Madeleine police fail to crack Tapas 7

Apr 13 2008 By Gerard Couzens

PORTUGUESE police will tell prosecutors tomorrow they have nothing new after a last-gasp trip to Britain to crack the Madeleine McCann case.

Chief investigator Paulo Rebelo will admit he has returned empty-handed.

Rebelo had hoped to expose inconsistencies in statements of the Tapas Seven holiday pals.

One Portuguese paper claimed there were discrepancies in statements but they were "essentially" the same - a claim angrily denied by Kate and Gerry McCann.

McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Everything they said in their new interviews is entirely consistent with their earlier statements.

"The speculation in the Portuguese press is yet more made-up rubbish.

"The interviews this week were important but we always knew the Portuguese police weren't going to take anything new home from them."

Tomorrow's meeting is expected to be crucial in determining whether the McCanns remain official police suspects.