Former detective and criminologist Moita Flores also questioned
the McCanns' claim that Madeleine disappeared from their holiday
apartment.
He said: "I have spoken to respected experts on crime and none of
them agrees it would be possible to pass a child through the
window."
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|
Judge Maria Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues |
Mr Flores is the first witness called on the second day of a
libel trial, brought by the McCanns, to ban a book written by a
senior figure in the investigation that claims Madeleine died in the
family's apartment.
Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "Moita Flores is a
somewhat high profile figure here. He writes a newspaper column and
has been very supportive of the police investigation. He's also been
quite critical of the McCanns."
Speaking outside court Gerry McCann told journalists he had heard
no evidence that Madeleine was dead.
He said: "This is the legal process we're going through to
protect our daughter and our family. Anyone else with children would
do the same."
Sky News Online reporter Jon di Paolo, who is reporting from
inside the court said: "As on the first day, the McCanns are sitting
on the front bench, listening impassively to the proceedings."
During the three day libel trial former detective Goncalo Amaral
is trying to overturn a ban on a book he's written that claims
Madeleine is dead.
Mr Amaral initially led the Madeleine investigation but was taken
off the case in October 2007 after criticising the British police in
a newspaper interview.
Speaking outside court to waiting journalists, he claimed
victory, saying witnesses he called on yesterday had borne out his
argument.
In the book Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie, he says the little girl
died in the family's holiday apartment and questions the McCann's
account that she was abducted
.
Yesterday a senior detective called as a witness by Mr Amaral
told the court he believed Madeleine died in her family's apartment.
Chief Inspector Tavares de Almeida claimed the main evidence for
this was the findings of British police sniffer dogs sent to
Portugal to examine the flat.
He said the animals detected traces of blood inside the dining
room of the holiday flat and in the car the McCann's were using.
The McCann's lawyer Isabel Duarte challenged the claim, saying
the sniffer dog results did not constitute proof.
Local public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses was
also called as a witness. When asked if he believed Madeleine was
dead, he said it was "50-50".
Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday
apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007.
Kate and Gerry McCann were made "arguidos" or formal suspects four
months in to the investigation, but this status was lifted when the
case was shelved the following summer.
In
seperate legal proceedings in Portugal, the couple are seeking over
?1m in compensation from Mr Amaral for defamation.
The
McCanns have always strenuously denied allegations they were
involved in their daughter's disappearance, and say they will never
stop looking for her.
The
trial continues.
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