‘Maddy parents did not kill her' (From Craven Herald)

‘Maddy parents did not kill her'

8:09am Friday 14th September 2007 in Skipton & District By Newsdesk

A SKIPTON relative of Kate and Gerry McCann has said the couple had nothing to do with their daughter's disappearance.

Portuguese police have named Mr and Mrs McCann as official suspects after the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine from an Algarve holiday resort in May.

Prosecutors are looking through evidence and the couple, who have returned to the UK, are waiting to see if they will be charged.

Kate's cousin, Skipton resident Anne-Marie Wright, said they were determined to clear their names if it came to it. She said: "They are innocent and had nothing to do with her disappearance."

Mrs Wright, whose husband Michael has spent time in Portugal helping with the search for Madeleine, said the situation was "heartbreaking".

"It's absolutely awful. It's the feeling of, Can this be happening to our family?' We can't believe it's real. It's unbelievable," she said.

Mrs Wright is in regular contact with the McCann family, who came to stay with her earlier this year. She said they were keeping strong and were still focused on keeping the campaign to find Madeleine going.

Mrs Wright said: "They have no hard evidence that suggests she's not alive. They are still convinced she's alive. Until they have conclusive evidence that's not the case, that's what they believe in."

She said it had been hard for Mr and Mrs McCann, who have two other children - Sean and Amelie - to leave Portugal and return home to Leicestershire.

But she said: "They will have the support of family and friends more available to them. They have said that if police want them to go back to Portugal they will co-operate and clear their names."