A former detective has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to Gerry and Kate McCann following a libel case in a Portuguese court.

Libel proceedings brought by the parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann against a former Portuguese detective who wrote a book about the case have been abruptly suspended.

Seven people were today found guilty of child sex abuse charges after a major trial in Portugal lasting nearly six years.

A Lisbon court has postponed the start of a libel action brought by the parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann against a former Portuguese detective.