Goncalo Amaral for his role in the inquiry and
his decision to write a book about the search.
Mr Amaral, 48,
was sacked from the investigation for briefing
against Mrs McCann and husband Gerry.
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Kate
McCann has blasted Amaral, who has
published a book about
Madeleine's disappearance |
The couple
were made suspects while he was in charge of the
case and had previously declined to speak out
against him publicly.
But the
lifting of their arguido status has freed the
McCanns to vent their anger and they have given
an interview to Portuguese paper Expresso to be
published tomorrow.
Asked what she
thinks of Amaral and his book, a bestseller in
Portugal, Mrs McCann says: 'It's a disgrace.'
The McCanns'
animosity towards him has long been known in
circles close to the couple.
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Still missing: Madeleine
vanished while on holiday in the
Algarve last May |
Until now they
have kept their counsel, not wishing to harm the
police investigation into Madeleine's
disappearance in May last year a few days before
her fourth birthday.
But the
inquiry has now been shelved after Portuguese
gainst either the McCanns or Robert Murat, the
only other official suspect in the case, whose
status has also been lifted.
In the
interview the McCanns, both 40, from Rothley,
Leicestershire, speak of their hopes for finding
Madeleine and their fears of being arrested last
summer.
A short video
posted on Expresso's website shows the couple
looking relaxed as they answer questions, both
wearing the yellow wristbands of the official
Find Madeleine campaign.
Mr McCann
said: 'I will be honest. We have got no idea
whether Madeleine is alive or not. What we are
certain of is that there is absolutely no
evidence.'
Asked if the
couple feared being arrested or accused by
Portuguese police over their daughter's
disappearance, he said: 'If you believe what was
written in the papers, then of course we feared
it. The situation for us was very frightening,
of course it was.'
Quizzed
whether this was why they returned to the UK in
September last year, Mrs McCann replied: 'They
could still have arrested us, couldn't they.
They could have stopped us from going home.'
Clarence
Mitchell, the couple's official spokesman, said:
'Kate and Gerry have chosen to speak out to an
element of the Portuguese media now because they
still firmly believe that there may well be
important information that somebody knows in
Portugal.
'It is
important the message is targeted in that region
initially, and Kate and Gerry will assess the
reaction to their interview and public opinion
in Portugal before deciding on whether to do any
further media interviews in the near future.
'Everything
Kate and Gerry are doing now is geared towards
assisting their own investigation into finding
Madeleine. They will do everything they can to
generate vital new leads.'
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Determined: The McCanns have vowed
never to give up the hunt for their
daughter although they admit they
don't know if she is alive or dead
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Madeleine was
nearly four when she vanished from her family's
holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia
da Luz on May 3 last year as her parents dined
with friends nearby.
Despite a huge
police investigation and massive coverage in the
Portuguese and British media, she has not been
found.
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