Victoria Ward In Praia Da Luz 27/11/07

Madeleine McCann was accidentally killed by a paedophile in her apartment, it was claimed yesterday.

Respected Portuguese paper Publico said detectives were working on a new theory that an intruder panicked and suffocated the child when she screamed.

It revealed cops were close to clearing parents Kate and Gerry of blame.

The U-turn is a result of evidence given by the McCanns’ friend Jane Tanner, who saw a man carrying Madeleine away from the complex in Praia da Luz.

Spokesman for the McCanns, Clarence Mitchell, dismissed the report as “distressing”.

Police believe there may be a link with the disappearance three years ago of Joana Cipriano, eight, who has never been found.