Madeleine father's plea to abductor

Gerry McCann, 39, said Madeleine's captor may have taken her because of a sudden impulse or "act of madness" which they might not understand themselves.

Writing in his daily internet blog, Mr McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, urged the abductor: "It is not too late to do the right thing."

Madeleine, who should be having her first day at school on Thursday, was snatched from her bed in her family's rented holiday apartment in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, on May 3.

Mr McCann and his wife, Kate, have stayed on in the Algarve village ever since, desperate for news of the four-year-old's whereabouts.

In a direct plea, he said: "If you have done something you regret, if you find yourself in a situation you never intended, it is not too late to do the right thing.

"Please come forward, return Madeleine, leave her in a place of safety."

Mr McCann, who has repeatedly said that he and his wife believe Madeleine is still alive, added: "At the very least, help us by letting us know what has happened to our beautiful little girl."

He said the family continued to await news on the investigation.

Detectives are still awaiting the results of a series of forensic tests on samples taken from the apartment where Madeleine was abducted.