Murat to sue British media

Updated 19.02 Sun Apr 13 2008
Keywords: Madeleine McCann, Robert Murat

Madeleine McCann 'suspect' Robert Murat is planning to sue 12 British media outlets for libel.

London-based solicitors Simons Muirhead and Burton said the Anglo-Portuguese ex-pat was pursuing defamation actions against 11 newspapers and one TV station.

London-based solicitors Simons Muirhead and Burton said the Anglo-Portuguese ex-pat was pursuing defamation actions against 11 newspapers and one TV station

The law firm listed libel actions against Sky, the Daily Express, the Sunday Express, the Daily Star, the Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, the Metro, the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror, the News of the World, the Sun and the Scotsman on its website.

Mr Murat, 34, lives just yards from the holiday apartment in the Portuguese seaside resort of Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished on May 3 last year.

Detectives took him in for questioning 11 days after she went missing and made him the first "arguido", or formal suspect, in the case.

He has always strenuously protested his innocence but is still waiting to be officially cleared of involvement in the young girl's disappearance.

Last month the Daily Express, the Daily Star and their Sunday sister papers printed front page apologies and paid £550,000 in damages to Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, over articles suggesting the couple were responsible for their daughter's death.

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