McCann friend attack 'outrageous' police leaks

A friend of Kate and Gerry McCann who was with them the night their daughter Madeleine disappeared today launched a furious attack on the Portuguese police.

Rachael Oldfield, a member of the so-called “Tapas Seven”, accused detectives of “outrageous” leaking of case information to the media.

She said officers were guilty of “double standards” for insisting the group obey strict secrecy laws.

She told the BBC: “They leaked information and these rumours that have flown around for the past year – it is outrageous. We have all felt very angry about it.

“We were asked to comply with the Portuguese judicial secrecy laws (under) which we were made to understand that we could face two years in prison for speaking out.

“So, as a group, we have not said anything from day one. There have been all these rumours flying around and leaks from sources close to the PJ (Policia Judiciaria), which we haven’t been able to refute.

“We would have loved to have spoken out really and just put the record straight, but believed that the investigation would be the best way of finding Madeleine if we co-operated with the police and complied by their rules and regulations.”

Her comments came in the documentary Searching for Madeleine which is broadcast tonight on Radio 4.

Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 last year.