A close friend of Kate and Gerry McCann has told the
BBC she saw a man carrying a child through the
Portuguese holiday resort where they were staying.
In an exclusive interview, Jane Tanner said she
remained adamant Madeleine McCann had been abducted.
Ms Tanner was among a group of friends who dined
with the McCanns on 3 May as they left Madeleine and
their two other children asleep in an apartment
nearby.
Her parents were named as official suspects in
September.
Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished
from the family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz
days before her fourth birthday.
Ms Tanner told the BBC's Panorama programme how her
friend Rachael came to her holiday apartment to tell
her Madeleine had gone at about 10pm.
"I know what I saw and I think it's
important that people know what I saw
because I believe Madeleine was abducted"
Jane Tanner |
"And then I saw Kate and Fiona running around
shouting 'Madeleine', and Kate said to me, 'Jane,
Madeleine's gone, Madeleine's gone'.
"And that's the first I heard."
Jane Tanner is potentially a crucial witness in the
police investigation.
Ms Tanner says at about 9.15pm she saw a man walking
away from the complex with a child, but at the time
thought nothing of it.
It was another 45 minutes before friends informed
her Madeleine had disappeared and now she says she
is convinced that child was Madeleine.
'Liar and fantasist'
Much of the police investigation focuses on the
timeline of events on the night of 3 May.
And the group of friends who dined together - the
so-called Tapas Nine - have been key to piecing it
together.
Among them were friends and fellow holiday-makers
including Rachael Oldfield and Fiona Payne.
|
The face was left blank as Ms Tanner could
not recall some details |
Ms Tanner insists she has done everything to help
with the police investigation but decided to talk to
the media after being called "a liar and a
fantasist".
"I know what I saw and I think it's important that
people know what I saw because I believe Madeleine
was abducted," she said.
Ms Tanner also said that she would be willing to be
questioned again by police if it helped with
Madeleine's investigation.
Last month the McCanns released artist's sketches of
a man drawn by an FBI-trained forensic artist using
details from Ms Tanner.
She had described the man she saw as aged about 35
to 40, 5ft 6in (1.7m) tall, and slim and the child
he was carrying was described as wearing the same
pyjamas as Madeleine.
The artist, commissioned by private detectives
working for the McCanns, left the man's face blank
as Ms Tanner was unsure about some details
The police say they do want to speak to all friends
who were with the McCanns on the night Madeleine
vanished.
They are reassessing the case but continue to
believe that Madeleine was either abducted or died
as a result of an accident in the holiday flat.
The full interview with Jane Tanner can be seen on
Panorama: The Mystery of Madeleine McCann on BBC One
at 2100 GMT on Monday 19 November