Missing Madeleine video appeal

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BRITISH police appealed today for internet users worldwide to spread a new video aimed at pricking the conscience of the key witness who knows what happened to Madeleine McCann.

The one–minute film - see it on the video player on the right - includes fresh images of how Madeleine might look now, including one with dark brown hair and tanned skin in case she has been living in north Africa.

The appeal, launched by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (Ceop) centre, is targeted at a friend or relative of the person responsible for the little girl’s disappearance.

Ceop head Jim Gamble said the clip’s message, which has been translated into six other languages, had been crafted with the help of psychologists to persuade the witness to “do the right thing”.

He said: “The person we are looking to reach is likely to be a partner, family member, friend or colleague of the person or people who were involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.”

Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007.

Mr and Mrs McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, welcomed the initiative. Mrs McCann said: “We haven’t found Madeleine so we haven’t done enough, which is why we’re doing this appeal.

More information: www.ceop.gov.uk or www.findmadeleine.com