Claire Wilson
A CRIMEWATCH appeal has generated almost 1,000 new leads in the Madeleine McCann case, according to the Metropolitan Police.
A total 730 calls were made and 212 emails were sent following Monday night’s screening, making it the biggest ever response to an appeal on the BBC programme.
A number of callers have given names for the man police believe snatched the toddler from her bed.
Detectives believe the sighting of a man carrying a blonde girl 500 yards from the McCann’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz is of ‘vital importance’.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said he was extremely pleased with the response to the appeal.
He has ruled out Mr McCann’s involvement in his daughter’s disappearance, and said two independent callers had put forward the same name for the suspect.
Another caller gave the name of a man who was known to be in Portugal at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.
Redwood said officers were waiting to action the information, and 40 people were ready to take further calls.
The Met is now taking the appeal to Holland, and a missing person programme will be broadcast in Germany tonight.
Investigators are keen to speak to a number of fair haired men seen lurking around the holiday apartments at the time who could be Dutch or German.
Read more about the appeal here.
Interesting times. Scotland Yard’s trashing of the Tanner sighting has now moved the impossibly small “Window of Opportunity”, which was previously 9:13 to 9:16, to 9:48 to 9:54. They still have to show how during that time someone could enter unseen, sedate three children, exit with one, and disappear, without leaving any forensic trace. The “re-construction” did not address any of the important issues. They never do. And they stayed well away from the dogs.