PORTUGAL: Portuguese police confirm the handover of collected evidence in Madeleine McCann's case to prosecutor

Portuguese police confirm the handover of collected evidence in Madeleine McCann's case to Portimao's prosecutor who will then decide whether to charge the parents of the four-year-old girl in connection with her disappearance. Portuguese police will hand evidence against Kate and Gerry McCann to the public prosecutor on Monday (September 10), which will decide whether to charge the couple in connection with Madeleine's disappearance, police said. In handing over the evidence to the public prosecutor, the police is signalling it has a strong case against the McCanns, who left their holiday residence in Praia da Luz and and are now back in Britain after police named them as suspects last week. According to police sources, the prosecutor will then have to decide whether he has enough evidence to charge the McCanns or whether the police needs to carry out more inquiries or gather more evidence. If the prosecutor decides there is sufficient evidence to charge the McCanns with involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, it could ask that the couple return to Portugal and possibly then to order their arrest. It could also decide there is insufficient evidence to do anything and may ask police investigators to find more evidence. Police changed their line of inquiry after receiving partial results of forensic tests on evidence collected from various sites including the Algarve holiday apartment from which Madeleine vanished on May 3. In the nearby resort of Praia da Luz, residents had a sense of relief after the McCanns returned to England. Resident Roberto expressed his feeling that the locals should not feel inferior or become subservient to the foreigners who enjoy a holiday in their country. "It seems that for a long, long time, the Portuguese have a kind of 'professional curve' in their spines so they are always bowing in front of the English," he said. Pictures of Madeleine were taken from the door of the church in Praia da Luz where the McCanns were seen many times praying for their missing daughter. An unidentified Dutch said the McCann's departure will help speed up the investigation. "It's best that things are quiet, because the Portuguese have to do their work and no use speculating, because we don't know, so I think it's better now, better for everyone," he said. Gerry and Kate, both 39, arrived back in Britain on Sunday (September 9) four months after Madeleine's disappearance. The couple have consulted lawyers in Britain after the Portuguese police declared them formal suspects on Friday (September 8). Detectives questioned the couple for hours but did not charge them. The couple remained inside their home in the village of Rothley, Leicestershire while Kate's uncle Brian Kennedy faced the media. "Kate and Gerry are continuing to receive many messages of support and the children are fine and that's all I am going to say, thank you very much," he said in a statement, before adding: "They are ok, they are fine. They had a good night sleep and the twins slept soundly." Kate McCann told a British Sunday newspaper detectives pressured her to confess having accidentally killed her daughter. Her and husband Gerry are ready to face more questioning in Portugal and will fly back from time to time regardless of the police investigation.

ITN Source | September 10, 2007

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