This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8053916.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| McCanns to sue Portuguese officer | McCanns to sue Portuguese officer |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The parents of Madeleine McCann are to sue former Portuguese police detective Goncalo Amaral for defamation, according to their spokesman. | The parents of Madeleine McCann are to sue former Portuguese police detective Goncalo Amaral for defamation, according to their spokesman. |
| He said Kate and Gerry McCann are to take action over "entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims". | He said Kate and Gerry McCann are to take action over "entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims". |
| Mr Amaral led the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine, but was removed from the case in October 2007. | Mr Amaral led the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine, but was removed from the case in October 2007. |
| Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, was three when she vanished from the Algarve holiday flat on 3 May 2007. | Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, was three when she vanished from the Algarve holiday flat on 3 May 2007. |
| In a statement, the parents of the missing girl said: "We - together with our three children Madeleine, Sean and Amelie - are taking this legal action against Goncalo Amaral over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims." | In a statement, the parents of the missing girl said: "We - together with our three children Madeleine, Sean and Amelie - are taking this legal action against Goncalo Amaral over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims." |
| "[They were] made in all types of media, both within Portugal and beyond - that Madeleine is not only dead, but that we, her parents, were somehow involved in concealing her body." | "[They were] made in all types of media, both within Portugal and beyond - that Madeleine is not only dead, but that we, her parents, were somehow involved in concealing her body." |
| 'Deeply hurtful' | |
| The decision was taken in a bid to prevent further publication of Mr Amaral's "deeply offensive" book The Truth of the Lie and his television documentary. | |
| The statement continued: "The primary reason for our legal action is simple: to stop any negative effect that these absurd and deeply hurtful claims may be having on the ongoing search for Madeleine. | |
| "We can no longer stand back and watch as Mr Amaral tries to convince the entire world that Madeleine is dead. | |
| "Nor can we allow this blatant injustice to Madeleine, with its obvious risk of hindering our attempts to find her, to continue." | |
| It said Mr Amaral's claims had brought "indescribable devastation" to the McCanns, compounding the "immense pain and anxiety" that they had endured since Madeleine's disappearance. |