Arrest expected 'in 48 hours'
Exclusive by Martin Fricker & Jon Clements 6/09/2007
Police in Portugal are refusing to tell Madeleine McCann's parents the results from DNA tests on blood and other scraps
of forensic evidence taken from their flat.
Detectives were given the test results yesterday morning - but last night they had still not bothered to get in touch
with Kate and Gerry.
The couple only learned of the results after news was leaked to the media of a "significant breakthrough" by British
scientists who painstakingly analysed the tiny evidence fragments.
Last night it was claimed Portuguese police are now likely to make new arrests within the next 48 hours.
Sources said the DNA of a potential suspect had been among the material from the holiday flat. It is thought it was found
in an area where the individual should not have been.
The news last night caused Madeleine's great aunt to collapse with shock. Janet Kennedy, 68 - who paid tribute to Kate
and Gerry at a prayer service five days ago - fell ill at her home in Rothley, Leics.
A neighbour said: "Janet suffers from high blood pressure and the wait for results of the blood samples are too much
for her.""
Janet's husband Brian, 69, was last night at her hospital bedside. He said: "We've been anxiously waiting all day for
an announcement from Portugal. We thought police were going to say the results were inconclusive but we don't know. Now Janet's
taken a turn for the worse."
A friend of the McCanns last night said Gerry was furious that police had not got in touch to tell them the test results
had arrived from the UK.
He and Kate learned the news when an aide interrupted their afternoon run. The friend said: "Gerry was upset that detectives
had not bothered to let them know about the results.
"It's bad enough not telling them what the results are, let alone not telling them they even have the results. As the
parents you would expect the police to let you know of major developments.
"They have Gerry's mobile number and can call him at any time but he was not called by the police before he found out
from the media. That's frustrating. They used to have a good working relationship with the police. Not any more."
Gerry and Kate's spokeswoman Justine McGuinness confirmed: "The Portuguese police have not phoned the McCanns and have
not told them about the tests results."
Evidence taken from the McCann's flat in Praia da Luz during a review of the investigation by UK police was sent to Birmingham's
Forensic Science Service laboratory a month ago.
It included blood flecks discovered by British sniffer dogs on the wall in the bedroom where Madeleine was last seen
alive on May 3.
The FSS experts obtained at least one DNA profile from some of the samples using a sophisticated technique called Low
Copy Number analysis. It allows scientists to find a genetic fingerprint from a tiny sample by "growing" it into extra copies
suitable for repeated testing.
But it takes several weeks to produce a definitive result compared to as little as eight hours for a standard DNA test.
Sources say a large volume of material sent to the UK is still being examined. But experts made the breakthrough after focusing
on material most likely to show results.
Tests for the presence of four-year-old Madeleine's blood, saliva and hair were carried out first. Experts also searched
for forensic traces that would link potential suspects to Madeleine's disappearance. A source linked to the investigation
said any developments made by the FSS were passed on to Leicestershire police immediately.
That information was then given to the Portuguese authorities. The source said: "The FSS has been in close liaison with
Leicestershire police.
"Information is always being fed back which Leicestershire police then pass on to the Portuguese authorities. On something
so important, any information would not be sat on.
"The Portuguese are leading on the investigation and they have to be the ones to act on any information. What happens
now is up to them, but people should be keeping a very close eye on events over there in the next few days."
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, the man leading the Portuguese inquiry, last night refused to say if they had received
the test results.
He said: "The lines of investigation are the same since the beginning - they are all open. "We said the results are important
for one of the lines, the one that considers the hypothesis of the little girl being dead.
"At this moment we are taking special attention on the hypothesis of death."
British ex-pat Robert Murat, 33, remains the only official suspect in the case. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
A spokeswoman for the FSS said their tests on the blood were "ongoing". She added: "There has been a lot of speculation.
But the tests are ongoing. There has been no change in that. It's a live investigation and we are working with the police."
The Low Copy Number technique was developed by British scientists about five years ago.
A source said: "The scientists have had to take their time before sending any results over to Portugal because the Low
Copy Number technique is very delicate and much more difficult than normal DNA testing. This kind of thing is only done when
there are no more tests left to do. It is often requested by cold case review detectives investigating a crime decades later."
The technique has helped catch some of the world's most notorious killers. It helped British police investigating the
"Trophy Rapist" attacks around the M25 motorway identify Antoni Imiela as their prime suspect.
And FSS tests on the handties used to bind Joanne Lees in the Australian outback gave police the DNA profile of killer
Bradley Murdoch.
Meanwhile, the McCanns will take part in a major religious festival in Praia da Luz on Saturday. The couple, from Rothley,
will attend an ecumenical service in the village church of Nossa Senhora da Luz as part of the Festival of Our Lady of Luz.
The family spokeswoman said: "The church community has given them a lot of support."
*
Portuguese police start interviewing Kate McCann, as a witness,
in the presence of her lawyer.
Gerry states in his blog: 'The suggestion that Kate is involved
in Madeleine's disappearance is ludicrous. Anyone who knows anything about the 3rd May knows that Kate is completely innocent.
We will fight this all the way and will not stop looking for Madeleine'.
