Robert Murat was declared an arguido
back in May 2007 by Portuguese police
investigating the disappearance of
Madeleine McCann but was later cleared.
He also won sizeable damages from a
number of newspapers and two television
stations in Britain for defamatory and
libellous reporting he was subjected to
over an extended period of time.
Mr Murat had arrived at the Faro police
station on Wednesday this week shortly
before 9.30am and where he remained,
excluding a short lunch break, until
shortly before 6pm. He was however not
asked a single question relevant to the
case and was asked to return this
Friday.
Up until Wednesday evening five
witnesses were heard by Portuguese
police at the request of British
detectives, with no new developments
emerging from these interviews.
Following the interview of the ten
witnesses in Faro this week, an 11th
person, said to be a British expat
resident in the Algarve but who is
currently in the UK, will be heard
solely by the Metropolitan Police
Service.
This latest phase of the investigation
into the disappearance of Madeleine also
saw the arrival in Faro on Thursday of
DCI
Nicola Wall from the Homicide and
Major Crime Command. She will be taking
over from
DCI Andy Redwood who has to date led
Operation Grange, the British
investigation into Madeleine’s
disappearance.
She was accompanied by Redwood on her
first visit to Faro’s PJ police station
on Thursday, which also coincided with
police interviews of four more
witnesses.
Nicola Wall will officially take over on
Monday 22 December and lead the
dedicated team of detectives currently
working on this case.
A comprehensive handover is ongoing, and
the family and other interested parties
have been informed, the Metropolitan
Police said in a recent statement.
DCI Redwood said: “After careful
consideration and a full and rewarding
career in the Met the time is right for
me to move on.
“The past three and a half years leading
Operation Grange has been an
extraordinary privilege, and I leave the
investigation in the very capable hands
of my experienced colleague Nicola.” |