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McCanns 'to remain in Portugal'

Kate McCann declared formal suspect in disappearance of daughter Madeleine

Missing Madeleine McCann's parents will stay in Portugal to help police after being named as suspects in their daughter's disappearance, a family friend said.

Portuguese detectives made Kate and Gerry McCann "arguidos", or formal suspects, on Friday while re-interviewing them about what happened to their daughter.

The couple want to return from the Algarve to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie. But after Friday's dramatic developments - and with the threat of being charged over Madeleine's death hanging over them - they have decided to remain in Portugal.

Earlier, Gerry McCann's sister Philomena McCann said the couple wished to return to Britain but are worried it may appear that they are "running scared" if they return home to Britain.

The family friend, speaking in Portugal, said: "At the moment it is their intention to stay here. However, they would very much like to go home... They are in a position at the moment whereby they have been made arguidos. They obviously want to help the police. I think they feel that it wouldn't be right to have ... jumped on a plane to go home."

The McCanns have remained in the seaside village of Praia da Luz since Madeleine went missing from their holiday apartment in May.

The couple had planned to join worshippers at a special ecumenical service at the village church of Nossa Senhora da Luz. But they will now stay at home all day and pray privately because of concerns about the huge media interest in their movements.

Mrs McCann fears she will now be charged over Madeleine's death after Portuguese police asked her directly whether she killed her daughter.

Detectives offered her a "deal" - a guaranteed jail sentence of no more than two years - if she confessed to accidentally killing her daughter, Mr McCann's sister Philomena McCann said. But Mrs McCann refused, saying, "How dare you, how dare you use emotional blackmail to get me to confess to something I didn't do?", according to ITV News.

The couple are said to be "in a state of shock but also extraordinarily angry" about the police moves.