McCanns: Prosecutor to consider charges

Portuguese police have moved a step closer to potential charges against Madeleine McCann's parents by announcing plans to hand their file on the missing four-year-old to the public prosecutor.

And in Britain, Kate and Gerry McCann are facing fresh fears of having their other children, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie removed by social services, who held talks with police about the case.

Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses will now decide whether the police evidence is strong enough to bring charges against the couple.

This could mean months of agonising waiting for Mr and Mrs McCann, who returned home to Rothley, Leicestershire, on Sunday, having been named as suspects in their daughter's disappearance.

The prosecutor has three main options - he could bring charges, rule that no action should be taken, or send the papers back to police requesting more evidence.

Senior officers decided to submit the file despite not having all the results from analysis being carried out by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in Birmingham.

But a source close to the investigation said all results of substance had already been handed to Leicestershire Police and the Portuguese authorities.

Earlier, Madeleine's great uncle, Brian Kennedy give a statement saying: "Kate and Gerry are continuing to receive many messages of support and the children are fine.

"They are holding up extremely well. I don't know what their plans are. They will try to lead as normal existence as possible."

Portuguese police reportedly appear to be working on the theory that Mrs McCann killed her daughter by accident and covered up the death by claiming she was abducted.

On Friday, detectives asked Mrs McCann 22 key questions about what happened to Madeleine and later quizzed Mr McCann for eight hours.

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