PORTUGAL: Spokeswoman for family missing British child Madeleine Mccann , gets tetchy with media

A spokeswoman for the parents of missing British child Madeleine McCann showed signs of irritation with the media after visiting the couple on the day after Portuguese police named them as suspects in the case. A spokeswoman for the parents of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann refused to talk to journalists gathered at the couple's villa on Saturday (September 8). Justine McGuinness, who has been giving interviews to the media gathered in the resort of Praia Da Luz, became tetchy when surrounded by camera crews and journalists as she arrived at Kate and Gerry McCann's home. The couple have formally been named as suspects in the disappearance of Madeleine following lengthy police questioning in the last two days. Under Portuguese law, declaring the McCanns as suspects indicates police believe they may have been involved in the crime but does not necessarily mean that they will be detained. They would have more legal protection than as witnesses, including the right not to answer questions. Asked how the couple were on Saturday, McGuinness would not answer and warned the journalists they were on a private road. Later, speaking as she locked the villa's gates after family friends arrived, McGuinness said: "As you know, Portuguese law prevents anybody from saying anything," and walked off down the driveway. Madeleine vanished from a hotel room in the Praia da Luz resort four months ago while her parents dined with friends a short distance away. The McCann's, who have gained widespread sympathy for their plight, insist they are innocent. They launched a massive publicity campaign to find their daughter who vanished a few days before her fourth birthday. Pictures of the child have been posted across Europe at schools, airports and restaurants.

ITN Source | September 8, 2007

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