New Madeleine book as McCann libel case starts

Goncalo Amaral does not give up. The Portuguese police chief who claimed Kate and Gerry McCann lied about their daughter Madeleine's disappearance is launching a second book on the subject today – just as a Lisbon court begins to hear the McCanns' libel case brought against Amaral over his first book.
 
The McCanns, who flew to Lisbon yesterday for the start of the trial, plan to use the £1m damages they are seeking to continue their search for Madeleine, who they believe was abducted and is still alive. Amaral, 54, reportedly plans to launch his new book, A Mordaca Inglesa (The English Gag), at a Lisbon bookshop.
 
Amaral was the senior officer in the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance from a Praia da Luz holiday apartment in May 2007. He was removed from the case after he publicly criticised the British police's involvement and subsequently wrote a book, A Verdade Da Mentra (The Truth of the Lie). In it, he claimed Madeleine, then aged almost four, died in an accident or from an overdose of sedatives in the apartment.
 
In September the McCanns won a temporary injunction and thousands of unsold copies were handed over to their lawyers. They are now seeking a permanent ban on sales.
 
Landing at Lisbon airport, Gerry McCann said that Amaral's first book had damaged the search for Madeleine. "If people read it and believe she is dead then they will not keep looking for her and may not come forward with information they may have."
 
Amaral plans to fight the action, claiming that he has the right of freedom of speech. But Gerry McCann said: "We're here to make sure that freedom of speech doesn't allow the truth to be distorted."
 
The libel action is expected to conclude next week. ·