Madeleine: Sex offender 'a suspect'

In the programme, The Madeleine McCann Mystery, Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt claims all 52 British sex offenders with links to the Portuguese holiday destination have been investigated and only one remains in the frame as the search for the missing four-year-old continues.

The 30-minute documentary comes as Kate and Gerry McCann, both 39, of Rothley, Leics, face their first Christmas without their daughter.

The programme features forensic expert Professor David Barclay, who says it is unusual for children of Madeleine's age to be abducted by paedophiles.

He said: "There are two options. She (Madeleine) came to harm at the hands of some member of the family or of friends, or that it was some paedophile who happened to be passing by. Both are really, really unlikely but we know she's gone.

"Abduction for sexual purposes of children is eight, nine, 10-year-olds. It is really, really unusual to want to take a child of three-and-a-half.

"It would be somebody overcome by the urge at that time. I mean, how often can you do that and get away with it?

"There are no people in Praia da Luz that have got that sort of history. I know people who have got that, they have been looked at but they (the Portuguese police) didn't check up on the other people staying in the apartments."

Prof Barclay criticises the fact the McCanns' apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz was not protected as a crime scene, following Madeleine's disappearance on May 3. He claims that in similar cases police have bought the house so they could keep it until after any trial.

Mr Brunt also claims a blue tennis bag used by 39-year-old Gerry McCann hours before Madeleine disappeared has gone missing. The claim has been rubbished by the McCanns' family spokesman, Clarence Mitchell. He said: "As far as Kate and Gerry are concerned, there's no missing tennis bag. They came back from holiday with everything except of course, tragically, Madeleine."