Portuguese police denying leaking McCann statements
Monday, 14 Apr 2008 20:01
Madeleine McCann has been missing for almost a year
Portuguese police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have denied claims they leaked statements made by her parents.
Today, the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) released a statement calling the allegations "entirely false" and expressed regret that the claims had been made "at a moment when significant work was being done" in the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance.
Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal last May and has not been seen since.
The Spanish TV channel Telecinco recently produced quotes from Gerry and Kate McCann, allegedly taken from statements given by the McCanns to the police.
They include Kate McCann telling officers that Madeleine had cried after being left alone the night before she went missing.
However, the PJ today came out and rejected the allegations that they had provided the quotes.
"The PJ want to make it clear that is entirely false that the contents of this report included material from the inquiry which is covered by [the law of] secrecy of justice," it said.
The McCanns recently visited the European Parliament in Brussels to highlight a new European-wide missing child alert system.