Madeleine McCann: Portuguese police extend apology to parents for handling of disappearance case

Portuguese police have extended an apology to the parents of Madeleine McCann for the way they conducted the investigation into the three-year-old's disappearance. The parents were initially listed as suspects and questioned by Portugal police after Madeleine went missing from a holiday complex in the Algarve in May 2007. The case remains unsolved.

As reported byBBC Panorama, a delegation of senior officers from Portugal travelled to London earlier this year to meet with Gerry McCann, Madeleine's father. During the meeting, they expressed their regret for the way detectives investigated the case and treated the McCann family.

The McCann family's ordeal began in September 2007 when, four months after Madeleine disappeared, Kate and Gerry McCann were named "arguidos," or suspects, in the Portuguese investigation.

Both were subjected to questioning by detectives who believed they had staged an abduction and concealed Madeleine's body. Kate McCann reportedly claimed she was offered a deal to admit to covering up her daughter's death in exchange for a reduced sentence. Although their arguido status was lifted in 2008, the McCanns remained under suspicion in Portugal for years.

Goncalo Amaral and legal disputes

Goncalo Amaral, the senior detective leading the case at the time, was later removed from the investigation but went on to write a book accusing the McCanns of involvement in their daughter's disappearance.

The McCanns pursued a libel case against him, which was ultimately dismissed by the Portuguese Supreme Court. They later appealed to the European Court of Human Rights but lost their challenge in September 2022.

Online campaigns and ongoing investigations

The couple has also faced harsh online campaigns accusing them of causing Madeleine's death and attempting to cover it up.

Portuguese police have now acknowledged that their initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance was not handled properly.

They cited insufficient importance given to missing children at the time and a lack of appreciation for the McCanns' status as foreigners in an unfamiliar environment.

Portuguese police also disclosed that they have provided support to the German authorities who suspect that a 46-year-old German national, Christian Brueckner, was responsible for Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

Hans Christian Wolters, one of the German prosecutors, welcomed the Portuguese apology and mentioned ongoing developments in the McCann case.

Christian Brueckner lived near the Praia da Luz resort where the McCann family vacationed and spent time in the area from 2000 to 2017. He was formally named a suspect by Portuguese prosecutors in 2022. Currently, he is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for drug trafficking and the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in the same area where Madeleine disappeared.

(With inputs from agencies)

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