Investigators were sifting through more than 250 calls and emails after making a dramatic TV appeal.
They want to trace a suspect who assaulted five British girls on holiday in the Portuguese Algarve, where Madeleine went missing.
But yesterday hopes of a breakthrough faced a setback following reports of a rift between Scotland Yard and their counterparts in Portugal.
Operation Grange detectives in the hunt for Madeleine were accused of stealing the lead over the new suspect, described as a pot-bellied paedophile who may have worked as a binman, from Portuguese investigators.
At the same time sources in Portugal poured cold water on a Yard line of inquiry linking a separate suspect, Euclides Lopes Monteiro, 40, to the then three-year-old Madeleine’s disappearance in Praia da Luz in May 2007.
Insiders claim Monteiro was quizzed by local police during the original investigation and freed by a court because of lack of evidence. The Cape Verde immigrant died in a tractor accident in 2009.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt expressed frustration at the speed of the legal system through which British police have to ask for Portuguese assistance with their inquiry.
Last night, Prime Minister David Cameron was said to be ready to intervene and put pressure on the Portuguese authorities if the progress of the latest investigation is stalled. Good, I called for this 2 days ago. The object here is to find Maddy, not to get credit for finding her.
Scotland Yard had called for a joint probe with Portuguese detectives after international legal red tape hampered progress in the hunt for Madeleine.
A close working relationship is more critical than ever as the search for Kate and Gerry McCann’s missing daughter enters a critical new phase over the so-called “pot-bellied” suspect.
Yard officers launched an appeal on Wednesday night’s BBC Crimewatch programme for information about the mystery man who is said to have broken into the holiday homes of 12 British families and abused five children in their beds.
And they were handed a potential breakthrough as new information flooded in. A Yard spokesman said: “We have received over 250 calls and emails. Officers are now reviewing the information and following up lines of inquiry.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt spoke of his frustration at delays when launching the TV appeal. But a No.10 spokesman said yesterday: “The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have always been clear they very much support the work that the British police authorities are doing on this.
“They are always ready to consider what more there is that could be done and always stand by to make further representations to the Portuguese government, for example, if that would help.”
However, hopes of greater co-operation appeared further away than ever last night as the Portuguese claimed that Scotland Yard had “hijacked” their investigation. After 7 years, I hope someone has.
Well-placed Policia Judiciara sources credited a team led by Inspector Helena Monteiro with uncovering evidence about the unnamed pot-bellied suspect, and insisted they had informed the Yard last October.
Insiders in Portugal also insisted that there was no new lead over the dead suspect, Euclides Monteiro (no relation) who served five years in jail for a string of break-ins on the Algarve.
One source told the respected Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias: “All the cases mentioned by the British police were investigated by local police. Euclides was arrested but freed by a court because of lack of evidence.”
They want to trace a suspect who assaulted five British girls on holiday in the Portuguese Algarve, where Madeleine went missing.
But yesterday hopes of a breakthrough faced a setback following reports of a rift between Scotland Yard and their counterparts in Portugal.
Operation Grange detectives in the hunt for Madeleine were accused of stealing the lead over the new suspect, described as a pot-bellied paedophile who may have worked as a binman, from Portuguese investigators.
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| Madeleine at 3 |
At the same time sources in Portugal poured cold water on a Yard line of inquiry linking a separate suspect, Euclides Lopes Monteiro, 40, to the then three-year-old Madeleine’s disappearance in Praia da Luz in May 2007.
Insiders claim Monteiro was quizzed by local police during the original investigation and freed by a court because of lack of evidence. The Cape Verde immigrant died in a tractor accident in 2009.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt expressed frustration at the speed of the legal system through which British police have to ask for Portuguese assistance with their inquiry.
Last night, Prime Minister David Cameron was said to be ready to intervene and put pressure on the Portuguese authorities if the progress of the latest investigation is stalled. Good, I called for this 2 days ago. The object here is to find Maddy, not to get credit for finding her.
Scotland Yard had called for a joint probe with Portuguese detectives after international legal red tape hampered progress in the hunt for Madeleine.
A close working relationship is more critical than ever as the search for Kate and Gerry McCann’s missing daughter enters a critical new phase over the so-called “pot-bellied” suspect.
Yard officers launched an appeal on Wednesday night’s BBC Crimewatch programme for information about the mystery man who is said to have broken into the holiday homes of 12 British families and abused five children in their beds.
And they were handed a potential breakthrough as new information flooded in. A Yard spokesman said: “We have received over 250 calls and emails. Officers are now reviewing the information and following up lines of inquiry.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt spoke of his frustration at delays when launching the TV appeal. But a No.10 spokesman said yesterday: “The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have always been clear they very much support the work that the British police authorities are doing on this.
“They are always ready to consider what more there is that could be done and always stand by to make further representations to the Portuguese government, for example, if that would help.”
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| Insp Helena Monteiro, Portuguese Police |
Well-placed Policia Judiciara sources credited a team led by Inspector Helena Monteiro with uncovering evidence about the unnamed pot-bellied suspect, and insisted they had informed the Yard last October.
Insiders in Portugal also insisted that there was no new lead over the dead suspect, Euclides Monteiro (no relation) who served five years in jail for a string of break-ins on the Algarve.
One source told the respected Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias: “All the cases mentioned by the British police were investigated by local police. Euclides was arrested but freed by a court because of lack of evidence.”
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