Judge bans policeman's Madeleine book
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Portuguese judge today banned further sales or publications of a former policeman's book which claimed Madeleine McCann is dead, a spokesman for the missing girl's parents said.
Clarence Mitchell said Kate and Gerry McCann were "absolutely delighted" that a judge at Lisbon's main Civil Court had banned any further publication of The Truth Of The Lie by Goncalo Amaral.
He said the book had hampered the search for missing Madeleine and added to her parents' distress.
Mr Amaral worked on the investigation into three-year-old Madeleine's disappearance from an apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007 during a family holiday.
He was removed from the investigation after criticising British police.
The injunction, granted today after a hearing last week, means he has to ensure that all unsold copies of the book are removed from shops and warehouses across Europe or he faces a 1,000 euro-a-day (£877) fine.
Mr Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry McCann are absolutely delighted that the judge in Portugal has done the right thing by granting this injunction."
He said Mr Amaral's claims that he believed Madeleine was dead were "threatening the search".
Mr Amaral said he did not believe the McCanns' account that Madeleine was taken while they were eating with friends nearby.
Mr Mitchell said the Mr Amaral's claims had "added to their distress".
The injunction bans Mr Amaral from repeating his claims about Madeleine or her parents.
The terms of the injunction also apply to a TV programme about Madeleine's disappearance which Mr Amaral produced several months ago.
The injunction forces copyright for the book and the film to be passed to the McCanns' lawyer.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments