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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| McCann friends to receive damages | McCann friends to receive damages |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Seven friends who were dining with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter Madeleine disappeared are to receive damages from a newspaper group. | Seven friends who were dining with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter Madeleine disappeared are to receive damages from a newspaper group. |
| Express Newspapers said it was paying a "substantial" sum for publishing untrue allegations about the so-called tapas seven's conduct in the case. | |
| The seven are Jane Tanner, Russell O'Brien, Fiona and David Payne, Matthew and Rachel Oldfield and Diane Webster. | |
| Madeleine, three, of Rothley, Leics, went missing in Portugal in May 2007. | Madeleine, three, of Rothley, Leics, went missing in Portugal in May 2007. |
| Further details of the payout are expected to emerge at the High Court later. | Further details of the payout are expected to emerge at the High Court later. |
| Both the Daily Express and the Daily Star newspapers have published apologies to the individuals in Thursday's editions. | Both the Daily Express and the Daily Star newspapers have published apologies to the individuals in Thursday's editions. |
| 'Completely untrue' | |
| These are expected to be repeated in the Sunday Express. | These are expected to be repeated in the Sunday Express. |
| The papers said the apologies related to allegations published between July and December 2007. | |
| They said: "We now accept these should never have been made and were completely untrue." | |
| The payout will be donated to the Find Madeline Fund, the paper said. | |
| Madeleine disappeared in May 2007 | |
| Madeleine was in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, with her younger twin siblings when she disappeared on 3 May 2007 - just eight days before her fourth birthday. | |
| Mr and Mrs McCann were having dinner with their friends at a tapas restaurant 100 yards from the apartment at the time. | |
| The friends have since been dubbed the tapas seven by the media. | |
| When Mrs McCann returned to check on the children at 2200 local time, she realised Madeleine had disappeared. | |
| On 15 May 2007, British-born Robert Murat was made an official suspect - or "arguido" - in the case and in September that year Madeleine's parents were also formally named as suspects. | |
| But the police inquiry into the girl's disappearance was wound up this July because of a lack of evidence. | |
| Previous payouts | |
| The McCanns and Mr Murat - who have always strongly denied having had any involvement in what happened to Madeleine - were then declared to no longer be formal suspects | |
| Thursday's newspaper apologies are not the first about articles relating to the case. | |
| Last month The News of the World apologised for publishing extracts of Kate McCann's diary without her permission. | |
| In July Mr Murat accepted a £600,000 damages settlement over allegations in 11 UK newspapers that he had been involved in Madeleine's disappearance. | |
| In March, Madeleine's parents won a libel settlement and apology from Express Newspapers for suggesting they had been responsible. | |
| The newspaper group paid £550,000 to the Find Madeleine campaign and the Daily Express and Daily Star both carried front-page apologies under the headline, "Kate and Gerry McCann: Sorry". | The newspaper group paid £550,000 to the Find Madeleine campaign and the Daily Express and Daily Star both carried front-page apologies under the headline, "Kate and Gerry McCann: Sorry". |