The parents of Madeleine McCann are hoping that the sketch of a man seen acting suspiciously near their holiday apartment on the night of their daughter's disappearance will give fresh hope in the search.

The picture, which has been published on the front page of a Sunday tabloid, was put together from a description by Nottinghamshire holidaymaker, Gail Cooper.

Kate and Gerry McCann believe the picture could be an important breakthrough in the hunt for Madeleine.

It is now more than eight months since she disappeared from a holiday complex on the Algarve.

Portuguese police have known about Gail Cooper's description since May, but only now has it been made public after the McCann's own investigators began to re-interview witnesses.

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