Madeleine McCann’s parents lose legal battle over Portuguese detective’s comments

Madeleine McCann’s parents have lost the latest phase of their legal battle over comments made by a retired Portuguese detective who claimed they were involved in her disappearance.

Lawyers for Kate and Gerry McCann argued that the Portuguese authorities violated their right to respect for private and family life when the local courts dismissed their defamation lawsuits against Goncalo Amaral.

He claimed in a book, a television documentary and a newspaper interview that the McCanns were involved in the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.

In a ruling published on Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights found that the couple’s reputation was damaged by their brief suspicion in the case, rather than by Mr Amaral’s remarks.

The McCanns now have three months to appeal the decision.

Their three-year-old daughter disappeared on May 3, 2007 while on a family vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

Earlier this year, German investigators found new evidence against the main suspect in her disappearance, a prosecutor revealed in an interview on Portuguese television.

Convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner was named a suspect in the case by Portuguese officials in April as a legal deadline of 15 years approached, and has been under investigation by German officials for two years.

In May, the McCanns said it was important they find out the truth as they celebrated the 15th anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance.