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Paedophile 'admits to police he saw Maddy'
Allan Hall, in Berlin5 Jun 2009
An English paedophile told British police he saw Madeleine McCann twice before she vanished in Portugal two years ago, it was reported today.
Detectives spoke to Raymond Hewlett, 64, this week in Aachen, Germany. He is in hospital with throat cancer and has not been given long to live. They wanted to question Hewlett about child rapes dating back to 1975.
Hewlett admitted he saw Madeleine twice at the Praia da Luz resort where she was on holiday with her family in May 2007 - and even described the distinctive mark in the four-year-old's right eye, German newspaper Bild claimed. Footage on Bild's website showed Hewlett, who has been imprisoned three times in Britain for sex offences, being taken from the hospital by German officers for his appointment with British detectives.
Police took a DNA sample from Hewlett, who lives in a council flat at Aachen with his common-law wife, Marianne Schmuecker, 36, and their six children. His lawyer said he had "only a matter of weeks to live".
Detectives employed by Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, tried to interview Hewlett in hospital nearly two weeks ago but he refused to see them. He emerged from the hospital in a wheelchair and said: "I have nothing to hide."
At the time Madeleine went missing he was living in a motor home an hour's drive from Praia da Luz. Ms Schmuecker recently said: "He doesn't have anything to do with her disappearance."
It has also been claimed that the Portuguese resort has become a magnet for paedophiles, with allegations that children have been molested in their holiday homes at night.
Hewlett is wanted for questioning by Greater Manchester Police over the abduction and sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl in 1975. West Yorkshire Police also want to speak to him.
Reader views (7)
Over a year ago Robert Murat was guilty! Obviously he was not. Yes everyone would like to see this mystery solved but jailing someone not guilty of the crime does not solve it. We have been down this route with the Jill Dando and Rachel Nickell murders. Raymond Hewlett may be a throughly unpleasant human being that was in the area but that does not make him guilty!
- Man U Fan, London, 06/06/2009 13:58
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"How come he is able to live with his six children when he is a known paedophile? So much for child protection."
You'd best ask the German authorities.
"So how many times does one have to be imprisoned before being consider a risk to the public? Under Labour indefinitely looks like."
As he's living in Germany, I fail to see what a British political party has to do with it.
- Steve, Hertford, 06/06/2009 02:05
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This man has something to do with her disaparence, i reacon he sold her after abusing her
- Jules, guildford, 06/06/2009 00:43
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- Lindsay, london
It is all a lie the parents killed maddy
- Joanne, london, 05/06/2009 21:42
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Lindsay ,you might as well be asking how come people with "mental health issues" (nuts) are allowed to walk the streets freely. "He was fine as long as he remembered to take his medication. I guess he forgot today..."
- Trunk, US, 05/06/2009 21:26
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How come he is able to live with his six children when he is a known paedophile? So much for child protection.
- Lindsay, london, 05/06/2009 16:16
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".. who has been imprisoned three times in Britain for sex offences, .."
So how many times does one have to be imprisoned before being consider a risk to the public? Under Labour indefinitely looks like.
Labour: tough on the victims of crime, tough for the victims of crime.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 05/06/2009 14:13
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