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Crime

New footage shows police dogs reacting in McCanns flat

05/09/2008

New footage has come to light showing police-trained sniffer dogs barking and reacting in the McCann's Portuguese holiday apartment.

Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she went missing while on a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, last May.

She has not been seen since and her parents Gerry and Kate McCann were initially named as official suspects by Portuguese detectives.

The footage, obtained by the Sun newspaper, shows two trained springer spaniels searching the holiday apartment as well as the couple's rented car 25 days after Madeleine went missing.

In the video the dogs are seen barking and reacting excitedly while searching the flat and the car.

Former police officer Martin Grimes, the British dog handler who conducted the search, is shown telling Portuguese officers that the dogs had picked up the scent of blood.

During the video, Mr Grimes tells the camera and officers: "The crime scene dog has given me a positive indication.

"That indicates to me there is some human blood there - she will detect blood that is very old and find anybody's blood."

Portuguese police recently halted their investigation into Madeline's dissapearence, meaning that the McCanns and neighbour Robert Murat were no longer named as suspects.