MADELEINE McCann’s parents faced fresh heartache yesterday as the cop

 thrown off the investigation published an outrageous account of the case.

The book by shameless Goncalo Amaral came out just days after Kate and Gerry were officially cleared of any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance.

Amaral — the officer who first named the McCann's as official suspects — was removed from the hunt for missing Maddie after blasting British police.

He is now facing perjury charges over an earlier case involving the disappearance of a girl.

But the ex-cop still churned out his 214-page book Maddie — A Verdade da Mentira, which translates as Maddie — The Truth of the Lie.

In it he makes farcical claims police suspected the McCanns as soon as Madeleine, then three, disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

He makes a serious allegation against one of the Tapas Seven, the nickname given to a group of the McCanns’ holiday pals.

And he slates the police’s own forensics team

The £10 book — with an initial print-run of 40,000 — is being published only in Portugal for fear of libelling the couple. In March doctors Kate and Gerry, both 40 and from Rothley, Leics, received £550,000 from Express Newspapers for printing false claims.

Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell told The Sun: “People should bear in mind Amaral is a discredited former police officer who was removed from the case. He is also entirely at odds with his own Attorney General who, on Monday, made it very clear there is absolutely no proof that any criminal offence was committed by Kate or Gerry.

“Amaral is also, quite disgustingly, seeking to make money out of Madeleine’s situation and is seeking publicity — which we are not prepared to give him. The libel lawyers who are representing Kate and Gerry and their friends are assessing every word of this book very closely, and they will not hesitate from taking legal action against Amaral if any passage requires it.”

A source close to the family said: “It is believed Kate and Gerry will sue at a time of their choosing. They won’t be rushed into anything.”

Though the case has been shelved, Portugal’s top cop Almeida Rodrigues insisted yesterday: “We will continue to chase up every credible lead we receive. We will travel to the ends of the Earth if needs be.”

v.lorraine@the-sun.co.uk