British detectives have been asked to investigate the backgrounds of Kate and Gerry McCann. Police in Strathclyde are to dig into the couple's university days 20 years ago and contact former friends and colleagues from their time in Scotland, where they first met.
Detectives in Portugal hope the probe might uncover something in the McCanns' past which could shed light on the case, the Sunday Mirror reported.
The request - made via Europol - was part of the root-and-branch review of the case ordered by its new head, Paulo Rebelo, and the first interviews could be carried out next week.
Strathclyde police refused to comment but a source told the newspaper: 'It's a back-to-basics check. We've been asked to trawl the backgrounds of the McCanns to build up a full picture of their lives right back to university.
'It is a full check on their lives to see exactly what type of people they are.'
The couple met in Glasgow's Western Infirmary in 1992 after finishing their medical degrees, but did not begin dating until 1996. They married in Liverpool in 1998. (Daily Mail)
