24/09/2007

Madeleine's Parents Pleased By Sighting Reports

The official spokesperson for Gerry and Kate McCann has said that they are pleased to hear reports of two sightings of their daughter Madeleine in Morocco.

Over the weekend, it emerged that a British man has claimed to have spotted the four-year-old in the Moroccan capital of Marrakech six days after her alleged abduction from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal.

The man claimed to have seen a girl resembling Madeleine near a hotel on May 9, the same day that another Briton, Marie Pollard, had reported seeing a girl matching her description at a nearby petrol station.

It is understood that the man's sighting was passed on to the Portuguese and Moroccan authorities, but was not disclosed to the media.

Speaking at a news conference, Clarence Mitchell said that the couple were pleased to hear of any sightings. He said: "Any sighting that has credibility is always of interest.

"If it provides that key bit of information that leads to Madeleine being recovered then it is vital."

However, Mr Mitchell refused to comment on reports that the McCanns had employed a private security firm to help in their search to find their daughter.

Reports had indicated that the couple had hired Control Risks Group to investigate Madeleine's disappearance.

Mr Mitchell said that the group would be making a statement of its own later on Monday.

Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve in Portugal on May 3.

(KMcA)


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