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Madeleine: Portuguese police's fury as British DNA experts attack their 'unprofessional and amateurish' work
Last updated at 16:37pm on 06.12.07Portugese police investigating Madeleine McCann's disappearance are said to be furious after British scientists criticised the "unprofessional" way in which they had collected forensic evidence.
The row erupted last week during a summit meeting between experts from the two countries.
Portuguese detectives had arrived in Britain hoping test results would crack the case, it is claimed.
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Madeleine: Missing since May 3
Lost evidence: The room in Praia da Luz where Madeleine was sleeping before she disappeared
But a source said: "The Portuguese arrived with the attitude of, "OK, where are the findings we need?"
Paulo Rebelo: officer in overall charge of the inquiry
"The Forensic Science Service basically said there weren't any and made it clear things could have been collected more professionally.
"That doesn't mean there was a lot of evidence they failed to collect but what evidence there is was collected in a very amateurish way.
"The Portuguese took this badly. They were unhappy because there was implicit criticism of how they collected the evidence.
"There was a heated exchange of views."
The four-strong Portuguese team included Inspector Ricardo Paiva, the right-hand man of Paulo Rebelo, the officer in overall charge of the inquiry.
They met five experts from the FSS, which has been conducting forensic tests at its base in Birmingham for the past four months.
It has already been widely reported that samples of DNA taken from the crime scene are heavily contaminated.
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Under suspicion: The case against Kate and Gerry McCann is largely built on DNA evidence. But British scientists say this evidence is not reliable
Earlier this week Portuguese experts reportedly admitted they face an "impossible mission" to solve Madeleine's disappearance through DNA tests because the forensic evidence is so poor.
Reader views (5)
Let's not mix everything together shall we? The Portuguese police probably made mistakes in collecting the evidence, but -for now- that doesn't necessarily mean the McCanns are innocent because of that. I am not gettting why the British public so much wants to believe the story of a Portuguese peadophile, is that out of pride? If the McCanns are innocent, then fantastic! But if they are not...
- Franck, London
Were they expecting a pat on the back?!
- Rachel, London
What did they (the Portuguese police) expect? That our police would congratulate them and say that they have done everything right?
The Portuguese cops have blamed everyone and his wife for this except themselves. What is so wrong with admitting that peadophiles operate in their country? Surely the truth, no matter what the cost, is better than blaming innocents and most certainly deserves to be investigated and not covered up by blaming the innocent.
- Kim, London
I'm really amazed at how the McCanns are managing to cope with the bombardment of accusations by the Portuguese police. They have after all lost the most precious of possessions, their darling little daughter. The police appear to be desperate to find them guilty without a scrap of evidence. I just wish that they would show them some compassion and leave them alone.
- Pete, Durban, South Africa
Well that was obvious from the beginning and this is typical of the Portuguese police, they have the wrong attitude. They started a load of suspicion on the parents which was very premature, now look at what they have had to endure because of the police mistakes. I hope the parents can sue the cops.
- Kris, Australia
