The McCanns are not giving up the search for Madeleine · 2007-09-10 15:24
A Portuguese prosecutor is to begin reviewing the evidence in the investigation of the case of the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann on Monday.
The missing girl’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann arrived at their home on Sunday. Two days before they were named formal suspects. The couple had been questioned separately for more than 24 hours.
A spokesman for the Portuguese police, Oleg??rio Sousa, said that the McCanns had every legal right to return home because they had not been charged.
Portuguese police officers are still awaiting further results from forensic tests carried out in the UK on samples taken from the McCann’s apartment. Partial results from these tests led to the McCanns being declared "arguidos" ??“ a status they may hold for eight to 10 months. No bail conditions, travel restrictions or charges have been imposed on them, but they can be recalled to Portugal with five days’ notice.
After the family arrived at East Midlands Airport on Sunday, Gerry McCann said their return to the U.K. without Madeleine "does not mean" they "are giving up the search for her".
"We have played no part in the disappearance of our lovely daughter," he said.
The couple told Sunday newspapers that they believed Portuguese police were trying to frame them and put Kate under pressure to confess that she killed her daughter by accident.
Gerry McCann’s sister Philomena said the family were now trying to cope with the intricacies of the Portuguese legal system.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said she is satisfied with the way Portuguese police have conducted the investigation, BBC reported.
• Kate McCann to be named as a formal suspect
• Britney Spears seemed not to be ready for prime time
|