Former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral today lost an attempt to overturn a ban on his book claiming that Madeleine McCann is dead, a spokeswoman for the child’s parents said.
Kate and Gerry McCann welcomed the ruling by a judge at Lisbon’s main civil court, saying they were “very pleased and relieved”.
Mr Amaral was the first head of the police investigation into the girl’s disappearance from Praia da Luz in Portugal in May 2007, shortly before her
fourth birthday. In July 2008 he published a book, Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie, which alleges that Madeleine died in her family’s holiday flat and that her parents faked her abduction.
A judge granted the McCanns a temporary injunction last September halting further sale or publication of Mr Amaral’s book and a TV documentary he made about the case.
The ex-policeman launched an appeal against the ban last month, calling a series of witnesses to support his claims, but Judge Maria Gabriela Cunha Rodrigues rejected his challenge today.
Mr and Mrs McCann reacted to the ruling by vowing to continue looking for their daughter and appealing for help from the public.
They said in a statement: “We are very pleased and relieved with the judge’s decision in Lisbon today. By upholding the injunction against Goncalo Amaral’s book and DVD, the judge has rightly agreed that there has been significant, ongoing damage to the search for our beloved daughter Madeleine and to the rights of our family.
“We are grateful to the judge for accepting that this injustice must not continue. The court case has demonstrated, once again, that there is no evidence that Madeleine has come to any harm.
“We implore the public, especially the Portuguese people, to help us look for Madeleine, to remain vigilant and to give us any information that could help us find our daughter,” the statement added.
PA