Daily Mail Headline; says: ' British police have ended their search of the overgrown grounds of the only suspect in the Madeleine McCann case. After 22 hours spent scouring the sprawling garden of estate agent Robert Murat the officers and dog handlers, who travelled to Portugal last week, called a halt. Astonishingly, it was the first time the grounds of Casa Liliana, 100 yards from the holiday apartment where Madeleine was snatched 95 days ago, have been examined properly - despite 33-year-old Mr Murat's status as the sole 'arguido' (official suspect). Mr Murat, a father of one, was arrested ten days after Madeleine vanished shortly before her fouth birthday. It is understood that Portuguese detectives, who have been criticised for a chaotic investigation, are under pressure from their superiors to either produce a case against Mr Murat or rule him out. That led to British officers flying to the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz to supervise a search at Mr Murat's home, which he shares with his 71-year-old mother, Jenny.
They warned the Murats the search could last four days and ordered in a team of men from the Civil Protection Unit which worked with chainsaws and strimmers to clear undergrowth and bushes until late on Saturday evening. Then, as police guarded the gates of the villa, a painstaking search began. Sniffer dogs with British handlers combed the garden for Madeleine's scent while Portuguese officers used trowels, metal probes and scanners to detect evidence of digging.
It appears nothing was found. Yesterday, the British officers called off the operation, two days earlier than expected. Yards of police tape marking out zones to be examined, including a concrete area around two drains, were removed and Mr Murat was told there would be no further searches.
His status as a suspect remains unchanged. His lawyer, Francisco Pagarette, said last night: "We hope these investigations will help prove that Robert had nothing to do with this case."
A friend of Mr Murat added: "He has been told the search is over. The British officers were in charge throughout and were very thorough and professional. Robert has not been informed that he is no longer a suspect but he hopes this will finally prove his innocence."
Police sources said investigators are now re-examining statements from a witness who claimed in the early days of the inquiry to have seen a man with a child on the night Madeleine vanished. The witness, named locally as Martin Smith, said he saw a man 'carrying a child who appeared to be asleep' along a street near the Mark Warner Ocean Club.
Jane Tanner, one of the group of nine friends and children who were on holiday with the McCanns, has said she is convinced she unwittingly witnessed the kidnap and gave a similar description of the alleged perpetrator.
But Mr Smith told police he knew Robert Murat and had seen him in a local bar that night. He is said to have insisted that the man with the child was not Mr Murat.
mmm ... an odd 'duality' again. Here we have the Daily Mail declaring Murat is in the clear; yet ... the Express has a contradictory headline ... duality is a pattern forming. A pattern which has been here all along. Then there is the triangle ... a triangle of three points ... three people?
