Missing Maddie Russian witness speaks out
Madeleine McCann went missing 15 days ago
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Friday, 18, May 2007 09:09
A Russian man questioned by Portuguese police about the disappearance of the four-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann has insisted that he is innocent.
Computer expert Sergey Malinka, 22, is one of a number of people to be questioned about Madeleine's abduction.
He has been described as a friend of the police's only suspect, Robert Murat, but in an interview with Sky News he described their relationship as "strictly professional".
Plain-clothes officers seized two hard drives, a laptop and a black bin bag of items from Mr Malinka's home after spending two hours searching the property, reports claim.
Police said last night that Mr Malinka could not be arrested because there was no evidence linking him to the abduction.
"I want to get on with my life...and I want to clear my name," he said in the interview.
Describing himself as a "normal man", Mr Malinka added that he felt "hurt" by the media's treatment of him.
It has been 15 days since Madeleine went missing from her parents' apartment at the resort of Praia Da Luz while they were out having dinner.
Yesterday the Portuguese police defended their investigation, saying that it is "very dynamic".
Chief Inspector Olegario de Sousa said that police had checked reports of sightings of Madeleine, but had made little progress on this front.
The little girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, are determined to stay in Portugal until police find her.
A video appeal with footage of Madeleine will be broadcast at the FA Cup final tomorrow at Wembley Stadium; it has already been shown at the Uefa Cup final in Glasgow earlier this week.
And it was revealed today that the website set up to ensure enough funds are raised to keep the search for her ongoing has received more than 50 million hits. Madeleine's parents are said to be "totally overwhelmed" by the support they have received from around the world.