Cops making a
last-ditch bid to solve the Maddie McCann mystery will spend
only THREE DAYS quizzing the Tapas Seven.
Portuguese
detectives fly to Britain on April 7 to question the friends of
the missing tot's parents Kate and Gerry.
It was
thought they would spend up to two months painstakingly seeking
new details from the group who were with the McCanns at a Praia
da Luz tapas bar when Madeleine vanished last May 3.
But chief
investigator Paulo Rebelo wants the inquiries wrapped up in time
for his team to return home on April 11.
The
detectives are particularly keen to see Dr David Payne, Jane
Tanner and her partner Dr Russell O'Brien. Doctors Gerry and
Kate, both 39, are not expected to face more questioning.
Their friends
will be questioned by British police as Rebelo and his team sit
in on the interviews in Leicester near the McCanns' home village
of Rothley.
Dr Payne, 41,
of Leicester, was the last person outside the McCann family to
see Maddie, four.
Ms Tanner,
36, has told police she saw a man carrying a little girl from
the McCanns' ground-floor apartment.
Another
witness says he was outside the building at the time but did not
see her or the mystery man.
The friends
deny that their initial statements contain contradictions.
But
Portuguese police hope that ironing out apparent inconsistencies
will help solve the riddle |