Portuguese Court Bans Sale of Book About Madeleine McCann

A court in Portugal has banned the sale of a book, written by a police officer who investigated the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, in which it is claimed that the British girl is dead.

Goncalo Amaral, removed from the team investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007 after voicing his criticism of British police, had titled his book The Truth of the Lie. And in the book Mr Amaral had claimed not only that Madeleine, who was three years old when she disappeared, was no longer alive but also that her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had lied about the circumstances surrounding their daughter's disappearance. A civil court in the Portuguese capital Lisbon has ruled that any unsold copies of the book must now be removed from shops and warehouses across Europe and that their removal is the responsibility of the author. If Mr Amaral fails to comply with the instructions of the court he will be fined a daily amount of € 1,000 (£877, $1,447) until he is no longer in breach of the order. Former BBC reporter Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCann family since September 2007, has said, according to UK.MSN, that Madeleine's parents are "absolutely delighted" with the decision of the court. The report on the matter by Sky News says that a statement issued by Gerry McCann expresses concern that people might believe what Mr Amacal had written and therefore would not come forward with information relevant to the search for his daughter if they thought that she was dead. In addition, the statement, which speaks of the "incredible distress" caused by the book, strongly denies the accusations made by the former investigating officer regarding the involvement of Gerry McCann and his wife in Madeleine's disappearance, declaring:

Mr Amaral's central thesis has no evidence whatsoever to support it