Madeleine McCann's parents could face charges of neglecting their daughter on the night she disappeared.

Court documents published on The Times' website reveal the areas Portuguese investigators are considering include "abandonment", and show that the police inquiry also covers possible abduction, homicide and concealment of a corpse.

The documents are the first official confirmation that the inquiry includes a possible allegation of neglect against Kate and Gerry McCann.

Clarence Mitchell, the couple's spokesman, emphasised the court papers did not mean such a charge would materialise.

Meanwhile, plans for a police reconstruction of the night the four-year-old disappeared have been scrapped.

It was called off after friends of the McCanns decided not to take part.

Detectives wanted to stage the reconstruction at the Ocean Club complex in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz where the McCanns were dining with their friends while Madeleine and her younger brother and sister were in the family's apartment nearby.

They hoped a re-enactment would help to get a more detailed picture of the events and possibly find missing and vital clues.

But the McCanns said it would do absolutely nothing to help find their daughter and their friends - the so called Tapas Seven - have also stated they do not see how it would help the investigation.

Mr Mitchell said all of them had reached the same decision.

He said: "The friends had a number of serious questions about the value of the reconstruction and what it would do to help find Madeleine.

"After some discussion, they have informed the Portuguese authorities that they do not intend to go back.

"Gerry and Kate have not refused to go back. They were aware of their friends' view and they are now not needed for the reconstruction.

"The bottom line is that there were a number of serious questions. For instance, why did the Portuguese officers want to hold a reconstruction more than a year after the event?

"There was a suggestion of doing a reconstruction at the Ocean Club last year but that was rejected out of hand because that was not the way they wanted to do things.

"Why was the reconstruction not to be televised? That would have generated new leads and information but if it is not televised, how on earth is that going to help find Madeleine?

"Why did they only want the nine people (Mr and Mrs McCann and the Tapas Seven) back? Why didn't they ask all the other holiday-makers back?

"Frankly, the police and the authorities in Portugal did not answer the simple question: What will this do to help find Madeleine? And that is why this proposal did not have legs."

Mr and Mrs McCann are still considered official suspects or 'arguidos' in the case but have always denied any involvement in their daughters' disappearance on May 3 last year.

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