28/12/07

Kate and Gerry McCann face a six-month wait before being told why they are suspects in the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine.

They hoped Portuguese police would be forced to open their file on January 3 in accordance with normal procedure.

Under Portuguese law a police file should be made public after eight months – but detectives still do not know what happened to Madeleine after she vanished on May 3.

So prosecutors will ask a judge for permission to keep details under wraps for a further three months.
And sources said they are prepared to seek a second extension later.

The couple’s spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: “Our lawyers will continue to press for access to the files and for the ‘suspect’ status to be lifted.”