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McCann supporter criticises police leaks

A friend of Madeleine McCann's parents attacked the "outrageous" conduct of Portuguese police yesterday over their investigation into the missing girl, who disappeared almost a year ago.

  • Reuters
  • Published: 00:45 April 25, 2008
  • Gulf News

London: A friend of Madeleine McCann's parents attacked the "outrageous" conduct of Portuguese police yesterday over their investigation into the missing girl, who disappeared almost a year ago.

In her first public comments, Rachael Oldfield - one of the so-called "Tapas Seven" group - accused police of double standards over what she said was their constant leaking of details about the investigation despite strict secrecy laws.

Her attack, during a radio interview to be broadcast on Friday, comes less than a fortnight after Kate and Gerry McCann denounced the police for undertaking what they described as a smear campaign against them.

Earlier this month, a Spanish television station broadcast leaked police witness statements that said the missing girl had asked her parents the night before her disappearance why they did not come into her room when she and her twin brother and sister were crying.

The McCanns remain official suspects in their daughter's disappearance from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz last May but deny any wrongdoing.

Oldfield, one of the group who dined at a Tapas bar with the McCanns on the night Madeleine went missing shortly before her fourth birthday, accused police of double standards.

"They leaked information and these rumours that have flown around for the past year," the 36-year-old said in extracts broadcast on BBC radio. "It is outrageous. We have all felt very angry about it."

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