Missing Madeleine McCann: Police Pursue Fresh Leads

Police investigating the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on 3 May 2007 say they are investigating several possible leads.

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, both 45, of Rothley, Leicestershire, will make another emotional appearance on BBC's Crimewatch on Monday 14 October to launch a fresh appeal for information into their daughter's disappearance.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood says the timeline leading up to Madeleine's disappearance is being rewritten, particularly the 90 minutes between 8.30pm, when the McCanns left their children to go to a tapas bar, and 10pm, when they returned to find their daughter missing.

New e-fits of a number of men believed to be of interest will be broadcast on the programme, which will also feature a reconstruction of the evening Madeleine disappeared, with a young actress playing the three-year-old. Computer-generated images of Madeleine as she might look now are also being shown.

Police are focusing the new inquiry on tracing telephone calls made around the resort on the night Maddie disappeared. Thirty-one international letters of request have been sent to European countries as they identify people of interest. The Crimewatch programme will be screened in Germany and the Netherlands.

The original Portuguese investigation into Madeleine's disappearance ended in 2007. In his 2008 book, The Truth of the Lie, investigating detective Goncalo Amaral claimed Madeleine's parents were responsible; he is currently being sued by the McCann family for libel at the Palace of Justice in Lisbon.

The Metropolitan Police opened their own investigation in July 2013 and have already interviewed 442 people. Six Portuguese detectives based in Faro are helping the Met pursue leads in the area.

Meanwhile, a Manchester man has been arrested after apparently bragging to a barrister at a party that he had been introduced to the girl on a Mediterranean island this summer. Officers raided a private home and seized computers for forensic examination.

Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: "A man was arrested in September on suspicion of possession of drugs and conspiracy to distribute indecent images of children. He has been bailed pending further inquiries. An investigation is ongoing into this matter and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."