Maddy's Parents to Sue Ex Police Boss

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted May 17, 2009 5:50 AM CDT

(Newser) – The parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann are preparing to sue the former Portuguese police chief who has continued to accuse them of playing a role in their daughter's disappearance, reports the Telegraph. "We're taking legal action over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims that Madeleine is not only dead, but that we were somehow involved in concealing her body," said a statement by Gerry and Kate McCann.

Goncalo Amaral was removed from the case by authorities five months after the 3-year-old girl vanished during a family vacation in Portugal two years ago. The McCann's legal action is aimed in part at preventing further publication of his book, Truth and Lies, which accuses the parents of complicity in Maddy's disappearance. A detective hired by the couple has developed a composite sketch of a man seen stalking the family days before Maddy vanished.

[Images (5)]

[Quotes (1)]

This illustration shows Maddy McCann with an age-progressed image, right, which shows how the missing girl might look today. (AP Photo/Harpo Productions Inc., National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

Maddy McCann, who vanished from her bedroom during a family vacation in Portugal. (AP Photo/McCann Family, HO)

Kate McCann, mother of missing British toddler Madeleine, answers questions with her husband, Gerry, last year. (AP Photo/Christian Lutz)

Kate McCann, the mother of the missing 3-year-old girl Maddy McCann, clutches her daughter's toy as she reads a statement to the press shortly after her daughter's disappearance in Portugal. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Kate McCann carries her younger daughter, Amelie. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Mr. Amaral's entirely unjustified claims have not only brought indescribable suffering to our lives, they have hugely compounded the already immense pain and anxiety we have endured since Madeleine's abduction. - Gerry and Kate McCann

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

White Grandfather Cuffed for Walking With Black Granddaughter (NewsOne)

Man in Mugshot Explains Why He Has Half a Head (HuffPost)

These Exes Were Spotted Making Out … and That's a Bad Thing (Bleacher Report)

Help! I'm Having an Incestuous Relationship With My Twin (Slate)

Proof that Twitter Users are Sexier Than Facebook Users? (GeekSugar)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 2 of 2 comments

kokuaguy

May 17, 2009 11:10 AM CDT

At 1:00 a.m. Hawaii time I'm number one on Newser with 1144 points. I assume my points will have fallen off enough by the time that jemikeos gets started again in Chicago that he will soon knock me back down to Number 2. Whatever- it was fun to be on top for awhile.

kokuaguy

May 17, 2009 3:18 AM CDT

Yes, lumina, I do. There is a bit of a method in my mania, however. Check the "REPUG. GAY MARRIAGE LITMUS TEST" page. As for the insightful part, my most obsessive graffiti is more sensitive and respectful than the worst of the feces hurling that goes on here daily.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds Major Cash Inside

Study Finds Arsenic in Baby Formula, Cereal Bars

Telegraph (UK) (Source Grid »)

World • Crime & Courts

Madeleine McCann • kidnapping • Portugal • Kate McCann • Find Madeleine Fund • Goncalo Amaral • child abduction

More Newser Stories

Video Appeal Renews Maddy Search

Message accompanies interviews by Kate McCann

(NEWSER) - A video designed to go viral is an appeal to the friends and associates of Madeleine McCann's kidnapper, saying, "It is never too late to do the right thing." The video, released tonight, includes images of what Maddy—who was 3 when she went missing in 2007—might look like now. "This is about hope, it’s about collective hope," the head of the British agency spearheading the effort tells the Times of London . "I believe this message will deliver answers for us." More»

Portugal Cops End Maddy Investigation

Officials cite lack of evidence in case of child missing since '07

(NEWSER) - After 14 months, Portuguese police officially ended their investigation into the 2007 disappearance of 3-year old British girl Madeleine McCann, the BBC reports. A lack of evidence has brought the case—which began after Madeleine disappeared from a vacation apartment—to a standstill, Portugal's attorney general said. Madeleine's mother and father are no longer considered suspects. More»

McCann Friend Says She Saw Maddy Abducted

Potential witness insists girl was taken, parents are innocent

(NEWSER) - A close friend of the McCann family says she saw a man carrying Madeleine McCann from the Portuguese resort where they were staying, the BBC reports. "I think it's important that people know what I saw because I believe Madeleine was abducted," said Jane Tanner, who agreed to an interview after being labeled "a liar and a fantasist." More»

McCann Friends Questioned as Maddy Hunt Starts Over

New detectives review case from ground up

(NEWSER) - Portuguese police hope to question two close friends of the McCann family as new detectives attempt to make up for early bungling of the Madeleine McCann search. One of the two, who were with Maddy's parents when she disappeared, reported seeing a man carry a child from the McCanns' apartment, the Times of London reports. More»

Maddy's Family Plans Ad Blitz

Campaign will 'remind everyone that Madeleine is still missing'

(NEWSER) - Madeleine's McCann's family will launch an aggressive advertising campaign to boost the search for the missing 4 year old, even as investigators have turned their attention to her parents themselves. Ads will run in newspapers and on billboards and TV in Portugal, Spain, and other European sites. The blitz, slated to begin in two weeks, will “remind everyone that Madeleine is still missing,” a family spokesman said. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website