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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Madeleine search 'must be focus' | Madeleine search 'must be focus' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The new spokesman for the parents of missing Madeleine McCann has called for the focus of the investigation to return to finding the four-year-old. | The new spokesman for the parents of missing Madeleine McCann has called for the focus of the investigation to return to finding the four-year-old. |
| Clarence Mitchell attacked the "rampant, unfounded and inaccurate speculation of recent days". | Clarence Mitchell attacked the "rampant, unfounded and inaccurate speculation of recent days". |
| He said the McCanns were "innocent victims of a heinous crime" after Madeleine disappeared on 3 May from Praia da Luz, Portugal. | He said the McCanns were "innocent victims of a heinous crime" after Madeleine disappeared on 3 May from Praia da Luz, Portugal. |
| Gerry and Kate McCann have been named as official suspects in the case. | Gerry and Kate McCann have been named as official suspects in the case. |
| Mr Mitchell, a former BBC journalist, said there were "entirely innocent explanations for anything the police may have found during their inquiries". | |
| He said he had resigned from his Cabinet Office job to act as the McCanns' spokesman, because he "feels so strongly" the couple were innocent. | |
| Mr Mitchell is the former director of the Central Office of Information's media monitoring operation. | |
| He was sent to Portugal by the Foreign Office earlier this year to advise the McCanns after Madeleine went missing. | |
| 'Ludicrous' | |
| "During that time, I saw or hear nothing that gave me cause for concern or any suspicion," he said. | |
| All I witnessed was a loving family that had been plunged into a dreadful situation and two parents trying to cope amidst their loss. | |
| "To suggest that they somehow harmed Madeleine, accidentally or otherwise, is as ludicrous as nonsensical." | |
| The McCanns, from Rothley, Leicestershire, are being advised by Michael Caplan QC, who fought efforts to extradite General Pinochet. | |
| Mr McCann, a consultant cardiologist, is on unpaid leave and his wife has confirmed she does not yet plan to return to work as a locum doctor. |