Latest new on this subject...shakes head

Madeleine's family fly home
09/09/2007 09:20

Missing Madeleine McCann's family arrived at a Portuguese airport to fly home to Britain.

Kate and Gerry McCann set off from the village of Praia da Luz with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie at 7.10am. They arrived at Faro Airport just after 8am and are expected to fly back to East Midlands Airport on the 9.30am easyJet flight.

Madeleine's parents fear they could be charged over their daughter's death after Portuguese police named them as "arguidos", or official suspects, in her disappearance.



After undergoing intense questioning by detectives on Thursday and Friday, they wanted to fly back to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, as soon as possible.

The McCanns' spokeswoman confirmed their last-minute decision to fly home in a statement just after midnight. She said: "Kate and Gerry will be returning home to the UK this morning as originally planned. They will depart from Faro Airport. It is emphasised that their return is with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and police."

The McCanns have no bail conditions attached to their arguido status and still retain their passports. But police could in theory apply for a court to impose movement restrictions on them.

Several weeks ago the couple made provisional plans to return to the UK with Sean and Amelie on Sunday. But they put this on hold after Portuguese police summoned them back in for questioning this week and made them arguidos.

Family friends said on Saturday that the couple intended to remain in the Algarve for the time being to "help the police", but were taking legal advice on whether they could return to the UK.

Now in a sudden turnabout they have reinstated the original plans. Mr McCann's sister Philomena, 43, spoke to her brother on the telephone on Saturday, just hours after he left a Portuguese police station following eight hours of questioning. She said the family still hoped to leave Portugal and return to Britain within days, but were worried about how it would be interpreted.

"Gerry is saying he doesn't want it to look like they are running scared," she added. "He doesn't want it too look as if they are running away, because that is nonsense."