Missing girl libel trial to resume next month

A libel trial pitting the parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann against the Portuguese police officer who led the initial probe into her disappearance will reopen next month, the couple's lawyer said Thursday.

Kate and Gerry McCann are suing Goncalo Amaral for 1.2 million euros for defamation over allegations he made in a book that their daughter was dead and they were involved in her disappearance.

The case in Lisbon was expected to finish on Thursday but will now resume on February 10 with two extra witnesses and closing arguments, the McCanns' lawyer Isabel Duarte told journalists.

During three days of hearings so far, the court has mainly heard evidence from police officers who supported their former colleague and defended his investigation.

Kate McCann said she thought suing Amaral was the right thing to do.

"It's difficult to hear something that's incorrect and inaccurate. At the bottom of all this is a little girl, and I think it's important that we don't forget that," she said.

"This is definitely the right course of action. I truly believe we are doing this to help the search for Madeleine. I believe in the Portuguese judicial system and that we will get justice, and that we can take the search for Madeleine forward."

A Portuguese court issued an interim injunction in September banning sales of the 2008 book in which Amaral made the claims, "Maddie: The Truth Of The Lie", and prohibiting him from repeating them in the media.

The McCanns, who have always said they believe their daughter was abducted, have asked the Lisbon court to confirm the interim ruling as definitive.

Madeleine went missing from a holiday apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday, as her parents and their friends dined at a nearby restaurant.

The McCanns were named as official suspects in their daughter's disappearance in September 2007 although this was lifted in July 2008.

Amaral initially headed the inquiry but was removed in October 2007 after he criticised British police in a newspaper interview.

Despite massive international publicity and investigations by both Portuguese and British police Madeleine has never been found.

The Portuguese are no longer investigating the case, but other investigators acting on the couple's behalf are still looking for the missing girl and appealing to the public for information.