Police Accused of trying to offer Kate McCann A Deal

The family and friends of Kate McCann have hit out at suggestions that Kate was someway involved in the disappearance of her daughter Madeleine. They have accused the Portuguese police of trying to offer a deal to Kate. Gerry McCann's sister, Philomena, told ITV news; "They tried to get her to confess to having accidentally killed Madeleine by offering her a deal through her lawyer - 'if you say you killed Madeleine by accident and then hid her and disposed of the body, then we can guarantee you a two-year jail sentence or even less,'

Gerry McCann also defended his wife before being interviewed by the Portuguese police this afternoon. On the Web site http://www.findmadeleine.com, Gerry McCann said any suggestion "that Kate is involved in Madeleine's disappearance is ludicrous." A former spokesman for the family, Clarence Mitchell also spoke to the Associated Press. The McCann's "continue to deny absolutely they had anything to do" with their daughter's disappearance, Mitchell said. He said Kate McCann had found the police questioning "gruelling and very intense", but she's remaining strong and determined to prove that they had nothing to do with their daughter's disappearance and they are innocent victims of the crime".