He accused them of “extreme negligence” in leaving Madeleine and two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie alone in a holiday flat as they dined out with friends.

Manuel Domingues Borba said the couple should have been forced to stay and face justice in Portugal.

And he said the case had left a stain on a peaceful community with no history of major crime.

“I would never leave my children sleeping alone and go to dinner in a foreign country – especially as there are babysitters for that very purpose,” he said.
“I consider the parents guilty of negligence at the very least. There was a total abuse of trust and extreme negligence.

“The parents are still arguidos. They are guilty of abandonment – at the very least.”

Mr Borba, 70, did not accuse the couple of killing Madeleine, but town hall officials say many in the Algarve resort where she vanished believe they were responsible.