McCanns Hid Maddy's Death, Cop Tells Court

The parents of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann covered up her accidental death during a Portugal vacation then faked a kidnapping story, a detective testified in a Lisbon court yesterday. The testimony was presented in response to a libel suit brought by Maddy's parents seeking damages for a best-selling book written by former lead investigator Goncalo Amaral. Kate and Gerry McCann were eventually cleared of wrongdoing by authorities when the attorney general declared there was no evidence against them.

The McCanns won an injunction blocking publication of the book The Truth in the Lie, but are now seeking some $1.5 million in damages, reports the Telegraph. A lead detective testified yesterday that sniffer dogs identified blood and the scent of a human corpse inside the McCanns’ holiday flat after the toddler was reported missing. The McCanns have said they plan to use libel damages to continue the hunt for Maddy.
(More Kate McCann stories.)