The party is in full swing as childminders from the resort where Madeleine McCann vanished let their hair down.

 

In a series of photos, nannies from the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz are seen in provocative and sometimes lurid poses.

Kirsty Maryan, 19, who has been described by the McCann family's private investigators as a key witness in the case, poses in a nurse's uniform and stockings and suspenders.

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In one shot, she pretends to be a poledancer. In another she unzips to the waist while holding a finger to her lips. A logo on her outfit reads 'Miss Massage'.

In others, Ocean Club nannies are pictured pulling down their jeans and pants to moon at the camera.

Most disturbingly, Emma Wilding, 22, is snapped exposing her bottom while wearing one of the yellow wristbands sold to raise funds for the Find Madeleine campaign.

Madeleine's mother Kate has worn one of the bands ever since her daughter disappeared.

In another picture Miss Maryan, stripped down to her black bra, dances with Miss Wilding, who has also removed her top.

The girls' antics were described last night by a friend of the McCann family as "insensitive" and "inappropriate".

It is unclear exactly when the dozens of photos were taken, but they were only recently posted on the internet social networking website Facebook.

Some are believed to have been taken on a night out in Praia da Luz, while others, including the nurse uniform shots, appear to date from a birthday party in Britain.

Miss Wilding says on the website that she met Miss Maryan "randomly" this year at Luton Airport and discovered they would be working together at the Mark Warner complex.

"We had some amazing nights!" she adds.

Miss Maryan is said to be regarded as an important witness in the case after reportedly voicing doubts about the movements of suspect Robert Murat in the days following Madeleine's disappearance.

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Last night a friend of Madeleine's parents said: "All of the nannies are fully supportive of the search for Madeleine. No one was more concerned than they were.

"As young women they are entitled to have fun when they have the chance. But it's a tad insensitive to have done this wearing the wristband.

"It's inappropriate and they should have thought before indulging in this sort of behaviour."

The McCanns made full use of the resort's daytime childminder service during their holiday. Madeleine and her two-year- old twin siblings Sean and Amelie spent many hours being looked after by the carers.

But on the evening of May 3, Mr and Mrs McCann left their children in their apartment while they dined with their friends at a nearby tapas bar - something they have been heavily criticised for.

They and the friends took it in turns to make regular checks on the children during the evening.

Last night neither Miss Maryan nor Miss Wilding would comment on the photos.

Miss Maryan's mother Joy, from Eastbourne, Sussex, said: "She is too traumatised to talk about the case." Scroll down for more...

Miss Wilding's mother Viv, who lives in Chichester, said: "She is here but she does not want to talk about it."

The two girls are now thought to have gone to work at a resort in the French Alps.

A Mark Warner spokesman declined to comment.

POLICE CASE 'COULD CLOSE ON JANUARY 3'

The police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance could be wound up by January 3, Robert Murat's lawyer said yesterday.

The claim came as police sources admitted there is no proof that the youngster is dead, despite months of official insistence that she died in her parents' holiday apartment.

Francisco Pagarete, acting for Murat, said that a public prosecutor will decide in the New Year whether to charge his client or Kate and Gerry McCann, the only three suspects in the case, or to shelve the case.

He predicted the final decision would be taken on January 3, exactly eight months after Madeleine vanished, or by January 14, eight months to the day after Murat, 33, was named a suspect.

According to Mr Pagarete, it is "not possible" for prosecutors to request additional time to gather evidence.

Yesterday senior police sources revealed the focus of the investigation has shifted away from the theory that Madeleine is dead.

"We do not have the proof. If we had that kind of evidence we would not be considering the theory she was abducted."

The comments follow a meeting by the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham last week when detectives were told that DNA evidence in the case is inconclusive.

The apparent U-turn was welcomed by the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell.

"If the police now believe that abduction is the strongest possibility, that is very encouraging," he said.

Mr and Mrs McCann appealed yesterday for all those holidaying in Praia da Luz in May to contact police.

Portuguese police have never given their counterparts in the UK a comprehensive list of the Britons staying in Praia da Luz for them to question about her disappearance.

The McCanns firmly believe that some may still have vital information about the missing girl.

Mr McCann said: "The smallest detail may provide a clue that leads us to find Madeleine."