Detective fails to overturn Madeleine book ban

Former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral today lost an attempt to overturn a ban on his book claiming that Madeleine McCann is dead, a spokeswoman for the child’s parents said.

Kate and Gerry McCann welcomed the ruling by a judge at Lisbon’s main civil court, saying they were “very pleased and relieved”.

Mr Amaral was the first head of the police investigation into the girl’s disappearance from Praia da Luz in Portugal in May 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday.