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Court overturns ruling on
Goncolo Amaral, who wrote damning book
on Kate and Gerry |
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A Portuguese
detective who claimed the
McCanns faked Maddie's
disappearance after she died
in their holiday apartment
has won a libel appeal |
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THE parents of Madeleine McCann
yesterday lost a battle over a £434,000
libel payout — cash they planned to use
to continue the hunt for her.
Ex-Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral,
57, was last year ordered to pay Kate
and Gerry McCann the money after he was
ruled to have libelled them in his book
Truth of the Lie |
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Gerry and Kate sued Amaral
for libel after he claimed
they covered up Maddie's
accidental death |
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But an appeal court in Lisbon yesterday
overturned that ruling, depriving the
Maddie fund of cash to keep the
nine-year search going.
The McCanns said they would take the
case to Portugal’s Supreme Court,
although they could now face a series of
hefty legal bills.. |
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Amaral made explosive claims
against the McCanns in his
book 'The Truth of the Lie' |
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The appeal means Amaral’s book could be
back on sale by next week
A source close to the McCanns said:
“They are seething over the ruling and
fear Mr Amaral may now repeat all the
slurs. It just drags on and on. |
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Kate and Gerry McCann had
said every penny of the
500,000 euros he was set to
pay would go to the Find
Maddie fund |
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“The timing couldn’t be any worse, just
a few weeks away from the ninth
anniversary of Madeleine’s
disappearance.” Amaral led the hunt for
Madeleine, three, when she vanished from
the family’s holiday apartment in Praia
da Luz on the Algarve in 2007. He was
taken off the case for criticising
British police.
In his 2008 book he claimed the McCanns
faked an abduction to cover up
Madeleine’s death and they sued. He made
£286,000 from the 2008 book. The libel
payout was never made to the McCanns
because it was put on hold pending the
appeal. |
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Amaral was axed from the
investigation shortly after
Maddie's disappearance |
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Their fund was down to its last £750,000
in October, with few new cash donations
coming in. The Home Office this month
provided £95,000 to maintain it for six
months. |
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