Scotland Yard Searches for Local Intruder in Madeleine McCann Case
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Dan Kitwood/Getty Images(LONDON) — In a brand new line of inquiry and what could be a major development in the search for Madeleine McCann, Scotland Yard said on Wednesday it is appealing to the public for information on what they say is a male intruder who they suspect is a local and “gained access to mainly holiday villas occupied by U.K. families on holiday” in Portugal.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said they believe in four cases dating between 2004 and 2006, before Madeleine disappeared, the man is described as being tanned and dark haired. Witnesses said he spoke in English with a foreign accent; his voice was described as slow, or possibly slurred. Scotland Yard says “he was sometimes bare chested, some describe him as having a pot belly, and three victims said that he had a noticeable odor.”
According to detectives, he “sexually assaulted five white girls, aged between 7 and 10 years, whilst in their beds. On one of these occasions, he assaulted two girls in the same villa.”
Scotland Yard’s priority now is to establish the identity of this man, saying these offenses are very serious and no one has been charged in connection with them.
“We also need to eliminate this man from our enquiries and ascertain whether these offences are linked to Madeleine’s disappearance,” detectives added.
Madeleine was just days away from her 4th birthday when she vanished from her hotel room in 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant during a family vacation in Portugal.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were immediately named suspects by Portuguese police, but were later cleared. For the past seven years, the McCanns, never giving up hope, campaigned to keep Madeleine’s name and picture in the news — most recently making a heartfelt plea to anyone who has any information on her disappearance on Britain’s version of America’s Most Wanted late last year.
The show featured a re-enactment of the most detailed sequence of events the night she went missing, generating more than 300 phone calls and 170 emails with specific lines of inquiry relating to Maddie’s case.
Last July, when Scotland Yard decided to move from a review to an investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Redwood, said he believed there is a possibility she is alive.
“There is no clear, definitive proof that Madeleine McCann is dead, so on that basis I still genuinely believe that there is a possibility that she is alive,” he said.
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