Murat coming to Northern Ireland

Sunday, May 04, 2008

By Gail Edgar

In an exclusive interview, the 34-year-old revealed he is planning to travel to Northern Ireland to thank well-wishers who have been sending him cards and messages of support.

The former car salesman was questioned by Portuguese police on May 14 last year — less than two weeks after Maddie's disappearance from the Ocean Club apartments in the holiday resort of Praia da Luz — and he was subsequently made an arguido (formal suspect). He has always strongly protested his innocence and hopes to be soon cleared of all suspicion.

Robert Murat, who has a four-year-old daughter in Norfolk, said: "I am very limited in what I can say about Maddie but obviously I want to see her found safe and well.

"This is a missing person case and that is not to be forgotten. The focus should be on finding Madeleine, it really should. I was questioned by police on May 14 and had items taken away but these have been returned to me. I would like to say a big thank you to all those people in Northern Ireland who have supported me over the last year."

Speaking at his Casa Liliana home in Praia da Luz, which was the scene of a massive police search that turned up nothing last May, he revealed he has been inundated with support from people across Northern Ireland and now counts some as "friends". He says they have helped him cope with the allegations levelled against him.

"When I can I will make sure I get over there and visit all my friends. I was really touched by the amount of Christmas cards I got from people living in Belfast, Londonderry and all over Northern Ireland. I will go to Northern Ireland in the near future to meet as many people I can who have supported me throughout.

"My post bag nearly always includes letters from Northern Ireland and it helps so much to know people in that wonderful part of the world are so supportive.

"The letters are still coming and they really do make me feel better."

Police recently returned a computer, clothing and other items taken from the home he shares with his mother Jenny, close to where the McCanns were staying.

In the aftermath of Maddie's disappearance he had helped reporters and local police with the case and acted as a translator on occasions.

Friends of the McCanns allege they saw a man who looked like Robert Murat outside the Ocean Club holiday complex on the night of the disappearance. He proclaimed his innocence and claimed he was at the family villa for the whole time, an alibi she backed up.

He has now begun one of the largest libel claims in British media history, taking action against 11 newspapers and one TV outlet over their reports about him. If he is successful he could pocket more than £2million.

However, because of Portuguese secrecy laws he has to be careful about what he says about the case.

"I am limited to what I can say, but you can imagine what I've been through.

"It's a year since Madeleine went missing and there has been an awful lot of interest this week with TV crews etcetera."