06/08/2009

'Victoria Beckham Lookalike' Sought In Madeleine McCann Case

Detectives investigating the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann are seeking a 'Victoria Beckham' lookalike with an Australian or New Zealand accent in connection with the case, it has been revealed.

The woman being sought by police is understood to have spoken a British man in Barcelona, three days after Madeleine disappeared.

At a press conference in London today, David Edgar, the retired detective who is now leading the search for Madeleine and Clarence Mitchell, the spokesperson for her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, revealed the new information, as well as an e-fit of the suspect.

The woman was spotted by two British men who were drinking in bars in the Port Olimpic Marina area of the city on May 7, 2007.

The woman, who was described as well-dressed, is said to have appeared to be 'agitated', and looked like she was waiting for someone outside the El Ray de la Gamba restaurant.

One of the man, a 41-year-old Briton, talked to her briefly, during which time she apparently thought that he was the person she was to meet.

The man said that during the conversation the woman said something which made the private detectives hired by the McCanns believe she may know something about Madeleine. Detectives have not revealed what the woman said.

The woman is described as being aged between 30 and 35, is 5ft 2ins and of slim build. She also spoke fluent Spanish or Catalan.

Mr Edgar described the witness as "very credible" and said his account of the incident was "clear and concise", and said that the man had not come forward before for "personal reasons".

Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, from an apartment in the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal's Algarve, while on holiday with her family. She was just three years old.

(KMcA/BMcC)

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