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Madeleine suspect denies charge
The British suspect in the hunt for missing toddler Madeleine McCann has denied any part in her abduction.
- Evening Standard
- Published: 00:00 May 17, 2007
London: The British suspect in the hunt for missing toddler Madeleine McCann has denied any part in her abduction.
Robert Murat, 33, has said he is "devastated" by the allegations against him, which he said have "ruined his life". He said: "The only way I can survive this is if they catch Madeleine's abductor."
Murat, an estate agent with a three-year-old daughter he describes as "the spitting image of Madeleine", remained in hiding at his mother's £600,000 (Dh4.26 million) villa in Praia da Luz.
The villa, where he has lived with his mother for the past few years, is just 100 metres from the Mark Warner complex where the McCann family were staying when Madeleine went missing on May 3. The house, which is set behind high walls and security gates, is now under siege by television crews and journalists.
Since being named as the sole suspect, Murat and his home have become the focus of the hunt for the girl. Details were emerging of Murat's complicated personal life and his relationship with Michaela Walczuch, a German married to Portuguese restaurateur. The affair was blamed for the breakdown of Murat's 11-year marriage to wife Dawn. She returned to the UK with their daughter Sofia.
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